Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION
This is the first of several articles/posts that I have committed to write about why I, as a biblically conservative evangelical Christian, believe that the Rapture of the Church takes place at the Second Coming of Christ and not before the Tribulation period, seven years prior to Christ’s return. Before we get into the reasons that I believe the Bible teaches this, my first post will present to you some preliminary thoughts:
1. Tackling this topic is risky, I realize, as our unity as Christians is enormously important, especially in these days. This is certainly not an issue that should divide Christians in terms of our evangelistic mission, love for one another, or our fellowship in Christ. There seems to be a lot of interest in this topic, and I’m sure that has a lot to do with current developments in our country and the world. I’m certain also that it represents a stirring of the Spirit among God’s people to seek His heart and mind, and to prepare for whatever comes.
2. I am not writing these posts to create controversy or start futile debates over peripheral issues. My primary reason for addressing this subject is my belief in the possibility that we are approaching those times; there are many indicators, more each day it seems. If, as I believe, there is not a Rapture seven years prior to Christ’s return, that would be important information, at least for those alive in those days. And that may possibly include us. Understanding this would be help us to become better prepared spiritually and mentally for the serious tribulations Jesus described in Matthew 24. Obviously, there is a huge difference between preparing to escape and preparing to endure. If we are to endure the Tribulation, we will need a clear mindset of faith, courage, and resolve.
3. If this is true, it may also matter in terms of our faithful perseverance in Christ, and also with respect to our witness for Christ to others. Most all of the Pre-trib Rapture Christians I know personally are deeply grounded in Christ, and if they find themselves some day in the Tribulation period dealing with the antichrist, locked out of the economy, etc. – I am sure that almost all would stay true to Christ. They would no doubt experience deep shock and disappointment and would need to adjust their thinking; however, I have every confidence that they would adjust. On the other hand, for some whose Christian faith is inextricably bound to the Pre-trib Rapture position, if that is proved wrong, they may be so disillusioned that they turn their backs on Christ Himself. (I realize that believing as I do is no guarantee that professing believers will persevere and not turn from their faith.) In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus taught the importance of having oil in our lamps sufficient for the wait until the return of the Groom for his Bride. Those without enough oil were left out of the wedding party. In Matthew 24:13, Jesus said that “the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Pertaining to our witness for others, if we have presented the Pre-trib Rapture as central to the Christian faith itself, and if that proves to be incorrect, the seeds of witness might never bear fruit. They could reason, “If this didn’t happen, why should I believe any of it?”
4. I don’t claim to be an expert on all the various end times scenarios, nor have I read every book on the subject. I do have some academic degrees, including BA from college, Master of Divinity and the Doctor of Ministry seminary degrees. Much more importantly, however, I have read the Bible cover to cover many times over. And after all, the Bible is our authority for what we believe and how we are to live our lives. I don’t intend to quote a lot of end times authors, but using the Bible, as I expect you really desire, I intend to prove to you that the Bible does clearly teach that the Rapture takes place at the Second Coming of Christ, and not before it.
5. Could I be wrong? Of course. But I would say with 95% certainty that, on this one thing, I believe I am right. (I know, that doesn’t prove anything.) Would it bother me if I am proved wrong? No, not at all! In fact, I would LOVE to be wrong on this – after all, nobody in their right mind would want to go through the Tribulation period. Not I, for sure! I’d be very happy to be wrong, and I will shout Hallelujah and be the first to apologize to my Pre-trib Rapture friends on the way up!! But who wants to know the truth about this? Certainly, I do, and I’m sure that you do, also.
6. Let’s treat each other respectfully, even if we have major differences on these things. One person has already called my viewpoint – even prior to reading anything I have to say – not comforting, dangerously misleading. Others have said that such a view as mine is heretical, false teaching, etc. On the other side, some insult sincere Pre-trib believers as pre-trippers and cowards. There is no excuse for that kind of name-calling and disrespect. Truth does matter, for sure. But when it comes to eschatology (end times), there are so many wonderful Christians who differ in their understanding and interpretation of the Bible, that while pursuing and articulating what we perceive to be the truth, we need to remain humble, loving, and believe the best about one another. We realize, of course, in the final analysis that only God holds all the pieces and has perfect understanding
7. I am not looking for a debate platform where everyone uses this opportunity to present their own end times scenarios – you can do that on your own pages. I am presenting biblical reasons why I believe what I do, with an opportunity for you to prayerfully evaluate and search the Scriptures for yourself, as did the Bereans in the Book of Acts, to see if what I am saying is true. I think that a forum of different perspectives is a good idea but not in this format. Over 230 people have requested to receive these posts, and as you can imagine, trying to debate back and forth could get very chaotic. So please refrain from debating or presenting your own end times viewpoints. You can message me if you like, if you have particular questions you hope I will address or brief thoughts to share with me. But I don’t have time for debate or lengthy discussion with you at this point; perhaps down the road.
Chapter 2 THE DOCTRINE TEST
If we are earnest Christians, we will acknowledge that the Scriptures are authoritative in our lives. The Bible is the inspired Word of God. It reveals to us His heart, His mind, His will and ways, His truth, the Good News of His Son our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Scriptures provide the basis for our beliefs as Christians. For that reason, it is essential not only that we read and study the Scriptures devotedly, but, as the Apostle Paul instructed us, to “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). As the verse suggests, rightly handling God’s Word takes study, practice, training. There are important principles that we must grasp if we want to interpret the Bible accurately and articulate its truths effectively.
Some of the ways we DO NOT want to use the Bible include: proof-texting (taking a verse out of context and forcing it to prove our point); the ‘Magic 8-Ball’ approach (asking a question, then flipping the Bible open to any page and pointing a finger at a random verse; focusing on one passage that seems to support what we want it to say and then ignoring the other Scriptures that may contradict our preference.) No, we must be honest and genuine in our desire to know the truth of God’s Word. Also, we need to be willing take time to read and study it. The Bible is our authority, but how do we use it responsibly to determine what is solid biblical teaching and doctrine? Of course, the basics include learning the historical and literary contexts of the Bible books and passages in our study. (A good study Bible and commentaries can help with that.) Additionally, I have found a principle of interpreting the Bible that has proven very helpful to me in evaluating and discerning biblical teachings and doctrines. I call it ‘the DOCTRINE TEST’. It is this principle that I want to focus on now in preparation for understanding what the Bible teaches about the Rapture of the Church in relation to the Second Coming of Christ.
So, what is the Doctrine Test? It’s a way of evaluating biblical support for doctrines. It asks and seeks to answer three questions about the Scriptures we use as the bases of our doctrines: 1. Are they EXPLICIT? 2. Are they IMPLICIT? 3. Or, are they SPECULATIVE? 1. EXPLICIT passages would be those that state the doctrine explicitly, without a doubt; for example, Jesus died on a Cross for our sins, and Jesus rose again. No question about those. 2. IMPLICIT would be passages used that prove the doctrine’s truth but without such explicit wording; for example, the doctrine of Jesus being fully God and fully human, and the doctrine of the Trinity. Both these doctrines are amply supported by Scripture and have been used to define true Christian faith and to weed out heresies. 3. SPECULATIVE passages are unclear; they can be legitimately interpreted to mean more than one thing. An example of that would be, “Who is ‘the restrainer’ in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7?” A number of ideas have been offered to identify the restrainer; examples include governmental authority, the Holy Spirit, and the Archangel Michael (see Daniel 10:12-14). Since there are several plausible possibilities, we can’t really put any doctrinal weight on the passage to build or support a doctrine. Obviously, the only passages we can use to support doctrine would be those passages that teach that doctrine explicitly or implicitly. It is never appropriate to formulate a doctrine out of speculation only. Nor can we counter an explicit teaching by using one that is speculative.
