There's no such thing as a rapture..it's Satan trying to trick us?

[kweenameena]

Okay so ya'll know I'm curious George and I have questions about everything. I was reading this christian bible study about the end of times .....read the bottom part. Let's discuss....I'm very curious (and confused)!erplexed
Reading it here is easier:
http://www.biblestudygames.com/biblestudies/markofthebeast.htm

Mark of the Beast Bible Study

Just what is the mark of the beast? Do some already have the mark of the beast and not even know it? Who is the beast? In Revelation chapter 13 there are two different beasts talked about. In Revelation 13:1-10 the first beast is the political system of the last days. The beast that I'm going to be talking about is in verses 11-18. This beast is a person as will shall see, someone that you probably already heard of. To better understand God's word we need to know that God uses symbology to explain some things. This is the beast of the last days and he shall come to this earth before our true Saviour, Jesus Christ does.
Revelation 13:11-18
V11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Horns as it is used here stand for power. In this verse you read that the beast has two horns like a lamb. Not as a lamb but like a lamb. That is very important to understand. Who is our lamb? Our lamb is Jesus Christ of course. He is the Lamb of God and we can read that in the book of John.
John 1:29
V29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:36
V36 And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
So what we have here right from the start is a fake lamb. Some one that thinks he is the Lamb of God but is not. Now this beast spake as a dragon. Who is the dragon in God's word? The dragon is Satan. That is just one of the names Satan goes by in the word of God.
Revelation 12:9
V9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 20:2
V2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
V12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Exerciseth means to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct) Here we have Satan directing the first beast (Rev 13:1-10) which is the political system of the last days. The thing is that he will not be directing it from where you might think he will be. Instead Satan will be here on this earth in person doing his directing. Satan will be cast out of heaven and down to this earth in the last days.
Revelation 12:7-9
V7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
V8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
V9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
V13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
When Satan comes back to this earth he will have supernatural powers able to do miracles that will deceive many. He will be able to have lightning come down from heaven.
V14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Satan is the king of deception. Satan will say that the people should make a image to the 1st beast that was wounded by a sword. The sword is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:17
V17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
V15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
This is why so many Christians may be afraid to be here during the tribulation, they think they are going to be killed. Satan is going to be here on earth saying that he is Jesus Christ. Satan can't have people thinking he is Jesus if he is going around having people killed. The only people that will be killed by him are the two witness so that scripture may be fulfilled.
Revelation 11:3-7
V3 And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
V4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
V5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
V6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
V7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Satan may want others that don't worship the image to be killed but it will not happen.
Revelation 9:1-5
V1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
V2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
V3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
V4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
V5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
V16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
What is in our foreheads? Our brain, our mind, that which we use to think. What this is saying is that people will receive a mark in their mind and that mark is deception. Believing in things like a rapture so that you will not be here for the tribulation. Believing that the 1st one that comes to this earth with supernatural powers is Jesus Christ. The 1st one back with supernatural powers is not Jesus Christ but Satan himself. He will say that he is Jesus but as always he is lying and is not the true Christ. It clearly tells us in II Thessalonians 2:1-4 that the true Christ will not come until Satan comes back to this earth.
II Thessalonians 2:1-4
V1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
V2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
V3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
V4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
To receive the mark in your hand means that you are doing the work of Satan. Things like spreading the lie of the rapture. Saying that you don't need to read the whole book of Revelation because you think you will be gone. Satan is the antichrist of the last days and will deceive many.
V17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
The people that don't get the mark of the beast may not be able to buy or sell in the world that Satan will be running when he comes back. But not to worry, for God will always take care of His own! We do not want anything that Satan has to offer anyway. After all, what can he offer us? Satan is marked for death by God. Therefor, that's all Satan can offer you, is a one way ticket to hell. You don't want that, do you?
.

