The Rapture
of the church
can also be
referred to as
the Blessed Hope
after Titus
2:13. Many feel
that the topic
of the
Pre-Tribulation
Rapture is
outdated and old
news. It's been
covered by so
many teachers
and pastors for
so long, it is
the “theological
equivalent to
beating a dead
horse.”
I would like
to emphatically
counter this
idea, and say,
that if we had a
1,000 more years
on planet Earth,
we would not
even begin to
scratch the
surface of God's
wonderful plan
of love and
redemption that
He has for His
people.
The
Wedding
The
Pre-Tribulation
Rapture
(catching up) is
a beautiful
picture in type
of a Jewish
wedding, and the
ONLY model of
the Rapture that
so perfectly
fits it. For me,
once I
understood not
only is there a
Pre-Trib
Rapture, but
understood
why there is
one, I've never
looked back. In
order to
understand why
the Rapture has
to happen prior
to any portion
of the
Tribulation, one
has to have a
firm grasp on
Ecclesiology,
and the role and
nature of who
the church is.
Being a
Pre-Millennial
Dispensationalist,
I understand
that when Christ
was here on
earth, His role
then was as a
Prophet
(Deuteronomy
18:15, 18; Acts
3:22-23). At His
trial and
crucifixion He
was our
Sacrifice (1
Corinthians
5:7). The
purchase price
for His bride
was His life. In
His
resurrection, He
is both our
Kinsman Redeemer
and Priest and
even now, serves
as our Mediator
(1 Timothy 2:5)
before the
throne of God.
One day He will
return in power
and in glory as
the King of
kings before the
whole world, but
in the context
of the Jewish
wedding, He must
return first to
retrieve His
bride at the
conclusion of
the betrothal
period─which
only the Father
knows. When He
returns for His
bride, He does
so as a thief in
the night (1
Thessalonians
5:2), NOT with
war, the sky
receding back as
a scroll and the
peoples of the
earth mourning
at His appearing
(Matthew 24:30).
We see in the
Old Testament
over and over,
how national
Israel ignored
Moses’ warnings
and went chasing
off after other
gods,
subsequently
prompting their
subjugation to
pagan nations.
We read in the
Old Testament
the explicit
instructions to
the sons of
Aaron that a
priest could NOT
be married to
anyone who
wasn’t a virgin
(Leviticus
21:13-14)
because if he
did, he could
not go before
God in the
Temple to offer
any
sacrifices. So
it is not that
the church is
purer, because
we aren’t. We
fail God daily,
I fail God
daily. What
makes us
different from
Israel then, is
that we are now
hidden in Jesus
Christ, and His
righteousness.
His
righteousness is
what God sees
when He sees the
church. His
relationship
with His church
reinforces this
principle as
High Priest and
Mediator today.
The church is
the Bride of
Christ. The
church is not
Israel. One
cannot
simultaneously
be both the
“harlot” and the
“chaste virgin.”
Things that are
different are
not the same.
The Faith
The church
has not replaced
Israel, nor have
we become her,
and we are
certainly no
more deserving
of salvation
than Israel was.
National Israel,
who came from
the Patriarchs,
was and still is
God's elect from
among the
nations. We
(Christians-wild
branches) are
grafted into the
common-vine of
salvation
through and
because of
Abraham
like-faith
(Romans 4:16,
Galatians
3:7-9,14).
Abraham predated
the Law given to
Moses at Mt.
Sinai by some
500 years. He
was not
justified by his
circumcision, or
by his
willingness to
sacrifice his
only son at Mt.
Moriah. Abraham
was justified by
his faith that
God would not
only give him a
son and many
heirs, but could
also raise Isaac
back from the
dead when God
asked him to
sacrifice his
son.
But Isaac was
not Abraham’s
only son. I
distinctly
remember Abraham
having another
through his
handmaiden Hagar
and his name was
Ishmael. The
beauty and the
reality of it is
that Ishmael was
born out of
Abraham's
disobedience and
sin. God in His
forgiveness will
not remember our
sins when we ask
for forgiveness
even though we
still might have
to deal with the
physical
ramifications.
And Abraham’s
sin is still
being dealt with
today between
the Arab’s and
the Jews.
The New
Testament
church, and
Israel, both
share in this
common
salvation.
Neither is
better, but we
are different,
separated unto
God and unto His
purpose He has
chosen us. Just
like that
generation of
Israelites who
journeyed out of
Egypt after 400
years of bondage
in their Exodus
to the Promised
Land, we too are
that chosen
generation about
to journey out
of 6,000 years
of bondage to
sin and death,
to the real
Promised Land.
The church does
not and never
was promised a
kingdom here on
earth, nor do we
have a city to
call our own. We
are looking for
that city above,
whose Builder
and Maker is
God.
The
Apocalypse
The book of
Revelation
(Greek-
Apocálypsis) is
meant to reveal
or unveil God's
future plans for
mankind. Jesus
mentions the
church 19 times,
and deals with
2,000 years of
Church history
in two chapters
(2-3). Yet
reveals to John
in 13 chapters
(6-19) the seven
year Tribulation
and doesn't
mention the
church at all.
Think about that
for a moment.
The reason
should be
obvious, for had
the church been
destined to go
through the
Tribulation, God
wouldn't have
needed to go
into such great
detail because
we would be
living through
it. In fact, if
man had written
the book of
Revelation apart
from divine
revelation, the
material would
have been
reversed. Men
would have spent
most of the 22
chapters
describing the
Church Age and
would have
included a small
section on the
Tribulation
about the same
length and depth
as the Olivet
Discourse
(Matthew 24,
Mark 13, Luke
21).