As we apply the Doctrine Test to the passages of the Bible that relate to the Second Coming and the timing of the Rapture of the Church, we find that a lot of what we as Christians have believed about these things are based on inferences and speculations rather than on the explicit teaching of the Scriptures. Below are several passages of Scripture that I believe are EXPLICIT in their teaching that the Rapture takes place after the Tribulation period at the Second Coming of Christ. I will just share them now, and encourage you to read them in context; study them; apply the Doctrine Test on them, and see if you can answer the question: “Do these Scriptures explicitly teach us that the Church, believers in Jesus Christ, will gather to meet Jesus at His Second Coming, after the Tribulation?” In order to not make this post too long, I will stop here for now and ask you to do your homework. I will plan to make my case tomorrow as to why I believe these passages, and others I will present, EXPLICITLY support the view that the Rapture happens at the Second Coming. Here they are:
MATTHEW 24: 29-31 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.I THESSALONIANS 4:16-17 (Compare with Matthew 24:29-31) “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” 2
THESSALONIANS 1:5-10 “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering — since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”
2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-8 “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, the son of destruction (perdition) who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”
Chapter 3 APPLYING THE DOCTRINE TEST
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the word “rapture,” it is derived from the Latin word “rapio,” which is a translation of the Greek New Testament word “harpazo,” meaning “caught up.” This refers to the description found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which states: “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be “CAUGHT UP” together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Rapture has become a popular word used to refer to the experience of the Christians being “caught up” to meet the Lord when He comes for His Church. Some Christians believe that the Rapture of the Church happens suddenly and secretly (not visibly, as will be the Second Coming of Christ). They also believe that will take place prior to what is known as the Great Tribulation period, generally thought to be seven years prior to Christ’s Second Coming. I intend to prove from Scripture that the Rapture of the Church happens after the Tribulation period at Christ’s Second Coming.
In my last post (#2) I presented a very helpful Bible study tool, which I call the Doctrine Test. Here is an excerpt of what I wrote: The Doctrine Test is “…a way of evaluating biblical support for doctrines. It asks and seeks to answer three questions about the Scriptures we use as the bases of our doctrines: 1. Are they EXPLICIT? 2. Are they IMPLICIT? 3. Or, are they SPECULATIVE? 1. EXPLICIT passages would be those that state the doctrine explicitly, without a doubt; for example, Jesus died on a Cross for our sins, and Jesus rose again. No question about those. 2. IMPLICIT would be passages used that prove the doctrine’s truth but without such explicit wording; for example, the doctrine of Jesus being fully God and fully human, and the doctrine of the Trinity. Both of these doctrines are amply supported by Scripture, and have been used to define true Christian faith and to weed out heresies. 3. SPECULATIVE passages are unclear; they can be legitimately interpreted to mean more than one thing… Obviously, the only passages we can use to support doctrine would be those passages that teach that doctrine explicitly or implicitly. It is never appropriate to formulate a doctrine out of speculation only. Nor can we counter an explicit teaching by using one that is speculative.”
In my previous post I presented four key Scripture passages, all of which I believe teach EXPLICITLY that the church will be raptured at the Second Coming of Christ. Using the Doctrine Test, we will now examine the first three passages (saving the fourth for my next post) to see if I am correct. Does each passage explicitly teach that the Rapture takes place at Christ’s Second Coming?
Scripture #1 – MATTHEW 24: 29-31 “Immediately AFTER THE TRIBULATION OF THOSE DAYS the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. THEN will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and THEY WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY. And HE WILL SEND OUT HIS ANGELS with a LOUD TRUMPET CALL, and THEY WILL GATHER HIS ELECT from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
EVALUATION USING THE DOCTRINE TEST: I believe it is explicit that Christ’s appearing can refer only to His Second Coming. Jesus clearly states that this happens after the Tribulation period. He returns visibly (all the tribes of earth will see Him) with great power and glory. His followers will be gathered to Him when He comes (Rapture). I believe this is EXPLICIT.
Scripture #2 – 1 THESSALONIANS 4:15-18 (Compare with Matthew 24:29-31) “For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the COMING OF THE LORD, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For THE LORD HIMSELF WILL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN with a CRY OF COMMAND, with THE VOICE OF AN ARCHANGEL, and with THE SOUND OF THE TRUMPET of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. THEN WE WHO ARE ALIVE, who are left, WILL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER with them in the clouds TO MEET THE LORD in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
EVALUATION USING THE DOCTRINE TEST: This passage is one of the most widely used to support the view that the Rapture precedes the Second Coming. Yet, evaluating the passage, we see that there is nothing here to support this. What does it teach? It explicitly teaches that Christ will return noticeably (not secretly) in power and glory (with a cry of command, the voice of an Archangel, and the sound of a trumpet). The “coming” of the Lord in verse 15 (‘parousia’ in NT Greek), is commonly used to refer to Christ’s Second Coming, and is also specifically used for Christ’s return in Matthew 24. In comparing this passage to Matthew 24:29-31, there is no biblical justification to believe that these two passages do not refer to the same event; namely, when Christ returns (Second Coming) we will be gathered to meet Him (Rapture). In other words, the Rapture takes place at His Second Coming and not before. For me that is EXPLICIT. To contend that this passage teaches a pre-Tribulation Rapture relies solely on speculation.
Scripture #3 – 2 THESSALONIANS 1:5-10 “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering — since indeed GOD CONSIDERS IT JUST TO REPAY WITH AFFLICTION THOSE WHO AFFLICT YOU, and TO GRANT RELIEF TO YOU WHO ARE AFFLICTED as well as to us, WHEN THE LORD JESUS IS REVEALED FROM HEAVEN with his mighty angels in flaming fire, INFLICTING VENGEANCE ON THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW GOD and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. THEY WILL SUFFER THE PUNISHMENT OF ETERNAL DESTRUCTION, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, WHEN HE COMES ON THAT DAY TO BE GLORIFIED IN HIS SAINTS, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”
EVALUATION USING THE DOCTRINE TEST: Here is another passage that I believe is inescapably EXPLICIT. • When will God afflict those who afflict His people? “When the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven.” • When will God grant relief to His children who are being afflicted? “When the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven.”• When will those who reject God and the Gospel of Christ suffer eternal destruction? “When He comes on that day.”• When will Jesus be glorified in His saints? “When He comes on that day.” The day that Christ is revealed from Heaven is clearly visible, referring to His Second Coming (“with His mighty angels in flaming fire”), at which time He will comfort His followers and also deal with His enemies. Again, it would be speculation to say that this event of Christ’s coming refers to anything other than His Second Coming and the simultaneous Rapture of the Church.
Chapter 4 RAPTURE, SECOND COMING, & THE RESTRAINER IN 2 THESS 2:1-8
If you have not read the first three posts in this series, please do so, as it will help you understand my approach to the Scriptures that I use to evaluate the formulation of doctrines. In Part #2, I explained the Doctrine Test, which evaluates whether particular passages of Scripture teach a doctrine EXPLICITLY (without doubt, clearly stated), IMPLICITLY (easy to prove from Scripture, like the nature of Christ as both fully human and fully God), or SPECULATIVE (guessing)). In Part #3, we applied the Doctrine Test to three passages (Matthew 24:29-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, and 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). I believe I proved from those Scriptures that all three EXPLICITLY teach that the Rapture of Christians (the Church) takes place at the Second Coming.
