Fwd: Secret Pre-trib Rapture or Blessed Hope and First Resurrection / ORIGIN OF THE SECRET RAPTURE THEORY
Wings Like a Dove
Secret Pre-trib Rapture or Blessed Hope and First Resurrection
The secret rapture doctrine teaches that believers will be taken before the great tribuation and the wicked are left behind. However, a careful reading of Luke 17 says that the bodies of those which are taken are taken to a place where the eagles are gathered together. This does not sound like something
wonderful. Jesus says in the parable of the tares and the wheat that the tares are gathered up first to be burnt and then the wheat is taken to barns. In Ezekiel
the Scriptures predicts that those nations that march against Israel, God would give them over to ravenous birds of every sort to and the beast of the field to be devoured. Christians that put their hope in a pre-tribulation rapture may be in for a surprise. Our blessed hope (Titus2) is the second coming of Christ. There is no mention of a secret rapture before the time of tribulation in Matthew 24. At His second coming Jesus says, he shall send his angels
to gather his elect from the four winds. This is appears to be the time for the first resurrection mentioned in Rev.20. If the Second coming is our blessed hope then the secret rapture teaching is offering those that believe it a false hope. A careful reading of 1 Corithians 15 and 1 Thess 4 reveals the nature and circumstances of the resurrection of the dead and the living at Christ coming.
Biblical references:[29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
- [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Thes.4
[13] But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.[14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.[15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.[16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:[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.[18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
- [5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
- [6] Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
- [13] Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Ezekiel 39:1-5 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
26] And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.[27] They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.[28] Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;[29] But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.[30] Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.[31] In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.[32] Remember Lot's wife.[33] Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.[34] I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.[35] Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.[36] Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.[37] And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
- [39] The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
- [41] The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
- [49] So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
Matt.13
[24] Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:[25] But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.[26] But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.[27] So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?[28] He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?[29] But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.[30] Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.[28] For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.[29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:[30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.[31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.[32] Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:[33] So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.[34] Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.[35] Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.[36] But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.[37] But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.[38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,[39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.[40] Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.[41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.[42] Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.[43] But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.[44] Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.[45] Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?[46] Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.Ravenous Birds http://philologos.org/bpr/files/r002.htm1 Nisan, 5761
Ezekiel 39:1-5 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.Ezekiel 39:17-20 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.Revelation 19:17-21 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
In Nissan, the skies of Eretz Yisrael [land of Israel] are full of birds. Because this tiny strip of land is on the main migration route to and from Africa, it is home to a disproportionately large number of birds each spring. They each know "their appointed time...the time of their coming."
ORIGIN OF THE SECRET RAPTURE THEORY
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/Malkaynu/rapture.html
To many it is both amazing and shocking to discover that neither the word rapture nor the doctrine/teaching of a "secret rapture" is to be found in any bible translation. Moreover, it is not even mentioned in any "christian" literature prior to the year 1830.
Dave MacPherson, author of The Unbelievable Pre-Trib Origin, reveals that the "rapture" teaching born in England during the mid-1800's. MacPherson's research found that a Church of Scotland minister, named Edward Irving, was the first to preach the "rapture gospel."
Just how the "rapture" theory occurred to Irving is an intriguing facet of modern churchianity's history. Irving held some eccentric positions on the use of "spiritual" gifts, including speaking in tongues and prophesying. He contended that these gifts were for the present day "church", and had quite a few followers of his radical notions. However, when chaotic disturbances arose in Irving's services during the manifestations of these "gifts", the Church of Scotland took action, dismissing Irving from his position as minister in 1832.
The ultimate result of Irving's dismissal was the formation of the Catholic Apostolic Church, which still exists until this day. Irving's movement grew and became the basis of modern day pentecostalism. The natural evolution of this movement has resulted in the recent emergence of the "Toronto Laughing Spirit" phenomenon which has seduced and mislead more than a few well-intentioned people.
However, in 1830 during one of Irving's sessions before his dismissal, a young Scottish girl, named Margaret MacDonald, fell into a "trance". After several hours of "vision" and "prophesying" she revealed that "christ's" return would occur in two phases, not just one. "Christ" would first come visibly to only the righteous, then He would come a second time to execute wrath on the unrighteous in the nations.
This "secret rapture" was promoted by Irving claiming he, too, had heard a "voice" from heaven commanding him to teach it. (Some modern researchers submit that Irving's speculations of the "rapture were influenced by the Spanish Jesuit priest, Lacunza whose book Irving had translated in 1827 under the title, The coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty)
John Darby, an Englishman and pioneer of the "Plymouth Brethren" movement became caught up in the rapture philosophies of Irving. When Darby heard about Irving's activities, he traveled to Scotland to talk with Irving and his followers about the "secret rapture". It was Darby who became the master developer of "scriptural" arguments to support the theory/doctrine that evolved.
Darby's development of the "rapture" theory has since become widely popularized in Britain and finally in the U.S., largely as a result of Cyrus Scofield's notes in his Scofield Reference Bible.
Belief in the "secret rapture" doctrine has become so widespread among today's "evangelicals" and "fundamentalists" that many sitting in the pews assume that the teaching dates back to the apostles themselves and the Messiah. Regardless of whom one regards as the originator of the teaching — whether Irving, Darby, Margaret MacDonald, or a Jesuit priest - one thing is obvious; the "secret rapture" theory is of relatively recent origin. Moreover, it has no basis in fact nor was it ever a teaching of the Messiah, Apostles, or the early movement begun by Messiah.
ORIGINS OF THE SECRET RAPTURE DOCTRINE - Youtube video link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FuVbj2Cu74
