A Teaching on the Rapture Theory

The rapture theory came into being about 165 years ago, that's all the older it is. It was picked up by the mainline Pentecostals and the Baptists. The rest of the mainline denominations, most of them have never heard of and still don't know what you're talking about when you talk about the rapture to them. The Armenians and the Russian Orthodox have never been taught anything about a rapture. The Armenian people were always taught that they would be here during the tribulation. I know that because Bro. Shekarian was an Armenian, and he used tell me about the things in the Armenian church, the bearded ones, the holy jumpers, and that they all prophesied that the body of Christ would be here to be God's witness and to be the battle axe that God would using during that time of tribulation. This is a teaching that has came in the last 165 years. Does anybody know where it came from?

In the 1830's, there was a Scottish lass by the name of Margaret McDonald who was kind of a seer. She was in her teens and she had a vision of the saints coming up out of the ground and rising up in the air. Darby got a hold of this vision of hers and between Darby and Scofield, they made a doctrine out of it.

Have you ever studied the life of Scofield? Scofield was the second federal judge ever to be impeached. He was impeached for taking bribes. He was put in prison, and while he was in prison, he supposedly got saved. He began to write the Scofield Bible. And he picked up all of Darby's teachings from Margaret McDonald's vision, and incorporated them into the Scofield Bible, which became the Bible that Pentecostal and Baptists have used. So we've been brainwashed with Scofield and Darby's teachings of Margaret Mc Donald. Before that time, no one had ever heard of, or thought of a rapture. And the majority of people who believe that teaching are mainly the Pentecostal and Baptist denominations.

The Chinese people asked Watchman Nee why he didn't tell them that there wasn't a rapture. How many million got killed over there because they were Christian? They said you lied to us, you said there wasn't going to be any tribulation, that we were going to be gone in the rapture. Well, there's nobody on the face of the earth that could have had more tribulation than the Chinese people had in the 50's and early 60's. The congressional record of our Congress says that there was a minimum of 60 million Chinese people killed for their faith. That's in our Congressional record, put in there by Congress, that they were killed for their faith in the LORD Jesus. Now, where on earth can you find more tribulation than that. Now I know there's been great tribulation in Africa, there's been a million and a half killed over there, and we've stood by and not done anything about it, and it's to our shame that this happened.

When I was a boy, almost every sermon I heard preached, ended in one of two ways, either in, "you better get ready because the rapture's coming", or "you're going to have to take the mark of the beast". Many times I've heard different preachers say, "You farmers, don't paint your barns, don't waste your money. Fix the fence with baling wire, and don't send your children to college, you're wasting your money." So what have we got today because of that teaching? We've got abortion, we've got the Bible out of the schools, and we had Bill Clinton.

What should they have been teaching? Leviticus, chapter 18, Leviticus chapter 20, and Deuteronomy 27. Now if you don't know what those are, mark them down and go read them. And if they'd been teaching that from the pulpit, we wouldn't have had what we've had the last forty years, because we would have had a generation that had some reverence, honor and fear of God in their hearts. We need to get back to the teaching of the Word of God in the pulpit, so there will be a reverenced fear of God in the lives of our children and our own selves, so that we can be a holy people before the LORD, to walk in righteousness for his namesake.

Now, we talk about the rapture and the tribulation and all of this, but do you realize, that when Jesus came, he was here thirty years on the earth before he was recognized. So we have an overlap between law and grace for thirty years before Jesus became known. We've come down to the end of the age, to the end of grace. It's the time of the Kingdom. And I believe we're in an overlap right now between grace and the Kingdom, just as the time when Jesus came that we were in an overlap from HIS birth until HE was made known, about a thirty-year period. I don't know how long it is, but we're in that period of time right now. And I'll prove it to you.

Revelations chapter 18, verse 15, "The merchants of these things,, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, (16) And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! (17) For in one hour, so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster (airplanes, trucks, and boats) and all the accompanying ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea (and by air) stood afar off, (18) And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! (19) And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships (airplane and commerce) in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour she is made desolate. (20) Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God has avenged you on her." What happened in one hour in New York? The Twin Towers came down. What were the Twin Towers? They were the financial center of the world. Not of just America, the world. And there were 80 some countries that had offices in the World Trade Tower, and there were 30 some nations with their financial center in the Twin Towers. And in one hour they came down. And they are still burning today, two and a half months later. That prophecy was fulfilled on September 11th.  It will never be done again. That prophecy was fulfilled in our time.

There's another prophecy that's fulfilled that isn't in the Bible in a way, and people don't even realize it, and the person that's fulfilling it doesn't know that he's fulfilling God's Word; George Bush. What has September 11th caused to happen in the world? It has caused a coming together of all the nations of the earth, such as the United Nations was unable to do. God has used George Bush to cause the nations of the earth to cooperate, and from this time forward, they will continue in cooperation together, such as they never have before. George Bush has been used for this, unbeknownst to himself. But it has happened. One world government is stronger today
than it was on the 10th of September. The one world government is coming to pass.

But God said, if My people will humble themselves and pray, that He will hear from heaven and will heal our land. If we will confess our sins and repent, God said He will heal our land. America is not done. Satan has used America for his purpose, but God is going to turn it to good, and for His glory, and there's going to be a move of God. It's already started, like we've never seen and has never been known, and it is arising in the earth. Men and women are going to come to repentance and salvation because of the glory of the wonder of God that's going to be manifested in the earth! And we're going to see an outpouring of the presence of God such as this world has never yet seen, and it will not be according to Larkins charts.

For an in depth study of the rapture theory, I recommend Col. Speed Wilson's book, Prophecy or Heresy, available from L.H.B.C. for a $7.00 donation plus $2.00 postage. ORDER

This article was transcribed from a teaching given by Glen Miller at the 2001 Thanksgiving Campmeeting.

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