False Teachers

September 23, 2017

Biblical Guy False Teachers, Rapture, tribulation, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 

What is this all about? There are a vast amount of Facebook and social media posts as well as videos on YouTube claiming that there will be a sign of Virgo or something to that effect on September 23, 2017, that will either usher in the Tribulation or Christ’s return or a great monkey battle. Many say that on that on that day, there will be the fulfillment of Revelation 12, and that it means the Rapture will occur. First off, there are three main problems. One is Astrology! The second, is the premise of Leo having nine stars is false, along with the statement that the addition of the three planets brings the stars in Leo to 12, is also false. And, this occurrence is not even rare and has happened many times in the last 7,000 years. No one consulted with an actual astronomer.  The third, they have not read Rev. 12… This is the typical hype of a false teacher, no facts and playing on people’s emotions who are not willing to fact check!

Many Christians today prefer to take the word from false teachers who are tantalizing and provocative and not from God’s Word!

They feel they have special knowledge from God and thus do not read or study the Bible. Instead, they listen to fools who point to themselves, pseudo Bible teaching and not to our LORD or the true Truth of His Word. This creates the havoc of emotional driven immature Christians with false knowledge that leads to a weak do-nothing faith and division in His Church.

Before coming to Christ fully, I was captivated in a false teaching myself and seen the destruction it is having with young and immature believers. This was the “Jupiter Effect” on March 10, 1982. That a rare event will correspond with Christ’s return. The same thing is happening now.

Astrology? Really? “All the counsel you have received has only worn you out. Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the flame… Each of them goes on in his error; there is not one that can save you.” Isaiah 47:13-15

See more here: Leviticus 19:26, 31; 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; 2 Kings 21:6; Isaiah 8:19; 47:13-14; Daniel 2:27; 4:7, 19

  • Revelation 12? This passage is written in the style of a Greek play depicting the mythology of the Greek gods such as the struggle of Leto giving birth to Apollo and Python and the Egyptian account of their gods Isis and Typhon as she gave birth to Horus.  John is using Jewish apocalyptic language. Understanding the literature and metaphors-what the First Century Jew saw-gives us a richer meaning of what the text (God) is seeking to communicate with us today. John uses this captivating style to show the struggle as God gives birth to Israel, Israel gives birth to Jesus, while Jesus is being opposed by Satan.

“Sign,” usually means something seen in the sky, or an astronomical event. Here, it is an illustration, conveying an event that is unexpected and astonishing. As with most symbols and metaphors in Scripture, it is an expression with the intention of pointing to something beyond it (Luke 21:11, 25; Acts 2:19).

These images deal with spiritual warfare, the conflict of good and evil, of light and dark, rooted in history and with ramifications for the future. These passages also deal with symbolism that is deeply rooted in Judaism as well as the plan and work of our Lord and the heralding of His Second Coming. The application is our being and remaining faithful to our Lord and continuing our witness and maintaining character in the midst of persecutions. We are also called to bear Fruit in and with His light as His witnesses against the dark forces, to a corrupt and conflict- ridden world with all its trappings of contradictions and confusion (Eph. 6:10-20). 

All this false date setting makes Christians look stupid. It’s embarrassing…

It all comes down to Christian maturity and are we really in the Word and building our faith. To answer this, seek this question: Are you chasing your desires or our Lord? The answer to this question will determine what direction in life you go as well as if, when, and how sin will entice you to fall! Sin is coming; we can either draw near to God to stay clear, or draw near to sin and thus away from God and His best for us. The great news is that Christ gives us the ability to stand firm in Him. The key is, we need to want to! Peter’s people were being slandered and taken advantage of, and they were becoming disillusioned. Peter’s call was to stand firm in faith and not worry what others do as long as we look to Christ wholeheartedly (1 Pet. 2:12,15, 23; 3:9, 16; 4:4,14; 4 1-11).

