do you believe the rapture has happend ?

[ezrider]

Would you not agree that there is a significant difference between a beast with seven heads coming out of the sea and a man? You have not justified why believing the man of sin is a literal person is the same as believing in a literal beast with seven heads.

I would say the man of sin is a literal person, we just don't like to consider how literal that might actually be. We don't need to look for the appearance of a man of sin, we should consider in our own heart who the man of sin is.

Have you considered within your heart, that you yourself are the man of sin your looking for?

 

[Corn Pop]

Would you not agree that there is a significant difference between a beast with seven heads coming out of the sea and a man? You have not justified why believing the man of sin is a literal person is the same as believing in a literal beast with seven heads.

If you take the man of sin as a literal man of sin why not take the beast with 7 heads as a literal beast with 7 heads?.

 

[Free]

If you take the man of sin as a literal man of sin why not take the beast with 7 heads as a literal beast with 7 heads?.

Because a man is a man, we know they exist, and the context doesn't suggest anything else. We know that beasts with seven heads don't exist and the context is within apocalyptic literature, which we know is highly, highly symbolic.

 

[Free]

I would say the man of sin is a literal person, we just don't like to consider how literal that might actually be. We don't need to look for the appearance of a man of sin, we should consider in our own heart who the man of sin is.

Have you considered within your heart, that you yourself are the man of sin your looking for?

It does not at all fit the context. The first 2 verses preclude you or I from being "the man of sin".

 

[ezrider]

It does not at all fit the context. The first 2 verses preclude you or I from being "the man of sin".

Considering your comment about fitting the context, you say it preludes it, but I would say rather that it presumes it. The difference is in how we perceive the coming of the Lord. If you are waiting for the physical manifestation of a man coming that you can see, well then maybe your looking for another man of sin too. But if the coming of the Lord is the manifestation of His Spirit in believers, then could you see it in a different light?

The question I asked though, was have you considered in your heart that you are the man of sin? Why do you need salvation?

 

[Free]

Considering your comment about fitting the context, you say it preludes it, but I would say rather that it presumes it. The difference is in how we perceive the coming of the Lord. If you are waiting for the physical manifestation of a man coming that you can see, well then maybe your looking for another man of sin too. But if the coming of the Lord is the manifestation of His Spirit in believers, then could you see it in a different light?

The context precludes the coming of the Lord as "the manifestation of His Spirit in believers." Such an idea is nowheee taught in Scripture. Jesus's return is very clearly a physical return, which has obviously not yet happened.

The question I asked though, was have you considered in your heart that you are the man of sin? Why do you need salvation?

And my reply answered it. We cannot be the man of sin that is mentioned in the context of the passage being discussed.

 

[JLB]

Your reading it literally.

Yes I believe in a literal Jesus Christ, who literally died for my sins, and rose from the dead on the third day.

Yes I believe Jesus will literally come to gather His people at a literal resurrection.

I believe I will be literally resurrected from the dead, unless I die before Jesus literally returns, in which I will be caught up alive [raptured] together with those who are resurrected from the dead.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17


The Resurrection and Rapture are literal, and occurs as one event when the Lord literally returns.


JLB