I proved by Zechariah 14:4, that the destination of Jesus and His gathered people, is Jerusalem. You are guilty of adding to scripture, by saying 'heaven'.
His foot stands on the mount of Olives WHEN He returns to earth from heaven with us. That is not the Rapture. Not relevant.
We who refute and speak against the 'rapture to heaven' doctrine, do so out of concern for our fellow Christians, who have been lied to and deceived by their teachers.
Badmouthing truth you cannot deal with or refute or even make a feeble case for your 'no heaven' nonsense is of no worth.
There is no definitive scripture that says God intends to take His people up to heaven in these end times.
You were given it several times, Jesus ascended into heaven and that is where He is. He said we will be where He is.
There are, in fact quite a few that say He won't:
None of your spam verses even relate to the topic or indicate Jesus is not in heaven. A few commentaries on the first verse you spammed.
"Verse
John 3:13.
No man hath ascended — This seems a figurative expression for,
No man hath known the mysteries of the kingdom of God; as in
Deuteronomy 30:12;
Psalms 73:17;
Proverbs 30:4;
Romans 11:34. And the expression is founded upon this generally received maxim: That to be perfectly acquainted with the concerns of a place, it is necessary for a person to be on the spot. But our Lord probably spoke to correct a false notion among the Jews, viz. that Moses had ascended to heaven, in order to get the law. It is not Moses who is to be heard now, but
Jesus: Moses did not ascend to heaven; but the Son of man is come down from heaven to reveal the Divine will."
"True, no person has ever gone up into heaven to learn all about God and his ways, but Jesus Christ has come down from heaven and shown people what God is like."
"
And no man hath ascended into heavens - No man, therefore, is qualified to speak of heavenly things,
John 3:12. To speak of those things requires intimate acquaintance with them - demands that we have seen them; and as no one has ascended into heaven and returned, so no one is qualified to speak of them but He who came down from heaven.
This does not mean that no one had Gone to heaven or had been saved, for Enoch and Elijah had been borne there (Genesis 5:24; compare Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:11); and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and others were there: but it means that no one had ascended and “returned,” so as to be qualified to speak of the things there."
It absolutely does not mean God is a liar and that we will not go to be with Him when we die. Also at the Rapture. So shall we ever be
with the Lord!
I am aware of the problem of many Christians, in that the 'rapture' is the only teaching for the Church, before Jesus Returns. One American I spoke to said: The rapture is all I have ever been taught.
Strawman. I and probably almost every other believer in the Gathering in the air resurrection know about the other interpretations.
Here is a quote from Art Katz, a messianic Jew: “Nothing has more disarmed the Church of the necessity for preparation, discipleship and maturity that can stand strong in faith, in these end times; than the mistaken idea of a rapture to heaven, so they won’t have to face the Lord’s wrath”.
If I were Jewish, I might not expect to escape His wrath. Israel does not get saved until the very end, and then only a little remnant of them. I also would not believe what a messianic Jew said, looking at how they seem to support the genocide and terrorism going on over there these.
What we are told to do when things get bad, is to 'Call upon the Name of the Lord and you will be saved.' Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21
Being saved includes being raised from the dead on that last day, in case that is news.
John 6:54
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Also, with the 'rapture' belief, you miss out on knowing the amazing promises of God, of how He will protect and bless His faithful people, as they live in peace and prosperity in all of the holy Land.
No we do not miss that in any way. There will be a multitude too great to number of believers that come to be after we are gone.
There are many prophesies telling us about God's plans, do not make the mistake of attributing His Blessings to the Jews. They have lost the Kingdom, Matthew 21:43, and we Christians, Jew and Gentile, are the inheritors of God's promises.
Not the promises of inheriting the promised land. We have a better city. New Jerusalem, and it is not on earth. Even when we return to earth with Jesus, it is almost certain we will return home as our base and HQ (with earth Jerusalem being an earth HQ as well)
Ephesians 3:6, Romans 8:16-18, Galatians 3:26-29, as followers of Jesus, the One true Israel, thru whom all the promises of God will be fulfilled. 2 Corinthians 1:20
In this age of grace since Jesus, yes, Jewish and all people who come to Jesus are part of the body. After we are gone, however there is a seven year time slot set aside to wrap things up with the Jews