Then at the end,
there would have
been at least
five or six
chapters,
painfully
detailing the
account of the
2nd Coming. What
is interesting
though, is that
the most
glorious,
culminating and
catastrophic
event in human
history only
warrants half of
one chapter (Rev
19:11-21). And
to those who
would scoff at
the idea that
Chapters 2 and 3
do not chronicle
the age of the
church, would do
well to read
Revelation 12
and see that
this one chapter
also covers
thousands of
years.
Discernment
I remember
attending the
Pre-Trib
conference in
Dallas back in
2009. I was 35
then and I
remember looking
across the
audience of the
500 people
sitting there,
thinking there
were only about
five of us who
were under the
age of 40. I
would venture to
say that the
median age then
was around 55 or
higher. It was
right then at
that moment,
that I realized
that our little
eschatological
community of
Pre-Trib/Pre-Millennial
Dispensationalists
are a dying
breed. I asked
myself then, was
it because the
message was
wrong? Was it
too antiquated
and outdated? I
don't think so.
People always
want something
new and
exciting, and
Dispenationalism
was new and
exciting 160
years ago. But
today, people
either have
prophecy fatigue
and have dropped
by the wayside,
or they are
bored and
migrate toward
the sensational.
Simultaneously,
many Pre-Trib
ministries are
trying to remain
relevant and
draw in newer,
younger, and
energetic crowds
by providing
sensational
teachings. The
Emergent Church
uses a similar
technique by
watering down
the message and
ramping up the
experience. But
we in the Bible
Prophecy
community have
begun doing this
by introducing
conspiracy
theories,
extra-biblical
texts (as
proof), and the
extra-terrestrial
into prophetic
matters. In
other words, we
are both angling
to remain
relevant, but
attacking this
problem from two
different
directions.
There is an
issue with both.
One doesn’t
have to embrace
the doctrine of
the
Pre-Tribulation
Rapture to be a
Christian. I
liken those who
don’t accept it
to the seeds
that fell among
the stony
places, but were
scorched by the
sun, because
they had no
depth to their
eschatological
roots. These are
they that
understood this
promise
superficially or
were never
taught it to
begin with.
People who are
not grounded in
the Blessed Hope
are the ones who
get swept up by
false dates and
false teachings.
The most
hardened
Preterists and
skeptics, whom I
know personally,
were at one time
in their life,
Pre-Trib
Dispensationalists.
Somewhere along
the way, they
fell under the
sway of a false
teacher and got
burned and then
swore off the
Blessed Hope
forever. They
allowed their
shame of being
duped turn into
bitterness...and
bitterness
became the root
that took hold.
The growing
Emergent Church
for the most
part is either
Preterist or
Pan-Millennialist
(no bother
studying it, it
will all pan out
in the end).
They see
prophecy as
fulfilled and
largely
irrelevant to
their
social-gospel
agenda here on
earth today. A
secondary and
unfortunate
repercussion of
their form of
eschatology
allows
anti-Semitism
and
Supersessionism
to creep in due
to their
confusion over
who the church
is, and how it
has somehow
replaced Israel.
Aside from the
anti-biblical
stances on
homosexuality,
abortion,
socialism, and
core doctrinal
issues like
hell, salvation
by grace through
faith, and the
inerrancy of
Scripture,
Preterist and
Pan-Millennialist
are blinded to
the lateness of
the hour. I
caution against
these views,
because when you
take your
attention off of
looking up, you
end-up focusing
on the drama
here on
earth...and that
day will catch
you unawares.
“But take
heed to
yourselves, lest
your hearts be
weighed down
with carousing,
drunkenness, and
cares of this
life, and that
Day come on you
unexpectedly.
For it will come
as a snare on
all those who
dwell on the
face of the
whole earth”
(Luke 21:34-35).
The
Pre-Tribulation
Rapture of the
church really is
the Blessed Hope
because when one
really
understands it,
it has a way of
sanctifying the
believer in
three distinct
ways. First, it
prevents one
from ever being
deceived into
believing a
false prophet's
claims of date
setting, because
you would know
that the Rapture
is imminent, and
no one knows the
day or hour
(Matthew 24:36).
Secondly, a
believer
grounded in the
Blessed Hope
doctrine also
has a
well-grounded
understanding of
who the church
is and what our
role is (John
14:1-3). Lastly,
the believer who
hold’s to the
Blessed Hope
doctrine is
focused on
looking up, not
looking around
(Luke 12:37-39).
Your standing
with Christ is
not dependent on
your
eschatological
viewpoint, but
not holding to
the Blessed Hope
will wreak havoc
on your
understanding of
the Word of God.
There should be
no excuse for us
today, since we
have a complete
Bible and 2,000
years of history
to look back
upon. We are
instructed to
study to show
ourselves
approved by
rightly dividing
the Word (2
Timothy 2:15).
Be cautious
in following the
teachings of
just any one
person. I’ve
seen hopes
dashed and
hearts harden
within our
community
because so many
people had their
hopes pinned to
2011. Certain
teachers taught
them that Christ
had to return by
then for a
seven-year
Tribulation to
be complete by
2018 (70 years
from 1948).
Living out your
hope with these
kinds of
changing
expectations is
an emotional
roller coaster.
We shouldn't be
hung up on any
dates, whether
they are Jewish
feasts, blood
moons, solar
eclipses, wars,
or anything
else. The
Rapture isn't
dependent upon
those things.
When you pin
your hope on
some specific
event that some
teacher taught,
and that day
comes and goes,
you're the one
whose left
standing there
picking up the
shattered pieces
of your hopeful
expectations
which are laying
scattered about
on the ground.
Put your hope in
the ONE who will
never let you
down. He is
coming back, and
I believe it is
sooner rather
than later.
“I know thy
works: behold, I
have set before
thee an open
door, and no man
can shut it: for
thou hast a
little strength,
and hast kept my
word, and hast
not denied my
name...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 3:8,
10).