Before I begin my thoughts here, I must ask you, just why do you think that I would speak to you of these coming tribulations as I do, if it is not by inspiration? Would anyone, myself included, truly want to go into the Great Tribulation? Even knowing that what God does during this coming time is not against His own; still what the world under Satanic control is doing then is certainly discouraging. So, if it is by inspiration then that I send out warnings; it becomes for you to decide: by what or Whom am I inspired (by what Spirit). But please be careful as you tread there, carefully ask God just what He expects to gain by inspiring such a warning. And then ask Him (Our Heavenly Father), just how could it benefit Satan to have me (that’s you) need to believe that the next event on your time clock will be your or my miraculous sudden removal from this earth? Is it really true or is it not? As for me I got from doing that, to these messages because I have an insatiable desire to find truth where there is disagreement concerning important Scriptural teachings. And I have consistently asked Our Father these questions that I suggest here for you.
So now, concerning our Lord’s Coming, and what the Scriptures tell us concerning that coming event, I want us to consider the passages of which you are made aware that are there strictly for your understanding. And, so I want us to consider together, just why it is that believers actually need comfort and encouragement surrounding the time of the Rapture.
Prophecy itself, when it is given us from God; is done for specific purposes. It is in (most all) cases telling us of some future event at the very time that it is written. So, if, when it is given apart from the Scripture, and then it does not come to pass as stated; it obviously is not then from God.
It then must be considered or understood that the person or persons giving us prophecy, which is still future, and not yet fulfilled must be judged differently.
Two things are important in judging true vs. false prophecy. They are: does it align with the existing Word of God; and in some cases does it actually come to pass as stated? Fulfilled prophecy is known to be true prophecy because it has already fulfilled God’s Word. God’s Word is verifiable as being from God because of Fulfilled Prophecy.
What of future prophecy that is unfulfilled? The one and actually the only one thing that we believers (God’s sons) today can observe and take seriously concerning the future Second Coming is that the teaching must be true to God’s stated Word. Any prophecy about that future of Christ coming, then, whether it be an already written prophecy within God’s Word or a teaching concerning it, in order that we know that it is God’s teaching, it must align and support what is already written elsewhere within the Word of God.
So, any teachings surrounding a given prophecy within the Word, should it begin to take a form which is producing for us a very different action or expected outcome from what is known already; then we must apply the same principle concerning what is stated for understanding the true and the false prophet. The principle of testing is still present to guide us as Believers.
So, is what is being taught, in keeping with God’s Word about that subject itself? The title to this post, is a direct Quote taken from a prominent author and teacher of our day, Terry James. It’s not a new message. In fact you may already believe it. So, I need to ask: from where is he coming up with its stated meaning for us from Scripture? Here is its Scriptural source:
Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
The title to this post doesn’t say this exactly, but the words for it do come from this verse. The Greek word for “encourage” can also be translated “comfort”. So what is the encouragement and comfort that the message that Paul has taught here actually meant to help us through?
Terry James, as well as other Dispensationalists will offer to us this comfort and encouragement as being the Pre-Tribulation Rapture itself, which they say is taught as something new in this passage, and that the Rapture itself is confirmed to be this new message because it brings the comfort stated in this verse? But for the believer to judge this as the truth; then it must be about the understanding of what this passage of Scripture is teaching concerning what Scripture already states about the associated resurrection, and Paul (just like in the rest of Chapter 4) is encouraging them (us) to consider what is taught previously in Scripture about (in this section of chapter 4) “the Resurrection”. The Resurrection then is now being brought up as the subject, because of Paul’s concern: A concern for some, who may obviously be tempted to not consider the hope presented us when a loved one passes away or dies, thus some may grieve not as a believer, but as does the world, who has no such hope as we do.
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 1Th 4:13 [NKJV]
Why did Paul approach this as he did? The resurrection is not only taught in the Old Testament Scripture, in the book of Daniel, but Jesus Himself taught about it at various different times (many are recorded for us). So is this a new teaching about the resurrection? The only thing that can possibly be considered “new” in this teaching from what was formerly taught to us to be Scriptures truth, would be where Paul stated the “order of” the gathering of the dead vs. the living at the end of the age, all of which, Jesus had already taught to the disciples. And the Holy Spirit has for all who read, including us, recorded it in the gospels.
