The majority of evangelical Christians believe that there is going to be a pre-Tribulation rapture in which Jesus returns to earth, catches them up into the clouds, and keeps them from having to go through the horrific events of the 7 year Great Tribulation. However, the Bible does not teach that there is going to be a pre-Tribuation rapture, and you can prove this to anyone in under 5 minutes using the Bible.There are two main passages in the Scriptures that pre-Tribulation rapture advocates believe describe the rapture. The first is in 1 Corinthians and the second is in 1 Thessalonians. As we shall see, both of them tell us exactly when the rapture is going to be.
The first scripture that pre-Tribulation advocates use is 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.....
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Do you see how it tells us precisely when the rapture will be?
It is marked in red for you.
This passage tells us that the rapture will take place at the last trumpet.
So when will that be?
Well, hold on to that for a minute and let's take a look at the next passage that pre-Tribulation advocates use.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, once again we see the timing of the rapture coincides with the trumpet call of God.....
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
So, we see that the two main rapture passage that pre-Tribulation advocates use to describe the rapture both agree about the timing of the Rapture.
But just when is the "last trumpet" going to be?
Fortunately, the Lord Jesus Christ gave us the answer to that question. In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus tells his disciples about many of the events that will occur during the Tribulation period, and then in verses 29 to 31 Jesus describes the moment of His second coming to earth at the end of the Tribulation period. Most pre-Tribulation advocates refer to this event as "The Glorious Appearing".
Please notice that once again, the events of Matthew 24:29-31 coincide with the trumpet call of God.....
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now, as we saw earlier, the "rapture" is clearly supposed to take place at the "last trumpet".
In Matthew 24, Jesus tells us that His final return to this earth will coincide with a great trumpet blast.
Is there any other trumpet blast after that one?
No.
So that is the last trumpet.
At the END of the Tribulation.
Pre-Tribulation advocates have to somehow rationalize that there is going to be "another last trumpet" at the beginning of the Tribulation that also coincides with the Lord Jesus gathering in His elect from the four winds.
It simply does not make sense and it simply does not square with Scripture.
The truth is that I Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4 and Matthew 24 are all talking about the exact same event.
So the next time you discuss the end times with someone, you now know how to pull out your Bible and prove why there is NOT going to be a pre-Tribulation rapture.
13 comments:
Well if I were a pre-trib Christian, I would just say the last trumpet obviously occurs before the tribulation. Your finding wouldn't convince me.
The tribulation is God's wrath on the people's remaining on the earth. For Christians, God's wrath was already placed upon His Son on the cross.
I like to think that I have a good knowledge base about the bible and have studied multiple brands of Christianity with scholars of each branch.
I have not been to seminary or plan to go there... but I think it is important to take both sides and find out that everyone is wrong to a degree.
There are good arguments for both sides, but I lean toward no rapture.
The prophet Elijah was basically raptured out of the world by God, so we know it is possible.
The latest I hear from the Baptist world is that true Christians will be raptured, but the Jews will have to be subject to the 7 trumpets and tribulation.
What I truly know is that God is Sovereign over us and whatever jugdgement he throws at us is His right and His will for us... so to debate it with such vigor is useless.
Be content in what you know. Throwing stones will create division, not unity in the Body of Christ.
Don't bother getting involved in who might win the mindless quarrels... and focus on God and what his Son did for us.
I love to analyze the Word and figure stuff out, but you could spend years making a case, and even if you win your argument with other believers, you have wasted time on trying to know the details instead of doing the work of the Great Commission.
Pride is sin, so let's all remember that and get off our soap-boxes and roll up our sleeves.
Rely on the fact that God's plan is perfect. Only fear of what is to come can spur this debate on through the years... and we are not called to be fearful, but warriors for Christ.
People ask me all the time what I think about these questions and time and time again I have to take a step back and remember that this is not why God created me, and try to diffuse the argument.
It is like the age-old question... can God create a rock that He cannot lift?
The question itself is moot... it does not apply to our creator.
Much the same is the question of the Rapture... I don't truly believe we are going to be raptured out before the tribulation, but I am not going to argue that point with someone that thinks they can support the claim... it is a waste of good brain power and daylight.
Let's put our focus on Jesus and how he loves us... that if I were the only person on earth to truly believe he is God, that he still would have died just for me and lifted my sin from me....
Sharing that with another human being and showing that His love is in me... that is a billion times more important than knowing whether there is a rapture coming or not.
Taking a side for any reason is the reason we have more than one type of church... Yet we should be of one Body...
Taking a side means we know less about God than we should.
