https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture
The topic Rapture came up during a discussion with a Jewish friend about the evidence of history. He told me "Wait for the Rapture, then come back and tell me about it."
The teaching of the pre-tribulation Rapture is part of the doctrine of Premillennialism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premillennialism
But the reign of Jesus in His Kingdom was announced by Him personally on Mount Herman when Jesus gave the great commission to his disciples,
The Great Commission
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus,[c] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
1 Cor 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God[c] has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
The Coming of the Lord
1 Thes 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,[d] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The topic Rapture came up during a discussion with a Jewish friend about the evidence of history. He told me "Wait for the Rapture, then come back and tell me about it."
The teaching of the pre-tribulation Rapture is part of the doctrine of Premillennialism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premillennialism
But the reign of Jesus in His Kingdom was announced by Him personally on Mount Herman when Jesus gave the great commission to his disciples,
The Great Commission
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
All authority in heaven and on earth! His reign is established, and He will send the Holy Spirit to help get things going on the day of Pentecost, at Jerusalem.
Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus,[c] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
That day about three thousand were born again into the Kingdom of Messiah. Shortly there were more than ten thousand disciples of Yeshua, encouraging each other daily in Jerusalem.
But most of the Jews were looking for a different kind of Messiah. They expected Him to be more like David, and lead the warriors of Israel to overthrow the Roman dominion.
But most of the Jews were looking for a different kind of Messiah. They expected Him to be more like David, and lead the warriors of Israel to overthrow the Roman dominion.
Jesus taught them to love their enemies, and to turn the other cheek. This did not suit the Zealots at all. So they rebelled against Rome, and the Temple was destroyed in AD 70.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE)#Destruction_of_Jerusalem
The conflict with Rome continued until 132 CE, when the Zealots thought they had found their militant Messiah in Bar Kokhba. This final Jewish Roman war lasted until 136 CE and resulted in Rome's final solution, changing the name of the province and expelling Jews from the region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_Kokhba_revolt
But Daniel had prophesied that Messiah's Kingdom would be set up in the days of the Roman Kings, and that this Kingdom would break into pieces and destroy the existing world kingdoms.
Daniel 2:36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage,[c] but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
So the Kingdom was set up on schedule, during the reign of the Roman Kings, Augustus being the first Emperor, reigning at the time of Jesus' birth.
The conflict between the kingdoms of the earth, and the Kingdom of God, was set in motion, and worked out over time. The temporary kingdoms against the Eternal Kingdom. But humankind played an important role. The Eternal Kingdom can only be entered by faith in the sacrificial offering of Yeshua, the Son of YHWH. Believers are built up into a temple for the dwelling of the Holy Spirit.
But humans always want to do things the human way. We want to be in charge. Soon the Great Apostasy was under way, with the Bishops of large cities using their positions to exercise power and collect money. Rome surpassed them all, and the great harlot became mother to the Holy Roman Empire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Apostasy
But Jesus had promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Kingdom. From the day of Pentecost until today, there have been faithful believers who followed Jesus and His teaching. They were always persecuted by the kingdoms of the world. To find them, search the pages of history and see who it was that proclaimed personal faith in Jesus Christ, believer baptism, and organization of believers in local communities. The true believers refused to submit their personal faith to the world powers who demanded obedience to the rulers of this world. These stalwarts of personal faith are the trace of the Kingdom which never passed away, and which is being developed in our own time.
America became a launching pad for restoring first century believer community. People were sick of all the religious fighting in Europe, and wanted personal freedom. But it is a difficult journey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_Movement
How do we restore first century believer community? Perhaps going back to Jerusalem will help us better understand what that community is. Jerusalem sets the context for Jesus and His teaching. Time to go back to the beginning.
What did Jesus teach about His second coming? He said His Kingdom is not of this world.
My Kingdom Is Not of This World
John 18:33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE)#Destruction_of_Jerusalem
The conflict with Rome continued until 132 CE, when the Zealots thought they had found their militant Messiah in Bar Kokhba. This final Jewish Roman war lasted until 136 CE and resulted in Rome's final solution, changing the name of the province and expelling Jews from the region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_Kokhba_revolt
But Daniel had prophesied that Messiah's Kingdom would be set up in the days of the Roman Kings, and that this Kingdom would break into pieces and destroy the existing world kingdoms.
Daniel 2:36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage,[c] but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
So the Kingdom was set up on schedule, during the reign of the Roman Kings, Augustus being the first Emperor, reigning at the time of Jesus' birth.
The conflict between the kingdoms of the earth, and the Kingdom of God, was set in motion, and worked out over time. The temporary kingdoms against the Eternal Kingdom. But humankind played an important role. The Eternal Kingdom can only be entered by faith in the sacrificial offering of Yeshua, the Son of YHWH. Believers are built up into a temple for the dwelling of the Holy Spirit.
But humans always want to do things the human way. We want to be in charge. Soon the Great Apostasy was under way, with the Bishops of large cities using their positions to exercise power and collect money. Rome surpassed them all, and the great harlot became mother to the Holy Roman Empire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Apostasy
But Jesus had promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Kingdom. From the day of Pentecost until today, there have been faithful believers who followed Jesus and His teaching. They were always persecuted by the kingdoms of the world. To find them, search the pages of history and see who it was that proclaimed personal faith in Jesus Christ, believer baptism, and organization of believers in local communities. The true believers refused to submit their personal faith to the world powers who demanded obedience to the rulers of this world. These stalwarts of personal faith are the trace of the Kingdom which never passed away, and which is being developed in our own time.
America became a launching pad for restoring first century believer community. People were sick of all the religious fighting in Europe, and wanted personal freedom. But it is a difficult journey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_Movement
How do we restore first century believer community? Perhaps going back to Jerusalem will help us better understand what that community is. Jerusalem sets the context for Jesus and His teaching. Time to go back to the beginning.
What did Jesus teach about His second coming? He said His Kingdom is not of this world.
My Kingdom Is Not of This World
John 18:33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Jesus is coming back for resurrection and judgement. Apostle Paul wrote about this in 1 Cor 15.
Christ is reigning, and will continue His reign until He destroys every rule and every authority and power of this world.
When Christ comes back, we will be caught up to meet Him in the air. He has gone to prepare a place for us, and will come again to take us home with Him.
The Coming of the Lord
1 Thes 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,[d] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
When is Jesus coming back? After the lies of this world have been defeated. There is still work to do. It is a battle.
Preterist?
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