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Post by morningstar on Apr 12, 2014 2:14:40 GMT
This will be a fun thread...I know many of us at one time or another have had a Rapture Scare, where you think the Rapture has happened due to some circumstances at the moment and were left behind.
Now, come on and be honest everyone, and share your Rapture scares.
The reason this idea came to me was just a little while ago, my grandson texted me from his friends house, I couldn't figure out what he meant on his first text, so being a smart aleck I answered him back.
this is how it went:
GS..."Are you still there"
Me...No, I've been Raptured...Why?
GS...because I was doing a backflip and when I came up..there were these little sparkles all going up into the clouds, I thought it was the Rapture and I was left behind...glad your there.
Gs...Maybe I had a vision...
Me..Well, I hate to tell you this but, I am texting you from heaven.
GS..ha, ha..Grandma..not cool...
Me..The person you are trying to reach is out of area and off this planet..
GS...That is not funny Grandma...
Me..Just having fun with you, get some spiritual humor... tell me all about it when you get home...
I thought it was so funny, but I guess he really got shook up....
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Post by elizabeth on Apr 12, 2014 3:27:25 GMT
Morningstar, honestly I've never had a rapture scare and I hope I never do have one. I think it's lovely that you have family you'll be raptured with.
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Post by Benjamin on Apr 12, 2014 3:42:36 GMT
Rapture and scare don't usually go in the same sentence for me.
I can't say I've had a moment where I thought I'd been left behind - though I've had moments where I felt like the Rapture was so close that I could reach out and touch it.
Doug Hamp has an interesting series of DVDs where he talks about everything from the Rapture to the 2nd Coming. In those DVDs he talks a little bit about the "veil" between heaven and earth. Isaiah says:
...and Doug Hamp takes that quite literally. He goes into depth on numerous passages talking about the veil between heaven and earth, and the fact that the veil is what prevents us from really seeing what is beyond this dimension.
One of the reasons I find that so interesting is because I've always been interested in Celtic mythology.
They had a very similar teaching; in fact, they believed that there were places where the veil between world was "thin". These transitional places, like where the water meets the shore, or times, like when the sun meets the horizon, were sacred to them. They believed in the "time between times", where heaven and earth stood still, for just a brief moment, and the veil between the two was so fragile, so thin, that you could almost see Beyond.
Now, I'm not suggesting that the Celts had it right - but I think the Bible does... and I think that there are times where God allows that veil to thin somewhat; to allow us to see beyond the first and second heaven and taste, however briefly, the things of heaven.
Did your grandson see that, or did he simply bonk his head? Who knows... but it's an interesting discussion nonetheless!
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Post by morningstar on Apr 12, 2014 4:15:05 GMT
That's it...I'm moving to Jasperdales house...with pipes sounding like trumpets, refrigerators howling and Shofar's blowing..going to call it "Jasperdales Rapture Prep House"..we can all go there and practice...LOL... That was a great one Jasp.!!!
Benjamin...I think he bonked his head..we'll see. That is a very interesting theory Doug Hemp has...I wonder.
And quit taking notes on me...LOL!!!
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Post by LS on Apr 12, 2014 4:54:25 GMT
Wonderful story, Morningstar! It sounds like you have a great relationship with your grandson  As for me, I've never had a rapture scare (now watch, I'll have a nightmare of being left behind tonight), but I probably don't think of the rapture as much as everyone else here. Then why am I a member on Raptureforum.net? For the fellowship ... I like the people here |
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Post by shiloh on Apr 12, 2014 6:06:11 GMT
Oh, that is so funny, you guys!
I told mine before, but I remember one my husband had. I had fallen asleep. I got up, it was night. I am a real tea drinker and I made some tea. I figured I'd take the garbage out to the bin because that day was garbage day. I shut the door behind me so the cats couldn't try to escape. They're always trying to sneak past me. It was around 2 a.m. and here, one of my neighbors happened to be out at the same time. Her and me both had our robes on. We waved across the street and I went over to talk to her for a few minutes.
During that brief amount of time, my husband woke up and saw a hot cup of steaming tea on the kitchen table. I was nowhere to be found. I came back about 10 minutes later and you should have seen his face. Sheer panic had set in. He goes, "OH! I thought you got raptured because I saw your tea still steaming in the cup and was calling for you and couldn't find you!" Plus, I'm not the type to go out in my robe. If I would have known that, I would have quietly changed and sat my empty pajamas and robe in a chair and arranged them by my steaming tea...lol. Nah, that would have been cruel.
I still laugh about that.