Think about it. Really think about it. Then apologize to God and pray for enlightenment and be content with what He gives each of us.
We are all who we should be. It is when we win an argument that we lose a war.
It is my prayer that all who live in opposition based on God's Word could be content in knowing His love and trusting Him completely.
Until then, we will probably bicker and fight amongst ourselves and give glory to satan unknowingly.
Thanks
Brother in Christ,
Mr. Bruce
I agree wholeheartedly with Bruce.
I am a pre-trib believer but to me it's no big deal if someone believes differently on the issue. You make good points but there are equally valid points going the other way.
The disciples walked with Jesus for over 3 years and still missed understanding the resurrection that was coming. God will do whatever He is going to do. I don't need to understand exactly what is going to happen but I do need to have my heart in the right place.
I want to have a proper spirit and a right attitude first and foremost.
Great (and truthful) blog. I was totally blown away after I learned of the facts in a web piece titled "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty" which is on the "Powered by Christ Ministries" site. Obviously pretrib leaders do not want folks to know what has been covered up for several generations! PS - Would any sane person hire a known thief to baby-sit for them?
Those who Jesus Christ knows as his bride will be Pre-Raptured. You have to study the Feasts to understand the last trumpet. God has never judged the righteous with the unrighteous this is his nature. Before the flood he took Enoch and preserved Noah. Sodom and Gomorrah he took Lot. Those who abide in Christ will be raptured before the tribulation. Put it in human perspective if you had a good man a perfect man and a evil man a sinful man would you kill both in judgment? I don't think you would. Anyone who is truly born again in Jesus Christ is a perfect man as Jesus is perfect and Our Father see's his Son Jesus and his Righteousness when he looks on anyone who has truly accepted His Son as Lord of there life, believes that He died for there sins and rose the third day. Jesus Christ said it is finished the price for judgment has been paid and it was the greatest price that could be paid for you and me. Think about the nature of our Loving Father, think about the track record our Father has shown us regarding his judgment. Think about how we are wrapped in Christ's Righteousness and this is what our Father see's and you will find it hard to believe that our Father will bring his judgment against His Son's Bride, Us. May our Lord help all of us to share the good news with the lost all around us.
Brother Patrick
I have to respectfully disagree that there is no pre-tribulation rapture.
It is and most likely will remain to be the subject of hot debate among Christians until the very day Christ returns.
I can see your points as to why you believe there is no pre-trib rapture, but frankly, I believe there is far more scriptural evidence to back a pre-trib rapture.
The rapture doctrine is to be one of comfort for believers, 1 Thessalonians 4:18. I too once believed we would go through the tribulation, and to honest I found no comfort there.
Scripture is clear that the great tribulation is God's wrath on an unbelieving world, revelation 3:10, and that God has not appointed His people to wrath, 1 Thessalonians 5:9
I find great comfort in the rapture doctrine. Sure scripture says that we will suffer persecution at the hands of the devil, but a close examination of scripture shows that this is not the "great tribulation period" that the world must endure as its punishment for rejecting Jesus.
Blessings
Maranatha
When Christ returns, he is returning from a wedding with his bride. Who is his bride? The Church. If he is returning from a wedding with his bride it must be said that the church is previously taken to the groom.
2)"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." -Revelation 3:10
3)"Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Matthew 24:41).
"Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Luke 17:36).
It is unlikely that we shall be concern about a garden it the field or working in a mill during the endof the tribulation. Additionally, it is liken to the times of Noah where people are thinking of peace and safety and then the end came. Matthew 24 explains this....they were eating, sleeping, buying and selling, planting and building...this lacks the horrific description of The time of the Great Tribulation.
The rapture gives us hope for those who believe. The Tribulation will tempt many who will not withstand the fear of death. WHY would GOD ask us to believe in his SON only to tempt us with is wrath again? The answer is...he would not. There are over 50 passages that help us to discern that we who beleive will be absent during this time.
Please check out why there is no rapture at: http://www.istherearapture.com
The writer of the aritcle is correct about the timing of Christ's return. One responder mentioned that he agreed that 'there would be no rapture'. I hope he meant 'no PRE-Trib rapture'. Because there will definitely be a rapture at the last (7th) trumpet. Rev. 11:15-18
Nicole said that the tribulation is God's wrath on ... who? It is Satan's wrath on believers and God's wrath on unbelievers ... simultaneously
[Amen Shattered. Saw this item on the net. Enjoy and Lord bless.]
Pretrib Rapture Pride
Pretrib rapture promoters like Thomas Ice give the impression they know more than the early Church Fathers, the Reformers, the greatest Greek New Testament scholars including those who produced the KJV Bible, the founders of their favorite Bible schools, and even their own mentors!
