Staying Or Going?

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The Rapture Theory is based largely on the teachings of Manuel Lacunza, a Jesuit priest in the early 1800’s. Soon this theory was being taught and widely received by the church around the world as part of the gospel. The theory teaches, the church will be removed from the world as God executes His wrath against evil. The church wanted to believe it, it's the easy way, but to the contrary, the Bible teaches we must be overcomers, good warriors, and help establish the Kingdom of God! Man has been living under Satanic power and rule since the fall of Adam and Eve, so every day can be a literal struggle. The world belongs to Satan and as Adam's descendants man is born into it. This is our heritage, the result of Adam and Eve's rebellion. Jesus said, in the world man therefore would have tribulation. Apostle Paul talked about enduring the trials and tribulations, no-one talked about going to heaven to escape them! The scriptures do however speak of those who come victoriously through the tribulations.

To understand the true meaning of tribulations, let us look at the definition of the word itself. The Greek word thlipsis being translated tribulation means a pressing together, a squeezing, a pinching; used figuratively for distress, tribulation, affliction, trouble and persecution. The word is used strictly in connection with the hardships which Christ’s followers suffer. The following are scriptures that support this statement.

Jesus overcame the world so the earth could therefore legally be returned to His people as originally intended. God was not defeated with the mistake of Adam and Eve, He caused time to come into being in this world to allow Satan a period to attempt to fulfill his evil decree to be like Him. The supernatural will find they cannot survive without their Creator, meaning the angels, and neither can mankind! Only the Father knows how long He gave them. Although the problems are from the enemy, tribulation serves to teach dependency on God to all creation. It is something all Christians pass through on the road to maturity and experience in the midst of battle to establish God's Kingdom. Paul and the early church understood this well.

These are the new species of man, new creatures, end time warriors that made it through the final battle by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony.

Often the church confuses the tribulation caused by Satan in his battle against righteousness with the wrath of God that will eventually come down on those walking in sin. We see in scripture the true object of God’s wrath in Romans 1:18 and again in Ephesians 5:6.

In other words, the wrath of God will come to those who know the truth, but walk in disobedience against it.

Why are so many deceived? Genesis 6 gives us a clue. We see how the angels or sons of God lusted after the daughters of men and took for themselves wives of their choice. They forsook their abode in Heaven and made earth their new home. They were created to be citizens of heaven! In Jude, the sixth verse we read of the punishment these angels received.

Now let us reason together, if God was angry that the angels gave up their home in heaven to live on earth, what about teachings that encourage men to give up their home on earth to be in heaven?

In fact, scripture reveals the earth was created to be inhabited and that God gave it to the children of men to possess and have dominion over.

Remember, that Jesus taught from the mountain saying, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' (Matthew 5:5) In Isaiah 49:8 we see clearly that God plans to restore the earth and in fact all that is on it. He will not remove man, but He will preserve them!

To further correct our thinking, the world's religious community has also falsely taught the earth will be destroyed. We have already read scripture stating God wishes to restore the earth however, and Revelation goes on to tell us that God will go so far as to destroy those who destroy the earth.

The earth will be rid of those that pollute it, and the world and the systems of man will pass away, but the land itself will be restored not destroyed!

So, the confusion does not stop with just wanting to escape trials and tribulations etc., it gets worse! In order for man to justify his beliefs, he constantly adjusts his understanding of scripture or the interpretation of scripture to fit his doctrine. For example, it is not enough that they believe and teach this rapture theory, but they have added to it. It now stands that there are three different theories on the one subject, pre-tribulation rapture, mid-tribulation and a post-tribulation rapture. Some philosophers teach that God will not allow His people to undergo any hardship, and that the church will be removed before the tribulation begins. This is what they call Pre-tribulation. Remember what we read in John 16:33?

Others preach the message that the church will undergo some tribulation but before the big stuff starts God will remove His church (Mid-tribulation). Let us turn to Revelation 7:14

Others teach that the church will experience all of the tribulation and then will be taken to heaven.