 

[kweenameena]

V18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
No big mystery here, verse 11 already told us who the beast is, Satan. It is not someone on this earth now so don't bother trying to use someone's name that is here now. The beast is Satan. The antichrist is Satan. Satan has been going against God's will from the beginning chapters of Genesis. He is the one that thinks he is God and in the last days he will get some time here on earth to pretend that he is. Count here means a pebble (as worn smooth by handling), i.e. (by implication of use as a counter or ballot) a verdict (of acquittal) or ticket (of admission); a vote. The key word here is pebble. What is a pebble but a very small rock. Who is our Rock? Jesus Christ of course. He is the true Rock. What we have here is the fake rock, the antichrist of the last days. We can read that Jesus is our Rock in I Corinthians 10:4
I Corinthians 10:4
V4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
It takes many years for a pebble to become smooth. The pebble is also symbolic for people, a certain kind of people, the Kenites. The mark of the beast started in the early chapters of Genesis. It is a spiritual mark that was put on Cain, and his offspring the Kenites. To read about the beginning of the mark of the beast, take a look at our Bible study on the Garden of Eden.
Satan will be coming back to this earth some time in the future, claiming to be Jesus Christ. Satan will have supernatural powers when he returns, able to deceive many. The mark of the beast is not a tattoo or some kind of chip that people think will be put in their body at that time. Satan is to smart for that. What we are talking about here, are things on a spiritual level. The mark of the beast is deception. What you think and what you do. Many already have the mark of the beast today. They believe and spread the lie of the rapture, claiming that they will not be here for the tribulation. Claiming they don't need to read the whole book of Revelation because they think they will be gone, that they will be raptured away. Well, God's word says otherwise. There is no rapture and believing that there is, is part of the mark of the beast

 

[Nice & Wavy]

I will say this:

We must watch and pray...so that we are not deceived, even when people use scriptures, such as this person has.

There are so many different things that people believe in, and we must be aware and prayerful of these types of things when we hear them.

Just trust God and His word. Do what you need to do for the Lord in His Kingdom.

Blessings to you, Kween!

 

[klb120475]

Okay so ya'll know I'm curious George and I have questions about everything. I was reading this christian bible study about the end of times .....read the bottom part. Let's discuss....I'm very curious (and confused)!erplexed
.

That you are! Now sweetie you just can't be going around reading some of everythang. Confusion...confusion...that lowdown satan luvs him some confusion. When you get in the confused stage that causes you to stop believing in His Word.

I can't do a lot of discussion on the subject because I believe in the Rapture and the Tribulation (Lord please let Boo come before the Rapture). As for as the mark of the beast and what not...I believe God's children will not be deceived by whatever method the enemy uses. We were called outta darkness into His marvelous light, so we can't help but to see through the enemy.

 

[kweenameena]

Ya'll are making me feel bad for questioning things. Am I really the only one that is nervous about the events to come? I haven't reached that place in my faith yet where I trust my own understanding of everything that I read in the bible so I like to read elsewhere for other people's perception and understanding.....hoping that I will somehow be enlightened or maybe someone can clarify what I was confused about. I was hoping that people would come in this thread and be forthcoming about their thoughts

 

[Nice & Wavy]

Ya'll are making me feel bad for questioning things. Am I really the only one that is nervous about the events to come? I haven't reached that place in my faith yet where I trust my own understanding of everything that I read in the bible so I like to read elsewhere for other people's perception and understanding.....hoping that I will somehow be enlightened or maybe someone can clarify what I was confused about. I was hoping that people would come in this thread and be forthcoming about their thoughts

What did I say to you to make you feel bad, sweetie? That truly was not my intentions at all.

 

[klb120475]

Ya'll are making me feel bad for questioning things. Am I really the only one that is nervous about the events to come? I haven't reached that place in my faith yet where I trust my own understanding of everything that I read in the bible so I like to read elsewhere for other people's perception and understanding.....hoping that I will somehow be enlightened or maybe someone can clarify what I was confused about. I was hoping that people would come in this thread and be forthcoming about their thoughts

Aww...don't feel bad.

I'm sure you're not the only one. I use to be like that. Everyday obsessive and on edge about the end times. Then it occured to me...why not enjoy life by serving God while I'm here so when that time does come I won't be with the wrong crowd.

