My mother died on February 3, 2005.
That is a lie.
My mother did not die on February 3, 2005. My mother's body died on February 3, 2005.
Growing up our mother made sure to point out one thing whenever we attended a funeral. As we walked up to the coffin she always said... that is not your great grandmother... your grandfather... your relative... whoever it was. She always said... that is their BODY. THEY are NOT in that casket.
My sister and I was at our mother's side the moment 'she' died. We witnessed her body take its last breath as her heart stopped beating.
After going through the urgency of meeting her needs as she went through this process of dying... our urgency ceased when her body died. That was a great relief as there was no more urgency once she left her body. The only thing left was her dead body.
My mother died of cancer... a common bile duct tumor. She never called her tumor cancer. That drove my sister nuts. She's like... Paul, she has cancer but she's not calling it cancer. I said, I know... That's how she chooses to deal with her cancer.
I did not have the luxury of that. I had prostate cancer at the same time she had her cancer. I think she had more concern for my health and well being than for her own.
Her first chemo treatment was in December 2004. Her second was in January 2005. After that she sat down with her oncologist and asked point blank... will this cure me? He said no.
My mother responded with... I have a hope.
She didn't have any more chemo treatments and died within 3 weeks.
Her faith was made sight.
We did not know February 3, 2005 was her appointed time. We found out about 7:30 am that morning.
Having somebody live their faith in front of you like that has a profound affect. It's said that nobody wants to die... and... go to heaven. My mother made that decision. She embraced it.
The body will die. Everybody's body will die one day. Every... body... will die... one day.
However, Jesus said... John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Do you believe this?
This has given me an idea for what my obituary should say... what all believers obituaries should say.
Here is the simple version of my obituary:
Hebrews 9:27... it is appointed unto men once to die...
John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Paul McArthur's body met its appointed time and died on such and such a day at such and such a time.
2 Corinthians 5:8... absent from the body, and... present with the Lord.
That's all that needs to be said.
To be absent from the body and present with the Lord... is the same as... getting caught up to meet the Lord in the air... at the Rapture.
You need to understand...
Everything points to Jesus.
Earthquakes point to Jesus.
Solar eclipses point to Jesus.
Lunar eclipses point to Jesus.
Death points to Jesus.
These things all point to Jesus and the Second Coming.
The Rapture is nothing. People have been raptured since Abel was murdered. This is not Preterism. This is a simple understanding of the process of dying.
Adam and Eve never looked for the Rapture. Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, King David and King Solomon never looked for the Rapture. Nobody in the Old testament ever looked for the Rapture. They all looked forward to the Messiah.
The Messiah came and told people to look forward to his Second Coming. He talked about his elect being gathered up when every eye sees him at his Second Coming.
Nobody had ever heard of "the Rapture" until Paul said... 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (harpazo... raptured) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air...
That is the only verse in the Bible where the "Rapture" is mentioned in context of the Second Coming.
In Matthew 24:31 Jesus said... they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The elect are the dead in Christ AND those who are alive and remain.
Paul was not wrong. Jesus was not wrong.
Paul does not trump and cancel the words of Jesus. Jesus does not trump the words of Paul. They are both correct.
Pre-trib Rapture preachers violate scripture and pervert the word of God.
Here is what really happens at the so-called Rapture.
Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
This is saying... Those who are alive and remain will taste death. Their bodies will die. They will be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye when they see Jesus coming in the clouds. Then they will be caught up and gathered along with all of the elect to meet the Lord in the air.
In other words those who are alive and remain will become the Dead in Christ i.e. the elect who are gathered up.
Remember, for the last 6,000 years believers have died, become the Dead in Christ, were changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, absent from the body, caught up and then present with the Lord.
The dead in Christ are not looking forward to the Rapture. They aren't even looking forward to the Resurrection. The dead in Christ get no glory in the resurrection. The only reason they are excited about the Resurrection is Jesus will receive glory.
The Rapture has taken place hundreds of thousands of times ever since Abel died.
Every death glorifies Jesus... unbelievers and believers.
