The Rapture of the
Church
In our study we
have noted that during the "Last Supper" in John 13:3, The Lord Jesus
Christ cycled through His soul three broad-brush strokes of the Plan of God for
His first advent. He knew that 1) God had given all things into His hands, 2)
He had come forth from the God and 3) was going back to God. He utilized that
information as Problem Solving Device number seven, a Personal Sense of
Destiny, to calm His soul in preparation for His final acts of service. Knowing
that death would not be the end or have a hold on Him, He knew He would be
raised, ascend into heaven and be seated at the right hand of the God. This was
accomplished in Acts 1:9-11.
In verse 11 we
have a key phrase, "will come in just the same way as you have watched Him
go into heaven". This is a reference back to verse 9, "a cloud
received Him out of their sight". The reality of our Lord's resurrection
and ascension is a picture of the reality of the imminent resurrection and
Rapture of the Church.
In 1 Cor 15:20-23 we have the promise of resurrection for all believers
with specific focus on the Church's resurrection. In verse 23 we see the
TAGMATI, "each in his own order". The word TAGMATI in the neuter
means proper order or turn. It was a military term that meant troops passing in
review or a battalion passing in review. We know from scriptures that it is
speaking to the various groups or companies of believers that will be
resurrected, "Christ the First Fruits and then those who are Christ's at
His coming".
Therefore, there are four Companies in the Battalion that will pass in
review:
Alpha Company - The Lord Jesus
Christ (Acts 1:9)
Bravo Company - Church Age
believers at the end of the Church Age (Rapture)
Charlie Company - Old Testament
and Tribulational saints who have died at the end of the Tribulation
Delta Company - Millennial
saints at the end of the Millennium.
That is the order of resurrection.
Going back to the
topic we noted under the 9th Unique Factor of the Church Age, which
was "This is the only dispensation of no prophecy", the only
prophecy for our dispensation is its termini.
We have previously
discussed the Terminus A Quo (literally meaning, "limit from which",
a point of origin), the giving of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost as the
prophecy and beginning of the Church Age. Now I would like to discuss in more
detail the Terminus Ad Quem (literally meaning, "limit to which", a
final limiting point in time), the prophecy for the conclusion of the Church
Age, the Rapture of the Church.
As we have noted, the Rapture of the Church is the next prophetic
event. This is found in the following scriptures; 1 Cor 15:50-52; Phil 3:11; 1 John
3:2‑3; Titus 2:13; 1 Thes 4:13‑18; 5:9‑10; 2 Thes 2:1-9. As you will see,
the term "Rapture" is not found in any scripture but is from the
Latin Vulgate Bible translation of the Greek word HARPAZO in 1 Thes 4:17. The
Latin Vulgate word is RAPIEMUR that means "we will be caught
up", where the root word is RAPERE
which means, "to
seize".
The Greek Verb HARPAZO means "to seize, catch up, snatch away: carry
off, caught, take...away...by force and take...by force". It is in the Future, Passive, Indicative,
First Person, Plural, which means believers will absolutely receive the action
of being snatched away by God at a future point in time.
The Latin
translation "Rapture" is the name given to that event in which all
believers living on earth are simultaneously transported to the clouds of the
air to be with our Lord, preceded by all Church Age believers who have already
died. Therefore, the entire body of Christ is resurrected to eternal glory as
the Bravo Company of the First Resurrection.
1 Cor 15:50-52,
"Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
Phil 3:11, "If
by any means I might arrive with reference to the exit resurrection, the one
from the dead."
1 John 3:2‑3,
"Beloved,
now we are the children of God, and what we will be He has not yet revealed.
However, we know that if He should appear, we shall be [exactly] like Him
because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who keeps on having this hope
[hope 3] in Him purifies himself [inside God's power system] even as He is pure
[the holy status of the hypostatic union in heaven]."
Titus 2:13, "Looking
for that blessed hope [the hope of blessing, hope 3] and the appearing of the
glory of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ."Note: The change to
pitch (12) and font (1) must be converted manually.
1 Thes 4:13‑18, "But we do not want you to be uninformed,
brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the
rest who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For
this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain
until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For
the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of
God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive
and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord
in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore
comfort one another with these words."
1 Thes 5:9‑10, "For God has not destined us for wrath,
but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who
died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with
Him."
2 Thes 2:1-9 explains the prophecy of the Rapture utilizing three events
related to its timing. 1) The Rapture itself, 2) the revelation of the
Antichrist and 3) the removal of the permanent indwelling of God the Holy
Spirit as a result of the Rapture.
All of these things will occur at the completion of the Church Age
Dispensation and we begin by noting the first event.
In verse 3 the phrase "it will not come unless the apostasy comes
first" is a bad translation. In fact "it will not come" is not
in the original language and the word "apostasy" indicating the
Rapture or resurrection of the Church is poorly translated.
The word for Resurrection throughout scripture is ANA-STASIS, which is a
compound word with the prefix ANA, which means "up" or
"upwards" and the root word STASIS, which means "a
standing", by implication
"an insurrection", figuratively
"strife: dissension, riot or standing, as in taking a stance". So by
means of the Rapture of the Church, God is setting up and taking a final stance
against Satan's cosmic system, (his demonic and world forces). The Tribulation
is their final act.
In Phil 3:11, "In order that I may attain to the resurrection from
the dead", the Greek word is EX-ANA-STASIS, with two prefixes EX or EK
meaning "from" or "out from" and ANA "up or
"upwards". That is why we translate this verse as, "If by any
means I might arrive with reference to the exit resurrection, the one
from the dead", because of the double emphasis of "out from" EK
and "upwards" ANA.
Now back in 2 Thes 2:1-9, the word for "apostasy" or
"falling away" in verse 3 is APO-STASIA, a late form of APO-STASIS
meaning "a standing away from", and so, "a defection",
"revolt", as used by extra Biblical Greek writes Herodotus and
Thucydides. It also means "departure from", as used by
Euripides and "distance", or "interval", as used by Plato.
Like the other Greek words throughout the Bible for resurrection this too is a
compound word. It is made up of
For example:
(main translation from the KJV, italic NASB)
Luke 2:37,
“Departed not (never left) from the
temple”;
Luke 4:13, “The
devil departed (left) from him”;
Luke 8:13, “In
time of temptation fall away” should have been translated “depart”;
Luke 13:27,
“Depart from me you workers of iniquity (all
evildoers)”;
Acts 5:37,
“Drew away much people after him” should be translated “caused many people to
depart after him”;
Acts 5:38,
“Refrain (stay away) from these men”
should be “depart from these men”;
Acts 12:10,
“The angels departed from him”;
Acts 15:38,
“Who departed (deserted) from them”;
2 Cor 12:8, “I
besought (implored) the Lord three
times that it might depart from (leave) me”;
1 Tim 4:1,
“Some shall depart (fall away) from
the faith”;
1 Tim 6:5,
“from such withdraw thyself”, (this is
not in the NASB translation), should be “from such ones depart”;
2 Tim 2:19,
“Depart from iniquity” (abstain from
wickedness);
Heb 3:12, “In
departing (falls away) from the
living God.”
What we have is the root word STASIS combined with various prepositional
prefixes that have the understanding of resurrection. This type of
interchanging prepositional prefixes is common in scripture and in relation to
the resurrection. Our Lord's ascension in Acts 1:9 and 11 is treated similarly
where the root word for "received" (by the cloud) in verses 9 and
"taken up" (to heaven) in verse 11 is LAMBANO, which means "to
take" or "receive". In both cases there is a different prefix
HUPO (by or under) in verse nine HUPOLAMBANO and ANA (upwards or up) in verse
eleven's ANALAMBANO. They each bring a slightly different connotation but are
speaking of the same event. So in 2 Thes 2:3 we have an interchanged
prepositional prefix combined with STASIS to mean the Rapture of the Church as
the Bravo Company of the First Resurrection.
The true emphasis is the opposite of what the translators tried to force
on this verse about the "apostasy" as a sign for the coming of the
Lord. Some have even added the words "from God or faith" to make
there point, yet that is not in the original languages.
Now "apostasy" can mean a revolt and is used that way at times
extra Biblically. But it is never used that way in the Bible. In fact APOSTASIA
is only used twice in scripture. Here in our verse and is Acts 21:21, "And
they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among
the Gentiles to forsake
Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to
the customs."
Here the Church in Jerusalem, headed by James, was arguing against the
Apostle Paul in what he was teaching as counter to the Old Testament Law
(Moses). The word "forsake" in "forsake Moses" is the noun
APOSTASIA in the Accusative Case. Here too it should be translated "depart
from Moses". The accusative indicates the direct object. As we know from
scripture Paul utilized the Old Testament throughout his writings as a proof of
the Grace Plan of God for the Church as opposed to the Ritual Plan of God for
Israel. He was teaching that "Christ was the end of the Law for
righteousness to everyone who believes", Rom 10:4.
Keeping the Law would not save them nor was it a part of the Grace Plan
of God for the Church. Paul used the writings of Moses and other Old Testament
passages extensively in his arguments. Therefore, Paul was not in apostasy
"against God or Moses" but he was teaching the Mystery Doctrine of
the Church Age, the change in administration from the old to the new
Dispensation. He was teaching those that came through the Jewish Dispensation
that God had departed from the Age of the Law and ushered in the Age of Grace.
This departure is a temporary one since there are seven years left for
the Age of the Law called Daniel's 70th week. (see Dan 9:24-27
compared with Neh 2:4-8). These seven years will be ushered back in at the
completion of the Body of Christ at the end of the Church Age, at the Rapture
of the Church, when the Tribulation begins. Keep in mind that the Tribulation
is also called Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30:7), not the Church's trouble. This is a
direct correlation to Israel and the Age of the Law, the Age of Israel, the
Jewish dispensation and it's completion. So with the temporary departure we
also see a return.
The change in Acts 21:21 is a type of the Rapture of the Church. As there
was a change from the Jewish Dispensation to the Church Age Dispensation noted
by a "departure" (APOSTASIA), there too is a "departure" in
the change from the Church Age to Jacob's Trouble / Daniel's 70th's
week / the Tribulation Dispensation.
Now just to balance the argument, there is a prophecy about "falling
away from God", regarding the Second Coming of the Lord in Mat 24. But
that is a reference to those who are already in the Tribulation and following
the Antichrist. We will see this later in the discussion of the various viewpoints
of the timing of the Rapture. In 2 Thes 2:3 the translators have crossed the
parties involved in the revolt. They have aligned the revolt to the man of
lawlessness as allies when in fact it is the beginning of God's administration
in opposition to him. This is not a revolt of man against God, but is part of
God's stance against Satan and his forces. There is a departure and the departure is the Rapture. Therefore "apostasy" is a bad
translation for APO-STASIS where APO is a similar Greek preposition to EK and
ANA meaning "away from".
In addition, the
definite article also removes any concept of falling away. It gives the idea of
departure because the purpose of the definite article is to define the noun.
The absence of the definite article gives quality. The removal of the definite
article would simply talk about the quality of the Rapture but when you have
the definite article with the noun it defines the noun. A more accurate translation should be "exit resurrection", or
as some have used "departure" in regards to the Rapture of the Body
of Christ.
Next we have
the phrase, “comes first”, which is ERCHOMAI PROTOS. ERCHOMAI is a Greek Verb in the Aorist, Active, Subjunctive. The
subjunctive makes this a potential. The Rapture could occur at any time -
imminently. In addition, sometimes the Subjunctive acts like a future
indicative stating the fact of a future event.
The word
“first” is the ordinal adverb PROTOS, which means first chronologically. This
is also indicated from the root word PRO meaning before. These two words are
actually split around the main verb APOSTASIA to read as such: ”ôé dNí ìx hëèw ½ Pðïóôáóßá ðñ§ôïí, which transliterated is, "because
if not (unless) comes the departure first. Therefore, the Rapture must occur
before the Tribulation, it comes first then the man of lawless is revealed.
The man of
lawlessness belongs to the Tribulation, not to the Church Age. Therefore the
man of lawlessness cannot be manifest until the Rapture has occurred. A better translation of the first half of verse three
is, "In the same way, accordingly (with reference to verse two), do not let any one lead you astray,
because unless (negating the Day of the
Lord) the departure comes first…." R.B. Thieme Jr. translates this as,
“Stop letting anyone deceive you according to their means: for except there
come a departure first.”
There must be
the Rapture before the man of lawlessness can be revealed. As such the meaning is that the resurrection of
the Church occurs first and then the man of lawless is revealed. This is the
comfort Paul was trying to portray to the baby Thessalonian believers. They
were worried that they had missed the Second Coming of Christ and Paul was
reassuring them that they had not, by giving this two fold prophecy. What
comfort would there be if you were told you are going through the Tribulation?
Compare with verses 13-17. In fact the reaction of the Thessalonians to the
false information they had received is another good indication that the Rapture
occurs prior to the Tribulation. They were worried that they had missed out on
the Rapture and/or that they had lost their salvation.
In both cases they were concerned that they would have to endure the
Tribulation. But Paul reassures them that they had not missed out and gives
them three prophecies regarding the Second Advent of Christ, 2 Thes 2:1-7.
Rev 3:11, "I
will be coming soon; seize [grasp, become the master of] what you have [bible
doctrine], so that no one may take away your crown."
This is why the
Rapture is always called imminent, because there is no intervening prophecy to
be fulfilled.
The Rapture of the Church means that all
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who physically died between the day of
Pentecost and the day of the Rapture, having received their resurrection
bodies, meet Jesus in the clouds of the air, 1 Thes 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-58.
Then all believers who are alive on the day of the Rapture are transformed in
body to a resurrection body and also meet Christ in the clouds, 1 Cor 6:14; 1
John 3:2-3.
1 John 3:2‑3,
"Beloved,
now we are the children of God, and what we will be he has not yet
revealed. However, we know that if he should
appear, we shall be [exactly] like him because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who keeps on having this hope
[hope 3] in him purifies himself [inside God's Power System] even as he is pure
[ultimate sanctification in a resurrection body]."Note: The change to
pitch (12) and font (1) must be converted manually.
1 Cor 6:14, "Now
God has not only resurrected the Lord, but he will raise us up through his
power."
At that time the bride (Church Age believers, dead or alive) receives a
body like Christ's. Phil 3:21; 1 Thes 5:23
Phil 3:21, "Who will transform the body of our humble state into
conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has
even to subject all things to Himself."
1 Thes 5:23, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without
blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
All believers
in the Lord Jesus Christ will be removed from planet earth at the Rapture and
are with Christ in Heaven.
Anticipation of
the Rapture must not overwhelm us. We need patience as the Lord prepares us for
the event. James 5:7‑8
James 5:7‑8,
"Therefore,
brethren, have patience until the coming of the Lord [rapture]. The farmer
waits with anticipation for the valuable production of the soil, constantly
being patient until it has received the early and the latter rains. Have
patience! You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord [rapture] has
approached with the result that it is drawing nearer and nearer."
