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  1. Simple Proof for the First Rapture being According to Readiness

    This is a simple proof for the first rapture being according to readiness.

    Initial Outline
    The Tribulation is comprised of 7 trumpets from Rev. 7 to 11, and Rev. 12 to 19 give the details of those major points outlined by the Trumpets. The Seals are the past 20 centuries. The 7th Seal opens up the 7 Trumpets of the Tribulation. The 7 bowls of wrath make up the 7th Trumpet. Rev. 5 is the risen Lord recounting the cross as is the 1st Seal. Rev. 4 is the picture of the universe from heaven. Rev. 2 & 3 is the church age. Rev. 20 is the millennial kingdom. Rev. 21 is after that in the New City and New Earth.

    First Rapture Readiness
    The first time we see saints in heaven in Revelation is "before the throne" in 3rd heaven in 7.9. This occurs before the first trumpet of the Tribulation is blown (8.7).

    So who is taken at that time?

    "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Matt. 24.40). "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (v.42).

    Who is being spoken to? Believers since it says "your Lord". What are they told to do? "Watch..." So if you don't watch you won't be taken. It's always better to be taken to be with the Lord.

    What other passages say the same thing?

    "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21.36).

    What are "these things"? The Tribulation. Where will those stand who watch and pray always? Rev. 7.9 said "before the throne" in 3rd heaven. Whereas those believers alive and left at the 7th trumpet of the Tribulation will "meet the Lord in the air" (not the throne) according to 1 Thess. 4.14-18 since it is according to completion, not according to reward. This "trump of God" (1 Thess. 4.16) is the last trumpet" (1 Cor. 15.52). Saints go to meet the Lord in the air at the start of the 7th trumpet where there "were great voices in heaven" (Rev. 11.15) then at the end of the 7th trumpet Jesus completely "shall descend from heaven" (1 Thess. 4.16), stepping down on the mount of olives (Zech. 14.4, Acts 1.11, Rev. 1.7).

    If "thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which ...
  2. Deliverance

    DELIVERANCE

    For that which I do I know not; for not what I would, that do I practise; but what I hate, that I do. But if what I would not, that I do, I consent unto the law that it is good. So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me, but to do that which is good is not. For the good which I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I practise. But if what I would not, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me. I find then the law, that, to me who would do good, evil is present. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I of myself with the mind, indeed, serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 7:15-8:2

    The Desire for Deliverance from Sin

    A person who believes in the Lord may immediately be delivered from sin. This experience, however, is not necessarily shared by all new believers. Many are not delivered from sin after they first trust in the Lord. Instead, they often find themselves falling into sin. There is no question at all that they have been saved, that they belong to the Lord and have eternal life. Yet the great difficulty remains that they are frequently disturbed by sin. Because of this, they are unable to serve the Lord as they would like.

    It is most painful for a saved person to be disturbed by his continuing sins. Since he is enlightened by God, his conscience is sensitive. In him is the life which condemns sins; so he has the consciousness of sin. He deeply feels his corruption and he abhors himself. This is really an exceedingly painful experience.

    Out of this experience comes a problem: many believers do not really know what sin is. Some believers say that sin can be avoided by resisting it. Thus they exert all their strength to resist the temptation to sin. Others contend that sin needs to be overcome. Hence they fight with sin all the time, hoping ...
  3. Premillennialism vs. Amillennialism

    Quote Originally Posted by soterion
    Mark 1:14-15 teaches that the time for the kingdom to be established was fulfilled and that it was at hand when Christ first came, not 2,000+ years later when He will someday return.

    Acts 2:22-36 teaches that Jesus was seated on the throne of David when He was resurrected and exalted to the right hand of God.

    1 Corinthians 15:20-28 teaches that when Christ returns, He will deliver up the kingdom to God. The kingdom will not begin on earth when He comes back; rather, it's existence on the earth will end.
    How do you know the "gospel of the kingdom of God" is the 1000 years where Satan "should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled" (Rev. 20.3)? Are not the nations deceived still now with wars and rumors of wars? Whereas “the kingdom of God is righteous and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14.17). "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison" (Rev. 20.7). Was Satan in prison prior to Jesus? or is Satan in prison now with 10,000 children dying every day due to starvation? Overcomers in Christ "shall reign with him a thousand years" (v.6). Who is reigning over the nations now in the highest positions of government (2.26,27) certainly not believers? Could it be Jesus at the right hand of the Father does not mean He is reigning on earth for 1000 years right now?

