Sorry that's just the terminology I'm used to, I wasn't that exposed to Pre-trib ideologies when I was younger other than the Left Behind books. I appreciate the book suggestion as well and I'll try to get my hands on a copy when I can find time.
Hello --- Good to see that a Thread starter actually replied on the internet !
Seems like many folks start stuff and then disappear.
First: - Let me say up front that I do NOT know when The Lord will return --- NO human does. People make stupid statements and prophecies far too often.
There have been 'Date-setters' since the 1840's ; known as the Millerites and they were wrong back then. ( Now called the Seventh Day Adventists , with Ellen G. Harmon White and her pals. ) . About the same time period the 'Mormons' ( followers of Joseph Smith ) were teaching that The Lord was going to come back very soon - so everybody should join their group... blah, blah , blah, yakkity-yak. Then the 'Dawn Bible Students' ( Rutherford & Russell )-( which became the Watch Tower / J.W.s ) said for sure that The Return would be in 1914 ... ( It is now 2014 A.D.
) .
Lots --- and I mean bunches of Prophecy / End-times teachers/authors were 99% sure that the Lord Jesus would return in 1988 ... He did not. The 'Catching Away" ( aka; The Rapture ) did not happen in 1981. { Can you see it: " Prophecy books on the Discount bargain table - .10 cents each , fill up you bags! "
}
Now ---> Just because people got dates and event times wrong does NOT mean that the Scriptures are wrong ! ( Can I get an 'amen!" ? ) The Lord God is still on The Throne and He knows what He is doing !
As for myself - I got saved in Jan. 1979 - and I did mucho End Times reading... I read all the famous Eschatology Passages, and scripture portions over and over. { Neglected lots of other good scripture though. }
When I started out as a young/new Christian - I was a Post-tribber because I listened to Dr. Walter Martin ( The real Bible Answer Man ) , and he was a Post-trib man. I listened to Keith Green and got his 'Last Days Newsletter' --- and liked him and his teachings. He was Post-trib .
Later I switched to being a Pre-trib guy after listening to a very good tape series by Pastor Joe Magliato (spelling ?), and He gave a great lesson about the Jewish Wedding/engagement/courting ritual-custom. { Bridegroom returning for the Bride. } Then I started listening to Pastor Chuck Smith and Dr. J. Vernon McGee on the daily radio bible teaching broadcasts. They made much sense to my mind. Their basic idea was that if it was a Post-trib 'Catching away' , then we would Know when the Lord was going to return to Earth... { Right then. } If a 'Mid-trib' --- then we would know when the 'catching away' would take place: 3 1/2 years after the Beast/Antichrist showed up.
Thus ... only the idea of an unknown time ( "When You Think Not" ) which would be a surprise to everyone... made the most sense to me... and still does. "Watch and Pray!"
{[ Sub- note : I was married in a WELS Lutheran Church and they are A-mill. I NEVER bought that nonsense ! Not then , not 3+ decades later. Never bought the Post-Mills idea either - for the same reason as Dr. J. Vernon McGee shot down the Post-Mill idea: The world we live in/on is getting WORSE , NOT better. ]}
My advise to you AFPJ is to toss those 'Rapture Fiction' books ( The Left Behind series ) in the fireplace . Read good Biblical study books. Get Halley's Bible Handbook & a Bible Dictionary ! Get familiar with the whole Bible , all 66 Books , do not just read the just the "End Times" sections. Some folks spend years dissecting the book of Daniel , and/or 3 chapters in Ezekiel , Matt. 24 , and never read Exodus or James.
Here are some links I found for you to look at. I am not a member of or a merchandizer for any of these websites/links. Just trying to give you information to digest. I do not hold to standard Scofieldism / Dispensationalism / but I do think that the "Charts" done by Clarence Larkin ( a Baptist Pastor ) are well done. He spent long hours matching Bible passages up with the drawings ... I kinda-sorta think he is correct on much of his thinking about what has happened , and what will happen.
[[ I think Larkin is probably (?) correct,,, --- but after the fiasco of 1981 / 1988 I'm not totally agreeing with any man on Eschatology!
]]
{[ Because I am under 50 posts , I can't post live web links , so I'll post scrambled links and you will have to put them back together and then point & click. ]}
h t t p : // clarencelarkincharts dot com / Clarence_Larkin_7 dot html
h t t p: / / w w w dot lamblion dot com / articles_rapture7 dot php
h t t p : / / w w w dot raptureready dot com /rr-pre-trib-rapture dot html
h t t p : / / w w w dot the-truth-ministries dot us/ PreTrib dot the-truth-mininstries.us/
