Opus 2026-044: The Unnoticed Rapture

I just finished a book entitled MAD about Hebrews.  The MAD stands for Mid-Acts Dispensationalism.  They claim a lot of interesting ideas.  Interesting, but not historically Christian.  One of the ideas that is not specifically stated, but became clear to me by the end was that when the rapture takes place it probably will not be noticed by the world.  Why?  Because it’ll be so few people who are raptured.

If you’re not into Bible teaching at all, let me share that the rapture is the term used for a moment in history when Christ returns and “catches up” his church into the air.

(1Th 4:16-17 KJV)  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:  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.

I kind of pictured this being an exciting moment we believers, assuming I am one of them, find themselves flying through the air to meet Jesus in the clouds.  The term rapture is not used, but that’s one that we have adopted to explain it.

Since Christians argue over just about anything, one of the things they disagree on is when the rapture takes place. That involves another bit of biblical teaching called the “tribulation”.  Actually, the phrase that is continually used in the book was “the great tribulation”.  That’s the time where the antichrist rules and heaps all kinds of persecution and suffering on the world.  The MAD people claim that this only will be experienced by the Jews.  I’m not sure if there are other groups that feel that way, but they definitely do.

One of their requirements is that you believe this rapture takes place before the great tribulation.  That means that the church, or as they prefer to call it, the body of Christ, will be raptured before the suffering.  The church, the body of Christ, will be gone.  If you are into the pre-trip rapture, then you believe that Christians will not go through the suffering.

If you ever are around to copy this book long enough to read it you will find that in the process of applying MAD theology to the book of Hebrews he throws every single group of identifiable Christians under the bus and either explicitly says they’re going to hell or implies it very directly.  My old denomination is not mentioned by name, but it’s key term is used in the description of one of these heretical groups.  He even goes so far as to throw under the bus others that I thought would be part of his group.

Which comes to my point.  I’m sure you were wondering if I would ever get there.  If you’re still with me, I salute you.  If the only people that are raptured are those who fit into his theology then my theory is that there would be so few involved that no one will notice.  I had never heard of these people until my friend somehow accepted their indoctrination.  He is the only person that I have ever met that thinks this way.  He is the only person I know that has any books on the topic.  So far he sent me 11 books to read, which I have done.  None of them are published by anyone you’ve ever heard of.  This last one was one of those books that was printed on demand.  It was printed less than a week before I got it in the mail.

So how will you know if the rapture is taking place and if you were included?  I think it’s safe to say that you won’t know and you won’t be included, that is, if you accept what they have to say.  Fortunately, what they have to say often has nothing to do with the Bible, so relax.

McLean, Terence, D.  MAD about Hebrews.  Greentown, IN:  Discerning the Times Publishing Co., Inc, 2010.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-016: It’s Not the Same

Did God create the world for us, for Himself or for both?  I’ve always assumed that the world was made for us to subdue and act  as stewards.  But this thought came to me in the dark of the morning.  It may be God enjoys nature as much as we do.  That may be why he created it the way he did.

Notice the first part of this verse,

Genesis 3:8 (KJV) And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

I’ve always had the impression that God would come and walk through the garden on a regular basis and spend time with Adam and Eve. Of course, that impression may come from the song that we often sing, 

I come to the garden alone, 
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, Falling on my ear, 
The Son of God discloses.

    And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
    And He tells me I am His own;
    And the joy we share as we tarry there,
    None other has ever known.

But it’s supported by these concepts, here, of walking and the cool of the day.

I wonder if God still enjoys walking in the world that He created.  Is it better than cruising the galaxies?  I’m thinking that perhaps the sin of Adam and Eve as it spread through all the creation, polluted creation in such a way that God gets no joy in walking through it.  I remember working one summer in Sequoia National Park.  It was an awesome experience.  What would happen if there was a fire that burned out all those ancient redwoods and left nothing but charcoal and rubble?  Somehow, I don’t think I would enjoy the experience of walking through it.  The location would be the same.  The atmosphere would be totally different.

People are waiting for the return of Jesus.  We have the picture of the new heaven and the new Earth.  We envision the New Jerusalem descending from heaven and we see the child playing with the viper.  It is a glorious picture that we anticipate.  Perhaps God looks forward to it also.

Can God come down and walk on the surface of the Earth now?  I would answer that with a big resounding, “Of course He could.  Who’s going to tell Him He can’t?”  The thing is where before He came to enjoy not only the fellowship of His creatures, but the surrounding of the rest of creation.  It’s very possible that He will not be able to enjoy that again until it is restored.

