Joseph Emmanuel Mahabir's Blog

MEMBERS
QUICK MENU

Blog Categories

My Blog

My Profile

My Messenger

My Profile

Messenger

Mon, Apr 20th - 5:30PM

This study will enable you to detect unscriptural (false) teaching.

IS THERE SCRIPTURAL JUSTIFICATION FOR THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE?

Absolutely none! A number of scholars, authors, pastors and Bible Colleges teach the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. At this time, it is good to ask what will be the function of the temple?

Premillennialists are dogmatic about the rebuilding of the temple. Who are premillennialists? Premillennialists are those people who believe and teach that the second coming of our Lord will be followed by his earthly thousand - year (millennial) reign.

Dr. Charles F. Stanley wrote concerning the Antichrist. He will bring great persecution on Israel (Dan. 7: 25) and even establish a center of worship in the temple in Jerusalem (2 Thess. 2: 3 - 4) (p. 283 - Handbook For Christian Living).

There are two things wrong with Dr. Stanley's teaching, Firstly, Daniel 7: 25 does not refer to Israel. This is what that Scripture states: ... The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time and secondly, there will be no function for a temple.

The setting up of the Antichrist in God's temple (2 Thess. 2: 4) could be used symbolically with reference to Antiochus Epiphanes. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground (Dan. 8: 11 - 12).

Could the apostle Paul be saying that the Antichrist will be as despicable as Antiochus Epiphanes? After Antiochus Epiphanes conquered Jerusalem, he set himself up in the temple proclaiming himself to be equal to God. He abolished the daily sacrifice and erected an altar to a pagan god. History records that he sacrificed a sow on the altar. Judas Maccabeus retook Jerusalem and tore down the pagan altar. The temple was later rededicated.

"Antiochus 1V (Epiphanes), the king of Syria, captured Jerusalem in 167 BC and desecrated the Temple by offering the sacrifice of a pig on an altar to Zeus (the Abomination of Desolation). In seeking to prohibit Judaism and Hellenize the Jews, Antiochus forbade their religious practices and commanded that copies of the Law be burned, all of which is related by Josephus in the Antiquities of the Jews (XII.5.4)"

The apostle Peter writes concerning the apostle Paul : His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do other Scriptures, to their own destruction (2 Pet. 3: 16).
Is "he sets himself up in God's temple proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thess. 2: 4), one of the apostle's hard things to understand?

WHAT WAS THE FUNCTION OF THE TEMPLE UNDER THE FIRST COVENANT

W 1) A dwelling place for God on earth (between the cherubim on the ark of the covenant).
2) A place for meeting
3) A place for offering sacrifices
4) A place for worship
5) A place where the high priest met with God once a year to atone for his sins and the sins of the Jewish people
6) A place to hear the reading of the Scriptures

An earthly high priest was essential for atoning for his sins and the sins of the Jewish people under the first covenant. Under the new covenant, we do
not have high priests. Each born again believer confesses his or her sins to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives (1 John 1: 9 - 10).
Jesus is our heavenly high priest. " Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess" (Heb. 4: 14).
Under the new covenant, believers are God's temple. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you" (1 Cor. 3: 16).
Under the new covenant, we do not offer sacrifices. Our Lord Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice. UNDER THE NEW COVENANT WE OFFER A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING.

There will be no function for a future temple.

Under the new covenant, community of believers have buildings where they meet for worship and other purposes. A born again believer's body is
God's temple.

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you (1 Cor. 3: 16).

CopyrightⒸ 1985 by Rev. Joseph E. Mahabir (B.A Hons. (York University), M.Ed. (University of Toronto), Divinity M. A. (magna cum laude), (Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA).

"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright c 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."

Comment (0)

Mon, Apr 20th - 4:57PM

WHAT IS THE RAPTURE? WHEN WILL IT OCCUR?

THE RAPTURE

   What is the rapture? The rapture is:

  1) The gathering of people before Jesus (Matt. 25: 32).