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jasperdale
Numbers' Donkey
not even slightly dead
Posts: 136 
Favourite Verse: John 4:14
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Post by jasperdale on Apr 12, 2014 8:58:48 GMT
however........dear brothers and sisters.......i truly believe that when "the moment" actually happens, we may have the most hilarious stories to share as we sit down in the New Jerusalem. i am so thankful that our precious Lord has a sense of humor. the whole "rapture scenario" is SO crazy and SO off the wall, that only God could have thought up such a wild sensational way to take His children home.
when you actually do the numbers, the odds are that most of us will probably be in bed when the Lord returns. (at least folks like me who love to sleep in on a rainy day). now, i have no Scriptural basis to back this up, but am of the belief that one of the angels that watch over us is going to scoop up our precious cat "Andy" and carry him to await us when we finally reach our eternal home.
i can't wait to meet all of you. that's the amazing thing about eternity. because time as we know it won't exist, it will be easy for each of us to get to know personally every single other believer who has ever walked the face of the earth. we will chat with so many people from so many different cultures. we will dance and sing and learn all sorts of songs in different languages. there will ALWAYS be enough time to do what we want to do. there will never be another alarm bell telling us that our time is up.
oh, please, Lord Jesus........maranatha.......come and take us home!
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Post by shiloh on Apr 12, 2014 9:25:03 GMT
That's strange you said that, Jasp. I've always imagined sleeping too when it happens. I think one second we'll be here and the next second with the Lord.
I believe our animals will go with us. I asked the Lord for that. However, I have this impression at times that I will be seeing 2 of my cats in heaven and the other 2 shall be thrown into the outer darkness...lol...just kidding.
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Becka
Numbers' Donkey
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Post by Becka on Apr 12, 2014 16:49:23 GMT
I had one in 2011. It was summer, in the evening. On summer nights in northern Oregon, the sun doesn't set until around 9pm and it doesn't get really dark until about 10:30-11pm. It was about 8:30pm with cloud cover, and I knew the sun was setting in the west, but in the middle of the sky was this bright light. The neighborhood was lit up with this light, which I can only describe as sepia toned. Everything was this tan color, it was the oddest thing. I went outside and noticed an "indentation" in the clouds where the light was coming from. And the light was really bright in the clouds. The longer I stared at it, the more my vision did that "telescoping" thing, like in movies, where the world falls away and the only thing you see is this light in the clouds. It was as if my whole being was focused on that point and somehow I *knew* I was going to see Jesus any moment. I don't know how to describe it, my spirit just knew. And that brought out this deep fear in me. A weighty kind of fear I'd never felt before. It was "deer in the headlights" fear. My heart began to race and I started to panic. I can even remember the sting of tears. I'm ashamed to say, I ran back into the house. If I had seen Jesus, I would have fallen over dead. Needless to say, Christ didn't come that day. I never saw Him, and it wasn't the Rapture. I often wonder about that weird light in the sky and think it was likely a thunderhead rising above the cloud layer that filtered the light of the setting sun down through it in an odd way. But that experience did teach me a lesson. It taught me that I wasn't yet ready to meet Him. It taught me what "fear of the Lord" is like. It taught me what witnessing the actual event might be like. I don't know if it was just a runaway imagination or something the Lord wanted me to experience. But it was surreal to say the least. Complete with video!  All the above happened after I turned of my camera-phone. |
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Post by shiloh on Apr 12, 2014 17:25:45 GMT
LOL, Becka. I would have felt the same way! You know, I had a dream like that one time where I was standing outside and all of a sudden the dark sky opened up but it was night time. It was a very bright light and I was outside by myself. In my dream, my heart was racing and I had that feeling you described about the fear of the Lord and I was saying, "This is IT!"
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Post by morningstar on Apr 12, 2014 18:06:08 GMT
Becka, I could see where this was an unusual phenomena...almost supernatural. Our minds usually try and find logical explanations for these things, and most times there are, but there are times that there is no explanation...I believe the Lord works in visual ways to show us His Children, that He is mindful of us and that He loves us.
Thanks for sharing.
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Post by elizabeth on Apr 12, 2014 21:07:04 GMT
Morningstar, it does sound like you have a great relationship with your grandson, like Jim said. And Shiloh, I loved your tea story. I just can't ever picture you taking out the garbage though,  . And Becka, you live in Oregon? I have heard from my friends that Oregon is breathtakingly beautiful, so you are a lucky girl. |
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Post by shiloh on Apr 12, 2014 23:00:50 GMT
I've heard Oregon is beautiful too. Breathtaking.
Liz, how come you can't imagine me taking out the garbage? lolololol...There was a rotten lemon in there and I had no choice but to get rid of it...lololol..it was starting to smell bad. Have you ever smelled a rotting lemon? Absolutely disgusting!