It’s just not the same.

May you find it encouraging that God is looking forward to restoring His creation as much as we are.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-080: The End of Israel?

People who are into eschatology love to quote these verses.

(Jer 31:35 KJV)  Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
(Jer 31:36 KJV)  If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
(Jer 31:37 KJV)  Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.

It is vital to them to keep Israel in the game.  They reject any other thinking as “Replacement Theology” and say it as if that is heresy.  My friend also threw a couple of other big words at me that I was supposed to cringe at.  Meh.  Maybe it is heresy.  Maybe they are over reacting a bit.  Maybe they have a chart or graph that they want to sell.  They still act like this is the final word in regard to verse 36.

Challenge accepted.

In order for Israel to fall out of favor certain milestones need to be passed.  Keep in mind that these are all future.  It has nothing to do with Israel’s importance today.  This is a discussion of theory and the question of how God plans to work in history.

Notice,

(Rev 6:12 KJV)  And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

Evidently the sun is no longer giving light by day and the moon doesn’t seem to be much help either.

Keep reading,

(Rev 6:13 KJV)  And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
(Rev 8:12 KJV)  And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

Stars are falling.  In my level of astronomy they won’t be giving much light if they fall.  The prophecy enthusiasts also like to make much of the parable of the fig tree which seems to be having some serious problems here, but that is for another day.

As for the sea,

(Rev 21:1 KJV)  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
(Rev 21:23 KJV)  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
(Rev 22:5 KJV)  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

No more sea and it continues with reference to the sun and moon.  It is a great picture.  I like it.  The problem is it does not fit their narative so, guess what?  They ignore it and never quote these verses.

I find the last verse referred to in regard to measuring the heavens and penetrating the earth to be somewhat fulfilled also.  We have telescopes and theories that are measuring the universe.  We have mines and drilling going miles below the surface of the earth.

It would seem that there is a possibility that somewhere in the future Israel will cease to be the chosen nation.  Make sure that does not create any anti-semitism in your heart.  Jews are people and deserve the same courtesy and consideration you would give any other human being.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-012: Keep Reading

I have a friend who has a lot of strange doctrines.  He feels the same about me.  We keep trying to straighten each other out on certain parts of the Bible.  We were on the end times, a favorite of his, and he quoted verses the talked about the 12 apostles sitting on thrones and judging in the kingdom.  We looked the verses up and that seemed what they were saying.  After we hung up, my mind started coming up with, “Wait a minute, what about...”  I needed to look at that again.  I did a search for the two words “twelve” and “thrones” and came up with two sources.  I believe the one in Matthew is the one quoted to me.  There is a similar idea in Luke.  In Matthew it seemed clear from this that Jesus is talking about the twelve apostles ruling the twelve tribes.

Matthew 19:28 (KJV) And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Luke is similar but throws in the word “kingdom” which is also a favorite of my friend.  I imagine he did not share Luke with me is that it ends up working against his position.

Luke 22:30 (KJV) That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

In my mind there was a bit of tension with that thought as I vaguely remembered verses in Revelation.  So I looked up the verses dealing with the “thousand years” and the “thousand year reign of Jesus”, and so forth and looked for who would be sitting with Him.  Revelation did not seem to match with what Jesus was describing.

In Revelation I found it seems to have more than just twelve apostles sitting on thrones and reigning with Jesus for the thousand years,

Revelation 20:4 (KJV) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

I did a search on the word “twelve”.  As expected, it was very frequent in the Old Testament so I narrowed it down to the New Testament and still got over 60 references.  I narrowed it down to Revelation where I got a quantity I could work with.  As I look through the references to twelve in Revelation, I saw the number twelve was never associated with 12 apostles.  This does not negate the conclusion presented from the gospels, Revelation does not say they were not there.  It doesn’t support it either.  The problem was with other points my friend was making.

It seems to me in my memory he somehow felt it was significant to say we don’t have priests anymore and how Peter was talking about the royal priesthood by quoting Exodus.  Priesthood is just a Jewish concept and does not fit with Christians.  His question had to do with the legitimacy of the writings of Peter but I found that it came up in my reading on the twelve and the kingdom.

Here I see a reference that would go against that.  Notice this is just two verses after the other passage I referenced in Revelation.

Revelation 20:6 (KJV) 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.

It seems to be saying that in the thousand year kingdom there will be priests of Jesus.

It is things like this that make me unfocus on eschatology.

homo unius libri