Rapture Perspectives

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Shalom, Grace and Peace.

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In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

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My name is Daniel Miller and this is the Notes I Leave Podcast

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Good day and welcome.

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I hope that you're having a good day and a good weekend as we

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head into the end of the week here and we get ready for another

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blessing of days to come.

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We've just off the heels of Labor Day about a week ago, and I

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hope that many of you are able to achieve some rest in that.

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For me, it was very productive, but not a ton of rest.

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I was actually able to reseed all the backyard, so we'll be thankful

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for that in the weeks, months and years to come.

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But this weekend, looking forward to, as it approaches, some time

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off to kind of restore our bodies and our minds.

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And with that, it's a good season to reflect on things that I've been through.

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And again, with the point of this podcast being the Notes I Leave,

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I have kind of a three video series here for you that I'd like

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to leave you with to cover the next three weeks of podcasts.

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And they're all in reflection of some big things I learned last

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spring under the umbrella of what is known as eschatology.

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Eschatology is a fancy term for end times, and the main things

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within end times are the Rapture, what that is, which is what

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we'll talk about today.

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The tribulation, which is a period of generally accepted seven

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years, ties in with the 70th week of Daniel.

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We'll talk about that next week and then the week after we'll

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conclude with the Millennial viewpoints.

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Now, I want to be up front with my viewpoints, but I want to be

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inclusive of the different viewpoints.

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I think a big mistake a pastor can make or a teacher can make

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is is to state their viewpoints as factual if they are not 100%

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certain that they are factual.

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And generally when we have multiple viewpoints, it's not.

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It's because not one of them can be proven as completely factual.

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So many of these things, and most of these things that I talk

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about over the next three weeks are things that we're not going

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to know completely until we see Jesus face to face and he will

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answer those questions.

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And I think the big, biggest point of all things over these next

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three weeks is that if we are so stubborn to say that this is

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100% factual and more than a viewpoint or more than a perspective,

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and that we can't be humbled if someone presents more intriguing

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information or more truthful information and Certainly if we can't,

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in front of the King of Kings, submit to his will and what turns

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out to be true, then we've got a whole bunch of issues surrounding

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around the sin of pride.

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So let that never be me.

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That is my goal and my prayer is to let that never be me.

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And I do want to present the different viewpoints while being

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up front with my viewpoint, with anything that can't be proven 100%.

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Until we meet the King of Kings, my percentage of certainty will

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waver over the years.

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In terms of my viewpoint, I hold the right to change my viewpoint

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over time if truth is revealed in that way.

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In fact, I hope that that's the case.

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If I find out differently, I hope that I'm not so stubborn that

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I stick with these viewpoints for the rest of my lives.

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And I think the biggest thing here in terms of sticking with a

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viewpoint and not being stubborn in that is that these things

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that we're going to talk about with eschatology should not be

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a point of division amongst brothers and sisters in Christ.

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This is not whether Christ is God.

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That's a hill to die on. Right.

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I won't change my viewpoint on that.

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But under these ancillary issues of when is the Rapture, when

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is he coming, what is the tribulation period of time look like?

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What does the millennial kingdom look like?

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These are all things that I look forward to as a Christian and

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God's plan and submitting to his will, not mine, and is not a

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reason why Christian brothers and sisters should divide.

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This isn't brothers and sisters in Christ against the world.

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This is an opportunity for people to divide into separate churches,

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which is a terrible opportunity for that to happen.

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That's the evil one is winning if that is being accomplished.

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And I've been at churches where if you didn't share this viewpoint,

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you flat out couldn't be a member of the church, you couldn't

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serve in the church.

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And I think that is adamantly wrong.

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I think we should welcome people with all of these different viewpoints

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regarding the Rapture, regarding the tribulation period, regarding

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the millennial kingdom of Christ, and use them as opportunities

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for us to grow in Christ rather than divide.

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So with that being said, I will sort of open up and preface here

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with my viewpoints.

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I believe in a pre tribulation, pre millennial view, which I believe

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is the most common viewpoint these days in a synop quick synopsis.

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Essentially what that means is I believe that first Thessalonians

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shows us that the Rapture is coming, and that is something we can't predict.