Titus 2:13, "Waiting with keen anticipation for that blessed
hope [rapture], even the appearance of the glory of our great God and savior,
Christ Jesus."
The Differences between the Rapture and
Second Advent:
Rapture Second Advent
1. Private, Acts 1:11 Public, Rev 19:11-16.
2. In the air, 1 Thes 4:17 On earth, Zech
14:4.
3. Judgment of believer's works, 2 Cor 5:10 Baptism of fire, Mat 25:31-46.
4. Church goes to heaven, John
14:3 Church returns
with Christ, 1 Thes 3:13.
5. Holy Spirit is removed, 2 Thes 2:6 Removal of Satan, Rev 20:1‑3.
6. Change in believer's body Phil 3:21. Earth is changed, Zech 14:10;
Rom 8:19-22
7. Christ appears as the groom. He appears as the
messiah.
8. End of the Church Age. End of the Jewish
Age.
9. Israel under the fifth cycle of discipline. Termination of the fifth cycle of
discipline
10. Believers taken from the earth, 1 Thes 4:16‑18. Unbelievers taken from the earth, Mat
24:37‑43; 25:31-46
11. A time of comfort, 1 Thes 4:18. A
time of terror, Rev 6:15‑17.
Characteristics of the Rapture:
1. Cognizance and
application of the doctrine of the Rapture provides stability for the Royal
Family in Phase Two (our spiritual walk on earth) of the Plan of God. 1 Cor
15:58; 1 Thes 4:18; 2 Thes 2:15-17
1 Cor 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
2. The Rapture
takes the sting out of death.
1 Cor 15:54‑57,
"O
death where is your victory, O death, where is your sting?"
3. The Rapture
removes hysteria and the hopelessness of bereavement and is a source of
comfort. 1 Thes 4:13‑18; Phil 1:6
Phil 1:6, "For I am confident of this very thing,
that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ
Jesus."
4. The Rapture is
a part of your Ultimate Sanctification (Phase Three, being in heaven with a
resurrection body in eternal glory). Eph 5:26‑27.
5. The Royal
Family of God is purified at the Rapture. Human good and evil are burned and
the Old Sin Nature is removed. 1 Cor 3:10-16; 1 Cor 15:50-54; Phil 3:21
Phil 3:20-21, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we
eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body
of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion
of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."
The Rapture is the basis for confidence:
The metabolization
of Bible Doctrine and resultant spiritual growth to maturity results in
Occupation with Christ, PSD #10, whereby the believer waits with keen
anticipation for the Rapture, Titus 2:13, "Looking for the
blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ
Jesus."
"Looking" is the Greek verb PROSDECHOMAI in the Present, Middle
Deponent, First Person, Plural, Participle. As a participle it is in the
Masculine, Nominative case as the subject of the sentence. The Middle Deponent
voice acts in combination of the passive voice and active tense. Which means
action is produced that comes back around to have an impact on the producer of
the action. The one producing the action receives a benefit. It is made up of
two words PROS which means an advantage plus DECHOMAI which means to accept or
receive.
PROS is a
preposition. When the object of the preposition is in the Accusative, as it is
here, it means "face to face with". If the preposition takes the Genitive
case it means "from". If it takes the Dative case it means "for
the benefit of". Here it is a combination of: "for the benefit
of" and "face to face with" because of the Middle Deponent
linked with Accusative nouns. DECHOMAI
means to receive something that is beneficial. Together it literally means, "an advantage to accept or
receive" and functionally it means, "to receive to oneself",
"looking" or "to wait anxiously".
When you put
PROS together with the verb [DECHOMAI] it means to receive for the benefit of
something, to wait for something with keen anticipation, to anticipate
something that you know is going to make you happy. The Present Tense speaks of something occurring now, so the sense of
intensity is applied. That is why we say, "waiting with keen
anticipation".
R.B. Thieme Jr.
states of PROSDECHOMAI, "It has often been used as a retort in
vindictiveness or in bitterness or in a lovers’ quarrel, “every dog has his
day” — meaning I’m down now but I have something just around the corner. That
is the use of this verb PROSDECHOMAI. It means that eventually there is going
to be happiness. For every believer who experiences something negative as far
as happiness is concerned, it won’t always be that way and there is a time
coming when every believer in the Church Age will be happy, and all at the same
time. There is a big Church party coming in which all members of the Church Age
will be involved and all will be simultaneously happy."
The keen
anticipation of the Rapture is categorized under three kinds of HOPE.
1. "Living
Hope", (PSD #6, a Personal Sense of Destiny). 1 Peter 1:3
2. "Blessed
Hope", (Sharing the happiness of God). Titus 2:13
3. "Purifying
Hope", (HAGNIZO-purifying/cleansing = Experiential Sanctification). 1 John
3:3
1 John 3:3, "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."
Chronology of the Rapture: (For a better
understanding of this process, I will also use common language for a marriage
process in italic parenthesis below each event.)
1. The Rapture
takes place. 1 Cor 15:51‑58; 1 Thes 4:13‑18; 2 Thes 2:3 (The
Bridegroom comes and takes His bride.)
2. The Judgment
Seat of Christ (BEMA Seat). 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Cor 3:10-16; Rev 19:8 (A final inspection of the bride's purity.)
Rev 19:8,
"righteous acts" is plural referring to the rewardable deeds of the
Bride that have already constituted her clothing, "fine linen", that
she adorns at the Second Advent.
3. The Wedding
ceremony of the Church (Bride) and Jesus Christ (Bridegroom). Rev 19:7-8 (The
legal union.)
"The marriage
of the Lamb has come" is the Aorist, Indicative of ERCHOMAI - ELTHEN
meaning the wedding has already occurred prior to the Second Advent.
4. The Bride
returns with Christ at the Second Advent. 1 Thes 3:13; Rev 19:14 (The procession
[limousine drive] of the married couple after the ceremony to the reception.)
5. The Bride of
Christ is made manifest. Rom 8:19; Col 3:4
(The announcement of the bride as Mrs. Jesus Christ.)
Col 3:4, "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also
will be revealed with Him in glory."
6. The Coronation
of Christ. Rev 19:6 (The announcement of the head of the new
union, Mr. Jesus Christ.)
7. The Wedding
Supper of the Lamb. Rev 19:7‑9 (The great reception celebrating the new
union.)
8. Operation
footstool begins. Psa 110:1; Zech 13:2; Col 2:15; 1 Cor 15:24‑25; Rev
19:17-20:15 (The beginning of the new program for the married couple.)
The Church is the
consort of Christ not His subjects as a result of the marriage to the Lamb. We
will reign with Him as king-priests forever, Rev 1:6; 20:4. Israel rejected
that position, Ex 19:5-6, therefore it was given to the Church, 1 Peter 2:5-9.
One of the purposes of the Rapture is to get the Royal Family of God prepared
for the Second Advent and the Wedding Supper.
We now turn to the various theories on the timing of the Rapture. In this
discussion there are two main theological positions in regards to the
resurrection, Pre-Millennial and Post-Millennial Resurrection. There is also a
third theological viewpoint called Amillennial.
1) Amillennialism rejects the theology of Christ personally ruling
on earth for 1,000 years. Therefore, its name comes from being Anti-Millennial.
Those who believe in
this theology would prefer to be called nunc-millennialism (that is,
now-millennialism) or realized millennialism.
Amillennialism holds
the viewpoint that:
a) We
are currently living in the Millennium, which has been ongoing since the advent
of Christ (some believe it ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70).
b) The book of
Revelation is an unfolding of human history during the Church Age.
c) The reign of
Christ in Rev. 20 is a symbolic or spiritual one, not literal.
d) At the end of
the Church Age Christ will return in final judgement and establish a permanent
physical reign.
Another form holds that the Millennium is yet future but based on man's
righteousness. The Millennium won't begin until man cleans up the world
including man's heart. Then God will return and accept us and Jesus Christ (who
is not believed to be God but God's created son) will begin his reign and bring
us to eternity. This is included here because this group rejects universal
resurrection. Only 144,000 will reside in heaven, the rest will live forever in
God's earthly kingdom.
2) Post Millennialism is the theology that believes all
resurrections will occur after the millennial reign of Christ.
3) Premillennialism is the theology we believe that recognizes
resurrection prior to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
Premillennialism has four separate viewpoints on the resurrection of the
Church.
a) Pre-Tribulation
Resurrection for Church Age believers only, what we believe. Other saints are
to be resurrected at the Second Advent of Christ and the end of the Millennial
reign.
b) Partial Rapture
c) Mid-Tribulation
(which includes the pre-wrath resurrection viewpoint).
d)
Post-Tribulation
Partial Rapture theory:
This theology is
not concerned with the timeframe of the Rapture but with its subjects. Partialist
believes that only those Christians who are "watching" and
"waiting" by reaching some degree of spiritual maturity will be
Raptured. They must be worthy to be included. They use such passages at Mat
24:41-42; Luke 21:36; 1 Cor 15:23; Phil 3:11, 20; 1 Thes 1:10; 2 Tim 4:8; Titus
2:13; and Hebrews 9:28.
Heb 9:28, "So
Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a
second time for salvation without reference
to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."
The frailty of the
Partialists position is the efficacious work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. With
this position they can not fully acknowledge or understand Propitiation,
Reconciliation and Redemption as it applies to "all that believe". It
minimizes the perfect standing of the child of God in Christ. Therefore, they
must stand on their own righteousness and must deny the unity of the body of
Christ as taught in 1 Cor 12:12-13; Eph 5:30. They must think that the dead in Christ will too be
partially Raptured. They view the Rapture as a reward from God where it is
never mentioned as an award but as something for all, 1 Thes 4:13-18.
Like most positions contrary to a
Pretribulation Rapture, they confuse the difference between law and grace,
Israel and the Church and therefore create a system of works for salvation and
Rapture qualification.
J. Dwight Pentecost states, "If the Rapture includes only a portion of those redeemed, then
the body, of which Christ is the head, will be a dismembered and disfigured
body when it is taken to Him. The building, of which He is the chief
cornerstone, will be incomplete. The priesthood, of which He is the High
Priest, will be without a portion of its complement. The bride, in relation to
whom He is the Bridegroom, will be disfigured. The new creation, of which He is
the Head, will be incomplete. Such is impossible to imagine." (Things to
Come, pg. 160)
If this were
the case the Bride would be spotted verse spotless.
The next viewpoint
for discussion regarding the timing of the Rapture is:
Mid-Tribulation Rapture theory:
Mid-Tribulationism is a minority view,
with few proponents today. They believe that the Rapture occurs halfway through
the seven-year Tribulation. This view is said to be supported by Daniel Chapter
7:25, where it states the saints will be given over to tribulation for a
"time, times, and half a time" which is interpreted to mean 3.5
years. That is, half way through the seven years of the tribulation. At that
time the Antichrist commits the "abomination of desolation" by
desecrating the Jerusalem temple, (to be built on what is now called The Temple
Mount).
A varied viewpoint of Mid-Tribulationism is the Pre-wrath
Rapture theory.
The Pre-wrath Rapture
view is that the "Tribulation of the Church" begins towards the
latter part of the seven-year period, being Daniel's 70th week, subsequent to
when the Antichrist is revealed in the temple. The first 3.5 years is called
the beginning of Sorrows, not wrath. The great Tribulation, according to this
view, is of the Antichrist against the Church at this time. The duration of
this tribulation is unknown, except that it begins and ends during the second
half of Daniel's 70th week. References from Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21
are used as evidence that this tribulation will be cut short by the Second
Coming of Christ to deliver the righteous by means of Rapture, which will occur
after the sixth seal is opened and the moon is turned to blood. However, by
this point the good majority of Christians will have been slaughtered as
martyrs by the Antichrist. After the Rapture comes God's seventh-seal wrath of
trumpets and bowls (a.k.a. "the Day of the Lord"). The Day of the
Lord's wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of the seven
years, approximately 1.75 years or less.
A Book by Marv
Rosenthal, "The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church: Is It Biblical?"
Regular Baptist Press (1991) has fueled this erroneous theory.
Problems with
these two views include:
1) The
beginning years of the Tribulation are not considered part of God's wrath.
2) It is a
compromise between Pre and Post Tribulation views.
a) Pre-Trib commonalties include:
i) The Church is raptured distinctively
from the Second Advent and other saints.
ii) The restrainer is the Holy Spirit.
iii) The Church is promised deliverance
from the Wrath of God.
b) Post Trib commonalties include:
i) The Church is promised tribulation on
earth and is in need of purging.
ii) Scripture does not teach the
doctrine of imminence.
iii) The Church is seen on earth after
Rev 4:1.
3) It must deny
or weaken the dispensational interpretation of the Word and the distinctions
between Israel and the Church.
4) It breaks
the Tribulation into two unrelated parts so that the Church is involved in the
first half but not related to the second.
5) It must have
some "spiritualizing" interpretation of Scripture especially the
first half of the Tribulation. For example in Rev 11 the two witnesses are
considered a spiritual analogy for the dead and alive to be resurrected, etc.
6) It denies
the Church as a mystery and blends the covenant promises to Israel with the
Church.
7) The Seal and (for purist Mid-Tribs
only) Trumpet judgements are actually not judgements from God. The Seal
judgments are the outworking of man's evil program and the Trumpet judgments
are the out working of Satan's evil. God is only a permissive agent.
This point is simply refuted by the
Greek verb ELTHEN in Rev 6:17. "Their wrath has come" means it
has already taken place. It does not mean it is now arriving or beginning as
the Pre-wrath and Mid-Tribs believe. This is the same word we noted in Rev 19:7-8 regarding the marriage of the Church
to our Lord as having already taken place prior to His advent. See also
Rev 7:14 where after the sixth seal it says about those martyred [Fifth Seal]
that, "they have come out of the great tribulation".
8) A denial of
the Tribulation being 7 years and that it is truly only ~3.5 years.
9) In Rev 15:1,
the beginning of the "bowl / vial judgments" is said to be "the
last because in them the wrath of God is finished". This means that the
wrath of God began prior to this point which includes the trumpet judgements
that make up the last or seventh of the seal judgment series. So clearly all
are part of the "wrath of God".
10) For the
purist Mid-Trib belief, the last Trumpet judgment sounds the Last trumpet of
the Rapture.
Last can mean
"last in a point in time" or "last in a sequence". So we
can't just take the seventh Trumpet Judgment, which is the last in this
sequence of Trumpet Judgments and say it is the last trumpet calling home the
Church Age saints of 1 Cor 15:52. Likewise, the Last Trumpet at the point of
time of the Rapture does not preclude other subsequent trumpets being sounded.
The Last Trumpet for the Rapture of the Church means the whole camp of the body
of Christ is on the move. Compare with the camp of Israel in Numbers 10:5-6.
