The word rapture is from the Latin word rapturus and it means, “caught up”
Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. [1 Thes 4:17]
I agree! That is why I am OK with the word rapture even though it is not in the Bible. However, I am not OK with your church’s interpretation, simply because it’s NOT in line with what the C.C. teaches vis-a-vis the end time scenario. If the C.C., born on Pentecost, (if not the C.C. then which church?) --has failed to teach accurately, regarding all that Jesus commanded, then the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus to be with His church forever, has failed to guide and teach Jesus’ One church, into all truth regarding all that Jesus commanded. Individuals comprising His One church can and do err, but when it comes to the deposit of faith, the college of sinful, fallible church teachers cannot, thanks to the Infallible “teaching” and “guidance,” As per the inerrant word of God.
Again, why does your church embrace a word that is not found in your bible, even though it identifies the end time scenario, albeit quite differently than the C.C. --all the while rejecting the priesthood, simply because the words presbyter and bishop are used in lieu of hiereus, to identify the N.T. priesthood? They do exactly as Christ did 2000 years ago, when He said: do this in remembrance of me. When the minister takes the bread, breaks it and blesses it, at which point the Holy Spirit transforms the bread into Jesus Mystical Body, and re-presents that one sacrifice offered up by Christ to the Father, the minister is performing his priestly duty, just as Christ did as the High Priest, at the last supper.
Jesus took a loaf of bread, gave thanks, broke it in pieces, blessed it and handed it to them, saying, take this and eat it. This is my body which is given for you. Keep on doing this in memory of me.
The presbyter/bishops follow suit, by obeying Jesus’ command, just as the apostles and their successors did, by taking the bread giving thanks and breaking it into pieces, blessing it and handing it to assembly of brothers and sisters in Christ, saying, take this and eat it. This is Christ’s body which is given up for you, thereby participating in Christ’s priestly function; without the priest, who must truly believe that the bread becomes the body of Christ, in order to administer his priestly duties, the re-presentation of that one sacrifice, is impossible!
As opposed to the O.T. priests who offered up sacrifices which were vicarious, in the N.T. Christ is the only Priest Who offered Himself up, once and for all, and told His chosen ambassadors to continue to take a loaf of bread –continue to give thanks –continue to break it in pieces –continue to bless it –continue to hand it to them –continue to say: take this and eat it. This is My (Christ’s) --Body, which is given for you.
Ministerial priests operate in Christ, the Head of the church, when they do as He commanded; ministerial priests decrease as Jesus, the High Priest increases; when the minister administers his priestly function, via the words of consecration, we ultimately see just one Priest on the alter, the High Priest, Jesus Christ, Who is working through His chosen instrument, the ministerial priest, by re-presenting, in mere bread and wine, His flesh and blood, through the power of the Holy Spirit --and by eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood, spiritually speaking, we bind our sacrifices to His One Sacrifice that was offered up once and for all, 2000 years ago, which is given up for all, at every Mass. Clearly it’s not a physical re-sacrifice, as it was 2000 years ago, because Jesus is no longer physically present, to physically die on the cross again; it’s a re-presentation of the one Sacrifice that is offered up at every Mass. The presbyters and bishops are simply doing what they were told to do…as the Apostles were told to do, in perpetuity, by Jesus, when He said: do this in remembrance of me.
Russ, Jesus shepherds His flock through the ministerial shepherds, just as He does in the protestant communities; He teaches, through His chosen ministerial shepherds, both Catholic and Protestant, who, acting as mediators, were/are told to teach to the world, all that He commanded; you and I understand Christ via the teachings of our ministerial ministers/pastors, at our respective churches; who is to be believed?
The ministerial shepherd of the C.C. and the E.O.C. have another function however, a priestly function, as per the Holy Bible, not administered by the ministerial shepherds amongst the divided protestant communities, because of their symbolic interpretation, and this was done by Jesus One church since Pentecost –right or wrong? Sacramentally speaking, these ordained ministerial shepherds are mediators in another capacity; they are the channel by which all can partake of the Eucharist…access to the One High Priest, again, sacramentally speaking, Who transforms the bread into His Body, for us to eat, and without this ministerial priest, we would not be able to eat this transformed bread; it would simply be bread, as you proffer, that some how, becomes a symbol of Christ’s Flesh, upon the blessing. How does eating mere bread and drinking mere wine, after the words of consecration, symbolically point to the cross? Bread in no way is a symbol of flesh; wine in no way is a symbol of blood! When you take a sip of wine, does blood pop into your mind?
The simple fact remains: the ministerial shepherds, both Protestant and Catholic, represent Christ, here on earth, just as the Apostles and their successors did when they were told: as the Father has sent me into the world, so I send you…to teach all that I have commanded; the ministerial shepherds belonging to the C.C. represent Christ, here on earth, just as the Apostles and their successors did, when they were told to do this in remembrance of me…by doing exactly as Jesus did, at the last supper, they administer their priestly duties…they participate, as loyal servants in Jesus’ One and only High Priesthood when they utter the same words uttered by Jesus, thereby commemorating the last supper, just as all Christians participate, as loyal servants in Jesus’ One and only High Priesthood when they offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
continued…
The power of reconciliation… the power that was passed down to the current Pope and the college of Bishops, in an unbroken line of succession, to teach and preach all that Jesus commanded is still there, and will remain there as long as the H.S. continues to “teach” and “guide” Jesus’ established church circa 33 AD. The power to perform miracles ended with the Apostolic Age,as per the bible.
I guess were gonna have to just trust that their successors through every century, right up until today, are still doing as they did considering the fact that Jesus said: