The Great Rapture Controversy

The rapture of the Christian is a well known matter among believers around the world. It is sometimes referred to as the catching away. Jesus spoke of it in Matthew 24:37-42 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coining of the Son of man be. Then two shall he in the field; the one shall be taken. And the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

The Apostle Paul further elucidates the matter by adding to it a few details that the account in Matthew leaves out. 1 Corinthians 15: 51-52 Behold I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Like so many other prophecies of the second coming believers can’t seem to fully agree on this one. The three common views are what are known as, pre-tribulation, mid- tribulation and post-tribulation rapture. That all believers dead or alive will be instantly transformed and carried up to meet the Lord at his second coming is not the argument. It is only when their going to be caught up that so puzzles the believer.

Not wanting to add to the confusion I can say that only the first two views have any possibility of being correct. The main purpose of Christ’s return is to judge a world that has plunged into the worship of the devil in the flesh (antichrist) and it culminates in the pouring out of God’s wrath on the entire world.

When the pouring out of God’s wrath actually begins in the course of the antichrist’s reign is extremely hard to pinpoint with accuracy. But whenever it is we who believe in Christ won’t be here. The reason this can be said without one shred of doubt is based on a promise God has made to his children that he will save them from the wrath to come. The wrath of God is for the wicked not for his own children. This promise is found in 1Thess.1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

The idea that we are not removed from the world before God starts to pour out his wrath, not only flies in the face of this clear promise but it smacks of absurdity. We would he directly in the line of fire and only a cursory perusal of God’s judgments would he enough to see that no one will escape some damage. In modern warfare that is called, collateral damage, but even this term would not adequately describe the damages to almost everything and everyone during God’s judgments.


About the Author:

Rev Bresciani is the author of two popular Christian books. He has also written dozens of articles both online and in print. Please visit the website http://www.americanprophet.org

Nostradamus Prophecies and Cryptographic deception

In the September 11 prophecy, a 1999 date was given but elsewhere the prophecies provided indications to advance two years (deception cryptography theory: the prophecies take measures to avoid a premature onslaught of attention). The "terror" prophecy, however, expressed the month of September as "sept mois," seventh month, not directly as "September." In his extensive analysis, St. George argued that for Nostradamus the year began on the Spring Equinox and not on January 1. Thus, to get rhyme with the word "Angolmois" at the end of the third verse, Nostradamus could have changed "September" to "sept mois" at the end of the first verse. Now, however, St. George sees another possibility: Maybe Nostradamus did not make a translation adjustment after all; maybe, instead, the prophecies are suddenly reverting to Nostradamus' calendar!

St. George therefore claims that the earthquake prediction is not officially dead until March 19, 2007, which would be the last day of 2006 on Nostradamus' calendar, likewise on the calendar used in London in 1666. St. George may find himself forced to abandon his cherished conclusion that the prophecies use only the Gregorian calendar. Here's the amended prediction: "one or two major earthquakes or ground-shaking catastrophes prior to March 20, 2007, resulting in massive death in either London or the Greek islands." Will it happen? Perhaps not, but St. George considers himself the world's leading authority on the prophecies and he says this is the last chance he sees for the prophecies to make a notable prediction in the advance of the event.

Why the last chance? St. George explains that the prophecies are coming to an end. They're exhausted. At best, there are two or three unfulfilled prophecies. One may concern Iran. Another may concern North Korea and an atomic explosion, about which he comments: "It is unhelpful to make a prediction like that. Such possibilities are in the news all the time these days. Any fool can make a prediction like that. It's valueless even if it comes true."

Consequently, according to St. George, the prophecies of Nostradamus can be declared officially dead on March 20, 2007. For unknown reasons, their author failed to supply us with a single instance of being able to predict an event. St. George, never doubting that the future was accurately foreseen because of overwhelming retroactive evidence, is dismayed: "You need a successful prediction. That's the only thing people understand. That's the proof. I personally don't need to see an advance prediction because I learned to comprehend the thought processes behind the already fulfilled prophecies. Perhaps an expert at solving cryptic crossword puzzles could comprehend some elements of those thought processes, but, in general, cryptic thinking seems beyond the reach of most people. A clear and successful prediction is therefore needed to attract the attention of the world's scientists."


About the Author:

Gersiane De Brito is a student and aspiring writer from Fortaleza, Brazil. Her article "The Mechanics of Deception Cryptography - Part I" can be found at: http://www.crypticthinking.com/Articles/Mechanics.html