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Post by shiloh on Apr 12, 2014 23:37:50 GMT
and Liz, if you think THAT'S unbelievable, guess what else I often do. I make out the bills, drive, can put wall screws in to hang pictures and paint my walls (I prefer to do the faux painting) but this one will REALLY floor you.....I often actually put gas in the car .
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2014 1:01:19 GMT
What a good thread MS. I just love that your grandson called and that he is saved.
Becka: I love that you turned the experience into a change for learning and changing.
Jasperdale: I just love that both you and your wife thought it was the rapture. How strange is it that your refrigerator never made that sound again? I think God was trying to get your attention.
Shiloh: Your story is the best one I have ever heard. Was your husband able to get back to sleep?
My story is not as interesting but it scared me for a time. I was outside standing on my stoop (my dog does not like to go out alone) and a heard to blasts of some type of horn instrument, then silence, then one blast.
I thought OMG this is it and I get my eyes on the sky and nothing was happening. I thought for sure everyone was gone but me, just a horrible feeling to experience. Also, I live near a busy road and I did not hear cars crash or car horns being used. I took my eyes off the sky and started looking around. Finally, I realized this was not the rapture and I was happy I was not left behind, but sad it was not the rapture taking place.
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Becka
Numbers' Donkey
Spurgeon Addict
Posts: 169
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Post by Becka on Apr 13, 2014 1:43:25 GMT
Yes, western Oregon is glorious. Eastern Oregon is full of desert and ranches, but the Pacific Northwest is breathtaking. Forests, mountains, hiking, camping, rivers, and greenery everywhere. We get a lot of rain, but we do have a sunny season in spring/summer - of which I look forward to greatly. I absolutely LOVE communing with God on my deck in the warm sun, maybe catching a cat-nap, reading Scripture. There's just something amazing to me to smell lavender on the air, see the rhodedendrons bloom, watch the butterflies, and sit in awe of the puffy clouds and warm sun. Living in a wetter climate, we really appreciate these things. Portland is a liberal city, but it has an awesome vibe - very outdoorsy, very into beer, & very clean, despite our homeless youth population. The sidewalks are made of brick and our public transportation is top-notch. Lots of people walking, riding the train, or riding their bikes. If you like nature and the outdoors, the Pacific Northwest is where you want to be. |
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Post by morningstar on Apr 13, 2014 2:03:51 GMT
rieom, even if it's for an instant, the eerie feeling of the possibility that the Rapture it might have happened is an experience you don't forget.
My sister had one awhile back, she was in the house and had called out to her husband for some reason or another, he didn't answer her, she went about the house calling his name...no answer..
she checked the backyard...nowhere in site...went out to the front yard and called his name...still didn't see him, then she heard him call out to her, she turned around and saw him fixing something on the roof of the house...she started laughing and said for a minute there I thought you were raptured..he said, almost I'm halfway there. She'll never forget that one.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2014 14:26:46 GMT
MS: It really does shake you and it sticks with you.
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Post by Benjamin on Apr 14, 2014 13:28:29 GMT
...we just had nobody post on the forums for about 10 hours straight - does that count as a Rapture scare?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 13:57:17 GMT
Benjamin: It certainly would get me thinking and I would probably go to another si?e to see if there was activity there in the last 10 hours. Did we scare you?
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Post by morningstar on Apr 14, 2014 14:20:21 GMT
Benjamin "The Persons you are trying to reach are out of area and no longer on this planet"....
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Post by shiloh on Apr 14, 2014 15:30:46 GMT
So, I was reading Romans 8......anyway, how's it going down there?
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Post by morningstar on Apr 14, 2014 16:42:34 GMT
Shiloh, there's nothing but trials & tribulations going on down there, Uh oh.....just heard another seal break....I'll be right over for coffee & donuts.
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Post by Benjamin on Apr 15, 2014 1:47:38 GMT
It didn't qualify as a rapture scare, but it was certainly a bit weird.
Thing is, our time zones have changed - you guys moving into Daylight Savings, and us ending ours... so whereas I was ~6 hours behind West Coast US, it's now 10. I'm going to have to adjust to everybody's posting patterns all over again!
