Three Views of the Rapture, Part Two
My thanks goes to Jack Kinsella of the Omega Letter for the information contained within. For further information regarding the Rapture, a completely fascinating online and downloadable ebook that discusses the world-wide vanishings that will occur in the future can be found at Hal Lindsey’s website. The book is appropriately entitle "Vanished". It is available to download for any denomination/donation amount. Just follow the link and it is the second book available on that page.
Also you may want to check out such websites as Harpazo.net, RaptureAlert.com, DivineIntervention.ws and RaptureReady.com.
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The timing of the Rapture is easily one of the most divisive issues within the Body of the Christ, something I find extremely interesting. It would seem to me that the issue of when He is coming is important only in understanding the signs of the times, but not terribly important in terms of salvation or issues of eternity, or even in terms of living a Spirit-filled life.
Taken separately from following Bible prophecy, believing in Who is coming, and the certainty of His return, are all that is truly necessary to be a Christian. The timing of that event itself, is largely one of academics.
That being said, we ARE students of Bible prophecy; watchmen on the wall, as I like to express it, and the timing of the Rapture is extremely important to understanding the signs of the times.
We see evidence all around us, and we use that evidence to warn of His soon return. To us, understanding the Rapture is understanding how to rightly divide the Word of Truth. The key to this is understanding Dispensationalism and the division between the Age of the Law, the Age of Grace (Church Age) and the Tribulation (Daniel's 70th Week).
Dispensationalism teaches that the Dispensation of Grace (Church Age) concludes with the secret Rapture of the Church, followed by the the final 7 years of the Age of the Law. During the Tribulation, the Temple is rebuilt, Temple sacrifice reinstituted, and the price of salvation is martyrdom at the hands of the antichrist. (Tribulation Saints)
There are three basic interpretations of the Rapture; Pre-Tribulatonal, Mid-Tribulational and Post-Tribulational.
Pre-Trib holds to the view the Lord returns BEFORE the Tribulation. Mid-Trib teaches that the Rapture of the Church will occur in the middle of the 7 year Tribulation period. It will occur sometime around the abomination of desolation when the anti-Christ goes into the rebuilt Jewish temple and there claim to be God.
The Post-Trib view teaches that as the Lord Jesus is returning back to earth, God's people will be 'caught up' or raptured at that point in time. They will return to earth with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Each of these views can be supported, to some degree, by Scripture, but only one is correct. I believe it is the one with the fewest problems, which is a Pre-Trib Rapture of the Church.
In this post we will discuss the problems with the Mid-Trib point of view. The next post will discuss the Post-Trib point of view and then we will move on to discuss the Pre-Trib point of view and why I truly believe that it is the only view that Scripture truly does support.
One of the problems with a Mid-Trib view is glaring; it denies the doctrine of imminency. Although the Scriptures teach a SECRET coming, (no man knoweth the day or hour) once the Tribulation begins, one just has to sit down with a calendar. It will be no surprise and it will come at a known time.
Another problem with the Mid-Trib Rapture view is that its followers aren't looking for Christ, they are watching for the anti-Christ, from whom they derive their timetable.
By contrast, I am awaiting Jesus Christ. I never expect to know who the antichrist will be, and frankly, I don't really care. My purpose and to remind people that Jesus is coming FIRST!
The Mid-Tribulation view is not widely followed for these reasons, among others.
The Post-Tribulation view shares the same glaring problem as the Mid-Tribbers; the denial of imminency. It will be even easier to pinpoint the return of Christ, given the Bible gives the exact number of days between the 'abomination of desolation' (Matthew 24:15; 2nd Thessalonians 2:4) and the return of the Messiah.
"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days." (Daniel 12:11)
Compare that to Jesus' Words; "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:36) If the Post-Trib view is correct, that secret is hidden only until the revelation of antichrist. So it shares the same second flaw with the Mid-Trib view; both of these interpretations make the coming of antichrist the seminal event in prophecy, with the secret coming of Christ for His Church a secondary Plan.
The Mid-Tribulational view divides the Tribulation into two periods of 1260 days each, according to Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 12:7 and sees the Rapture of the Church occurring at that Mid-point.
There are plenty of Scripture verses that can be used to support a Mid-Trib Rapture. "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matthew 24:9-13
It would seem to indicate here that Jesus is exhorting us to "endure to the end" tying our endurance to being saved from the Great Tribulation.
Similarly, Jesus' reference to the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15) is followed by a warning to flee, (21)"For then shall be great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."
