I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
The
Great
and
Terrible
day of
the
Lord
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him
privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be
the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered
and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Matthew 24:3-4
When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the world, the first thing the
Master did was to warn them that it was their responsibility to know the truth.
The popular scenario goes something like this: Jesus sneaks up on the world as a thief in an invisible state, then He waves His hand a few times and BAM! All over the world, people vanish. Except for their clothes and things in their hands, they simply disappear. But only those who have said the magic words "I accept Jesus as my personal Lord & savior" will disappear -- everyone else will simply see piles of clothes all over the place. Cars will crash (in case of rapture this car will be unmanned) and chaos will reign -- lately, a new twist has been added to the fantasy, all the children will vanish as well, and the pope too, surprise, surprise, surprise.
Now, most theologians and studied laymen agree: the above scenario is not in the Bible. Nowhere in the pages of scripture are any of the above details given (the word "rapture" is derived completely from non-canonical sources, mostly from the Latin Vulgate, employing the word raptor, a bird of prey, a vicious bird that swoops down to snatch its victim in fierce talons -- this fact in and of itself should make you suspicious -- the TRUE word to look up in your Strong's dictionary is "Parousia," which means "revealing" or "appearing" the opposite of the invisible scenario). And worse, the verses employed to create the fantasy must be twisted severely to arrive at such a conclusion.
PAROUSIA
[puh ROO sih ah]-- a transliteration of a Greek word that refers to the
SECOND COMING, or the return of the Lord Jesus Christ at the end
of this age to set up His kingdom, judge His enemies, and reward the
faithful. The Greek word literally means, "a being alongside," hence
"appearance" or "presence." Christians are "looking for the blessed
hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ"
<Titus 2:13>. This blessed hope of the Parousia, or Second Coming,
sustains believers in a godless age.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
Jesus IS coming back, and the saints of God WILL meet Him in the air, and they will never be separated from Him again. Before they are caught up into the sky, the "dead in Christ" will be raised up first. Then those who remain -- the Remnant -- shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, to be REAL, to be ALIVE, quickened. But will this all be a secret?
The Bible, very clearly, paints a completely different picture, one that is the antithesis to SECRECY. When Jesus comes the second time (Parousia) He will come to the blare of trumpets, with the world-ringing shout of the archangel, incredible heavenly fanfare, with the sky rolling up like a scroll, islands disappearing beneath waves, mountains flattening, and the wicked screaming in terror at sight of the holy face of God Almighty (absolutely nobody will be left scratching their heads as to what is happening, or what has just happened) -- His righteousness will be brighter than the sun, and unless a person has the mirror image of that righteousness upon their forehead and within their hand, they will be killed by that righteous brightness (first they will run screaming, begging the mountains and rocks to fall on them and crush them).
An interesting fact to take note: Tim LaHaye, fantasy-writer, even admits to the non-Biblical notion of a Secret Rapture: "One objection to the pre-Tribulation Rapture is that no one passage of Scripture teaches the two aspects of His Second Coming separated by the Tribulation. This is true. But then, no one passage teaches a post-trib or mid-trib Rapture, either." (No Fear of the Storm) That pretty much takes care of it. THERE IS NO RAPTURE. At least, it is not mentioned in the Bible (it has made Tim LaHaye rich, however, so in one sense it DOES exist). It is nowhere to be found in the Bible -- do you believe Tim LaHaye? The Rapture Kingpin admits it himself, it is "new revelation," of the last 100 or so years. Everyone admits that it is a "new revelation" -- but is it a revelation from God, or from another source completely?
Now if it is not in the Bible, yet people are expecting it to happen? What gives? Let's say that I claim to be a prophet, and swear that God has revealed to me that the Statue of Liberty's nose is going to be raptured, on Christmas Eve. You laugh at such a prophecy, don't you? It is absurd! Why even make up such a thing? But then, let's say that on Christmas morning you turn on the TV set and discover that the Statue of Liberty is actually found to be missing her nose!
Does this make me a prophet? Did God rapture the nose?
Hint: the Bible says nothing about a Rapture, and yet false prophets are trumpeting it far and wide, and yet the Bible DOES say that in the Last Days that the devil will be deceiving the whole world, even if possible the Elect of God, working with ALL POWER in lying signs and wonders. So if the Statue of Liberty's nose disappears, it doesn't mean it is God that stole the nose -- so in the same vein, it could be possible that a Secret Rapture WILL happen, and yet it will not be the work of God, but that of lying signs and wonders to deceive even the Elect (would you lose your faith if a false prophecy came to pass? just look how many people have shaken in their faith because of a silly novel, "The Da Vinci Code")! It is possible. It isn't spelled out in the Bible anymore than Tim LaHaye's incredible money-making fantasy novels are mentioned in scripture. Here is a small portion of Corrie ten Boom's letter of warning to both Christians AND the false teachers:
There are some among us teaching there will be
no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to
escape all this. These are the false teachers that
Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days.
Most of them have little knowledge of what is
already going on across the world. I have been in
countries where the saints are already suffering
terrible persecution. In China, the Christians were
told, "Don't worry, before the tribulation comes
you will be translated - raptured." Then came a
terrible persecution.