    Let us review the things we have already seen previously concerning the kingdom of heaven. After the birth of Christ, there comes one who prepares the way for Him. His name is John, and he proclaims that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The Lord, together with the apostles whom He sends forth, announce the same news. What does it mean? Later on, as noted in chapters 8 and 9, we see that the Lord heals the sick and casts out demons, and that all these are closely related to the nearness of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5-7 speaks of the nature of the kingdom of heaven: which is, that those who belong to this kingdom are absolutely righteous towards themselves, absolutely gracious towards others, and absolutely pure towards God. In Matthew 10 we learn that the Lord sends out His apostles. And in Matthew 11-12 we see that a great transition begins occurring, as though the kingdom of heaven is now being taken away from the Jews.

    Now with regard to the kingdom of heaven found spoken of in Matthew 13, some interpreters have ...
  4. Reviv'in Partial Rapture - Remember These 3 Verses

    I believe in the partial rapture, that is, the first rapture is according to readiness like T. Austin Sparks said, "there are advanced parties and harbingers in every sphere." So it was with Elijah and Enoch before the flood, and so shall it be for Daniel's final seven years. The way I prove this to myself is by observing that there is a rapture to "before the throne" (Rev.7.9) before the 1st trumpet of the Tribulation (8.7). I read the Seals as the past 20 centuries, the 7th Seal opening up the 7 Trumpets of the Tribulation, and the 7th Trumpet pouring out the bowls of wrath. The first rapture is conditional based on many more verses than I provide, but especially these 3:

    1. "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matt. 24.40-42).

    A person who is not saved doesn't have Jesus as "his Lord" so this must be speaking to Christians. A Christian can't "watch" to be saved. So this watchfulness pertains to consequence to be taken or left. It is always better to be taken to meet the Lord at the throne in 3rd heaven before the Trib. than to be left to pass through the time of testing.

    2. "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21.36).

    Again, told to watch as well as pray. A Christian very likely will be martyred in the Tribulation so watching and praying won't prevent martyrdom. To "stand before the Son of Man" "before the throne" (Rev. 7.9) in 3rd heaven is to be raptured alive. Jews will not be standing before the Son of man unless an individual Jew accepts Christ and overcomes. The only way to escape these things that shall come to pass in the Tribulation is to be raptured beforehand. This is a conditional rapture for the first rapture.

    3. "Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev. 3.10).

    Do all Christians keep the word of His patience? Are all Christians prayerful and watchful? Nope. Of course not. So the only way to escape the Tribulation, ...
  5. What are the Rules of Something from Nothing?

    An atheist once said to me that since nothingness does not exist it has no rules, so there are no rules preventing non-existence from creating or causing something to happen. The flaw in that thinking is that though it is true nothingness has no rules, there is nothing for it to prevent since there is just nothing, so remains non-existence always non-existent. You can be confident in saying nothing always leaves nothing from nothing.

    Another way you can respond to this is to say since nothingness has no rules it has no rule to cause something, so nothingness can't cause anything. It likewise has no rules to prevent something, but since there is not anything then there is nothing to prevent. If theoretically there was something to prevent then 'no rule to cause something' and 'no rule to prevent something' are contradicting each other. That which is self-contradictory is flawed in its reasoning. Either way you approach this problem, something still can't come from nothing.

    The reason why a billion pound gorilla can't stomp NYC is because it doesn't exist. The reason why there are no square circles that can cause other shapes (assuming they could) is because square circles don't exist. Does a square circle have no rules to prevent the creation of rectangles? It has no such rules but since there is only nothing (no rectangles or triangles for that matter), there is nothing to prevent. A square circle has no rule to cause something either so it can't cause something. If there was something 'it has no rule to prevent,' again, that would be self-contradictory to 'having no rule to cause things.' That which is self-contradictory is inherently flawed in its approach; so that false approach is to play with nothingness as though it could have rules or no rules.

    Nothingness is simply non-existence, and giving rules or no rules to it is a false approach because it has neither rule nor no rules. Having no rules is itself a rule. So you can't have nothingness with a rule of no rules since non-existence has no rules. We only have evidence for cause and effect from something, no hard evidence of something from nothing. We observe trillions of cause and effects and not one iota of evidence of something from nothing. Let us rest on the evidence and the evidence alone without having to be cute about rules or no rules. I am satisfied with that fact.

