[This is a continuation of my
previous blog post, “Caught Up!” Please read Part 1 before reading this, or
things might not make sense.]
So,
the next question that might be asked by the aspiring Biblical scholar is, “Are
there any examples of this having actually happened previously in the Bible?”
The answer is, “Yes!” There are two examples. The first is from the very
beginning, Genesis 5:21-24:
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the
father of Methuselah. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked
faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether,
Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was
no more, because God took him away. (New International Version)
The next from 2 Kings 2:9-11:
When they had crossed, Elijah said to
Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me
inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a
difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it
will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” As they were walking along and talking
together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated
the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. (New
International Version)
Enoch and Elijah were raptured!
Granted, Elijah was taken in a chariot of fire, but neither of them died; they
were taken from Earth directly by God. Were they given new bodies? I don’t
know, the text doesn’t clearly state one way or another. If not, then I’m sure
they will at some point. But they were taken by God without having died!
So,
finally we come to the question, “When does the rapture occur along the
timeline of Biblical prophecy?” I say, it will happen at some point future to
this writing, but before the 7-year Tribulation and before the Millennial
Kingdom. I will attempt to demonstrate this shortly. Here’s what we do know
clearly from Scripture: its timing cannot be predicted prior to its occurrence.
No one is to know when it will happen. We are to wait with expectation that it
could occur at any time. This is known as the Doctrine of the Imminent Return
of Christ. I want to clarify something here. Christ returns for His Church at
the Rapture, but He clearly doesn’t “touch down” on Earth at that time. Christ
returns again to establish His Kingdom on Earth after that, and He clearly
“touches down” at that time when He sets His feet upon the Mount of Olives
outside of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4). These are two parts of His return to
Earth, or Second Coming (or Second Advent). The events of the Tribulation, or
at least the second half, are clearly detailed in Scripture. Thus if one is
living through that period, they could clearly predict the timing of Jesus’
return to establish His kingdom, down to the very day. But of the time when He
returns to claim His Church, the Bible is clear that no one knows. There are
clearly (to me, anyway) two phases involved in His return; first the Rapture of
the Church, then the restoration of Israel and the establishment of the
Millennial Kingdom. This is one of the main reasons I don’t agree with the
post-tribulation rapture view. Read the following passage, Matthew 24:36-44:
But of that day or hour no one knows, not
even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the
days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days
before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what
would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will
be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be
taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will
be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on
what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house
had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch
and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready,
because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
(New International Version)
Similar wording is found
regarding Christ’s return from Luke 17:34-35:
I tell you, on that night two people will be
in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding
grain together; one will be taken and the other left. (New International
Version)
Again, I see two separate events
regarding the return of Christ; one for His Church, the other for Israel and
His Kingdom. We clearly don’t know when He is to return to take away His own.
But we do know when He is to return to establish His Kingdom. The Book of
Daniel provides many keys to understanding God’s prophetic timetable. Daniel
chapter 12 actually counts the days from the midpoint of the Tribulation, which
is marked by a specific action performed by the Antichrist, to the end of the
Tribulation and the Return of Christ to establish His kingdom. Therefore anyone
who is living when the Antichrist stops the daily Jewish Temple sacrifices and
proclaims himself to be God and demands the world to worship him, will be able
to number the days until Christ’s return. Clearly, the Rapture is a different
event.
Even
with that said, one could argue that the Rapture could happen sometime during
the tribulation, just not right at the end. Here are some of the reasons that I
believe, from Scripture, the Rapture will happen before the 7-year period
starts.
One
of the aspects that is well-known about the 7-year Tribulation period is that
it is a time when God’s wrath is poured out upon His enemies. The inhabitants
of Earth, being a sinful race known as humanity that is in full rebellion
against God having rejected Him and His truth, are finally to be judged for
their evil hearts and wicked deeds. This period is prophesied about numerous
times in both the Old and New Testaments. This period of judgment is often
given the name, in the Biblical text, of the Day of the Lord. It is known as a
time of God’s wrath.
See, the day of the LORD is coming—a cruel
day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the
sinners within it. –Isaiah 3:9 (NIV)
The great day of the LORD is near—near and
coming quickly. The cry on the day of the LORD is bitter; the Mighty Warrior
shouts his battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath—a day of distress and
anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of
clouds and blackness—a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified
cities and against the corner towers. “I will bring such distress on all people
that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned
against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails
like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the
day of the LORD’s wrath.” In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be
consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth.
–Zephaniah 1:14-18 (NIV)
But, the Church of Jesus Christ,
His bride, is not meant to suffer the wrath of God. After all, we are redeemed
by His blood. We are declared righteous in the courts of heaven by His work.
Read the following, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10:
Now, brothers and sisters, about times and
dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of
the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace
and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a
pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are
not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all
children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then,
let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For
those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a
breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us
to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died
for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
(New International Version)
That entire passage indicates to
me that the Church will not be present for the Day of the Lord. It will come
upon the Earth unexpectedly, like a thief, but it will not come upon Christians
that way. Maybe this means that Christians will not be taken by surprise. But I
don’t think so. I think it means that we won’t be present on the Earth. After
all, we Christians, the Church, are not appointed by God “to suffer wrath.”
This entire period of time is a period of God’s wrath. Surely there will be
people who believe in Christ for salvation upon the Earth, but they are not
part of the Church; they are Tribulation Saints, and they make up an entirely
different group of the redeemed. I will discuss this more later.
