Are you excited about the rapture?

[SpiritSong]

As we know the end is very near, what are your feelings about the rapture? Are you excited? Are you afraid? Do you feel prepared? 

I used to be afraid because of the scary time surrounding the event, and also, I was afraid of God, that I wasn't worthy of being with Him. But praise God for his grace! It's not by works but by faith that we are His!

Thoughts?

[FJK]

The rapture isn't happening today so it is better to concentrate on living life as a Christian during this day than concentrating on something that will take place in the future, maybe well after you're already dead and gone.

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

That's my thoughts on the matter.

[SpiritSong]

Thank you.

[Big Boy Stan Murf]

1 hour ago, SpiritSong said:

Are you excited about the rapture?

Yep, it's gonna be great!

We can look for the catching away of the church sometime after the anti-christ has been revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3), and since the world continues to move in that direction it should be too far off.

So, once the world goes bonkers over some new political guy on the scene and they make him the one world leader... then we'll know the rapture is really REALLY getting close.

Although we don't know the exact day, we should know the season.

[Neighbor]

2 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

Thoughts?

What rapture?

[other one]

2 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

What rapture?

Spoil sport.

[Neighbor]

7 minutes ago, other one said:

Spoil sport.

Well okay, which rapture?

[Big Boy Stan Murf]

That's why I typically say "catching away" since the word rapture is not in the Bible.

[Neighbor]

17 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

As we know the end is very near, what are your feelings about the rapture? Are you excited? Are you afraid? Do you feel prepared? 

I used to be afraid because of the scary time surrounding the event, and also, I was afraid of God, that I wasn't worthy of being with Him. But praise God for his grace! It's not by works but by faith that we are His!

Thoughts?

Seriously though I was introduced to Christianity within a group that spent much time being excited about a thousand year reign and also  "the Rapture".  It seems to be a recent thing of some Americanized denominations, mostly evangelical ones.

There are presentations for as many as seven raptures, and yet there is no "rapture" within the Bible itself. Perhaps with the exception of God taking Enoch. Rapture is conjecture at best. If I am to be excited I'll choose being excited by a pre tribulation rapture which might occur any moment now. 

Thing is I have been excited ever since God the Holy Spirit made that specific call to me individually and personally to repent and to turn to Jesus. I am fully excited already.

 

[AdHoc]

3 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

As we know the end is very near, what are your feelings about the rapture? Are you excited? Are you afraid? Do you feel prepared? 

I used to be afraid because of the scary time surrounding the event, and also, I was afraid of God, that I wasn't worthy of being with Him. But praise God for his grace! It's not by works but by faith that we are His!

Thoughts?

A healthy sentiment - scary.

The Greek word used quite a few times in the New Testament is "harpazo". It means, "to snatch by force" or "pluck". The word gives movement but not direction. So when 1st Thessalonians 4:17 say we will be "caught up" it is not quite correct. It is correctly rendered in Philip's case in Acts 8:39 - "caught AWAY". But, if the Lord is present in the clouds, and you are caught away to meet Him, the context says "up" is correct.

The word "rapture" is not found in the Bible. But so also is the word "Bible" not found. So don't mind the students who use this argument to annul the rapture. There is a rapture all right, just as there is a Bible. 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 says what it says:

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The reason Paul wrote this, as you will note, is that the Thessalonian saints were sad (v.13). Paul had only been with the Thessalonians for three weeks. He had taught them that when Christ came back to earth, He would bring all te saints with Him. Enoch said this and Jude wrote it down (Jud.14). But three weeks is too little to cover every truth, so Pal had not told them how dead men got to be in the sky, seeing as dead men are in Hades (the soul) and their graves (the body). The Thessalonian saints were sad because some of their brothers and sisters in the Church had died. Now only LIVING men are raptured - like Enoch, Elijah, Jesus and the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11. So the Thessalonians "sorrowed" because they thought their relations would not be among those who Christ brought with Him.

Paul explains how the dead will not suffer any disadvantage. The living will not "pre-vent" the dead. They will RISE first to the surface of the earth, then TOGETHER (v.17) with the LIVING, they will be "caught away" to meet the Lord in the air. In this manner will the dead be with the Lord when He comes. Paul ends the words with "comfort those who were sorrowing" with these words.

However, your feeling of "scary" is warranted. You get caught away, but the next thing that happens is you come before the Judgement seat of Christ. Are you ready for that? There is an example of "THAT DAY" in Matthew 7:21-23.