- Corrie ten Boom
Please, study scripture -- for YOURSELF -- it is your responsibility, you will find that scripture clearly depicts that graves will burst open and the righteous dead will rise up into the sky, alive, blinking death from their eyes, their eyes SEEING for the first time since their death, brains functioning again, thoughts recording new memories for the first time since their eyes closed in the sleep of death, bodies changed finally into the perfect image of God. And only then will angels (clouds of them) descend from the sky to catch up the righteous who will only then also be changed into His likeness, never to be sick again, never to be plagued by evil, for eternity. In THIS scenario, the whole world will be aware and understand completely what is happening -- there will be absolutely NO secrecy (only the WHEN of it is hidden) -- the righteous will look up into the sky with smiles of delight while the wicked look up with contorted grimaces of terror and horror.
The Bible makes it more than clear that death will take the wicked, and THEN, those that are "left behind" will be SAVED.
That thou mayest walk in the way of good men,
and keep the paths of the righteous. For the
upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect
shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut
off from the earth, and the transgressors shall
be rooted out of it.
Proverbs 2:20-22
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both
with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land
desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners
thereof out of it.
Isaiah 13:9
Ask yourself, why do the "teachers" and popular fantasy writers contradict the Bible with their unBiblical fantasies? Is is because they don't know the truth? Or, really, do they know the absolute truth, and wish you to believe something entirely different? In other words, they know the truth, they hold it in their right hand, but they are holding out their left hand to you with something very, very different, and they are smiling. The righteous remain, and the sinners are removed, and yet the "teachers" claim exactly the opposite, that the righteous will be removed while the sinners remain. Amazing, absolutely amazing. And if you do not find this fact amazing, ask yourself: why don't I?
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: 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. 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
Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every
eye shall see him, and they also which pierced
him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail
because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the ending,
saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and
which is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 1:7-8
Have you been programmed to reject the Truth, and accept a lie?
As therefore the tares are gathered and
burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end
of this world. The Son of man shall send forth
His angels, and they shall gather out of His
kingdom all things that offend, and them
which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a
furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13:40-43 (Matthew 16:27, 24:30-31, Mark 8:38)
The Bible declares, without question, overwhelmingly, that when Jesus comes again it will be in the company of billions of visible angels, companies of angels so thick that they appear to be clouds that fill the sky -- and like the most awesome lightning show of all history, EVERY EYE WILL SEE JESUS WHEN HE COMES FOR THE SECOND TIME! Physically, not through TV cameras, every eye will look up and see Jesus, from a round world! (Luke 9:26)
Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand;
it shall come as a destruction from the
Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint,
and every man's heart shall melt: And they
shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take
hold of them; they shall be in pain as a
woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed
one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel
both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the
land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners
thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and
the constellations thereof shall not give their
light: the sun shall be darkened in his going
forth, and the moon shall not cause her light
to shine. And I will punish the world for their
evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I
will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease,
and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Isaiah 13:6-11
Vastly different scenarios -- a secret rapture, not found in the Bible, and a visible Second Advent of Christ, SHOUTED from one end of the Bible to the other -- vastly different, wouldn't you agree? And the first isn't in the Bible (nothing like it is remotely to be found), whereas the second IS in the Bible (and it is trumpeted throughout the entire Bible). Yet the first fantasy is hugely popular, while the true Biblical doctrine is sneered at and reviled. A very wise ancient proverb says "If you are going to tell the truth to someone, you better have cleats on your shoes for a very fast getaway!" (Note: this is a humorous paraphrase to modernize the ancient proverb, please read on for the proper ancient maxim) People do not want to hear the truth, but popular fantasy novel theology. The first fable is devoured by Christians in popular fantasy books, while the second Biblical scenario is derided, scoffed, and declared a delusion originating in the "Kingdom of the Cults." Christians are prompted to battle the fictional "Harry Potter," a story that in no way resembles actual witchcraft and is in fact positive fiction, while the true danger is blossoming like deadly weeds in the Valentine heart of Christianity itself, purporting itself to be Biblical truth (and in many cases it IS true witchcraft).
Jim Bakker, former false teacher who ran the circus-oriented Gospel show PTL (Praise the Lord) Club, had to go through a prison term of hard time before he allowed God to open his eyes. As did Jim Bakker, we must study the Bible and find what God's Word teaches, without the interference of man's traditions and opinions, man-made rules, laws and regulations -- Jesus gave these man-made laws and traditions which attempt to modify God's holy law absolutely no honor, always going with God's Law over man's laws.
Study the Bible, as did Jim Bakker in prison, and discover his amazing and shocking truth:
Funny thing, TRUTH: people respond to it in unexpected ways. An ancient proverb declares: "If you're going to tell the truth to someone, you better have a very fast car warmed up and ready for a quick getaway!" (Note again: this is a humorous paraphrase of the original ancient proverb which reads "A man better have one foot in the stirrup when he tells someone the Truth.")
