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The Rapture of the Church - Media
& Political Elites - Vital Military Intel - The Biden Effect - TUCKER
CARLSON - Holographic Med Bed Technology – Dr. Robert Malone - CITY FARMER NEWS
- Japan & Germany Are Again Preparing for War & more.
Researched & Comments by Pastor
Gary Boyd
March 30th 2023
CNA DAILY NEWS: Witnesses tell House
panel that speech is being silenced on college campuses - Thursday, March 30,
2023 14:41 - Washington D.C., Mar 30, 2023 / 12:00 pm (CNA). A scholar whose
talk was shut down at a university and a student who witnessed the silencing of
speech on campus recounted their experiences at a U.S. House subcommittee on
Wednesday. Manhattan Institute scholar Ilya Shapiro and Stanford sophomore
Josiah Joner were among the four witnesses who testified before the
Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development. They discussed the
absence of free speech at public universities and alleged bias against
conservative and religious students and speakers. https://beforeitsnews.com/religion/2023/03/witnesses-tell-house-panel-that-speech-is-being-silenced-on-college-campuses-2568495.html
NTEB PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: The
‘Trans Day Of Vengeance’ Will Go Ahead As Scheduled Even Though 6 Christians
Were Just Killed By Transgender Shooter - Thursday, March 30, 2023 14:25 - Are
the Trans Day of Vengeance and Transgender Manifesto part of a detailed plot to
attack and kill Christians who won’t bow to their demonic demands? https://beforeitsnews.com/global-unrest/2023/03/nteb-prophecy-news-podcast-the-trans-day-of-vengeance-will-go-ahead-as-scheduled-even-though-6-christians-were-just-killed-by-transgender-shooter-2537596.html
BORDERLAND BEAT: FDA Approves Opiod
Overdose Medication Narcan Available Over the Counter - Thursday, March 30,
2023 13:49 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan, 4
milligrams (mg) naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for over-the-counter (OTC),
nonprescription, use – the first naloxone product approved for use without a
prescription. Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of
opioid overdose and is the standard treatment for opioid overdose. - https://beforeitsnews.com/immigration/2023/03/fda-approves-opiod-overdose-medication-narcan-available-over-the-counter-2472736.html
Breaking! Camouflaging the RV,
Silent...Then Shock 'N Awe! Stay Alert, But Live Your Life...Good Things Are
Coming! (VIDEO) - Wednesday, March 29, 2023 17:40 - Warren Armour joins Michelle
today to discuss the latest news and intel covering Trump indictment, gender
manipulation, truth about fossil fuels, and an RV incoming! (The Michelle Moore Show AIR DATE: 03/28/23)
- https://beforeitsnews.com/resources/2023/03/breaking-camouflaging-the-rv-silent-then-shock-n-awe-stay-alert-but-live-your-life-good-things-are-coming-video-2432393.html
BLP: Media And Political Elites Are
Covering for Trans, Anti-Christian Terrorism - Eric Simmons, MPA - Mar 29, 2023
- In the aftermath of the horrific attack on a Tennessee Christian school that
has left six dead, including three young children, the media is scrambling to
avoid labeling the murderer as a terrorist. As the transgender community
prepares for their “Trans Day Of Vengeance,” organized by the Trans Radical
Activist Network, Americans mourn the loss of innocent lives due to trans
terrorism in America…. https://bigleaguepolitics.com/media-and-political-elites-are-covering-for-trans-anti-christian-terrorism/
Vital Military Intel: Game Over!
3/30/2023 (Video) - Thursday, March 30, 2023 8:59 - This is the Intel everyone
really needs to hear! Things are escalating, Folks, and it is about to get
intense!! Most people will not be ready for what’s about to come our way, but
you MUST be!! - https://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2023/03/vital-military-intel-game-over-3302023-video-3790806.html
TUCKER CARLSON: No sane person wants
this - Thursday, March 30, 2023 8:17 - https://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conservative/2023/03/no-sane-person-wants-this-3658841.html
Michael Jaco: Holographic Med Bed
Technology From an Arcturian Scientist With Full Recall (Video) - Thursday,
March 30, 2023 8:27 - his Intel drop by Mike is a bit different, but still just
as important as the others.. We’ve discussed med beds many times and how they
will change the face of medicine forever..This video discloses new information
about that and it is vital to you and your way of life! - https://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2023/03/michael-jaco-holographic-med-bed-technology-from-an-arcturian-scientist-with-full-recall-video-3790802.html
Juan O' Savin: Be Ready, This is
War!! (Video) - Thursday, March 30, 2023 8:20 - The Intel lately has been dark
and full of unpleasant events that are on the horizon. We must focus on the
task at hand and never forget that THE GOOD GUYS WIN! https://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2023/03/juan-o-savin-be-ready-this-is-war-video-3790800.html
Mel K & Kash Patel | Government
Gangsters Exposing Themselves Everywhere | 3-27-23 - https://rumble.com/v2f2eoc-mel-k-and-kash-patel-government-gangsters-exposing-themselves-everywhere-3-.html?mref=6zof&mc=dgip3&ep=2
Evacuations Ordered In Minnesota Town
After Train Carrying Ethanol Derails, Bursts Into Flames! - DAHBOO7 Must Video
- Thursday, March 30, 2023 10:32 - A freight train derailed in a fiery crash
near a small town in Minnesota early Thursday, forcing residents to evacuate as
a precaution, officials said. The incident was reported at around 1 a.m. CT.
