Rapture
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Anxious about being "Left Behind"?
RAPTURE
The teaching that the church, in whole or in part, will be caught up to heaven before the reign of the "man of sin", (anti-Christ), did not appear in church history until the early part of the nineteenth century.
From "Through Tribulation", by H. A. Baker, printed by Calvary Books & Tracts, Inc., 3940 24th Ave., Minneapolis, Minn. 55406.
In March 1830, a woman in Richard Baxter's church in London, England prophesied that the Lord Jesus might come anytime. And that true believers in Him might any day be caught up by "translation" to heaven. She was part of the Irvingite Movement. John Darby and the group known as the "Plymouth Bretheren" from Plymouth, England incorporated this prophecy into their teaching.
In our day, Charles Scofield, one of the Darby line and closely associated with the "Bretheren", has perhaps done more than any other one man to propagate the escape-tribulation, any moment, secret "rapture" teaching!
The teaching of the Rapture is relatively new to Christian theology, it has only been around for about one century, as compared to other Church teachings that have been with us since the time of Christ!
Of course, the idea of the Rapture - that is Christians being pulled out of suffering and danger is attractive. Who wouldn't want to know that if they join some group they can escape all or at least some suffering!
Bishop Fulton Sheen says that any theology that denys the cross of Christ in our own personal lives is a theology of Satan!
The Rapture - escape suffering theology, fits right in with we are saved by Faith alone - that is Faith (belief in Jesus) without that Faith changing our lives in any way. Which some would teach means, that once you accept "Jesus as your Lord and Savior", you can do whatever you want for the rest of your life, including sin, and still get to heaven ! What a deal!
But that is not what Christ teaches!
The early Catholic Church taught:
Mark 8:34 "And calling the multitude together with his disciples, he said to them: If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
1 Peter 2:21 "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps."
Romans 8:16-17; "The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him."
Phillipians 1:27- 30 "Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel, 28 not intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is proof to them of destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing. 29 For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. 30 Yours is the same struggle as you saw in me and now hear about me." etc.
The main verse that can be used to discredit the Rapture would be:
John 17:15 "I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one."