Thus, the best defense is the offense of righteousness and demonstrating the good life in Christ!

Blood Moon, what is this all about?

Biblical Guy Bible Study, False Teachers , , , , , , ,

blood moon b

“The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light…”  Matthew 24:29

“The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.” Acts 2:20

The premise is four blood moons will happen in a sequence that will be the trumpet blast that echo in the return of Christ or a rapture or a tribulation, to whomever false teacher you listen to.  It seems plausible, an astronomical event that never has occurred that is foreboding and obvious to point us the Return of the King. Or is it?

The premise is four blood moons will happen in a sequence that will be the trumpet blast that echo in the return of Christ or a rapture or a tribulation, to whomever false teacher you listen to.  It seems plausible, an astronomical event that never has occurred that is foreboding and obvious to point us the Return of the King. Or is it?

There are many problems with this premise. And it will only appeal to a person who gets caught up in meaningless speculations, or a person who does not really read the Word, or a person gets captivated by personalities and not the Person of Christ, or a person who is, well I will say it, just weak in the faith at best, heretical at worst. And who would write such a book, someone who fits the previous qualifications, except they are the captivating personality who read into the Bible their views and do no real research to what the words mean and what these events are and what they really mean. 

What if Jesus will or had returned, April 15, 2014 as many false teachers have presented, or now, September, 23 or 27, 2015? Oh, those first two did not happen by the way. What were you doing? Does your life and attitude show that you were prepared by faith and not by theory?

By the way biblical eschatology is about give us hope and motivation to get our life right with Christ as Lord. It is not about meaningless speculations!

Yet, many Christians today take their word from false teachers who are tantalizing and provocative. They feel they have special knowledge from God and thus do not read or study the Bible. Instead, they listen to fools who point to themselves, pseudo Bible teaching and not to our LORD or the true Truth of His Word. This creates the havoc of emotional driven immature Christians with false knowledge that leads to a weak do nothing faith and division in His Church.

Here is the latest buzz, the Blood Mood!

I am sure you have heard of it, perhaps you got caught up in it, pun intended. What is this all about?

The blood moon is the earth’s moon in the night sky that will turn red, or as an astronomer would say, “in a deep red hue,” resembling the color of blood, hence the name. These events remind us of several Bible passages from Joel, Matthew, Acts and Revelation that Christ is coming back. While, others have stated that it is the significant sign of the apocalypse and or rapture or the end of days.

To make this more foreboding, there will be four of these on or close to the main Jewish feast days of Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles in the next 2 years. So, a lot of Christians have been so tied up over this. The first of these blood moons arrived on April 15, 2014 near Passover (the foreboding part is this is tax day for Americans) then there will be three more in the next two years. As, we will have one in October, 8, 2014 and then two more April 4, and Sept. 27, 2015, which is also a super moon. Astronomers say this is not rare, as even though was 4 in the next 18 months, normally they average 3 every 2 years, or the super moon eclipse, 33 years. Yet, all astronomical events are rare, because we have a lot going on in our big universe.

Is Jesus coming back during these blood moons? Probably not. Yes, Jesus can come back during these events, but according to His Word, nothing needs to happen that did not already. Thus, He can come back at any moment, now, or thousands of years from now.

Let’s see what Jesus actually said about it!

Matthew 24:29-31: “The sun will be darkened.” This is a reference to a significant astronomical event, perhaps more than just an eclipse. And this is in the form of O.T. Judgment language (Psalm 18:6-19; Isa. 13:10; 24:23; 34:4; Jer. 4:20-28; Ezek. 32:7-8; Joel 3:14; Zech. 14:6).

The question is not if or when, as many of us obsess over; rather, He will come and we had better be prepared with our attitude and mindsets! 

“Darkness” was the most frightening prediction (Ex. 9:21-23)! 

“The sign of the Son of man” refers to God bringing about the opportunity for people to repent for having caused Him grief. Then, the Kingdom of Heaven will flourish (Dan. 7:13-14; Zech. 12:10; Rev. 1:7).

