Now that is amazing! We have Jesus giving the prophecy and then the following verses give the fulfillment. How is that text distorted?
The distortion of scripture, is those who are making the ridiculous claim that Jesus has already returned to the earth fulfilling Matt.24:30-31. That distortion couldn't be more obvious. However, if you want to cast your vote with them you are free to do so. I however, as well as other desire the truth, said truth being that Jesus has not returned and that there is a whole lotta events that must take place before He can return to the earth. Here's another example of Jesus return:
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At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.
26“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
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In the scripture above, those who will be here are told how to tell the real Messiah from the false one's. If they say "here is the Messiah out in the desert, don't go look, or here He is in a inner room, don't believe. it"
Then Jesus says how the inhabitants of the earth will know when He returns to the earth, which will be like lightning that originates in the east also visible in the west. The meaning is that Jesus' arrival will be a major event that no one will be able to miss. This is further expanded on in Matt.24:30 which says that "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." And also by John in Rev.1:7 which says, "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen."
But these people on this site are claiming that Jesus has already come and that without so much as a splinter of proof for one of the greatest events yet to take place.
I spend my time preaching and defending all of God's word. And that because just about every Biblical topic is under attack these days, with the pretribulation gathering being one of them. I'm sure that many are being let to Christ, not because of the pretrib teaching, but because of the hope of salvation itself.
Regarding the timing of the gathering of the church, I am confident that the Lord will gather His church prior to His wrath, not after. If the gathering was after His wrath, it would not be the blessed hope that Paul refers to, nor would we be able to comfort one another with that hope.
The reason for the false teaching that the Lord is going to gathering His church after His wrath, doesn't understand the severity and magnitude of God's coming wrath and two, does not understand that God does not punish the righteous with the wicked. In addition, we are told many times in different ways that believers are not appointed to suffer God's wrath, any wrath! Whether the wrath that is coming upon the earth via the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments, or the wrath at the great white throne judgment and the lake of fire.
The other error that is made regarding the church being on the earth during the time of God's wrath, is that people don't understand the understand the underlying principle, which is that Jesus already suffered God's wrath on behalf of every believer (He was crushed for our sins). God does not require two payments. Therefore, those who believe have been credited with righteousness and have been reconciled to God through Christ's blood. We cannot and will not be on the earth to experience God's wrath, which is exactly what people are teaching with their claim that the church is gathered in Matt.24:30-31.
According to Rev.19:6-8, the church/bride will already be in heaven at the wedding of the Lamb receiving her fine linen, white and clean. Then in Rev.19:14, the bride is seen following Christ out of heaven riding on white horses.
We should be doing all of it! We should be caught up watching for the Lord and speeding His coming, while continuing in everything else. Why should we just do one or the other? Fruit comes from going from faith to faith, the fruit being the characteristics of Christ that believers are being transformed into and which is a life-long process.
Neither you nor anyone else is going to build Christ's kingdom here on earth. Jesus said, "I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" and that is what currently being built. Very soon the church is going to be completed and then the Lord is going to gather us. Until then, the world will continue to get worse and worse until Jesus returns to the earth to end the age, but not until after God's wrath has been poured out. When He finally does return, the majority of the earth's population will have been decimated and all human government dismantled.
The distortion of scripture, is those who are making the ridiculous claim that Jesus has already returned to the earth fulfilling Matt.24:30-31. That distortion couldn't be more obvious. However, if you want to cast your vote with them you are free to do so. I however, as well as other desire the truth, said truth being that Jesus has not returned and that there is a whole lotta events that must take place before He can return to the earth. Here's another example of Jesus return:
===================================================
At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.
26“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
==================================================
In the scripture above, those who will be here are told how to tell the real Messiah from the false one's. If they say "here is the Messiah out in the desert, don't go look, or here He is in a inner room, don't believe. it"
Then Jesus says how the inhabitants of the earth will know when He returns to the earth, which will be like lightning that originates in the east also visible in the west. The meaning is that Jesus' arrival will be a major event that no one will be able to miss. This is further expanded on in Matt.24:30 which says that "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." And also by John in Rev.1:7 which says, "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen."
But these people on this site are claiming that Jesus has already come and that without so much as a splinter of proof for one of the greatest events yet to take place.
I spend my time preaching and defending all of God's word. And that because just about every Biblical topic is under attack these days, with the pretribulation gathering being one of them. I'm sure that many are being let to Christ, not because of the pretrib teaching, but because of the hope of salvation itself.
Regarding the timing of the gathering of the church, I am confident that the Lord will gather His church prior to His wrath, not after. If the gathering was after His wrath, it would not be the blessed hope that Paul refers to, nor would we be able to comfort one another with that hope.
The reason for the false teaching that the Lord is going to gathering His church after His wrath, doesn't understand the severity and magnitude of God's coming wrath and two, does not understand that God does not punish the righteous with the wicked. In addition, we are told many times in different ways that believers are not appointed to suffer God's wrath, any wrath! Whether the wrath that is coming upon the earth via the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments, or the wrath at the great white throne judgment and the lake of fire.
The other error that is made regarding the church being on the earth during the time of God's wrath, is that people don't understand the understand the underlying principle, which is that Jesus already suffered God's wrath on behalf of every believer (He was crushed for our sins). God does not require two payments. Therefore, those who believe have been credited with righteousness and have been reconciled to God through Christ's blood. We cannot and will not be on the earth to experience God's wrath, which is exactly what people are teaching with their claim that the church is gathered in Matt.24:30-31.
According to Rev.19:6-8, the church/bride will already be in heaven at the wedding of the Lamb receiving her fine linen, white and clean. Then in Rev.19:14, the bride is seen following Christ out of heaven riding on white horses.
We should be doing all of it! We should be caught up watching for the Lord and speeding His coming, while continuing in everything else. Why should we just do one or the other? Fruit comes from going from faith to faith, the fruit being the characteristics of Christ that believers are being transformed into and which is a life-long process.
Neither you nor anyone else is going to build Christ's kingdom here on earth. Jesus said, "I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" and that is what currently being built. Very soon the church is going to be completed and then the Lord is going to gather us. Until then, the world will continue to get worse and worse until Jesus returns to the earth to end the age, but not until after God's wrath has been poured out. When He finally does return, the majority of the earth's population will have been decimated and all human government dismantled.