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The Gospels tell us that that no one but the Father knows the

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timing on that the Rapture will be an event with nothing coming

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before it that would tip our hats that it is coming.

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That event, I believe, will be the living and dead Christians

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taken to heaven with Jesus.

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I believe that will mark a seven year tribulation period.

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And at the end of that seven seven year tribulation period, I

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believe Christ will take the Christians from heaven back down

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to earth and reign for a thousand years.

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During that reign, Israel will be restored and we will all live

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under Christ's kingship during that period of time here on earth.

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There are so many nuances in there that could be debated.

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Like one I just concluded with is that this earth, is that a remade earth?

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I think that's certainly debatable, but the fact that Christ will

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have a millennial reign is not debatable.

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So with this week's focus being on the Rapture specifically, I'd

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like to take you to first Thessalonians, as I just alluded to,

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and read for you verses 13 through 18 out of chapter four.

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And then we'll talk about what I learned in this systematic theology

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course that I took last spring regarding the Rapture.

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We'll pause for the members only section and I will continue with

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more in depth discussion on that at that point in time.

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But let's read Scripture.

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So out of 1st Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 13 through 18,

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it reads, but we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about

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those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest

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who have no hope.

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For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God

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will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

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For this we say that you, by the word of the Lord, that we who

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are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede

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those who have fallen asleep.

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For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with

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the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

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And the dead in Christ will rise first.

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Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with

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them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

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And so we shall always be with the Lord, therefore comfort one

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another with these words.

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I remember this verse being brought up in that systematic theology

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course and having recollection that I've read the verse, the set

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of verses, but also in awe about how literal and descriptive this

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event is, many of you might be hearing these Words and thinking.

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Is that in the Bible?

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And it is in 1st Thessalonians, chapter 4, at the end of that chapter.

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And I love when things can be black and white.

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That's my personality.

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I like true and false.

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I like yes and no.

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I don't like a lot of gray area.

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I struggle with gray area.

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So in this instance, for me, this is pretty clear cut.

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I don't need theologians speaking into me and teaching me their

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viewpoints on this.

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I believe Scripture is very, very straightforward with the Rapture.

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Now, the term the Rapture, which gets into a quote that I'll share

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with you later.

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The term the Rapture, I guess I don't mind the term or any term

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that's used, but as we see in reading these five, six verses here,

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there's no Rapture mentioned.

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It's kind of like the, the Great Commission in the end of Matthew,

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in Matthew 28.

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It doesn't actually say the Great Commission.

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It's not translated to the Great Commission.

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But we all pretty much know what the Great Commission is and we

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refer to it using that terminology.

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So I feel kind of the same way that why are we saying the Rapture

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when the Rapture is not specifically stated in God's Word?

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But regardless, I think we all know what we mean when we say the Rapture.

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The Rapture, unlike the tribulation period in the millennial reign,

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specifically the tribulation period I think is less debatable.

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I think that if you don't believe that the Rapture is coming,

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I think that puts a division amongst people that may even err

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on the unbiblical side, as opposed to what length of time the

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tribulation period will be, or if we're currently in the tribulation

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period, or if that is to come.

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I think that there's very little in God's Word that would support,

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if anything, that would support there not being a Rapture.

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Again, you can call it something else if you wish.

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But if I'm speaking with a brother or sister and they say, I don't

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think I believe in the Rapture, that's definitely an opportunity

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for me to open God's word.

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Turn to first Thessalonians, chapter four, read the entire chapter,

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specifically these last five or six verses, and state kind of

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why it seems very obvious, I mean, very literal here, that a Rapture,

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or whatever you'd like to call it, will occur.

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That course that I took in the spring was a wonderful course.

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I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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The course was called systematic theology. 4, 4.

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It was the fourth in a series, and each one being one semester long.

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And the two topics in that course were ecclesiology and eschatology.

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Ecclesiology is the study of the church and how it is to run specific

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in terms of governance and those sorts of things.

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And that'll probably be something that I share in the future as

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a note that I leave.

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But eschatology is such a hot button right now.

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People are so enamored with what is to come.

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I think that's human nature to wonder and want to predict.

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And we're like that with a lot of things.

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Football season is upon us.

