October 27, 2019

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WELCOME!
WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE

We are a group of believers who simply try to follow the Bible as a guide for all we do. Everything done in our worship service is something for which we have a Bible basis. You are welcome to participate as much or as little as you wish. We will sing hymns together and we will observe the Lord's Supper or Communion together. We will also have an opportunity to give to the work of God in this area. This collection is for the members here, and if you are visiting you should not feel any pressure to give. Our lesson time will be divided into two groups. The young children can go to our classroom area in the basement where they will be taught the Bible at a level they can understand. While the adults stay in the auditorium for a lesson at their level. We do try to serve the community, and if you have some needs that we can provide, mention it to one of the members. Thank you for worshipping with us.

FAMILY NEWS

THANKS to everyone who made it possible for Samantha Wheeler to go to the Dominican Republic as a mission outreach to assist in eye surgeries. We raised the $800.00 needed for the starting expense along with her family and friends. We will all be blessed by this work.

POTLUCK NEXT SUNDAY! Plan to bring a dish and enjoy an afternoon of food and fellowship. Part of that is our monthly worship service at Timbers Nursing Home at 2:30 P.M. We need all the singers we can get.

SENIORS The area-wide fellowship will meet at the Golden Corral at 11:00 A.M on Tuesday morning, November 5 (Election Day). Come and enjoy time with Christians throughout the area.

PICK UP LITERATURE. Last Sunday we talked about how to stay alive as we live, and you were encouraged to enroll in one of the free Bible studies available to you. The registration forms are in the fellowship room. Just choose a course and give it to John Clayton or Karl Marcussen and the first lesson will arrive in the mail. We also urge you to take a copy of the literature in the tract rack in the lobby. We have a constantly changing display of take home literature for you. It is free and it will help you learn and grow.

TODAY'S LESSON

THE RAPTURE
John Clayton

INTRODUCTION

A. The word “rapture” is not biblical.

1. A translation of the Greek term, harpazo, literally means “caught up.”
2. It developed from Latin raptus.
3. French translation is “rapture.”

B. Used:1 Thessalonians 4:17; Acts 8:39; 2 Corinthians 12:2; Revelation 12:5

I. RAPTURE THEOLOGY is taken from 3 passages:

A. Matthew 24:39-41; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
B. See THE BACK PAGE below for interpretations.

II. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

A. Revelation 1:7 — There is no secret rapture.
B. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 — There is no silent surprise.
C. John 5:28-29 — All are resurrected at the same time.
D. John 6:39-44; Hebrews 9:27 — There is a “last day.”
E. All the dead are raised at the same time.
F. 2 Peter 3:10-12 — The “day of the Lord” is the end.

1. Comes as a “thief in the night.”
2. Heavens pass away with a great roar.
3. Elements melt, all the physical is dissolved.

III. RAPTURE THEOLOGY

A. Makes everything physical.

1. Revelation 21:1 — The first heaven and earth pass away.
2. Revelation 22:3 — No more “curse” (Genesis 3:14, 17).
3. Revelation 20:11 — Earth and heaven vanish.
4. Jesus does not set foot on earth again.

B. Is a discouraging false promise.

1. No more stupidity of mankind — Revelation 21:1-10 — No tears, death, sorrow, crying, pain, etc.
2. No tribulation, Russia, China, politics.

IV. YOU DO NOT NEED TO DOUBT OR FEAR THE FUTURE.

A. 1 John 1:7-10
B. 2 Timothy 4:6-8
C. This is as bad as it gets — nothing bad ahead of you.

1. Believe the promises of Jesus
2. Avoid the traditions of mankind

D. Be a citizen of Christ's kingdom.

THE BACK PAGE

FOUR MAJOR TEACHINGS ABOUT THE RAPTURE

1) The rapture and the second coming of Jesus are said to be two different events. The righteous will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air and seven years of tribulation will begin on earth, which will end when Jesus returns with the saints to reign on earth for 1,000.

2) The rapture is said to happen in the middle of a seven-year period, meaning the church will suffer through the first 3½ years of the tribulation, then be caught up to live with Jesus for 3½ more years before returning with him on earth for a 1,000 year reign.

3) The rapture is said to include only spiritual Christians, while the carnal ones will be left behind to suffer the seven years of tribulation: in this way they are said to be purified through suffering. They will be gathered with the saints who return with Jesus at the end of the seven years of tribulation to reign with him on earth for 1,000 years.

4) There will be no seven years of tribulation or 1,000 years of Jesus' reign on earth. Jesus will return one time to raise the dead and bring them with the living to appear before his throne for the one and final judgment. He will take those who are righteous to be with him in heaven. He will send the unrighteous to be punished in hell.

Owen Olbricht in his wonderful book, The Kingdom of the Messiah, makes a good point when he says, “Even if we do not agree on teachings about the rapture, differing views should not divide us; for our understanding of the events that will take place when Jesus returns will not determine our eternal destiny. What will happen will happen, regardless of what we think. Understanding what we must do to prepare to face Jesus when He comes to judge the living and the resurrected dead (2 Timothy 4:1), is what is important.”

It is true that our opinions do not matter when it comes to God's will, but many teachings on the Rapture suggest a military conflict with political implications. Some denominations are even buying land where they think Jesus will be when he comes to earth, and a few are even building up weapons and storehouses of food for the great war they see Jesus waging. This is all a tragic misunderstanding of what the Kingdom of Jesus is all about. It consumes resources and diverts our attention from the spiritual war that is already in progress and which radically affects all of us on a daily basis.

Today's lesson is designed to answer some of the questions that the popular preachers of Rapture Theology raise, and to help us all to “be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).

— John Clayton

Our sign by the street!

No tricks here, come inside for God's treats!

Sign saying from www.sayingsforchurchsigns.com

Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.