Month: February 2026

04
Feb
2026
1 Thess 4:17 – Is the “rapture” found in the Bible?

1 Thess 4:17 – Is the “rapture” found in the Bible?

Is the term “rapture” found in the Bible?

Yes and no. It is not found in the English translation of the Bible (KJV), but it is derived from a Latin verb (rapere, to snatch, seize) which was used in the Latin Bible to translate the Greek verb “caught up” (harpaz) in 1 Thessalonians 4:17– “Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP [raptured] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” It is very interesting to see how this verb “caught up” is used in the New Testament. Study the following verses: Acts 8:39 (“caught away”), 2 Corinthians 12:2,4 (“caught up”), Revelation 12:5 (“caught up”); John 10:28-29 (“pluck out of”), etc.

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
03
Feb
2026
1 Thess 4:14-16 – Did Paul Make a Mistake Regarding the Resurrection?

1 Thess 4:14-16 – Did Paul Make a Mistake Regarding the Resurrection?

Problem: Near the close of his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, the apostle Paul addressed the subject of Christ’s Second Coming. He indicated that “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God” (4:16). The Christians in Thessalonica were not to be concerned with what would happen to Christians who had passed from this life prior to Jesus’ return. Departed Christians were not going to miss the Second Coming; God would take care of them. Paul noted that those “who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep” (vs. 15). “[T]he dead in Christ will rise first” (vs. 16). Some have asked, however, if 1 Thessalonians 4:16 contradicts what Paul wrote just two verses previously where he indicated that “God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (vs. 14). How can those who will be the first to rise also be brought with Jesus? Did Paul make a blunder?

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty, Bible Study, Bible Teaching
02
Feb
2026
Eternal Life

Eternal Life

These lessons are designed to be easily used for personal Bible Study or as a guide for group Bible Studies. Each of the lessons will include a set of discussion questions at the end of the lesson, which can be used either privately for introspection or in a group setting as provocative discussion builders.

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Study
01
Feb
2026
Can God Use Rock Music?

Can God Use Rock Music?

Introduction

This is a hard article for me to write, mainly because I’m afraid people will think that my opinions would have to be prejudiced by the fact that I am involved in (what has come to be known as) “contemporary Christian music.” As you might guess, the title of this article is no new question to me. Since I myself have been somewhat “guilty” of using the medium of rock, I have heard just about every opinion about it – and have received no limit of warning, exhortation, and outright rebuke from many a well-meaning soul. Since I take my negative mail very seriously – always reading each negative and corrective letter as a possible word or warning from God – I have had to listen closely to each argument – praying and thinking the whole thing through with eternal values in mind.

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Posted by petra1000 in Apologetics, Bible Teaching, Music