Questions About the Rapture

[Jenny A]

The defination is provided in the link I supplied.

I also posted the defination to the orginal greek word that this doctrine originates, along with several scriptural references.

This word means to be suddenly taken. Even if a given denomination does not agree with the doctrine of rapture this word is also used in a broader context of the final resurection.

What most people object to is the suddenly taken part. Not the final resurection which the rapture doctrine is indeed apart of.

That's what I was getting at. I assume ALL Christians believe in the resurrection (it's definitional), but when I asked "do you believe in the rapture" surely you knew that simple resurrection wasn't what I had in mind. Most denominations don't refer to resurrection as the rapture. And some that do mean the final resurrection. What I'm asking about is pre-trib rapture.

I'm assume you are in the pre-trib camp?

Why is this a U.S. and not a European doctrine? Because European denominations rely heavily on traditional church approval for exegesis of scripture/doctrine. (Most are,tied to some sort of religious leader. To countermand a basic teaching like this is to call into question the commpetance of their 'prophet.')

In the U.S. christianity is not tied to any one prophet/pope/doctrine. Which means we are free to go where ever the bible leads.

Now there's an answer that makes some sense, though I'm glad you put prophet in quotes because I wouldn't call Martin Luther or Calvin prophets. Nor do the churches they created look back to their teachings as the definitive word on how to interpret scripture. The point of the protestant movement was to use the Bible as the primary source of knowledge and to remove the requirements of priestly intervention. The exception being the Anglicans of course. Europe has lots of protestants who have no prophets. But if you substitute tradition for prophet we maybe getting somewhere.