RaptureFree

Brief Post Script: I do NOT believe this planet is going to be destroyed, nor the skies (heavens) abovve it, and certainly "Gods dwelling place" known as "heaven" will not be destroyed. In the first place, in Rev 20 or 21, John sees the old heaven and earth flee, for there was no room found for them. Where would this planet flee to, where would the sky flee to? And "fleeing" is a far cry from destruction, is it not? 2Cor 5:17 says " for every one who is in Christ is a NEW CREATION; the old things are PAST AWAY, behold, All become NEW". 2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the 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. 2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ? The "heavens shall pass away with a great noise" ... a figure of speech referring, I believe, ... to Jerusalem, particularly the temple, temple government (spiritual, religious gov't and all it's "elements")... which of course happened in the bloodiest battle ever known in their day from 66AD - 70AD. ( see Heb 8:13) "the earth and the works that are in it shall be burned up" (see above ref to the War of 70AD) "earth", by definition contextually, speaks of man, mankind, a specific region or land, country (see STrong's or Thayers lexicon). "GE": arable land the ground, the earth as a standing place the main land as opposed to the sea or water the earth as a whole the earth as opposed to the heavens the inhabited earth, the abode of men and animals a country, land enclosed within fixed boundaries, a tract of land, territory, region Was not Jerusalem utterly destroyed by fire? Was not the temple destroyed by fire? Was not the temple the central focal point of their relgion, their religious service, (elements)? Did not God judge his people for their unbelief, rebellion?...just as prophecied in Dan 9:24-27? Look at the word "elements" in Galations and compare it to that in Peter: Stoicheion 7:670,1087 Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech stoy-khi'-on Noun Neuter Definition any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise, an element, first principal ( ie, the laws of God given originally by Moses, corrupted by pharisees in a religion they referred to as "Judiasm"). the letters of the alphabet as the elements of speech, not however the written characters, but the spoken sounds the elements from which all things have come, the material causes of the universe the heavenly bodies, either as parts of the heavens or (as others think) because in them the elements of man, life and destiny were supposed to reside the elements, rudiments, primary and fundamental principles of any art, science, or discipline Look at Galations: Click Verse for Commentary Notes Ga 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: Ga 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage ? ( ie, pharisee-ism, laws NOT given by God, but made up and exaggerated by ungodly religionists, of whom Jesus said "you are of your father the devil") world: Kosmos: Definition an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government ( ie, phariseeism/? ) ornament, decoration, adornment, i.e. the arrangement of the stars, 'the heavenly hosts', as the ornament of the heavens. 1 Pet. 3: the world, the universe the circle of the earth, the earth the inhabitants of the earth, men, the human family the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ world affairs, the aggregate of things earthly (ie, laws added by pharisees) the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, (including religous laws added by pharisees) ... which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort ( ie, Phariseeism, also the Sanhedrin, & Judiazers) the Gentiles as contrasted to the Jews (Rom. 11:12 etc) of believers only, John 1:29; 3:16; 3:17; 6:33; 12:47 1 Cor. 4:9; 2 Cor. 5:19 Comare Gal 4:3, 9 with Heb: KJV In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. NAS: 8:13 When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. The covenant was "spiritual". The temple and all it's rites were a physical demonstration of the spiritual. It pointed them to Christ and to the "new creation in CHrist", which they rejected. As Jesus prophesied, the "kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God" (which is spiritual) was taken from the Sanhedrin & the Pharisees and given to the church (which was started by Jewish believers, Ro 1-2, & Ro 11). The temple and it's leadership was destroyed "by a fervent heat"... physically, as well as in spiritual judgement. When John saw the old heaven & earth flee, and a new heaven and earth appear, he wasn't talking about the physical elements, nor the physical earth, nor the physical heavens (skies, stars, the latter of which depict the church & saints in Revelation 1&2, and the "heavenly, spiritual leadership/gov't swept by the tail of the dragon" in Rev 12, as well as the godly leadership/gov't seen in the crown of the woman in Rev 12). Likewise, when he saw the "new earth" (ge), ... I firmly believe he was referring to the "new man in Christ, the new creation", 2Cor 5:17 w/ Col 3:12-14), ... not a recreated planet. When Jesus said "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth", he said nothing about a "new planet", nor of people "going to heaven".

The Rapture Exposed -- I just finished reading it. It brings reality into focus, and puts fanciful, unbiblical doctrine in it's place. That is to say, there is no "rapture off the earth"... where supposedly millions get taken off the planet, and planes, trains, cars, trucks, etc crash and create death and havoc for those supposedly "left behind". 1Cor 15 explains the passage of 1Thes 4:13, so commonly used to "prove" a rapture off the earth. The passage in Corinthians says only that at the last trump all will be transformed from mortality to immortality in a twinkling of an eye. No one leaves the earth. Indeed, as Barbara points out, it is Christ who returns (visibly appears) to the earth. This is what she calls "the rapture in reverse". In a book review by Review by G. Richard Wheatcroft, he says the following: https://www.tcpc.org/resources/reviews/rapture_exposed.htm I recommend you read the review, and buy the book. It puts into perspective how "Revelation" is relevant to us today, and to each generation prior to us, and after us, ... in terms of spiritual warfare and overcoming evil...etc. She is not a "preterist" from what I can tell. She believes apparently that the Roman Empire was "the beast" who persecuted the "woman" (the Church), but does not say that "Roman empire" was tbe only application of "the beast". Her point maximizes exemplifying spiritual warfare in every generation, but because Jesus told John "these things must quickly come to pass", ... he alludes to his generation (John's)... but not exclusively. I disagree with her application of the "beast" being Rome. First, Rome was not slain the resurrected again. Second, Rome had no false prophet with two horns (figurative or otherwise) which spoke like a lamb, etc. Rome didn't prophecy, as Jews understood prophecy. However, Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Sanhedrin understood "prophecying", and they were the worst persecuters of the church in that day. They killed the Lamb of God (whom God resurrected), and then persued the Church to kill her. Their "Kingdom" ( leadership, authority -- religous, anyway) was taken away (slain) at Calvary, ... but they usurped power over the nation, forbade their peoples from believing in Christ Jesus as Messiah, forbade believers to buy or sell, demanded that all give allegiance to Judiasm ( Judiasm was NOT the religion given by God to Moses, who was a Levite, not of Judah, the priesthood was of Levi, not of Judah, the book of Leviticus was of Levi, not Judah, the law was given to the Levites, not the Judah-ites (Jews), ... and Moses's religion was never called "Judiasm", which should be the first clue), and attempted to put to death all who believed in Jesus as Messiah ( ie, Saul of Tarsus, stoning of steven, the imprisoning of the apostles, etc, ... for 2 examples). But her point is well taken -- it's the depiction of spiritual warfare, not physical warfare. It does NOT point to some futuristic "antichrist / world political leader" who physically kills believers, it does not point to some "future tribulation" that never seems to come to pass. It points to spiritual warfare, and to those who overcome spiritually, or are overcome by evil, sin, fear of persecution, etc. Well worth reading. Hopefully this book and others like it will reveal the foolishness of the "Left behind" series, and faulty interpretations of the Bible, like "Late Great PLanet Earth", and the like.