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I agree that the kingdom of God is here on earth, secretly in the heart and soul of believers. But there is a heaven where Paul (absent from the body, present with the Lord), the thief on the cross, and all dead saints’ souls are right now. I don’t say it’s up, but it’s definitely a place somewhere beyond the physical realm. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Agreed!
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> The seventieth week of Daniel—the Tribulation—is an outpouring of the wrath of God throughout the seven years (Rev. 6:16–17; 11:18; 14:19; 15:1; 16:1, 19); it is described as God’s judgment ( Rev. 14:7; 15:4; 16:5–7; 19:2) and God’s punishment (Isa. 24:21–22). (2) The scope of the Tribulation. The whole earth will be involved (Isa. 24:1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 21; 34:2). It also involves God’s chastisement of Israel (Jer. 30:7; Dan. 9:24). If this is the nature and scope of the Tribulation, it is inconceivable that the church will be on earth to experience the wrath of God.
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Why is it inconceivable, John? Is God incapable of protecting the church through tribulation, rather than taking them out of the tribulation? Notice that there are no clear didactic passages saying that God will rapture the church out of tribulation; it is an inferred doctrine.
The history of the church has been one of great tribulation. True believers have been persecuted and martyred since the first century. One perusal of Voice of the Martyrs tells us it is still occurring. You’d have a hard time convincing believers in Sudan and Indonesia and other places that they are not in The Great Tribulation.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> (3) The purposes of the Tribulation. The divine intentions of the Tribulation will be to judge people living on earth (Rev. 6:10; 11:10; 13:8, 12, 14; 14:6; 17:8) and to prepare Israel for her King (Ezek. 36:18–32; Mal. 4:5–6). Neither of these pertain to the church. (4) The unity of the Tribulation. The Tribulation is the seventieth week of Daniel; Daniel 9:24 makes it clear that it has reference to Israel. (5) The exemption of the Tribulation. The church is the bride of Christ, the object of Christ’s love, not His wrath (Eph. 5:25). It would be a contradiction of the very relationship of Christ and the church for the church to go through the punishments of the Tribulation. SNIP <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
This is only a dispensational interpretation and only holds up if the dispensational hermeneutic is correct!It is not the historical position of the church, nor do I think the biblical position.
The main problem with the rapture position is that it does damage to the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ, which it changes to a Second and Third return. Scripture teaches only one Second Coming. The rapture also does damage to the two-age theory of eschatology, this age and the age to come. They are the only two ages mentioned in the NT. And you didn’t address why Jesus never mentioned a rapture, if it is central to the doctrine of the church.
IMO, rapturism is a clear case of eisogesis of Scripture, based on the necessity of dispensationalists to have the church removed, so God can go back to work on Israel. That too, is not in Scripture.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Precisely! He will keep those to whom this message was spoken to, the church, the bride of Christ, from “the hour of trial . . . on the whole world.” – clearly describing the Great Tribulation. There are tribulations that believers suffer daily, but this world-wide tribulation points to the Great Tribulation that Jesus promised to “keep us from.” <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I do not doubt that there may be a greater Tribulation that occurs at the end time than is occurring now, yet I think Scripture is clear that the church will (is) go(ing) through it.
From Easton’s:
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> TRIBULATION — trouble or affliction of any kind (Deut. 4:30; Matt. 13:21; 2 Cor. 7:4). In Rom. 2:9 “tribulation and anguish” are the penal sufferings that shall overtake the wicked. In Matt. 24:21, 29, the word denotes the calamities that were to attend the destruction of Jerusalem.
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Matt 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."