Today we will look at a passage where there are examples of both Explicit teaching (concerning the Rapture at the Second Coming) and Speculation (concerning the meaning of the Restrainer). The passage we are looking at is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, where Paul writes to Christians in Thessalonica to clarify their misunderstandings concerning the Lord’s Coming (NT Greek, “parousia,” used generally for the Second Coming) and their being gathered to Him (the Rapture of the Church to meet Jesus when He comes). Here is the passage:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 “ Now concerning the COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST and OUR BEING GATHERED TOGETHER TO HIM, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For THAT DAY WILL NOT COME, UNLESS THE REBELLION COMES FIRST, AND THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS IS REVEALED, the son of destruction (perdition) 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? 6 And YOU KNOW WHAT IS RESTRAINING HIM NOW so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only HE WHO NOW RESTRAINS IT WILL DO SO UNTIL HE IS OUT OF THE WAY. 8 And then THE LAWLESS ONE WILL BE REVEALED, whom THE LORD JESUS WILL KILL with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing BY THE APPEARANCE OF HIS COMING.”
EVALUATION USING THE DOCTRINE TEST: For me, this passage is inescapably clear: Christians will meet Christ (be raptured) when He comes back (Second Coming), and He won’t come back until after the “man of lawlessness” (elsewhere called “the antichrist”) comes to power and deceives the world. Jesus will kill this man of lawlessness when He comes back. It is EXPLICIT: “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Second Coming), “and our being gathered to Him” when He comes (Rapture), that is not going to happen until AFTER the man of lawlessness has done his evil thing. When Jesus comes back and raptures the church, He will also at that time destroy the man of lawlessness. Does what I wrote seem repetitive? I guess it is, but I want to make sure you get this: Jesus comes back one time, at the Second Coming. And that is when the Church is gathered to meet Him. EXPLICIT.
Now moving on to apply the Doctrine Test to understanding the identity of the Restrainer, who holds back lawlessness and the man of lawlessness until the allotted time. This is interesting, because the Greek word used for the one restraining lawlessness is used here in two ways: one reference is a neuter participle, like a force, e.g. “you know WHAT is restraining…” (v.6), and the other reference is a masculine participle, e.g. “only HE who restrains…” (v.7). Although Paul may have told the Thessalonians who or what the Restrainer is (v.5), He did not tell us, either here or in any other passage. This has led to at least thirty speculations as to the Restrainer’s identity.
Three of the more prominent theories include: 1) the Roman Empire or Emperor, or more broadly, governmental authority in general; 2) the Holy Spirit; and 3) the Archangel Michael. One could advance persuasive arguments for any of these three. For example, it is a function of governmental authority to keep the peace and maintain order. When there is a collapse of governmental authority (as we seem to be witnessing in a growing number of cities across the USA at the moment, e.g. unrestrained rioting, the movement to defund police, disrespecting our flag, and rebelling against foundational values and principles, etc), we can’t help but see the expansion of lawlessness happening before our eyes. (Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue in our nation and world if the governmental authority of the United States of America collapsed, giving way to rampant lawlessness?) Could the collapse of governmental authority be the Restrainer? Perhaps. But so also could the Restrainer be the Archangel Michael, who has power to restrain evil (see Daniel 10:13,20-21 and 12:1).
The third prominent theory is that the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit. Might He be? Possibly. The point is, whatever we think the answer is, it is neither EXPLICIT (without doubt, clearly stated) nor IMPLICIT (easily provable from Scripture). We would have to conclude that our answer, whatever it may be, is SPECULATION (venturing a guess).
I want now to point out one example of a widespread use of this Scripture to supposedly prove the pre-Trib Rapture of the Church. We have already determined that, since this passage is not clear concerning the identity of the Restrainer, any viewpoint or theory we might advance will be SPECULATIVE. Now, watch this progression of formulating a doctrine based upon speculation. Speculation #1: “The Holy Spirit is the Restrainer.” I have read commentators and heard preachers who say things like, “The Restrainer is ‘obviously’ the Holy Spirit”, implying that anyone with any intelligence can see it. But as we have seen, that just isn’t the case. It is not in any way obvious or proven.
Next comes Speculation #2: “Since the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit, if He is taken out of the way, this means that the Holy Spirit must be taken out of the world.” Does our passage support this? No, it does not.
Finally, Speculation #3: Built upon the two other speculations, “since the Holy Spirit is taken out of the world, this must mean the Church is raptured at that time, because the Holy Spirit indwells the Church. So, we Christians are taken out of the world, too.” Does our passage support this? Again, no it does not.
We have seen that speculations can never be the basis for establishing doctrines. And yet here we see an argument advanced by many pre-Trib Rapture advocates based upon a speculation, which is based upon a second speculation, which is based on a third speculation. To compound the problem, those who use this SPECULATIVE argument to prove that the church is raptured before the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ either have to completely redefine or ignore what the Bible teaches EXPLICITLY in the same passage in the verses prior and after: namely, that the rapture does NOT happen until Christ returns and kills the man of lawlessness when He comes. I hope by this time in our journey together that you can see the value of the Doctrine Test in evaluating the use of Scriptures to formulate doctrines. In my next posts, we will look at other Scriptures, such as 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (the last trumpet); questions about Christians, the Tribulation, and the Wrath of God; also, Israel and the Church in Revelation 7 (who are the 144,000?); and more.
Chapter 5 MORE PASSAGES THAT ARE EXPLICIT IN TEACHING THE RAPTURE AT SECOND COMING
Thus far, I believe I have proven from a number of key Scripture passages that the Rapture of the Church takes place after the Tribulation period at the Second Coming of Christ. (Please, if you haven’t read Parts #1-4, I encourage you to do so.) Passages covered to date are: Matthew 24:29-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8. Before moving on to other relevant and related topics, I want to briefly cite several other passages that reinforce what we have found so far. (I am using ESV translation unless otherwise stated.)
I CORINTHIANS 15:50-52 “I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at THE LAST TRUMPET. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
EVALUATION USING THE DOCTRINE TEST: This passage is often cited as a verse supporting the pre-Trib Rapture. How can that be so, when verse 52 says EXPLICITLY that our transformation happens at the LAST trumpet. We know from the other passages we have looked at that there is a trumpet blast at Christ’s Second Coming. The Greek NT word used for “last” is “eschaton,” which means last, utmost, extreme. How can this “LAST trumpet” refer to the next-to-last trumpet, seven years prior to the LAST trumpet? Simply put, it cannot. Conclusion: We are transformed in the twinkling of an eye, when Christ comes for us at His Second Coming.
TITUS 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 WAITING FOR OUR BLESSED HOPE, THE APPEARING OF THE GLORY OF OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
EVALUATION USING THE DOCTRINE TEST: First, a question: Is there anything in this passage that explicitly (clearly stated) or implicitly (easily proven from Scripture) teaches that this is a description of the pre-Trib Rapture rather than the Second Coming of Christ? No, there is not. The passage describes Christians who are saved by God’s grace, and who are being trained by His grace to live godly lives while they are “waiting for our blessed hope, THE APPEARING of the GLORY of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” The Greek NT word used for “appearing” is “epiphaneia,” which means appearing, a shining forth. The Greek NT word for “glory” is “doxa,” which in this context, according to Vine’s NT Words Dictionary, means brightness or splendor, supernatural, emanating from God. This coming of Christ is not a secret and invisible rapture of the Church before the Tribulation, but a gloriously visible appearing, a great shining forth in majesty and splendor of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ when He returns at His Second Coming.
2 PETER 3:2-4,8-13 “… you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that SCOFFERS WILL COME IN THE LAST DAYS with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 THEY WILL SAY, “WHERE IS THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING?… 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 THE LORD IS NOT SLOW TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE as some count slowness, BUT IS PATIENT TOWARD YOU, NOT WISHING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, but that all should reach repentance. 10 BUT THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL COME LIKE A THIEF, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 SINCE ALL THESE THINGS ARE THUS TO BE DISSOLVED, WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE OUGHT YOU TO BE IN LIVES OF HOLINESS AND GODLINESS, 12 WAITING FOR AND HASTENING THE COMING OF THE DAY OF GOD, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But ACCORDING TO HIS PROMISE WE ARE WAITING FOR NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH in which righteousness dwells.”