    The same atheist also said to me that the mechanics of nothingness need to ...
  6. A Coy and Aloof Person is Subjective

    by , 08-03-2014 at 01:39 PM (Being Accounted Ready (Matt. 24.40-42, Luke 21.36, Rev. 3.10) Before the Tribulation 2023 - 2030)
    A Coy and Aloof Person is Subjective

    The subjectivity of a person can be detected in the smallest of things, for it is a natural habit. If you have learned the essential lesson of having your subjectivity broken, you will easily discern it in many small details of life. A subjective person is that way in all things. He loves to control people; he delights in being opinionated; he takes pleasure in giving orders. He knows what to do in every situation and circumstance. When a young person steps out to serve the Lord, put him together with a few other people, and soon you will see whether or not he is subjective. If he is alone in one place, you are not apt to find out. But when two people are put together, you see at once that the subjective person will try to dominate the other. He will insist on eating certain things, wearing clothing in a certain way, and sleeping at a certain hour. He is omniscient and omnipotent. Put two sisters in one room, and you will discern which sister, if either, is subjective. Put two subjective people together, and they will come to an impasse. One such person may live peacefully, but two such people cannot live on together.

    This does not mean, however, that hereafter we should not say anything. When there is difficulty in the work or a problem with people, we cannot be unfaithful by remaining aloof. What we mean is that after we have spoken, we will not force them to adhere. If they do not listen after we have spoken, we will not feel hurt. So precious and dear to themselves are the opinions of some people that they are hurt if they are not listened to. Such is the feeling of subjective people. Yet, for the sake of faithfulness, we have to speak out. To speak out, though, is not to be construed as signifying that the person doing the speaking is a busybody or that he has a talkative temperament. But for those who are subjective, it is wrong to speak without first having been taught. God has not appointed us to be masters of all. Some have the habit of always speaking or teaching in every situation. This plainly indicates that one is a subjective person.

    Unless his kind of temperament is broken, he is not fit to work for God. A subjective person is not necessarily a faithful person. One who is faithful speaks only when it is needed and not because he likes to speak or has the lust for talking. He speaks in order to rescue people from error. If he is rejected, he is not distressed since ...
  7. Is This a Life You Want?

    by , 07-19-2014 at 07:37 PM (Being Accounted Ready (Matt. 24.40-42, Luke 21.36, Rev. 3.10) Before the Tribulation 2023 - 2030)
    I am glad you couldn't show any misrepresentation so you must be misrepresenting. Your wishful thinking there is no Creator is not a valid argument. Indeed, Krauss is brainless to think something can come from nothing. Familiarize yourself with the argument in the link then tackle my response. Suffice it to say that which does not exist still can't cause anything because it doesn't exist. Non-existence will never split into anything for that which doesn't exist can't split. A cause is required from something. Praise God we have proof of God, because infinite regress is impossible otherwise you would have already happened having had an alleged eternity to do so; so nature needs a cause outside of itself, outside of time and space, being uncreated. This uncreated Creator is whom we call God. You and Krauss are the bad people bound for Hell because you refuse God's saving grace. You can't cease to exist since you're made in God's image; His image never ceases to exist. There is no rest day or night for those going to Hell. You're without excuse because Jesus is proven to be God by the resurrection appearances for which there is no viable naturalistic explanation which there ought to be one if your theory is true. For example, group hallucinations and swoon theory fail. And people don't willingly die for what they know is a lie. So the Apostles truly believed that Jesus rose from the dead.

    In your sin nature you prefer to remain selfish, independent, disobedient and self-centered which eternally separates yourself from God because God can have no fellowship with a sinner. You have chosen to eternally separate yourself from God so you are most certainly going to Hell. Why complain about it since that is what you want? Don't be doubleminded about it. This would be punishment for Christians to go with you to Hell for we love God, but when you are in Hell you will be right at home where you want to be where you belong, locking yourself in Hell from the inside. Whatever punishment that entails, you would prefer that than to be showered with the love of God in a place of perfect sinlessness, holiness and immaculate dwelling. According to you it would be a punishment to be with God which is of course demented for God is maximally great! Who can exceed God's greatness? It certainly would be punishment for believers to have you in our presence for eternity future when you despise God. There are no tortured souls in the New City and New Earth in eternity future. ...
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