“Sign” refers to the first real evidence of Christ’s second coming.

“Son of man” means He is Lord and King (Matthew 10: 16-26)!

“Clouds” mean judgment. This refers to a spectacular event, the numbers of angels testifying to God’s glory. It could also mean an extraordinary storm of clouds. Such as numbers of angels testifying to God’s glory (Ezek. 30:3; Dan. 7:13; Zech. 12:10; Matt. 16:28; 24:30, 34; 26:64). 

“Trumpets” were used to announce the coming of or the succession of a king. They were used to summon people together and for a war cry to motivate troops and scare the enemy (Judg. 7:8-25; Isa. 11:12; 27. 13; Jer. 4:5, 19-21; Zeph. 1:16). Here, it is a popular prayer Jesus uses to refer to a future gathering of believers in Christ (Zech. 9:14-16; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).

“Taken” refers to being taken to Judgment (Jer. 6:10-12)! Most people think this is the rapture, but, it is never explicitly taught or illustrated, although this text is popular for, such as view, it really means judgment; and, you do not want that.

Some have thought that this passage can also refer to the coming defeat of Satan and His dominion or an apocalypse, but there is no textual support; rather, it is about His second coming in His timing (Matt. 13:40-43; 16:27; 25:31; 1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:14-17).

In addition, Revelation 6: 12-17 tells us, “Moon turned blood red,” this may refer to an unusual lunar eclipse or even something more spectacular. These events being described are not necessarily literal, astronomic events as many today think. 

“Stars in the sky fell to earth” means the cosmic scope of God’s judgment, as all will be affected (Isa. 34:4). This was also a sign for the coming of Christ (Mark 13:25-26). It may also refer to angels coming down or some stunning event that all will see in the sky (Isa. 24:21; Dan. 8:10; 10:13; Rev. 12:4).

Here is what we should wrap our brain and faith in, what Jesus was actually saying:

Matthew 24: 36-50: “No one knows…angels, or the Son…” Why did Jesus not know, when He is the Omnipresent God? God keeps most of His plans secret for good reason (Deut. 29:29; Zech. 14:6-9).

We would become preoccupied with them and miss our purpose for being here on earth. Just look at some Catholics and how they are overzealous with artifacts; in fact, there are enough so-called pieces of the cross of Christ in European Cathedrals to build a large church! There is also the obsession for the Holy Grail (the cup of Christ in His last supper). They look to “stuff” and not to substance! Let us not do that with our refusal to look to His Word and instead look to personalities.

Joel and the Blood Moon

Biblical Guy False Teachers , , , , , , ,

“Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.”  Joel 3:10

The Book of Joel comes to us from the 9th Century B.C., Joel ministered in the northern kingdom and has been seen as the Holy Spirit-encounter Book with Joel, the “Prophet of Pentecost”, because of his prophecy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to those who will be saved by Christ as recorded in Acts in what is called as being fulfilled at Pentecost.

Joel bWhat was he about? Joel warned his people about a devastating plague of locusts resulting in extreme famine; it will illustrate God’s judgment unless they repent. This is about what happens when we ignore God’s directions and the consequences of losing everything.  Even in this message of desolation from a locust plague, the exhortation of God to repent there is hope, the promise that God will restore (Joel 2:28; 3:1-13; Acts 2:16).

Joel was the visionary kind of prophet who could glimpse God’s eternal wonders in his temporal life. He ministers as God’s spokesman during a devastating locust plague, which took everything–those bugs ate all the crops, ruining the economy and starving the people only because the people lusted for their sins.  He uses this occasion to warn them of the foreboding “Day of the Lord” when God would act directly, punishing the people, which He did when they went into captivity. God’s love and His judgments go together, because we can repent and He allows us to come back.  He is not petty, and He blesses us both in the material and in His steadfast Love and robust spirituality (Psalm 30:5; Joel 2:12-13, 28-31).