When Jesus came here to Earth for the first time, the majority of those who should have known better didn't recognize Him -- only a tiny minority knew Him, and even they were rather blockheaded about the whole drama. The "religious experts" of the day were expecting a Roman-killing warrior, a Samson on holy steroids -- yet what they got was a gentle man of peace Who wouldn't even lift a hand to defend Himself. They desired and eagerly awaited a powerful wielder of death, and yet received a man who brought life to the dead. They wanted an anarchist rebel -- what they got instead was a man Who said "give to the government what belongs to them." They taught a Zeus who flings lightning bolts, and Jesus calmed the storm.
See the similarity, the deadly significance? People today are being taught to expect something completely different than what's actually coming in the skies. The religious "experts" of today are saying: "Just wait for something that no one can see!" while the Lord Himself said to "Watch!" When Jesus disappeared, slowly, in the sight of all those watching, ascending into the skies -- angels appeared and told His followers that He was coming back the same way He left them! (Acts 1:10-11)
Have you been taught ridiculous falsehoods, and other Goober Gospel treats? Should you believe a lie, regardless of its popularity? Or should you cling to the truth, despite the derision heaped upon it?
The Bible says that if you give yourself over to a lie, that if you do not desperately love truth, God will allow you to suffer delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Please look up this verse and read it for yourself! Love the truth! Even if you have been taught something completely different, please, for your own sake. The delusions will be so overwhelmingly strong, that even the studied righteous are in danger of being tricked, the very elect (if that were possible, Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22)! Jesus said: "Don't be tricked!"
This is NOT God deluding or deceiving or lying to trick you, but God, who allows you a free choice in your eternal destiny, He will not force you to accept Him or love truth -- and if you do not love the truth you will suffer the eternal consequendes of that lack of love for the truth. You WILL be deceived, God will allow it, as much as it hurts Him. It is His will that not a single person be deceived or lost, but God loves you so much He allows you to choose even against your best interests.
The Bible says that Satan deceives the entire world (Revelation 12:9) -- but that doesn't mean that you should willingly go along with the mob. When Jesus came here to Earth the first time, it was the mob mentality that pushed Him up onto a cross to die (Jesus would have died for us, regardless, but it didn't have to be the torturous death of a criminal). Would you have been in that first mob, chanting "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" or would you have been in the much smaller group, the weeping ones, the ones who saw something special in Him, who cherished His truth regardless of the popular opinion? Read carefully this prophetic (and poetic!) passage from Psalms:
The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the
multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and
darkness are round about Him: righteousness
and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His
enemies round about. His lightnings
enlightened the world: the earth saw, and
trembled. The hills melted like wax at the
presence of the LORD, at the presence of the
Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare
His righteousness, and all the people see His
glory. Confounded be all they that serve
graven images, that boast themselves of idols:
worship him, all ye gods. Zion heard, and was
glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced
because of Thy judgments, O LORD. For thou,
LORD, art high above all the earth: Thou art
exalted far above all gods. Ye that love the
LORD, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of
His saints; He delivereth them out of the hand
of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous,
and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice
in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at
the remembrance of His holiness.
Psalm 97 (compare to Matthew 13:40-43, 2 Thes. 2:8)
No skipping about through the Bible, yanking out phrases to add to other disenfranchised passages, to arrive at some bizarre mystery interpretation that people with itchy ears yearn to hear. Jesus Himself quoted the very poetic Psalms to prophetically prove His Messiahship. The Lord comes visibly in the clouds, a visible sight to the physical eye, and His righteousness, flashing like piercing lightning, goes like a wave before Him, destroying the wicked. The heavens are in attendance with Him, and all those that have the mark of the beast (choosing evil in their mind, doing evil with their hand) are confounded as they look up and see Him coming. This is no invisible occurence. It is a beacon of brightness seen around the world! This will not be an invisible event which the wicked do not see -- oh yes, they will see it! 2 Thessalonians 2:8 declares that the wicked will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming!
Compare Psalm 97 to Matthew 24:27:
For as the lightning cometh out of the east,
and shineth even unto the west; so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be.
It is clear, through the tiniest of studies, that the popular "Secret Rapture" scenarios are just not true. Exciting lies that make the heart beat faster, that make you feel special, that give you the feeling that you are better blessed and more loved than your doubting neighbor, that you know something THEY don't know, because you have this SPECIAL revelation, while other cling to what is revealed in the Bible -- still, these lies are still only that: LIES. But please, read what the Bible has to say about the Return of the Lord, the Second Coming of Jesus the Christ:
For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the
one part under heaven, shineth unto the other
part under heaven; so shall also the Son of
man be in His day.
Luke 17:24
Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down:
touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot
out thine arrows, and destroy them.
Psalms 144:5-6
And the LORD shall be seen over them,
and His arrow shall go forth as the lightning:
and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet,
and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
Zechariah 9:14
And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the
spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with
the brightness of his coming:
2 Thessalonians 2:8
Read in context, these verses should clarify one of the most famous New Testament passages that is constantly twisted, tweaked, turned and tar-and-feathered:
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. 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. Wherefore comfort
one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
When Jesus comes at the Resurrection (His Second Advent) He shall descend from heaven, Himself, with an incredible shout, with the trumpeting voice of the Archangel, the trumpet of God will be blown, and all this terrific commotion will wake the dead -- but only those who have died in Christ will wake, who shall rise to meet Jesus FIRST before any living person, and only then, after this great spectacle of the graves bursting open, will the righteous living rise into the air. Did you catch this? AFTER all this commotion, with the Lord Himself descending upon the earth, ONLY AFTER shall we are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air! That is definitely NOT what is being taught. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 completely nails the last nail in the "rapture coffin." There is absolutely no Biblical "Secret Rapture."