Nine comparisons between
the Rapture's trumpet and Seventh (last) Trumpet Judgment:
By: J. Dwight Pentecost,
Things to Come, pg. 189-190
1) The trumpet
of 1 Corinthians 15:52, even the Mid-tribulationist agrees, sounds before the
wrath of God descends, while, as it has been shown, the chronology of
Revelation indicates that the trumpet in Revelation 11:15 sounds at the end of
the time of wrath, just prior to the second advent.
2) The trumpet
that summons the Church is called the trump of God, while the seventh trump is
an angel’s trumpet.
3) The trumpet
for the Church is singular. No trumpets have preceded it so that it cannot be
said to be the last of a series. The trumpet that closes the tribulation period
is clearly the last of a series of seven.
4) In 1
Thessalonians 4 the voice associated with the sounding of the trumpet summons
the dead and the living and consequently is heard before the resurrection. In
the Revelation, while a resurrection is mentioned (11:12, the two witnesses), the seventh
trumpet does not sound until after this
resurrection, showing us that two different events must be in view. (Italic mine)
5) The trumpet
in 1 Thessalonians issues in blessing, in life, in glory, while the trumpet in
Revelation issues in judgment upon the enemies of God.
6) In the
Thessalonian passage the trumpet sounds “in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye.” In Revelation 10:7 the indication is that the seventh trumpet shall sound
over a continued period of time, probably for the duration of the judgments
that fall under it, for John speaks of the angel that ("is about to sound", NASB), shall
“begin to sound.” The duration gives evidence of the distinction in these two.
(Italic mine)
7) The trumpet
in 1 Thessalonians is distinctly for the Church. Since God is dealing with
Israel in particular, and Gentiles in general, in the tribulation, this seventh
trumpet, which falls in the period of the tribulation, could not have reference
to the Church without losing the distinctions between the Church and Israel.
8) The passage
in Revelation depicts a great earthquake in which thousands are slain, and the
believing remnant that worships God is stricken with fear. In the Thessalonian
passage there is no earthquake mentioned. There will be no believing remnant
left behind at the Rapture to experience the fear of Revelation 11:13. Such a
view would only be consistent with a partial rapture position.
9) While the
Church will be rewarded at the time of the Rapture, yet the reward given to
“thy bond-servants the prophets, and
to the saints” can not be that event. The rewarding mentioned in Revelation
11:18, is seen to take place on the earth after the Second Advent of Christ,
following the judgment on His enemies. Since the Church is rewarded in the air,
following the Rapture, these must be two distinct events.
Post-Tribulation Rapture
theory:
The other main
view is termed the Post-Tribulation Rapture (or "Post-Trib"). This
view admits the concept of "Rapture" from 1 Thessalonians, and sees
the Rapture occurring at the end of the seven-year Tribulation period. It is
the belief in a combined Resurrection and Rapture (eg., Resurrection-Rapture) of all believers coming after the Great
Tribulation. This viewpoint holds that Christian believers will be on earth as
witnesses to Christ during the entire seven years, until the last day of the
Tribulation age.
1) They believe
that Christians won't be taken up into (the 3rd) Heaven at the Rapture, but
will be gathered by the angels (Mat 13:24-30; 24:29-31) to meet Christ in the
air, then return with Him to enter the Millennium on earth.
2) Another
passage used in this belief is 2 Peter 3:10-13 where the idea of a "thief
in the night" speaks of the Rapture. In this passage, Christ's return is
equated with the "elements being melted", and "the earth also
and the works therein shall be burned up". Because of the dual accounts
they erroneously join the Rapture with the erroneous interpretation that the
"elements" speaks to the Second Advent.
In fact 2 Peter
is a reference to the, "Day of the Lord", that begins with the
Rapture and ends with the destruction of the universe, where our Lord will then
create a "new heavens and earth", post Millennium.
A leading
proponent of the Post Tribulation Rapture, Alexander Resse, says in his book,
"The Approaching Advent of Christ", p. 18, "The Church of Christ
will not be removed from the earth until the Advent of Christ at the very end
of the present Age: the Rapture and the Appearing take place at the same
crisis; hence Christians of that generation will be exposed to the final
affliction under Antichrist." (as quoted by J. Dwight Pentecost)
Post-Tribulation
advocates question the "Yo-Yo Theory" of Pre-Tribulationist which
describes the coming of Christ in the clouds for the Rapture and then coming
back again for the Second Coming. Instead, the Post-Tribulation view represents
one all encompassing, grand event.
3) They say the
Bible describes the Tribulation Period as Satan's reign and God's Wrath is
described as what comes during the latter half of the seven years, the Battle
of Armageddon, similar to the Mid-Trib belief.
They then quote
Mat 24:29–31, "Immediately after the
tribulation of those days...they shall gather together his elect...",
as support for the Post Trib. Rapture. This is how the end times are described
by Pat Robertson in his 1995 novel. "The End
of the Age".
They also
include in this argument the specific prayer of Jesus in John 17:15 that
"the Father not take us from the earth, but that He (the Father) would
nevertheless 'keep them from the evil one'. This precludes a Pre-Trib or a
Mid-Trib Rapture to heaven at any time". (Robert Gundry, "The Church
and The Tribulation", Zondervan, 1973)
4) To a greater
extent than the Mid-Tribulation advocates, Post -Tribulation advocates must
deny Dispensational theology and the distinction between Israel and the Church
in order to place the Church squarely in what is known as "Jacob's Trouble"
according to Jer 30:7.
Jer 30:7, "Alas! for that day is
great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he
will be saved from it."
5) They must also believe that Dan
9:24-27 was fulfilled historically and is not a prophecy regarding the
Antichrist, just as some believe it was fulfilled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes of
the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty in the days of the Maccabees (166 BC). Others
believe Daniel's 70th week was fulfilled by John the Baptist and our
Lord in His early ministry.
Our Lord refuted
any and all misinterpretations of Daniel's prophecy as already being fulfilled
in Mat 24:15 were He states it is yet future.
Mat 24:15,
“Therefore when you see the abomination
of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing
in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16then those who are
in Judea must flee to the mountains."
6) Many of the
arguments for a Post-Tribulation Rapture theory stem from arguments against a
Pre-Tribulation Rapture. A main argument is that there are no writings from the
"early Church fathers" that support a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. So
this argument is from a place of silence verses evidence found in scripture.
James Orr in
"The Progress of Dogma", goes into much detail regarding the
establishment of theology over the centuries. In his survey he rightly notes
that different theological points have been brought to light, focused on and
predominantly written about at different times. He called the second century
the "Age of Apologetics" in a time that needed to refute Paganism and
Gnosticism. Next the Church's focus was on "Theology Proper", the
study of God and the Trinity. Next came "Anthropology", the study of
man in the fifth century. After that was a long period of discussion and
argument regarding "Christology" lasting through the seventh century.
Following that "Soteriology", the study of salvation, which lead to
the time of the Reformation and its controversies regarding the application of
redemption and justification. Now that the main theological points had been
focused on it was time for "Eschatology", the study of end times,
which has been explored more so in the last 200 years than ever before.
John F.
Walvoord states, "The Second Coming has always been prominent in
fundamentalist literature, but the surprising revival of interest on the part
of the modern liberal and the neo-orthodox writers is something new. Emil
Brunner, for instance, has contributed his book Eternal Hope. H. H. Rowley has
written on The Relevance of the Apocalyptic. John Wick Bowman has ventured a
new translation of the Book of Revelation entitled The Drama of the Book of
Revelation. Even more specifically, Paul A. Minear has published his book on
Chriatian Hope and the Second Coming. These works are not isolated
11-lustrations but signs of a major trend of increasing attention to the
Scriptural doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ." (The Rapture
Question.)
7) Another
argument against Post-Tribulationism is the doctrine of imminence. To believe
in a Post-Trib. Rapture there
must be a denial of the imminence of Christ's coming for His Bride without
signs, as there are many that predict His Second Advent. The doctrine of
Imminency is taught in John 14:2-3; 1 Cor 1:7; Phil 3:20-21; 1 Thes 1:9-10; 4:
16-17; 5:5-9; Titus 2:13; James 5:7-9; Rev 3:10-11; 22:7, 12, 17-22.
8)
Post-Tribulationist believe that the promise of tribulation in Luke 23:27-31;
Mat 24:9-11 and Mark 13:9-13 means the Church will go through the Tribulation
period. What they fail to realize is that these passages address Israel not the
Church. They also use John 15:18-19; 16:1-2, 33 and Acts 8:1-3; 11:19; 14:22;
Rom 12:12 as the promise and evidence of the partial fulfillment of tribulation
for the Church.
Regarding the word
tribulation, Pentecost states, "It must be noticed that the term tribulation is used in several
different ways in Scripture.
It is used in a non-technical,
non-eschatological sense in reference to any time of suffering or testing into
which one goes. It is so used in Matthew 13:21; Mark 4:17; John 16:33; Romans
5:3; 12:12; 2 Corinthians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; Revelation 1:9.
It is used in its technical or
eschatological sense in reference to the whole period of the seven years of
tribulation, as in Revelation 2:22 or Matthew 24:29. It is also used in
reference to the last half of this seven year period, as in Matthew 24:21. When
the word tribulation is used in reference to the Church, as in John 16:33, it
is used in a non-technical sense, in which the Church is promised an age-long
opposition from the god of this age, but it is not teaching that the Church
will be brought into the period technically known as the Tribulation. Otherwise
one would have to teach that the Tribulation has already existed for over
nineteen hundred years." (Things to Come, p. 170)
9) They argue from
the standpoint of universal resurrection, not distinguishing the prophecies to
Israel that differ from those for the Church. 1 Cor 15:23 simply refutes this
argument, "But each in his own order."
Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory:
The third
prevalent interpretation regarding the timing of the Rapture in relation to the
Tribulation is called Pre-Tribulation Rapture. This interpretation says that
the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ, will be, in its entirety, resurrected
and translated from the earth to meet the Lord in the clouds of the air before
the beginning of Daniel's 70th week. As we have noted previously in our discussions on Mid and Post
Tribulation theories, there are several main discussion points including the
distinctions between Israel and the Church and Dispensational theology. These
will be discussed regarding a Pre-Tribulation Rapture below, but first of
import is the doctrine of Imminency regarding the Rapture of the Church.
The Imminence of
the Rapture of the Church
Many signs were
given to the nation Israel, which would precede the Second Advent of Christ, so
that the nation might live in expectancy when the time of His coming should
draw near. Although Israel does not know the day or the hour, they can know
that their redemption is very close through the fulfillment of those signs. No
such signs were ever given to the Church preceding its conclusions other than
the prophecy of the Rapture itself, only historical trends were given.
The doctrine of Imminency is taught in:
1 Cor 1:7; Phil 3:20-21; 1 Thes 1:9-10; 4:16-17; James 5:7-9
1 Cor 1:7, "So that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting
eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Thes 1:10, "And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom
He raised from the dead, that is
Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come."
For the Church,
we are told to live in the light of Christ's imminent return. John 14:2-3;
Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; Col. 3:4; 1 Thes 5:5-9; 1 Tim. 6:14
In addition, 1
Thes 5:6; Titus 2:13; and Rev 3:3 all exhort us to be watching for Him, not for
signs that would precede His coming.
As stated
before, imminence or “at any moment coming,” is not a new doctrine that began
with John Darby in the 1870-80's. To Darby's credit, he did clarify,
systematize, and popularize it. But he did not create it as will be shown
below.
A belief in
imminency was part of Premillennialism long before Darby, as shown in the
writings of the early Church fathers as well as the writers of the New
Testament. As we saw previously, Paul wrote 1 Thes 4 and 2 Thes 2 to refute
false teachings in his day regarding the imminence of Rapture of the Church.
There is much evidence from the early writings supporting this doctrine. Therefore,
we can say that a resurrection and coming of our Lord without signs and wonders
was an established doctrine and belief.
Pentecost makes
the following four quotes:
a) Clement
wrote in his First Epistle to the Corinthians in the first century: "Ye
see how in a little while the fruit of the trees come to maturity. Of a truth,
soon and suddenly shall His will be accomplished, as the Scriptures also bear
witness, saying “Speedily will He come, and will not tarry”; and “The Lord
shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Holy One, for whom ye look.” (1
Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, chapter 23.)
b) Again,
Clement writes: "If therefore we shall do what is just in the sight of
God, we shall enter into His kingdom, and shall receive the promises, which
neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man.
Wherefore, let us every hour expect the kingdom of God in love and
righteousness, because we know not the day of the Lord’s appearing."
c) In the
Didache, "Teachings" or "Doctrine", an early Christian
treatise in the second century containing instructions for Christian
communities, stated: "Watch for your life’s sake. Let not your lamps be
quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in
which our Lord cometh." (Ante-Nicene Fathers, VII, 382.)
d) Cyprian in
the third century wrote: “It were a self-contradictory and incompatible thing
for us, who pray that the kingdom of God may quickly come, to be looking for a
long life here below.. . .”
Additionally,
in the “Constitutions of the Holy Apostles” (Book VII, Sec. ii, xxxi), complied
between the second and fourth centuries: "Observe all things that are
commanded you by the Lord. Be watchful for your life. ‘Let your loins be girded
about, and your lights burning, and ye like unto men who wait for their Lord,
when He will come, at even, or in The morning, or at cock-crowing, or at
midnight. For what hour they think not, the Lord will come; and if they open to
Him, blessed are those servants, because they were found watching."
(Ante-Nicene Fathers, VII, 471.)
So we know that many were anticipating
the return of our Lord without signs and wonders that lends itself to the
Pre-Tribulational belief.
John F.
Walvoord states, "While the teachings of the Fathers are not clear on
details, some at least seem to have regarded the coming of the Lord as a matter
of daily expectancy. It is unwarranted to assume, as the Post-Tribulationists
do, that the early Church regarded the imminent coming of the Lord as an
impossibility."
George E. Ladd
stated, relative to the historical argument: “Let it be at once emphasized that
we are not turning to the Church fathers to find authority for either pre or
post Tribulationism. The one authority is the Word of God, and we are not
confined in the strait-jacket of tradition.” (The Blessed Hope, p. 19)
Henry C.
Thiessen writes: "They held not only the Premillennial view of Christ’s
coming, but also regarded that coming as imminent. The Lord had taught them to
expect His return at any moment, and so they looked for Him to come in their
day. Not only so, but they also taught His personal return as being
immediately. Only the Alexandrians opposed this truth; but these fathers also
rejected other fundamental doctrines. We may say, therefore, that the early
Church lived in the constant expectation of their Lord, and hence was not
interested in the possibility of a Tribulation period in the future."
(Will the Church Pass Through the Tribulation?, P. 19.)
Although the
Eschatology of the early Church may not be clear on all points, the evidence is
clear that they believed in the imminent return of Christ. The writings of the
Reformers also demonstrated the acceptance of the imminent return of our Lord.
Chafer quotes some of the reformers to show that they believed in the imminent
return of Christ.