At
this point, those who hold the pre-wrath view of the Rapture will point out
that the Day of the Lord doesn’t refer to the entire 7-year period, but only to
the final portion of it, which is known as the Great Tribulation, and therefore
the Rapture need not take place before the 7 years begin, just before the time
that God’s wrath is poured out. And technically, based upon the above argument,
they would be correct. That is assuming that we grant that the wrath portion is
only the final portion and not the entire 7 years. And I’m fine granting that,
because my belief in the Rapture occurring prior to the full 7 years is based
upon more than just that one argument.
The
7-year Tribulation period begins when the Antichrist enforces a treaty upon
Israel, presumably establishing a false peace with their enemies that he breaks
himself after 3 and ½ years. Read the following, Daniel 9:27 (and read more to
understand the context):
He will confirm a covenant with many for one
‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and
offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes
desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. (New
International Version)
If that passage is a little
difficult to understand, then read here the same passage but from a different
translation:
And he will make a firm covenant with the
many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to
sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate,
even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one
who makes desolate. (New American Standard Bible)
Understand that the “week”
referred to in the preceding passage refers to a week of years, or seven years.
You must know the context to understand that. Feel free to read the entire book
of Daniel. It isn’t that long and it is a fascinating read!
The
Antichrist, also known as the Man of Sin (or Man of Lawlessness in some
translations) will be revealed to the world at the midpoint of the tribulation
when he sets up “an abomination that causes desolation.” More information can
be found from 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to
become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by
a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord
has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will
not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the
man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over
everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in
God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (New International Version)
Again, same passage, different
translation:
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon
shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if
from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any
means; for that Day will not come unless the
falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is
worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he
is God. (New King James Version)
So, the Man of Sin, or the
Antichrist, is clearly revealed by the middle of the 7-year period. But for the
Biblically astute, he would not only be revealed by the midpoint, but at the
beginning when he enforces a treaty with Israel. The problem may be in
recognizing which treaty, since there are so many. But this particular treaty
will actually appear to work! So, perhaps it might not be too difficult to
recognize it when the time comes. Either way, there is something currently
restraining this Satanic agenda from taking place. When that restraint is
removed, then these events can proceed. See the following, 2 Thessalonians
2:6-10:
And now you know what is restraining, that
he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already
at work; only He who now restrains will do so until
He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the
Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness
of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is
according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not
receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (New King James
Version)
Let’s review. The Antichrist will
be revealed by at least the midpoint of the 7-years, and possibly at the
beginning. But the Antichrist can’t be revealed until the one who is
restraining Satan is removed. Who is this restrainer? Some say Michael the
Archangel. But that doesn’t make sense to me as Michael, as powerful as he is,
is lower on the angelic power ranking than the most powerful angel of all,
Lucifer (Satan). Certainly, Michael can restrain Lucifer if God empowers him
to. But some think, and I believe, that the restrainer is the Holy Spirit (the
Third Person of the Trinity, or Triune Godhead). But God is omnipresent, so the
Holy Spirit is never taken out of the way completely, as even during the
Tribulation the Holy Spirit is at work on the Earth. I believe a more accurate
description of the restrainer is the Holy Spirit as he indwells the Church.
Christians have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In fact, we are sealed by
this indwelling and have been promised that He will never be taken from us.
(John 14:16, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13) So if the Holy Spirit is
restraining these events, and if the Holy Spirit is omnipresent, and if the
Holy Spirit indwells the members of Christ’s Church, and if the Holy Spirit
will never be taken from us, then the only way in which the Holy Spirit can be
removed is in the sense that He indwells Christians and then, only if they are
removed. When will all Christians be removed? At the Rapture! So then, it would
seem that the Rapture would need to occur before the Antichrist is revealed,
which will be at least by the middle of the Tribulation, but I think before,
since the enforcement of the treaty could reveal him to the astute watchers.
I
have discussed four items at this point that I think lead to the conclusion of
a pre-tribulation Rapture event. First, the Rapture is not an event that is
able to be predicted in advance. So I don’t think the Rapture fits in the
middle or at the end of the 7 years. Second, the Rapture and the Second Coming
of Christ to establish the Millennial Kingdom at the end of the Tribulation
seem to be different events. So, again, I don’t think the Rapture fits at the end
of the 7 years. Third, the Rapture of the Church takes place before God’s wrath
is poured out. At this point I think the post-tribulational view is ruled out.
Fourth, if the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit indwelling the Church, then the
Rapture takes place before the revealing of the Antichrist, which must
necessarily be before the midpoint of the 7 years. This rules out the pre-wrath
view. Unless the restrainer isn’t the Holy Spirit indwelling the Church. I
believe that the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit indwelling the Church. I go a
step further in my thinking that the Antichrist could be revealed at the
beginning of the 7 years, which would mean the Rapture takes place prior to the
7-years which rules out the mid-tribulation view. But I will admit that the
revealing of the Antichrist is clearly shown at the middle, and my placement of
his revealing at the beginning might not be accurate. Plus, there is debate as
to the identity of the restrainer. So even though I think the evidence for the
pre-tribulation view is here, I will concede that only the post-tribulational
view can definitively be ruled out by the above Scriptures. But, of course, I’m
not finished yet. I think the most powerful argument has yet to be presented,
and that if clearly understood not only leads to the conclusion that the Church
is removed prior to the 7-years, but actually leads to deeper understanding of
all end times prophecy and the entire work, and plan, of God. Oddly enough, I
think the argument that I will be presenting next is not only the strongest
one, but also the most overlooked, or even unknown.
Look
forward to Part 3 to continue our study of The Rapture, coming soon!
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