EVALUATION USING THE DOCTRINE TEST: (I encourage you to read this whole chapter for context.) In this passage, Peter exhorts believers to trust God, that the Day of the Lord (the Second Coming of Christ to save His faithful followers and to judge the wicked) is indeed coming, in spite of what scoffers say. God isn’t slow about keeping His promise, but He is delaying because He wants as many people as possible to repent and be saved. Peter goes on to describe what will happen when Christ comes: the heavens and the earth will be burned up, dissolved, (destroyed, NIV). In light of what is coming, he asks Christians, “What sort of people ought you to be?” They need to be people who are living lives of holiness and godliness as they wait for His coming. It is EXPLICIT that Peter is speaking to Christ’s followers who will be living on the earth as they wait for the Second Coming of Christ. To be prepared for His coming, which will be accompanied by the destruction of the current heavens and the earth, His followers must live lives that honor God. The wicked will be judged, and the righteous will be saved, “looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (NIV). No pre-Trib Rapture here.
All the Scriptures we have examined thus far teach EXPLICITLY that Christians will be on the earth until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Not a single one of these passages teaches that the Church is removed from the earth by a secret and invisible rapture prior to the Tribulation period. Surveying the teaching of Jesus, including the parables, I have not been able to find even one that would explicitly or implicitly teach a pre-Trib Rapture. Take a quick survey of His parables that follow His end times teachings in Matthew 24: The parable of the ten virgins (Matt 25:1-13), the talents (Matt 25:14-30), and the sheep and the goats (Matt 25:31-46). These all are consistent with believers being on earth until Christ’s Second Coming, when He will reward His people and judge the wicked.
Now look at the parable of the wheat and the tares, or the weeds in Matt 13:24-30. This one is VERY compelling, as are the others. In this parable, the owner of the field was asked by his workers if he wanted them to pull up the weeds that an enemy had planted where the landowner was growing wheat. His answer was, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Jesus infers here that at harvest time unbelievers will first be gathered and judged; then believers will be gathered for Christ. This parable reinforces the same conclusion we have reached in all the prior passages; namely, that they teach EXPLICITLY that Christ’s followers will not be raptured or gathered to meet Him until His Second Coming.
Chapter 6 WILL CHRISTIANS EXPERIENCE GOD’S WRATH DURING THE TRIB. PERIOD? (Part 1)
At this point I think it’s a good idea to review and summarize a few things. First, my initial question and invitation to you (on Facebook, July 19) was this: “I don’t ask this to create a controversy or start futile debates over things that are more peripheral than central. But I’m curious to know if any of you might want solid biblical reasons why a biblically conservative evangelical Christian, namely me, believes that the rapture of the Church takes place at the Second Coming of Christ, and not seven years prior to His return? Let me know if you’re interested. Thanks!” Since that time, over 240 of you have said “I’m in,” indicating a desire to be notified when I post an article on this subject.
In post #1, I shared seven introductory thoughts, including my concern that we Christians prepare to endure rather than prepare to escape. In post #2 I introduced “the Doctrine Test”, evaluating whether a passage teaches a particular doctrine EXPLICITLY (clearly stated), IMPLICITLY (easily proven by Scripture), or only by SPECULATION (pre-supposing, assuming, guessing without clear evidence from Scripture). In posts #3, #4, and #5, we applied the Doctrine Test to numerous New Testament Scriptures to see what they teach. Summarizing, we found that the following Scriptures EXPLICITLY teach that the Rapture of the Church happens at the Second Coming of Christ and not before it: Matthew 24:29-31, 1 Thess 4:15-18, 2 Thess 1:5-10, 2 Thess 2:1-8, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Titus 2:11-14, and 2 Peter 3:2-13. We also saw that Jesus’ parables in Matthew 25 (following His Matthew 24 teaching) and elsewhere reinforce the view that Christians who are alive on the earth at the end will be gathered to meet Jesus at His Second Coming and not before. What we have established thus far is HUGE! So huge, in fact, that I personally believe what we have proven from Scripture is insurmountable evidence that the Rapture is at the Second Coming. (If you haven’t read the prior posts, please do so, as they provide an essential foundation for understanding why I believe what I do.)
In order to teach otherwise, that the Rapture takes place at any time prior to the Second Coming, would require an equally impressive number of EXPLICIT Scriptures to warrant ignoring or casting aside all the passages we have examined. And yet, in all my 50 years of studying the Bible, I have not found even one passage that explicitly or implicitly teaches a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. What I have found to be true is this: Every Scripture that my pre-Trib Rapture friends use to prove their point seems to require a prior assumption, presupposition, or inference. In order to infer a pre-Trib Rapture there must be some undeniably clear biblical evidence to make that inference, and I don’t believe there is any such evidence in the Bible. (I imagine that some of you may be angry with me right now, but I’m just telling you what I believe and why; and I even hope that you are right and I am wrong! ) In light of all that’s happening in our country and world today, it makes more sense to me than ever in my lifetime that we believers in Christ must be prepared for whatever comes.
Now, let’s look at a few Scriptures in seeking to answer the question, “WILL CHRISTIANS EXPERIENCE THE WRATH OF GOD IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD?” A quick answer is “No, they will not.” But that is a different question than, “Will Jesus’ followers be alive on the earth during the Tribulation period?” The answer to that is “Yes.” And another important question, “Is the Tribulation period to be understood as “the wrath of God?” Lots of opinions on these things. Before we go further, let’s look at two passages in Paul’s first letter to the Christians in Thessalonica:
I THESS 1:8-10 “For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and TO WAIT FOR HIS SON FROM HEAVEN, whom He raised from the dead, JESUS WHO DELIVERS US FROM THE WRATH TO COME.”
I THESS 5:7-11 “For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 FOR GOD HAS NOT DESTINED US FOR WRATH, BUT TO OBTAIN SALVATION THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
EVALUATION USING THE DOCTRINE TEST: The Greek NT word used for “wrath” in both passages is “orge”, often the word used to describe our just and holy God’s final judgment on those who reject Christ (see also, for example, Romans 2:4-6, where Paul warns those who reject God’s loving calls to repentance that they are storing up “orge”/wrath for themselves on the day of God’s wrath). Taking into account that Paul EXPLICITLY teaches in his two letters to the Thessalonian believers that BOTH the wrath of God against the wicked AND the Rapture of believers take place at Christ’s Second Coming (see 1 Thess 4:15-18, 2 Thess 1:5-10, and 2 Thess 2:1-8), we must conclude that these passages refer to the wrath unbelievers will experience when Jesus comes back for the Church at his Second Coming. Christians are definitely not destined to suffer God’s wrath, judgment, or Hell, which will be unleashed in the final Judgment. Quite the contrary, we are saved from His wrath by faith, through the precious blood of Christ.
We know that God’s wrath fell on unbelievers in the Old Testament at the Flood and at Sodom and Gomorrah and elsewhere. One question where Christians may disagree is this: “Does God’s wrath sometimes fall on unbelievers in the New Testament era, or is wrath being withheld until final judgment?” In at least one instance the New Testament talks about God’s contemporary “orge”/wrath on sinners prior to the final judgment. For example, in Romans 1:18-32 Paul writes that “THE WRATH OF GOD IS BEING REVEALED from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness…” (1:18). When people refuse to acknowledge God or give Him thanks and continue to reject His truth, He expresses wrath by giving them over to the wickedness that is in their sinful hearts. For example: “Therefore, God gave them over…” (1:24-25); “Because of this, God gave them over…” (1:26-27); and “He gave them over to a depraved mind…” (1:28-32). However, generally speaking, when the NT points to coming of God’s wrath/”orge”, it refers to His judgment on unrepentant sinners accompanying the Second Coming of Christ, at which time believers will be gathered to meet Him (raptured).