 

[gone_fishing]

For the OP.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=194077&highlight=rapture

 

[gone_fishing]

Here's something from both views:


This period of sorrows and suffering on earth is called tribulation. Since the Book of Revelation and the Book of Daniel contain major prophecies about the Tribulation, it will be discussed in great detail. But before doing this, let us consider the questions; Will Christians go through the Tribulation? Will Jesus Christ come and remove them before it begins? The answer to these questions is important since it will affect our understanding of several prophecies.
Before we can answer this issue, we must consider when the Rapture occurs. The term rapture is not found in the Bible but is a Latin word meaning "to be caught up." The rapture idea is biblical. In I Thessalonians, Paul wrote concerning those Christians who had died:

1. that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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 [precede] them which are asleep. 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 Thessalonians 4:14-17

This act of being caught up at Jesus' coming is what the word rapture refers to. The words caught up are used only in this passage, but this does not mean this event has not received emphasis elsewhere. Jesus promised, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself" (John 14:3; cf. vv. 23, 27, 28; I Thessalonians 4:14-17; et al.).
Christians are divided as to when the Rapture will occur. There are two major views concerning the timing of the Rapture of the saints. The identification of the saints John wrote about in Revelation depends on which view one holds. The two views are a pretribulation and a posttribulation Rapture. The pretribulation view holds that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation John wrote about in Revelation. The posttribulation view holds that it will occur after it. The author will give the stronger arguments for both positions. Those holding to the pretribulation view of the Rapture believe the following points support their view:
1. The term church or churches is not found in Revelation from chapters 4 through 21, a sharp contrast to its being found 18 times in the first three chapters. Something must have happened between chapters 3 and 4 to account for this difference. This change plus the fact that the vision of heaven found in chapters 4 and 5 tells of elders being present in heaven means that the Rapture of the church must have occurred between chapters 3 and 4, and thus before the tribulation period.
2. God promised the Philadelphia church that He would "keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Revelation 3:10). This suggests the church is raptured before the tribulation begins.
3. Daniel's seventieth week, the seven-year tribulation period, follows the church age, which occurs between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week. This is the time of "Jacob's trouble" and not the church's troubles.
4. The Jews are seen as doing evangelization work in the tribulation period (Revelation 7:1-4). Evangelism was the responsibility given to the church in the Great Commission; thus a change must have occurred.
5. First Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Revelation 19:11-21 stand in sharp contrast to each other. Their wording and overall messages are different, and therefore must describe different events.
6. Jesus said, "Pray . . . that ye may . . . escape all these things" (Luke 21:36). Paul later adds concerning the time when "sudden destruction cometh" that Christians have "for an helmet, the hope of salvation [future]" because "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:3, 9). These promises mean the Christian will be raptured before the Tribulation.
Those holding to the posttribulation view of the Rapture find support for their view in the following points:
1. Followers of Jesus Christ are found throughout the tribulation period (Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9, 14; 9:4; 12:17; 13:7; 14:9, 12; 17:6; 18:4), and there is no direct teaching in Revelation that a rapture occurred before the marriage of the Lamb described in Revelation 19.
2. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus told His followers, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days . . . 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. 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" (Matthew 24:29-31; cf. Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28). There are no Scriptures that explicitly place the Rapture before the Tribulation. There is much similarity between the event Jesus described here and the one Paul described to the Thessalonians. This gathering together of the elect is the gathering together of the church since the term elect is used to describe the church (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12; II Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1). The Matthew 24 passage, which gives a "time" relation between the Rapture and Tribulation, places the Rapture after the Tribulation.
3. "But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 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, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:37-39; cf. Luke 17:26-30). Noah was not saved until the day God's wrath went forth (Genesis 6:5-8; 7:6-23). In the last day the righteous in Christ will not be saved until God's judgment comes on the wicked.
4. In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the separation of the "children of the kingdom" and "the children of the wicked one" did not occur until "the end of this world" (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
5. The resurrection of the saints is "at the last day" (John 6:37-44).
6. Three times John places the "first resurrection" after the Tribulation in Revelation (20:4-6). There can be but one "first"; thus no resurrection or rapture can occur before this time.
7. The marriage of the Lamb occurs after the Tribulation. The words "the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7) occur at the end of the tribulation period when at His second coming Christ defeats the wicked and establishes His kingdom. 8. Jesus will "bring with him" those who died, to meet those living as they are "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 Thessalonians 4:17). As in the parable of the ten virgins, the time came when "the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him" (Matthew 25:6), so the five saved virgins went out to meet him and "went in with him to the marriage" (v. 10). Similarly, as the brethren heard of Paul's coming, they "came to meet" him and returned with him (Acts 28:15). So too those living in the last day will "meet the Lord in the air" and return with Him.

 

[gone_fishing]

http://www.bibleviews.com/rp2.html

An interesting article.