(40-41)"Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
The Mid-Tribulationist equates the beginning of the Great Tribulation when the antichrist abolishes Temple worship and begins his persecution of Israel with Rapture.
The problem with the Mid-Tribulation view is it fails to explain WHY the Church endures the first half of the Rapture. The final week of Daniel is clearly set aside for the national redemption of Israel. (Daniel 9:24)
In order to make the Mid-Tribulational view work, Jesus must be speaking to the Church when He is answering the question posed Him in Matthew 24:3 "What will be the sign of Thy Coming and of the end of the world?"
If Jesus were addressing the Church in the last days, why would He say, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:" (20).
Jesus makes plain the perspective from which He was speaking and to Whom, saying, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in JUDAEA flee into the mountains: (15-16)
Jesus warning of being delivered up to be afflicted, and killed, and to be hated of all nations for His Name's sake isn't a reference to the Church. He is addressing Israel, who has been delivered to affliction for 2000 years as 'Christ-killers'.
He is NOT addressing the Church. The Church is not here at that time.
But Jesus WAS addressing the Church when He said, "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 ye may be also. (John 14:2-3)
In Rev. 2 and 3 we have Jesus talking to the Seven Churches, but what I want you to notice is where Jesus is in relation to these churches. "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;"
Now, from Chapter 4 to 19, Jesus is no longer on earth, but in heaven. So, if Jesus is no longer on the earth during the Tribulation period and He promised us we would always be with him, it would seem to indicate that we are going to be in Heaven with Jesus during the Tribulation period.
No matter how many ways I look at it, I just can't overcome a few problems reconciling Scripture with the Mid-Tribulation view.
What purpose is served by having the Church participate in the first half of the Tribulation but not the second if the whole 'week' is set aside for Israel? Why have a Rapture at all?
Why would Jesus be positionally in the midst of the 7 Churches for the entire Church Age, but positionally in heaven from Revelation 4:1 forward if the seven golden candlesticks remain on earth during Daniel's 70th Week?
Why is there no reference to the Church from Revelation 4:1 and forward?
These are serious problems from my perspective.
But again, that is not to say that those who hold to a Mid-Tribulational Rapture haven't searched the Scriptures and found answers that satisfy those questions in their minds. They are as sincere as I. We simply disagree.
In the next issue, we'll look at the Post-Tribulational view and how it lines up with Scripture.
Also you may want to check out such websites as Harpazo.net, RaptureAlert.com, DivineIntervention.ws and RaptureReady.com.
===========================================
The timing of the Rapture is easily one of the most divisive issues within the Body of the Christ, something I find extremely interesting. It would seem to me that the issue of when He is coming is important only in understanding the signs of the times, but not terribly important in terms of salvation or issues of eternity, or even in terms of living a Spirit-filled life.
Taken separately from following Bible prophecy, believing in Who is coming, and the certainty of His return, are all that is truly necessary to be a Christian. The timing of that event itself, is largely one of academics.
That being said, we ARE students of Bible prophecy; watchmen on the wall, as I like to express it, and the timing of the Rapture is extremely important to understanding the signs of the times.
We see evidence all around us, and we use that evidence to warn of His soon return. To us, understanding the Rapture is understanding how to rightly divide the Word of Truth. The key to this is understanding Dispensationalism and the division between the Age of the Law, the Age of Grace (Church Age) and the Tribulation (Daniel's 70th Week).
Dispensationalism teaches that the Dispensation of Grace (Church Age) concludes with the secret Rapture of the Church, followed by the the final 7 years of the Age of the Law. During the Tribulation, the Temple is rebuilt, Temple sacrifice reinstituted, and the price of salvation is martyrdom at the hands of the antichrist. (Tribulation Saints)
There are three basic interpretations of the Rapture; Pre-Tribulatonal, Mid-Tribulational and Post-Tribulational.
Pre-Trib holds to the view the Lord returns BEFORE the Tribulation. Mid-Trib teaches that the Rapture of the Church will occur in the middle of the 7 year Tribulation period. It will occur sometime around the abomination of desolation when the anti-Christ goes into the rebuilt Jewish temple and there claim to be God.
The Post-Trib view teaches that as the Lord Jesus is returning back to earth, God's people will be 'caught up' or raptured at that point in time. They will return to earth with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Each of these views can be supported, to some degree, by Scripture, but only one is correct. I believe it is the one with the fewest problems, which is a Pre-Trib Rapture of the Church.