Think about that. This 1 Thessalonians verse contradicts ALL the secret rapture scenarios. Before any living person is changed into God's perfect likeness, all the dead will rise first, and compare this FACT to 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, it is incontestable, there is absolutely NO argument to be made for a secret rapture -- the dead will ONLY be raised AFTER the "last trumpet."
Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and
let the skies pour down righteousness: let
the earth open, and let them bring forth
salvation, and let righteousness spring up
together; I the LORD have created it.
Isaiah 45:8
Thy dead men shall live, together with my
dead body shall they arise. Awake and
sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is
as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall
cast out the dead.
Isaiah 26:19
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed. For this corruptible
must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality. So when this
corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying
that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory.
1 Corinthians 15:51-54
The Bible agrees with the Bible, agrees with the Bible, agrees with the Bible; these verses of Scripture are all in harmony, one with the other. All of them say that before the living are CHANGED, made into His likeness, that the dead will be raised FIRST. We will be changed AFTER the last Trumpet is blown, AFTER the shout of God Himself. And ONLY THEN will death be dead, death will have lost its sting, its victory (take note, it has not lost its sting as yet, only AFTER the last Trumpet is blown, when we are all changed and caught up in the air to meet the Lord). There is absolutely nothing secret or hidden about any of this. Scripture agrees with Scripture, and ALL SCRIPTURE:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All these verses are obviously talking about the Second Coming of Jesus, in the clouds of angels, to redeem His people, openly, in absolutely NO secret fashion; and before the dead rise into the sky, there will be a terrific shout from God, a great trumpet will be blown -- He will appear in the sky like lightning, flashing from the east to the west -- every living person on the Earth will look up and see Him -- not through TV cameras or news agencies -- but through God's miraculous majesty, His shining glory, visible shekinah glory -- He will show Himself to the world, at the same moment! It is very similar to when God put on the terrific Light and Sound show on Mount Sinai:
And it came to pass on the third day in the
morning, that there were thunders and
lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount,
and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud;
so that all the people that was in the camp
trembled. And Moses brought forth the
people out of the camp to meet with God;
and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke,
because the LORD descended upon it in fire:
and the smoke thereof ascended as the
smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount
quaked greatly. And when the voice of the
trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder
and louder, Moses spake, and God
answered him by a voice. And the LORD
came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of
the mount: and the LORD called Moses up
to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
Exodus 19:16-20
Do you think any of the Israelites missed what was going on? Does this sound like a secret snatching of Moses to the top of the mountain? Obviously not. But what is more obvious is that the Bible does not teach any form of secret rapture, any "sneaking in" of God to "snatch away" the faithful. The church has always looked forward to Christ appearing in the skies. Christ told us to WATCH for His physical return. This latest terrible theological bag of lies is the invention of the last 150 years, and has only gained in popularity since the 1970s, a doctrine begun in Jesuit countermeasures against the Reformation, and also dreamed by a false prophetess named Margaret McDonald, and latched onto by false evangelists.
But let's look at all the "proof texts" that dispensationalists and rapturists snap down on the table like a royal flush. The first, and most famous, is the verse about the one being taken while the other is "left behind." Why don't we look closely at this verse, and be shocked!
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men
in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the
other shall be left. Two women shall be
grinding together; the one shall be taken,
and the other left. Two men shall be in the
field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke 17:34-36
Granted, I admit, that if we stop here, voila, we have the Secret Rapture scenario. Boom, one guy is taken while the other guy is left. Aha, but wait! We need to read the next verse, because for some odd reason the rapturists DO NOT WANT YOU TO READ THIS:
And they answered and said unto him,
Where, Lord? And he said unto them,
Wheresoever the body is, thither will the
eagles be gathered together.
Luke 17:37
Think about it, using the logic God gave you, the disciples were asking Jesus: "Where will they be taken?" Note, they are not asking "Where will they be left behind?" as we know where the Earth is, and Jesus is here discussing the last days of Earth -- so logically, the disciples are asking the Master: "Okay, so one will be taken. Tell us, where will he be taken to?"
Jesus gives the shocking, revealing answer (are you certain you wish to open your eyes to the truth, to learn the TRUTH about the Secret Rapture fantasy and "those left behind?" If so, then continue):
"Where the dead bodies are strewn across the Earth!"
That's not what Secret Rapturists teach you, is it? No, they teach one of two things: 1. that Jesus will snatch away Christians, and take them to heaven, or 2. Jesus will snatch and grab, then return with the Christians to the Earth for a "big ole party, yee-haw." But that's not what Jesus says. He says that DEATH will be the fate of those "taken," those that are "raptured!"
But let's not leave it to our logic alone, because that can slip up every now and then, no matter how skillfully it is employed. Let's see what the Bible has to say about it, okay? The Bible, in the words of Jesus, clarify this point even further! And we will look at the #2 favorite verse of those false teachers who teach a "Secret Rapture."
