What is the purpose of the Rapture doctrine?

reply to post by octotom


Councering the Council at Nicea:

It was a council of Christian Bishops convened in Niceae around AD 325 by Roman Emperor Constantine I. The coucil was historically significant as the first effort to attain concens in the church through and assembly representing all of Christiandom.

Its main accomplishments included the disussion and settlement of the Christological issue of the relationships of Jesus to God the father, the Nicene Creed, settling the calculation of the date of Easter and promulgation of early canon law.

Source: Wikipedia

reply to post by octotom


I didn't say the King James was rewritten by God - I said that MANKIND is who is responsible for rewriting/changing the original 1611 Authorized King James Bible.


This second line does not make this post any less of a one liner.

The "Rapture" was created in the late 19th century by a preacher by the name of William Eugene Blackstone. Source It is a fairly recent idea and not all Christians believe in the rapture.

I would point out here that the Rapture appears to be predicted as a end time event in both Matthew 24 and the 6th seal of Revelation. Put the verses together.

Matthew 24
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Revelation 7. later events of the 6th seal.

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Two roughly comparable events. In Matthew the elect is gathered up from the earth and taken away. In Revelation a uncountable number of people appear before the assembly. They clearly been raptured at that point. Revelation 4-6 has the assembly surrounded by a sea of glass. The people of Rev. 7 have literally appeared out of thin air! I would say these 2 events are the same event from different viewpoints.

Also I would point out that Paul was a Rapture believer as well.
1st Thessalonians 4

16 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:
17 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.

Originally posted by starwarsisreal
What is the purpose of the Rapture doctrine? I'm a Christian who is already questioning it's validity and also mandatory love for IsraHell. Does this doctrine have a sinister purpose?

The Rapture doctrine is not found in scripture...
...if you take the idea to scripture you may find some texts that seem to fit...
...this is called 'cookie-cutter' theology.

John Nelson Darby first formulated the doctrine in 1827...
...after attending a meeting run by John Irving...
...where a Margaret MacDonald had a 'visions' about the Rapture.

Although John Nelson Darby believed it was a demonic utterance...
...he soon found scriptural support for the idea.

Personally I think it is anti-prophecy...
...a prediction put in place to be later executed as an event...
...to validate a 'mass abduction schenario' as prophetic anti-christ event...
...as part of the Great Deception.

Many Christian groups have been suckered into promoting it...
...and supporting an end-time agenda focused on the middle-east.

Unfortunately I think the events will probably occur...
...but they will not be of God.