Deception
2 Thessalonians 2:3 – “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way.”
2 Timothy 3:13 – “But evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
1 John 3:7 – “Children, don’t let anyone deceive you.”
Numerous scriptures warn us not to be deceived. We are even not to think of ourselves as wise or clever (Isaiah 5:21, Proverbs 3:7, 1 Corinthians 3:18.
New Age Teachings
New Age and Occult movements teach the following. Here are a few examples:
1. New Age channelers say: “The people who leave the planet during the time of Earth changes do not fit in here any longer, and they are stopping the harmony of Earth.” Therefore, they have been taken by Angels, Ascended Masters, or Aliens!
2. The Aliens who come from Vulcan, Klingon, Cardassia, Romulus, or some other planet in the Universe are responsible for people disappearing from Planet Earth. Their spaceships will be able to beam them up via Star Trek Enterprise transporter technology.
3. Earth and humanity are evolving into a higher spiritual consciousness. Those who are hindering this evolutionary process will appear to vanish and will be taken elsewhere to evolve at their own rate.
4. People who are taken leave their clothes behind; autos, planes, and boats that are left unmanned will crash.
5. People who remain are in a dilemma as to what happened – but are the people who will advance into a higher spiritual consciousness.
We are not to be deceived by these teachings from evil men and seducers – they have been deceived and make every effort to deceive others. Can we say: Fake News?
Instant Disappearance Similarities
The most popular instant disappearance rapture paradigm is succinctly outlined in the Left Behind books written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, and portrays scenarios which many believe is biblically supported. Some of those beliefs are:
1. The Instant Disappearance Paradigm also says people who leave the planet during the rapture do not stay here any longer – they are taken by Yeshua and are not part of the left behind unbelieving masses.
2. The instant disappearance of people is a mystery – but only to those who do not belong to Yeshua. Various ways it may happen are suggested, including alien abduction, or some form of transporter technology.
3. The Instant Disappearance Paradigm says people who are raptured have been transformed by the renewal of the mind, able to discern what is the will of God, and therefore worthy to be raptured. They will be taken to heaven to be trained to rule with Yeshua when he returns to set up his millennial reign.
4. The Instant Disappearance Paradigm depicts raptured people who leave their clothes behind; autos, planes, and boats that are left unmanned crash; and folks left behind that are in a dilemma as to what happened.
5. The instant disappearance takes place because both earth and humanity are wearing out. Those who remain will be plugged into the internet of all things and be given eternal life via technology.
Not a whole lot different from the teaching of the evil men and seducers, is it? Can we say: Fake News?
Unbiblical Nonsense
Ezekiel 12:2 – “Human being, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes that can see, but they don’t take notice; and they have ears that can hear, but they don’t pay attention.”
1 Timothy 6:3-4 – “If anyone teaches differently and does not agree to the sound precepts of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah . . . he is swollen with conceit and understands nothing.”
You have heard it said that “Yeshua can return for his bride, he can come at any time, he could even come before you finish reading this sentence.” They also state that the rapture is “an instantaneous event that happens at the same time as the resurrection of the dead.”
But I say these statements are mere tickling of the ears, a misinterpretation by those who look at scripture through the lens whose name is Instant Gratification which exemplifies today’s expectation that everything must happen immediately. Instant disappearance in a resurrection or bodily rapture is not a fact – a witnessed resurrection and witnessed rapture is. One cannot find even a single Biblical verse or scripture that defines a resurrection which culminates in an instant disappearance of the person who has just been resurrected! Neither can one find a single Biblical verse or scripture that defines a bodily rapture from earth to the clouds as an instant disappearance.
As a matter of fact, one cannot find even one single Greek or Hebrew word that describes an instant disappearance! Scripture uses several Greek words for raise, rise, arise, or resurrect.
The primary words are: Egeiro[G1453], anistemi[G450] , and anastasis[G386]
• Egeiro is frequently used in many verses in Corinthians, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
• Paul uses a synonym, anistemi in Thessalonians.
• Both egeiro and anistemi indicate that the resurrected person then appears in public – they do not instantly disappear!
Other Greek words include anastasis and sunegeiro. A similar Hebrew word is quwm. All three words indicate a resurrection and return to community, not an instant disappearance.
Clearly, the statement that a resurrection from the dead “is an instant disappearance event” – is not at all accurate. Can we say: More Fake News? The word definitions say just the opposite – resurrection means a return to community, not an instant disappearance. Scripture presents an entirely different scenario from the “any ol’ time, instant disappearance” paradigm.
Conclusions
Matthew 15:8-9 – “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. Their worship of me is useless, because they teach man-made rules as if they were doctrines.”
The entire Instant Disappearance Paradigm is severely flawed – this scenario is NOT scriptural, but taken from fictional stories which have become Man-made Doctrines (Matthew 15:9). Instant disappearance is not a fact – a witnessed resurrection and witnessed rapture is. There are twelve witnessed resurrections, three witnessed bodily raptures, and multiple Greek and/or Hebrew words that describe these events as witnessed events – there is no such thing as an instant disappearance resurrection and/or rapture.
Bluntly put:
The Instant Disappearance Paradigm is a false teaching:
• Instant disappearance is not biblically supported. Fact Established.
• The Bible only, repeat ONLY, depicts resurrections and bodily raptures as witnessed events. Fact Established.
• There is not one single instance of a resurrected person just up and disappearing. Fact Established.
• Nor is there a single instance of a bodily raptured person just up and disappearing. Fact Established.
• The Bible does not even use one single Hebrew or Greek word that describes an instant disappearance! Fact Established.
• Scripture demands two or more witnesses to establish a fact – scripture gives us over a dozen. Fact Established.
In summary The Instant Disappearance Paradigm, which has been espoused for way too long, simply:
1. does not conform to the Ten Resurrections from the Dead Pattern
2. does not conform to the Three Resurrections from the Dead Pattern
3. does not conform to the Three-Fold Bodily Rapture Pattern of Advance Notice, Witnesses, and Horses
4. does not conform to the Exodus Pattern
5. does not conform to the Thessalonians Midrash Pattern
6. does not conform to the Jewish Wedding Pattern and
7. does not conform to the Moedim Pattern
Luke 8:17 – “For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nothing is covered up that will not be known and come out into the open.” (also see Job 12:22; Matthew 10:26; Mark 4:23; and Luke 12:2)
The world loves the Instant Disappearance Paradigm false teachings, deceptions, and lies. But Yahweh hates the false teachings, deceptions, and lies, and reveals the truth. Yeshua is about to return and so the false teachings, deceptions, and lies that are being perpetrated are being revealed for what they are – blatant untruths.
Yeshua is the way, the truth, and the life and the darkness must give way before him.
Final Thought for 2024
Time is short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon. So, what are we to do while we wait for our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, to appear?
Watch And Be Ready: Matthew 24:42, 25:13; Mark 13:33; Luke 12:40, 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Pray And Be Ready: Luke 12:40, 21:36; Matthew 24:42, 25:13; Mark 13:33; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Purify Oneself: 1 John 3:2-3
Abide In Yeshua: 1 John 2:27-28, 3:2, 4:13-16; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:11; Mark 8:38
Look For His Coming: Hebrews 9:28;Acts 1:11; Titus 2:11-13; Isaiah 25:9
Rapture Parallels, Patterns, Pictures, and Types 