Pre-Tribulation
Rapture: Fact or Fiction?
The widely popular
doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture
hinges on four basic doctrines: (a)
Even though the Jews reject Jesus as
the Messiah, they are still
God’s chosen people. Therefore,
God has to fulfill all of the
promises that He made to ancient
Israel because God always
keeps His promises. (b) Salvation has
occurred in different ways at
different times (dispensations).
Therefore, Christians are saved today
in a different way than the Jews and
other people were before the cross.
(c) The seventieth week of Daniel 9
points forward to a period of seven
years during which the Great
Tribulation will take place, and (d)
God will not allow the church to
suffer His wrath during the Great
Tribulation. He will take it to
Heaven.
Advocates of this
theory weave four concepts into a
divine conflict that God resolves
with a pre-tribulation rapture.
Basically, the scenario is this:
Israel’s persistent rejection of
Jesus Christ as Messiah prevents God
from fulfilling His promises to them.
Therefore, when the time allotted to
the Gentiles ends, God will suddenly
remove the church from Earth. When
the Jews discover the hundreds of
millions of Christians are missing
from Earth, 144,000 Jews will convert
to Christianity and they (12,000 for
each of the 12 tribes) will go
throughout the world proclaiming the
gospel of Jesus during the Great
Tribulation. Thus, many believers
will receive salvation through the
Jews and be saved by Jesus at the
Second Coming. To many people, this
scenario makes perfect sense.
Everything works out so completely:
The church will not participate in
the Great Tribulation, Israel will
convert to Christianity after the
church is ruptured, and God will be
able to fulfill all of the glorious
promises that he originally made to
the nation of Israel.
Before we go any
further, I need to make four
statements. First, as a follower of
Jesus Christ, my prayer for many
years has been, “Lord, I
don’t care what the truth may
be, I just what to know it. I
don’t care where the truth may
take me or what it costs; I just want
to understand your Word and your
teachings.” In other words, as I
approach this subject, I want you to
know that I do not have any reason to
exalt or diminish the rapture
doctrine. I do not represent a
religious organization nor do I
belong to one, so I do not have a
position to defend or assert. The
Bible says that we are to test
“all things” (1
Thessalonians 5:21) to determine
whether they are fact or fiction and
this is a summary report of my
investigation.
Second, after studying
the Bible for 15 years, I have to say
that the Bible is not an easy book to
understand. Biblical themes are huge
and intricate, and various elements
in each theme are scattered from one
end of the Bible to the other.
Because the bible is comprehensive
and complex (actually a library of 66
books), much confusion and
antagonistic diversity about its
teachings exist among Christians. The
fact that there are more than 220
Christian denominations in the United
States today, each claiming to have
and teach pure Bible truth, proves
this point. Therefore, given the
breadth and scope of the Bible, I
think a good student should study
through the whole Bible a few times
before taking a strong position on
some of its more difficult concepts.
Over the years, I have
observed that new converts find it
helpful “to be led” through
the Bible by those they trust,
usually the pastor(s) of the
denomination who brought them to
Christ. While there is nothing wrong
with this process, the problem is
that few believers continue to search
the Scriptures for truths greater
than what their denomination offers.
(Paul also observed this problem. See
Hebrews 5: 11-6:3) In other words,
many Christians confuse
“arriving at the truth”
with joining a church. The end result
is that many Christians grow
complacent after “getting
saved” and they believe learning
more about Jesus and His Word is
optional. This mind set is
unfortunate, but common. When I hear
a Christian say, “The only thing
that matters is my relationship with
Jesus,” it translates to me,
“I have my ticket to
Heaven.” More often than not,
this indicates the spiritual problem
that the Christian has closed his
mind to greater truths and has
essentially terminated his
investigation of God and His Word.
Third, everyone
(including myself) approaches a study
of the Bible with bias and
predisposition. For example, bias can
be cultural (this means that our
basic views about God were absorbed
from the people who live around us),
bias can come from religious training
(this means that we are raised by
parents who belong to a particular
faith, so we are more likely to adapt
religious ideas that align with the
views of our parents), and bias can
be as simple as arrogance and ego
(this means that anyone who does not
understand the Bible as we do is
hopelessly stupid). The problem with
bias is that most of us do not
recognize our bias. Consequently,
many people approach the Bible to
prove their views instead of
permitting the Bible to teach things
that they do not want to believe.
Furthermore, many people do not have
the courage to stand alone in their
beliefs and suffer the social
consequences that comes from being
religiously different. The end result
is that most people tend to stay
within or near the religious ideas
into which they were born. This too,
is unfortunate, but understandable.
Last, truth is proven
by the harmony that comes from the
sum of its parts. This statement is
an unimpeachable verity within all
sciences (including theology), but
the problem in all sciences and the
Bible in particular, is the presence
of apparent contradictions.
For example, at first glance some
passages in the Bible suggest that
people will burn in hell
“forever,” and other
passages indicate the wicked will be
burned up and the saints will walk
upon their ashes! Many Christians
fall into the trap of exalting the
passages they like and diminishing or
distorting the passages, they
dislike. This is foolish. There is a
divine purpose for apparent conflicts.