Luther
(1483-1546) wrote, “I believe that all the signs which are to precede the last
days have already appeared. Let us not think that the Coming of Christ is far
off; let us look up with heads lifted up; let us expect our Redeemer’s coming
with longing and cheerful mind”
Calvin
(1509-1564) also declares, "Scripture uniformly enjoins us to look with
expectation for the advent of Christ."
John Knox a
Scottish Reformer (1514–1572) noted, “The Lord Jesus shall return, and that
with expedition. What were this else but to reform the face of the whole earth,
which never was nor yet shall be, till that righteous King and Judge appear for
the restoration of all things.”
Similarly, the
words of Hughe Latimer (1485-1555): “All those excellent and learned men whom,
without doubt God has sent into the world in these latter days to give the
world warning, do gather out of the Scriptures that the last days can not be
far off. Peradventure it may come in my day, old as I am, or in my children’s
days.” (Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, IV, 278f)
Titus 2:13
tells us to wait with keen anticipation for the Lord. How do you do that? You
wait through thinking; you wait with patience, which is the application of
doctrine. You know the Rapture is coming. It may not occur in your lifetime,
but you still know it’s coming. In this way you apply Bible doctrine, are
occupied with the person of Jesus Christ, utilize +H, virtue-love, hope 2 and
hope 3, so that you have a wonderful life and death.
The phrase "I
am coming quickly" in Rev
3:10-11; 22:7, 12, 17-22, is why the
Rapture is always called imminent, because there is no intervening prophecy to
be fulfilled. Yet, while the Rapture is imminent, the Second Advent is
not. Before the Second Advent occurs, there are many prophecies which must
occur, e.g., the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Judgment Seat of Christ, the
Seal, Trumpet and Bowl Judgments, the establishment of Antichrist, etc., Rev
6-19.
The imminency
of the Rapture is a doctrine for mature believers only. A mature believer is
eager for the Rapture to occur. He is so occupied with Christ that he looks for
the Rapture, and he does not use the Rapture as escapism from the tribulations
of day to day life.
Scripture
directs Israel regarding the Tribulation to watch for the "day of the
Lord" which will come “as a thief in the night” (Mat 24:32-25:13; 1
Thes 5:1-8; 2 Pet 3:8, 10).
This includes the termination of the Tribulation by the glorious return
of Christ as their judge and deliverer.
"The day
of the Lord" includes the Rapture, the last half of the Tribulation,
Second Advent, Millennium, the time period for destroying the heavens and
earth, and the time period for creating the new heavens and earth, totaling
1007 years. It is also used for any
portion of this period, the context dictating how long. Isa 2:12, 13:6; Joel 1:15, 2:1; Zech 14:1, 1
Thes 5:2; 2 Pet 3:10.
Over against
this, the Church is instructed to wait and to look for His return for her, 1
Thes 1:9-10; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28. In both instances the return of Christ is
unannounced and therefore impending, within the period to which each event
belongs. The return of Christ for His Church was not impending in Old Testament
days; nor is the glorious appearing impending until the Tribulation, 2 Thes
2:3.
The imminent
return of Christ to receive His Church is held before every believer as a
“blessed hope.”
John 14:1-3,
“Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my
Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be
also.”
The absence of
a date in this passage, addressed to the eleven in the upper room, extends that
promise to all succeeding generations until He comes.
Titus 2:11-13,
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching
us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope,
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”
Here, as above,
the promise extends to all generations until He comes.
1 Thes 1:9-10,
“For they themselves report about us what
kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to
serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for His Son from heaven,
whom He raised from the dead, that is
Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”
God's divine
plan and purpose for the first generation of Christians was to not be looking
for the Tribulation or for death, but for the imminent coming of Christ.
1 John 3:2-3,
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall
be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall
see him as he is. And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself,
even as he is pure.”
This purifying
hope was as much a reality to those of the earliest days of the Church as it
has been to any later generations including our own. The force of this argument
is inescapable. The Tribulation is not the hope of the coming of the Lord; it (the Tribulation) is not at hand, but
“the Lord is at hand”, Phil. 4:5. The Apostle Paul by a fivefold use of the
self-including pronoun "we" placed himself among those who were
driven by the hope of Christ’s return, 1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thes 4:15-17.
Warren Weirsbe, "Expository Outlines of the New Testament", states
regarding Imminency, "The important thing is not to chart the future but
to be ready for His coming at any time. This means paying no attention to the
sensationalists and the people who claim to know all the “secrets” (Luke
17:23). Jesus compared the last days to “the days of Noah” (Luke 17:26-27) and
“the days of
"The doctrine of imminence forbids
the participation of the church in any part of the seventieth week. The
multitude of signs given to
Why
Pre-Tribulation?
Just as important
as the doctrine of Imminency, another pillar for the Pre-Tribulation belief of
the Rapture of the Church is the literal interpretation of Scripture. This
means that we do not spiritualize passages related to the end times. We read
the Bible and understand the literal administration of God's Plan for man
including the events that will take place in the end times. It is very
hazardous and dangerous to interpret scripture in any other way. If not
interpreted literally there is much room for bias, interjection and deception.
Interpreting the
Bible literally leads to much knowledge and insight especially when studying
the end times. Pure facts such as God's administration for the various ages
called dispensations, the differences between
Now to understand this better lets note
the various viewpoints of the Resurrection.
Amillennialists
admit that if the literal method of interpretation of the Scriptures is the
right method Pre-Millennialism is the correct interpretation. (Oswald T. Alit,
Prophecy and the Church, p. 17.)
The fact is,
that in order to arrived at a Pre-Millenialist view, one must interpret the
Bible literally, including the literal fact of the Second Advent of our Lord to
establish His Millennial reign. However, the Post-Tribulationist interprets the
book of Revelation historically, which is basically a spiritualizing method, or
as being yet future by spiritualizing away the literalness of the events. How
can one spiritualize portions of prophecy regarding the Church and judgements
yet believe in the literal Second Advent of our Lord. That is illogical and
inconsistent thinking. Neither of which can be ascribe to the Mind of Christ.
The
Mid-Tribulationist applies literal interpretation to the last half of the
Tribulation, God's wrath, but spiritualizes the events of the first half to
include the Church. Again illogical and inconsistent.
The fact is
there cannot be one method employed to establish Pre-Millennialism and another
for the Rapture of the Church. Your hermeneutics must view all either literally
or spiritually to gain a consistent and logical interpretation, and literally
only to gain the correct understanding of scripture. “When I do not interpret the Bible literally enough that is when I get into
trouble”, (Chuck Missler). Therefore the Pre-Millennial,
Pre-Tribulational view is the only one consistent, logical and valid.
The Main Arguments for a Pre-Tribulation
Rapture.
Much of the
outline below regards Daniel's 70th week, the Church,
Dan 9:24-27, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people
and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make
atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up
vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to
restore and rebuild
1) Daniel wrote
this prophecy in 538 BC, 67 years after
At the time of
Daniel's writing the Chaldeans had already been overthrown by the Medo-Persian
Empire under King Cyrus who was sympathetic to Israel and freedom of religion.
Most likely, Cyrus or a successor was now the ruler, Dan 9:1-2. (Darius is not
specifically known and could be one of several people including Cyrus.)
2) In verse 24
a total of 70 weeks are decreed for the Jews and Jerusalem. Each week
represents 7 years as first mentioned in Gen 29:26-27, (i.e. 7 days in a week
and each day represents a year). Therefore 70 weeks is 70 times 7 or 490 years.
3) To finish
the transgression speaks of God's divine Plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ
at the Cross. It also includes the culmination of prophecies and to establish
the everlasting Tabernacle, our Lord Jesus Christ in Millennial reign and
beyond. It would be a total of 490 years from the issuance of the decree to
accomplish this.
4) In verse 25
the issuing of a decree is the prophecy fulfilled by King Artaxerxes who
ordered the rebuilding of Jerusalem through Nehemiah in 445 BC, in Neh 2:4-8,
some 93 years after Daniel's prophecy.
5) From the
issuing of the decree there is given 7 weeks and 62 weeks, a total of 69 weeks
until Messiah the Prince. This includes 7 x 7 = 49 years and 62 x 7 = 434
years, in all 483 years.
6) Neh. 2:4-8 begins the counting for the time of “Messiah to be cutoff”
(rejected) and His Second Coming as prophesized in Dan. 9:24-27.
7) "Even in times of distress" tells us that Israel was not a
sovereign nation. They were still under the authority of the Medo-Persian
Empire although favorably.
8) The first period
of 49 years is not specifically described. This could be a reference to the
completion of the project of rebuilding Jerusalem in approximately 397, (the
walls were completed in 52 days), or it could be from the decree until the book
of the last Old Testament was completed, that being the book of Malachi also
around that time.
9) Then in
verse 26 the following 62 weeks or 434 years is until Messiah the prince, a
reference to Jesus Christ as He rode into Jerusalem as Hosanna in the Highest
in His triumphal procession on what we call today Palm Sunday.
10) The
calculation of this time period and years is based on the Jewish calendar of
twelve, thirty-day months in a year or 360 days in a year.
11) 483 years x 360 days/year = 173,880 days. From
Nisan 1 (March 14), 445 BC to
April 6, 32 AD, Palm Sunday, it is exactly 173,880 days the “Cutting off
of Messiah”. They celebrated His entry but rejected Him as Messiah.
12) The next prophecy in verse 26, "the people of the prince who is
to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary", is a prophecy of the
Romans under General Titus who in 70 AD destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and
scattered Israel among the nations. We'll see more regarding the prophecy of
re-gathering Israel later on in this doctrine.
13) "The people" refers to the Romans under Titus and the
"Prince to come" is yet another prophecy within this passage. It
speaks of the Antichrist who will come forth from the revived Roman Empire
during the Tribulation period.
14) This prince
is again referenced in verse 27 as "he who will make a firm covenant with
the many" which a reference to the Antichrist who will broker a peace
treaty with the many (Israel) at the beginning of the Tribulation period.
15) "One
week", is the time frame of the treaty which signifies the 7 year
Tribulation, half way through which the Antichrist will repeal his covenant
with Israel. This is the reference to the last week of Daniel's 70 weeks, the
Tribulation.
16) So Israel
had 69 weeks from the signing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem in 445 BC
until the Messiah publicly revealed Himself for the last time in AD 32. Because
of Israel's rejection of the Messiah, the Age of Israel was interrupted and the
Age of the Gentiles (Church Age) was inserted. Upon completion of the Body of
Christ, the final or 70th week of Daniel's prophecy will begin which
will end at the Second Advent of our Lord who ends the reign of Antichrist.
"Even until a complete destruction,
one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate",
Dan 9:27. Christ will then establish His Millennial reign.
Now that we
have explained the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 we can begin the Main Arguments
for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
(This outline is borrowed from J. Dwight
Pentecost's, Things to Come, pp. 194-218, with additions and enhancements.)
1. The Nature of the Seventieth Week is
described as:
a) Wrath (Rev 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:8, 10,
19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 1 Thes 1:9-10; 5:9; Zeph 1:15, 18);
b) Judgment (Rev 14:7; 15:4; 16:5-7; 17:1; 18:10; 19:2);
c) Indignation (Isa 26:20-21; 34:1-3);
d) Punishment (Isa 24:20-21);
e) Hour of trial (Rev 3:10);
f) Hour of trouble (Jer 30:7);
g) Destruction (Joel 1:15);
h) Darkness (Joel 2:2; Zeph 1:14-18; Amos 5:18)
It must be
noted that these references describe the Tribulation in its entirety, not just
a portion of it, so that the whole period bears these characterizations. The
Lord Jesus Christ bore the wrath on our behalf so that we “would not come into
judgment.” 1 Thes 5:9, “For God has not
destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
2. The Scope of the Seventieth Week.
Rev 3:10; Isa
34:2; 24:1, 4-5, 16-17, 18-21, and many other passages tell us that the wrath
of God is poured out upon the whole earth during the 70th week. And
yet, while the whole earth is in view, this period is particularly in relation
to Israel because Israel is scatted throughout the whole earth. The whole earth
is in view, but Jer 30:7 calls this period “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” which
tells us that it is particularly related to Israel.
The events of
the seventieth week are events of the “Day of the Lord” or “Day of Jehovah.”
This title emphasizes deity and God’s specific relationship to the nation of
Israel. In the prophecy of Daniel 9:24, God says, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people (Israel) and your holy city (Jerusalem)”.
This whole period then has special reference to Daniel’s people, Israel, and
Daniel’s holy city, Jerusalem. Rom 16:25-26, Eph 3:1-6 and Col 1:25-27, along
with others, make it clear that the Church is a mystery. It also indicates that
its body is composed of Jew and Gentile, which was not revealed in the Old Testament.
Remember that
the Church did not exist until after the death (Eph. 5:25-26), resurrection
(Rom. 4:25; Col.3: 1-3), and ascension (Eph. 1: 19-20) of Christ, plus the
giving of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2). Therefore in Daniel's
prophecy, of which the first sixty-nine weeks were fulfilled prior to the
Crucifixion, the Church had no part. Since the Church had no part in the first
69 weeks, which are related only to God’s program for Israel, why would it have
a part in the 70th week? The answer, it would not.
Now that the
Church is established and open to both Jew and Gentile that does not usurp
prior prophecies given to Israel; it interrupts them but it does not nullify
them. Remember this is "Jacob's Trouble" not the "Church's
Trouble" or "Peter's Trouble" or "Paul's Trouble" or
"Christ's Trouble". Therefore, since every passage dealing with the
Tribulation relates it to God’s program for Israel, the scope of the
Tribulation prevents the Church from participating in it.
3. The Purpose of the Seventieth Week.
There are two
main purposes to be accomplished in the Seventieth Week.
a. The first is
found in the message to the Church at Philadelphia in Revelation 3:10.
Rev 3:10, “Because you have kept the word of My
perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the
whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
The first thing
to note is that the "hour" is to come not upon the Church but upon
the "whole world" and "those who dwell on the earth". The
last expression is also used in Rev 6:10; 11:10; 13:8, 12, 14;
14:6 and 17:8.
This phrase
isn't just giving us a geographical understanding of the earth as opposed to
lets say, Mars! It is identifying a people, group, and corporation. It is those
who have rejected God's plan of salvation and instead embraced this earthly
abode. The phrase "vine of the earth" in Rev 14:18-20 also identifies
the earthly verses heavenly citizen.
"Now the
word “dwell” used here (KATOIKEO) is a strong word. It is used to describe the
fullness of the Godhead that dwelt in Christ (Col. 2:9); it is used of Christ’s
taking up a permanent abode in the believer’s heart (Eph. 3:17), and of demons
returning to take absolute possession of a man (Mat. 12:45; Luke 11:26). It is
to be distinguished from the word OIKEO, which is the general term for “dwell,”
and PAROIKEO, which has the idea of transitoriness, “to sojourn.” Thayer
remarks that the term KATOIKEO has the idea of permanence in it. Thus the
judgment referred to in Rev. 3:10 is directed against the earth-dwellers of
that day, against those who have settled down in the earth as their real home,
who have identified themselves with the earth’s commerce and religion."