But of that day and hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only. But as the days of Noe 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,
Matthew 24:36-38
Reading nothing else into the verse but what Jesus puts there, we are told that nobody -- and He meant nobody -- knows the day or hour of when Jesus is coming again, only the Father in heaven knows. So when some false prophet tells you that THEY have been granted the privileged information, you know that they are exactly THAT, false. Don't go and see them. Remember that, it might save your life. When Jack van Impe says: "Tee-hee! I've figured out, it is the year 2011, uh, I meant 2012, um, 2013..." you know they are false, through and through.
Jesus compares His Second Coming to the days of Noah, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." (Genesis 6:5-6). The last days are here, just as in the days of Noah, everything in today's society is evil, sacrificing children for the sake of college or yuppy extravaganzas or career is justified in partial-birth abortion calling euphamizing it as "a woman's choice" -- false gods are everywhere, from movie stars to sports heroes to corrupt politicians to even much worse false televangelists preaching profit, gain, greed and false doctrine. The last days are here, just as in the days of Noah when it grieved God that He had even created mankind.
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold,
it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his
way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah,
The end of all flesh is come before me; for the
earth is filled with violence through them; and,
behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Genesis 6:12-13
And in the days of Noah people were oblivious to the coming destruction, they laughed at Noah and derided his preaching (1 Peter 3:20), living their daily lives as if nothing were going to change, up until the day that Noah entered the ark. Well, what about the secret rapturists, they pretty much are right on target with this passage, aren't they? Well, before we give our blessing to their false teaching, let's continue with what Jesus actually said, read in context:
And knew not until the flood came, and took
them all away; so shall also the coming of
the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:39
Okay, Jesus spells it out here. The wicked people were completely oblivious as to what would happen. Because they were not warned? No, Noah DID warn them, he told them an unpopular truth -- 2 Peter 2:5 calls Noah a "preacher of righteousness." God always gives people a chance to turn from their sins, He always provides the necessary information (Romans 1:16-32) that people need to believe, but people turn away from God to their own bizarre, messed-up beliefs. In their foolish imagination, they devised clever explanations for the world, and believed them, just as man has accomplished today, creating religion after religion, scientific explanation after theories and hypothothese. And the key here is this: just as what happened in the flood, so shall it be at the coming of Jesus!
Did you catch that?
The flood took them away.
The rapturists teach that Jesus will snatch them away, and they are CORRECT. But follow Jesus' line of reasoning: the flood came and TOOK ALL THE WICKED AWAY, the righteous were LEFT BEHIND!!!! There is absolutely no other way of interpreting this verse, the righeous were safe in the ark, they remained, they were not taken away, only the evil were taken away, the Bible distinctly says that the flood came and took them all away!
The righteous were left behind.
Safe, in the ark.
The righteous shall never be removed: but
the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
Proverbs 10:30
The righteous shall never be removed. If you believe the Bible teaches the Truth, and you believe in the so-called "Secret Rapture," then this verse should blow your mind. The righteous shall never be removed, but the wicked WILL, just as in the deluge of Noah, the wicked were taken away and the righteous REMAINED.
Before you continue, pause and think about that fact: the flood came and took them away -- they were taken. The Secret Rapturists teach that Jesus is coming and YOU WILL BE TAKEN, and they even use that very verse, they even tell you it will be like Noah at the flood! The Rapturists compare Jesus to the Flood. The flood killed the wicked. Those that were taken by the flood drowned. THINK ABOUT THAT.
They did eat, they drank, they married
wives, they were given in marriage, until
the day that Noe entered into the ark, and
the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot;
they did eat, they drank, they bought,
they sold, they planted, they builded;
But the same day that Lot went out of
Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all. Even
thus shall it be in the day when the
Son of man is revealed.
Luke 17:27-30
How much more convincing do you need? Look at what Luke 17:20-30 just said to you, in direct refutation to what Secret Rapturist false prophets teach you! That on the day that Christ is revealed the wicked will be destroyed, just like when the flood came and destroyed the wicked! The flood came and destroyed them. Is that what you desire, to be destroyed? That's what the Secret Rapturist false prophets are teaching you to WANT, they say you need to be "Rapture Ready!" Well, are you ready for your destruction? That is the question. Or do you want OUT, now? Scripture agrees with Scripture, the Bible supports the Bible, it is all very clear, and yet the false prophets have twisted and turned it all out of context so that you can hardly understand what they are saying -- they tell you to cling to them, because they are ANOINTED (the claim to be Christ!), whereas I tell you, "Cling to the Anointed One, cling to the Messiah -- only He can save you, only Jesus can save you, trust in Him, not false prophets!" The flood came and took them all away -- WHO? The wicked. The righteous, only eight of them, Noah and his family, REMAINED in the ark. The righteous shall remain!