I know I have barely scratched the surface of the question, “Will Christians experience the wrath of God in the Tribulation period?” But to keep this post from getting too long, I’m going to hold up here and continue this topic in my next post. I want to do a good job evaluating other Scriptures, and particularly REVELATION 3:10, where Jesus told the church in Philadelphia, “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” This Scripture is very widely considered to be one of the strongest arguments to support the pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.
In preparation for the next post, your “homework” assignment is to look at the historical and literary context of this passage (Revelation 3:10); apply the Doctrine test to the passage; and, seeking God’s wisdom, ask yourself these questions: 1) Is this passage addressed to the whole Church for all time, or just to the Christians in Philadelphia at the end of the 1st Century AD?
2) Do we interpret the Book of Revelation (which is apocalyptic literature with many symbols) literally, or symbolically? How do you know when it’s meant to be taken symbolically? 3) Does Rev 3:10 teach explicitly or implicitly that the whole end times Church will escape a time of worldwide trial by being taken out of the world, or is that speculative? 4) Is this time of trial necessarily the Great Tribulation, or could it be a time of worldwide persecution and trials before that? Or could it be the judgment coming at Christ’s return?
Chapter 7 WILL CHRISTIANS EXPERIENCE GOD’S WRATH DURING THE TRIBULATION? (Part 2)
So far, all the passages we have evaluated with the Doctrine Test (see posts 2 through 6) have taught EXPLICITLY that Christians will be raptured (gathered to meet Christ) at His Second Coming, not in a secret rapture prior to the Tribulation period. That means that Christians will be alive during the Tribulation. Today we will go to the Book of Revelation (written by the Apostle John around 95AD). We will examine Jesus’ letter to His church in Philadelphia (see Rev 3:7-13), a town in Asia Minor near the end of the first century.
Actually, Jesus sends letters to seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev chapters 2 and 3). Although His words are specific to each church and town, it is widely accepted that His insights and words of correction, commendation, and exhortation have clear relevance and applications for His churches in all times and places. We find His words to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 (please read). Jesus said one thing in particular to this church that many believe relates to our study of the Tribulation, the Rapture, and the Second Coming. Some believe that the following verse is a strong support for the pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church: “BECAUSE YOU HAVE KEPT MY WORD ABOUT PATIENT ENDURANCE, I WILL KEEP YOU FROM THE HOUR OF TRIAL THAT IS COMING ON THE WHOLE WORLD, TO TRY THOSE WHO DWELL ON THE EARTH” (Rev 3:10).
So, where do we begin? There are so many approaches, schools of thought, ways of interpreting the Book of Revelation! (If you ever meet people who say they’ve got it all figured out, you probably don’t want to hang out with them for long!) Revelation is filled with special numbers, symbols, types, creatures, horses and monster beasts, even a dragon; and there are seals (on a scroll) and trumpets and bowls (seven of each). It can be so confusing at times, one might be tempted to cry out, “HELP, LORD!” We certainly don’t have time to explain “apocalyptic” prophetic literature, filled with its various symbols; nor can we explore all the approaches and interpretive options that have been advanced. I like to keep things pretty simple. So here is my brief introduction to you for the Book of Revelation: “Things are hard now, and they are going to get worse…a LOT worse. But Jesus has this! He is coming back, so just hold on, persevere! Keep on keeping on; shine your light till the day you die or the day He comes back, whichever comes first. And no matter what happens, remember this: JESUS WINS!!! And we’re with Him!!!”
Now on to Rev 3:10. Is this promise made only to the church in Philadelphia of Asia Minor, in that time and place? Seven is a biblical number symbolizing wholeness, perfection, completeness. Even though Jesus had very different and specific insights, corrections, and promises to each of the seven churches, we might be safe in believing that “seven” infers to us that Jesus’ letters have pointed relevance to His churches with similar issues and circumstances in all times and places. For example, Jesus’ words to the church of Ephesus would relate to all churches that are dutiful but have lost their first love. His letter to the Laodiceans would speak with great conviction to every lukewarm affluent church that thinks they really don’t need anything, not realizing how spiritually poor, blind, and naked they really are.
When you get to Jesus’ promise to this particular church in Rev 3:10, does His promise that He will keep them from the hour of trial apply to all the churches, or to just the churches that have kept His word about “patient endurance?” What about those churches who have not patiently endured; are they okay, too? And what do we say that ‘the hour of trial’ in this passage represents? Is it clearly a reference to the Great Tribulation period? That is one of several options. Others include: 1) the trial of God’s judgment at the Second Coming of Christ; or 2) a very widespread time of persecution and trials in the more immediate future (rather than what Jesus referred to in Matt 24 as the great tribulation, immediately followed by Christ’s Second Coming).
Because there are other viable options to consider, I don’t believe we have enough to go on here to assume that this ‘hour of testing’ refers to the Tribulation. However, let’s try that interpretation on for size, so to speak, for a moment. Even if this were true, and even if it applies to all Christians and not just those that are patiently enduring, does “being kept from the hour of trial” necessarily mean that the Church will be taken out of the world (raptured)? Can’t it also mean that God will somehow have His hand of protection on His followers in the midst of it?
Let’s not forget that there is not even one verse in the entire New Testament that explicitly teaches a pre-Tribulation Rapture. As we have seen, ALL the verses that speak of being raptured or gathered to meet Jesus (see posts 2-6) explicitly teach that the gathering/Rapture of believers takes place at the Second Coming. Are we to believe that, in light of Rev 3:10, all those other passages are wrong, and therefore no longer relevant? That wouldn’t make much sense, would it? We would be saying that Jesus’ teachings were mistaken in Matthew 24, in the parables, and elsewhere; and the apostles Paul and Peter would have made enormous mistakes as well. Not a chance! There has got to be a better way of understanding this particular verse.
First, let’s establish that not all of the Tribulation period is “God’s wrath.” Jesus prepares His disciples for what is to come during the Tribulation period in Matthew 24: 9-13: “Then THEY WILL DELIVER YOU UP TO TRIBULATION and PUT YOU TO DEATH, and YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL NATIONS FOR MY NAME’S SAKE. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because LAWLESSNESS (WICKEDNESS, NIV) WILL BE INCREASED, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But THE ONE WHO ENDURES TO THE END WILL BE SAVED.” Jesus’ disciples will certainly experience suffering, persecution, and martyrdom during this period; however, that will be at the hand of the wicked who hate God and the followers of Jesus. That is not God’s wrath. Jesus doesn’t mention God’s wrath coming during the Tribulation, but He does clearly warn that there will be judgment for unbelievers who are not ready for His Second Coming: there will “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 24:51), “…darkness…weeping and gnashing of teeth” (25:30); the wicked “will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (25:46).
