Jun 15, 20216 min read

ESCAPISM OF THE RAPTURE VS. WALKING LIKE ENOCH

Did you know that there is no Biblical Pattern for the entire “Church” being raptured?

Because the rapture theory… Yes, I said, “theory”… Because the rapture theory currently taught by most of Christianity is an educated guess. It is not Scriptural the way we have been taught it, for two reasons: [1] Only two people were taken by God to heaven before they died – Elijah and Enoch – not their families, nor their tribes, nor their nation. Just them, because of their walk with God pleased Him. [2] The rapture theory is escapism, which bypasses people’s need to be fully transformed into the Messiah’s image on earth.

It is super significant that there are only two instances in Scripture where God took a human to be with Him before they died: Enoch and Elijah.

Most everyone knows the wonderful story of Elijah being taking up to heaven in a chariot of fire (II Kings 2:11). Please study this for yourself.

Most everyone also knows of the incredible and mysterious story of Enoch’s walk pleasing God so much that he was supernaturally taken by God from among the people-group of The Flood: “So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:23-24 NKJV). “He answered, ‘Because I am Enoch the son of Jared. When the people-group of the flood sinned and did confuse things, they said to Yahweh, ‘Leave us, we don’t want to know about you,’ then the Sacred One – may He be blessed – removed me from them to be a witness against them in the high heavens to all the inhabitants of earth, so that they wouldn’t say, ‘The Merciful One is cruel.’” (III Enoch 4 Excerpt). I go into much detail about this in STM’s “Enoch Walker’s Transformation” video => https://youtu.be/qEmmMjnz1Wc.

These two men, who were taken by God before they died, had lived sold-out lives. They endeavored to please the Lord at all times: “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:5-6 NKJV).

Then we have the escaptology of the rapture. There is no escapism in Scripture that I can find, which allows God’s people to avoid their need to be fully transformed into the Messiah’s image on earth. If you study the modern theory (i.e., doctrine) of the rapture, you will discover that it was literally made up in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby after Miss Margaret McDonald had some visions where she saw Jesus Christ appearing in two stages during His second coming. This means that the “rapture” theory is not even two-hundred years old. Personally, I believe that Miss MacDonald’s visions were accurate, but not their interpretation. When I say that I disagree with the escaptology rapture theory, I am not eliminating the possibility (probability) of people being refined into the image of Christ and being taken by God like Enoch.

Most people who believe in the rapture believe that it includes everyone who has accepted Messiah Yeshua as Lord and Savior… no matter how these people have lived their lives and if their lives please God, or not. The “rapture” does not take into account His people need to press toward the goal of the upward call in Christ Jesus to abound in the work of the Lord in order to be formed into His image. Therefore, this does not fit the pattern for the two people who were taken by God to heaven before they died. The ultimate cost to the upward call of God in Christ Jesus is counting all things in this material world as loss to gain oneness with Messiah Yeshua.

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. … For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:8-15,20-21 NKJV).

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (I Corinthians 3:17-18 NKJV).

“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:46-58 NKJV).

The reason I keep coming back to this subject is that if the rapture does not happen how most Christians think it will, most will be distraught and disheartened, even suicidal. May it never be. Escapism is not the answer. Engagement is. We all need to have the heart and mind to carry on to the utmost for His highest. Not only does the world need Christ in you, the hope of glory (the harvest is ripe); but you need to be faithful to allow the Lord to form you into His own image. How do we do this? The simplest formula that I have come up with for my own life is first love and serve God; and then, love and serve all humanity. Choose to be humble and teachable every day; and seek to do the perfect will of the Father, like Yeshua did (John 5:19).

Give em heaven!!!

Robin Main

www.sapphirethroneministries.com www.santa-tizing.com www.mysticmentoring.com

Written June 14, 2021 – Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main. Copyrighted – If you are going to copy this, please copy it right by giving attributions to this source. Blessings!

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ESCAPISM OF THE RAPTURE VS. WALKING LIKE ENOCH

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