(Henry C. Thiessen, Will the Church Pass Through the Tribulation? pp. 28-29)
The second note
of importance is the Greek word for "to test". It is PEIRASAI,
[pi-rah'-sahee] which is the Aorist,
Active, Infinitive of PEIRAZO [pi-rad'-zo]. It means test, put to the test, to make proof of, tempt, try, attempt.
It's root word is PEIRA [pi'-rah], which means a trial. The use of the
infinitive for PEIRASAI is to express purpose. God has a plan and purpose for
the time of testing. Thayer defines this word, when God is its subject, “to
inflict evils upon one in order to prove his character and the steadfastness of
his faith.”
As you know,
God does not cause the evil but allows evil agents as part of His plan.
"Since the Father never sees the Church except in Christ, perfected in
Him, this period can have no reference to the church, for the true Church does
not need to be tested to see if her faith is genuine." (J. Dwight
Pentecost, Things to Come, pg. 197)
God uses this
time period as a means to bring the unbelieving world to salvation under
"crisis evangelism". Therefore, any mention of the Church, which is
already evangelized, being a focal point of the "hour of testing"
would mean salvation is by works and not by grace which is in direct contrast
to Eph 2:8-9 and many other passages.
b. The
Seventieth Week is in relation to Israel and its King.
Malachi 4:5-6
states, “Behold, I am going to send you
Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.
6He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so
that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
Elijah's
ministry was to prepare the nation of Israel for her King. As we know John the
Baptist was the fulfillment of that prophecy in Luke 1:17.
Our Lord also
stated in Mark 9:12-13 and Mat 11:14 that John the Baptist was the fulfillment
of the Elijah prophecy.
Mark 9:12,
"And He said to them, 'Elijah does
first come and restore all things. And yet
how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated
with contempt? 13“But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and
they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.'"
Mat 11:14, "And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come."
In the Malachi
prophecy Elijah comes before the "great and terrible day of the Lord"
to "restore the hearts of the fathers".
This is speaking of Israel in regards to the "Day of the Lord". So
the ministry of Elijah is to prepare Israel not the Church. The Church is
already "in Christ" and does not need preparing. Israel is lost and
needs preparing for the return of the King.
"These two
purposes, the testing of the "earth dwellers", and the preparation of
Israel for the King, have no relation to the Church whatsoever. This is supporting
evidence that the Church will not be in the Seventieth Week." (J. Dwight
Pentecost, ibid)
4. The Unity of the Seventieth Week.
As we have
noted previously, especially in the study of Daniel 9:24-27, the 70th
Week is a complete and consistent unit from start to finish. Remember that
Daniel's prophecy is broken into three portions; 7 weeks, 62 weeks and 1 week,
each being a complete unit as parts of the whole 70 Weeks that is related to
"Daniel's people and their city". Even though the last week is
divided into two parts, (Dan 9:27; Mat 24:15; and Rev 13), the nature and
character of the entire week is consistent and makes up a complete unit of the
overall prophecy. Therefore to place the Church in any portion or entirely into
the last week is impossible, illogical and unscriptural. The Seventieth Week
has a harmony within its two portions and harmony with the other two portions
of the overall 70 Week prophecy.
5. The Nature of the Church.
We must always
carefully discern what scripture is saying and to whom, especially in the
distinctions between the Church and Israel, which the Bible clearly sets forth.
Being a member of national Israel is based on physical birth, Gen 22:15-18;
Gal; 3:16-18. However, prior to the Day of Pentecost anyone who believed in the
Messiah was a part of Spiritual Israel.
There is a
similar distinction in the Church. Many think they are part of the Church
because they profess Christ. But in actuality they have denied His grace plan
of salvation, therefore they are not born again and are not part of the True
Church. The professing Church is described in Mat 7:15-23 and Rev 2:20-23.
Being a member of the True Church is based on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
that is accompanied by a spiritual birth, being born again, John 3:3-8. This is
based on faith alone in Christ alone according to Eph 2:8-9 and many other
scriptures.
The professing
church will have tribulation while the True Church will be glorified in Christ,
Rev 2:24-29. Only the True Church (made up of Jew and Gentile who receive
Christ as their Lord and Savior) will be Raptured. All others, unbelievers,
both Jew and Gentile, will not be Raptured and will go through the Tribulation.
After the day
of Pentecost and until the Rapture we find the Church, which is His body, but
no Spiritual Israel. After the Rapture we find no Church, but a true or
spiritual Israel again. These distinctions must be kept clearly in mind to
accurately understand scripture and prophecy.
"Since the
Church is the body, of which Christ is the Head (Eph. 1:22; 5:23; Col. 1:18),
the bride, of which He is the Bridegroom (1 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23), the object
of His love (Eph. 5:25), the branch of which He is the Root and Stem (John
15:5), the building, of which He is the Foundation and Cornerstone (1 Cor. 3:9;
Eph. 2:19-22), there exists between the believer and the Lord a union and a
unity." (Pentecost)
If believers
were to be judged in the Tribulation then Christ would also suffer that
judgement. As we know He has already suffered once and for all time, Rom 6:10;
Heb 7:27; 9:12; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18.
Rom 6:10, "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God."
Likewise, the
believer is promised that through faith in Christ all judgment is removed.
John 5:24, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and
believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment,
but has passed out of death into life."
Rom 8:1, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus."
Clearly the judgments of the Tribulation are meant not for the believer,
but for the unbelieving world.
2 Thes 2:12, "In order that they all may be judged who did not
believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness."
"The
nature of the testing in the Seventieth Week, as stated in Rev 3:10, is not to
bring the individual to cleansing, but to reveal the degradation and need of
the unregenerate heart. The nature of the Church prevents such a testing."
(Pentecost)
As a last note,
Rev 13:7 is clear that all who are in the 70th Week will be placed
in subjection to the Beast and therefore to Satan himself, who gives the Beast
His power.
Rev 13:7, "It was also given to him to make war with the saints and
to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and
nation was given to him."
Again, if the
Church were a part of this time period it would be subjected to Satan and
therefore Christ too would be subjected to Satan’s authority. If this were so, at minimum Jesus would lose
His place as Head of the Body, which is a blasphemous statement. So we must
concluded that the Nature of the Church and the completeness of her salvation
prevent her from being in the Seventieth Week.
6. The Concept of the Church as a
Mystery.
The next proof
of, "why the Church will not be in the Tribulation", is closely
related to the previous point. The next
point of proof is the revelation of the "Mystery Church". The Mystery
Church, a.k.a. the Body of Christ, has now been revealed during this
Dispensation of Grace which too is a part of the mystery.
The Mystery
Church has been revealed through the Apostles and Prophets of the early church
and documented within the New Testament. One thing that was never a mystery was
that God would provide salvation for the Jews, or that Gentiles would be
blessed in salvation. But the fact that God was going to form one body made up
of both Jews and Gentiles was never revealed in the Old Testament. This is the
mystery Paul speaks of in Rom 16:25-27; Col 1:26-29; Eph 3:1-7.
"The mystery. A mystery was not
something mysterious (in the modern sense) but something unknown until revealed
to the initiated (cf. Rom. 16:25). The mystery spoken of here is not that
Gentiles would be blessed (for that was predicted in the OT) but that Jews and
Gentiles would be equal heirs in the one body of Christ (v. 6). This was
unknown in OT prophecy but was revealed by the NT apostles and prophets (v.
5)." (Charles Ryrie, Notes on Eph 3:3)
It was not
until after the rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah by Israel that this
whole mystery program was revealed. In fact it was after the rejection noted in
Mat 12:23-24 that the Lord first made a prophecy of the coming Church in Mat
16:18.
Mat 12:23, "All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man
cannot be the Son of David, can he?” 24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out
demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”"
Mat 16:18, "I also say to you that you are Peter (a little rock), and upon this rock (the mountain that is Jesus Christ) I
will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."
Not only this
but it was after the rejection of the Cross that the Church had its inception
in Acts 2. Also it was not until after the final rejection by Israel that God
called out Paul to be the Apostle of the Gentiles through whom this mystery of
the nature of the Church is revealed. Clearly the Church is an interruption of
God’s program for Israel, which was not brought into being until after Israel’s
rejection of the offer of the Kingdom. Therefore, scripture, as well as logic,
dictates that this "Mystery Program" must be brought to a finite
conclusion before God can resume His dealings with the nation Israel. Rom
11:25-31
Rom 11:25, "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of
this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial
hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come
in."
The
"Mystery Program", which was so distinct in its inauguration, will
certainly be just as distinct in its sanctifying conclusion. It must be
concluded before God can resume and culminate His program for Israel. This
"Mystery Program" of the Church makes a Pretribulation Rapture a necessity.
7. The Distinctions between Israel and
the Church.
Lewis Sperry
Chafer has documented 24 contrasts between Israel and the Church, (Systematic
Theology, IV, 47-53). They show that the two groups can not be united into one.
They also show that God is dealing with each separately in special and
distinctive programs.
1) The extent
of Biblical revelation: Israel—nearly four-fifths of the Bible; Church—about
one-fifth.
2) The Divine
purpose: Israel—the earthly promises in the covenants; Church—the heavenly promises
in the gospel.
3) The seed of
Abraham: Israel—the physical seed, of whom some become a spiritual seed;
Church—a spiritual seed.
4) Birth:
Israel—physical birth that produces a relationship; Church—spiritual birth that
brings relationship.
5) Headship:
Israel—Abraham; Church—Christ.
6) Covenants:
Israel— Abrahamic and all the following covenants; Church—indirectly related to
the Abrahamic and new covenants;
7) Nationality:
Israel—one nation; Church—from all nations.
8) Divine
dealing: Israel—national and individual; Church—individual only.
9)
Dispensations: Israel—seen in all ages from Abraham; Church—seen only in this
present age.
10) Ministry:
Israel— no missionary activity and no gospel to preach; Church—a commission to
fulfill.
11) The death
of Christ: Israel—guilty nationally, to be saved by it; Church—perfectly saved
by it now.
12) The Father:
Israel—by a peculiar relationship God was Father to the nation; Church—we are
related individually to God as Father.
13) Christ:
Israel—Messiah, Immanuel, King; Church—Saviour, Lord, Bridegroom, Head.
14) The Holy
Spirit: Israel—came upon some temporarily; Church—indwells all.
15) Governing
principle: Israel—Mosaic law system; Church— grace system.
16) Divine
enablement: Israel—none; Church— the indwelling Holy Spirit.
17) Two
farewell discourses: Israel—Olivet Discourse; Church—Upper Room Discourse.
18) The promise
of Christ’s return: Israel—in power and glory for judgment; Church—to receive
us to Himself.
19) Position:
Israel— a servant; Church—members of the family.
20) Christ’s
earthly reign: Israel—subjects; Church—co-reigners.
21) Priesthood:
Israel—had a priesthood; Church—is a priesthood.
22) Marriage:
Israel—unfaithful wife; Church—bride.
23) Judgments:
Israel—must face judgment; Church—delivered from all judgments.
24) Positions
in eternity: Israel-spirits of just men made perfect in the new earth;
Church—church of the firstborn in the new heavens.
"In
concluding this extended series of contrasts between Israel and the Church, it
should be observed that, in certain respects, there are similarities between
these two groups of elect people. Each, in turn, has its own peculiar relation
to God, to righteousness, to sin, to redemption, to salvation, to human
responsibility, and to destiny. They are each witnesses to the Word of God;
each may claim the same Shepherd; they have doctrines in common; the death of
Christ avails in its own way for each; they are alike loved with an everlasting
love; and each, as determined by God, will be glorified." (ibid. pg.53)
These contrasts
make it impossible to identify the two as being in one program that would have
to be the case if the Church were to go through the Seventieth Week. These
distinctions give further support to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
8. The Work of the Restrainer in 2
Thessalonians 2. (Read
2 Thes 2:1-12)
The believers at Thessalonica thought that they had missed the Rapture and that
the Day of the Lord had begun. That is why Paul wrote this letter. To ensure
them that they had not missed out and were not in the Day of the Lord. He told
them that the Day of the Lord could not take place until first there was a
"departure" (APOSTASIA). This is another term for the Rapture or
Resurrection (ANASTASIA) of the Body of Christ.
The second
thing that must occur is the manifestation of the Man of Sin / the lawless one,
as also described in Rev. 13. In verse 7 he notes the mystery lawlessness. This
mystery is the fact that Satan is the ruler of this world. His Cosmic System
was in force in the early Church as it is today. Nevertheless, there is someone
who is restraining Satan's Cosmic System from unleashing its full evil force
onto mankind. In verse 8 when the "Restrainer", who is God the Holy
Spirit, is taken out of the way "then the Lawless One will be
revealed" unrestrained. The removal of the "Restrainer" is
another depiction of the Rapture of the Church who is the temple / dwelling
place of God the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:16), as well as the other two members of
the Trinity. Rom 8:9-11; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:21-22
1 Cor 3:16, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in
you?"
Eph 2:21-22, "In whom the whole building, being fitted together, is
growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built
together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."
This does not
mean that the Holy Spirit ceases His ministries with man at the removal of the
Church. Nor does He cease to be omnipresent at that time. What it means is that
His restraining ministry of the Lawless One does cease. Therefore, the
Restrainer will continue restraining the Lawless One, who is the Antichrist
enabled with all the power of Satan, as long as His temple remains on earth.
The Spirit's
restraining will cease upon the APOSTASIA, "departure", (i.e. the
Rapture of the Church), when His temple is taken to heaven. The Holy Spirit's
ministry in the Church and His restraint must cease before the Lawless One can
be revealed, and that requires a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church because
Daniel 9:27 tells us that the Lawless One will be manifested at the beginning
of the week.
Dan 9:27, "And he (the Lawless
One, Antichrist) will make a firm covenant with the many for one
week,…"
If made manifest at the beginning of the week that means he is
unrestrained. Therefore, Antichrist will not be allowed to broker a deal with
Israel prior to the removal of the Church, (i.e. the temple of the Restrainer).
Finally, the
contrasting conjunction of 2 Thes 2:13 "DE", sets apart the passages
through to the end of the chapter and shows that the Church Age believer is not
destined for the judgment of the Tribulation (vs. 12) but will be saved from
it. Therefore, the Church can not be in any part of Daniel's Seventieth Week.
9. The Necessity of an Interval between
the Rapture and Second Advent.
Some have
interpreted the word APANTÊSIS "to meet", in Acts 28:15 as “to meet
to return with.” This word is also used
in Mat 25:6 in relationship to the call to the virgins with the lamps to meet
the Bridegroom.
Mat 25:6, “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom!
Come out to meet him.’"
