[Faithwalker012]

You know, it's interesting that the same night I posted this, I happened to be watching a part of a show on the National Geographic Channel on the book of Revelation. Years ago, I had the extremely good fortune to come across one of the most gifted bible teachers in the world in Arnold Murray, and he made mention of a book called The Incredible Cover Up by one Dave MacPherson, concerning the visions of a girl who was mentally ill in Margaret MacDonald. Isn't it odd that this same girl had a vision of Jesus Christ coming back at any moment to "rapture" Christians away,kind of thus beginning the idea of "2 more comings of Christ". It was mentioned on the National Geographic show that this kind of really started the movement that took hold of Christ coming to "rapture the church" before the Tribulation. This came about around 1830, and went from MacDonald, to John Darby, to C.I. Scofield, and filters down to today with all the "any moment" nonsense and all your Left Behind books, movies, and everything else that people are getting rich off of, that isn't even biblical. When this girl Margaret MacDonald first had that vision, she said there was a great darkness and error about it. Yet still, preachers took that and sold it to their congregations, misleading the people they were supposed to be teaching from the Word of God.

Either you believe Jesus Christ and the Living Word Himself when He said in Mark 13:23, "Behold I have foretold you all things", or you don't. There's no need for a new vision to give a new interpretation of scripture. Either you know it, and understand it, or you do not. And, in that same book of Mark 13 in which Jesus would give the signs at the end, He states one verse prior in 22 that false Christs and prophets will ariseand that if it were possible they would deceive God's own election. It's not possible, but the only way it could be is that if the elect are still around to be deceived. Which again won't happen, but no one is going anywhere and there will be no gathering back to Christ until Antichrist shows up first.

You know, there are many people who claim that the any moment pre trib rapture did not originate with MacDonald and John Darby, and Scofield, but that even the earliest Christians believed it would happen. Will you know what, that may be in some cases, but you will always have groups of people who get a little anxious, who let their imaginations get ahead of them, and come out wrong. Paul himself would try to squash this idea in 2nd Thessalonians. But was it so much Paul trying to squash the idea, or was it God through Paul? Hopefully you know the answer. Let's turn to 2nd Thessalonians, Chapter 2.

2nd Thess 2:1 Now we beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him.
Now is it hard to pick up the subject of what's being talked about there? When do we gather back to Jesus Christ, that's the subject.
2nd Thess 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter,as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
He can not get any more clear here. Don't let your mind run away from you, don't let some evil spirit, don't let man's word, don't let what was said to you in 1st Thessalonians shake you up and make you think you're gathering back to Christ at any moment.
2:3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perditionNow do you get that? Is this the word of Paul? No, it's the Word of God! It's telling you even today, there will be no gathering back to Christ, period, until this happens.
2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.Guess what... that hasn't happened yet. Until it does, there's no gathering back to Christ. You know, God kind of needs His people who truly love Him and who won't be deceived by a fake to stand against the Antichrist and even be delivered up at some point to testify against that one. He doesn't particularly need or can't use people who are hoping to fly out of here at the first sign of trouble, or before trouble even gets here. I want to give a couple of types, one of which should hopefully be really clear. That will be coming up.

Jason