The Great Apostasy
On studying the end times like mad since I do love prophecy,I have discovered a few very important facts,and have since changed my mind on pretribulation Rapture. I now believe that the great tribulation the wrath of God the 7 Trumpets sounding ,is the time we will be raptured. Meaning the seven seals will be broken open and then the Seven Trumpets will be sounded and those are called Judgements. The great day of the Lord, the wrath of the Lamb comes after the seventh Trumpet at which time the Angel will sound the last trumpet,and thats when we will be raptured. Now I know this is going to be unpopular with many,and thats ok,this is not a salvation issue. I do however believe that almost all of the people who have thought and looked forward to being rescued before the tribulation, are going to be the ones who will turn away from all they have known, for the simple fact that they do not understand why they are still here, and will have believed they were not due to suffer anything.
Now I am going to share with you all the verses in the bible that make me believe this,as well as the many prayers I have said to the Lord to please Father show me the truth. My wonderful Husband was the first one to point out a few verses to me,I am so proud of my Husband and how quickly he has learned so very much. More than that how much the Lord has worked in my husband.
The first verses that I have wrestled with for Quite some time,are
Matthew 24:29-31″IMMEDIATELY AFTER” the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” Rev 11:15 And then he sends Wrath down from the clouds for 3 years, followed by His Millenial Reign on earth.
The reason Paul gives as to how believers know they haven’t missed it, is because certain events must occur before the Rapture:
2Thess 2:1-4
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him we ask you, brothers not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day (the coming of the Lord and the Rapture) will not come until
1. the turning away occurs and
2. the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Notice that “the day of the Lord” spoken of throughout 1st and 2nd Thessalonians is revealed here to incorporate both the coming of the Lord and the Rapture. (“Our being gathered to him”) Notice the correlation of this “gathering” with Matthew 24 which I also mention above.
The “rebellion” or “falling away” he refers to is also mentioned in Matthew 24:10,11 “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” “He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. (3.5 years)” Dan 7:25 This is speaking of Christians.We Christians are the saints.
Coming as a Thief in the night refers not to “in secrecy”, but rather to “surprise”.Some have proposed that the Lord’s coming it speaks of in 1Thess 4 is not the same as the Lord’s coming spoken of as elsewhere, but rather it is a secret coming. That is Jesus tiptoes into the world and takes his believers away secretly. The “secret coming” theory is based upon the fact that at times his coming is likened to a thief coming in the night. But notice the context when the Bible likens the Lord’s coming as a thief in the night.
1Thess 5:2-4 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. So also Peter writes, “the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” 2Peter 3:10 “But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Luke 12:39,40
1Thess 4:16 speaks of the trumpet call of God, as does 1Corinthians 15:51,52 both with reference to the Rapture event. But Corinthians specifies it as the LAST TRUMPET. “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Rev 11:15 And goes on to say in vs 18 “The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints.”
While the Rapture is a Pre-Wrath event in that it occurs before the 3 years of the bowls of wrath, it is not a Pre-Trib event, given what Revelation and Matthew 24 describe of events prior to the last trumpet sounding.
attempts to defend the Pre-Trib Rapture theory with 2Thess 2:7, that verse absolutely does not support such a theory.
“For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work;
but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.”
I agree with the idea that it is most likely speaking of the Holy Spirit holding back the lawlessness in the world. We notice in Romans 1 for example it speaks of God “giving them over to their sinful desires” and “to a depraved mind” and so forth, implying that God was holding them back from such corruption. So also I can imagine He’s doing the same concerning the restraint of lawlessness on a larger scale across the world. Even Romans 1 gives examples of God giving people over to their passions, and yet the Church is still here! It is not the Church which restrains the world. It’s the Spirit. The time will come when the Spirit limits its influence to the Church. That’s what it’s speaking of.
2Thess 2:8 The Lawless One is revealed after such restraint is lifted, not to mention the rebellion. But the verses prior to that (vs 1-4) indicate that the Rapture occurs some time after the lawless one is revealed, which must be some time after the restraint is lifted. The verses prior to that (vs 1-4) indicate that the Rapture occurs some time after the lawless one is revealed, as I pointed out above, which must be some time after the restraint is lifted, indicating that the Church is still on earth.
2Thess 2:7, rather than reading the verse in context. For the context teaches that the rebellion and the revealing of the lawless one occurs before the Rapture. (Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way)
Matthew 24:9-10) Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.15) Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (Dan 9:27) (whoever reads, let him understand) … (21) For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, (1Thess 4:16) and they will gather together His elect (2Thess 2:1) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.(The Rapture).
I do not want to argue this point,but in studying and having questions no one could seem to answer me on, of the pretrib thinkers,I had to do what the Lord told me to do. Read the bible literally. Unless it is being spoken of as a parable.
The reason for this article is that I love everyone,and I do not wish to see those I know who are pretribbers, turn from their first Love. Is this all one of satans lies? 2Thess 2:11 Is this the delusion God will send so that people may believe a lie? and thats what makes the people fall away or the apostasy? The pretrib Rapture? Thus now the man of perdition can be revealed?
Does this tickle the hearers ears? Thinking they will be totally safe from any harm that comes to the saints? I beseech all of you to come back and read this if you see many of the signs of the seals and or trumpet judgements in Revelation occurring, when you think you are not supposed to be here.
If the news reports a 1/4 of man kind across the world has died of famine and diseases asscoiated with malnourishment and that the beasts are attacking people and killing them, and then sometime not too long after, a world wide earthquake happens. You need to realise that the pretrib rapture is or was a lie. Do not turn away don’t do it, don’t be a part of the GREAT! apostacy.
I sincerely hope I am wrong about this, but the Lord had me questioning quite a few things about a pretrib rapture. In praying hard, very hard over and over again, about the Lord helping me to always always keep my faith in him strong, and never let me turn away,these were the answers I received through his word and through my husband discovering quite a few discrepancies in a pretrib rapture theory
Also I read this very past week where farmers were freaking out about ravens, big black crows, attacking adult cows and sheep and goats and killing them by ganging up and ripping them apart. The people who have found these animals that have been ripped to shreds by the ravens, were so distraught they had to seek counseling.
Sounds to me like animals or beasts of the earth are starting with other animals, and then whats next, people? Sounds like seals have been opened, I think we are on number three.
Love in Christ Jesus Prayer Warrior/Tammy