• Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Pre Tribulation Rapture Questions

Status
Not open for further replies.

David Kent

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
David, where is this from Josephus writings? Is this excerpt all from Josephus and what other history books do you recommend.

Thanks
HankD

Hank,
I will try to look it up .
My grandson has my hard copy and if I had that I could look it up in the index. I will try to find it online. In the meantime I will message my grandson and ask him to look it up for me, but that may not work as he has recently moved house and he seems to be ripping it all apart and installing a new bathroom and kitchen, knocking down a wall, etc. I am not sure if his books are unpacked yet.
Eusebius said at that time every Christian fled the country and none were killed in the war.

Josephus said "Many prominent people fled the city at that time like rats that flee a ship that sinks."

David
 

David Kent

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
How many times is the word Trinity used in the scriptures?

You know the answer. The early church did not know the word. It was first used about AD 300 at one of the councils. Mosheim said it was better before, as then there was nothing for them to argue about.
 

Lodic

Well-Known Member
The only mentions of the word Dispensation in the scriptures are
  • 1 Corinthians 9:17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
  • Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
  • Ephesians 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
  • Colossians 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
In each of these except perhaps the second, they all refer to dispensing or giving something, not a period of time.
Good point, Brother David. When it comes to theology, I thought that "dispensations" typically refers to different "ages". In the scriptures you quoted, you make me think of how a doctor dispenses medicine.
 

Lodic

Well-Known Member
I thought and think the spirit of all men of all times returned to God who gave it?

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Ecc 12:7
That makes perfect sense, percho.
 

SovereignGrace

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Regardless of how many times "1,000 years" is used in Rev. 20, it is still symbolic of a very long time. Satan was loosed per verses 7-8, and he did deceive the nations. Gog and Magog are symbolic references to a battle in Ezekiel 38-39, not a future battle. There are no references to Gog and Magog in the "Great Tribulation" chapters (Rev. 4-15).

If we go back to Rev. 6:9-11, we see the martyrs asking how long before they will be vindicated. These are the same martyrs in Rev. 20:4. We have a comparison between the short amount of time they would have to wait for vindication vs Christ's reign of a very long time.

Having said all that, I do realize that my view is in the minority (especially since this is a Baptist forum). I do not expect anyone to agree with me, but it does make for an interesting conversation. As my wife likes to tell me, it's not like any of us can change God's plan.

BTW - I am not a typical Amillennialist in that I don't believe in dispensations such as "the church age".
First off, I know that amillennialism is not a monolithic theology, as ppl have varying beliefs within that system. But most seem to hold to the 1,000 years being symbolic and we are in that symbolic 1,000 years right now. That’s by bone of contention. If we are in this symbolic 1,000, Satan is still bound, per Revelation 20:3. It says he was not loosed until after the 1,000 years.

In your view, the 1,000 years has past and we have been in that short season for >1,600 years.
 

Lodic

Well-Known Member
First off, I know that amillennialism is not a monolithic theology, as ppl have varying beliefs within that system. But most seem to hold to the 1,000 years being symbolic and we are in that symbolic 1,000 years right now. That’s by bone of contention. If we are in this symbolic 1,000, Satan is still bound, per Revelation 20:3. It says he was not loosed until after the 1,000 years.

In your view, the 1,000 years has past and we have been in that short season for >1,600 years.
In my view, most of the events of Revelation (as well as most other "end times prophecy") came to pass with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. We are still looking forward to the return of Christ, of course.

With your comments, I must confess that the release of Satan does have me a bit perplexed, though. As far as that goes, I'm not entirely certain as to the timing of the "millennial" period. I will need to do further study on this.
 

SovereignGrace

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
In my view, most of the events of Revelation (as well as most other "end times prophecy") came to pass with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. We are still looking forward to the return of Christ, of course.

