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When I say all of them, I am referring to the different Rapture positions (i.e. Pre-Trib, Mid Trib, Pre Wrath, and Post Trib).
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I was raised pre-trib but when I was an adult and had been studying scripture seriously, I explored all of those as well and found that only post-trib is scripturally supported.
Pre-Trib Rapture:
Short Version:
There are some interesting things to notice that are different about the Rapture (i.e. The Appearing) and the Second Coming.
At the rapture, only those who are looking for him will see him:
• Hebrews 9:28 ESV
So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Now contrast that with the second coming to the earth
• Revelation 1:7
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
At the rapture, Jesus comes FOR His church :
• 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
• John 14:3 -
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
However, at the second coming (after the tribulation period) , Christ comes WITH His saints.
• Jude 1:14
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.
• Revelation 19:14
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
At the rapture, the LORD calls His church up to a wedding/marriage
• Matthew 25:10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
But at the second coming to earth, He is RETURNING from a wedding.
• Luke 12:36
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
I don't just accept something in the Bible just because the church says it is true. Granted, there are many things I do accept, like the Trinity and that the Earth was created in six literal 24 hour days. However, I strive to honor the Word of God in what it plainly says. I also try to make sense out of things. Granted, I realize there are some things you cannot explain like the miracles of God. While many have probably have said the same thing, tradition is hard to break. It is not easy to go against the grain and or to plow new ground.
I believe in a literal hell. The story of Lazarus and the Richman cannot be anything but a true narrative. For Jesus did not tell stories that were not based in reality. All his parables were set in the real world. Most churches teach Eternal Concious Torment or that the wicked will burn in hell and also burn for all eternity in the Lake of Fire (Which is overkill and goes way beyond what the crime actually calls for).
However, after close examination of the Scriptures, I believe that the wicked will be destroyed in the Lake of Fire. Hell is also a real place but nobody is tortured in any flames there (like the popular movies and books of today like to promote). For Lazarus could not have carried on a normal conversation with anyone if he was being engulfed in flames. People normally cannot talk to you without screaming if they are being held down in a fire. This is important to understand because Jesus illustrated spiritual truth by way of real world examples (i.e. His parables). Anyways, the belief that there is a literal hell and the wicked will perish in the Lake of Fire is called "Dualistic Conditionalism." This is what I believe the Scriptures plainly teach.
Lately, God has been calling it upon my heart to answer the question as to the length of time people spend consciously in Hell. How can someone who only sinned for a couple of years be incarcerated for thousands of years in a horrible place? I said to myself that time must operate differently there. But there is no evidence of Scripture for this. However, one possiblity that would resolve the problem of men being punished beyond the crimes they committed in hell would be the topic of "soul sleep." But there are just too many passages that show how others are conscious in the after-life. Yet, when I read how Jesus was laughed at when he said that the girl was sleeping and not dead, I find that a metaphorical interpretation to be unsettling. Yet, I do not agree with Soul Sleep's proponents and how they use certain verses in the Psalms as if it was a declaration of soul sleep, either (Like saying we do not have thoughts after death). Such verses are clearly speaking to make a metaphorical point and it is not one that speaks of the after-life per say. So for now, I am considering a partial soul sleep as being a possibilty. It makes sense. But I need to pray about it a lot and search the Scriptures for a long while before even considering such a thing as being remotely true.
So what soul sleep passages do you think would convince me?
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Who cares if there is or isn't: once you wake up you won't remember it.
To your first paragraph Jesus stated:
Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Joh 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
2 know him said:The Pharisees intellectualised their beliefs. Jesus' teachings are about the practice of his teachings. Hypocrisy deals with how a person's works contradict their words focus on living right before God not intellectualising your beliefs.
Before words are spoken proclaiming the law, there is a law that exists in men and it testifies to men of right and wrong. May I suggest it is this inner law that Jesus verbalises into his words and whether or not they are spoken: the laws still are in effect.
Like napping? I doubt it.
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