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Hi, KLamb85661 —
Thanks for your question.
There are several Protestant positions
on the Rapture.
First let me give you the Catholic
Teaching.
Christ has died, Christ has Risen,
Christ will come again. The Church
teaches that at the end of time:
- Jesus will return to judge the
living and the dead.
- Purgatory will cease to exist.
- Those still in Purgatory will
be release along with the just
that are alive and they shall
live with God forever.
- At this time, everyone who is
dead will have a bodily resurrection
and those who are alive will have
their bodies transformed for eternity.
Again, the just to live with God,
the unjust to live eternally with
out God.
This will be a one stage event. It
will all happen on the last day.
Now the Protestant rapture theories
can be divided into 3 major camps:
- Pre-Tribulation rapture
First, the Church (the true believers)
along with those who died in Christ
(who get resurrected) will get
raptured, or snatched away to
be with Jesus. Then, there will
be a 7 year tribulation which
will feature the reign of the
anti-Christ.
The anti-Christ will fool the
world (those remaining) into thinking
he is God.
He will start out as a great political
leader who will bring about peace,
etc. Three and a half years into
his reign, he turns sour and begins
to wage war on Israel.
This will lead to the Battle
of Armageddon which takes place
at the end of 7 years.
During this battle, Jesus and
the Church return to:
- save the Jews who have now
converted and
- to wipe out the anti-Christ.
Then Jesus will reign on earth
for 1,000 years with the Church.
At the end of the 1,000 years,
Satan will be released again with
his minions to tempt those who
have been born in this millennium.
This will lead to the battle of
Gog and Magog after which Satan,
along with all those from the
millennium that have fallen, and
those unjust who have not been
resurrected, get thrown into the
lake of fire forever.
- Mid Tribulation Rapture
All of the above with the
exception of that these folks
believe that the rapture happens
in the middle of the tribulation,
just before the Anti-Christ goes
sour.
- Post
Tribulation Rapture (or the amillennial view)
Again, the same as the first
two, but the Church goes
through the entire Tribulation.
The first two positions are pure
science fiction. There is no support
in Scripture for these.
The last position is closest to the
Catholic position. The big difference
is that most of these folks believe
in the "millennium": the
earthly reign of Christ and in two
resurrections:
- The resurrection of the Just
before the 1,000 years, and
- the resurrection of the unjust
at the battle of Gog and Magog.
These are the most prevalent positions
on the Rapture.
Now the Church, as far as I know,
has largely condemned the idea of
a 1,000 year earthly reign.
It has certainly condemned the notion
of two resurrections from the dead.
Some of the early Church fathers
believed in a millennium, but again
this had not been defined as of yet.
In a sense, we do believe in a Rapture.
Those who are still alive in Christ
at His return will be transformed
"in the twinkling of an eye
and caught up in the clouds with
the Lord", but that is the Last
Day.
The most ridiculous notion of the
pre-tribulation rapture is that the
Church (that is, Christians) will
avoid the persecution of the Anti-Christ.
This is nonsense. Jesus promised
us persecution. The Church grows
the most and shines the brightest
during times of persecution. Beyond
that,
it is simply unbiblical.
In fairness, there are Protestants
that believe in a post Tribulation
rapture and are "amillennial",
meaning: no millennium.
That is, they believe exactly
what we believe.
The Scriptures explicitly teach that
Enoch and Elijah were taken up to
heaven body and soul.
(Genesis 5:24, 2 Kings 2:11). The
Scriptures also imply that Moses
also was taken up body and soul (Jude
1:9) and they further imply Mary's
Assumption in Revelation 12.
These examples all prefigure the
future Glory that await all those
who will some day be present body
and soul in heaven.
Enoch represents all those who came
before God's covenant with Israel.
This would also include those who
are made righteous by grace but may
have never been a part of either
the Old or New Covenant, but rather
followed the Covenant made with Adam
to the best of their knowledge.
Moses and Elijah, are figures of
the Law and the Prophets, in other
words, the righteous sons of Israel.
Finally Mary is the Icon of the New
Covenant, the Church. She was the
first human person to be bodily assumed
into Heaven under the New Covenant.
Just like Mary, those who are righteous
(by grace) and are alive at the Second
Coming, will be assumed into heaven
(1 Thessalonians 4).
I hope it answers your question.
Under His Mercy,
John C. DiMascio
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