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It's just started, and we have a whole sector of people that are

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betting on who's going to win the championship at the end of the year.

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We're so anxious to know what is to come, even in things that aren't biblical.

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Not exactly sure why that is, but I, like you, am certainly curious

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as what is to come.

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But as I alluded to in the beginning of this episode, as I sort

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of tried to preface this episode with, this shouldn't be a point

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of division for us.

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And this should be something that we're humble about in regards

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to when we find the truth directly from the mouth of the King

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of Kings, Jesus Christ, that we're humble enough to say that our

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viewpoint was wrong.

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And that is completely okay, because it's not.

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It's not about us.

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It's not about our theology.

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It's not about what we know.

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It's not about how educated we are.

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All things we accomplish are through Him.

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I say this to students all the time.

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I, by myself, am not a good teacher.

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I'm not a good podcaster.

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I'm not a good professor.

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I'm not a good anything.

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It is he who strengthens me.

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It is the Holy Spirit flowing through me, the skill set that you

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see through in me as a teacher.

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And that's it.

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That's the only reason.

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And it's so amazing that we can actually derive an income here

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on Earth from a gift that is not even our own.

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And it's so amazing to see some of these aspects of these gifts

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were born with. From God.

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And some of them are picked up along the way, or perhaps when

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we were born again, or maybe they're amplified when we're born again.

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I know I am evidence of.

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Of that occurring.

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And with that, it's fun to study these things and it's fun to

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wonder, but it's even more fun to submit to his will and be humble

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enough to know that I don't know it all.

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Nobody has perfect theology.

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Nobody ever will have perfect theology.

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Any pastor that tells you that they have perfect theology, or

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anyone for that matter, is someone to to err away from and to

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show some caution.

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At least some caution, because that's generally coming from a

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place of pride and arrogance.

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So I hope that you're with me on that.

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In terms of these different eschatology views and being humble,

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even if we share different opinions, that's completely fine.

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It's more than fine.

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I hope it's something that we can utilize to grow as brothers

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and sisters in Christ as opposed to something to divide over.

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I think that that's not warranted division.

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And so I'd like to continue talking about these sets of verses

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here in First Thessalonians, Chapter four.

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And I'd like to talk further about my experience with seminary,

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being in seminary in this systematic theology course.

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What a wonderful experience that was and has been and will be

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as I continue on.

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And I'd like to also transition to a members only section to do that.

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But before I do, I'd like to share a quote from RC Sproul.

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And as I share quotes over these next three episodes, it is my

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goal to share fairly balanced quotes to not be so much towards

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the pre millennial, pre tribulation viewpoint that I support in

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one that shows more of a well rounded aspect on on the subject matter.

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So again, the quote is from RC Sproul and it says the so called

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Rapture is nothing more than the biblical teaching of the resurrection

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of believers at the return of Christ.

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It is not a two stage coming, but a single glorious return.

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And I love the way that he says the so called Rapture.

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Kind of what I alluded to earlier that you know, with the Great

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Commission and those sorts of things that we don't see the word

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rapture but call it whatever you want to call it.

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We're referring to a single event, a glorious return of Christ

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in which he raptures or takes the church.

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So my question for you today regarding the Rapture is what is

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your view of the Rapture?

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I'd love to hear what your view is and more.

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More than that, the second part of the question is is that viewpoint

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or perspective a means of division or education amongst Christian

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brothers and sisters?

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I think that's probably my point more than anything regarding the Rapture.

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Beyond that, I believe the Rapture is a very literal thing that

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will occur in future tense.

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I believe that.

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My more pressing point, however, is regardless of your stance

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that we not use it as an anchor to divide that we use it as a

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table to gather and we use it as a table to grow together in Christ

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in submission to his will.

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As I mentioned each week in our Call to Action, Please go to biblicalanatomyacademy.com

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Click on Podcasts and then click on Support the podcast.

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in the first segment of this and hope that you find blessing in

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what we communicate on.

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So with that being said, as we shift over into this members only

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segment, I would like to wish you nothing but the best.

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Share that I love you and God Bless.

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Until next time.

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May the peace of Christ dwell richly in you.

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And may I also express Maranantha, which is an Aramaic word translating

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to Come Lord Jesus.