The Rapture Exposed

that would be a woman...ordained minister.

yeah....um.... i'm runnin to the bookstore now.

 

Following is my understanding of the purpose of the Book of Revelation:

The Book of Revelation

In order to fully appreciate the Book of Revelation one must first understand to whom the book was written. You may think this a strange statement, given that the book clearly states, in Revelation 1:4, to whom it is written.

Revelation 1:4
1. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

From this verse we see that the Book of Revelation is first of all a letter written to the seven churches of Asia. Were there more than seven churches in Asia? Probably. Were there churches elsewhere who needed the comfort of the message of Revelation? Most certainly. In the Bible the number seven usually indicates perfection or completeness. The use of the number seven indicates that the Book of Revelation was written specifically to the Church [the true believers in all the local churches] of the 1st century and any interpretation of the book must take that fact into consideration. I also believe the use of the number seven indicates that the book is written for the Church throughout all time.

The Book of Revelation is a pastoral letter in that it was written for the comfort of Christians undergoing intense persecution. It is a benedictory letter in that it bestows blessing upon those who read or hear and keep the things written in the letter. It is a book of revelation or unveiling as indicated in Revelation 1:1 and finally it is a book of prophecy as indicated in Revelation 1:3.

The Book of Revelation, the final book in the Canon of Holy Scripture, is a story of victory: the victory promised in Eden; the victory ensured through the sacrificial death and resurrection of the Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ; a victory of good over evil of Jesus Christ over Satan; the victory in which Satan and his angels and all who love darkness rather than light are cast into the lake of fire; all portrayed in graphic detail. There is no question that much of what is portrayed in this Book is very difficult to understand yet there is much in the Book that, even if the import of what is being pictured cannot be fully grasped, is a spiritual blessing to the Saints of God.

1. In the Book of Revelation we see Jesus Christ revealed on a cosmic level, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, whereas in the Gospels we see Jesus Christ revealed primarily on a personal level, the Son of Man, the Suffering Servant, the Lamb of God, and our Saviour.

2. In the Book of Revelation as no where else in Scripture we see the Triune nature of God clearly revealed and emphasized, particularly in the Apostle John’s vision of the throne room of God as recorded in Chapters 4 & 5.

3. In the Book of Revelation we see the sovereignty of God again clearly revealed and emphasized as no where else in Scripture, in the salvation of His elect, in His providential care over His chosen ones, and in His control of history to achieve His purpose.

4. In the Book of Revelation we see time after time, in fact through seven different pictures, the triumph of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords over Satan and the dreadful wrath of God meted out to those who continue in rebellion against Him.

5. In the Book of Revelation we see the sevenfold blessing promised to those chosen in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world and made accepted in the beloved.

Revelation 1:3, KJV
3. Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand.

Revelation 14:13, KJV
13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Revelation 16:15, KJV
15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Revelation 19:9, KJV
9. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Revelation 20:6, KJV
6. Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Revelation 22:7, KJV
7. Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Revelation 22:14, KJV
14. Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

In the Book of revelation we see more clearly than elsewhere in Scripture the joy unspeakable and full of glory that awaits the Saints of God. As the Apostle Paul writes, paraphrasing the Prophet Isaiah: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.[1 Corinthians 2:9]

 

LOL heeeheee...ya got me there.

 

Don't waste your money on it.

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to NULLIFY the things that are."

 

Amen prophecynut!!!

 

What is a rube?

Joseph Botwinick

 

I had to look that one up. LOL

from dictionary.com:
"An unsophisticated country person"

umm...NOPE

 

Wow, I hear Muslims are against the pretrib teaching as well.

 

Wow, I hear Muslims are also against abortion as well. What is your point?

Joseph Botwinick

 

My point is that who is for or against a doctrine means nothing. The issue is one of truth, not popularity.

Frankly, the fact that Tim LaHaye is pretrib is almost enough for me to scrap my views. Alas, the Spirit won't let me.

 

He makes me sick, the scum.

 

Amen.

Joseph Botwinick

 

I am a pre-miller. I don't think non-pre-millers are any less godly or less reliant on scripture that I am.

I am pre-mil because I do think there is plenty of Biblical evidence of a pre-mill, pre-trib rapture.

I do not think things like earthquakes, EU commissioners, people whose names add up to 666, or anything like that are of any particular importance.

The only way it affects my living can be found in Titus 2v11-15.

 

Each camp has their "extremist". That does not invalidate the view. I am a pre-mill, pre-trib rapturist because I believe it is what the Bible teaches.

That there are others out there that don't hold my view does not bother me. I believe the Lord knows and is going to fullfil His purpose His way. In the areas I am mistaken, He will correct: In the areas others are mistaken He will correct them.

I wont mind at all waving to and celebrating with my A-mill & Post-mill brothers and sisters on the way up.

Bro Tony

 

Won't that be a pleasent surprise for them Bro Tony ?