Flying Things!

 Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Things Flying

 

E. Taylor is a conductor on the sleeping cars on the Southern Pacific Railway in California… He says, While on the train between Mojave and Barstow, on the night of October 4^th, about 11 p.m., the moon shining very brightly and no cloud in sight, and no wind, I was sitting by the car window looking out, when my eye fell on the moon which was as clear as I ever saw it.  

Right across the face of the moon was a large cross, as plain as my hand before me.  I rubbed my eyes and looked again, and saw it as before.  I then raised both windows, put my head out and saw not only the cross but a man on the cross with his arms extended, and the lower part of the cross dripping with fresh blood, very red.  I then called for the porter… and asked him to look at the moon and tell me what he saw. 

 He replied, describing the cross with a man on it and the blood dripping from it and asked, “What are the things flying about with wings?” 

Mr. Taylor looked out again, and the air between him and the moon was filled with moving objects in the distance, like the multitude of butterflies.  The porter inquired, “What does this mean?”  and opened a window for a lady from Chicago, who gazed in astonishment and described the same objects. Then they heard singing surpassing anything they had ever heard on earth, which could be distinctly heard above the rumbling of the train. 

This scene lasted for nearly an hour, these people watching and describing what they saw and heard.  Mr. Taylor says he broke out in a profuse perspiration, until his clothing was wet.  He became so filled with joy that he wanted to shout aloud, but refrained as the car was filled with sleeping passengers. 

In the course of nearly an hour, the scene gradually faded away.  The lower part of the cross was the last of the scene, but the singing continued for some time longer.[1]

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

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[1] Seymour, William Joseph.  The Azusa Street Newsletter.  Published by the Apostolic Faith Mission in Los Angeles, California from 1906-1908.

 

The Rapture

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

The Rapture: Pre-Tribulation Verses Post-Tribulation

             “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”[1]  The Apostle Paul here is very certain that there will be a catching away sometime in the future.  But, we just do not know for certain when it will take place.  There are three main points of view on this subject: The Pre-Tribulation period, The Mid-Tribulation period, and the Post-Tribulation period.  Here we will discuss the Pre-Tribulation theory or the Post-Tribulation theory.

            The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is in my humble opinion the correct position.  It just makes logical since to me.  Why would Jesus Christ suffer and die on the Cross for His saints only to put them in the Tribulation period.  Why would God pour out His wrath on His Church which has already gone through such tribulation on this earth before the final judgement? But, some believe in a Post-Tribulation view.  So, as with all doctrine, let’s look at the hermeneutics to come to that conclusion.  I will prove the Post-Tribulation theory once and for all!

            “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”[2] Wow, there you go, this is great proof! Wait a minute!  The letter was written at the time when Christians were being persecuted because of their faith in Christ.  The writer’s main concern is to give his readers hope and encouragement, and to urge them to remain faithful during times of suffering.  There is a difference of “tribulation” and the “Day of the Lord.”  Throughout church history there have been many time of church persecutions. John was exiled to the isle of Patmos during one of these times.  The Roman Emperor Domitian instituted a policy of emperor worship just before this time period. Christians refused to worship him, so they were persecuted.  The elderly Apostle John was caught up in this persecution. This is what he was talking about when he mentioned “tribulation” in his letter to the brethren.  If John was referring to the Great Tribulation he would have specified such. The historical-grammatical context indicates John referring to his current tribulation.

            “…But Jesus turning unto them said, daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.  For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the pap’s which never gave suck.  Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, fall on us; and to the hills, cover us…[3]  Jesus is saying that great tribulation is coming their way.  Wow, there we go, this is great proof!  Wait a minute!  Nowhere does it say because they would experience the Great Tribulation. Jesus was talking to the crowd and their children.  Jesus was referring here to the destruction of Jerusalem twenty-seven years in the future, which most of the people in the crowd in which Jesus was talking to would witness themselves.  An event in which several million Jews were violently killed. 

            “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”[4]  Well, this pretty much sums it up. The Apostle Paul tells the Thessalonians that they have been delivered from the wrath to come. They were under persecution at the time, so he was not specking in the present tense. And since Paul used the term “wrath,” which is reserved for the Great Tribulation period, that is what he meant. So, the historical-grammatical context gives the meaning of the Great Tribulation.  

“…Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake…”[5]  Wow, there we go! Real proof of the Post-Tribulation theory!  Wait a minute!  These two large blocks of verses is a general description of the difficult days leading up to the Great Tribulation?  Hundreds of Christians have recently been beheaded in the Middle East and in Asia.  Christians everywhere are being persecuted, fulfilling this prophecy.

            The Great Tribulation period is all about God pouring out His wrath and judgement upon the unbelieving world.  The believers will not be around to experience it. The saints will not be judged because we are covered by the Blood of Christ.  As God breathed on His saints to give them the gift of the Holy Spirit, God will inhale to bring His saints up to Glory.            “…Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake…”[6]  Wow, there we go! Real proof of the Post-Tribulation theory!  Wait a minute!  These two large blocks of verses is a general description of the difficult days leading up to the Great Tribulation?  Hundreds of Christians have recently been beheaded in the Middle East and in Asia.  Christians everywhere are being persecuted, fulfilling this prophecy.

            The Great Tribulation period is all about God pouring out His wrath and judgement upon the unbelieving world.  The believers will not be around to experience it. The saints will not be judged because we are covered by the Blood of Christ.  As God breathed on His saints to give them the gift of the Holy Spirit, God will inhale to bring His saints up to Glory.

            “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven; and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”[7]  The Church is mentioned about a couple of dozen times in the first three chapter of Revelation and is not mentioned afterwards. We only read about wrath and judgements from then on.  If the Church was to be a part of the Great Tribulation, then they would probably be mentioned.

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[1] Bible, KJV; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

[2] Bible, KJV; Revelation 1:9.

[3] Bible, KJV; Luke 23:27-29.

[4] Bible, KJV; 1 Thessalonians 1:10.

[5] Bible, KJV; Matthew 24:3-14. See also Mark 13:3-23.

[6] Bible, KJV; Matthew 24:3-14. See also Mark 13:3-23.

[7] Bible, KJV; Revelation 4:1.

William J. Roop, M.A.B.S.

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Apostolic Theological Seminary