That is NOT what you have been taught. The flood came and took them all away, and so will the Second Coming of Jesus -- the wicked will die, the righteous dead will be raised, and THEN, we who remain will be lifted up to the Lord in the arms of angels (Luke 9:27-27, Mark 8:38, Matthew 25:29-46, Psalms 68:17, Luke 12:8-9, Luke 16:22):
But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold
you all things. But in those days, after
that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, And
the stars of heaven shall fall, and the
powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man
coming in the clouds with great power and
glory. And then shall he send his angels,
and shall gather together his elect from the
four winds, from the uttermost part of the
earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Mark 13:23-27
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. 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 24:30-31
The field is the world; the good seed are the
children of the kingdom; but the tares are the
children of the wicked one; The enemy that
sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the
end of the world; and the reapers are the
angels. As therefore the tares are gathered
and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the
end of this world. The Son of man shall send
forth his angels, and they shall gather out of
his kingdom all things that offend, and them
which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a
furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13:38-43
The Bible agrees with the Bible -- Scripture supports Scripture. Rightly divide the Word of Truth, and you need not be ashamed! Isn't the Bible very clear about this? Can it be interpreted in the mystery fashion that false prophets "teach" it? No it can't, it is very clear, the Bible seems almost redundantly clear about this -- but the sad fact is that people do not study this issue for themselves! Read the Bible! Study the Bible, God will reveal His Truth to you (not MY truth, but God's Holy Truth!).
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. 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. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
The wicked were raptured, "snatched away by the flood," while the righteous remained on Earth, left behind. And where were the wicked taken? Into death. Drowned in the flood. The righteous, only eight of them, were left behind, safe in the ark. At the Second Coming of Christ, where will the wicked be taken in their not-very-secret rapture? INTO DEATH. The thing which killed the wicked, saved the righteous, who were left behind, safe inside the ark! "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;" (2 Peter 2:5). As seen earlier in the Luke passage, WHERE will they be taken? You now have the amazing answer. Don't be fooled, please. WHERE will they be taken? Where the dead bodies are spread across the face of the Earth, and the RAPTORS (and dead flesh will be raptured into the talons and beaks of the raptors) circle above the rotting flesh. Of course, this is symbolic. Or is it?
The raptors, the birds of prey, those winged carnivores that swoop down and snatch up their prey, a mouse in the claw of the eagle, a rabbit in the talon of the hawk, dead flesh in the beak of the vulture.
Jesus is telling you: "BE LEFT BEHIND!" False teachers and the writers of so-called Christian fantasy tell you: "Don't be left behind!" Who do you believe, false teachers such as Jack van Impe, Tim LaHaye and all the Word-Faith scripture twisters, or do you believe Jesus, Yahshua the Messiah, the Son of God Who came in the flesh. It is true, all these other teachers claim to be "anointed," Christs in their own right, but Jesus said of these false anointed ones, these false christs: "Don't go and see them." Their teachings can be overwhelming, instilling in you false hopes, false faith, and false gods, another jesus -- don't go there, don't go and see them. REJECT their obvious false teachings.
Even such teachers as the Bible Answerman Hank Hanegraaff have finally caved in to popular demand, for more money; he has stated publically: "All Christians believe in the rapture." But it is not a true statement. All Christians DO NOT believe in the rapture, and most Christians over the last 2,000 years have never even heard the concept of "rapture" let alone a "doctrine," for it is a false teaching. A false teaching that has only existed for the last 150-odd years. Granted, Hank is captializing on a very popular teaching, to gather more and more people to himself, so that possibly he can nurture them away from the false teachers (hopefully, this is his intent, employing falsehood to later bring truth), because Hank describes the 2nd Advent of Christ as a visible event, so he does not cling to the falsehood of the rapture teaching, but he should not even be employing the term "rapture." Why use language from the "Kingdom of the Cults?" Why repackage cultic teaching for Christian consumption? Why support someone who practices such falsehood? Hank is repackaging cultic pop "teaching" for Christian consumption, to loosely quote the man himself.
But let us continue with the words of the Messiah:
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall
be taken, and the other left. Two women
shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall
be taken, and the other left.
Matthew 24:40-41
The same event as depicted in the corresponding Luke passage. People will be taken unawares, continuing as in the "days of Noah" theme, people will be going about their daily lives, not watching for the arrival of Christ in the skies. Jesus brings home this point, very powerfully, and unmistakably:
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour
your Lord doth come.
Matthew 24:36:42
Watch. Jesus says it here. Watch, for we know not when He is going to come. Note also, the rapturists twist this passage into saying that Jesus is not only going to come invisibly, but that He is going to SNEAK back to Earth, like a thief. Really? Does the Bible teach this, that Jesus is going to sneak back to Earth, that we will not see Him?
For yourselves know perfectly that the day
of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety;
then sudden destruction cometh upon them,
as travail upon a woman with child; and they
shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in
darkness, that that day should overtake you
as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and
the children of the day: we are not of the night,
nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep,
as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-6
Note the difference. The "day of the Lord" will be like a thief in the night, not the Lord Himself. Read the passage above. The false teachers make the subtle change, claiming that Jesus Himself is a thief, someone who is going to steal away Christians like silverware and jewelry, a heavenly burglar. But that is not at all what the passage says. It says the same thing that Jesus said, that "ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." Please make note, those that are not expecting the truth, sudden destruction comes upon them. Someone that twists the scripture into saying something that it does not say, sudden destruction will come upon them. And see above, the Thessalonians passage explicitly states: "let us watch and be sober." It is something visible to see, not a secret rapture.
