Therefore...Quote Satan
Every Small Candle lights a corner of the dark, And the darkness cannot overcome it. 
. . . For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved . . . Romans 10:13
The original rapture account from Margaret Macdonald:
http://www.prophetseye.com/margaret%20macdonald.htm
The Rapture-Hoax or Hype?
For complete article:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/rapture.htm
What is the rapture?
The Rapture is believed by many -- perhaps most -- born-again Protestants. They are certain that they, alone, will engage in a mass migration in the near future. They believe that those born-again Christians who have died will have their bodies reconstituted and will ascend through the air, and meet Jesus Christ in the sky. This will be followed by a second mass migration of the born-again who are currently living.
The word "Rapture" comes from the Latin word "Rapare" which means to take away or to snatch out. This would be a remarkable event. Pilots would disappear from planes, truck drivers from their trucks; people from automobiles, etc. Some born-again Christians believe that a family will be eating dinner, when some of the members will rise from their seats, pass through the roof and keep rising through the air. An associated event is Christ's imminent return (also known as the "second coming" and "parousia "). This has been expected by many Christians for almost 2 millennia. It was described by the Greek word parousia (coming, arrival, presence) during the 1st century CE. Justin Martyr introduced the term "second coming" in the 2nd century.
Ever since Christ's death, many Christians have been expecting the second coming in their immediate future. Most Fundamentalist and other conservative Christians ( Fundamentalist Christianity ) believe that The Rapture will occur when Christ first returns towards earth. Most believe that Christ will not actually land or stay on earth at this time; the "real" second coming will occur later, when he returns on a horse leading an army on horseback who will exterminate one third of the earth's population in a massive genocide. It will be numerically the largest mass extermination of humans in history. In terms of the percentage of humans to be killed in a genocide, it will be second only to the flood of Noah. ( Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse )
The rapture concept is essentially ignored by most other Christian faith groups. It does not form a part of any other religion. It is dismissed by essentially all liberal Christian theologians. Many Bible handbooks, commentaries, dictionaries and encyclopedia do not even list "rapture" in their indices.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
The full biblical text reads:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17: "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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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. 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: 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."
This passage contains the main description of the rapture. This passage was written by St. Paul, circa 51 CE, when he was living in Corinth. It was addressed to the Christians at Thessalonica, capital of Macedonia. This was an early writing by St. Paul. If the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) were arranged in chronological order, 1 Thessalonians would be the first (or perhaps the second book, after Galatians).
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul apparently is correcting a misunderstanding about the return of Christ. Some theologians speculate that the Thessalonians believed that only those Christians who were alive at the second coming would have the possibility of sharing in the Kingdom of God at Christ's return. They may have held various non-orthodox beliefs that St. Paul wanted to correct:
. Some felt that their Christian friends and relatives who had died since Jesus' execution might not take part in the parousia, or they might appear at a later time.
. Some felt that those who had recently died may have forfeited their salvation because of their death.
. Some may have believed that through their baptism, that their fellow Christians should have become immune to death. They would have been concerned that their friends' and relatives' who had died might not have been truly saved.
Paul refers to the dead euphemistically as "those who fall asleep." He tied their hope for salvation and a future life in heaven to their belief in the resurrection of Christ. Paul was anxious to assure the Thessalonians that once a person is saved, he/she is guaranteed to be present when Jesus came again.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:15, Paul refers to "the Lord's own word" as the source of his teaching. Some interpreters believe that this refers to a personal revelation that he received from God. Others believe that Paul is referring to a tradition circulating in the early Christian movement about Jesus' teachings on this matter. He comforts his readers by assuring them that the Christians who are still alive will "certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep." (NIV)
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 Paul describes the return of Christ to earth. The specific series of events will be:
. Christ will descend from the heavens with a shout. This is based on the 1st century CE belief that the earth is the center of the universe, and that heaven is above the firmament -- a solid interface between the atmosphere and heaven, located just a few hundred feet above the earth's surface. Thus, Jesus would have to descend from on high and come through the atmosphere in order to be seen by humans.
. The voice of the archangel is heard. Some speculate that this will be the Archangel Michael.
. A trumpet call is heard. This may be similar to the trumpet sounded when the Jewish people were gathered together (e.g. Numbers 10:2).
. The bodies of faithful Christians will be reconstituted where they were buried. They will rise out of their graves, and ascend into the air to meet Jesus.