If we accept that at least part of the Tribulation period includes God’s wrath against the wicked, there is a far more plausible explanation for how Christ’s followers will be protected from His wrath than resorting to a pre-Tribulation Rapture. Again, we have found no explicit biblical passages to support that. Here are a few of my thoughts about these issues:
1. There is clear precedent for the faithful believers in the Old Testament to show how God protects His people from His wrath. For example: a) the Israelites were protected from God’s wrath during the plagues against Egypt, and particularly were saved from the death of the firstborn by the blood of the unblemished lamb on the doorposts of their homes (Exodus 8-12, esp. 12:12-13); b) In Ezekiel 9, prior to God pouring out his wrath on the unfaithful in Jerusalem, He ordered that a mark be put on the foreheads of those who “sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it (Jerusalem).” He orders that His judgment be without pity or compassion on the unfaithful; however, pertaining to the faithful He says, “BUT TOUCH NO ONE ON WHOM IS THE MARK.” (Ezekiel 9:4-6)
2. Also, we find God protecting His people from His wrath in the New Testament: a) As we have seen in Romans 1 (see post #6), God is able to pour out wrath on the wicked while Christians are on the earth; b) There will clearly be disciples of Jesus on the earth during the Tribulation period who are SEALED FOR PROTECTION before God pours out His wrath. In Revelation 7:1-3, John writes what he sees and hears: “Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, UNTIL WE HAVE SEALED THE SERVANTS OF OUR GOD ON THEIR FOREHEADS.” Whether we believe these Jesus-followers are Jewish believers or the whole church (Jews and Gentiles in Christ together) on earth at that time, the fact remains that there will be believers who are sealed and protected during any wrath that occurs within the Tribulation period. (FYI: I am going to make my case in the next post why I believe that the 144,000 sealed believers represent the whole church on earth during the Tribulation period.) c) It’s also clear that Jesus-followers are on earth during the Tribulation period, as demonstrated in Rev 13:7-10 and Rev 14:9-12, where Christ’s disciples are exhorted: “HERE IS A CALL FOR THE ENDURANCE OF THE SAINTS (13:9, 14:12).” The Rev 14:12 passage defines “saints” as “THOSE WHO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND THEIR FAITH IN JESUS.” Summarizing, there will be servants of God, Jesus-followers, on the earth during the Tribulation, and God will put His seal of protection on them.
3. Why would Jesus allow His people to be on the earth during such a time of upheaval and suffering? One Scripture passage that reveals His heart is John 17:14-21 (please read the whole passage in your Bible), where Jesus is talking with His Father: “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I DO NOT ASK THAT YOU TAKE THEM OUT OF THE WORLD, BUT THAT YOU KEEP THEM FROM THE EVIL ONE… 18 AS YOU SENT ME INTO THE WORLD, SO I HAVE SENT THEM INTO THE WORLD…. 20 “I DO NOT ASK FOR THESE ONLY, BUT ALSO FOR THOSE WHO WILL BELIEVE IN ME THROUGH THEIR WORD, 21 … SO THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE SENT ME.”
Jesus asks that we not be removed from the world, but that we be protected from the evil one. Why does He not want to remove us from the world when times are horribly difficult? SO THAT THE LOST WILL BE SAVED! SO THAT MULTITUDES WILL RECOGNIZE THAT GOD HAS SENT JESUS TO SAVE THEM IN ORDER THAT THEY COME TO FAITH IN HIM. This is the heart of Christ! This is the heart of God our Father, who so loved the world that He sent His Son to save us! HALLELUJAH!!!
4. I know this is a long post, but it’s so important! I want to share one last passage of Scripture that really brings all of this together for me: “WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST? SHALL TRIBULATION, OR DISTRESS, OR PERSECUTION, OR FAMINE, OR NAKEDNESS, OR DANGER, OR SWORD?… 37 NO, IN ALL THESE THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US. 38 FOR I AM SURE THAT NEITHER DEATH NOR LIFE, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION, WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD” (Romans 8:35-39). Believers will be sealed, protected, cared for during the Tribulation period, where they will shine their lights for Jesus. We can rest assured that no matter what we may go through in the future, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN EVER SEPARATE US FROM GOD’S LOVE IN JESUS CHRIST!!! Can I get an AMEN!!!
Chapter 8 JEWISH BELIEVERS, THE CHURCH, & THE TRIBULATION (Part 1)
have already seen that Scriptures describing the Rapture of the Church teach EXPLICITLY that this event takes place at the Second Coming of Christ (see posts 2, 3, 4, & 5). Since there are no Scripture passages that explicitly teach a pre-Trib Rapture (I will sometimes abbreviate as PTR), those who espouse that position must depend on speculation or inferences, reading into a passage the presupposition of a PTR when there is no explicit basis to do so. We saw an example of this in post #7, which describes how Rev 3:10 is interpreted to prove PTR when Scripture doesn’t explicit warrant it. In our study today, we will see another inference.
In this post, we will look at Revelation 7:1-17. (Please read the entire passage in your Bible.) You will see that it describes: 1) the 144,000 servants of God who are sealed to protect them from God’s wrath during the Tribulation period; and 2) the countless multitudes of Jesus-followers from every tribe and nation who experience the Tribulation period. The 144,000 servants of God are described as “SEALED FROM EVERY TRIBE OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL” (12,000 from each tribe times 12 tribes equals 144,000).
There is much disagreement as to how we should interpret the 144,000. The PTR position interprets it “literally” – that the 144,000 are Jewish believers sealed from God’s wrath, and called to evangelize the nations during the Tribulation period. According to PTR, the Church was raptured prior to this. Many (probably most evangelical scholars) believe that the 144,000 are symbolic for the whole Church, which will be on the earth as witnesses during the Tribulation period. The correct interpretation is CRUCIAL to the PTR position, because, if it cannot be proven that that the 144,000 are literal Israel, and if in fact the 144,000 represent the Church, then the entire PTR argument collapses.
Here are some very significant reasons why I believe that the 144,000 sealed servants of God represent the Church, not literal Israel:
1. The Book of Revelation is an example of Holy Spirit-inspired “apocalyptic” (Greek ‘apokalypsis,’ meaning ‘revelation’) prophetic literature, which commonly uses visions and dramatic symbols to convey God’s revelations. Other Biblical apocalyptic writings include parts of Daniel (chapters 7-12), Joel, and Zechariah. It’s clear that not all of Revelation is meant to be taken literally. Examples include descriptions of Jesus in chapter 1 where He held seven stars (symbols for angels or messengers) and stands among lampstands (symbols for churches); He has a double-edged sword coming out of His mouth, symbolizing that He speaks the Word of God. There are many symbols throughout Revelation, with symbolic names (Babylon and Sodom, for example), and beasts, one with ten horns and seven heads. There is ample precedent in Revelation to believe that the 144,000 servants of God symbolize the Church rather than literal Israel.
2. In Revelation 5:5-6, the Apostle John is weeping because no one has been found worthy to open the seals on the scroll of God. He HEARS an elder say, “Weep no more; BEHOLD, THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH” has conquered and can open the scroll. When he looks for the Lion, he says “I SAW A LAMB standing, as though it had been slain.” He HEARS one thing; he SEES another. In Revelation 7:4-8, when he is told about the servants of God who will be sealed by God on their foreheads, in 7:4 he writes, “I HEARD THE NUMBER OF THE SEALED, 144,000, SEALED FROM EVERY TRIBE OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL,” but when he looks for the 144,000 what he sees is different: “After this I LOOKED, and BEHOLD, A GREAT MULTITUDE THAT NO ONE COULD NUMBER, FROM EVERY NATION, FROM ALL TRIBES AND PEOPLES AND LANGUAGES, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes.” Again, in Rev 5, he HEARD “Lion”, but he SAW “Lamb.” In Rev 7, he HEARD “144,000 from the tribes of Israel,” but he SAW a vast multitude of God’s people from every nation. That is compelling to me.
3. There is a problem when we interpret the 144,000 literally as 12,000 from “EVERY TRIBE of the sons of Israel” rather than as a symbol for the Church. The problem is this: the twelve tribes listed aren’t literally the twelve tribes. The tribe of Dan is missing; and Joseph is listed along with his son Manasseh. Attempts to explain why these are still literally the twelve tribes are speculative rather than explicit. Couple that with the fact that the numbers 12 and 12,000 and 144 are used elsewhere in Revelation. For example, in Rev 21:9-22 the width, length, and height of the new Jerusalem, symbol for the Church, prepared as a Bride for Christ, are each 12,000 “stadia” (approximately 1,380 miles), and the thickness of the wall around the city is 144 “cubits.” The names of the gates of the city are the 12 tribes of Israel, and the written on the foundations of the walls are the names of the 12 apostles of Christ. Every number used is either 12 or a multiple of 12. It’s very hard to believe that 12 and 12,000 and 144,000 are not used symbolically here, as well as elsewhere in Revelation.
