In Matthew 24:21-22 Jesus spoke of abbreviating the terrible crisis at the close of the age of man to spare His chosen people: "For there shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, not ever shall be. And unless these days were shortened, no flesh would be saved alive; but for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened."
Why should there be a worry about elect dying. It won't make a difference if everyone who believes is going to meet the Lord on His return? Why are living believers needed after His return?
If the rapture comes at the end of the Tribulation and all none believers are removed from the Earth; there will only be resurrected believers left. Who needs more kids anyway.
Remember that this is His third coming to Earth. In chapter 14 of Rev. He meets with the 144,000 on Mount Zion. More judgements follow that and the Lord comes the third time at the end of the Tribulation.
Now, does Jesus leave Heaven at the second coming or the third. In Rev. Chapter 14, we find the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with the 144,000.
REV 14:1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
In Rev. Chapter 19, He comes down again for a third time. In another post you said that the 144,000 don't get raptured during the tribulation, so this must be on earth.
There are more judgements that come upon the earth after the meeting on Mt. Zion.
Of course in the Old Testament, we see God, the Son coming down several times.
Before my wife died, we didn't have the boss problems. I didn't push her around. It is supposed to be a leadership thing.
The man and woman are designed different and when the two become one, they get an advantage.
I was a member of a famous church and the pastor resigned because it came out that he was having an affair with one woman who was 28 and it started when she was 15. There were other women too. One of the elders told the church at a meeting that his wife had told him that she felt that something was wrong. He didn't listen. Look who was right.
1CO 11:11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
Your question covers so much. The Bible is set up to get us thinking about God and seeking Him. There are many mysteries in it. We can disagree about what we read and in the end none of us may be right. They didn't get the first comming of Jesus right, even though we can now see how plainly it was laid out. Daniel's 70 weeks in Dan.9 even has the date of Jesus' death right.
I believe that the universe was created less than 10,000 years ago. Lots of Christians think differently. I believe that the great flood happened and that he world shows the marks of it everywhere. Others don't see that.
When all is done here on earth, will it even matter?
:ROFL:Funny thing about Matt. chapter 24. It starts with Jesus talking about the Temple and predicting its destruction. This happened just as He said it would in 70 AD. Jesus then says in verse 34:
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Well within 40 years the Temple was destroyed.
So what it comes down to is that you can back up different positions from this chapter.
Notice that he tells that people will be partying at the time of his coming. Yeah, the battle of Armageddon will be a party complete with weddings.
One post trib rapture website has the trib starting at the Feast of the Trumpets and Ending 86 moons later at the Day of Atoinment. He says that the next window for this is 2011.
If his timing is right; what stops the rapture from coming at the Feast of the Trumpets.
In Rev. we see that people in Heaven have crowns, they talk, wave palm branches, go to the marriage feast of the Lamb, etc. but somehow they aren't really there.:rolleyes:
It should be noted that this is a guideline for the administration of justice, not a "make my day" revenge thing.
The laws given to Moses had many purposes. Worship rules were in some, health in others. For a nomatic people the eating of animals like pigs was a health risk.
In Acts 10, God gave Peter a vision in which He told Peter to kill and eat. The vision was to show Peter that the rule against being with Gentiles was ended.
I knew my wife for a little over a year before we got started dating. We knew each other from Bible study groups.:angel:
After about a year of no sex, the drive can cool back down. Here is the US, we are constantly told in all forms of media that sex is the new way for men and women to say that it is good to meet the other person.