. Only after the "dead in Christ" have left their graves will "we who are still alive and left" will also ascend to meet Jesus in the air. Paul appears to have believed that he and many Christians who were alive circa 50 CE would still be alive when Christ returns. He was mistaken.
. Those who have ascended to be with Jesus will be with him for all eternity.
. Most of humanity will remain behind on earth. Most Evangelicals believe that this will include:
. The 67% of the world's population that are non-Christian, and
. A majority of persons who consider themselves Christians but who have never been saved.
Only about 35% of American adults consider themselves to have been saved.
Since most conservative Christians ( Fundamentalist Christianity ) believe in the inerrancy ( freedom of error ) of all passages in the Bible, they consider this passage to be a precise description of Christ's second coming. Although a literal interpretation of this verse would indicate that Paul expected the events to happen during the first century CE. They didn't. Some conservative theologians believe that Paul was writing to Christians in the 21st century, not to the Christians in Thessalonica during the first century CE.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
The text reads:
1 Corinthians 15:51-53: "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."
In this passage, Paul adds one more concept to the description of the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians. He believes that people with normal bodies cannot attain Heaven. The believers' bodies would be instantly changed to a form of "spiritual body," so that they may enter Heaven. Again, if one interprets the verse literally, Paul emphasizes the imminent timing of the second coming. It did not happen during his lifetime, nor did it happen in the subsequent 19½ centuries. Some theologians who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible suggest that Paul was really addressing Christians in the 21st century.
Mark 13:26-17
The Gospel of Mark reads:
Mark 13:26-27: "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."
This appears to be a brief reference of the parousia and rapture. It differs from St. Paul's description, in that angels appear throughout all the earth to gather Christians up to heaven. People do not rise unaided, as in 1 Thessalonians. There is no mention of the dead having reassembled bodies and rising from their graves. ( Resurrection )
Rapture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For complete article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture#History
This article is about the use of the term in Christian eschatology, primarily in US Protestant Premillennialism. For other meanings, see Rapture (disambiguation).
The Rapture is an event in certain systems of Christian eschatology (the study of the end times) whereby it is believed that all Christians will be taken from Earth by Jesus Christ into Heaven. Although almost all forms of Christianity believe that those who are "saved" ( Rev. note: or "Born Again" John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ) will enter Heaven, the term "rapture" is usually applied specifically to the belief that Christians will be taken into heaven prior to the second coming of Christ, and there will be a period of time where non-Christians ( Rev. note: or unrepentant sinners whether believers or unbelievers. See: Therefore...Homily ) will still be left on earth before Christ arrives to set up his earthly kingdom.
Etymology
The word "rapture" comes from the Latin verb rapere which means "to carry off, abduct, seize or take forcefully" (compare rape). It was used in the Latin Vulgate (about 405 A.D.) translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which is the primary biblical reference to the event in question, rapiemur "we shall be caught up" translating the original harpagēsometha (passive mood, future tense of harpazō).
History
The earliest known extra-biblical reference to the rapture is from a sermon attributed to a fourth century Byzantine, Ephraem of Nisibis, in which he is quoted as saying, "For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."Although the doctrine of the Resurrection of the dead — as said to be taught by Jesus — was common to all Christians and part of the Nicene Creed, little attention was paid to the area of eschatology later known as 'Rapture' until the Protestant Reformation, aside from this ancient reference; thus the Christian denominations that have beliefs concerning a rapture are mostly those that appeared after the Reformation.
The later popularization of the term is associated with teaching of John Nelson Darby and the rise of premillennialism and dispensationalism in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The doctrine of the rapture was further popularized by an evangelist named William Blackstone (W.E.B), whose book "Jesus is Coming" sold more than one million copies, and then by its inclusion in the Scofield Reference Bible.
Among Christians who do believe in a Rapture, there is substantial debate about the timing of the rapture relative to the seven-year Tribulation. Critics of a "Pre-Tribulation" Rapture, the belief that the Rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation, often attribute that doctrine to a 15-year old Scottish-Irish girl named Margaret MacDonald (a follower of Edward Irving) who had a vision in 1830. However, the rare at least three other Pre-Tribulation references prior to Macdonald - in a book published in 1788, in the writings of a Catholic priest Emmanuel Lacunza in 1812, and by John Darby himself in 1827.
