Rapture-------like a thief at night

[Primordial Light]

I did Google it -- now -- again -- the subject of rapture. The external / internal aspect ?!

What is your specific question about I Thess 4:16-18?

 

[Sue D.]

Okay -- now you're attaching a Scripture passage to it.

1 Thess 4:16-18 "For the Lord, Himself, will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, And thus we shall always be with the Lord."

I have No question about that passage.

What is 'external vs internal' about that. Unless you are referring to the dead in Christ as being 'internal' and those who are alive would be the 'external'

Why not just use the wording of Scripture. That Is what God inspired.

There is Also the passage in Matthew 24:40 - 44. The two men in the field -- one will be taken and the other left and then about the two women will be grinding at the mill, one taken and the other left. -- we do not know when the Son of Man will come for the Church -- in the air. In the twinkling of an eye.

 

[Ivan Chamurliev]

the common thing I here about the rapture is Jesus will return like a thief at night to get his church and we will have no idea when this is. majority preach that it could be at any time. I personally am post trib at this point. and here is why

all these scriptures are describing Jesus coming like a thief at night,

2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

1 Thessalonians 5:2
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Revelation 3:3
Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

Here is the question, is he coming like a thief at night,, for those that know him, that know his voice???

I mean in Revelation 3-3 it says he is only coming like a thief if we dont wake up,,

Could this whole thief in the night thing be for those that need to repent and not for the saints???

Could it be the saints wont be surprised at all??

Well, I believe that the believers will know in part that He is near. They still won't know the exact hour, as no one would know, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Who will be completely surprised will be the unbelievers. Those ones who don't believe and don't watch for His coming. When someone is surprised it means that he never expected that thing to happen.
Believers will definitely marvel at His coming and it will be such an event that they also will be amazed by His presence and beauty, but they won't be surprised as the rest of the people.
I mean that those people will be completely caught off guard.

We as believers wait for that hour and even if we don't know the exact time, still we would know when He is close, as Matthew 24:32,33 says:
"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near - at the doors!"

 

[Ivan Chamurliev]

I think as well that faith is needed for this subject. Faith is needed for all of us to be able to watch for His coming. That's why His coming is been always a mystery. Believers would know anyway when He is closer, but in general no one would know the exact hour.
God made it in this way, so that we can wait for it by faith. If we knew it, then it wouldn't be by faith anymore.