Did the early church fathers teach Christ s Pre-tribulation and Rapture theory? No

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1 Remember Lot's Wife 10 D Did the early church fathers teach Christ s Pre-tribulation and Rapture theory? No Let us examine the Scriptures to see what God says about these two Doctrines. These two doctrines are called the pre-tribulation secret Rapture and the imminent return of Christ, which means; Christ could have already come at any moment and have taken up the church. 1. Did you know, that all of the church fathers from A.D. held to the position of a post tribulation rapture of the church, including Tertullian and Justin Martyr of the second century? Some of them also taught a 6000 year plan or period of time for man's work to be done and 1000 years for the millennial rest. 2. Why was Lots' wife "taken" from her house by two angels and commanded to leave the city of Sodom? Remember Lot's wife and a mixed up delusion that has followed. Two angels inspected the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which was the hometown of Lot and his family and were astonished with the deplorable conditions of unusual filthiness, wickedness and debauchery. They spoke to Lot, his two daughters and wife and said "escape for your life, look not behind you, for we will destroy this place, because the cry of wickedness is "great" before the face of the Lord". The men of the city even said to him, where are the men who came in to thee? Bring them out unto us, that we may "know" them this night". The word "know" means to have a homosexual encounter with them. This is the reason why the twin cities were called Sodom which means, a relationship of men with men. The Angels said to Lots wife, "look not behind you, escape to the mountain lest thou be consumed "but his wife looked back from behind him and she became a pillar of salt". Genesis 19:1-26 Why? Lack of faith. Satan came "to destroy not save" Satan came "to destroy not to save John 10:10 "Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire out of heaven and he overthrew those cities and all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities and Lots' wife looked back from behind her and she became a pillar of salt". "And Lot beheld and lo the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace". This was a virtual meltdown.

2 In recent years men have researched the area of Sodom near the southern part of the Dead Sea and found balls of sulfur and salt and tested them to burn at over 2000 F, certifying that the story was valid. The ungodly conditions of Sodom were the same as the conditions found in the days of Noah before the flood, which resulted in Gods judgment. This judgment included the drowning of millions of unbelievers that were living on the face of the whole earth. "And all flesh died that moved upon the earth Every living substance was destroyed." God said that every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts were evil continually. Genesis 6:5. "To destroy, not save". Jesus said, remember Lots wife. Lot's wife was left behind and turned to stone and the slaughter of millions of people in Sodom by God was for a very important reason. What was that reason? God wanted to remind the world of the billions of church members living today, that God carries out every threat that he makes. God's word is perfect, so don't return back to the lost world you came out of. Jesus describes the religious conditions of the Christian church during the end times when he returns. In Revelation 3:18, God says, they are so evil, "he will spew them out of his mouth". This is a picture of the wrath of God in the last half of the seven years of tribulation. He says, that the last 70 to 80 years would be called the fig tree generation and would include the return of the Jews back to their homeland in Israel, which occurred in Jesus says seven times in the New Testament, "I will come as a thief" Will He Come to destroy or save or both? There are seven places in the New Testament where Christ warns the whole world that he is returning back to the earth as a "thief in the night". Jesus says in John 10:10, "the thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy", I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly". Christ says about Noah's day, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be". Then, two shall be in the field, the one "taken" and the other left, two shall be grinding at the mill, the one "taken" and the other left" watch therefore, for you know not what hour your Lord doth come". The one that was "taken" was not taken to heaven but taken in judgment or to death as was Lots' wife. She was turned to stone. There has been a mix up in the rapture theory of the Christian church world since the 1800s. The one taken was killed. See Luke 17: The one that was left in Jesus' parable must now wait until the end of the great tribulation to be "caught up" or raptured to heaven to the marriage supper. Paul said in first Thessalonians 4:17, We which are alive and remain shall be caught up

3 together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." We call this post tribulation doctrine. Let me explain the mix up or the "delusion". The word "taken" is a most unusual word that means to be snatched, seized or to be forcefully removed, as a prisoner by a policeman, like Lots' wife. She was" taken" by the two angels, to get her to leave the city of Sodom. This word "taken" according to Strong's concordance is "paralambano" and is made up of two different words. One word is.para which means to be alongside and the other word is lambano which means to "seize, to get hold "of in more violent terms. This word lambano is translated "taken" and is used four times in Matthew and Luke. Two times in Matthew 24:40, 41 and two times in Luke 17:34, 35. This word "taken" means to forcefully hold, seize, snatch or to be removed to another place. The English word rapture does not appear anywhere in the Bible but has been used in this place for caught up. This mix up brought about the development of the pre-tribulation doctrine for about the past 200 years. The one that was "taken" as used by Christ in the parable, was not "taken" into the heaven as many pre-tribulation Christians have been taught but was destroyed, as was Lots wife. Christ is talking about a time in the future during the great tribulation when this event occurs. The other person that was left in the parable, represents those that will be in the great tribulation and be "caught up" to meet Christ in the "air" as spoken of by Paul in first Thessalonians 4:17." 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" This event spoken by Christ is found in Revelation 16:15 in the great tribulation, "behold, I come as a thief at the battle of the Armageddon, when Christ Jesus returns to fight for the saints Christ s parable of the good man who lost his wife and family and was not rapture ready. 1. Matthew 24:36-44, Christ had just given a warning to his disciples about the conditions on earth when he returns for the wedding and he refers to the days of Lot and Noah's massacre. In both cases millions of lives were destroyed in the flood and in the fire. Now he speaks about a time that is coming on the earth during the last seven years of the great tribulation and the controversy about the subject of the questionable rapture. Jesus uses a parable about a man and his family to illustrate what is about to happen on the earth among the Christians. He says, Matthew 24:43-44, "that if the good man of the house had known what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken through". Here Jesus is reminding all the church members that the good man of the house was "not watching" for his master to return, therefore the thief or Satan destroyed this man's house and family. This is the same scenario as John describes what will happen at the rapture of the church in Revelation 16:15, at the battle of Armageddon, at the end in the seven years of tribulation. "Behold, I come as a thief". This is the time when the entire earth will be destroyed with fire and God will begin the