It is often
argued that the same word used in 1 Thes 4:17 has the same idea and therefore
the Church must be Raptured at the end of the Tribulation in order to return
instantly with the Lord to the earth. They use this to deny any interval
between the Rapture and the Return. The Greek does not require this
interpretation. In addition the events that occur after the Rapture for the
Church make it impossible including:
1) The BEMA
Seat of Christ,
1 Cor 3:11-16;
2 Cor 5:9; Rev 4:4; 19:8, 14 tell us that the Church has been judged for
rewards and will have received them by the time of the Second Advent. It is
impossible to think that this could take place without some interval of time.
2) The
Presentation of the Church to Christ,
The Church is
to be presented as a gift from the Father to the Son, 2 Cor 4:14; Col 1:22.
Scofield writes, "This is the moment of our Lord’s supreme joy—the
consummation of all his redemptive work." (C. I. Scofield, Will the Church
Pass Through the Great Tribulation? p. 13.)
He quotes the
following scripture in support. Eph. 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it; that He might
sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word, THAT HE MIGHT
PRESENT IT UNTO HIMSELF a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
Jude 24, “Now
unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless
BEFORE THE PRESENCE OF HIS GLORY with exceeding joy.”
3) The Marriage
of the Lamb, and
4) The Marriage
Feast that follows, Rev 19:7-9.
These passages
along with verse 11, clearly point out that the marriage and feast occur prior
to the revelation of the King at the Second Advent. In Luke 12:35-40 (vs
36-37), Mat 22:1-14; and 25:1-13 the King is in the role of Bridegroom at His
coming, indicating that the marriage has taken place just as the Greek
indicates in Rev 19:7 "has come". This too requires some time
interval between the Rapture and Second Advent and makes a simultaneous event
impossible. While the length of time for these events to occur is not
indicated, some interval is required. Therefore, the Church must be Raptured
well prior to the Second Advent of our Lord.
10. The Problem Behind 1 Thessalonians
4:13-18.
The event described here includes:
1) A return of Christ in the air,
2) A resurrection of the dead in Christ,
3) A Rapture of living believers, and
4) A reunion with those who have died.
The
Thessalonians were not ignorant of the fact of resurrection but they did
misunderstand the relationship between the resurrection of believers who had
previously died and the Rapture of the living. They also did not understand the
application of the promises to rule with Christ after His Second Advent, Rev
2:26-27; 3:21. Therefore Paul writes this letter and the second to teach the
facts regarding the resurrection of the dead, Rapture of the living, and
assurance towards the promises of God for the Church.
The interesting
point is that if the Thessalonian believers had believed that the Church would
be going through the Seventieth Week, as noted in the second epistle, they
would have been concerned for themselves and rejoiced in the fact that their
deceased loved ones would not. They would have rejoiced in the fact that some
of their brethren had missed this period of suffering and were with the Lord
without experiencing the outpouring of wrath, (1 Thes 1:10; Rev 3:10), which
Paul had to also remind them of in this epistle. If the Church were to go
through the Tribulation it would be better to already be with the Lord through
death than to have to endure the events of the Seventieth Week. If they had
their doctrine correct, the Thessalonians would be praising the Lord that their
brethren were spared these events instead of feeling sorrow for them.
In comparison
to Paul's second letter, written within the same year, by that time they obviously
believed they had missed out on the Rapture and would endure the Tribulation, 2
Thes 2:1-17, yet they mourned for their deceased brethren. Why? Charles Ryrie's
note on this passage is, "The question
is this: Does the death of a believer before the Lord comes cause him to lose
all hope of sharing in the glorious reign of Christ?"
This appears to be the cause of morning for them. They thought it to be
advantageous to live until Christ's return and therefore, receive the reward of
reigning with Him in the Millennium. If they, at the writing of this first
epistle, still believed in the Rapture prior to the Tribulation, they too would
be sorrowful thinking their loved ones had missed out on the Rapture's glorious
event. You can see that they were very confused and therefor the necessity of
Paul's letter's to straighten them and us today out. So Paul writes 1 Thes
4:13-18 to tell them that they
would not have an advantage over the dead in Christ.
He also is
reassuring them that their brethren had not missed out on some of the Lord’s
blessings including the Rapture of the Church and rulership in the Millennium.
As previously noted in 2 Thes. 2 Paul had to also correct their
misunderstandings because of the "wolves" that came in after him and
distorted the truth about the Pre-Tribulation Resurrection and Rapture of the
Church and subsequent blessings.
11. Distinction between the Rapture and
the Second Advent.
There are a
number of contrasts to be drawn between the Rapture and the Second Advent,
which show that they are not viewed as synonymous in Scripture. We have
previously noted 11 comparisons between the Rapture and Second Advent. We will
now note 17 other contrast as put forth by W. E. Blackstone, Jesus Is Coming,
pp. 75-80.
1) The
translation entails the removal of all believers, while the Second Advent
entails the appearing or manifestation of the Son.
2) The
translation sees the saints caught up into the air, and in the Second Advent He
returns to the earth.
3) In the
translation Christ comes to claim a bride, but in the Second Advent He returns
with the bride.
4) The
translation results in the removal of the Church and the inception of the
Tribulation, and the Second Advent results in the establishment of the
Millennial kingdom.
5) The translation
is imminent, while the Second Advent is preceded by a multitude of signs.
6) The
translation brings a message of comfort, while the Second Advent is accompanied
by a message of judgment.
7) The
translation is related to the program for the Church, while the Second Advent
is related to the program for Israel and the world.
8) The
translation is a mystery, while the Second Advent is predicted in both
Testaments.
9) At the
translation believers are judged, but at the Second Advent the Gentiles and Israel
are judged.
10) The
translation leaves creation unchanged, while the Second Advent entails the
change in creation.
11) At the
translation Gentiles are unaffected, while at the Second Advent Gentiles are
judged.
12) At the
translation Israel’s covenants are unfulfilled, but at the Second Advent all
her covenants are fulfilled.
13) The
translation has no particular relation to the program of God in relation to
evil, while at the Second Advent evil is judged.
14) The
translation is said to take place before the Day of Wrath, but the Second
Advent follows it.
15) The
translation is for believers only, but the Second Advent has its effect on all
men.
16) The
expectation of the Church in regard to the translation is “the Lord is at hand”
(Phil. 4:5), while the expectation of Israel in regard to the Second Advent is
“the kingdom is at hand” (Matt. 24:14).
17) The
expectation of the Church at the translation is to be taken into the Lord’s
presence, while the expectation of Israel at the Second Advent is to be taken
into the kingdom.
These
contrasts, along with the 11 given previously, support the understanding that
these are two different programs in God's Plan and should not be combined into
one event. Therefore, the Rapture of the Church occurs well prior to the Second
Advent.
12. The Twenty-Four Elders.
Next we have a
discussion of what J. Dwight Pentecost believes is another reason why the
Rapture occurs prior to the Tribulation. Even though your view of this
discussion may differ as to the identity of the Twenty-Four Elders, (as I to
question their identity), remember this is but one in the list of 26 points of
proof. Nevertheless, I put forth this discussion for our own edification and
discernment.
In Rev. 4:4
John is given a vision of twenty-four elders who are seated on thrones, clothed
in white raiment, crowned with golden crowns, and in heaven in the presence of
God. Several answers are given as to the question of the identity of these
twenty-four.
1) Because they
are associated with the four living creatures in this book, some insist that
they are angels. This seems an attempt to evade the implication of taking the
literal identification because it is contrary to their system.
Pentecost
believes that the way John describes the twenty-four elders could not be true
of angelic beings. He believes Angels are not crowned with victors’ crowns
(stephanos) received as rewards, nor are they seated on thrones (thronos),
which throne speaks of royal dignity and prerogative, nor are angels robed in white
as a result of judgment. In contrast R.B. Theime Jr. in fact believes these are
rewarded angelic creatures as are the Four Living Creatures. Pentecost says,
"The impossibility of this view argues for another." (Point Three as seen below)
2) They are representative
of both Israel and the Church. The twenty four elders may represent twelve
redeemed men who represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the remaining twelve
are redeemed men who are the twelve apostles that represent the Church, Rev
21:10-20. These twenty-four ultimately represent all the redeemed from both
Israel and the Church. Also note the
promise given to the 12 Apostles in Mat 19:27-30 regarding the thrones that
they will occupy.
Matthew 19:27-30, "Then Peter said to Him, 'Behold, we
have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?' And
Jesus said to them, 'Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the
regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also
shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And
everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or
children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will
inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last,
first.'"
Therefore the
24 being from both Israel and the Church is possible but unlikely given that
rewards for Israel are not garnished prior to the Tribulation since the age of
Israel is not yet completed. This leaves only one other explanation.
3) They are
resurrected redeemed men, who are clothed, crowned, and seated on thrones in
connection with royalty in heaven. As noted previously, Church Age believers
are members of the Royal Family of God with a Royal Priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9.
Redeemed Israel's status is only that of members of the Family of God. C. I.
Scofield presents evidence to support the view that these are the
representatives of the Church. He writes: "Five inerrant marks identify
the elders as representing the Church. These are:
1) Their
position. They are enthroned “round about” the rainbow encircled central
throne. To the Church and to the Church only of all groups of the redeemed is
co-enthronement promised (Rev. 3:21). Not yet is Christ seated upon his own
throne on earth, but these kingly ones having been presented faultless, with
the exceeding joy of the Lord, must be with him (John. 17:24; 1 Thess. 4:17).
2) The number
of these representative elders, in the book where numbers are so great a part
of the symbolism, is significant. For twenty four is the doubling of twelve
which stands for perfect government. So 24 is a double emphasis of God's
government in heaven as represented by the 24 Elders. This number was also used
regarding the Levitical Priesthood. It stood for the choruses into which the
Levitical priesthood was divided (1 Chron. 24:1-19). Of all the groups of the
redeemed, only the Church is a priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5—9; Rev. 1:6).
3) The
testimony of the enthroned elders marks them as representing the Church: “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You
to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for
God with Your blood men from every
tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God;
and they will reign upon the earth.” (Rev. 5:9, 10). The Church, and the
Church only, can thus testify.
4) Eldership is
a representative office (Acts 15:2; 20:17).
5) The
spiritual intelligence of the elders points them out as sharers of the most
intimate divine counsels (e.g., Rev. 5:5; 7:13). And to whom amongst the
redeemed should those counsels be made known if not to those to whom our Lord
said: “Henceforth I call you not servants; . . . but I have called you friends.
. . . (John 15:15). "
The elders are,
symbolically, the Church, and they are seen in heaven in the place which the
Scriptures assign to the Church before a seal is opened or a woe uttered, and
before a vial of the wrath of God is poured out. And in all that follows, to the twentieth chapter, the Church is
never once referred to as on earth." (C. I. Scofield, Will the Church
Pass Through the Great Tribulation? p. 23-24.)
Pentecost says,
"Since, according to Revelation 5: 8, these twenty-four are associated in
a priestly act, which is never said of angels, they must be believer-priests
associated with the Great High Priest. Inasmuch as Israel is not resurrected
until the end of the seventieth week, nor judged nor rewarded until the coming
of the Lord according to Isaiah 26:19-21 and Daniel 12:1-2, these must be
representatives of the saints of this present age. Since they are seen to be
resurrected, in heaven, judged, rewarded, enthroned at the beginning of the
seventieth week, it is concluded that the Church must have been Raptured before
the seventieth week begins. If the Church is not resurrected and translated
here, as some insist, and not until Revelation 20:4, how could the Church be in
heaven in Revelation 19:7-11? Such considerations give further support to the
Pre-Tribulation position."
13. The Announcement of Peace and
Safety.
In 1 Thes 5:3
Paul tells the Thessalonian Church that the Day of the Lord will come after the
announcement of “peace and safety”. 1 Thes
5:3, "While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will
come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will
not escape."
This false
security will lull many into a state of lethargy in relation to the Day of the
Lord so that the day comes as a thief. This announcement that has produced this
lethargy precedes the Day of the Lord. If the Church were in the Seventieth
Week there would be no possibility that, during the period when believers are
being persecuted by the beast to an unprecedented degree, such a message could be
preached and find acceptance so that men would be lulled into complacency.
All the signs
would point to the fact that they were not in a time of “peace and safety.” The
fact that wrath, judgment and darkness is preceded by the announcement of such
a message indicates that the Church must be Raptured before that period can
begin.
14. The Relation of the Church to
Governments.
In the New
Testament the Church is instructed to pray for governmental authorities, since
they are God-appointed, so that those in authority may be saved and the saints
live in peace as a result, 1 Tim 2:1-4. We are also instructed to be in
subjection to such powers because these governments are ordained by God and His
representatives to carry out His will, 1 Peter 2:13-16; Titus 3:1; Rom 13:1-7.
Titus 3:1, "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to
be obedient, to be ready for every good deed."
In Rev 13:1-8
the government during the Seventieth Week is controlled by Satan and is
carrying out his will and his purpose in the manifestation of lawlessness.
During the Seventieth Week the believer and all on the earth at that time are
warned to not receive an important mark of the Antichrist's government. The
mark of the Beast signifies obedience to His authority, Rev 13:16-18; 14:9-10;
20:4. Therefore, if the Church were in the Tribulation and the command to obey
every authority were to be applied, the believer would be compelled to receive
the Mark of the Beast, or at minimum the Bible would contradict itself which is
a blasphemous statement.
Because of the
relationship of the Church to governments in this age and because of the
Satanic control of government in the Seventieth Week (preordained by God with
Jesus Christ controlling history), the Church could not subject herself to such
a government. Therefore, the Church must be delivered before this Satanic
government manifests itself. On the other hand, Israel, as is seen in the
imprecatory Psalms, will, during the Seventieth Week, rightly call down the
judgment of God upon such government and cry for God to vindicate Himself. But
this is not the command from God for the Church in relationship to governments
in this age. The command is to obey all authority. Therefore, the Church can
not be a part of the Seventieth Week.
15. The Silence Concerning the
Tribulation in the Epistles.
Several
Epistles including James, 1 Peter, and 2 Thessalonians were written to forewarn
the Church that persecutions are coming or are already at hand. Passages such
as John 15:18-25; 16:1-4; 2 Thes 1:4-10; 2 Tim 3:10-14; 4:5; James 1:2-4;
5:10-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 5:8-10; 2:19-25; 4:12, give an understanding of the
persecutions, the reasons for it, and help and assistance so the believer might
endure it. But all of these are written to speak of common afflictions and
persecutions from a restrained Satan, man and unbelieving world.