Vs 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. Mark 13:26-27 [ESV]
Notice this is Jesus talking about gathering His own elect. He is “the Son of man”. His lineage makes Him Messiah (The Christ). His elect are “in Him”. They are given to Him by His Father. In fact, if Paul was commissioned to present to the Church a new teaching about a “different Resurrection” from this one already taught us in Scripture; one having a meaning different from this one that Jesus taught us about in the gospels; then why did Paul not just do so? Instead he clarifies “only” the order of our gathering unto Christ, and he tells us that he wants us not to grieve over the death of saved love ones, who belong to Christ because of this gathering. It is this Resurrection that gives us hope for our dead “in Christ”. Obviously, we should not grieve because these who die belong to Christ and they will be resurrected when He comes and we will be caught up to be with them, if we still are alive at that moment of their resurrection .
Paul never differentiated between what he was teaching here and what Scripture had taught us before this teaching about the resurrection.
What Paul taught us is certainly comfort, unlike anything that the world may have possessed, and the teaching should do what Paul here in this passage intended. It should keep us from grieving as does the world over the death of loved ones. But Paul’s intent here is never stated to have any other purpose than that.
He is never implying that “in Christ” there will be no death and no suffering (no gloom and doom) at the hand of man, or of Satan. He never says that the Rapture will keep us from man’s or Satan’s attacks on us, In fact, great suffering and death both mental and physical was inflicted upon his own generation of believers under Roman control. And if Paul had told them that there would be no suffering (no gloom or doom) for believers; then chances are his epistles would not have ever made it into the Scriptures; for he would have been perceived a false prophet in his own day. For from his generation believers hid in the Roman catacombs; they were disemboweled; they were burned at the stake; they were fed to the lions, they were crucified; and they were beheaded as was Paul himself.
The Dispensationalists will answer but the Great Tribulation is God’s Wrath, and we are not meant for that. But that’s not what is implied in the statement that Terry used in the above. A statement that I borrowed from him in this title. The Tribulation is not God’s wrath against man. Rather Hell and the lake of fire is that wrath, and that only comes when Christ appears. The coming tribulation is Satan’s plan unleashed against God and His people, and it is his final attempt at dethroning God. We or the pollutions of this world are already bringing into full view of any, who can see the tools that will be used to force this generation of believer also to recieve the same treatment as they. Our Father warns us of its coming along with Satan’s attempts at the deception of all of mankind, including the believer who refuses to see and hear the warnings. It will lead each and every man from within mankind into his or her final decision either for or against God. Joel calls it the valley of decision, before the coming day of the Lord.
Whom will you serve, as for me and my household, we will seeve the Lord.
So before I close this, let me just ask: is there anywhere in Scripture that Paul refutes his own teaching in Ephesians where he makes clear, that “in Christ” we are one new man with the saints, who themselves were the recipients of the covenants and the promises that we once stood apart from (only looking in on), when we were outside Israel, and without Christ (their Messiah): being at that time, children of wrath, along with the rest of mankind?
So if neither Jesus nor Paul changed what the Old Testament teaches that there is a (the) resurrection of the righteous and a (the) resurrection of the unrighteous as recorded in Daniel; then where is a resurrection of only the “Christian Church” taught to be a (or the) separate event that may be found in Scripture, one being different from that “one” elsewhere taught resurrection of the righteous?
May God bless our study, and may He give us sight and hearing to understand His Word which is our only source of Faith and comfort. And may those who understand this Word to be a needed warning share it with others. But please only do it if you truly believe that It is uplifting God’s Truth, who is Jesus; the Word made flesh. Our part is to spread His truth not man’s. If you cannot not see or hear His truth on this blog; then do not share it, for we are only to lift up Christ and He the Word of truth well save the hearer even in the darkest of their nights.
raptureonline.blog Jp
