11) So in short there is very little in the Gospels that has to be related to the Parousia.

12) One taken / one left – re-read with the Jewish war in mind (how the early church read it) and it makes TOTAL sense in that context – as does Matt 24 and parallels.

13) Rapture is very late teaching: J.N. Darby 1831 (possibly Edward Irving with some seeds in that direction in the same era)… then Scofield Bible (notes inside the Bible tells us what the Bible is saying thus disempowering the Bible), it is taken up by influential people like DL Moody. Popularised by Hal Lindsey etc. His (Lindsey’s) books make interesting reads. I have documented where his predictions and interpretations are always changing!!!! And in history there have always been antiChrists: Napoleon was a major candidate as he took the title of king of kings, and wanted to be the emperor of a revived Roman Empire.

14) Rapture in 1 Thess – the question is ‘what happens to those who die?’ Answer: they come with him – we are caught up to meet him in the air. Is it a literal catching up? Purely academic as it all happens in a moment, the twinkling of an eye. Paul uses the everyday language of the emperor visiting. Those related to him, part of his government went out of the city to accompany him back to the city with his entourage, so that the triumphant ones: emperor, those with him from Rome (HQ) and those locally part of his government / officials all came back to the city. So if there is a ‘catching up’ in a literal sense it is instantaneous. But as he is using imagery and language of the coming of the emperor to the city there is no need to see a literal snatching up – certainly not a secret rapture!

15) In 2 Thess 2 Paul answers the question as to why the ‘Day of the Lord’ has not come yet… Don’t be fooled by a letter. (Under Dispensationalism: the Day of the Lord is 7 years after the Rapture.) Easy answer would be ‘not come because you are still here, it cannot happen till we are snatched out of here… mind the pilotless airplanes!!!’ If a rapture was taught it would be like me writing to someone saying ‘Happy 2050′ – don’t think it would fool many with calendars being ripped up globally. We are in 2012, so my dates are WRONG. For me this is so clear that he did not teach a rapture. That day cannot come until the man of lawlessness is revealed.