4. Another compelling reason that I believe the 144,00 are symbolic of the Church is this: God does not generally ever go backwards in His purposes and revelations. He went to a great deal of trouble to unite the Gentiles and Jews into one body, the Church. In Ephesians 2:11-22, the Apostle Paul describes what Jesus has done among the Gentiles and Jews who have come to Christ. Paul writes in 2:14-16 that Jesus, “… HAS MADE US BOTH ONE and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility… THAT HE MIGHT CREATE IN HIMSELF ONE NEW MAN IN PLACE OF THE TWO, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God IN ONE BODY through the cross…”. In Ephesians 3:3-11, Paul describes the MYSTERY OF CHRIST that had been hidden for centuries, but that “has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. THIS MYSTERY,” he continues, “IS THAT THE GENTILES ARE FELLOW HEIRS, MEMBERS OF THE SAME BODY, AND PARTAKERS OF THE PROMISE IN CHRIST JESUS THROUGH THE GOSPEL” (3:4-6).
So important is the revelation of Gentiles and Jews becoming one body in Christ in place of two separate bodies, that Paul exclaims in 3:9-10 that this mystery (Jews and Gentiles as joint heirs in Christ) is not only a revelation of His Good News to the world. God intends “THAT THROUGH THE CHURCH THE MANIFOLD WISDOM OF GOD MIGHT NOW BE MADE KNOWN TO THE RULERS AND AUTHORITIES IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.” Amazing!!! The Church (comprised of both Jews and Gentiles, reconciled and united as one body in Christ) is designed to be ‘Exhibit A’ of God’s power and glory and wisdom not only on earth, but in the heavenly (spiritual) realm as well. I don’t know about you, but after seeing all God has done to unite His Jewish people and the Gentiles as one Body in Christ, I can’t imagine that He would plan to divide them into two groups again for the Tribulation period. Wouldn’t that be going backwards?
Well, I have several more VERY IMPORTANT POINTS to make about this particular subject, but I will hold up here for now and share more in my next post. I do want to clarify one thing: I am NOT among those who see no place or role for Israel in God’s heart and plan. I know that some who emphasize the one Body of Christ in place of two peoples (Jews and Gentiles) sometimes have little if any regard for Israel. The Apostle Paul felt differently about that (Romans 9-11), and so do I. However, I just don’t believe that God will separate what has taken Him many centuries to unite in His Son, Jesus the Messiah.
When I started out, I thought this series would include three or four posts. Little did I know! If you’re feeling overwhelmed with it all, please hang in there – I’m almost finished!! I think after my next post, I will need to write only one more, to tie it all together and to express why I believe this study has more relevance than at any previous time in my life. God bless you!
Chapter 9 – JEWISH BELIEVERS, THE CHURCH, & THE TRIBULATION (Part 2)
In my previous post I pointed out some very important reasons why I believe that the 144,000 sealed servants of God in Revelation 7:2-8 are best understood, not as literal Israel, but as symbolic of the Church experiencing Tribulation (Rev 7:9-17). This post is a continuation of the subject covered in post #8, so if you haven’t already read that, please do so now before reading this one. Summarizing my reasons for believing that the 144,000 sealed sons of Israel symbolize the Church, I shared the following:
1. The Book of Revelation, as apocalyptic literature, is filled with symbolism throughout — numbers, names, beasts, descriptions of Christ, angelic beings, and lots more.
2. In Rev 5, John HEARD “Lion of the tribe of Judah”, but he SAW “a Lamb” as if it had been slain. In Rev 7, he HEARD “144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.” But he SAW “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” The LION is also the LAMB. The “144,000 SEALED” are also the “GREAT MULTITUDE THAT NO ONE COULD NUMBER” from every tribe and nation.
3. We saw a problem with interpreting literally that there would be 12,000 from “every tribe of the sons of Israel,” because not all twelve tribes are in the list; the tribe of Dan is omitted, and both Joseph and his son Manasseh are included. We also saw that the number 12 and multiples of 12 are used symbolically elsewhere in the book of Revelation.
4. We saw that God accomplished what He had intended when He united the Jewish and Gentile believers together into one body in Christ (Ephesians 2:13-22 & 3:3-11). We concluded that it would be very unlikely that God would separate His servants into Jews and Gentiles again after uniting them in Christ. Here are some additional reasons I believe that the 144,000 sealed servants of God are best understood, not as Jewish end-times believers, but as the one Body of Christ, the Church – both Jewish and Gentile believers — who have experienced the Tribulation together:
5. Let’s look more closely at what the Bible tells us in Rev 7 about the great multitude from every tribe and nation. We are told specifically in verses 14-17 that “these are THE ONES COMING OUT OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” These servants of Christ who come through the Tribulation will be sheltered in God’s presence after suffering greatly on earth. They won’t suffer hunger or thirst any longer, and “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” This is hardly a description of people who have been raptured before the Tribulation period! It makes a lot more sense to see that the “144,000 sealed servants of God” are symbolic of all Jesus followers who are sealed by God in preparation for enduring suffering, persecution, and martyrdom in the Tribulation period; however, they do not suffer God’s wrath, which is reserved for the wicked who reject Christ and hate God (see posts #6 & #7).
6. Identifying the 144,000 with all of God’s people (Jewish and Gentile believers together) is further reinforced when we see how Old Testament titles and callings on Israel are now used in the New Testament to describe the titles and callings of the Church. For example, Israel is called to be a light to the nations in Exodus 19:6, where God says, “YOU SHALL BE TO ME A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS AND A HOLY NATION.” The apostle Peter applies these titles and callings to the Church: “But YOU ARE A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). The Book of Revelation describes the seven churches similarly: John writes that Jesus by His blood has “made us a KINGDOM, PRIESTS to his God and Father” (Rev 1:5-6). In Rev 5:9-10, the four living creatures and the 24 elders worshiped Jesus the Lamb, singing “by your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,and You have made them a KINGDOM and PRIESTS TO OUR GOD.”
(Some believe that this is a “replacement theology” that robs Israel of its identity as God’s chosen people. I don’t see it that way. God doesn’t replace Jewish believers with Gentile believers; God has graciously included Gentile believers with Jewish believers in His one Body, one People of God, the Church, comprised of both Jews and Gentiles in Christ together. I believe that God has some AMAZING plans ahead for His Jewish people as He prepares all the servants of God to impact our world and glorify His name. God also has His hand on the nation of Israel, and I know that His gifts and callings are irrevocable. I am not one who has any sympathy at all for those who mistakenly use the Gospel of Jesus Christ as an excuse to be anti-Semitic. I say to those who do that, WATCH OUT!)
7. Another reason that I believe it is the Church that goes into the Tribulation takes us back to the purpose of the Book of Revelation in the first place. The Holy Spirit inspires John to prepare the churches to “patiently endure” until the Coming of the Lord. In Rev 1:9 he writes: “I, John, YOUR BROTHER AND PARTNER IN THE TRIBULATION and the kingdom AND THE PATIENT ENDURANCE that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” In the letters to the seven churches, Jesus exhorts the churches repeatedly about patiently enduring: “I know you are ENDURING PATIENTLY” (church at Ephesus, Rev 2:3); to Smyrna, “I know YOUR TRIBULATION… BE FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH” (2:9); to Thyatira “I KNOW YOUR…PATIENT ENDURANCE” …”HOLD FAST what you have…” (2:19,25); to Philadelphia, “”You have kept my word about PATIENT ENDURANCE…HOLD FAST what you have” (3:10-11).
