Part Six " Where does the rapture fit in?" My Response: By Rapture I must assume you speak of the Futurist teaching whereby there is proposed a ‘secret’ escape by the Church out of the clutches of the Antichrist/Man of Sin, who is to appear in the last seven years prior to the end of the Church age. This teaching has its origins in the recent past (learly 19th century). The history of the ‘secret’ Rapture theory has been well documented from several sources. Read Dave MacPherson, for example. Suffice it to say that a search of the Internet will result in much information which is quite enlightening. The Christian Church never knew nor did she ever teach a "secret" Rapture, 2-stage appearing of the Lord, for nigh unto 18 centuries. This is an important fact to consider for several reasons: 1. I have already established in my 5-part Prophecy treatise that the Holy Spirit will never leave nor forsake the people of God. Nor will the Holy Spirit fail to lead them into all truth. If there is a ‘secret’ Rapture escape of the Church, the Holy Spirit failed to teach His Body - (including His prophets, from whom He promises He will never conceal His secret plans, Amos 3:7) - that fact for 18 centuries. Failure on the part of the Holy Spirit is a human trait. Thus, it would prove the JWs correct in their thesis that the Holy Spirit is not God. For God cannot fail to carry out His will, whatever that might be. 2. The Scriptures do not teach a 2-stage appearing of the Lord, as I have purposely pointed out in my 5-part Prophecy treatise. 3. The Scriptures do not teach an escape from tribulation, great or small. The use of a concordance will verify this fact when the key word tribulation is searched out to determine the veracity of the Futurist doctrine. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 4. History proves the veracity of the Scriptural teaching that true Christians are to undergo tribulation. In the world ye shall have tribulation……. What were the centuries of unrelenting persecution, torture and murders by the 'Holy' Inquisition, a time of minor annoyance to the saints? 5. The origin of the ‘secret’ Rapture Theory has been traced to the Jesuits, when the Chilean Jesuit, Emanuel Lacunza, wrote The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty in the late 18th century, under the pseudonym of Rabbi Juan Josafat Ben-Ezra. In this work, which was later translated, published, and preached by London minister, Edward Irving, in 1827. Lacunza wrote, "….when the Lord returns from heaven to earth upon His coming forth from heaven, and much before His arrival at earth, He will give His orders, and send forth His command as King and God omnipotent: 'with a shout with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.' At this voice of the Son of God, those who shall hear it, shall forthwith arise, as saith the evangelist St. John, 'those who hear shall live.' " (The Rapture of the Saints, by Duncan McDougall, citing the 1833 edition of Irving's translation, pp. 10-11). As any well informed Christian knows, the Society of Jesus had as its primary purpose that of waging war against the Protestant Reformation, using the ex-cathedra doctrines decreed in the Counter-Reformation Council of Trent as their guidelines. Included in their strategy was the recognition and elevation of the Pope as Supreme Head of the Christian Church worldwide, the placing of each individual under his authority in humble obedience. 6. As I pointed out in my 5-part Prophecy treatise, II Thess. 2 does not teach the return of Christ before the revealing of the Man of Sin, which is taught by all Futurists. Rather it teaches the visible one-stage return of Christ after the revealing and reign of the Man of Sin. It is this very point of doctrine which Paul specifically addresses, warning the Church that it was, and will continue to be, a key area of deception: Let no man deceive you by any means for that day [the day of the Lord's 2nd Advent] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed [second], the son of perdition……… 7. The purpose of the translation of the saints alive at the coming of Christ, as specified in 1 Thess. 4 and 1 Cor. 15:51 ff., is not to teach escape from tribulation under the Antichrist, but rather to teach the supernatural instantaneous change of the human body into a heavenly, incorruptible body, without first passing through death, the normal course of events. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 8. Can a more brilliant theory, the "secret" Rapture theory, which opposes the united teaching of true Christians through the ages, be conceived? If the Man of Sin will not be revealed until after the 'secret' Rapture, as taught by the Futurist false prophets of the Church, then the Church will never battle him and his armies. Who in their right mind battles an imaginary enemy? If the Church will escape the clutches of the Man of Sin through a ’secret’ Rapture, there is no real need to teach the Church the doctrine of the Man of Sin. The Bride of Christ, they tell us, won't be here, so there is no need to fear his presence nor the remote possibility to positively identify him. With the Church soon to be translated to what purpose, then, is prognosticating the identity of the Man of Sin, who will allegedly not appear until after the Church is raptured? The Church cannot use the doctrine in a practical application right here, right now. 9. The doctrine which teaches the ‘secret’ Rapture escape of the saints is one which has no historical precedence. The doctrine which teaches the Man of Sin presently reigning in the false Church, however, does have historical precedence. Read the Reformation creeds. Futurist prophets speak that which has not come to pass for nearly 2,000 years. Historicists speak that which has come to pass for approximately 1,000 years. Futurists speak of those things to which they have not been witnesses. Historicists speak of those things which they and millions of others have been witnesses. By the very nature of the term witness, a true witness can only testify to those things which he has seen and heard. Yet Futurists continue to testify to those things (e.g., ‘secret’ Rapture, 2-stage coming of Christ, future Antichrist) which they have neither seen nor heard. In truth, they are not witnesses. They are seers, psychics and sorcerers who prognosticate things which never come to pass. These predictions they do in the name of the Lord, giving their prophecies legitimacy before the ignorant sheep. [Please read my response to a Futurist teacher regarding this question: http://www.iconbusters.com/iconbusters/current-debate5.htm ] 10. When one places the character and testimony of the witnesses who testify against the papal Man of Sin/Antichrist in our midst alongside the character and testimony of the Futurist prophets who declare he is not yet come, we find the field far from equal in quality and quantity. On the Historicist side, we have the greatest names in all of Christianity, who have either sealed their testimony with their own blood or who have experienced unparalleled persecution for righteousness sake. On the Futurist side, we have a handful of unknown and unrecognized latter-day prophets, including Jesuits, scattered among the popular prophets of today. Not one of them has undergone great tribulation, nor has one of them been martyred because of the biblical testimony they held. Rather, the current crop of Futurists enjoy unparalleled fame, fortune and flattery. [Please read my reply to David McAllister, dated 4/17/99: http://www.iconbusters.com/iconbusters/current-david.htm ] 11. Attempt to find one book exposing the Papacy as the Antichrist in your local 'Christian' bookstore. One doesn't exist. What does exist is a plethora of books teaching Futurism. What is it the bookstore owners are afraid of? Are they afraid of offending their customers? Is not the true Jesus Christ offensive to the many when preached truly according to His Word? Is not the Lie always more digestible and pleasing to the masses? It is this author's personal experience that the teaching of the Reformation doctrine of the papal Antichrist is one which offends, alienates, separates, and causes open hostility between professing Christians, unlike any other doctrine. 12.The first resurrection comprises those who were martyred by and/or who withstood the Beast (Rev. 20:4-6). The doctrine of the 'secret' Rapture eliminates all Christians from this blessed and holy resurrection by virtue of their escaping, either by death or Rapture from planet Earth, before the Beast's appearance. For these Christians their only option remaining is the second resurrection which God passes by in silence. Which resurrection would you prefer? |