In this post we will discuss the problems with the Mid-Trib point of view. The next post will discuss the Post-Trib point of view and then we will move on to discuss the Pre-Trib point of view and why I truly believe that it is the only view that Scripture truly does support.
One of the problems with a Mid-Trib view is glaring; it denies the doctrine of imminency. Although the Scriptures teach a SECRET coming, (no man knoweth the day or hour) once the Tribulation begins, one just has to sit down with a calendar. It will be no surprise and it will come at a known time.
Another problem with the Mid-Trib Rapture view is that its followers aren't looking for Christ, they are watching for the anti-Christ, from whom they derive their timetable.
By contrast, I am awaiting Jesus Christ. I never expect to know who the antichrist will be, and frankly, I don't really care. My purpose and to remind people that Jesus is coming FIRST!
The Mid-Tribulation view is not widely followed for these reasons, among others.
The Post-Tribulation view shares the same glaring problem as the Mid-Tribbers; the denial of imminency. It will be even easier to pinpoint the return of Christ, given the Bible gives the exact number of days between the 'abomination of desolation' (Matthew 24:15; 2nd Thessalonians 2:4) and the return of the Messiah.
"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days." (Daniel 12:11)
Compare that to Jesus' Words; "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:36) If the Post-Trib view is correct, that secret is hidden only until the revelation of antichrist. So it shares the same second flaw with the Mid-Trib view; both of these interpretations make the coming of antichrist the seminal event in prophecy, with the secret coming of Christ for His Church a secondary Plan.
The Mid-Tribulational view divides the Tribulation into two periods of 1260 days each, according to Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 12:7 and sees the Rapture of the Church occurring at that Mid-point.
There are plenty of Scripture verses that can be used to support a Mid-Trib Rapture. "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matthew 24:9-13
It would seem to indicate here that Jesus is exhorting us to "endure to the end" tying our endurance to being saved from the Great Tribulation.
Similarly, Jesus' reference to the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15) is followed by a warning to flee, (21)"For then shall be great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."
(40-41)"Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
The Mid-Tribulationist equates the beginning of the Great Tribulation when the antichrist abolishes Temple worship and begins his persecution of Israel with Rapture.
The problem with the Mid-Tribulation view is it fails to explain WHY the Church endures the first half of the Rapture. The final week of Daniel is clearly set aside for the national redemption of Israel. (Daniel 9:24)
In order to make the Mid-Tribulational view work, Jesus must be speaking to the Church when He is answering the question posed Him in Matthew 24:3 "What will be the sign of Thy Coming and of the end of the world?"
If Jesus were addressing the Church in the last days, why would He say, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:" (20).
Jesus makes plain the perspective from which He was speaking and to Whom, saying, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in JUDAEA flee into the mountains: (15-16)
Jesus warning of being delivered up to be afflicted, and killed, and to be hated of all nations for His Name's sake isn't a reference to the Church. He is addressing Israel, who has been delivered to affliction for 2000 years as 'Christ-killers'.
He is NOT addressing the Church. The Church is not here at that time.
But Jesus WAS addressing the Church when He said, "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 ye may be also. (John 14:2-3)
In Rev. 2 and 3 we have Jesus talking to the Seven Churches, but what I want you to notice is where Jesus is in relation to these churches. "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;"
Now, from Chapter 4 to 19, Jesus is no longer on earth, but in heaven. So, if Jesus is no longer on the earth during the Tribulation period and He promised us we would always be with him, it would seem to indicate that we are going to be in Heaven with Jesus during the Tribulation period.
No matter how many ways I look at it, I just can't overcome a few problems reconciling Scripture with the Mid-Tribulation view.
What purpose is served by having the Church participate in the first half of the Tribulation but not the second if the whole 'week' is set aside for Israel? Why have a Rapture at all?
Why would Jesus be positionally in the midst of the 7 Churches for the entire Church Age, but positionally in heaven from Revelation 4:1 forward if the seven golden candlesticks remain on earth during Daniel's 70th Week?
Why is there no reference to the Church from Revelation 4:1 and forward?
These are serious problems from my perspective.
But again, that is not to say that those who hold to a Mid-Tribulational Rapture haven't searched the Scriptures and found answers that satisfy those questions in their minds. They are as sincere as I. We simply disagree.
In the next issue, we'll look at the Post-Tribulational view and how it lines up with Scripture.
posted by Nic at 2/04/2006 07:25:00 AM
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