With your comments, I must confess that the release of Satan does have me a bit perplexed, though. As far as that goes, I'm not entirely certain as to the timing of the "millennial" period. I will need to do further study on this.
Actually, it was Genesis 17 that started my changing from amill to historic premill. Seeing that the land covenant is everlasting as is the other covenant with Abraham is also everlasting, then that caused me to really think amill through.
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Oh, I guess the reference was to 4 times in Revelation 20. I would think that when God says something 5 times that it should be considered as heavily stressed as literal truth.
Especially when the definite article is used The Thousand Years

Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
You know the answer. The early church did not know the word. It was first used about AD 300 at one of the councils. Mosheim said it was better before, as then there was nothing for them to argue about.
Yes, of course, I was trying to make a point which you saw immediately.

Many christian dogma are known by inference and a scriptural survey.
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Hank,
I will try to look it up .
My grandson has my hard copy and if I had that I could look it up in the index. I will try to find it online. In the meantime I will message my grandson and ask him to look it up for me, but that may not work as he has recently moved house and he seems to be ripping it all apart and installing a new bathroom and kitchen, knocking down a wall, etc. I am not sure if his books are unpacked yet.
Eusebius said at that time every Christian fled the country and none were killed in the war.

Josephus said "Many prominent people fled the city at that time like rats that flee a ship that sinks."

David
Not a problem, not a challenge, informational only.
thanks.
 

church mouse guy

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Yes, of course, I was trying to make a point which you saw immediately.

Many christian dogma are known by inference and a scriptural survey.

It is just a theological term to describe a Christian essential doctrine. We have thousands of Jesus Only (United Pentecostal Church cult) here in Indy--do you have a lot of them in your area? We have an entire Unitarian/Universalist town called Oakland, also. Indianapolis is probably majority cultist as there are also thousands of Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.
 

Lodic

Well-Known Member
Actually, it was Genesis 17 that started my changing from amill to historic premill. Seeing that the land covenant is everlasting as is the other covenant with Abraham is also everlasting, then that caused me to really think amill through.
What is the difference between "historic premill" vs "regular premill"? On a slightly different note, I believe that the land promises have been fulfilled based on Joshua 21:43-45, Joshua 23:14-15, and several other passages. I believe Genesis 17 is about Abraham's spiritual descendants.
 

church mouse guy

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
What is the difference between "historic premill" vs "regular premill"? On a slightly different note, I believe that the land promises have been fulfilled based on Joshua 21:43-45, Joshua 23:14-15, and several other passages. I believe Genesis 17 is about Abraham's spiritual descendants.

Just asking for a friend--would you refer to Abraham's spiritual descendants as "Jacob"? Just asking for a friend. What about the Black Hebrew Israelites who say that they are Jews?
 

HankD

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
It is just a theological term to describe a Christian essential doctrine. We have thousands of Jesus Only (United Pentecostal Church cult) here in Indy--do you have a lot of them in your area? We have an entire Unitarian/Universalist town called Oakland, also. Indianapolis is probably majority cultist as there are also thousands of Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.
I live in the shadow of the Seattle metropolitan area and we have a hodge-podge of theological views here as well.
 

SovereignGrace

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
What is the difference between "historic premill" vs "regular premill"? On a slightly different note, I believe that the land promises have been fulfilled based on Joshua 21:43-45, Joshua 23:14-15, and several other passages. I believe Genesis 17 is about Abraham's spiritual descendants.
There is no regular premill.

Historic premill sees the rapture coming at the end of the great trib, whereas dispensational premill has the church raptured before the trib/great trib. Historic premill and amill are lockstep except in their views of the millennium.
 

Lodic

Well-Known Member
Just asking for a friend--would you refer to Abraham's spiritual descendants as "Jacob"? Just asking for a friend. What about the Black Hebrew Israelites who say that they are Jews?
Interesting questions. I refer to Abraham's spiritual descendants as either "Christians", or "Spiritual Israel". I'm not sure about calling them (us) Jacob, since that is before God changed him. That might be like saying "Abram's spiritual descendants", when God changed him to Abraham. Regarding the Black Hebrew Israelites who say they are Jews, I confess that I'm not very familiar with them. However, since the genealogical records were largely lost in the Diaspora, I have my doubts. Regardless, whether a person is a descendant of Israel or not doesn't really make any difference. As Paul tells us in Galatians 3:28-29, "there is neither Jew nor Gentile". Backing up to verse 7, he says that "only those of the faith are the children of Abraham". My apologies for a convoluted answer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top