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Allow me to provide a few details about how I first learned about the Rapture and the Great Tribulation.
And how I came to understand or see the scriptures differently.
It all started back in 1976 when I was 16 years old.
I was a seeker - looking into all the "answers",
the hows and whys we are here on earth.
I checked out psychic powers
( I had none ).
I looked into reincarnation
( I could not regress to any past life ).
I had my astrological chart done for my exact place and time of birth.
Nothing clear there either.
Also, I learned that the relative position of the Constellations in the SUN
have moved a full month over the past 2,000 years.
I thought I was an Aries, but if you check the sun's position on April 2nd,
you'll find it to be in Pisces.
What about Aliens?
The books and stories I read were not conclusive.
Some were pure fiction created to sell books.
I first "checked out" the bible near the end of 5th grade
when I was given a copy of the New Testament ( with Psalms and Proverbs ).
They actually passed them out at the public elementary school I attended.
Something that today would likely be illegal in most parts of the United States of America.
I learned that Jesus told us to call no man "father".
Which confused me, since I was raised Catholic where the priests are always addressed as "father".
Somewhere along the way I learned many things I was taught were not from the bible,
but only man made doctrines.
Then came 9th grade where I attended St. Thomas Aquinas high school.
The things they taught in the mandatory Religion class would cause most to become an atheist.
I settled into being an agnostic.
I knew there had to be something MORE than what I was hearing and seeing.
Everything changed ( for the better ) in the summer of 1976 ( just before 11th grade ),
when I was drawn to a guy talking to some kids in front of the local Mall.
That is the day I saw the gospel in Ephesians chapter 2 and verses 8 and 9,
"For by grace are you saved by faith;
and that not of yourself,
it is a gift of God,
not of works, that no man may boast".
After our talk, I went to the library and found a book with all the contractions in the bible.
Armed with that book, and my own long list of questions,
I went to the small group bible study the next two Sundays.
And not only were most of my questions answered,
I learned about fulfilled bible prophecy,
and about scientific creationism.
So, two weeks after first hearing the good news - that Eternal Life was a gift,
and that God would make me His child if I believed in the name of Jesus
( Yeshua = Yahweh [the Lord] is Salvation. ),
I found it easy to trust Him for my eternal salvation.
No longer having a fear of "perishing".
Also, as a separate decision,
I decided to become a disciple.
To learn and follow Jesus.
Getting back to the subject at hand.
I was a member of this small and dedicated group of disciples for over 3 years.
And it was there I "learned" the most popular version of what to expect in the End Times.
My teacher passed on what was learned at Florida Bible College.
Many of the teachers at the College were trained at Dallas Theological Seminary.
And this school was started by Lewis Sperry Chafer and his older brother in the 1920s.
And while the theories were developed by others in the century before,
I would say that the students who studied at Dallas Theological Seminary have been very instrumental in propagating this theory.
Case in point:
In the 1970s everyone was reading "The Late Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsey,
who also studied at Dallas Theological Seminary.
I'm not trying to knock this College.
When it comes to teaching a clear gospel doctrine,
I can think of none better.
I'm only mentioning the fact that the End Time theories have been taught there,
and these theories need to be examined more closely in the light of scripture.
The "roots" of the teaching
that the Rapture comes before the Great Tribulation
goes back to around 1830,and John Nelson Darby.
He came up with a dispensational way of looking at God's dealings with mankind,
and included a division of the last week ( or 7 years )
of Daniel's 70 weeks
( 490 years ) prophecy.
This error is discussed in some of my other posts and videos.
The teaching was well received and promoted by others.
Large Prophecy Conferences were common in the 1800s and early 1900s.
A baptist pastor, by the name of Clarence Larkin published a book in 1918 that included hand drawn charts.
The book is titled "Dispensational Truth, or God's Plan and Purpose in the Ages".
And it's still in print, so I was sure to get my own copy.
My point is simply this:
The idea of a 7 year tribulation,
and a Rapture of believers at the beginning
has been taught and retaught for approximately 190 years.
When I realized the "source" of the teaching and how it became popular,
I wanted to look more closely at the scriptures used to support this view of God's plans.
Working my way through many books that discussed all the relevant scriptures,
I started finding a DIFFERENT way of understanding these passages.
I was led to a book by George Eldon Ladd, titled,
"THE BLESSED HOPE,
A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture."
He clearly and gently references all the KEY scriptures on the subject,
and presents both the pre-trib view,
and the post-trib view of when the Rapture is to occur.
He frequently referenced one of the leading proponents of the pre-trib Rapture,
John F. Walvoord ( a long time President of Dallas Theological Seminary and author ),
and his book, "THE RAPTURE QUESTION".
I read BOTH books carefully.
And it was easy to see that the Rapture could not possibly be an event
at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
I've continued to study the issue.
Reading and re-reading the scriptures.
And I've read at least a half dozen different authors on both sides of the issue.
Over time I've only become MORE Convinced that the Church
( all born again believers who trust in Christ alone for their salvation ),
will still be on earth when the Great Tribulation starts.
And I am currently working to educate, and warn the Church of this fact.
So many,
for so long,
have been given a false hope.
I suspected the Pre-trib Rapture theory was wrong,
everytime I read Matthew chapter 24.
Especially versions 29-31,
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then 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.
31 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.
I hope this will encourage you to dig deeper into the subject.
Try to read the scriptures for what they say,
and forget how some preacher may have used ( misused ) the passage.
And I will continue to share insights into End Time topics such as:
The Rapture - When?
Who is Saved and how?
The Great Tribulation - 7 years or 3 1/2 years?
And the Wrath of God -
what it is,
when it is,
and to whom does it apply?
I'll close with 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 1 - 3,
since it also clearly teaches the Rapture ( our gathering ),
comes AFTER after the antichrist is revealed.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him,
2 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.
3 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;
Youtube Version =
https://youtu.be/PCnndZejndY
