Measures Of Proof

There may be others, but the three listed are most common. The authors of such OPs think their straw man one line opener will prove a point; and it does just that! It proves the author of such a strawman or red herring post is:

(1) not well read in the scripture

(2) can't get out of Mat. 24.

(3) not well versed in church history

(4) teach there's no gap between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel's 70 wks, Dan. 9.

Evidence:

In a criminal court trial, evidence is presented to establish guilt or innocence. The so called 'smoking gun' along with eye-witness testimony are two witnesses that prove one side or the other is right. In a civil court trial it is the preponderance of evidence weighed in the balances of justice that proves who is right or wrong. Don't go looking for the smoking gun scripture that states the rapture takes place here in .... you won't find it. However, if you study, pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the pre tribulation, He will.

Many folks run to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 and say here is the rapture and they are right; and then the post trib folks start insisting that Paul means the Second Advent and they are rights. So which is it?

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

'That day,' verse 3, refers back to 'day of Christ' in v. 2. The day of Christ is not the day of the LORD. The prophet Amos makes it very clear that if you are looking for the day of the LORD, you are in for a surprise.

Amos 5: 18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it

Examining 2 Thes 2 further we find 'a falling away first,' happens before the day of Christ's rapture. That falling away is not an immediate event that starts on the 1st Tuesday of next week and ends in a fortnight. The man of sin is revealed at some point in the gradual falling away.

The man of sin shows up during the falling away and starts to oppose God and exalt himself. When this man starts to exalt himself, the rapture is near. How do we know? Because the man of sin at some point after exalting himself, then goes and sits in the temple of God - Jewish Temple in Jerusalem - shewing himself that he is God.

How do we know its a rebuilt Jewish temple? Because Paul already said in 1 Cor. 3:16-17 that believers are the temple of God. In order for the man of sin to enter your bodily temple, he must first boot the Holy Spirit out.

Therefore the events talked about in 2 Thes 2:1-12 refer to both events: pre tribulation rapture and Second Advent. Rightly divide the words of truth.

There are measures of proof:

(1) The scriptures are a measure of truth.

a. If you don't have faith in the scriptures being true, you have doubts, then you start looking up word definitions in the Heb/Gr dictionaries

b. However, you were not told to look up word definitions or look for the original meanings or original autographs.

c. You were told to compare spiritual things with spiritual things, 1 Cor. 2:13

d. search the scriptures daily, Acts 17:11

e. study to shew yourself approved ... rightly divide the words of truth, 2 Tim. 2:15

(2) The Holy Spirit is another measure

Jesus states in John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.