 

[PaperClip]

Ya'll are making me feel bad for questioning things. Am I really the only one that is nervous about the events to come? I haven't reached that place in my faith yet where I trust my own understanding of everything that I read in the bible so I like to read elsewhere for other people's perception and understanding.....hoping that I will somehow be enlightened or maybe someone can clarify what I was confused about. I was hoping that people would come in this thread and be forthcoming about their thoughts

This is a major reason why we are to have trustworthy pastoral covering, a place to go to ask questions. Somebody that is reachable, touchable to you, to offer you feedback directly versus some pages on a website by a person and/or entity you do not know.

The Bible says "know them that labor among you" for several reasons. One reason is to be able to discern and know who has sincere intentions and motivations behind what is said and done.

It's ok to be inquisitive. I am certainly inquisitive. I also ask the Lord my questions and I ask for direction and discernment about what I'm reading and to what and to whom I expose myself.

 

[kweenameena]

This is a major reason why we are to have trustworthy pastoral covering, a place to go to ask questions. Somebody that is reachable, touchable to you, to offer you feedback directly versus some pages on a website by a person and/or entity you do not know.

The Bible says "know them that labor among you" for several reasons. One reason is to be able to discern and know who has sincere intentions and motivations behind what is said and done.

It's ok to be inquisitive. I am certainly inquisitive. I also ask the Lord my questions and I ask for direction and discernment about what I'm reading and to what and to whom I expose myself.

Ya know...I totally agree with the bolded. I wish that my current pastor was a little more "touchable" because I have sooo many questions for him. But he's trying to have churches all over the world so his focus seems to be elsewhere right now. I wish I knew of a church that preaches on Revelations or one that could really break down every thing that Revelations touches on. Or I wish I had a Pastor that I could just sit down and have a Q&A session with.

And yeah...you all are probably like "why is she trusting some random website" but this isn't the only place where I've read those ideas.

I pray for wisdom and understanding when I study but I guess that I should also pray about what I'm exposed to as well. Good point!

 

[kweenameena]

What did I say to you to make you feel bad, sweetie? That truly was not my intentions at all.

I guess I shouldn't have said that you all are making me feel bad. I should've said:
Your post is making me realize that I'm starting to be wishy-washy in what I believe. I was feeling convicted but not because of you. I was just catching myself do something that I'm supposed to be working on....that's all. I hope I explained that right.

N & W, You always have great advice and I always appreciate it!

 

[Sui Topi]

I believe there is a "rapture" but as to the timing, I believe it is after the tribulation...the ultimate test.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

I guess I shouldn't have said that you all are making me feel bad. I should've said:
Your post is making me realize that I'm starting to be wishy-washy in what I believe. I was feeling convicted but not because of you. I was just catching myself do something that I'm supposed to be working on....that's all. I hope I explained that right.

N & W, You always have great advice and I always appreciate it!

That's ok, Kween....I understand

I appreciate you too....luv ya!

 

[divya]

It's true, Kweena. There is no such thing as the 'secret' rapture, as this idea is not mentioned at all in the Bible. In fact, there are no people who die and go up to heaven (or hell). When we die, we sleep until the 2nd coming...

I Thess. 13:18

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.

Please listen to these:

Is There a Secret Rapture? Or the Second Coming?
http://www.amazingfacts.org/Radio/B...-and-the-Bible-references-for-it/Default.aspx

Pre-Tribulation or Post Tribulation Coming of Christ?
http://www.amazingfacts.org/Radio/B...tion-or-post-tribulation-rapture/Default.aspx

The State of the Dead
http://www.amazingfacts.org/Radio/B...eaven-immediately-after-they-die/Default.aspx

God Bless.

 

[kweenameena]

Okay you all. I did my own reading (again) and read EVERYTHING that you all have provided.

Here's my question (and this is referring to the info Adequate provided in the other thread):
If there is going to be a "secret" rapture where we will meet Christ in the air.....won't everyone else see him in the air, as well?

Sorry if it's a crazy question....but I just don't understand what would be so secretive about that. Wouldn't Christ WANT the unbelievers that would be left behind to see what he can do for them and that he is real?

 

[kweenameena]

It's true, Kweena. There is no such thing as the 'secret' rapture, as this idea is not mentioned at all in the Bible. In fact, there are no people who die and go up to heaven (or hell). When we die, we sleep until the 2nd coming...



