If The Rapture Is True, What's The Point Of The Tribulation?

[G_Hall]

@sNOwflakes

Regardless of what one believes about the rapture or its timing, it is not a matter of heresy if believers disagree. A person’s fidelity to Christ does not depend on a belief in a two-stage return of Christ or a singular return. When Christ returns and the church is with him in glory, nobody will be disappointed or argue about how or when it all occurred.

Yes, I agree with your statement. However, the whole point of this thread is because Brandon posted the question, “If the Rapture is True, What’s the Point of the Tribulation?” So to state what you did and direct it at me seems pointless and irrelevant. Perhaps you should’ve pointed that out to Brandon for asking the question in the first place.

@sNOwflakes

The passages I talked about was to show that when the disciples were present and Christ addressed them, others were there also. We are all called to be servants. He used some, considered as dogs, for His ministry.

How do you know that others were there also? You didn’t cite specific book-chapter-verse, so I’m not sure to what, exactly, you were referring. But my point is this, sNOwflakes, when the four gospels were written, they were still under the law. It was still “Old Testament” rules when Jesus walked the earth. AND, more importantly, Jesus wasn’t talking TO you. Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel when he walked the earth. We have to keep this in mind when rightly dividing the word of truth. You keep ignoring the fact that Paul is our apostle, and Jesus appeared to Paul and gave him a NEW gospel and an entirely NEW plan of salvation for Gentile believers than what was the case when He walked the earth. Jesus changed the rules in Acts chapter 9! A completely NEW dispensation was ushered in when Jesus did this. Do you understand the implications of this??? I mean, do you really comprehend this, because your responses to me say otherwise.

@sNOwflakes

Most here do not separate, in the last days, the Jews and Gentiles having different prophecies pertaining to them. We are all one in Christ, bloodline does not matter.

Yes, that’s becoming quite obvious to me. And I’m sorry to be the one to point it out to you, but Scripture disagrees with your last sentence. The only Jews and Gentiles that are “one in Christ” and, in fact, cease to be seen as Jews and Gentiles by God, are those that are saved during this current dispensation. They were viewed as being very different in the eyes of God when Jesus walked the earth and all the way back to the time of Abraham. Even the proselytes were treated as being different despite having adopted the Jewish way of life.

Oh, and again, it should come as no surprise to any student of the Bible that bloodlines matter very much to God, e.g. Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30, Acts 26:7, James 1:1, Revelation 7:4; Revelation 21:12.

@sNOwflakes

It is not that we believe as Brandon does, it is how we read and discern the scriptures for ourselves. We discern equally the same.

I didn’t say you believe as you do because of Brandon. I said you believe AS Brandon does, i.e., in the same way about this specific topic in the thread. You became defensive because you failed to correctly read and comprehend what I typed. And that’s quite a statement to say that you “discern equally the same.” You’re really going way out on a limb, as the saying goes. Although, there’s only about 4 or 5 of you that have expressed strong support thus far. In any case, I strongly encourage you to reconsider your interpretation in light of 2 Tim 2:15 and your sincere desire to understand the truth contained in God’s word.

@sNOwflakes

I think we must also keep in mind that the subject of 1Thess 4:13… is the dead. Those who are now dead, believers, before the 2nd coming. That was the concern the Thessalonians had at that time, not the return of Christ.

1 Thess 4:13-18 is about the rapture, NOT the 2nd coming of Christ to the earth to save Israel from her enemies. Some of those in the church at Thessalonica were concerned about what was going to happen to their loved ones that had passed away regarding the big picture of eternity (v13). Paul is exhorting them to be of good cheer because their loved ones who were believers would be returning with Jesus in the air to meet them (v14). Verse 17 confirms that this is the rapture event, not the 2nd coming of Christ. The Lord Jesus never touches down on the earth at the time of the rapture of the church. He touches down on the Mount of Olives when he returns to save Israel and destroy her enemies. Paul further encourages them to comfort each other with what he was telling them (v18).