Most of these statements are in a “figurative language,” like it is raining cats and dogs, as the moon turns to blood (meaning red, as in Lunar Eclipse as the earth’s shadow passes over the moon, reflecting the sunsets and sunrise of earth to its surface. Thus.

We are to look for the literal meaning first before attempting to interpret it as symbolic. Context is the key!

“Day of the Lord” means the Lord’s deliverance and salvation for Israel, and this is the final Day of Judgment where God settles all accounts and injustices.  For Joel, it was a warning of what will come, which it did in the captivity.

For Amos, it was God’s hope to come when repentance was given.  Just as the climax was in 722 B.C. and 586 B.C. But, as Joel showed us God’s mercy and Amos God’s judgment, there is hope.  God will have His faithful remnant as Joel pointed out, a victory over darkness and sin will be achieved after God intervenes in the world with judgment and destruction of His enemies, and rewards and blessings to those who are in Him.

“Isogesis” is reading into a text what isn’t there. Interpreting it by different rules than a consistent understanding from the Bible. Using a presupposition to arrive at the meaning, by ignoring the language and culture it was used in.

For us, this Day started with the resurrection of Christ and His victory over sin and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It comes to its consummation and fullness after Christ’s Second Coming and Judgment–the anticipated eschatological climax of the events of life, time, and space (Isa. 2:11-20; 13:9-13; Joel 1:15; 3:14-21; Amos 5:18-20; Luke 1:68; 1 Thess. 2:1-3; 5:2; 2 Peter 3:9-11).

The main point is to tell us to “Rend Your Heart”

To listen to God, to repent of sin.  Then, Hope, so as not to be discouraged, but to remain faithful and vigilant.  For the Christian, it is also an encouragement and a warning to follow God’s directions or dreadful consequences will result by our own doings.  As Christians, we are chosen by Him to be in Him as His possession in love.  He called us out of our darkness into His Light by His mercy; He sets us apart to be holy participants in His Kingdom.  Thus, we are called to show this wonderful, incredible place we have in Him to others by our goodness, attitude, and deeds-and, if necessary, with words (Heb. 12:14).

Researching with honest Exegeses

Biblical Guy False Teachers , , ,

Revelation and Churchb

As we have been researching with honest exegeses end times theme from Scripture, what is popular is not necessary Biblical. What is best? Just read the Bible yourself and do not insert what people who do not read the Bible to tell you how to think what it says or tell you what it says…. What Revelation really teaches is far more powerful and impacting than what is popularly proclaimed.

Scoffers on the Second Coming PIII

Biblical Guy False Teachers, Second Coming , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Read, 2 Peter 3: 1-9

Have you ever thought that God seems slow? What needs to take place so we can understand that we can have patience and trust in Him and His timing? 

Because it has been nearly two thousand years since Christ’s ascension and proclamation to return, many people have given up and even stated, perhaps Jesus is not coming back. But is this valid? No. If we take God’s Word as true, then we know He is coming back. If we really read the Scriptures and see that God lives outside of space and time and is not governed by our physical or temporal laws of physics or humanity, then we can easily see two thousand years is nothing for God. Besides, this is an aspect of grace to give humanity time to consider the implication of God’s sovereignty and our convection to receive Him as Lord.

For God, time is totally relative and in the scope of eternity. This does not necessarily refer to a literal timeline. Rather, that God’s view and perspective of things is not our view and the converse thereof. This long wait is an aspect of His sovereignty (Psalm 90:4).

We have no knowledge of God’s timing! Thus we are not to forget or refuse to heed to God’s Lordship when we feel impatient.

Patient means that our God is a long-suffering God. When God delays His judgment, this means He is demonstrating His love, grace, and forbearance for the consummation of His purpose. We are to take comfort in that He is a God of grace and mercy and is patient with us when we do not deserve it. He seeks our repentance and trust. Therefore, we have no need to be impatient or confused or allow the mocking or misleading of others to distract us from His purpose and plan (John 6:39).

