One Wonders????

Smith Wigglesworth didn't die of any type of disease and he also lead many souls to salvation, multitudes were healed, and several raised from the dead.

Seems to me like we need more enlightenment from the Lord!

rbanks....Smith Wigglesworth didn't die of any type of disease and he also lead many souls to salvation, multitudes were healed, and several raised from the dead.

Seems to me like we need more enlightenment from the Lord!

Smith Wigglesworth raised folks from the dead? was one a young child named Benny Hinn? :)

No I think it was a lady name K.K that raised up Benny.

bearmaster
I often wonder the same in regards to David Wilkerson and how he died.

Men such as Art Katz and Denny Kenniston have warned the Western church of upcoming persecution. And of course nobody believes them, for the most part. I mean, come on, persecution? Surely we are immune to that. We will be beamed out in a pretrib rapture or be diverted from persecution.

Soooo. Can somebody please explain to me why Art Katz dies of a mysterious disease and Denny Keniston has brain cancer? Can't be the work of the devil? I mean dare we believe that Satan would cone against these brothers for trying to wake up the Western church to impending persecution?

Many of us "regular" folks have been warning the Church for over 30 years about persecution and judgement, too. Not everyone gets a disease.

The thing about life with Christ is that each relationship is intensely personal. We do not know why these men have contracted their disease. It could be a testing, it could be chastisement, it could be that they gave ground to the enemy. We don't know and therefore should not speculate or try to find out. One thing is certain, they need prayer (except Art).

The Enemy has always tried to get permission to come against the Lord's people. Sometimes he gets it, but only as directed by the Lord (testings). However, if we come out from underneath our Head (Jesus) and open ourselves up to Satan's attacks, then he needs no permission as our disobedience is an open invitation to him. "Do not give place to the Devil."

I do note that in your OP, you are using sarcasm to really bring the spotlight on the belief that the Rapture will "rescue" the Church from persecution. Well, actually most of the Church in the World is undergoing persecution/tribulation right now, so it won't rescue them, but Americans seem to think it will rescue them.

I read today, where Putin says Syria has become a serious issue. I guess the Rapture better happen soon if we are to escape persecution.

Interestingly, the Lord promised us tribulation, but not His wrath, saying that we are not "Children of Wrath".

"...in the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer."

Pilgrim

Pilgrim, believing in a rapture before "the great tribulation" does not mean one believes that he will not be persecuted or have to go through much tribulation.

I personally believe that their will be a people who live holy and pleasing to the Lord that will escape "the great tribulation" whenever that is, I don't know. There have been and will continue to be Christians going through much tribulation and many will experience severe persecution, even more ahead of us.

I don't have a problem with which way anybody wants to believe it as long as they understand that they need to be filled with God and living a godly life to be prepared to endure any suffering for Jesus sake looking for His appearing not knowing the day nor the hour our Lord may come. Be ye also ready for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh.

Hi rbanks,
I agree with your comments.
Their is a belief of post tribulation believers that they are saving the church from heresy but without taking into account that many good preachers believe in a pre trib or mid trib rapture.The west may enter persecution but it is by no means a certainty.Also you can be persecuted and still be raptured pre trib.Persecution and the great tribulation are two different things.Persecution and Judgement are different things as well,
Look what the passage Jesus gives us in Luke-Just before the son of man is revealed the world will be eating drinking,selling etc everything in the world will be normal(although the church could be in persecution).
Jesus paints a clear picture that just prior to judgement from God that the world will be all systems as normal(a world not in tribulation but perhaps a church in persecution).
We should not mix up persecution or tribulation for that matter with the "Great Tribulation".

24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 "It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

Yours Staff

Bless you brother Staff! The way some post tribbers act reminds me of 2 incidents the Lord mentioned in the gospels. I will list them.

Matthew 20:8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

John 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

Isn’t the Lord awesome, I tell you I just want to follow Him and Love him with all my being? Oh I want to try and get as close as I can to Him and be filled with His fullness and to love Him supremely, believing He is a good God and delights to give good things to His children who walk uprightly before Him. He is so awesome, so mighty and so lovely. We should be praising him for his goodness all the time. Expecting good things from the Lord all the time even in the valley God is good. He is so good we just don’t know how good but we can’t praise him enough. Thank God we can get His grace instead of what we deserve for all the times we didn’t see how good He really is, and when we are afraid let’s flee to the Lord’s great love for us and trust in Him.

Blessings to all!