Ice's mentor, Dallas Sem. president John Walvoord, couldn't find anyone holding to pretrib before 1830 - and Walvoord called John Darby and his Brethren followers "the early pretribulationists" (RQ, pp. 160-62). Ice belittles Walvoord and claims that several pre-1830 persons, including "Pseudo-Ephraem" and a "Rev. Morgan Edwards," taught a pretrib rapture. Even though the first one viewed Antichrist's arrival as the only "imminent" event, Ice (and Grant Jeffrey) audaciously claim he expected an "imminent" pretrib rapture! And Ice (and John Bray) have covered up Edwards' historicism which made a pretrib rapture impossible! Google "Morgan Edwards' Rapture View" and journalist/historian Dave MacPherson's "Deceiving and Being Deceived" for documentation on these and similar historical distortions.
The same pretrib defenders, when combing ancient books, deviously read "pretrib" into phrases like "before Armageddon," "before the final conflagration," and "escape all these things"!
BTW, the KJV translators' other writings found in London's famed British Library (where MacPherson has researched) don't have even a hint of pretrib rapturism. Is it possible that Ice etc. have found pretrib "proof" in the KJV that its translators never found?
Pretrib merchandisers like Ice claim that nothing is better pretrib proof than Rev. 3:10. They also cover up "Famous Rapture Watchers" (on Google) which shows how the greatest Greek NT scholars of all time interpreted it.
Pretrib didn't flourish in America much before the 1909 Scofield Bible which has pretribby "explanatory notes" in its margins. Not seen in the margins was jailed forger Scofield's criminal record throughout his life that David Lutzweiler has documented in his recent book "The Praise of Folly" which is available online.
Biola University's doctrinal statement says Christ's return is "premillennial" and "before the Tribulation." Although universities stand for "academic freedom," Biola has added these narrow, restrictive phrases - non-essentials the founders purposely didn't include in their original doctrinal statement when Biola was just a small Bible institute! And other Christian schools have also belittled their founders.
Ice, BTW, has a "Ph.D" issued by a tiny Texas school that wasn't authorized to issue degrees! Ice now says that he's working on another "Ph.D" via the University of Wales in Britain. For light on the degrees of Ice's scholarliness, Google "Bogus degree scandal prompts calls to wind up University of Wales," "Thomas Ice (Bloopers)," "be careful in polemics - Peripatetic Learning," and "Walvoord Melts Ice." Also Google "Thomas Ice (Hired Gun)" - featured by media luminary Joe Ortiz on his Jan. 30, 2013 "End Times Passover" blog.
[Saw this on the net. Reaction?]
Pretrib Rapture Pride
Pretrib rapture promoters like Thomas Ice give the impression they know more than the early Church Fathers, the Reformers, the greatest Greek New Testament scholars including those who produced the KJV Bible, the founders of their favorite Bible schools, and even their own mentors!
Ice's mentor, Dallas Sem. president John Walvoord, couldn't find anyone holding to pretrib before 1830 - and Walvoord called John Darby and his Brethren followers "the early pretribulationists" (RQ, pp. 160-62). Ice belittles Walvoord and claims that several pre-1830 persons, including "Pseudo-Ephraem" and a "Rev. Morgan Edwards," taught a pretrib rapture. Even though the first one viewed Antichrist's arrival as the only "imminent" event, Ice (and Grant Jeffrey) audaciously claim he expected an "imminent" pretrib rapture! And Ice (and John Bray) have covered up Edwards' historicism which made a pretrib rapture impossible! Google "Morgan Edwards' Rapture View" and journalist/historian Dave MacPherson's "Deceiving and Being Deceived" for documentation on these and similar historical distortions.
The same pretrib defenders, when combing ancient books, deviously read "pretrib" into phrases like "before Armageddon," "before the final conflagration," and "escape all these things"!
BTW, the KJV translators' other writings found in London's famed British Library (where MacPherson has researched) don't have even a hint of pretrib rapturism. Is it possible that Ice etc. have found pretrib "proof" in the KJV that its translators never found?
Pretrib merchandisers like Ice claim that nothing is better pretrib proof than Rev. 3:10. They also cover up "Famous Rapture Watchers" (on Google) which shows how the greatest Greek NT scholars of all time interpreted it.
Pretrib didn't flourish in America much before the 1909 Scofield Bible which has pretribby "explanatory notes" in its margins. Not seen in the margins was jailed forger Scofield's criminal record throughout his life that David Lutzweiler has documented in his recent book "The Praise of Folly" which is available online.
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