Sunday, September 24, 2017

What Early Church Fathers Thought About, “The Being Caught Up Together”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

BUT, I Do NOT Want YOU, TO BE Ignorant (Uniformed), Brethren (Fellow Believers), Concerning Those (Pre-Tribulation Dead Believers), Who Have Fallen Asleep (Died A Physical Death), Lest YOU Sorrow, As Others (FALSE Teachers, FALSE Believers, AND Unbelievers), Who Have NO Hope.

For IF We BELIEVE, That Jesus Died (Jesus’ Crucifixion) AND Rose Again (Jesus’ Resurrection And Subsequent, Ascension), Even So, GOD (GOD Almighty) WILL BRING, WITH HIM (Jesus), Those (Pre-Tribulation Dead Believers), Who Sleep IN Jesus!

FOR THE LORD (Jesus Christ), HIMSELF, WILL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN, WITH A SHOUT, WITH THE VOICE OF AN ARCHANGEL, AND WITH THE TRUMPET OF GOD (GOD Almighty)!

AND The Dead IN Christ (Pre-Tribulation Dead Believers) WILL RISE, FIRST (IN Their Spiritual Bodies)! THEN, We (Pre-Tribulation LIVING Believers), Who Are Alive AND Remain, SHALL BE (Instantaneously, Supernatural CHANGED, INTO Our Spiritual Bodies, AND THEN) CAUGHT UP TOGETHER, WITH Them (The Dead IN Christ), IN THE CLOUDS, TO MEET THE LORD (Jesus Christ), IN THE AIR! AND THUS, We (Pre-Tribulation Dead Believers AND Pre-Tribulation LIVING Believers) SHALL ALWAYS BE, WITH THE LORD (Jesus Christ)!

Who Were Some Of The Early Church Fathers:

Ignatius of Antioch (35-107) – Disciple Of The Apostle John
Clement of Rome (35-101)
Papias of Hierapolis (60-130)
Polycarp (69-155) – Disciple Of The Apostle John
Irenaeus (130-202)
Tertullian (155-240)
Origen (185-254)
Cyprian (200-258)
Eusebius of Caesarea (263-339)
Ephraim The Syrian (306-373)

So, What Did They Think About, “The Being Caught Up Together?”

Irenaeus (130-202)
Irenaeus Was A Disciple Of Polycarp. Polycarp Learned His Christian Faith, From The Apostle John.

Irenaeus Was A Bishop Of The Church, in Lyons, France. He was an Eyewitness TO The Apostle John (who wrote the Book of Revelation) and A Disciple Of Polycarp, The First Of The Apostle John’s Disciples. Irenaeus is Most-Known For His Five-Volume Treatise, “Against Heresies,” On The Subject Of The Rapture, in “Against Heresies 5.29”, He Wrote:

“Those Nations, However, Who Did NOT, Of Themselves, Raise Up Their Eyes, Unto Heaven, NOR Returned Thanks TO Their Maker, NOR Wished TO Behold, THE LIGHT OF TRUTH, BUT Who Were Like Blind Mice, Concealed IN The Depths Of Ignorance, THE WORD Justly Reckons “As Waste Water From A Sink, AND As The Turning-Weight Of A Balance, IN Fact, As NOTHING;”(1) So Far Useful AND Serviceable, TO The Just, As Stubble Conduces Towards The Growth Of The Wheat, And Its Straw, By Means Of Combustion, Serves For Working Gold.
And Therefore, WHEN IN The End, The Church, Shall Be SUDDENLY CAUGHT UP, FROM THIS, IT IS SAID, “There Shall Be Tribulation, Such As, Has NOT Been, Since The Beginning, Neither Shall Be!” (2) FOR THIS, IS The Last Contest Of The Righteous, IN Which, When They OVERCOME, They Are Crowned, WITH Incorruption!”