Multiple tankers of a train operated by BNSF Railway derailed and caught fire
on the western edge of Raymond, a town in Minnesota’s southwestern Kandiyohi
County that has a population of less than 800. The tankers were carrying “a
form of ethanol” and “a corn syrup liquid,” according to a press release from
the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office. https://beforeitsnews.com/survival/2023/03/evacuations-ordered-in-minnesota-town-after-train-carrying-ethanol-derails-bursts-into-flames-dahboo7-must-video-2788437.html
Dr Robert Malone - New Hope for
Vaccine-Injured Comes from a Treatment Protocol With Nattokinase - Thursday,
March 30, 2023 11:14 - Dr. Robert Malone: “I’ve just completed this FLCCC
recovery protocol that has multiple different drugs. And I augmented that with
another agent that is an enzyme – which helps break up these fibrin clots –
called nattokinase. And I can tell you personally … I feel much better. My wife
tells me I have longer stride length; I have much more energy and stamina than
I used to have after completing that protocol — which is in part designed, as
you say, to displace spike off of various binding sites in your body.” https://beforeitsnews.com/international/2023/03/dr-robert-malone-new-hope-for-vaccine-injured-comes-from-a-treatment-protocol-with-nattokinase-2511216.html Full Interview: https://bit.ly/Spike-Detox
QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley is freed
from prison 14 months early after his lawyer said Jan. 6 footage showing him
being escorted into Senate by cops was exculpatory - Thursday, March 30, 2023
11:09 - The lawyer who represented the ‘QAnon Shaman’ in his trial for storming
the Capitol on January 6 has said that his client has been released from prison
to a halfway house. Jacob Chansley, 35, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to
civil disorder and violent entry to the Capitol, among other charges, and was
sentenced to 41 months in federal prison. https://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conservative/2023/03/qanon-shaman-jacob-chansley-is-freed-from-prison-14-months-early-after-his-lawyer-said-jan-6-footage-showing-him-being-escorted-into-senate-by-cops-was-exculpatory-3658865.html
China willing to work with Russian
military on several fronts – Chinese defense ministry - Thursday, March 30,
2023 11:09 - China said its military was willing to work together with the
Russian military to strengthen strategic communication and coordination, the
Chinese defence ministry said on Thursday. The two countries would work
together to implement global security initiatives, said Tan Kefei, a spokesman
at the Chinese defence ministry, at a regular press conference. Tan said the
two countries would deepen military trust and jointly safeguard international
fairness and justice. Source: https://ncrenegade.com/china-willing-to-work-with-russian-military-on-several-fronts-chinese-defence-ministry/ & https://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conservative/2023/03/china-willing-to-work-with-russian-military-on-several-fronts-chinese-defence-ministry-3658862.html
REUTERS: France Buys 65,000 Tons Of
LNG From China In First Ever Yuan-Denominated Trade - Thursday, March 30, 2023
10:49 - China has just completed its first trade of liquefied natural gas (LNG)
settled in yuan, the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange said on
Tuesday. As OilPrice notes, the Chinese state oil and gas giant CNOOC and
TotalEnergies completed the first LNG trade on the exchange with settlement in
the Chinese currency, the exchange said in a statement carried by Reuters. https://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conservative/2023/03/france-buys-65000-tons-of-lng-from-china-in-first-ever-yuan-denominated-trade-3658858.html
CITY FARMER NEWS - Canada: Century-old
inner-city farm opens March 22 amid growth, change and new prospects - Thursday,
March 30, 2023 10:43 - Mason Street Farm is growing wellness, local farming
knowledge and of course good vegetables - By Kate Hildebrandt - Capital Daily -
March 19, 2023 - Excerpt: While all of this is going on, Brown will be focusing
on managing the nursery, supporting the chefs, and also working with Vic High
students on their school garden which was sidelined by a massive seismic
upgrade project. https://beforeitsnews.com/food-and-farming/2023/03/canada-century-old-inner-city-farm-opens-march-22-amid-growth-change-and-new-prospects-2531521.html
Videos: Football Players Still
Collapsing, Having Heart Attacks, And Even Dying On The Pitch - Two more in the
past week - Published 3 days ago on 27 March, 2023 By Steve Watso - https://summit.news/2023/03/27/videos-football-players-still-collapsing-having-heart-attacks-and-even-dying-on-the-pitch/
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Japan and
Germany Are Again Preparing for War - Memories of World War II still cause
anxiety in both countries, but a rising generation feels less constrained—and
less sure of the U.S.—in the face of Russian and Chinese aggression. - By Ian
Buruma - March 24, 2023 10:57 am ET –
(Comment: Herbert Armstrong, An early
pioneer of radio and television evangelism who died in 1987, forecast that
Germany & Japan would turn again to their war mongering ways to have a hand
in reigniting World War three. Now we have been told by alt media they are
indeed building up their navies & armies because they do not trust NATO to
do the job. One thing is certain, we do not learn from history do we?) The
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called this moment a “historic turning point.”