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Post by shelayne on Apr 15, 2014 2:43:00 GMT
I had one of those. It was probably a couple years ago, and just for curiosity's sake I decided to read the "prophecies" of a very popular and esteemed "prophet" with the initials D.D. His prophetic visions and dreams are held up as true by many, many Christians. Well, I decided to check him out, as someone on another site was commenting about him, and I was curious. His prophecies spanned several years and increased in intensity. Really dumb move. His prophecies were dark and frightening. They showed a Jesus that takes joy in punishing Christians via the Tribulation. Yes, his "jesus" and "angels of the lord" were telling him that we must be purified. That he is looking for a bride without spot or blemish, and we are not ready. Especially American Christians. We were about to get ours, and the "lord" was taking delight in our cleansing process. These dreams and visions were so intense and disturbing that I found myself increasingly anxious. Could I be this wrong? Are we really going through the Trib, if we aren't holy and pure? I have not been holy or pure! I am a horrible sinner! I was starting to freak out. I sent one of my BFFs an email about the situation. It was late at night, so I knew she would likely be sleeping, but I could feel this fear in me rising. I thought my heart would beat right out of my chest. And I absolutely know better! I have a very keen sense of discernment! What?! Bella actually responded to my email within a few minutes of my sending it to her! She told me what I already knew. These were lies from the enemy. She tried to ease my worry and was so very sweet. Yet, I just couldn't shake this feeling of dread. I went up to bed, and I couldn't sleep. At one point, I just "knew" that the Rapture had occurred, and I was left behind. I wasn't worthy. We have a king-sized bed, and I was reaching over with my foot, trying to find my sleeping husband. He wasn't there. I had this moment of complete terror, when I couldn't find him, when he was there a moment before. My foot finally found him. He was near the edge of the bed (the stinker!). I was relieved and started to cry. I was in turmoil, and I actually became physically ill. And I absolutely know better! So there I am in the bathroom, in the midst of a little "white throne judgment" of my own, and I cried out to God. I asked Him if He really was going to enjoy watching us go through the Tribulation. If I needed to purify myself. I cried to Him that if He is looking for purity, that I fall so far short of that and can't do it without Him. I was really shaking and crying, seriously nearing a panic attack (and this is NOT me at all!), when in all this noise, I heard in my head so clear, "I have already taken the punishment for you". It was right to the heart and so loving. It cut right through all the static. I stopped and heard it once again. And I knew it was Him. The Lord was telling me what I already knew. I felt an instant calming in my spirit. I could feel my heartbeat slow a bit, and my breathing was normal. The nausea was lifting. I knew right then that Satan had been having a little heyday with me because I decided to read lies straight from the pit. I was certain right then and there, that this DD character was a false prophet. His jesus was the angel of light in disguise. I just now shuddered thinking about that. Anyway, the Lord comforted me and assured me, and I had that peace. You know that peace that only comes from our Beloved. I felt like He wrapped His arms around me until I stopped shaking. And I went back to bed and fell asleep. When I woke in the morning, it was if I had read what DD "prophesied" and dismissed it with a "Meh". God is so good! He removed all of that ickiness from the dead of night and replaced it with His blessed assurance. And for me, reassurance. This experience is one reason why I ring the alarm bells about false teachers and false prophets. I don't want anyone to feel like that. No true Christian should.  |
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Post by morningstar on Apr 15, 2014 4:25:26 GMT
Shelayne, I just loved the way you described it all...you had me chuckling (sorry but parts of it were funny...especially reaching out for your husband with your toe)..lol..
I know who your talking about, first time I heard one of his prophecies (out of curiosity)..I thought a fire truck came clanging through my house, it also made me ill to think this person was spewing these false lies and people were believing him. Sometimes I think people like this deep down inside must hate God and Christians, because he's no believer in the Christ that we know.
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Post by shelayne on Apr 16, 2014 2:44:18 GMT
Yeah, Morningstar, I can laugh about it now, as in "what a dope". In fact, my friend Bella and I laughed about it the very next day. Again, what a DOPE! LOL. But at the time, I was so upset. I can't believe that those stupid dreams and visions from a guy who is dead now, where his most specific prophecies never came to pass, had this temporary hold on me. His prophecies didn't materialize. They fell completely flat. Huh! Imagine that! Of course his apologists will keep on keeping on. As for me, I learned my lesson. Someone mentions a prophet or prophecy, and my hinky meter is set on high.  I also think that he truly believed his dreams and visions were from the Lord. He really felt he was to sound the alarm and warn Christians what was coming (for us!??!). Since his prophecies were false, that means his jesus was likely a demon. He was allowing himself to be deceived by the father of lies. That, to me, is some pretty scary stuff. If DD went to be with the Lord, and I will not question his salvation, then imagine how he felt when he learned it wasn't Jesus bending his ear and giving him these dreams and visions all those years. Yikes. And if he meant to deceive, and he isn't with the Lord.... well.... 'Nuff said. |
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All the above happened after I turned of my camera-phone.
. And Becka, you live in Oregon? I have heard from my friends that Oregon is breathtakingly beautiful, so you are a lucky girl.
