I'm a youth pastor, as well as a member of my church's board of leaders. That's just at church. I also hit the streets to do witnessing. Fear not; I am no nick-knack. I'm just not afraid of wrath.

^{John 17:15} "I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil one."

There are errors being propagated in some of these posts concerning the issue of Jesus Christ's resurrection and how it applies to the pre-trib rapture theory.

As I have posted similarly elsewhere,

The rapture doctrine requires students of the scriptures to approach each relevant verse with certain pre-conceived notions about prophecy. If you simply read the various prophetic verses about the return of Christ, the Bible clearly teaches that believers will be "gathered" at the second coming -- not some secret, invisible return that precedes his BIG second coming at the end of the tribulation. The problem isn't in our understanding of the rapture, because the rapture as routinely taught today doesn't even exist; the difficulty is in our understanding of the resurrection.

In John chapter five, Jesus tells us how God the Father has committed the power of resurrection to him. Jesus says "He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life...for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 6:24, 28, 29 KJV) According to these passages, apparently there are two resurrections: one for those "that have done good," and a resurrection for those "that have done evil."

In one of the parallel accounts, a verse in Luke has Christ himself saying that the believer shall "be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." (Luke 14:14 KJV) Another proof text of this dual aspect of the resurrection is found in the book of Acts when the Apostle Paul was brought before the Roman governor Felix and charged with heresy by the Jews.

Paul stated that he believes, as the Jews did, "that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." (Acts 24:15 KJV) A further example of this understanding of two resurrections is found in the Old Testament, when the prophet Daniel was instructed by the archangel Michael concerning the tribulation and the resurrection. In that instance, Michael said that in the time of the end, "many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2 KJV)

Back in the New Testament book of Revelation, we find a reference to "the first resurrection." (Rev 20:5 KJV) This first resurrection clearly relates to believers in Jesus, for the text states that they "lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." (Rev 20:4 KJV)

In the same chapter, John (the writer of Revelation) says "the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." (Rev 20:5 KJV) Later in the chapter John says, "when the thousand years are expired...I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God...and the dead were judged..." (Rev 20:7, 12 KJV) These verses plainly state that there are 2 resurrections -- one for believers and one for unbelievers.

The Revelation passages further clarify that these two resurrections are separated by one thousand years; this being the period we commonly call the millennium during which the resurrected believers shall "reign with him a thousand years." (Rev 20:6 KJV)

I believe the first resurrection has already been instituted. When Jesus rose from the grave, He was fully and completely resurrected--the firstborn over Creation. The early church stood as the firstfruits of the resurrection. When the day of reckoning comes, then the resurrection of the just will be complete as Christ returns, and then the remaining dead (the wicked) will be resurrected for judgment. The "second" resurrection is the final event in the process of the first (or actual) resurrection.

I believe the first resurrection has already been instituted. When Jesus rose from the grave, He was fully and completely resurrected--the firstborn over Creation.The early church stood as the firstfruits of the resurrection.

It is Christ himself who is the firstfruits. Further, the end has not yet been attained:

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 1 Cr 15:20-26 KJV

When the day of reckoning comes,

The "day of reckoning" is a totally separate event from the resurrection/"rapture" issue. It is not the second coming. It is an event spoken of in the New Testament when the LORD returns and "reckoneth" with His servants (Matthew 18:24). The word is associated with an accounting, or a numbering, and the event is described in Matthew 25 with the parable of the 10 virgins (Matthew 25:19).

The Bible teaches about a time when GOD will sharply escalate his dealings with unrepentant mankind - and a time when He will reckon with His servants. Ironically, the specific period when God inaugurates the Reckoning is almost universally taught to be a time when He will do the exact opposite of what the scriptures actually tell us He will do.

In what may very well be the greatest tragedy of the last two centuries, the dispensational theorists have seized the reins of leadership in the "church" and as they have consolidated their power, they have widely programmed millions of church attendees into believing in something called the "rapture." The great irony of this is found in the fact that many of the verses put forth to describe the so-called "rapture" actually describe an event that may more appropriately be dubbed the Reckoning.

One of the most common errors seen in prophetic studies is our apparent propensity to consolidate many passages into the same event - especially when such a compression is unwarranted by the text. Thus, when we see a verse that describes the wrath of God, many simply say this is the same thing as the second coming.

Others, in seeking to "rightly divide the word of truth," arbitrarily assume the "wrath" spoken of in a tribulational context, is the second "half" of a theoretical seven-year tribulation. Because the doctrine of a seven-year great tribulation is itself false, the assignment of the passages dealing with the "wrath of God" into a portion of this faultily derived seven-year period then compounds the error.

Thus, error exponentially engenders further error until the prophetic chronology that is specified in scripture becomes so completely convoluted that retrieving basic truth becomes a Herculean task. The largest single offender in this babelistic bovine eskatology of the modern church is the false doctrine of dispensationalism - also known as the rapture cult.

Lest we offend the cultists with the erroneous assumption that in slashing the false doctrine of pretribulationism we're propagating preterism or some abstract and non-literal form of the second coming, I'll hasten to state that Jesus Christ IS coming back in our time. Furthermore, He IS coming back physically, just as the angels stated at His ascension, "this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

The real question is not only WHEN is He coming back, but WHOM is He coming back to retrieve, and "what shall be the sign of His coming, and of the end of the world?"

Predicting the timing of an extra-Biblical term like the rapture is suicidal.

The doctrine runs the risk of adding to or taking away from the prophetic words of the Bible at extreme costs to one's life. (Rev. 22: 18-21) So, why bother?

since i cannot post a link, cause i dont have 100 post...

whenistherapture is the website

this is pretty biblical sound. according to scripture, we can see that after the tribulation occurs Jesus will come for us.
but on a side note, regardless, anyone can use scripture to back up their theories (as you may see, the sides are drawn, both sides using scripture) but irregardless, we need to be prepared for when Jesus comes, and that includes having a relationship and living your life for Christ, following His laws and commands, and giving your life soley to Him. It is by grace we have been saved, and once saved we will have the spirit of the mighty God living in us, guiding us and leading us. as a born again christian, it shouldnt matter when, just know it, and be prepared. matthew 24: 44 ESV Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. We will get the end result anyways and that is being with a God who loves us and cares unconditionally. May the mighty God bless you all as your day continues.


Gina