These are not exhortations that provide hope or expectation of a pre-Tribulation Rapture (PTR), but rather, exhortations to those experiencing hard times already, and who need to prepare to patiently endure even more difficult times ahead. This is confirmed in Rev 13:10, “Here is A CALL FOR THE ENDURANCE AND FAITH OF THE SAINTS” when the “beast” is making war against Jesus’ disciples; and again in Rev 14:12, “Here is A CALL FOR THE ENDURANCE OF THE SAINTS, THOSE WHO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND THEIR FAITH IN JESUS,” when Jesus’ disciples are called to endure in faithfulness to Christ, whatever the cost, rather than yielding to the extreme pressures to get the mark of the beast. In light of all the EXPLICIT passages of Scripture we have examined in this entire series, including the ones cited in post #8 and this post, one thing becomes clear: The “saints,” and the “elect,” and those who have “their faith in Jesus” cited here in the Book of Revelation refer to the Church in the Tribulation. To infer that these are Jewish believers who are in the Tribulation after the Church has been raptured just doesn’t hold water; it is speculation.
8. (Hang in there! Just one more and we’re done! 😊) Many of my PTR friends say that Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 24 about the Tribulation, the Rapture, and the Second Coming were spoken to Jewish disciples and are relevant only to end times Jews who are converted after the Rapture. Reasoning that the Church wasn’t started until after the Resurrection at Pentecost, they say that those teachings about the end times don’t apply to the Church, because the Church will be raptured prior to the Tribulation period. WHAT!?! The only way you can deduce that is to ASSUME that PTR is true, and then impose it on every passage of Scripture that seems to say otherwise. As we have seen, there is not a single Scripture that explicitly teaches a PTR, so there is no way to legitimately infer it or impose it anywhere.
This argument is refuted also by the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus commanded His followers: “Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU.” Jesus commanded that all future disciples of all the nations must learn to understand and obey ALL that He taught. He taught that ALL His followers, not just 144,000 end-times Jews, should be faithful through tribulation and ready for His coming, prepared to endure to the end. He didn’t say, “Teach them to observe everything EXCEPT the end times stuff.” He said “teach them ALL I have commanded you.” Chapter 10 Tying Things Together
Chapter 10 – Tying Things Together
This is the Finale, the final post in my series on “Rapture at the Second Coming.” If you have read all the posts 1-10, I hope you agree that I have made a compelling case to substantiate my belief that the Rapture of the Church takes place at the Second Coming of Christ, following the Tribulation period.
Speaking personally, this has not been about trying to win a theological debate (As I have said before, I would not mind at all being wrong about this, and if my Pre-Trib Rapture friends are proved right, I will joyfully apologize to them on the way up!) No, I’m not trying to win a debate, but am just being honest about what I believethe Scriptures EXPLICITLY teach about these things.
I have tried to stay laser-focused on this one issue: “The Rapture takes place at the Second Coming of Christ.” My reason for zeroing in on this one event is simple: I believe that the followers of Jesus need to be prepared spiritually, mentally, emotionally for what lies ahead. Although I’m not making predictions or proclamations about whether or not we are entering the period Jesus described as “great tribulation,” there are enough indicators currently presenting themselves that it makes one wonder. If this isn’t “it,” then this hour can certainly serve as a wake-up call and should jolt us into evaluating where we stand with Christ. Are the roots of our faith in Christ deep enough to see us through to the end, whatever comes?
Take a moment to ponder the current trends, developments, and imminent future possibilities in our own country and in the world that are being thrust upon us at seeming lightning speed. There are so many startling changes – spiritually, politically, socially, medically, morally and religiously, technologically, economically, etc., etc., that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that something very unusual is going on. Do I think this is “it,” that we are entering the final tribulation period before the Christ’s return? I don’t know; I wrestle with this, have mixed feelings. I look forward to being with Christ and all His saints in Heaven. On the other hand, I hope this is not it! My reason for that is the same reason the Apostle Peter gave for the delay of Christ’s expected return: God wants people to be SAVED! He is “NOT WISHING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD REACH REPENTANCE” (2 Peter 3:9). I’m praying that there will be a MASSIVE, world-wide spiritual awakening with hundreds of millions, even billions more souls coming to Christ before the end!
Am I confident that I will personally be strong enough to endure whatever lies ahead? No, not in my own strength. But, thankfully, we who sincerely believe in Christ do not have to rely on our own resources. By God’s grace, as we surrender our lives fully to Christ and cleave to Him, His grace will prove sufficient to bring us through, no matter what.
Someone wrote to me as I began this series that my position was “not comforting” and “dangerously misleading.” I hope by now you see that my teachings are not “misleading,” but clearly and responsibly grounded in the Scriptures. The remark, “not comforting,” seems to infer that truth is somehow determined by whether or not something is “comforting.” That view itself is “dangerously misleading”. My goal in this series is not to provide false hope by side-stepping, misinterpreting, and redefining the Scriptures until our desires for comfort are satisfied. Because God’s people need truth, want truth, and deserve truth, my goal is to teach the truth. Here’s truth: God’s purpose isn’t to make us comfortable; His purpose is to make us like Jesus, that we will “be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29); and also that we will be worthy and effective ambassadors for Christ, reaching the lost for whom He died and rose (2 Corinthians 5:14-20; John 3:16).
Jesus and most of His apostles experienced horrendous suffering and persecution, and many died as martyrs. Jesus warned His disciples that they would be hated by all nations, and many would be put to death for their faith. These things have happened throughout history, as we know, and even more so right now we keep hearing of atrocities happening to our sisters and brothers in Christ in many parts of the world. The call to follow Christ is not an invitation to “comfort,” but an invitation to live in vital and loving relationship with the one and only true God who loves us so much, He sent His Son to die for us. Our comfort as Christians isn’t to be construed as easy, comfortable lives (which we all hope for and enjoy when we can), but our comfort is in experiencing the present reality of God’s nourishing and strengthening presence. It is His loving reassurance that He will see us through to the end and bring us through the curtain of death, when that time comes, to see Him face to face. And hopefully we will all hear His amazingly wondrous words, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt 25:23).
Again, the call to follow Christ is not a call to a life of comfort and escape from tribulation. “In the world,” Jesus said, “you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). However, it is definitely a call to escape in one way: Putting our trust in Christ enables us to escape the wrath of God at the final judgment. Jesus’ teaching is clear, as is the whole New Testament, that there is a final judgment. Our eternal destinies are at stake over whether or not we receive Christ. Some will go to Heaven; others will go to Hell. This is no day to sit on the fence with our spiritual commitments. “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation” (Heb 2:3)?
If you’re not sure where you stand with Christ, and you want assurance that you belong to Him, I would like to lead you in a prayer of commitment and surrender to Him. It’s as simple as A-B-C:
A dmit you’re a sinner, that you have sinned and made mistakes, and that you need God’s forgiveness and salvation.
B elieve Christ died for you on the Cross, taking responsibility for your sins and mistakes, and believe that He rose again and will come into your life when you ask Him.
C hoose to receive Christ now, by praying in faith a prayer of commitment and surrender.
HERE IS A SUGGESTED PRAYER:
“Thank You, Jesus, that You love me and that You died for my sins. I invite You into my life right now, trusting You as my Lord and Savior. Please take Your rightful place in my life. I surrender myself to You – who I am, all I have, and everything I can do. I give You my past, my present, and my future. Please fill me with the Person, power, and presence of the Holy Spirit, and enable me by Your grace to be Your ambassador, shining my light for You and living for Your glory until I see You face to face in Heaven. Thank You, Jesus. Amen!”
Please let me know if you prayed that prayer, so I can rejoice with you, and also with our Heavenly Father, who celebrates whenever someone puts their trust in His Son! Thanks, all of you, who have been with me on this journey.