It seems that God is slow to us, but He is in absolute control and we can have patience and trust in Him and His timing. We are impatient with our thinking and expectations, whereas God is patient, allowing His grace and plan to work out. There is no need to make up dates or predict His Second Coming. We are called to be obedient and wait actively in His Word and truth.

Peter is restating his purpose of being an encourager and, at the same time, is shepherding them. A shepherd protects his sheep. If the sheep run astray, he will do what it takes to keep them safe and put, even if he has to break their legs so they will not be eaten.

A pastor needs to root out false teachers and discipline those who cause others to stumble. If not, others will fall prey to things that are misleading, counterfeit, and dangerous.

We can’t just look the other way, hoping all will work out. We have to be proactive and engage the enemy, even the ones in our own flock. Of course, we do this in love-but not just with feelings of love because we will not feel like loving them and, unless one has a disparaging personality, dispensing discipline will not be a joy.

However, we are called to act and to do so within the Fruit of the Spirit and love, carrying a staff to remove the wolves that desire to carry off our flock.

Scoffers on the Second Coming PII

Biblical Guy False Teachers, Second Coming , , , , , , , , ,

Read, 2 Peter 3: 1-9

“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3-4

 

What are some of the fears and unbeliefs that you have you heard people say about the Second Coming? How does scoffing put the item being scoffed at down, while lifting up the scoffer?

Peter lays it out, just read the Passage, all of 2nd Peter. He then cements his reprimand by showing his people the ultimate hope we have in Christ, that our life is all about Him-what He has done, and what He is yet to do. And, the big yet to do is His Second Coming.

Yet, in the mist of our great hope there will be great detractors who seek to derail us off His tracks by seeding our fears and unbelief. If a false teacher can’t get you to see a variant view of a skewed truth, others will turn and ridicule real truth. Thus, they will get you to laugh at the truth to demean it so you will not take it seriously. Scoffing puts the item being scoffed at down while it lifts up the scoffer. Pride is at the base of this, which is always the way Satan works.

They will say, “Do you really believe that?” “How can you take that seriously?” We are to see where their arguments come from, mainly faulty thinking and conniving agendas and conceit, causing us to forget God’s promises and even His past provisions.

Take a closer read at these verses. What is our hope and comfort? God is sovereign and in control! God’s mighty hand was in the environment and in humanity before the beginning of time, and continues today and on to eternity. He will judge the quick (alive) and the dead (Acts 10:42; 1 Peter 4:5; The Apostolic Creed).

God’s word refers to God’s ability and authority to command, create, and be Lord. By God’s word, the universe was created out of nothing. We were created and saved. In context, this also shows us that at the time of creation through today, all of history, that God is a God of involvement and action. He is not passive as the deists teach; there is no reason or need to doubt God! (Gen. 1:1-30; Psalm 33:6-9; Heb. 11:3).

We can rebuff scoffer with the Fruit of the Spirit and a gentle answer, then we can take comfort when they attack that God intervenes in history and in our lives. He will judge, as He demonstrated with the Flood (Gen 6-8).

We rest in “God’s divine Word” as in His utterance that creates and commands, that God is “all powerful.” He will repeat the judgments and we have the importance of God as the One who is in control and who will judge the wicked.

He made the universe; He made you for a plan and a purpose. You are no mistake; therefore, you are wanted and have a destiny. Thus, we are called to realize that and not let false teachers, scoffers, and/or connivers distract us from seeing Christ and applying His Lordship to our lives.

 

Christians Should Not Believe in ‘Left Behind’s’ Rapture Theology

Biblical Guy False Teachers, Rapture , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pulled from the christianpost.com… (This moderators take? After reading the Bible every day for 35+ years, I still have not found the topics and ideas presented in those books…. As we been researching with honest exegeses, what is popular is not necessary Biblical. What is best? Just read the Bible yourself and not what people who do not read the Bible to tell you how to think what it says or tell you what it says…. BTW, what Revelation really teaches is far more powerful and impacting…..)

