Yahweh's nature between the Tanakh and B'rit Chadashah (try using that one if you love Hebrew!) never changed. Yahweh was as gentle during the ages of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, David, et al, as He was during the Apostles. Forgiveness was always there for those who repented. Yeshua didn't usher that in. All Yeshua did was correct teachings that went astray, reach out to "the lost sheep of Israel", and fulfill the price of sin.But there is one thing I would like to point out. You mention the pattern of God. In some cases I would say that yes, a pattern can be seen, but I would also say no to other parts of His qualities. For instance, throughout the OT God seems much more wrathful and punishing than in the NT. I know that this is because the Holy Lamb was slain and God's wrath was satisfied, but it's still an example of how the pattern changed. Likewise, I wouldn't make everything a pattern, because the nature of God is one that we as fallible humans simply can't understand.
Oh, sure, drag me into this.I don't really have a dog in this fight, but IIRC, the rapture is a fairly new bit of theology. I think it came up around the 1800's, and it could be even younger (somebody correct me on this if I'm wrong). I know most (maybe almost all?) Catholics don't buy into the rapture doctrine. If I'm not mistaken, Mormons don't either (ArcticFox? Sstavix?)
According to the Book of Moses, this is actually what happened to the City of Enoch. However, it wasn't because God wanted to protect the citizens from fire, but because every single person in the city was so impossibly good that the entire city was "translated," or taken directly to heaven (or more precisely, the terrestrial kingdom).... Great calamity is coming to the world and those who accept Christ will be spared the worst of it by being supernaturally removed from the planet.
Now, tell me, where else in Scripture did Yahweh ever do that for His people? He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and we can have faith in His actions because His actions are consistent and establish a pattern we can look back at and identify.
I would say this example is outside of the pattern I was referring to. While I don't accept it as reliable (sorry, I'm not a Mormon) I would say it does find a parallel in the Prophet Enoch and his translation into heaven.According to the Book of Moses, this is actually what happened to the City of Enoch. However, it wasn't because God wanted to protect the citizens from fire, but because every single person in the city was so impossibly good that the entire city was "translated," or taken directly to heaven (or more precisely, the terrestrial kingdom).
But look at your very own examples, they defeat the idea of a pre-Tribulation rapture. Yahweh saved His children, yes, but He didn't teleport them from location A to location B. Lot had to be physically escorted from his home by angels. Israel (Judah is not the totality of the nation of Israel) had to physically walk out of captivity in Egypt under Yahweh's protection.God gives fair warning on impending judgement, look at Jonah and Nineveh, in the end the town repented and was spared.
God spared Noah and his family from the flood and Lot's family (minus his wife being turned into a pillar of salt) from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God also spared the jews from the final plague in Egypt. he does look after those who believe in Him.
I personally learn towards rapture given God's grace on His children in the past.
This, right here, is the problem with any religious discussion: That reason and scripture must be in opposition. I find that position to be absurd. Proper understanding of Scripture requires reason.In the end he said I relied too much on reason, and not enough on Scripture, to prove my point
Wise words.This, right here, is the problem with any religious discussion: That reason and scripture must be in opposition. I find that position to be absurd. Proper understanding of Scripture requires reason.In the end he said I relied too much on reason, and not enough on Scripture, to prove my point
God gave us all brains. Too few of us use them.
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