Irenaeus, IN This Passage, Describes The Church, LEAVING The Sinful World, BEFORE The Tribulation! Note: His Use Of The Term “Caught Up” (aka HarpazoOR “The Raptura” OR “The Rapture”), Just As Paul Uses IT, IN 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

He Then Quotes, Matthew 24:21, Where The Lord Jesus Christ Says: “For THEN, Shall Be Great Tribulation, Such As, Was NOT, Since The Beginning Of The World, TO THIS TIME, NO NOR Ever Shall Be.” Therefore, In Irenaeus’ Belief, The Being Caught Up Together, Took Place, PRIOR, TO The End Times, Great Tribulation.

Cyprian (200-258)
Cyprian Was Bishop Of The Church, in Carthage. During His Short Stint As Leader Of The Church, He Guided The Flock, Through Intense Persecution, AT The Hands Of The Roman Empire. In 258 AD, After Spending Seven Months Of Confinement, To His Home, By Order Of Roman Authorities, He Was Beheaded For His Faith. Several Of His Works Still Exist Today.

In “Treatises Of Cyprian”, He Wrote, IN Describing The End Times, Great Tribulation:

We Who SEE That Terrible Things Have Begun, AND KNOW, That Still More Terrible Things, Are Imminent, May Regard IT, As The Greatest Advantage, To Depart From IT, As Quickly As Possible. Do YOU NOT Give GOD Thanks, Do YOU NOT Congratulate Yourself, That By An Early Departure, YOU Are TAKEN AWAY, And Delivered, FROM The Shipwrecks AND Disasters, That Are Imminent? Let Us Greet The Day, Which Assigns Each Of Us, TO His Own Home, Which SNATCHES Us, Hence, AND Sets Us FREE, FROM The Snares Of The World, AND Restores Us, TO Paradise AND The Kingdom.”

Again, We See Use Of Language, Commonly Found, IN Reference, TO The Being Caught Up Together, As Cyprian Describes, That Christians Will Have, AN “Early Departure” AND BE “Taken Away” AND BE “Delivered” From The Devastating Global Judgments, That Come During, The Day Of The Lord, While Still Reminding Us, The Day, Which “Snatches Us!”

Ephraim The Syrian (306-373)
Ephraim Was Made A Deacon, in The Church, in Syria, in 338, And Later Became The Bishop of Nisibis.

IN His Work, “On The Last Times 2,” He Wrote:

“Why Therefore, Do We NOT Reject, Every Care Of Earthly Actions, AND Prepare Ourselves, For The Meeting Of The Lord Christ, So That, HE May DRAW Us, FROM The Confusion, Which Overwhelms All The World?”

Or Do YOU NOT Believe, Unless YOU SEE, WITH Your Eyes? SEE TO IT, That THIS Sentence, Be NOT Fulfilled, Among YOU, Of The Prophet, Who Declares: “Woe TO Those Who Desire TO SEE, The Day Of The Lord!” For ALL The Saints AND Elect Of God, Are Gathered, PRIOR TO The Tribulation, That IS TO COME, AND Are TAKEN TO The Lord, Lest They SEE The Confusion, That IS TO Overwhelm The World, Because Of Our Sins.”

These Writings Of Ephraim, Very Clearly States, That The Saints AND Elect OF GOD (GOD Almighty), Meaning, ALL Believers (Pre-Tribulation Dead Believers AND Pre-Tribulation LIVING Believers), Will Be “Gathered” AND “TAKEN TO THE LORD (Jesus Christ),” BEFORE The Tribulation!

Fellow Believers, Yes, I Have Given YOU, Only Three Examples, BUT Clearly, Early Church Fathers, Beginning With Those Taught, By The Apostle John, Himself; Believed “The Being Caught Up Together” IS IMMINENT; AND WILL OCCUR, BEFORE The Tribulation! As Stated, IN Their Own Writings.


©Stan Arney (Simply, Follow Me™ Christian Ministries)
Matthew 13:16 "But BLESSED Are Your Eyes (Believers' Eyes), For They SEE, AND Your Ears (Believers' Ears), For They HEAR!" --- The Gospel OF Jesus Christ!


What Early Church Fathers Though About, "The Being Caught Up Together" (Video)

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