Mark that in your brain for future reference. Bookmark it in your noodle. Remember it. The day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. The scripture does not say that the Lord Himself comes as thief. Think about the difference. It makes all the difference in the world, and it can save your life. When someone teaches the opposite, ask yourself: "Why is this bozo teaching me the opposite of what Jesus says? Why are they changing the Bible?" There MUST be a reason that teachers have twisted clear passages into a labyrinth of deceit and false hope.
Why do YOU think they are changing the meaning of God's holy Word? But you say, maybe there is another passage of scripture they are quoting from, yeah, that's it, maybe they are not lying, but quoting another passage?
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.
2 Peter 3:10
From another book, here is the other passage that mentions "a thief in the night." Notice, again, "the day of the Lord" will come that way, as a thief in the night. Yet, guess what, that's not what the false teachers trick you into believing. No, they say that "Jesus will come as a thief in the night." WATCH, read their material, and you will notice that they will quote this passage and cut off the words "But the day of" and begin their quote with "The Lord will come as a thief" -- really, look and you will find the truth, especially if you have some of their literature or frequent their "rapture-fun" websites, they actually do this, clipping away some of the beginning words in the verse -- it looks like THIS:
The Lord will come as a thief in the night.
2 Peter 3:10
Compare to:
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief
in the night.
If you have some of these books or pamphlets that (mis)use this verse in this fashion, ask yourself: WHY? Ask yourself again, why are these people, people that claim to be "anointed," why are they lying to me? Why the trickery? Why the misrepresentation of scripture? Does God use trickery? What are they trying to hide? Why are they trying to hide it? And why in the world do these tricksters skip the whole part about the fiery destruction mentioned in this verse? Instead of a melting Earth, they'd rather fill your head with fantasies of empty clothes falling to the ground and driverless cars crashing!
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither
the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch
and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far
journey, who left his house, and gave authority
to his servants, and to every man his work, and
commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye
therefore: for ye know not when the master of
the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at
the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest
coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And
what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Mark 13:32-37
God wants to REVEAL truth (watch, that is what a revelation is FOR, to REVEAL, you cannot watch for something that is not revealed!), while these false teachers wish to obscure it, the plain Truth, Truth that is plain to see. WATCH. And what, other than my hard-earned money, are they trying to take from me? Could true followers of Jesus clip out words from a Bible passage to PROVE a false point? Could they turn the meaning around so that when Jesus says that the flood came and killed them, that this means that Jesus is coming to snatch you away? That you are not supposed to watch, because it is invisible. That Jesus IS the thief, instead of COMING like a thief (a thief does not announce to you, I am going to rob your house next Thursday, so please tidy up a bit, thank you). Why the sneakiness, the guile?
"It's almost the same thing," they say, grinning. "What we're saying is almost the same thing, really, because Jesus said that the flood took them away, and what we're talking about is the rapture taking them away, and who knows, maybe Jesus got confused!"
Read in context, the Bible is REVEALING:
Remember therefore how thou hast received
and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If
therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on
thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what
hour I will come upon thee.
Revelation 3:3
Don't miss the fact that what Peter declares in 2 Peter 3:10 and Jesus Himself declares in Revelation 3:3, completely contradicts -- FULLY, thoroughly -- the false secret rapture teachers. Notice, Peter proclaims that the day that will come as a thief in the night, is also the day even in which "the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earh also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." Doesn't sound like a secret to me, does it to you? Doesn't sound invisible. Doesn't sound like a sneaking removal of people so that others will wonder what the heck is going on, no, no one will be in the dark when Jesus comes in all His glory.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that
watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he
walk naked, and they see his shame.
Revelation 16:15
You do not know when He is coming, but He is coming, and when He gets here, it will not be a secret, everyone is going to know about it, and NOT through television cameras, as the false teachers "teach."
Everyone will be surrounded by His light, the good and the wicked. Every eye will see Jesus -- and this means EVERY EYE, both righteous and wicked. To twist the words of Jesus into meaning something else is blasphemy -- and yet, you have probably heard these things preached as TRUTH. Ask yourself why? Is it a mistake? A tiny blunder? Isn't something similar just as good as the truth?
A great noise, similar to that at Mount Sinai when God's trumpet sounded throughout the night, fire and lightning, the shout of the Archangel as Jesus comes in the sky with countless angels, the wicked running and screaming at the sight of His glory, the earth shaking, fire and lightning, the ground bursting open and the dead rising into the sight of all, angels descending...
...WHY do they lie to you?
Peter himself warns you about believing in false teachings and fables concerning this event, the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, the Second Advent, the Resurrection, the Second Coming of Jesus:
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them
of these things; in which are some things
hard to be understood, which they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do
also the other scriptures, unto their own
destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing
ye know these things before, beware lest
ye also, being led away with the error of the
wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2 Peter 3:16-17
This should answer a few of those earlier questions about WHY these false teachers want you to believe a lie -- they are seeking your destruction. "Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness." Do not CHOOSE to fall away from the truth, or if you have never been exposed to the Truth, do so today, today is the day the Lord has made. Decide today to follow the Truth, and nothing but the Truth. Pray to God, ask Him to lead you to His Truth, and cease to cling to false teachers who preach an unBiblical "Secret Rapture."