The Rapture gained popular interest in wider circles during the 1970s, in part thanks to the books of Hal Lindsey, including The Late Great Planet Earth. Many of Lindsey's predictions in that book, which assumed that the rapture was imminent, were based on world conditions at the time. The Cold War figured prominently in his predictions of Armageddon, and other aspects of 1970s global politics were seen as having been predicted in the Bible. Lindsey believed, for example, that the 10-headed beast cited in Revelation was the European Economic Community, a forebearer of the European Union, which at the time consisted of ten nations. ( http://europa.eu/ )
The doctrine of the Rapture continues to be an important component in Christian eschatology today. Many Christians continue to feel that world conditions point to the Rapture occuring soon. Although this belief is emphasized in the USA, where it is widespread in certain circles, these views continue to find wide resonance around the world not through the study of End-times books, the political events around the world, and the continued spreading of the Christian gospel, and particularly Evangelicalism, to all areas of the Earth.
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Scriptural basis
According to the Rapture interpretation, in the near future dead believers in Jesus will be brought back to life and believers who have never died will be changed in the "twinkling of an eye" and both groups will be taken up to heaven.
Supporters for this belief generally cite the following primary sources in the New Testament:
. "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left." (Matthew 24:40-41)
. "(Christ) shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3:21)
. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:52)
. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, says that the "dead in Christ" will rise first in the Resurrection of the dead, then all who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
Generally, an elaborate set of predictions about the end times is constructed from these sets of verses, together with various interpretations of the Book of Revelation and the predictions of Christ's return in Matthew 24:30-36. In general, believers in the rapture consider the present to be the end times, and offer interpretations of the various symbolisms in the book of Revelation in terms of contemporary world events.
Criticism
Those denominations that do not agree that there will be a Rapture of the Church point out that it is a relatively new doctrine, first popularized in the 1800s and elaborated on subsequently. ( List Of Christian Denominations )
Many do not accept the "rapture" interpretation because they feel it is not clearly expressed in the Bible, and instead relies on extrapolations and inferences made from a patchwork of disjointed verses. Many further feel that if anything this significant were intended to be a major part of Christian teaching, then surely Christ would have made a plain reference to it in his own sermons as recorded in the Gospel, and not buried such a major prophecy in a few obscure, unconnected verses of the Apostle Paul.
One common criticism of the rapture is based on the principle that the necessity of believing in Christ would be proven, by the events of the rapture, to anyone left behind. Thus anyone left behind who had knowledge of the rapture theory, but previously did not believe in Christ, would essentially be forced, by the proof of this miracle, to believe. This would prevent any type of Antichrist from having any credibility.
Most Roman Catholics and many Protestants do not accept the concept of a rapture in which some are "taken up into Heaven" before the end of the world; this idea did not exist in the teachings of any Christians whatsoever until the 1800s, so it cannot be said to belong to Apostolic Tradition.
Instead, most Catholics and many Protestants interpret 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 literally, and assert that the rapture will immediately follow the general resurrection on Judgement Day, when the living and the newly-resurrected-dead will rise up to meet Christ as he descends from heaven to judge the world. These people consider the rapture to be merely a minor detail in the Biblical description of the Second Coming of Christ.
Eastern Orthodox do not accept it either, as such a thing as "rapture" was never taught by any of their bishops, from the beginning. Instead of "being taken up into Heaven", these churches follow the scriptures (such as Isaiah) clearly describing a physical Kingdom of Heaven that will be on a renewed Earth, following the Great Tribulation, the Resurrection of the Dead, and Judgement Day. In this view, there is no "being taken up into Heaven", except perhaps in the sense that departed souls await their earthly Resurrection in some sort of Purgatory.
Barbara R. Rossing, a Lutheran minister, challenges the idea of the rapture in her 2004 book "The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation". In it, she discusses the history of dispensationalism, arguing that the Biblical verses cited in support of the rapture are grossly taken out of context and misinterpreted.
There are also a number of other scriptural problems with the rapture theory. Those scriptures offered in support of the rapture do not require a rapture for their fulfillment; there is no New Testament scripture that states there will never be a planet Earth that is absent in the New Testament church. Plus, inasmuch as the rapture theory requires belief that Christ will visit the Earth not once more-- but twice -- it's important to note that the New Testament speaks of Christ's return in the singular only. The question to ask is, does the church meet Christ, then exit the area, or meet Christ as he returns in fulfillment of the angel's description in Acts 1:9-11:
"After (Jesus) said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'"
Thus, we find Jesus standing on the ground, taken up into the sky, then hidden in a cloud. The angel said Christ would return the same way: He will appear from a cloud, descend to the ground, and place his feet on the earth. From this it would appear likely that Christ will return just as the angel foretold, and that the church will simply meet him upon his return. The word "meet" in the New Testament (Strong's, 529) is always used in the context of intercepting someone who is on their way toward the person meeting them.