God wants us to dig deep into His
Word to find the truth. Digging takes
time and it is a lot of work, but
mining for truth is rewarding, and
searching for harmonious answers
endears the Bible to us in a way that
would otherwise be impossible. The
deeper we dig, the more we discover!
Often, the subject becomes larger and
more comprehensive than we first
thought, and finally, perfect harmony
from the sum of all the parts.
Of course, God is not in conflict
with Himself nor His Word, but there
are apparent conflicts in the
Bible that makes perfect sense once
the whole truth is known. If
the Bible student understands from
the beginning there are apparent
conflicts in the Bible, he is more
likely to give every passage equal
weight when trying to resolve his
questions. In short, I have found
that the Bible will only yield its
intended meaning when the sum of all
the parts becomes harmonious.
Why am I elaborating
on these four matters? In a nutshell,
I believe the four underlying
doctrines that support the rapture
theory are flawed and incomplete
doctrines. There are passages of
Scriptures that stand in opposition
to the fundamentals on which these
four doctrines are built. I am
convinced the rapture doctrine, as
wonderful as it sounds, is “a
fragile house of cards” simply
because it is not harmonious with the
sum of all that the Bible has
to say about these matters.
World Events
Putting theology aside
for a moment, many Christians have
begun to question whether there will
be a pre-tribulation rapture. They
are wondering if a pre-tribulation
rapture is too good to be true. Why
should the final generation escape
the Great Tribulation when all other
generations of Christians have
suffered in the extreme for their
faith? History says nine of the
twelve disciples became martyrs.
Romans slaughtered tens of thousands
of early Christians, and millions of
Protestants suffered persecution and
death during the Dark Ages.
Even more compelling
is that today, everyone sees
tribulation escalating in the world
around us.
A year ago, on the
morning of December 26, 2004,
approximately 275,000 people suddenly
perished in southern Asia. A great
earthquake under the Indian Ocean
caused a huge tsunami to form a
40-foot wall of water, drowning a
quarter million people. On August 29,
2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated
90,000 square miles along the U.S.
Gulf coast and more than a thousand
people perished. A few weeks later,
Hurricane Rita ripped up the coasts
of eastern Texas and western
Louisiana. Then, near the end of
October, Hurricane Wilma, the most
powerful hurricane ever recorded,
devastated the Yucatan Peninsula of
Mexico before pounding Florida and
putting six million people in the
dark. On October 8, 2005, a great
earthquake occurred in the region of
Kashmir where the boundaries of India
and Pakistan meet. This earthquake
has affected the lives of five
million people, and at this time
(early November), it appears that
approximately 80,000 people are dead,
60,000 are seriously injured, and
800,000 people have no shelter from
winter weather. If this is not
enough, today, as I am writing this
article, President Bush asked
Congress for 7.1 billion to prepare
for a possible outbreak of a viral
bird flu because epidemiologists are
very concerned that the whole world
could be on the edge of a great
pandemic of influenza this winter.
Scientists say that if the H5N1 avian
virus mutates and becomes
communicable between people,
influenza could kill 100 million
people within a mere twenty-one days!
In 1915-1918, there was a global
outbreak of influenza that killed
approximately 40 million people
worldwide and there are several
factors indicating that Earth is
primed for another devastating
outbreak.
The intensity and
frequency of natural disasters are
making some pre-tribulation believers
nervous because growing numbers of
people are suffering hardship and
tribulation now. Many rapture
believing preachers say that recent
hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes
are judgments from God, but the
problem with these horrible events is
that the victims are both Christians
and non-Christians alike. This is
unsettling. If Christians are
supposed to escape God’s wrath
with a pre-tribulation rapture, the
question begs to be asked, “Why
aren’t Christians escaping
God’s wrath now?” If we are
honest, we must admit that Christians
have been persecuted for the past
2,000 years. Will there really be a
pre-tribulation rapture for the last
generation of saints? In a word, the
answer is “no.” The bible
repeatedly indicates there will be
one gathering of the saints that
occurs at the Second Coming. Notice
Paul’s words:
“According to
the Lord’s own word, we tell you
that we [the believers] who
are still alive, who are left [on
Earth] till the [second]
coming of the Lord, will certainly
not precede those [we will not go
to Heaven before those] who have
fallen asleep [temporarily died].
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 [on
Earth] will be caught up together
with them [that is, the living
will join the righteous who were
resurrected from their graves] in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so we [the dead in
Christ and the believers who were
living on Earth at the time of the
Second Coming] will be with the
Lord forever. Therefore encourage
each other with these words.” (1
Thessalonians 4: 15-18, insertions
mine)
Points to Ponder
I cannot begin to
address the flaws with the four
doctrines upon which a
pre-tribulation rapture is based in
this short article. However, I can
make a few comments on each of the
four doctrines. If you care to
investigate my findings on various
aspects of this matter, please look
up the references provided. (The
articles can be read and downloaded
for free from this website: www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com )
Doctrine #1:
Even though the Jews reject Jesus as
the Messiah, they are still
God’s chosen people. Therefore,
God has to fulfill all of the
promises that He made to ancient
Israel because God always
keeps His promises.
