October's featured article
Rapture" or Resurrection
The resurrection from the dead is one of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian Gospel—the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The fifteenth chapter of the Book of First Corinthians is devoted to the topic of raising the bodies of the saints from the dead.
If our bodies are not going to be raised from the dead our faith in Christ is in vain.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (I Corinthians 15:19)
In fact, the Scripture does not consider we have been brought to life until our body has come forth from the grave.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. (I Corinthians 15:22,23)
We shall have attained the fullness of victory when our mortal body has been made alive by the Spirit of God. This will take place at the coming of Christ.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (I Corinthians 15:26)
The resurrection from the dead, which is the final victory of the saint, must be attained.
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection (Greek, out-resurrection) of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)
We attain to the resurrection by overcoming the world, the satanic lusts that dwell in our flesh, and our self-will. If we live in the appetites of the flesh we will die spiritually. If we, through the Holy Spirit of God, achieve victory over the world, sin, and self-will, we will attain to eternal life.
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)
Eternal life, immortality, that which Adam and Eve forfeited, has been lost to mankind from the time of the fall. Death has been working in our flesh and spirit since our physical birth. God has given Christians the gift of eternal life, that is, He has brought us into His Presence with a view to immortalizing all that we are—spirit, soul, and body.
The gift of eternal life must be grasped. Eternal life is a demanding gift. God has not given us the gift of life as one would make a present of money but as the opportunity to attain to life. There is a difference between these two concepts.
If we Christians choose to employ the grace of God in order to live righteously, we attain to eternal life; we attain to the resurrection out from among the dead. If we do not choose to serve righteousness, do not learn through Christ to behave righteously, we will not attain to eternal life (Romans, Chapter Six).
The return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth and the raising of the bodies of the saints have been the hope of the godly from the days of the Apostles of the Lamb and ought to be the hope of the believers of our time.
Instead, an unscriptural emphasis on the catching up ("rapture") of the saints has been inserted in place of the historical hope. According to Dr. Ladd of Fuller Theological Seminary, the doctrine of a pre-tribulation translation of the believers came into existence in the nineteenth century. It was not known before this time (George E. Ladd, The Blessed Hope , Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1956, p.19).
The emphasis on the catching up of the saints rather than their resurrection has destroyed the spiritual vitality of the Christian churches. The doctrine of the catching up, as it currently is presented, appeals to the unregenerate nature of man. The catching up is perceived as a means of escaping suffering, a doctrine with no scriptural support (see, for example, the fourth chapter of First Peter for the scriptural attitude toward the suffering of the believers).
The Old Testament speaks of the resurrection of the saints but never, to our knowledge, of their being caught up. The fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians is the "resurrection chapter" of the Scriptures; yet, this chapter does not mention the catching up of the saints. Paul was not seeking to attain to the catching up (Philippians 3:11).
Except for I Thessalonians 4:13-18, a passage written for the comfort of the bereaved believers but which is now regarded as a special, secret appearing of Christ, none of the epistles of the Apostles alludes to the catching up of the saints.
There is no indication in the fourth chapter of I Thessalonians, that Paul is referring to a flight to Heaven or a flight to escape suffering. These ideas have no basis in Scripture.
The fourth chapter of I Thessalonians, with its "shout," its "voice of the archangel," and its "trump of God" is speaking of raising from the dead the army of Christ in anticipation of the Battle of Armageddon (Ezekiel 37:10).
The Epistles emphasize the resurrection but not the catching up. The Book of Revelation emphasizes the return in Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and speaks directly of the first and second resurrections from the dead. The catching up of the witnessing saints is mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:12)
If the catching up of the saints had one-tenth the importance being assigned to it today it would be discussed in several passages of the New Testament, as is true of the doctrine of righteousness, for example.
Rapture" or Resurrection?
Beyond Today -- Is God a Trinity?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pln8YWni7X0
Although this is a core mainstream Christian belief, discover why it's a false concept that hinders your relationship with God.
Do you have a ministry or a business
Do you have a called of God ministry where your whole purpose is to "feed the sheep", and God supplies your needs, or do you have books, tapes, videos, etc. that you SELL for a "donation", or just outright SELL, and your buyers supply your needs?
There is nothing wrong with being in business and selling things. However, if you are a church or any kind of "ministry", you may want to check your motive for how you are conducting the work of the Lord.
Remember the money changers in the temple where JESUS turned over the tables and threw them out. They were selling things in the "CHURCH".
(God made it quite clear to us that we were not to charge for anything, that HE is our source.)
