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Concerned mom's avatar

Sharon, what do you do with this bit of Scripture: "For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. AND the dead in Christ will rise FIRST. Then we who are ALIVE and remain shall be CAUGHT UP (harpaso Gk - rapturo: latin) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall ALWAYS be with the Lord. 1Thes 4:16-17

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Sharon Beautiful Evening's avatar

C.M. I have sat under the tutelage of well-respected evangelical expository pastor/teachers. Some of them preached the "pre trib" rapture...some preached ""mid trib rapture", some preached "post trib rapture"....so I am of the mindset that I'll await the Lord Jesus Christ's cry COME UP HITHER....if I'm dead then--I'll be "first to meet Him--if I'm still alive..."I'll wait for my brothers and sisters in faith who passed into eternity before me to meet him FIRST....it's "up for interpretation" as far as I am concerned.

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Elaine Russky's avatar

One reading of Matthew 27:51-53 is that this has already happened, like many of the events cited by premillenial eschatologists. What do you guys think?

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Concerned mom's avatar

I believe God uses the same type of event 2x or even 3x. I understand that Antiochus IV Epiphanes captured Jerusalem in 167 BC and desecrated the Temple by offering a pig on the altar to Zeus... and we also see the Abomination of Desolation (spoken by Daniel) mentioned by Jesus Himself in Matt 24:15... Would He have mentioned it if it had already happened? Maybe this same scenario happens several times...

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Elaine Russky's avatar

Yes, anything is possible. I agree.

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Sharon Beautiful Evening's avatar

Here's a very comprehensive and unbiased dissertation by a professor from Liberty University in VA (Jerry Falwell's university) that I found very holistic and comprehensive. HT is helpful, Elaine and Concerned! https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=pretrib_arch

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Elaine Russky's avatar

Thank you for the article. The author traces the theologians' development of this doctrine. I always thought the Schofield bible footnotes had much to do with it. While helpful, the primary authority I prefer is the New Testament. I'm what I call a pro-millenial, meaning I'm ready for whatever God chooses to do, now and forever. Having almost died twice, I know it's possible that I won't be on Earth for any of it so it's largely academic. (Nothing wrong with that if you're an academic.)

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Sharon Beautiful Evening's avatar

Good mindset, Elaine!!

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Elaine Russky's avatar

Thank God for new attitudes. Ephesians 4:23.

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Concerned mom's avatar

My biggest problem with any debate, and wordy articles, is that people put aside God's Word and try to defend their position based on pre-conceived beliefs. Let every man be a liar but God and His Word are TRUE!

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