Isaac Newton and the Rapture

[rockytopva]

Isaac Newton would have repeated the same line here 300 years later...

And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half. -Daniel 12:7

From a folio cataloged as Yahuda MS 7.3g, f. 13v:

"So then the time times & half a time are 42 months or 1260 days or three years & an half, reckoning twelve months to a year & 30 days to a month as was done in the Calendar of the primitive year. And the days of short lived Beasts being put for the years of lived kingdoms, the period of 1260 days, if dated from the complete conquest of the three kings A.C. 800, will end A.C. 2060." - Isaac Newton

As Charlemagne was crowned king on December 25, 800 by Pope Leo the III so the day of Christ's coming may be on Christmas Day, 2060. If the rapture of the saints (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) occurs seven years before the time of Christ's coming the date of the rapture 12.25 2053. However Isaac Newton notes...

"It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner. This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fancifull men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, & by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail. Christ comes as a thief in the night, & it is not for us to know the times & seasons which God hath put into his own breast." - Isaac Newton

Preachers who predicted Rapture try to explain why nothing happened

Christians are hearing from the pastor and other influencers who claimed the world was coming to an end after their biblical predictions failed to come true.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Walter]

Why I Am Not Looking for the Rapture

For generations now, many Christians, especially in America, have been taught to expect a sudden “rapture,” a secret snatching away of the Church before tribulation falls upon the earth. The uncertainty of exactly when this great calling away is to happen relative to the takeover of the Antichrist gave way to 3 theologies. Pre- Mid- and Post- Tribulation rapture.

Books, movies, and sermons have painted vivid pictures of empty clothes left behind, vanished drivers, and planes falling from the sky. But after long study of the Scriptures and church history, I am convinced: I am not looking for the rapture. I am looking for the return of my conquering king, Jesus Christ.

If we are truly Christ’s, then we cannot afford to sit idly by, gazing at the sky, waiting for escape, just before a horrific time descends upon those left behind. What if our current tribulation is the only tribulation we should be expecting.

Jesus told us plainly, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). That means we are to be about the King’s business. We're to be serving, proclaiming, loving, and building His kingdom until the very hour He returns. I'm reminded of the parable of the ten virgins. Half quit shining light because they fell asleep with no extra oil. Their light went out. The implication is that our light should glow boldly before the world. If it doesn't, we'll be rejected as “never known.”

The faithful servant does not spend his days speculating about timetables, but laboring in the field his Master entrusted to him. All believers should be so different from the world that it hates us, not because we are obnoxious, but because we truly represent Christ.

Our task is not waiting rooms and charts; it is vineyards and harvest fields. The world must see in us the light of Christ, for He has called us to be His witnesses “unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8) not to occupy our time with the useless tasks of determining when Jesus is returning.

The New Testament directs our attention not to escape, but to endurance. Paul writes, “For our citizenship is in heaven; from which also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Notice he does not say we look for a secret departure, but for the Savior Himself.

Jesus prepared His disciples for tribulation, not removal: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Our Lord’s message was never “Do not worry, you’ll miss the biggest trouble.” His message was “Fear not, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

The true “blessed hope” of the Church, as Paul declares, is “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Christ’s return is public, visible, triumphant “every eye shall see him” (Revelation 1:7).

It may surprise some to learn that the “rapture” as popularly taught is a relatively recent idea. Personally, I equate this to the sleeping virgins who ran out of oil. Oil is anointing. It can be the Holy Spirit. But it can also be holiness. The rapture has put the Church to sleep, it's holiness dwindling.

Early Christians spoke of the resurrection, the final judgment, and the appearing of Christ in glory. But they did not describe a two-stage return of Christ, one secret and one public.

As most people know, the notion of a pre-tribulation rapture developed in the 19th century, taught by John Nelson Darby. It gained traction in America, particularly during the pre-civil war, seasons of upheaval, because it offered a false hope of escape from all of the suffering. Yet for nearly 1,800 years, Christians looked not for escape but for Christ’s appearing. They endured persecution under Rome, Islamic conquest, and countless trials with this assurance: Christ reigns, and He will come again.

When our hope is fixed on escape, our witness weakens. We forget that Jesus called us to be salt and light in a darkening world (Matthew 5:13-16). We shrink back from the suffering that refines faith (1 Peter 1:6-7).

But when our hope is fixed on Christ’s appearing, our perspective changes. We see tribulation not as something to flee, but as the stage on which God’s glory shines. The blood of the martyrs has always been the seed of the Church. Believers in persecuted lands today understand this. Their eyes are not on planes in the sky or dates on a chart, but on Christ who promises, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

So why am I not looking for the rapture? Because Scripture never commands it. Instead, it commands me to “love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). To be watchful, not for escape, but for the King. To endure trials, not with fear, but with faith.

The end of all things is not abandonment, but consummation. It is the unveiling of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of evil, and the restoration of all things. That is what the prophets longed for. That is what the apostles proclaimed. And that is what the Church, through every generation, has prayed for: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

My hope is not in vanishing from this world, but in seeing Him face to face. Not escape, but His appearing. Not absence, but the fullness of His presence.