   2) The gathering of people to Jesus (2 Thess. 2: 1).

  3) The catching up of people in the clouds to meet Jesus (1 Thess. 4: 17).

4) Appearing with Christ in glory (Col. 3: 4).

  5) The gathering of our Lord's elect (Matt. 24: 29 - 31).

  The word rapture is not found in the Scriptures. It is derived from the Latin verb "rapio" which is used in the Latin Bible. It means seize, snatch or catch up. Many books have been written about the rapture. Theories abound.

They are:

1) The pretribulation

2) The mid-tribulation

3) The pre-wrath

4) The post-tribulation (The last day, the end of the age)

    Of all the rapture theories, the pretribulation is the most popular. A number of Bible Colleges teach the theory and many ministries preach it. But, is it scriptural? Satan did not stop with Adam and Eve. Lies! lies! lies! The pretribulation, midtribulation and prewrath rapture theories are BIG LIES. The pretribulation theory had its origin in 1830. A woman, Margaret Mc Donald, in a church in Scotland pastored by Edward Irving, in an utterance claimed that there will be a "secret rapture of the church before the Great Tribulation." The concept was spread by John Darby, a pastor and author, and it was kept alive by the Scofield Reference Bible.

   Today, all over the globe, pastors, authors and Bible teachers feed believers with the BIG LIE of a pretribulation rapture by falsely referencing 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 - 17. These verses describe future activities but they do not state when they will occur. The apostle Peter informs us that there will be one future coming of our LORD and it will take place on the day of judgment (THE DAY OF THE LORD - THE DAY OF GOD), thus proving that the second coming and the coming down from heaven for the rapture are the same event (Matt. 25: 31 - 46; 1 Thess. 4: 16 - 17; 2 Pet. 3: 3 - 13).

     The apostle's teaching proves unequivocally that the pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation and the pre-wrath rapture theories are false. The pretribulation, mid-tribulation and pre-wrath rapture theories are not only unscriptural but also Satanic. They reject the teaching of our LORD and his apostles and that of Dr. Luke.

Scripture informs us unequivocally that there will be one resurrection of all the dead (Dan. 12: 2; John 5: 28 - 29; Acts 24: 15).

Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned (John 5: 28 - 29).

Since the rapture involves the resurrection, therefore the rapture will take place when the resurrection occurs.

When will the rapture happen? On the authority of the Word of God, the rapture will take place -

1) At the last day (John 6: 39). Jesus said: `And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

2) At the last trumpet ( 1 Cor. 15: 51 - 52). The apostle Paul stated: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
3) After the seventh angel sounds his trumpet. The seventh angel sounded his trumpet ... The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great - and for destroying those who destroy the earth (Rev. 11: 15, 18).
**4) At the end of the thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended (Rev. 20: 5).

  Dr. Luke informs us that our LORD must remain in heaven until the time when God will restore everything.

  "He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets" (Acts 3: 21).

     Since God will restore everything on the day of judgment by creating a new heaven and a new earth (2 Pet. 3: 13), therefore, our LORD will remain in heaven until the day of judgment. Thus making the second coming and the coming down from heaven for the rapture a single event (Matt. 25: 31, 1 Thess 4: 16 - 17).**

" ... Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22: 20).

  NOTE - (italic - mine) scriptural quotation  scriptural paraphrase

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK

http://blogs.christiansunite.com/mahabir

"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright c 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."

Copyright Ⓒ 1985 by Rev. Joseph E. Mahabir (B.A Hons. (York University), M.Ed. (University of Toronto), Divinity M. A. (magna cum laude, (Regent University, Virginia Beach,
VA).

Comment (0)

Back to Blog Main Page

About Me

Name: Joseph Emmanuel Mahabir
ChristiansUnite ID: hpesoj
Member Since: 2022-08-08
Location: TOORONTO, Canada
Denomination: CHILD OF GOD
About Me: My passion is to uphold the truth of God,s word.

April 2026