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Comment List
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REPLYING TO YOUR COMMENT
The Dispensational teaching is that the church will be raptured before the commencement of the Tribulation and 144,000 Jewish believers will replace the witness of the church.
After the rapture there will be no believers on the earth. Who will preach the gospel for the 144,000 Jewish people to be saved?
If the twelve tribes are literal what about the tribe of Dan which is missing?
Please answer my questions directly.
2008-11-03 15:55:28 Posted by JOseph E. Mahabir (Rev.) ()
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Joseph,
As I have pointed out previously, I do not claim to adhere to the strict dispensational teaching. "Rapture" was probably coined first by John Darby back in the 19th century and he was a premillennialist. Premillennialism is the most logical position to take based upon scripture. To try and deny that a Kingdom will exist on earth at all means to deny scripture. To try and believe that Christ will not return until after the Kingdom has existed on earth means to deny scripture.
You ask who will preach the gospel for the 144,000 Jewish people to be saved? The church will have preached the Word of Truth to them already. These Jews are spoken of in Revelation 7:3-8 and as far as I know the saints of God have not been "caught up." I think that scripture tells us that the "catching up" of the saints happens the same day that Christ sets foot upon the earth again. It could be that they are caught up to be with Christ in the air as He gloriously appears in the clouds in the morning and then later in the day He makes footfall on the ground. Scripture is unclear as to those details. But it is consistent with what we are told in scripture. But at any rate, believers are still on earth when the Jews are sealed from out of the tribes. If not the saints of Christ, then I would say these 144,000 are sealed and then receive the truth from God's two Witnesses who give testimony for 3.5 years.
Without access to my notes I have to say from memory that Dan was replaced by another tribe for twelve tribes are listed. I will have to get back to you for a more specific response than that.
2008-11-04 13:01:38 Posted by Eric ()
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Joseph,
Your question about why Dan is left out of the list of tribes is a good one. It is not the only one not mentioned in Revelation 7. Ephraim is not mentioned in this list of tribes but the name of Joseph his father is given instead. The Bible does not give a direct reason for this, nor does it give a direct reason for Dan being left out either. Perhaps Dan's omission is owed to what is said back in Genesis 49:17, or this tribe is omitted due to their having been one of the first tribes to go into idolatry (Deuteronomy 29:18-21).
But perhaps it simply goes back to the simple fact that Jacob had 13 sons and one is always being omitted at some place in Scripture; usually it is Levi being omitted. Dan and Ephraim are left out here but Dan is listed first in the future distribution of the land (Ezekiel 48:2).
Peace and grace in Christ.
2008-11-05 12:48:18 Posted by Eric ()
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