I don't think Packard would say it but
AND
is a powerful Bible word
which confuses a lot of people cause they think they know what it means, but don't. Here is one of my writings:
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Five 'and's that seperate
the rapture2 from the resurrection2
(both the rapture2 and the resurreciton2 are part of
what Revelation 20:5 calls THE FIRST RESURRECTION.)
The first resurrection conists of these two events:
rapture2 - a resurrection1 followed shortly by
a rapture1 before the Tribulation Period
(many pre-mill, post-tribs deny a 'rapture2' exists
but think a 'rapture1 exists).
(this I frequently call 'a rapture/resurrection
in my old writings)
resurrection2 - a resurrection1 followed shortly by
a rapture1 before the Tribulation Period
(this I call generally this in my old writings:
the 'Second Coming of Jesus
in power & Glory, or just 'Second Advent', etc.)
rapture1 - an event held by Jesus where the living saints
get new eternal bodies like Jesus' body.
resurrection1 - an event held by Jesus where dead saints
get new eternal bodies like Jesus' body.
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1. Matthew 24:3
Mat 24:3 (KJV1611 Edition):
And as he sate vpon the mount of Oliues,
the Disciples came vnto him priuately,
saying, Tell vs, when shall these things be?
And what shall be the signe of thy coming,
AND (what shall be the signe) of the end of the world?
Other Bible Versions put 'age' instead of
'world' the Greek term is not 'cosmos'
usually translated 'world' but the Greek term is
'aeon' from which we get the English Word 'eon'
(a long period of time) and translated usually 'age'.
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2. Matthew 24:30-31
Matthew 24 can be divided into 3 parts by the three main ANDs that answer the three questions of Matthew 24:3. The three parts are:
Matthew 24:4-14
Matthew 24:15-30
Matthew 24:31-44
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3. 2 Thess 2:1
//Does the word " gather together" (episunago)
in 2 Thess 2:1 mean the Rapture?//
IMHO - yes, the rapture2, in fact
IMHO the (episunago) in Matthew 24:31
means "gather together", the rapture2, also.
IMHO the following examples of the Coming of Jesus
in power; (resurrection 2) terminology is bolded, the
gathering of God's Church Age saints (rapture2)
is underlined.
The seperating AND (Greek 'Kai') is writ red
and large.
Mat 24:30-31 (KJV1611 Edition):
And then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of man
in heauen: and then shall all the Tribes of
the earth mourne, and they shall see
the Sonne of man comingin the clouds of heauen,
with power and great glory.
31 AND hee shall send his Angels with a great sound
of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his Elect
from the foure windes, from one end of heauen to the other.
2Th 2:1 (KJV1611 Edition):
Now wee beseech you, brethren, by the comming
of our Lord Iesus Christ, AND by our gathering together
vnto him,
In both cases, the resurrection2 and the rapture2
(with variant descriptures) are described and joined
by an AND meaning two seperate sets of events.
The two events are mentioned in other scirptures.
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4. Titus 2:13
Tit 2:13 (KJV1611 Edition):
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Sauiour Iesus Christ,
IMHO 'and' here seperates two different sets of events:
that blessed hope' = Rapture2
'glorious appearing of the great God ... ' = Resurrection2
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5. Revelation 20:4
Rev 20:4-5 (KJV1611 Edition):
And I saw thrones,
and they sate vpon them,
and iudgement was giuen vnto them:
&
I saw the soules of them that were beheaded
for the witnesse of Iesus,
and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast,
neither* his image,
neither* had receiued his marke vpon their foreheads,
or* in their hands;
and they liued and reigned with Christ a thousand yeeres.
5 But the rest of the dead liued not
againe vntill the thousand yeeres were finished.
This is the first resurrection.
(did anybody bother to read my discussion in
#1 about the ten 'and*'s in Rev 20:4?
*note, 'neither' is a joiner meaning 'and not'
*note, 'or' is translated from the same root word as all the 'and's
All ten of these joiners relate or disrelate in different ways
and different phrases (the OR related two places
where the mark might be received (1) forehead
or (2) hand - two different sets of body parts
(not two different names of sets of body parts).
You can quote me as saying:
"I, Ed Edwards, believe that the '&' in Revelation 20:4-5
relates different groups of people who were
resurrected1/raptured1 at different times."
The ones on the thrones were in rapture2.
The ones beheaded were in resurrection2.
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Yep, them pesky 'ands' determine the difference in several eschatologies.