©
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1999
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The Rapture
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An End and a Beginning
Limited understanding of Time
In debating the nature and
timing of the "Rapture" much heat and very little light is being generated by this
controversy. This controversy arises primarily because we humans really have an extremely limited view of
God, the Lord of Time and Space. Our limited view of time is a root
cause of our misunderstanding of much
of the scripture, especially prophecy.
• Time
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a physical property
Science has shown that time, space, matter and energy all interact in complex, still only partially understood
ways. Einstein and others discovered
that time is a physical property of the universe that came into being
simultaneously with space, matter and energy. The properties of time
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space are in turn affected by what the
space contains. Time is affected by acceleration and motion.
• God "sees" all
time all together
We view time as a linear progression of events, from what we call past to the present and future. We are like
a person standing at a street corner watching (for example) the Rose Parade in Pasadena CA. We can’t see
and don’t know what is
to come around the corner (future) until it gets in front of us (present) and when
the float or marching band or whatever has passed, we only have a memory or perhaps a photograph (past).
God however is like someone in the overhead blimp or aircraft, he s
ees the whole parade all together, even
before the various units join the parade route. He sees all time from eternity to eternity because He is the
great "I AM".
This event which theologians have called "Rapture" causes much argument as to its timing and
nature
because of our linear time thinking.
• We shall be like Him
John tells us in 1John 3:2
Now how and when will these "sons of God" be like Jesus and when shall we see Him as He is?
Answer: "When He shall appear"
Now "when" is a time word, which we ignorantly assume to be only a specific linear time event according to
our exceeding
ly limited view of time.
• Believers are multi
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dimensional
Even at the "moment in time" you are reading this, you if you are a believer in Jesus, are living in at least
two time dimensions. In our physical, presently mortal bodies we live in the earthly
linear time dimension as
measured by clocks and calendars, but God, who is eternal sees us in the Spirit
right
now
in eternity with
Him. He says "raised us up"
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(past tense)
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and seated us (Present tense) where?
In this present we wait (future tense) for Jesus to re
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enter our space
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time dimension and be the supreme
Governor of this Earth. Then at last the prayer
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thy will be done on earth
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will be fully answered. The