When an unbeliever's body dies their soul goes to hell. They become dead in hell. They are dead and yet are tormented in unquenchable fire forever. Every unbeliever's death fulfills scripture and glorifies Jesus.
When a believer's body dies their soul and spirit are Raptured up to heaven and they are present with the Lord. Every believer's death fulfills scripture and glorifies Jesus.
Remember what Jesus told us to pray... to thine be the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Nobody gets any glory for being one of the "chosen" ones who gets to live and never die.
Guess what. Enoch will not violate scripture and never die. You see... Jesus died for all. Jesus paid the debt for all of our sins. Enoch sinned. Jesus paid the debt for Enoch's sins. Enoch must die so his death can give glory to Jesus.
If Enoch never dies then Enoch gets glory for never dying.
Nobody gets any glory but Jesus.
There are people who want to rob Jesus of his glory by claiming Enoch will never die.
Imagine this. Enoch is in heaven. He laughs and says... hahaha... Jesus died for my sins but I didn't have to die and give glory to Jesus! Give glory to me for being one of the lucky ones!
That isn't going to happen.
Is this scenario starting to sound familiar?
Enoch will never die? If you make it to the Rapture then you will never die?
Do you remember the first lie ever told in the Bible?
Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die...
If you want to preach lies like the devil then tell people they won't die if they make it to the Rapture... and Enoch will never die. You will make the devil very happy.
Think about those who are going to be saved during God's Wrath. They have no hope in the Rapture. They actually missed the Rapture. What about those in the millennium? They have no hope in the Rapture, either.
There is no hope in the Rapture for anybody other than Jesus receives glory and our faith is made sight.
Why is it only a select few supposedly get to have this hope in never dying? It's because lying preachers want to give people the same hope the serpent gave Eve.
The purpose of saying things like this is to rob Jesus of glory.
Preachers say the everlasting gospel will be preached by one lucky missionary to the last unreached people group THEN Jesus will return. That robs Jesus of glory.
Jesus said he will send his angel to preach the everlasting gospel one last time before he returns.
Repent of your sins to be saved? That robs Jesus of glory. Turn from your sins to be saved? That robs Jesus of his glory.
Our hope is not in the Rapture. Our hope is not in repenting of our sins.
Our hope is our faith being made sight when we die. The Dead in Christ have already had their faith made sight. They have their hope.
It is appointed unto men once to die. Jesus said those who are alive when he returns in his kingdom will die. Every... body... will eventually die one day and Jesus will get glory for each death... whether the result is heaven or hell.
Last thought:
God created the heaven and earth THEN he created Light.
God created Light to reflect his creation.
God is Light.
God created men to reflect himself.
(Update) Final Thoughts: Since most people won't agree with my thoughts on Enoch I thought I should expand and clarify some more. Hah! Just wait and see what I've done here.
I want to challenge people's definition of the words death, die and dead.
The bible says, Revelation 20:14 And DEATH and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second DEATH.
The bible says, Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see DEATH...
Is DEATH an angel, a concept, a process or something else? It appears DEATH has multiple definitions depending on the subject.
How does DEATH become the Second DEATH?
Who can accurately define death, die and dead?
Your body becomes DEAD when it dies.
Unbelievers become DEAD in hell.
Believers NEVER become DEAD.
Believers never die but their body dies.
What is dead? Is dead a state where all feeling of pain ceases or increases?
What you choose to believe will ultimately determine what DEAD will mean to you.
Will you become Dead in Christ or dead in hell after your body dies?
Enoch did not see DEATH. Will Enoch never die?
The truth is all believers will never die. Jesus told us that.
And yet, it is appointed unto men once to die.... even Enoch.
Have fun defining death, die and dead. Oh yes... Good luck trying to define translated, too.
Whatever the answer... it doesn't matter because Jesus gets the glory no matter what. Jesus gets all of the glory.
Let me end with something more controversial.
When I die just cremate me... not as a sign that there is no afterlife but as a sign that this old body will not become my new heavenly body.
I have a hope... not that my old body will become my new body but that my new body will not be created from this unclean corrupt body.
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