However, there
are no instructions for the Church in regards to standing firm during the worst
period of human history, the outpouring of God's wrath, and the wrath of Satan
as never seen before. In regards to this Scofield writes: "Not only is
there no syllable of Scripture which affirms that the Church will enter the
great Tribulation, but neither the Upper-Chamber Discourse, the new promise,
nor the Epistles which explain that promise, so much as mention the great
tribulation. Not once in that great body of inspired writing, written expressly
for the Church, is the expression found." (C. I. ScofieId, Will the Church
Pass Through the Great Tribulation? P. 11)
If the Church
were to go through the Tribulation, the Lord would have richly supplied
information for the faithful to endure and glorify. The reverse of the
A-Fortiori principle does not apply. We can not say that if we are prepared for
the lesser, persecutions during the Church Age, that we are prepared for the
greater, "the wrath to come". The silence in the Epistles, which
would leave the Church unprepared for the Tribulation, argues for her absence
from that period altogether.
16. The Message of the Two Witnesses.
Rev 11:3 is
John's vision of the two witnesses who are special ambassadors of God sent to
Israel with the message of repentance in anticipation of the King and kingdom.
They are God's official courtroom evidence to show the guilt and just sentencing
of the unbelieving world. Compare with Deut 17:6. John's vision does not reveal
their exact message but we are given some clues that indicate their message in
relationship to Israel. They are said to be wearing "sackcloth".
The first
mention of Sackcloth in the Bible is Gen 37:34 where Jacob (a.k.a. Israel) put
on sackcloth when mourning the presumed death of his son, Joseph. So the
meanings of this adornment is mourning. Joseph Thayer defines sackcloth as,
"A coarse cloth, a dark coarse stuff made especially of the hair of
animals: a garment of the like material, and clinging to the person like a
sack, which was wont to be worn by mourners, penitents, suppliants . . . and
also by those, who, like the Hebrew prophets, led an austere life."
The descriptive
clothing of the Two Witnesses is similar to two other great prophets of Israel
who had a specific message, Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8 and that of John the Baptist
in Mat 3:4. Both were sent to the nation of Israel in a time of great apostasy
to call the nation to repentance in anticipation of the coming King and kingdom
while wearing the sign of mourning, "sackcloth". So too will the two
witnesses; their good news is “the gospel of the kingdom” of Mat 24:14 based on
the work of Jesus Christ upon the Cross, Rev 7:14.
Mat 24:14, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the
whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will
come."
Rev 7:14, "I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me,
“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
These Two
Witnesses dressed in sackcloth give a message of judgement and repentance in
preparation for the King. Their message is distinctive to Israel as seen by her
forerunning prophets. Although the central focal point is the same, Christ
crucified, the message to the Church is quite different; a message of grace.
Therefore, the message of the Two Witnesses indicate that the Church is no
longer present, because their message is distinctive to Israel and one that has
not been committed to the Church.
17. The Destiny of the Church.
The destiny of
the Church is a heavenly destiny. All promises and expectations for the Church
are heavenly in character, Eph 2:19; Phil 3:20-21; Col 3:1-2; Heb 12:22-24. On
the other hand, the destiny of those saved during the Seventieth Week are given
the expectation and promise of an earthly Kingdom not a heavenly one. Mat
25:31-34
Mat 25:34, “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who
are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world."
If the Church remains on the earth for any portion of the Seventieth Week then those saved during
the Seventieth Week would be entered into the Body of Christ as members of the
Church and thereby be promised a heavenly citizenship contrary to Mat 25:34.
The other
potential is that there would be two separate programs and promises running
simultaneous. The result would be some would go to heaven at the conclusion and
some would remain on earth to enter the Millennial Kingdom. The next question
would be, how is it determined who goes where? Who is part of the Church and
who is part of the conclusion of the Age of Israel? If this were the case then
it would be clearly spelled out in the Word of God.
Now just to
play it through, if the Rapture of the Church did not take place until the end
of the Seventieth Week, and assuming all believers where entered into the
Church, then part of the saved would enter into a heavenly destiny and the
other would enter into an earthly blessing. This would result in part of the
body of Christ being dismembered and the unity destroyed. Such dismemberment is
impossible.
Keep in mind
that at the end of the Age of Israel, (on the Day of Pentecost), any believer
who was still alive became instantaneously members of the Church and received
the promises of the Church. Yet this is impossible for the end of the Age of
the Church.
If Church Age
believers enter the Seventieth Week then there is no need for the translation
of the living to heaven via the Rapture since all living believers at the end
of the Seventieth Week remain on earth and enter the Millennial Kingdom. Such a
theory would nullify any promise of Rapture at all. Mat 25:34 is clear that
those believers alive at the end of the Seventieth Week remain on earth without
Rapture and enter the Millennial reign. The impossibility would be true for Mid
/ Pre-Wrath Tribulation theories as well.
The only plausible
solution is that those saved after the termination of the Church Age during the
Seventieth Week will go into the Millennium without Rapture. And that there
must be a Rapture at the termination of the Church Age to maintain the promises
made to the Church / the Body of Christ.
18. The Waiting Remnant at the Second
Advent.
This one uses a
similar argument but with a different prophecy. When the Lord returns to the
earth there will be a believing remnant in Israel awaiting His return, Mal
3:16; Ezk 20:33-38; 37:11-28; Zech 13:8-9; Rev 7:1-8. Likewise, there will be a
multitude of Gentile believers awaiting His return, Mat 22:1-13; 25:31-40; Luke
14:16-24. This is necessary for the fulfillment of the Abrahamic, Davidic,
Palestinic, and New Covenants at His Second Advent. There has to be a believing
remnant (both Jew and Gentile) over whom the Lord will reign and to whom the
covenants can be fulfilled. This remnant will enter into the Millennium in
their natural bodies, saved, but not having experienced death and resurrection.
If the Church
were part of this remnant they would have a position in the Body of Christ,
need to be Resurrected and Raptured at His Coming, and consequently there would
not be one saved person left on the earth. There would not be any believers
left waiting to meet Christ at His return. Therefore, there would be no
believers left to which Christ could literally fulfill the covenants made with
Israel. This too makes a necessity for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the
Church, so that God may call out and preserve a remnant during the Tribulation
in and through whom the promises may be fulfilled.
19. The Times of the Gentiles.
In Luke 21:24
the Lord indicates that Jerusalem will continue in Gentile dominion until a
specified time.
Luke 21:24, "And they (Jews) will fall by the edge of the sword, and
will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under
foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
Zech 12:2 and
14:2-5 indicate that this will continue until the Second Advent, when the
armies of the Beast are destroyed by the Lord, as seen in Rev 19:17-21.
Then in Rev 11,
the parenthesis between the Sixth and Seventh Trumpets, verse 2 refers to the
times of the Gentiles as "they will tread under foot the holy city
(Jerusalem)" until the end of the Tribulation (42 months - 3.5 years)
marked by the Second Advent of our Lord. According to the Mid-Tribulation view,
the Trumpet Judgements are events of the first three and one-half years of that
Seventieth Week at the conclusion of which is the end of the times of the
Gentiles. If their view were correct, the times of the Gentiles would end
in the middle of the week, before the termination of the Seventieth Week. As a
result, the times of the Gentiles would end and Jerusalem would be restored
prior to the conclusion of the Seventieth Week. Therefore, Jerusalem would be
delivered by some other event or person than the returning Lord. The time
element indicated in Rev 11:2 makes that view impossible.
Only the Lord
will restore Jerusalem. Therefore, the Mid-Tribulation viewpoint can not be
correct and the Pre-Tribulation view allows for all of the events of prophecy
to be fulfilled.
20. The Sealed 144,000 from Israel.
As long as the
Church remains on earth no one is saved to a special Jewish relationship, 1 Cor
12:12-13; Rom 10:12; Gal 3:28; Col 3:11; Eph 4:4.
Gal 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus."
All who are
saved while the Church remains on earth are saved to a position in the body of
Christ. Col 1:26-29; 3:11; Eph 2:14-22; 3:1-7
Col 3:11, "A renewal in
which there is no distinction between
Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and
freeman, but Christ is all, and in all."
Therefore the
Church must be absent during the Seventieth Week in order for the special
assignment and sealing of the 144,000 Jews who are clearly not part of the
Church. The 144,000 are comprised as 12,000 from each tribe of Israel, Rev
7:14.
The fact that,
1) God is
setting apart a group from Israel (not the state but the people),
2) He is
dealing again with Israel in a national relationship,
3) He is
utilizing them as His representatives and
4) He is not
utilizing the Church as His witness to the world any longer, indicates that the
Church is no longer on the earth.
21. The Great Object of Satanic Attack.
The object of
Satanic attack during the Tribulation is “the woman” who produced the child,
Rev 12:1-6, 13-17. This child who is born “to rule all nations with a rod of
iron” (Rev. 12:5), can only refer to our Lord Jesus Christ, the one whose right
it is to rule. Psalm 2:9, confirms this Messianic interpretation.
Psa 2:9, "You shall break (rule) them with a rod of iron, You shall
shatter them like earthenware."
As you know,
Jesus Christ came from the Jewish race. He was not born from Gentiles.
Therefore, the "woman" can only represent Israel, (not Mary and/or
the Catholic Church, which is made up of predominantly Gentiles, as some have
interpreted).
In addition, we
also know about the four Unconditional Covenant promises to Israel in regards
to Christ's Millennial reign. Therefore, the attack by Satan noted in Rev 12:4
is in regards to Israel. Satan has and will continue to attack the Jewish race
throughout human history. That is the reason for the many holocausts throughout
history including the most recent of World War II by Nazi Germany .
In Rev 12:9
Satan is cast out of heaven and goes forth, "having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time”, Rev 12:12. This attack on the Jewish
people will intensify through the Tribulation, like never before. Satan has
lost the strategic battle of the Angelic Conflict at the Cross of Calvary. Yet
he believes he can still win the "war". If he is able to wipe out
Israel, thereby defeating the establishment of Christ's earthly Kingdom of the
Millennium, as stated in the Covenant promises, he believes he will win the
war.
As we noted
previously there is a believing Jewish and Gentile remnant from the Tribulation
that will await the Lord's return and enter into the Kingdom. So we know from
the Word of God that Satan's attacks ultimately will not be successful, Rev
12:14.
Rev 12:14, "But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the
woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was
nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the
serpent."
Given the
object of Satan's attack being focused on Israel with no mention of the Church
whatsoever, the Church must not be present. In addition, since the Church is
the “body” and “bride” of Christ and consequently precious to Him, if it were
present in the 70th Week it would continue to be the object of
Satanic attack, as it has been throughout the Church Age. Eph. 6:12-19
Eph 6:12, "For our (Church Age
believer's) struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against
the spiritual forces of wickedness in
the heavenly places (i.e. Satan and his
cosmic system)."
One reason for
the focus of Satan to be against the "woman" (Israel) is explained by
the absence of the Church from that scene. If the Church (Body and Bride of Christ) were still present, John's Revelation
would have included Satanic attack against it with God's promise of safe harbor
for her too.
22. The Apostasy of the Period.
During the
Tribulation there will be religious organizations as seen in Rev 2:22 (the
Jezebel church) and chapters 17 and 18 (the harlot church). Some will profess
the name of Jesus but do not truly believe in His efficacious work on the Cross
being the only means for salvation, compare with Mat 7:21-23. These are the
apostates called the "professing church".
Mat 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in
heaven will enter. 22Many will say to Me on
that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast
out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23And then I
will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart
from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
The complete
apostasy of the "professing church" during the 70th Week
prevents the true Church from being in the world. In Rev 18:4 our Lord tells
"His people" to come out from the apostasy of that day. He warns the
believer to have nothing to do with that religious organization. He does not
call out His "bride" or "body" or "Church". He
calls out His "people" as reference to true Israel and the believers
/ saints of the Tribulation, which is the last seven years of the Age of
Israel.
Furthermore, if
the true Church were on earth during that time, since it is not mentioned as
separate from the apostate system, it would have to be a part of that apostasy.
Such a conclusion is impossible. The believing witnesses converted during the
period, (144,000 Jews), are specifically said to have kept themselves from defilement
by this apostate system, Rev 14:4. Since the Church is not mentioned as also
having kept herself from this system it must be concluded that the Church is
not there.
23. The Promises to the True Church.
There are
certain passages of Scripture that promise the Church a removal before the
Seventieth Week.
a) Rev 3:10, “I will keep you from the hour of temptation”.
This verse is
primarily directed to the Church Age believer as a matter of historical trends
during the Church Age. It is a promise by God to watch over, guard or protect
(TEREO) the believer who is living inside God's Power System (GPS) during times
of personal or historical disaster. It is a promise from God that He will put
His "wall of fire", (Zech 2:5), around the positive believer during
difficult times either personally or nationally.
Some believe,
as Pentecost does, that this is also one of the verses that is specifically
focused on the times of the Great Tribulation, being God's promise to deliver
the believer "out from" them. He argues this point with the Greek
usage of the verb TEREO with the preposition EK. Thayer says that when TEREO is
used with EN it means “to cause one to persevere or stand firm in a thing”;
while when used with EK, as it is here, it means, “by guarding to cause one to
escape in safety out of.” So Pentecost believes that since EK is used
here it would indicate that John is promising a removal from the sphere of
testing, not a preservation through it. He believes it is further substantiated
by the use of the words “the hour”, (TES HORAS).
This is similar
language compared to what we just read in Rev 17:12 where the "Beast"
has authority for "one hour", (MIAN which comes from EIS = one, plus
HORAN). So based on the similar use of language, "hour", where in Rev
17:12 it is specifically referring to the Tribulation, it is believed to have
the same meaning in Rev 3:10. Therefore, Rev 3:10 would say that God is not
only guarding the positive believer from the trials and tribulation of life
during the Church Age, but He is also promising removal from the very hour,
that is the Tribulation.
So this would
indicate removal, via the Rapture of the Church, from the great Tribulation
itself when those trials (Seal, Bowl, Trumpet judgments, etc.) will come to
those earth dwellers of that future time period. Pentecost quotes Henry
Thiessen in this argument, "We want to know what is the meaning of the
verb “will keep” (TERESA) and of the preposition “from” (EK). Alford says on
the preposition EK, that it means “out of the midst of: but whether by immunity
from, or by being brought safe through, the preposition does not clearly
define.” ... Thus he points out that grammatically the two terms can have the
same meaning, so that Rev, 3:10 may mean, not “passing unscathed through the
evil,” but “perfect immunity from it.” ... the grammar permits the
interpretation of absolute immunity from the period. Other scholars say the
same thing as to the preposition EK (out of, from). Buttmann Thayer says that
EK and APO “often serve to denote one and the same relation,” referring to John
17:16; Acts 15:29; Rev. 3:10 as examples of this usage. Abbott doubts “if in
the LXX and John, EK always implies previous existence in the evils from which
one is delivered when used with SOZO and TERESA” (i.e. with the verbs to save
and to keep). Westcott says regarding EK SOZO (to save from) that it “does not
necessarily imply that that is actually realized out of which deliverance is
granted (cf. 2 Cor. 1:10), though it does so commonly (John 12:27). Similarly
we read in 1 Thess. 1:10 that Jesus delivers us “from (EK) the wrath to come.”
