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Thursday 24 April 2014

Debate Over When Will The Rapture Happen

By Essie Osborn


We are told in the Bible than no one but God the Father knows when the end of the world will happen. Even Jesus, the Son of God, said he didn't know the answer to the question: when will the rapture happen? He told his followers to read the signs, just as they knew when figs would ripen by watching the trees.

People even in Jesus' day were expecting Him to come back and 'catch them up' into the clouds to be with Him. There have been many times when people believed the end of the world was near; at the end of the eighteenth century many people dressed in white and spent New Year's Eve on rooftops in hopes of being taken up to heaven.

The Bible is our best source of information on this subject. Since the event happens in the future, the prophecies given both in the Old Testament and the New are our only clues. This means, of course, that Christians must 'take it on faith' that the event will happen when the time is right. Those who do not believe the Bible or its prophecies do not believe in the rapture of the church.

There are many different opinions about this world-changing event, even among believers. Some Christians don't give credence to a rapture of the Church. Some ministers think that the end is near, while others don't focus on coming events. There are those who believe they will escape the tribulation, and others who are stockpiling food and other supplies against the impending judgement. The study of the end times is called 'eschatology'.

The idea of the removal of believers before the tribulation starts dates from about 1830, when a popular preacher of the day began to expound this theory. Supposedly it was based on a prophetic vision of a teen-age girl. However, there are differing accounts of the vision and when the preacher began to take this view. The earliest Christian teachers did not deal with this event, as far as scholars know.

The biggest-selling series of books ever are the fictional stories of people 'left behind' after a pretribulation rapture. The main characters are people who come to faith in Jesus after the event and fight against those who follow the antichrist. There are movies made from the series and a companion series written for young adults.

Believers are not supposed to change their lives because they fear the end is near. The Lord said to 'occupy' the world until He comes. This means that life should go on as people wait for Christ to establish His kingdom. Many sermons, books, and online essays are devoted to the end times, including present signs, the tribulation, and the Second Coming.

Knowing that Jesus is returning to set up His kingdom on earth and that believers both alive and dead will be with Him before the battle of Armageddon is a comfort to many. People hope to see it happen in their lifetime; however, no one knows when the Lord will return to call His people to Himself.




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