Augustine also said, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” Theology of the fundamentals of the Faith is of vital importance to a Christian. We need to be firm and unwavering concerning doctrines such as the Trinity, the divine nature of the Son, and the infallibility of the Word of God. However, there are secondary complex and mysterious issues of a theological nature upon which godly, well-respected theologians and teachers disagree, and even may change their minds about in time. In these matters, we need to exercise tolerance and forbearance, in a spirit of love, one towards another. This is the case with eschatology (the study of End Times), including the Rapture. It is prudent to hold our views about such a subject lightly and with humility, since we are instructed by the Lord that He will destroy the wisdom of the wise and put to one side the cleverness of the clever.[1]
Scripture assures us that the wrath of God is not the heritage of His children. This is made clear in 1 Thessalonians 5:9: “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Then, in Romans 5:9, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” We have already looked at the promise to the faithful church of Philadelphia to be kept from the hour of testing.[2] These verses rule out the post-tribulation rapture view, because that would be after the wrath of God is poured out following the sixth seal of Revelation 6, when men call out to be hidden from the Lord and His coming wrath.[3] Those verses support either a pre-tribulation or a pre-wrath understanding, because they allow for a Rapture before the wrath of God. A pre-wrath Rapture view would place the Rapture at or before the sixth seal, arguably a year and 10 days before the Second Coming.[4]
Why then should we expect a Rapture a whole seven years before the End of the Age, the traditional pre-tribulation view? To answer this question, we have to consider the 70-week prophetic outline of the End Times given to Daniel about Israel,[5] which is explained on the helpful website Got Questions.[6] I have also described it in my book, “Exploring the End Times and Interceding for Israel.” 69 weeks of years are announced to Israel from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until the vicarious death of the Messiah. Then there is a gap of unspecified length before the final “week,” meaning seven years. The Church is not mentioned in this 70-week prophecy. Now we know that the Christian church started immediately after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, when the 69th week was completed. It may therefore be assumed that the Church will disappear from the picture just before the start of the final seven years, when the countdown to the 70th week starts again. The other complementary assumption in the pre-tribulation framework is that because the word ‘church’ is not used in the book of Revelation after chapter 3, the Church age must be completed by this point. Hence, it is surmised that when John hears a voice “like a trumpet speaking ... saying, ‘come up here,’”[7] this represents the Rapture of the Church before the seal, bowl and trumpet judgements subsequently described in the book of Revelation. The trumpet-like voice he hears is likened to the sound to which Paul refers in his description of the Rapture: “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”[8] As previously mentioned, each of the Rapture views has its problems and these three assumptions, which include arguments from silence, are a weakness of this view, known as classical premillennial dispensationalism. On the positive side, we are told to look forward to our blessed hope,[9] that Jesus is coming when we do not expect Him.[10] As before the days of Noah, there will be people at ease – eating, drinking and giving in marriage prior to His coming.[11] These verses favour a pre-tribulation view rather than one that puts His return at a particular specified identifiable point during the harrowing events prophesied in the book of Revelation. That is a weakness in both the pre-wrath and post-tribulation theories.
We may wonder what is the purpose of a pre-tribulation Rapture. Clearly, the whole world would be suddenly plunged into an apocalyptic scene following the departure of Christians. Everyone will be aware of the awful change in the spiritual atmosphere once the restrainer is removed, and looting, chaos and every kind of evil and crime explodes. There will be farms, factories, health facilities, supermarkets and transport hubs instantly short-staffed. The supply chains of food, fuel, spare parts and other necessities will be devastated and will urgently require fixing. The overriding emotions will be fear and panic. Envision the trauma of those who witness graves opening in a cemetery and glorified bodies rising![12] Consider how astonished people will be when they see their work colleagues suddenly drawn up to heaven![13] The urgent need will be to find someone to bring structure to this alarming new world, a strong charismatic leader who will impose law and order and project a persona of peace. Enter the Antichrist! He will even appear to solve the unrest in the Middle East by sanctioning the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, possibly making use of the space on the Temple Mount between the Dome of the Rock Islamic shrine and the Al Aqsa mosque. We can only speculate on what Israel will need to do in return for this false peace; presumably, give up yet more land.
