Questions About the Rapture

[Crossless2.0]

God's years are way longer than ours

I don't know about that. Has the prick ever had to sit through a year's worth of Pentecostal sermons?

[Huggy Bear]

Would you like to explore the usage of this imagery in the text - and the differences between such usage and a doctrine built upon it or the use of the word "rapture" that is connected solely to that doctrine and only leveraged after it's invention, or is this just an opportunity for pious chicanery?

I'm just simply trying to say that no matter what a doctrine is named, if it says something different than what the Bible says, then it's false doctrine. Now if you are saying that the "rapture doctrine" is saying exactly what the Bible says, then I agree with it.

[The Grand Nudger]

Yup, pious chicanery, carry on - I'm sure somebody else will be along to humor you.

[Anomalocaris]

Appearently spherical earth is false doctrine. The satellites that goes around it are the devil's deception aimed at causing people to become much less ignorant and stupid than would please God.

[Jenny A]

It's way too late to edit the OP, but the question I meant to ask is:


Do you believe in Pre-tribulation Rapture? And if so, how do you substantiate it with scripture? And why do you think it is primarily a U.S. Christian belief?

"The term "Rapture" is used in at least two senses. In the pre-tribulation view, a group of people will be left behind on earth after another group literally leaves "to meet the Lord in the air." This is now the most common use of the term, especially among fundamentalist Christians and in the United States. The other, older use of the term "Rapture" is simply as a synonym for the final resurrection generally, without a belief that a group of people is left behind on earth for an extended Tribulation period after the events of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 This distinction is important as some types of Christianity never refer to "the Rapture" in religious education, but might use the older and more general sense of the word "rapture" in referring to what happens during the final resurrection." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture

Pre-trib rapture is a relatively new doctrine. Rhythm is quite right that it came over to the U.S. from Europe. Please see the hidden content in the OP.

[Neo-Scholastic]

Every good Swedenborgian knows that the spiritual events mentioned in Revelation were concluded on June 12, 1757.

[Minimalist]

God's years are way longer than ours

I bet my dick is bigger than his.

[The Grand Nudger]

There actually is no "other, older" use of the term - save once, Jenny..and that usage died without having an effect on any current sects. Just as added historical info. The use of the term now in reference to history is simply extending a modern term -onto- history for perspective. You give these fuckers an inch and they'll try to take a mile....lol.

Perhaps it had to do with the hilarious number of doomcriers in the old world, and the long history of their doomsayings coming out flat? If there are two dozen people proclaiming the end and the events of the end at any given moment - you'll fail to hear them even if you were inclined towards such a belief. They become noise. The field here, however, was ripe. Far less competition, but just as many sympathetic listeners...perhaps even more?

(I know I'm not one of the faithful, so I;m not giving you the full brunt of what you desire in this...but it's a favorite subject of mine, prophecy, the background paintings of prophecy, etc)

[Jenny A]

God's years are way longer than ours

I bet my dick is bigger than his.

Yes but the OT god is a bigger dick.

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There actually is no "other, older" use of the term - save once, Jenny..and that usage died without having an effect on any current sects. Just as added historical info.

The interesting thing in thread is watching the Rapture folks try to mainstream it by broadening the definition until it is mainstream. That I didn't anticipate. Silly me.

[The Grand Nudger]

Harder to nail to the wall than Jello, I'm afraid. Probably ought to get used to that, huh?