But again, let's not just be logical, sensible, let's rely on the Word of God:
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour
your Lord doth come. But know this, that if
the goodman of the house had known in what
watch the thief would come, he would have
watched, and would not have suffered his
house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also
ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh.
Matthew 24:42-44
In the Words of Jesus. Wake up. WATCH! In Revelation, more than once, Jesus says to WATCH. In the Gospels, many times, we are told, we are commanded: WATCH! Jesus says WHY you should watch, because you don't know WHEN He is coming. Again, His "day comes as a thief," not the Lord Himself. Mark the difference. Jesus says: "for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." Mark the difference. Jesus does NOT say that He is going to sneak in like a thief. Read that passage again. It is the "day of the Lord" that comes like a thief in the night, the hour, the day -- for in such an hour as you do't think, THAT is when Jesus comes again. As we have seen, Jesus Himself comes as if it is a military attack, with trumpets blaring, God Himself shouting, with billions upon billions of angels -- can you picture a THIEF coming this way?
Yet, that's what the false teachers teach. Flee from them. If their teaching on THIS is messed up, you KNOW that whatever else they believe is just as defiled. Jesus says that good fruit does not come from a bad plant, and vice versa, bad fruit does not come from a good plant. Thus, if your "Bible teacher," your "anointed one" is teaching you the secret rapture, they are a liar, and they are actively working to steal away your crown. And you do not wish to share the fate of these false servants of God:
The lord of that servant shall come in a day
when he looketh not for him, and in an hour
that he is not aware of, And shall cut him
asunder, and appoint him his portion with
the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:50-51
These are grim words of Jesus, but out of His love for us, He gave us PLENTY of warnings. Pay attention. Matthew 25:10-13 clearly tells us that there will be no second chance at salvation (during an alleged 7-year tribulation period) -- that once Jesus comes, the door is closed, and will not be reopened. Jesus says here, too, WATCH! (It is a visible event, and we are told, over and over, to watch, watch, WATCH!) Don't let anyone deceive you. Many of these false teachers really, truly believe they are serving God, but as the old parable says: "good intentions pave the road to hell." The Bible relates something very similar:
Beware of false prophets, which come to
you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they
are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them
by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every
good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good
tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can
a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them. Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to
me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name done
many wonderful works? And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:15-23
The Words from the Mouth of Yahshua the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. These teachers of very bad fruit, someday they will lift up their arms to Jesus and cry: "Lord! Lord! We've prophesied a lot, we've done miracles, cast out demons, prayed in tongues for hours and hours! We've written tons of books on prophecy and we've done our Old Time Gospel Shows on the TV, Lord, Lord!"
And Jesus will sadly say: "I never knew you, you sinful teachers of false doctrines."
And those people, the innocent victims of these false teachers? Jesus has a grim warning for YOU, as well:
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which
thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Revelation 3:11
Let no man beguile you of your reward
in a voluntary humility and worshipping
of angels, intruding into those things which
he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by
his fleshly mind,
Colossians 2:18
The Words of Jesus. If it wasn't possible, Jesus would not have commanded you: "Don't let anyone take your crown." The time is short. Throw away false doctrine. If possible, they will deceive you. If they get the chance, they will deceive you (in other words, it is up to YOU to not be deceived, don't trust in any group or club to protect your salvation). Throw away that worthless tradition. Sure, it makes you feel special, it allows you to look down on others, but Jesus wants you to be humbled, He wants you to look across at others, your brothers, your sisters, to serve. Flee from false teachers. Hold fast to that which is good! Be proactive and snatch your crown back out of their greedy, slimy Raptor claws.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the
very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I
pray God your whole spirit and soul and body
be preserved blameless unto the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-23
Don't miss the significance of this scripture. Hold onto for dear life those things that are proven good -- the secret rapture is obviously proven BAD, throw it out with the garbage, for that is what it is. You want to be blameless when Jesus comes again -- it is important what you believe about His Second Coming, because it is NEAR, and Jesus and the Apostles have given you ample knowledge, ample warning to WATCH for that very visible, and very noisy Great and Terrible Day of the Lord!
Please read Matthew 25:31-46 for Jesus' clear portrayal of true Christians and false Christians -- the sheep and the goats. It can open even the most tightly glued-shut eyes. Pray for God to make clear His mysteries -- ask Him, knock on the door, and believe. God will give you wisdom to see through the labyrinth of darkness and misdirection.
DON'T be terrified of "tribulation." Yes, there will be tribulation, as Jesus prophesied, and YES, Christians will go through it, but Jesus tells us to have good cheer, because He has overcome the world! Don't stand there blinking, when times of trouble find you, don't lose faith in God as if something strange and unBiblical was happening to you:
Beloved, think it not strange concerning
the fiery trial which is to try you, as though
some strange thing happened unto you:
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers
of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory
shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy.
1 Peter 4:12-13
God bless you and keep you, and may the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth of our Savior, Yahshua the Messiah -- Jesus the Christ our Lord -- the Son of God and the son of man, our High Priest and Righteous Advocate and Counselor, Wonderful, God Who came in the flesh, our Elder Brother and Spiritual Father, the Author of our Salvation, Divine Reedemer, the Holy One of God and Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!
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PAROUSIA 