RS: The Bible
teaches that God changed the
definition of Israel by creating a
new covenant. Galatians 3:29: “If
you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham’s seed [sperm], and
heirs according to the promise.”
Ephesians 2:19: “Consequently,
you [Gentiles] are no longer
foreigners and aliens, but fellow
citizens with God’s people and
members of God’s
household.” These two verses
indicate that yes, the Jews are still
God’s chosen people, but the
“Jews” are no longer a
race of people, but instead a group
of people who have accepted Christ! All
that God promised to Abraham will be
given to those who believe in Jesus.
For more information on this topic,
please see:
http://www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com/segmentIX.htm
Doctrine #2: Salvation
has occurred in different ways at
different times (the doctrine of
dispensationalism); therefore,
Christians are saved today in a
different way than Jews and other
people were before the cross.
RS: The Bible
teaches that salvation has always
come through faith. There are no
dispensations with respect to
salvation. According to Hebrews 11,
the first man to die (Abel) was saved
by faith! Paul clearly says that
salvation did not come to the Jews
through the slaughter of animals
“for it is impossible for the
blood of animals to take away the
guilt of sin.” (Hebrews 10:4)
For more information on this topic,
please see:
http://www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com/Lesson_31_What_was_Nailed
_to_the_Cross.htm and http://www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com/Lesson_32_God’s_Covenants.htm
Doctrine #3: The
seventieth week of Daniel 9 points
forward to a period of seven years
during which the Great Tribulation
will take place.
RS: The Bible
teaches that the seventieth week
immediately followed the sixty-ninth
week. The seventieth week began in
A.D. 27 and ended in A.D. 33. As
predicted, Jesus died on time, in the
middle of the seventieth week (A.D.
30). Furthermore, the Bible teaches
the Great Tribulation will last 1,335
days (3 ½ years, not 7 years).
(Daniel 12:12) For more information
on this topic, please see: http://www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com/Seg6Dan9.htm
Doctrine #4: God
will not allow the church to be on
Earth when His wrath against
unbelievers is poured out.
RS: The Bible
teaches that believers in Jesus will
not suffer the penalty for sin (the
wrath of the law), which is eternal
death. The Bible also teaches that
the disciples of Jesus will be
persecuted and many will be martyrs.
Jesus said, “They will put
you out of the synagogue; in fact, a
time is coming when anyone who kills
you will think he is offering a
service to God.” (John 16:2)
Millions have died for Jesus in ages
past, and millions of Christians will
soon die for Him! “When he
opened the fifth seal, I saw under
the altar the souls of those who had
been slain because of the word of God
and the testimony they had
maintained.” (Revelation
6:9) For more information on this
topic, please see:
http://www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com/segmentV13.htm
http://www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com/Lesson_38_Which_is_Next_A
_Rapture_or_The_Second_Coming.htm
There are three more
items that need to be addressed in
this examination of a pre-tribulation
rapture:
Item #1: The
Bible teaches that God will judge the
living during the Great
Tribulation. (Revelation 3:10; 14:7)
A pre-tribulation rapture presupposes
a pre-tribulation judgment of the
living to determine who will be
ruptured. Once God’s judgment of
the living is conducted, there will
be no second chance for salvation.
For more information on this topic,
please see:
http://www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com/Lesson_37_What_Happens_at_Death.htm
Item #2: Apocalyptic
prophecy lays out a very concise
sequence of coming events. There is
no mention or description of a
pre-tribulation rapture in
Revelation. Claiming that John’s
trip to Heaven in Revelation 4
symbolizes the rapture is a
distortion of Scripture. Paul was
also taken to heaven to see marvelous
things! (2 Corinthians 12:4) We
cannot overlook the fact that
Revelation clearly predicts that the
saints will be persecuted during the
Great Tribulation. “He [the
beast] was given power to make war
against the saints and to conquer
them. And he was given
authority over every tribe, people,
language and nation.” (Revelation
13:7) “I saw that the women
was drunk with the blood of the
saints. The blood of those who bore
testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I
was greatly astonished.” (Revelation
17:6) For more information on this
topic, please see:
http://www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com/gettingstarted1.htm
Item #3: Earlier,
we read from 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18.
The Bible teaches that Jesus will
resurrect the righteous dead at the
Second Coming and they are called up
into the air to meet Jesus, the
living will then follow. In other
words, there is one gathering of the
saints, both dead and living, and
this occurs at the Second Coming. At
that time, all of the wicked that are
alive on Earth will be slain.
(Revelation 19:19-21) For more
information on this topic, please
see:
http://www.danielrevelationbiblestudies.com/Lesson_38_Which_is_Next
_A_Rapture_or_The_Second_Coming.htm
When these issues are
harmoniously synthesized, there is
only one conclusion possible for me:
I am convinced the doctrine of a
pre-tribulation rapture is fiction.
Of course, time will tell the truth
of this matter.
Robert Stout
