Hi Doves….
Last week I
said I wouldn’t debate this topic of pre vs. mid….. so all I’m
doing here is merely CLARIFYING what I wrote last week… and I
find the easiest way to do this is by responding to an email.
Answering
an email:
Yes, yes,
yes, of course I realize there will be later gathering of
saints into heaven; that is clear according to Revelation 6
& 7. B-b-but!!!!! This gathering is not
the same as the PRE-TRIB rapture which we should
pray we’re included in so we may escape ALL of the
Tribulation.
You’re
right of course, and perhaps I came on a little too strong,
but even so in other areas of Scripture believers are
encouraged to not debate/argue with one another, thus my
reason for dropping out of the “debate” (and believe me,
people LIKE to debate it to death!!)
YES, all of
God’s Word is inspired by the Holy Spirit and every single
word of it is important and there for a reason.
Reading in
Revelation 6, we do indeed see a GREAT MULTITUDE of ones who
are then currently standing before the Lord…. These are ones
who got saved during the Tribulation and/or carnal Christians
(of Laodicea) who were left behind & told to wash their
robes in the blood of the Lamb. Remember?
Earlier in Rev. 3:17 ~ these were the people (who likely went
to church every Sunday they could spare when not busy with
football, soccer, school, boating, fishing, car races, et al
& perhaps performed rituals of being what they thought was
a good Christian…. But in reality they were hearers only &
not doers of the Word….they lived just like the
world!!) Because you say, 'I am rich, and have
gotten riches, and have need of nothing;' and don't know that
you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked;
At any
rate, I know that, too, can be argued to death whether ALL
Christians go in the pre-trib rapture, or relatively few…..
because of wise/unwise virgins, because of the Church of
Laodecia & only Philadelphia is rewarded with being taken
out, and because of Luke 21:36 CLEARLY tells people to PRAY to
be accounted worthy to escape, this certainly is proof enough
to me that not everyone will be counted worthy. Why pray
for such a thing otherwise??
So back to
the other, yes, of course, there will later be a gathering of
saints who arrive in heaven – scholars tend to think this
happens around the middle part of the Tribulation or perhaps
even 2/3 of the way through…. [And thus this is how many end
up believing the entire rapture will be at mid-trib….]
Yet, what the mid trib believers fail to understand is this
“GREAT MULTITUDE” mentioned in Revelation 6 ~ every single
one of them GOT THERE BY MARTYDOM!!!!!!!!
Revelation
6:11:
New
Living Translation
Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were
told to rest a little longer until the full number of their
brothers and sisters--their fellow servants of Jesus who were
to be martyred--had joined them.
Berean
Study Bible
Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a
little while longer, until the full number of their fellow
servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been
killed.
Don’t
know about you, but hardly anything I’d be LOOKING FORWARD
TO!!!!!! Certainly no reason to “comfort one
another” with the words: “your head’s gonna’ be
rolling soon….. most likely whacked off by the chrislam-islam
crowd, or the one world religion people who’ll think they’re
doing God a favor for your stubborn refusal to worship the
world dictator and have his tattoo put on your head or hand”……
But here’s
the ding-ding aha moment – not only would going by martyrdom
be nothing to look forward to…… but
if
EVERY Christian got raptured that way (by martyrdom) – then
there would be NO ONE alive to “meet the Lord Jesus in
the air!!!!!!
1 Thess
4:16-18
The
Return of the Lord
…16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud
command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet
of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After
that, we who are alive and
remain will be
caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.
18Therefore encourage one another with these words.…
Hence:
there is a PRE-TRIB rapture before a certain someone becomes
the AntiChrist and then following that, all hell breaks loose
on this earth.
This is the
(pre-trib) rapture for those counted worthy to escape will
participate in.
We should
always be watching and praying to go in THIS rapture!
(Luke 21:36) and yet, at the same time, we cannot do
nothing BUT watch – we’re also commended to be profitable
servants! To redeem the time, to work for a living (or
not eat), to abide in the Vine, to do the will of the
Father. All WHILE watching!
So after
this pre-trib rapture (the one event that will likely shake
this world up & wake up millions…. Hence the reason for
their salvation in my opinion) then later on – near the
middle of the Tribulation timeline or perhaps afterwards, then
the ones who were KILLED FOR THEIR FAITH will be gathered into
heaven.
Again:
Revelation
6:11:
New
Living Translation
Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were
told to rest a little longer until the full number of their
brothers and sisters--their fellow servants of Jesus who were
to be martyred--had joined them.
Berean
Study Bible
Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a
little while longer, until the full number of their fellow
servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been
killed.
Thanks
again for writing.
Awaiting
the 1 Cor 15:52 trumpet blast!!
Maranatha!!