People of every nation and every geographical area will be asking questions about how and why this dire calamity has happened over the entire globe. We can safely say that children of Christian families will be taken, because of the Scripture which asserts that the children of believers are holy.[14] Tim LaHaye (in his Left Behind series)[15] suggested that young children from unbelieving families, all over the world, will also be raptured. This is a reasonable speculation because Jesus says, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”[16] This shocking event will be devastating, and it follows that some will try and heal their wounds by having children once again. The task of bringing them up in this new world order will be grim, especially for those families who refuse the Mark of the Beast and seek to hide from the authorities. The Lord is merciful, not wishing any to perish but for all to be saved.[17] He will send an angel with the everlasting Gospel to share with every tribe, nation, language and people.[18] We can expect that in their distress and perplexity, given the supernatural context, that this angel will have the attention of those who hear, provided that they have not hardened their hearts. It is amazing that the first gospel message given by the exuberant apostles in Acts 2, was heard by Jewish listeners from different nations each in their own tongue![19] When the angel delivers the words of the final gospel message of this age, we can likewise expect people from all over the world to hear it in their native language. This will be the ultimate fulfilment of Jesus’ prediction, “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”[20] This will be the very last harvest of souls for the kingdom of God. It will be followed by an entirely different and sobering harvest of the entire globe; “so the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.”[21]
We have already alluded to a pre-tribulation Rapture providing plenty of time for backslidden Christians and prodigals to repent, to lead many to salvation, to teach about God’s plans for the End of the Age, and to lead groups of new believers. A Tribulation immediately before or after the outpouring of the wrath of God would surely fail to provide this same opportunity for reflection, repentance, redemption and reward.
The apostle Paul teaches us that salvation has come to the Gentiles to provoke Israel to jealousy.[22] Could a pre-tribulation Rapture of mainly Gentiles play a part in making Jewish people jealous? Inevitably, the rabbis will be consulted to provide an answer to the mystery of what has happened in the sudden disappearance of so many. The most likely reply is that this event includes a divine punishment of Jewish believers for being traitors to their Jewish heritage by following Jesus. How many will find that convincing in the light of this event being worldwide and embracing all people groups? The remaining Jewish people will be devastated, frightened, and confused at the sudden departure of countless individuals. They will know that, wherever the Messianic believers have gone, they are together with their young children, and out of the way of a most perilous situation. Perhaps as the days get darker, some will wonder if these families are in the safety and joy of heaven. This will indeed provoke some to jealousy. There will be plenty of time to ponder and search for answers: seven years. The first half of this period, before the Antichrist desecrates the Temple in Jerusalem, may superficially appear to be peaceful as regards the borders in the Land of Israel. It is the second half, the remaining three-and-a-half years, which is known as “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble” or the “Great Tribulation.” Tragically, during the second half of the final week of Daniel, two-thirds of those in Israel will die.[23] The horrifying post-rapture situation will speak deeply to those who have Messianic family members, friends, neighbours and colleagues who had tried to reach out to them with the Gospel in the past. There are sadly some among the Jewish community in Israel and in the rest of the world who despise Christians inwardly – even their hearts of stone may start to soften. Ezekiel writes that God will replace stony hearts with hearts of flesh.[24] The ultimate fulfilment of this will be at the Second Coming when the people of Israel look on Him whom they pierced and mourn bitterly.[25] This is the point at which all surviving Israel will be saved.
[1] 1 Corinthians 1:19
[2] Revelation 3:10
[3] Revelation 6:16-17
[4] Nelson Walters YouTube teaching video “Noah's Flood and End Time Prophecy.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYUT8gvqp-Y
[5] Daniel 9:24-27
[6] “What are the seventy weeks of Daniel?” https://www.gotquestions.org/seventy-weeks.html
[7] Revelation 4:1
[8] 1 Corinthians 15:52
[9] Titus 2:13
[10] Matthew 24:44
[11] Matthew 24:37-39
[12] 1 Thessalonians 4:26
[13] Matthew 24:40-41
[14] 1 Corinthians 7:14
[15] Tyndale House Publishing
[16] Matthew 19:14
[17] 2 Peter 3:9
[18] Revelation 14:6
[19] Acts 2:1-13
[20] Matthew 24:14
[21] Revelation 14:19
[22] Romans 11:11
[23] Zechariah 13:8
[24] Ezekiel 36:26
[25] Zechariah 12:10
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.