This can hardly mean protection in it; it must mean exemption from it. It would
seem, then, to be perfectly clear that the preposition “from” may be taken to
mean complete exemption from that which is predicted. It is clear that the
context and other statements in Scriptures require that this be the
interpretation. As for the context, note that the promise is not merely to be
kept from the temptation, but from the hour of temptation, (i.e. from the
period of trial as such, not only from the trial during the period). And,
again, why should the Apostle write EK TES HORAS (from the hour), as he did,
when he might easily have written EN TE HORA (in the hour), if that is what he meant
to say? Surely the Spirit of God guided him in the very language he employed.
(Henry C. Thiessen, Will the Church Pass Through the Tribulation? pp. 22-24).
So from the Greek preposition EK, "out from" and defining "the
hour" as being the Tribulation, Pentecost believes this is proof of the
Rapture of the Church prior to the Tribulation beginning.
b) 1 Thes 5:9.
1 Thes 5:9.
“God has not appointed (destined) us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
Verses 1-11
give us the context for interpretation. As such the contrast in this passage is
between light (salvation) and darkness (eternal condemnation), between wrath
(the Tribulation) and salvation from that wrath (Rapture of the Church). 1 Thes
5:2 tells us that this wrath and darkness is clearly referring to the Day of
the Lord, which includes the entire Seventieth Week, the Millennium and the
destruction and restoration of the earth and the heavens. See 2 Peter 3:10. A
comparison of 1 Thes 5:9 with Joel 2:1-2; Zeph 1:14-18 and Amos 5:18 will
describe the darkness mentioned here as the darkness of the Seventieth Week.
Joel 2:1, "Blow a trumpet in Zion,
and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land
tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; surely it is near, 2A
day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness."
Amos 5:18, "Alas, you who are longing
for the day of the LORD, for what purpose will
the day of the LORD be to you? It will be darkness and not light."
Also in
comparison, Rev 6:17; 11:18; 14:10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19 describes the wrath
of the Day of the Lord.
Paul clearly
teaches in verse 9 that our expectation and appointment is not to wrath and
darkness. Instead it is to salvation in which verse 10 indicates the method of,
“who (Jesus
Christ) died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will
live together with Him.”
c) 1 Thes 1:9-10.
1 Thes 1:9, "For they themselves report about us what kind of a
reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a
living and true God, 10and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He
raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who
rescues us from the wrath to come."
Again Paul
clearly indicates that our expectation is not wrath but the revelation of “His
Son from heaven.” This could not be unless the Son were revealed through the
Rapture of the Church before the wrath of the Seventieth Week falls on the
earth.
24. The Agreement of Typology.
The next point
of proof for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture has to do with the agreement in
scripture of the interpretation of symbolic forms and language called typology.
Typology is a form of hermeneutics where the Bible student understands the
meaning behind certain figures and symbols found in the Word of God. It is the
study of divinely purposed illustration of some truth, usually illustrating or
revealing Jesus Christ. An example of this includes the use of the term
"ark". Moses was found as
a babe in an ark, Noah built an ark
and there was the Ark of the Covenant
in the Tabernacle. All portray a special and consistent message to the reader
regarding God's safe passage for His chosen ones based on His righteousness and
justice. So the "ark" represents God's Plan of Salvation which is
found at the Cross.
Another example
includes the Brazen Serpent found in Numbers 21:4-9. As the stricken Israelites
turned and looked at the bronze serpent fashioned by Moses upon God's
instruction, they were saved from death. This too is a type of the Cross of
Jesus Christ which brings salvation and eternal life to all who acknowledge
Him, John 3:14-16; 12:32.
Types are
highly used and very important instruments of communication throughout the
Bible. Nevertheless proof simply from types and analogy are insufficient in
themselves, yet if a teaching is contrary to all typology it can not be a true
interpretation. In this proof we note that the Word of God is filled with types
which teach that those who walked by faith were delivered from the judgment(s)
which were brought on to the unbelieving. Several examples include:
a) The experiences of Noah
(Gen 6:7-8, 18; 7:1; 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5),
b) Rahab (Joshua
6:17; Heb 11:31), as types of God's deliverance.
c) In addition Lot
(Gen 19:15-17; Luke 17:28-30; 2 Peter 2:7) is a clear illustrations of God's
deliverance in relationship to the Tribulation.
In 2 Peter
2:6-9 Lot is called a righteous man. This divine commentary sheds light on Gen
19:16 and 22, where the angel sought to hasten the departure of Lot with the
words in verse 22, “Hurry, escape there,
for I cannot do anything until you arrive there”. The type tells us that
if God held back the outpouring of His righteous judgement for the sake of one
righteous man on the city of Sodom, how much more would the presence of the
Church on earth prevent the outpouring of divine wrath until after her removal.
25.
The Last Days.
"Last
Day(s)" is another term similar to "day of the Lord" that
encompasses a broad time frame in scripture yet it is also used distinctively
to represent different times and events.
a) Therefore distinction must be made between the “last days”
for Israel, which are the days of her kingdom glory in the earth, Isa 2:1-5,
and the “last days” for the Church, which are days of evil and apostasy, 2 Tim
3:1-5.
According to 2
Tim 3:5, there will be a manifestation of characteristics, which belong to
unregenerate men, who have “a form of godliness”. The indication is that,
having denied the power of the blood of Christ, (2 Tim 3:5; with Rom 1:16; 1
Cor 1:23-24; 2 Tim 4:2-4), the leaders in these "forms of
righteousness" will be unregenerate men from whom nothing more spiritual
than this could proceed, 1 Cor. 2:14.
Rom 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power
of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek."
1 Cor 2:14, "But a natural man does not accept the things of the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them,
because they are spiritually appraised."
In contrast the
believer is instructed to live in and apply the grace of God towards all
things, Heb 12:14-15.
Heb 12:14, "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification
without which no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one
comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes
trouble, and by it many be defiled."
The following
are additional passages that tell us what will be the characteristics of the
worldly during the last days of the Church: 1 Tim 4:1-3; James 5:1-8; 2 Peter
2:1-22; 3:3-6; Jude 1:1-25.
Chafer states:
"A very extensive body of Scripture bears on the last days for the Church.
Reference is to a restricted time at the very end of, and yet wholly within,
the present age."
D. H. Prichard,
in his book, “The Last Days,” pp. 51-58, points out conditions in the last days
as centered on a system of denials that have an affect on the Church.
There is:
A denial of God
(Luke 17:26; 2 Tim. 3:4-5),
A denial of
Christ (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7),
A denial of
Christ’s return (2 Pet. 3:3-4),
A denial of the
faith (1 Tim. 4:1-2; Jude 3-4),
A denial of
sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3-4),
A denial of the
separated life (2 Tim. 3:1-7),
A denial of
Christian liberty (1 Tim. 4:3-4),
A denial of
morals (2 Tim. 3:1-8, 13; Jude 18),
A denial of authority
(2 Tim. 3:2-4) ["treacherous" -
traitors / betrayers]
This brief
period immediately preceding the great Tribulation in some measure is a
preparation for it. But as we have noted there is a distinction between the two
"last days" and subsequent times of apostasy:
1) During the Church Age prior to the
Tribulation, and
2) The apostasy during the Tribulation
in a world of unbelievers ruled by the Antichrist.
These two time
periods are completely separate from each other.
b) Another indication of separate time periods is that "the
last days for the Church" gives no consideration to political or world
conditions but is addressed to the Church itself whereas "the last days of
the Tribulation" include the establishment of Christ's reign, Isa 2:2;
Hosea 3:5; Micah 4:1.
c) Likewise, discrimination is called for between the “last day”
for Israel and for the Church as a promise of resurrection of those who are or
have died in Christ, John 6:39-40, 44, 54.
In John 6:44,
“and I will raise him up at the last day”, is a promise to all Dispensations of
resurrection. The word for "raising up" is the Future, active, Indicative, of ANISTEMI [ANA =
up; HISTEMI = to stand]. Keep in mind that the word for
"resurrection" is ANASTASIS,
which is derived from ANISTEMI. So "to stand up" becomes
technical for resurrection. The Future Active Indicative indicates that the
resurrection is future and that no resurrections have occurred. At the time,
Jesus was speaking on the steps in Capernaum and no one in history had been
resurrected. That means that people who were brought back to life were
resuscitated, Luke 11; 2 Kings 4:18-37, and they died again eventually. In
resurrection you never die again, you are not subject to death, 1 Cor 15:26;
42; 53-57. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the first fruits, 1 Cor 15:20, and
until He is resurrected no one is resurrected.
Therefore, The
"last day", in the singular, refers to the last day in a
dispensation. But until the resurrection of Jesus Christ no one could be raised
because He is the first fruits. Once Jesus Christ was raised then believers
from other dispensations could also be raised in there "last day". We
have the Age of the Gentiles ending with the giving of the Law of Moses, but no
resurrection. Then we have the Age of the Law (Jewish Dispensation) interrupted by the Church, but no resurrection
because the Age is no yet complete. Then there is the Church Age, which will be
completed with a resurrection upon its "last day". Then comes the
Tribulation which will end with a resurrection of all who have died in Christ
during the Age of the Law (including the Tribulation) and the Age of the
Gentiles, resurrecting all Old Testament saints. Then there will be the
Millennial saints who will be raise upon completion of the Millennial reign of
Christ. At that time every member of the human race who has believed in Christ
will have been raised to eternal glory.
The principle
of resurrection is that when the Dispensation is over you receive a
resurrection body, and that is true except in a Dispensation that ended before
Christ was resurrected. So the promise of resurrection on the last day in John
6 is true for all, beginning with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ is
the first fruits, 1 Cor 15:23. At the end of the Church Age, 1 Thes 4:16-18. At
the end of the Jewish Age, Isaiah 26:19-20.
Isa 26:19, "Your dead will live;
their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for
your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits. 20Come, my
people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; hide for a
little while until indignation (the Tribulation) runs its course."
In addition,
the Tribulational martyrs at the end of the Jewish Age, (the Tribulation), Rev
20:4. And finally all Millennial believers at the end of the Millennium.
Once again we
see distinctions in scripture in the usage of common language. Whether it be
"last days" or "last day" or "last hour" or
"last times", we can either understand that God is referencing
distinctive time periods using common terms to convey universal truths and
promises, or we must say that the Bible contradicts itself, which therefore
would disqualify the entire book. As we know the latter is a blasphemous
statement, therefore "last day(s)" must be conveying a universal
truth with the distinction of Dispensational promises as we rightly divide the
Word of Truth.
In Summary we have
noted 25 points as to why the Church will be Resurrected and Raptured prior to
the beginning of Daniel's Seventieth Week, the Tribulation. In this doctrine we
have noted:
Conclusion: In this Doctrine we have presented a
number of reasons for belief in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture position. Some of
them are particularly applicable to the Mid-Tribulation Rapture position and
others applicable to the Post-Tribulation Rapture position. All of the
arguments put forth do not carry the same weight or importance. But
collectively there is overwhelming agreement for the understanding of the
Pre-Millennial, Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Church. This then indicates a
clear distinction between the promises to Israel and the promises to the Church
and that the Church will be delivered by Rapture before the inception of
Daniel’s Seventieth Week.
See Doctrine of Prophecy Fulfilled - Christ's Return, for more
information on the potential timing of our Lord's return and the Rapture of the
Church.
We conclude this
study with scriptural documentation for the Rapture:
Phil 3:11, "If
by any means I might arrive with reference to the exit resurrection, the one
from the dead."
1 John 3:2‑3,
"Beloved,
now we are the children of God, and what we will be he has not yet revealed.
However, we know that if he should appear, we shall be [exactly] like Him
because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who keeps on having this hope
[hope 3] in Him purifies himself [in God's Power System, GPS, Experiential
Sanctification] even as He is pure [Positional Sanctification]."
Titus 2:13, "Looking
for that blessed hope [the hope of blessing, hope 3] and the appearing of the
glory of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ."Note: The change to
pitch (12) and font (1) must be converted manually.
1 Cor 6:14, "Now
God has not only resurrected the Lord, but He will raise us up through His
power."
2 Thes 2:1,
"Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2that you not be quickly
shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a
letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3Let
no one in any way deceive you, for it
will not come unless the departure (Rapture) comes first, and the man of
lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction."
In comparison to 1
Thes 4:13-18 we see striking similarities in an event noted in Exodus 19:16-17
regarding the Exodus generation. The Rapture of the Church is seen in the first mention of
"trumpet" in the Bible in Exodus
19:16.
Ex 19:16-17, "So it came about on the third day, when it was
morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon
the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17And
Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at
the foot of the mountain."
This event sounds very similar to the events depicted for the Church at
her Rapture in 1 Thes 4:13-18.
1 Thes 4:13-18, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren,
about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have
no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For
this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain
until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For
the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel and with the
trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then
we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the
Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words."
Anticipation of
the Rapture must not overwhelm us. We need patience as the Lord prepares us for
the event. James 5:7‑8
James 5:7‑8,
"Therefore,
brethren, have patience until the coming of the Lord [rapture]. The farmer waits with anticipation for the
valuable production of the soil, constantly being patient until it has received
the early and the latter rains. Have patience! Furthermore, all of you become stabilized
in your right lobes because the coming of the Lord [rapture] has approached
with the result that it is drawing nearer and nearer."
Titus 2:13, "Waiting with keen anticipation for that blessed
hope [rapture], even the appearance of the glory of our great God and savior,
Christ Jesus."
Remember that the
Rapture is used as a technical theological term in the sense for the
resurrection of the Royal Family of God at the end of the Church Age. Since the
Church or Royal Family of God is the first spiritual building to be completed,
it is resurrected after our Lord. It is the second phase (Bravo Company) of the
first resurrection following the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was
resurrected, ascended, and seated at the right hand of the Father as part of
His strategic victory in the Angelic Conflict. This is known as our Lord's
battlefield royalty, who is now the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is
His only royalty with no family. Therefore, God interrupted the Jewish Age with
the Church Age to call out and provide a Royal Family for our Lord's
battlefield royalty. Eph 1:22‑23, 2:16, 4:4‑5; Col 1:18, 24, 2:19.
Once the Royal Family of God is completed, the Church is resurrected as the
body of Christ to become the Bride of Christ. When the Royal Family of God is
completed, then the Rapture occurs, 1 Thes 4:16‑18; 1 Cor 15:51‑58.
During the
conclusion of the Jewish Age, the Bride is prepared in heaven by receiving a
resurrection body exactly like that of the Lord. Then comes the coronation and
acknowledgment of Christ, Rev 19:1-10, along with the judgment seat of Christ,
when all Church Age believers are evaluated and rewarded, 2 Cor 5:10. So we understand
that we are living in exciting times where the Rapture of the Church and return
of our Lord could happen at any moment. There is no prophecy to be fulfilled
prior to the Rapture and therefore our Lord's return is imminent.