Hello fellow believers in Christ! This is my first post in CF!
I realize the rapture is a very controversial topic. Here's my short story.
All my life I believed in the rapture bc I was told it was true. It really wasn't a big issue for me.
But now that it really seems like we're in the end times, it has become more relevant.
So one day, I hear this radio pastor (who has had some concerning practices in his ministry) say, "When all hell breaks loose, God's gonna take me out of here." I really was skeptical.
So I went on an intense reading of the Word.
Like many others before me, I too believe there is no scriptural support for the rapture.
I'm amazed that this false teaching is blindly believed by so many people.
For me, the rapture is a totally false doctrine. It is wishful thinking. That's my personal belief.
It was started by John Darby in 1830. This belief simply did not exist before him.
Here's the big problem with believing the rapture. It's like preparing for a storm when really a hurricane is coming. Matthew 24 is 100% clear there is no rapture. Also, in Revelation, when the mark of the beast is forced on people, believers who refuse to get it are beheaded. How can that be if there is a rapture?
If you believe in the rapture and expect to be "taken away" and you're not, your faith will be crushed.
We may not even be alive when the mark comes. But dying by beheading is painless in comparison.
Billy Graham and Craig Keener are also former believers in the rapture. Most pastors do not believe in the rapture.
However, I would never argue with a rapture believer about this. They are fully convinced and that is their choice. I respect that.
I believe we must agree to disagree on this issue and not waste time on this disagreement.