continued from inside 3. The “Rapture” is in
conflict with Matthew 25:31-46. In
Matt. 25:31-33, Jesus says, "When the
Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with
him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him
shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on
the left." 4.
The “Rapture” theory is in
contradiction to the clear and positive teaching of the Lord in John 5:28 & 29. "…for the hour is coming, in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." 5. The
“Rapture” does not fit the Bible teaching of the “last day.” John
6:39, 40. 6.
The “Rapture” conflicts with II Thessalonians 1:6-10. 7.
The “Rapture” conflicts with II Peter 3:10-14. Verse 10 reads, "But the day of the Lord will come
as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with
a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned
up." Dear soul, we don't know when
the Lord will come again (Matt. 24:36), neither do we know when our last
day will be (Jas. 4:13-14). We do know that we will all die and stand
before God in Judgment (Heb. 9:27). Let's make certain we're ready. - R.W. Those Serving This Week: Announcements: Wayne Schultz Lord’s Table: Presiding: Ryan
Thornsberry Serving: RW
McAlister Wardell Barnhart Song Leader: Ron Schultz Scripture Reading: AM – RW
McAlister PM –
Singing Sun. Bible Study Prayer: Bob McAlister Opening Prayer: Sun. AM
– Tony Ward Sun. PM
– Wardell
Barnhart Wed.
– Wayne Scultz Closing Prayer: Sun. AM
– Ron Schultz Sun. PM
– Jamie Driskill Wed.
– RW McAlister Anna Church of
Christ 104 Nile
Street, Anna, Illinois 62906 833-5815 Website:
www.annachurchofchrist.com
sdtgtycy
Nile Street Notes
Anna Church of Christ 104 Nile Street Anna IL 62906 Is
"The Rapture" Real? Maybe you’ve heard of the “rapture.” It’s a belief
that some seven years before He begins his earthly, millennial reign,
Christ will secretly and silently come to earth. At that time, he will
“snatch away” his saints to heaven. They’ll remain there for seven years
where they will be given rewards and positions. Proponents of this belief
teach that those people who remain on the earth will notice that people
have disappeared, but not know where the saints have gone. They’ll see the
open graves that have been abandoned by the resurrected bodies, but will
have no explanation for what happened. Upon what do proponents of this belief base it? Not
surprisingly, they misapply the scriptures. For one, I Thess. 4:14-17: For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15For 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. 16For 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: 17Then
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.” This passage is a reference to the visible Second
Coming of Christ at the end of the world, and not to some mythical, secret
arrival prior to that to bring about a "rapture." The word “rapture” comes from the Latin rapio, which means “to seize,” or “to
snatch.” Though this word is not in the Bible, "rapture" propnents claim the idea is found in I Thessalonians
4:17. In that verse, Paul speaks of the Second Coming of Christ and
declares that those living saints who witness the Lord’s return will be
“caught up” (harpagesometha) in the clouds
to meet him. Alexander Reese, a pre-millennialist,
admits that to use this context as proof of a silent, secret return of
Christ is “one of the sorriest attempts in the whole history of freak
exegesis.” The notion of a "rapture" is relatively
recent, circa the early 1800's, and is just another piece of false doctrine
with which denominations have polluted religion in general. It couldn't
possibly be real for these reasons: 1. The “Rapture” requires
too many comings of Jesus. The
Bible teaches that Jesus shall “appear” (become visible) a second
time (Heb. 9:28). If the advocates of the rapture theory are correct, claiming that
Jesus will come quietly to earth 7 years before His earthly reign to collect His saints,
then the Lord will not appear until his third coming! (Jude 14 & 15 - When He comes again, He will execute Judgment on all). 2. The proponents of the
“Rapture” say that only a part of humanity will see Jesus when He comes the second time. Revelation 1:7 teaches, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see him." continued on back page
While
this “Rapture” is going on in heaven for seven years, the “great
tribulation” supposedly takes place on the earth. This is to happen
primarily during the last three and one-half years of the seven-year
period.
