The Rapture--God's Next Prophetic Event
Dr. Jack Van Impe
Index Page
Read this important message before you start:
In today's "church" it's difficult to find Christian leaders that obey God's command to preach
the entire New Testament Gospel, which includes the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ. In the past
we resisted the idea of providing articles written by other ministers on these topics because they contained
elements of what Saint Paul called, "a perverted gospel" (Gal. 1:6-7). These characteristics are found in nearly all modern teachings about end-time events. The kind of "gospel" that Paul condemned is simply one that adds the works and deeds of the Old Testament Mosaic Law to the New Testament "gift of eternal life" (Read Acts 15). It mixes Grace (the unmerited favor of God) with the "performance requirements" of Old Testament Law. These two systems of belief cannot be mixed because they represent two opposing spiritual objectives, which is the reason Paul used the word "perverted" to describe it. As a result of this popular "gospel" (which is not really "a gospel"), most teaching about the departure of the Church is also perverted into something commonly called "partial rapture theology". It teaches that the rapture is a reward for Christian service--something reserved for only the most committed and devoted followers of Christ who tirelessly work toward a "sinless" life. This belief suggests that most Christians are “left behind” in order to be “purified” through the sufferings of the Tribulation period. Many teachers of partial rapture theology describe this kind of religious devotion as "perfection" or holiness. There are other similar doctrines connected to the "perverted gospel"--such as post-tribulationalism and pre-wrath teachings. All these beliefs carry the similar notion that most (if not all) Christians who fail to “meet certain religious standards of perfection and performance” will experience God's wrath during the horrific Tribulation period--and many will die in this process of "purification". The perverted gospel that Paul warned us about continues to cause massive confusion and fear among Christian believers today.
The New Testament Gospel of Christ tells a totally different story according to Dr. Van Impe—and we agree with his conclusions. Christ's new covenant clearly teaches that our salvation is given as a "free gift" and is never dependent upon personal merit. The rapture represents the completion of this "gift of God" to the believer by changing their bodies from a mortal to an immortal state. God freely gives us something of incredible value in response to our faith in Christ because it's already "paid in full" by the blood of Christ. For that reason, God will never demand that we "pay for it a second time." To do so would make Christ's blood shed on our behalf, meaningless. Diminishing the cleansing power of Christ's blood is the hidden sin behind partial rapture theology.
Teachings about end-time events are made available on this website because they confront common misinformation and myths taught by popular Christian leaders about the soon-to-occur rapture of the Church. Dr. Van Impe exposes the popular "partial rapture" teaching, which continues to generate fear among millions of believers that they will be "left behind" because God judged their devotion to Christ as "inadequate". If you are one of the many victims of this dangerous theology, we hope these articles will set you free and increase your confidence in Christ our Redeemer.
At Rock of Offence, we believe that these articles are crucial to the spiritual health of believers living in the last days.
Important Note: The inclusion of Dr. Van Impe's writings on this website should not be understood as an endorsement of every thing taught by his ministry.
God's Next Prophetic Event
The Pre-tribulational Rapture
The Pre-wrath Rapture Theory
Could There Be a "Partial" Rapture?
Our Blessed Hope--The Return of Christ
Russia's Future Invasion Of Israel
The Rebuilding Of The Jerusalem Temple
These articles are taken from Dr. Van Impe's
monthly email newsletters. To access
the actual articles at the JVMI website click
the link below and locate the correct date.
All 2007 JVMI Newsletters
God's Next Prophetic Event--October 15
The Pre-tribulational Rapture--November 5
The Prewrath Rapture Theory--November 26
Could There Be a "Partial" Rapture?--December 12
Our Blessed Hope--The Return of Christ--December 17
Russia's Future Invasion Of Israel--January 22, 2008
The Rebuilding Of The Jerusalem Temple--March 3, 2008
The Information On This Page Is From JVMI
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,
any copyrighted work in this message is distributed
under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit
research and educational purposes only.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
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