“This doctrine is not really found in the book of Revelation. If you read the book of Revelation, you won’t find any mention of the rapture there,” said William Craig, a Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University.

left behind“If you compare what Paul says there to what Jesus says about the End Times, Paul uses the same vocabulary, the same phraseology. I think it’s very plausible that Paul is talking about the same event that Jesus predicted, namely the visible coming of the Son of Man at the end of human history to usher in his kingdom,” said Craig. “But proponents of the rapture view, say that Paul is not at all talking about the second coming of the Christ there. What he’s really talking about is this invisible preliminary secret return of Christ to snatch believers out of the world before the great tribulation occurs. I think there’s no textual warrant for that at all.”

According to Craig, the rapture became a popular theory about the End Times due to the influence of the Scofield Reference Bible, which was published in the early 20th century and promulgated John Darby’s mid-18th century’s views on the rapture. Later, Christian institutions, among them Dallas Theological Seminary, and churches began teaching the validity of the rapture.

“A good many Bible-believing Christians absorbed this view as their mother’s milk as it were and have never thought to question its Biblical credentials,” said Craig.

Craig affirmed that it was completely possible for Christians to watch the upcoming “Left Behind” movie or read the series, but they should resist taking its claims seriously.

“It could be maybe good fiction. It would be say like reading science fiction or fantasy novels like The Lord of the Rings. Just so long as you’re not deceived into thinking that represents biblical eschatology,” said Craig.

Craig, who leads Reasonable Faith, an apologetics organization that equips Christians with the resources to speak about their faith in an “intelligent, articulate, and uncompromising yet gracious” manner, called upon Biblical scholars, pastors and other church leaders who also refute the rapture to speak out about their position.

“It is astonishing, if I’m correct about this, American evangelism is very widely misled, that it has departed from the historic Christian position about the second coming of Christ. That’s really rather sobering, because if we’re wrong about this, what other things might we have misinterpreted?” he said…..>

http://m.christianpost.com/news/no-christians-should-not-believe-in-left-behinds-rapture-theology-says-prominent-apologist–124070/

 

Scoffers on the Second Coming

Biblical Guy Bible Study, False Teachers, Second Coming , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Scoffers-2-Peter2 Peter 3: 1-9

Do you realize that most arguments about end times come from our faulty thinking and conniving agendas pitted against others faulty logic, and lack of good biblical exegesis causing us to forget God’s promises and even His past provisions?

Peter in 2 Peter, is restating his purpose by reminding them of some essential precepts of our Lord, he stated in his last letter. He was writing about some of the same root problems, namely, those of forgetting Christ’s power and impact. So, he shows them from God’s Word. He has apostolic authority and is a principle church leader with the job of giving them instructions.

The problem is that the depraved human mind still will refuse to listen, no matter by what means or authority the message is relayed.

God’s patience with and love for us is so amazing (1 Pet. 1:13-2:12)! 

This is what most people get wrong, the meaning of “Last days” or last times, for the first century Jew and Greek, it means the “Christian era.” This will be a surprise to many, because It does not necessarily refer that the actual, final days of our existence, as in the second coming, are around the corner. Keep in mind also it has been nearly two thousand years; thus, not a few days. Rather, it means the period from the resurrection to His second coming. In other words, the present time or what many call the “church age.” Many have mistaken this term to mean that Jesus is right around the corner. Maybe He is, but for countless generations who have said that, well, they have been wrong and have missed the primary point, there will be a judgment(Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:2)! 