Please listen to these:

Is There a Secret Rapture? Or the Second Coming?
http://www.amazingfacts.org/Radio/B...-and-the-Bible-references-for-it/Default.aspx

Pre-Tribulation or Post Tribulation Coming of Christ?
http://www.amazingfacts.org/Radio/B...tion-or-post-tribulation-rapture/Default.aspx

The State of the Dead
http://www.amazingfacts.org/Radio/B...eaven-immediately-after-they-die/Default.aspx

God Bless.

Thank you so much for this Divya! I love the "live responses" on that website!

 

[Sui Topi]

Thank you so much for this Divya! I love the "live responses" on that website!

Divya always keeps it thorough when it comes to these kinds of questions. She doesnt bring in human assumptions, translations or science.. just scripture based truths.

 

[tffy2004]

Okay you all. I did my own reading (again) and read EVERYTHING that you all have provided.

Here's my question (and this is referring to the info Adequate provided in the other thread):
If there is going to be a "secret" rapture where we will meet Christ in the air.....won't everyone else see him in the air, as well?

Sorry if it's a crazy question....but I just don't understand what would be so secretive about that. Wouldn't Christ WANT the unbelievers that would be left behind to see what he can do for them and that he is real?

Hi there Kween,
Doll you are on the right track, according to the bible there will not be a "rapture" before tribulation. Think about it, tribulation is going to be a rough time what better way to prove ourselves to the Most High that he is the One and Only God we serve, than to make it through that time of persecution, and THEN be "raptured" at the end of tribulation just before the Great Day of the LORD. And your are right when the Lord comes back for His own it will be loud and everyone will hear it, so there we know it won't be secret.

One thing I have learned it that when you get the truth in you and try and share it and it don't add up to others beliefs some of the comments or looks you get will make you feel bad. But understand that God knows your heart and He knows that you are seeking the unadulterated truth. You have to pray that God will comfort you in those times. I find that going back to scriptures that back up the theory or situation gets me back zealous for the True Word of God.

I will PM you some literature to read. This subject in your thread is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many other things that the majority of "christianity" has been deceived about. I'm pressed for time right now so you should get the PM some time tomorrow.

Be Blessed and may God continue to lead you to the truth!

 

[kweenameena]

Hi there Kween,
Doll you are on the right track, according to the bible there will not be a "rapture" before tribulation. Think about it, tribulation is going to be a rough time what better way to prove ourselves to the Most High that he is the One and Only God we serve, than to make it through that time of persecution, and THEN be "raptured" at the end of tribulation just before the Great Day of the LORD. And your are right when the Lord comes back for His own it will be loud and everyone will hear it, so there we know it won't be secret.

One thing I have learned it that when you get the truth in you and try and share it and it don't add up to others beliefs some of the comments or looks you get will make you feel bad. But understand that God knows your heart and He knows that you are seeking the unadulterated truth. You have to pray that God will comfort you in those times. I find that going back to scriptures that back up the theory or situation gets me back zealous for the True Word of God.

I will PM you some literature to read. This subject in your thread is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many other things that the majority of "christianity" has been deceived about. I'm pressed for time right now so you should get the PM some time tomorrow.

Be Blessed and may God continue to lead you to the truth!

Thank you for your post, Tffy! It was very comforting! I read your pm and responded and I look forward to reading about the rest of the "iceberg".
It's nice for us (even the lurkers) to get opinions from all sides on subjects like these so we can then read and compare and make the best decisions for ourselves.

 

[divya]

Thank you so much for this Divya! I love the "live responses" on that website!

You're welcome and thank you for the question. It helps me to go back and read, and make sure that I know what I believe!

God bless!

 

[tffy2004]

Thank you for your post, Tffy! It was very comforting! I read your pm and responded and I look forward to reading about the rest of the "iceberg".
It's nice for us (even the lurkers) to get opinions from all sides on subjects like these so we can then read and compare and make the best decisions for ourselves.

That is why I like to lurk in spirituality forums to see what opinions are on subjects I'm not to sure about and then that way I know that when I hear someone say the same things I know where they are coming from even if I don't agree.

 

[Blossssom]

The movie, "Like a Thief in the Night". Do you all really think you'll wake up one day and large masses of people will be missing?

However, if it goes the way the story is told, you shouldn't be here to wake UP if there truly is a rapture, right?

Haha!