Notice those in Revelation 20:4 that come through the tribulation will rule with Christ, be glorified or completely restored as revealed in verses 5 and 6 and as we see in verse 9, all this takes place on earth!

So we see from scripture, we as God’s end time army are going nowhere. Not ever! Heaven will fight through the righteous and hell will fight through those that oppose truth and walk in opposition to it. God’s people will remain on earth to manifest the body of Christ and will come against and defeat those manifesting Satan's body, the Antichrist. By the way...We win! It is already predestined!

So as we can see, this false doctrine, escape through rapture, and every version of it, is strictly theory. There is no scriptural evidence to support it. Taken from the American Heritage Dictionary, the definition for theory is:

Theory (thir’e) n. 1. Systematically organized knowledge applicable in a relatively wide variety of circumstances; especially a system of assumptions, accepted principles, and rules of procedure devised to analyze, predict, or otherwise explain the nature or behavior of a specified set of phenomena. 2. Abstract reasoning; speculations. 3. a hypothesis or supposition.

These definitions do not at all sound like TRUTH do they? Truth does not change with every shift of wind! The end time knowledge of God if eaten will nourish and mature God's people to the full stature of the body of Christ. They will no longer be subject to Satan's lies as seen in Ephesians 4:13-14.

This theory therefore sounds more like the voice of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil to the discerning ear. In other words, this is man's intellect again based on the world's knowledge chosen by Adam and Eve without any input from the Word of God.

Now let us investigate what the word rapture actually means. First of all, it cannot be found anywhere in scripture. It is neither a Hebrew nor a Greek word. Looking at the definition of this word in the American Heritage Dictionary, we see that, rather than being something that takes place, an occurrence such as in being transported to Heaven, it is an emotion.

Rapture (rap ´cher) n. 1. The state of being transported by a lofty emotion; ecstasy. 2. Often plural. An expression of ecstatic feeling. 3. Rare form. The transporting of a person from one place to another. (This last meaning is a latter definition and put in to accommodate the church.)

Based on emotion, it comes from the Latin word raptura, which directly translated is ecstasy! This is very important to understand, because the word ecstasy actually means a state of being overpowered by an emotion. It is what man experiences when they are controlled by their emotions. This is not exercising the fruit of the Spirit, which calls for self control. (Galatians 5:23) It is the direct opposite of how we are commanded to walk.

We should not walk by what we feel, but rather by what we know from God's Word. Now let us turn to the scripture that seems to throw everyone off. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

This misinterpreted portion of scripture is used to mistakenly support the rapture theory. In dissecting it through the original Greek language using Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance however, the proper way to read this scripture would read this way: "The Lord Himself through the office of Chief messenger who speaks for God will sing a song of encouragement and command those who are dead to self to arise as a banner for the nations to see, that the nations would gather together to the Mountain of God in order to be changed from an undesirable condition as they experience the Feast of Tabernacles."

As we look in the mirror of the Old Testament we see this interpretation is now in harmony with the rest of scripture as it should be. See Isaiah 5:26-28, Zechariah 9:16. Let us go ahead and read from Zechariah to get the idea.

These are His chosen who have been found faithful, laid their works down to do His and have separated themselves from Satan's world. He will build His Kingdom, establish His universal law, bring all things back to its original order and harmony through them. They are not going anywhere!

Mankind will be here on Judgment Day. Those that love truth will be prepared and unafraid. The complacent that think they will not be involved will sadly be caught unaware and much afraid.

In closing, the teaching that says some will rapture and others will stay to fight the final battle is wrong also! God is not a respecter of persons. Either we all stay or we all go. The fact is, God's people will be found like Him, on the earth, still in Satan's world trying to reach out to humanity, not wishing anyone to perish. Again, we are not going anywhere people of God, we are all staying!!