Peter even points out to us the term “Scoffers,” people who ridicule and make fun of what you do not comprehend or understand. Such as how the early Christians were treated by friends and family and many of us face today. Peter points us to that this behavior only makes the person who scoffs the fool. As at this time, the Gnostics did not believe in the idea of a judgment because they did not believe in moral accountability, so they scoffed. And if you hold to the true Truth today, people will scoff, even fellow Christians who are deluded by seeking one’s feelings to be fulfilled and not God’s Word.

Key word to know: “Evil desires.” Not being rooted in good thinking will create evil stemming from a lack of accountability or a basis for a morality to be built upon.

Here in Peter’s day, the false teachers were ridiculing the idea that Christ would return, since He had not yet. In the same way many Christians ridicule one another over the others view, when the irony is they are both wrong. Also, in Jewish tradition at the time, to ridicule a righteous person was considered evil. They also argued that God neither cares for us, nor intervenes in our lives and we should not trust in Him. Just because something has not happened does not mean it will not happen. Many lives, businesses, and opportunities have been destroyed by this feeble way of thinking.

Yes, Christ will return! We just do not know when. So, let’s stop the argumentation with one another and look to His Word, so we are not the ones who are willingly ignorant. So we can be fruitful with His Word and to one another. We can’t do much with the secular scoffers; other than live the life with fruitfulness the best we can and be the example of His love (2 Cor. 5:20).

Arguing over Rapture

Biblical Guy False Teachers, Rapture, Second Coming , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Arguing rapture c

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you rapture ready? Is that really important? 

How important is the “Second Coming” to you concerning how you live your life?

If so, take a look to the Book, as God does not care, in fact He is disappointed. Because He wants us Fruit ready! Think not? Read Galations chapter five and Ephesians chapter four. What does God want of us? A well laid out end times theory or a fruitful life?

Take a look at 2 Peter 3: 1-9, where God Promises Christ’s Return to us! The key word tells all, “Coming… He promised/promise of His coming. Peter is calling us to think back to what the Lord has done for us, so we don’t forget His grace, His provisions, and His answered prayers and blessings. To focus on the here and now what Christ is doing in and take hope He is coming, so we are not to be overcome with the struggles of the moment, so we do not see how He has brought us through them in the past. We are to refresh our memory in Him.

During this time, some people in the Early Church thought Jesus was coming right back right then, which was nearly two thousand years ago, and this was taught that as fact, as many do today missing the point. And, the false teachers used their impatience and misunderstandings of what Jesus taught against them too. Thus, the false teachers were spreading gossip as they mocked them and the ‘regular’ teachers were getting it wrong. Ironically, scoffing is one of the evidences that we are in the last days. We must be careful that what we believe and teach is authentic, or others will use our own words against us and perhaps be just in doing so.

We have to remember this: God does not take sides in a congregation where one side wants a beige covered hymnbook and the other side wants one with a blue cover, as God does not care if we have carpet or tile in the narthex.. He wants us to worship Him as LORD. In the same way, if someone is Pre Mill and others are Post Mill or Am Mill, or Pre Trib or Post Trib, or some are passionate about a rapture while others do not see that in Scripture. It is just not important. What is? That our fruitfulness now and that He is coming back, this is what it is all about.

Arguing about the delivery device is like getting excited about the hot dogs at a ball game, then quarrel what mustard, brown or yellow, you want on it, then not realizing you are missing the world series.

God does not take sides; He grieves when we engage in hostile actions against one another. Ephesians 4:1-6 clearly states what God wants; what He does not want is our feeble wars with one another. We must center ourselves on God’s desires and not our own!

The Christian must not be the type of person who has to have things his or her way all the time. As Christians, we must be in submission to the authority of Christ. Keep the main thing the main thing and not place our faith and worry in the trivialities.

When we are so, the natural inclination to be driven by our self-fulfilling ideas will fall off. The constant prowling to get what we want-when we want it-disintegrates the call because the result of this attitude is a reckless rudeness to others that destroys relationships and inhibits the spread of the Gospel. God calls us out of disintegration and into reconciliation.