As for Christ's words, "as it was in the days of Noah", we again find reason to question the pre-tribulation rapture theory. The Bible indicates that in the days of Noah, it was the wicked who were taken, and the righteous (the eight members of Noah's family) were first lifted from the earth, then returned to it; the righteous thus remained. Fallen angels also married ( Rev. note: or had sexual relations with ) human women according to one interpretation of Genesis 6:1-2, Genesis 6:4, Daniel 2:43, 2 Peter 2:4, and the Book of Enoch. However, the older interpretation is that these verses refer to intermarriage between descendants of Seth and those of Cain. The "Left Behind" series is liberal since its conception because Matthew 24:36 is largely ignored; fallen angels don't fornicate with human women and Nephilim don't walk the Earth in the series even though this is what Jesus is thought to have indirectly implied would come to pass in the Last Days.
( Rev. note: As in the days of Noah they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marrage - going about their business. The community mocked Noah when he started building the ark. The earth was filled with violence and was corrupt. The disaster of the flood came upon them unexpectedly since they did not believe, and those who mocked Noah were swept away and destroyed. I believe that more the interpretation of the reference to the days of Noah. It is not really known the actual correct meaning for the term 'Nephilim'. In the Book of Genesis it says that the Lord put emnity between her seed and the serpent's (Lucifer) seed as part of his judgment for misleading - lying to - Adam and Eve. ( Genesis 3 ) In this interpretation the ability to conceive between the fallen Angel ( possibly an Archangel ) Lucifer, and/or other fallen Angels in his band, and flesh and blood mortal women was taken away from him/them. So to me it seems suspect of the interpretation of 'Nephilim' being the offspring between physically manifested fallen Angels and mortal women. Anything is possible as far as fallen Angels however. Genesis 6 Genesis 7 Luke 17 )
The post-tribulation rapture is entirely consistent with the primary rapture text in I Thessalonians 4:17. The text there could just as easily be interpreted to mean that the church will rise to meet Christ as he returns to earth, the wicked below will be swept to destruction as it was in the days of Noah, (they will worship fallen angels) and then the church will descend to the earth with the Eternal King.
Rebuttal
. The Old Testament book of Exodus records that God appeared to the Israelites in a Theophany, as a visible pillar of fire or smoke, and bestowed daily miracles, yet many of the people rebelled against God.
. Additionally, in Luke 16:31 Jesus states of unbelievers, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." (NIV)
. When comparing the end times to the Flood, the Rapture of the Church can correspond to the translation of Enoch in Genesis 5:24. "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." (NIV) Meanwhile, Noah and his family who endure the judgement and survive correspond to redeemed Israel. It is theorized that those that became believers during the tribulation and were not martyred would retain their physical bodies for Christ's 1000 year rule on Earth after the Beast was vanquished to hell. This would explain an Earth "in the days of Noah", when the righteous were left.
. After Revelation chapter 3, we see God calling John to, "Come up here." Some believe this refers to the end of the church age because it follows the passages in Revelation about the churches and because John is called and taken up.
. Some believe that Jesus refers to the rapture in Matthew 24. These same people generally believe that Matthew 24:37 ("But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be") correlates to Genesis 5:24 ("And Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him"). In Matthew, Jesus may be referring to a future rapture by referencing a past one.
. Epharaem the Syrian said, in 373 AD, "For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins." ( Ephrem the Syrian ?)
. The doctrine of the rapture may be a new or re-discovery (e.g. found in the 1800s), but this doesn't discount its validity. Some cite Daniel 12:4 because it reads, "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
. Additionally, many Christians seem to pick and choose scriptures. Matthew 13:24-30 really could be used to challenge the "normal" thoughts about the Rapture and introduce a whole new thought process. Maybe the earlier scriptures regarding two will be together and one will be gone relate to the most wicked of the two being pulled from the earth.
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Margaret Macdonald, born ca. 1815, was a Scottish-Irish woman who is well-known in Christian Eschatology (End-Times Prophecy). She is frequently credited as the originator of the Pre-Trib view although in fact her vision was Post-Trib.
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