4 new millennial kingdom. Christ gives the Christian world a careful description of the last few days before he descends and proclaims "as lightning coming out of the East So also is the coming of the Son of Man, Matt.24:27-31; 2. Wheresoever the carcass is, [dead bodies] there will eagles be gathered together to eat flesh or battle of Armageddon. 3. "After" the tribulation of those days [end the seven years] Sun darkened, stars or comets falling from heaven and powers of the heavens shaken. 4. Sign of the son of man heaven [ marriage supper] 5. The tribes of the earth mourn, [Armageddon] 6. Son of Man coming in the clouds [bright as a star] 7. Trumpet sounds [final victory cry], gathers together his elect from the four winds. The whole earth will be destroyed by fire, like Lots' day. 1. Revelation 16:18-20, "There was a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth And the cities of the nations fell And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found and great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath and every island fled away and the mountains were not found and there fell upon man a great hail out of heaven every stone about the weight of a talent and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail and it was exceedingly great and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell upon the earth And the heaven departed as a scroll And every mountain and island were moved out of their places and the kings of the earth and the rich men and the mighty men and every free man hid himself in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the "great" day of his wrath has come" Armageddon - a Time of the Rapture of the Church, His bride 2. John writes in Revelation 16:15, "Behold I come as a thief". This event appears to occur during the seven years of great tribulation at the end time. This is described at the battle of Armageddon and occurs in the middle to the end of the seven years of great tribulation in chapter 9. This is the time when born-again believers are called up to the heaven, to the marriage supper of the Lamb as is spoken of in Revelation 19:9 "blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb and he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God".. Day of The Lord: The Elements Will Melt With Fervent Heat.

5 3. Second Peter 3:10 "but the day of the Lord will come as a "thief" in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons on you to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for hastening unto the coming day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt fervent heat, nevertheless we according to his promise look for a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Peter and Paul both taught that the church would be removed from the wrath that is coming in the end of the great tribulation. Paul wrote in 1st Thessalonians 5:9 God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ". Other places in the Scriptures say that the earth will be being destroyed before the millennial kingdom is started. These are Isaiah 24:18-19, Revelation 6: 14-16, and 16: Paul, Daniel and John all prophesied that a worldwide delusion was coming on the face of the whole earth. Everyone will worship the Beast and the antichrist. Paul, 2nd Thess. 2:3,11 and Daniel 7:18-22 and Rev 13: First Thessalonians 5:1-3, Paul writes "but of the times and seasons brethren, you have no need that I write you, for yourselves know perfectly, that the "day of the Lord" "so cometh as a thief in the night but when they say peace and safety then sudden destruction, upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape". This analogy of a woman with child refers first to Israel. Then the child is represented by the Jewish people. They shall not escape, indicates that it occurs at the time of the seven years of tribulation. This is the most painful time in history of the world. Paul continues in verse 5:4,, "but you brethren, are not in darkness, that, this day should overtake you as a thief". God is warning us, how deceptive Satan has become, in which he has been able to change the Holy Scriptures. This is by removing and adding about 65,000 word changes in the new translations. This allows them to copyright the Bible which did not happen with the King James Version. The new Bibles that have been copyrighted and can now be sold for a sizable profit. God gave a stern warning to those that would add or take away even one word from the Holy Scriptures. This power or authority was not given to mankind to alter the word of God. Remember Moses on Mount Sinai and what happened to Pharaoh's army, how they were all drowned in the sea. The New Age translators have removed very meaningful words and replaced them with less meaningful synonyms and woe unto them at the judgment day. Christ sits with his wedding supper, then returns. Revelation 19:9 5. Luke. 12:35-39, Luke writes," let your loins be girded about and your lights burning and you yourself like men that are waiting for his Lord, when he will return "from" the wedding, that when he cometh they may open to him immediately, blessed

6 are those servants whom the Lord will find watching, And if he shall come in the 2nd watch or come in on the 3rd watch, Be ready. This is a parallel translation that we used in Matthew 24:43. "This Know that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not have suffered his to be broken up. Please note that in the analogy, Christ is coming back to the earth and is returning "from" the wedding that has just occurred in heaven and some of the Christian world seem to sit in darkness and are not ready for his return. They are left behind to face the horrors of the great tribulation. In conclusion, I have written this article to encourage recent born-again believers to be ready for the tough days ahead. We are watching the fulfillment of hundreds of detail prophetic events in this last 70 to 80 years. The explosion of knowledge in electronics, space exploration and traveling machines is unparalleled in history as well as the rise of terrorism among the children of Islam and to Israel that is back in her land. These days are described throughout the Bible but especially in Revelation. I have written in several articles, about the possibility of Christ returning in our lifetime. This is at the end of the 6000 years of human history, which could be "at hand" shortly. One would say, "Come quickly Lord Jesus" Please share this article with a friend. I appreciate your reading of this article and prayers. I hope God will help you to understand his words. Shalom, Dr. Ray C Nichols RayCalvinNichols@gmail.com. For scientific proof of design creation please refer to my book entitled, Design Creation Silenced. Proof that empirical science validates the accuracy of the Bible. It may be purchased at Amazon.com. dp/ /ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=utf8&qid= &sr=1-1 &keywords=design+creation+ray+nichols