In Japan, a famous comedian named Tamori coined the (somewhat obscure) phrase
“new prewar,” and it has been widely used to say much the same thing: That
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced both countries to take their own military
preparedness more seriously. In February last year, Mr. Scholz promised to use
a fund of 100 billion Euros to strengthen Germany’s neglected military forces
and to push Germany’s military budget over the 2% of GDP required by NATO. https://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-and-germany-are-again-preparing-for-war-8dc75cc1
NATURAL NEWS: Angry French protesters
shift focus from pension fiasco to Macron himself – “do you know the guillotine?”
- Wednesday, March 29, 2023 by: Ethan Huff - The blue collar worker-led
protests that erupted in Paris have shifted in tone from focusing solely on the
pension fiasco to demanding that President Emmanuel Macron’s head be served to
them on a platter. This is a figure of speech, of course – or is it? https://www.naturalnews.com/2023-03-29-french-protesters-shift-focus-macron-guillotine.html#
THE DEFENDER: Groundbreaking
Analysis: COVID Vaccines Caused 300,000 Excess Deaths, $147 Billion in Damage
to Economy in 2022 Alone – March 29th 2023 - In the U.S., COVID-19
vaccines injured 6.6 million people, disabled 1.36 million people, caused more
than 300,000 excess deaths and cost the economy an estimated $147 billion in
damage — in 2022 alone — according to a new analysis by Humanity Projects, a
wing of Portugal-based research firm Phinance Technologies. - By Michael
Nevradakis, Ph.D. - The researchers behind “The Vaccine Damage Project,”
released this month, said they sought to “estimate the human cost,” including
“deaths caused or hastened by the vaccines,” as well as “the impact on the
overall economy of each aspect of the vaccine damage.” - https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/covid-vaccine-injury-deaths-economic-damage/
FRONT PAGE MAG: World’s Biggest
Seller of Carbon Offsets Accused of Being a Scam - Our naked green emperors just
lost one of their fig leaves. - March 25, 2023 by Daniel Greenfield - Every
time a state government or a corporation announces a particular environmental
target, most of the time what they mean is that they’re going to make some
small changes and then they’ll buy some offsets or credits to compensate for
the rest…. https://www.frontpagemag.com/worlds-biggest-seller-of-carbon-offsets-accused-of-being-a-scam/
EXPOSE: The Pfizer Effect: Government
Reports suggest COVID Vaccine-Induced Autoimmune Deficiency Syndrome is partly
to blame for 2 million Excess Deaths in the West over the past 2 years - BY THE
EXPOSÉ ON MARCH 29, 2023 - Your Government and Mainstream Media are insisting
the cause of this shocking rise in deaths is merely a coincidence and have
thrown out excuses such as “climate change”, a crisis in healthcare, and even
hypochondria which they renamed ‘Long Covid’. But the evidence clearly suggests
that whilst the Covid-19 injections may not be to blame for all of the excess
deaths suffered since the roll-out, they are by far and large the biggest
contributing factor. And one of the reasons why is the huge effect they have on
the immune system. https://expose-news.com/2023/03/29/covid-vaccine-aids-caused-2-million-excess-deaths/
LISA HAVEN: Literal Fight Breaks Out
in Congress & it Was Caught on Video! - Thursday, March 30, 2023 12:47 - By
Lisa Haven - Congressional hell breaks loose on the floors of congress, and of
course, it started with a democrat. All that and more in this report… https://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2023/03/literal-fight-breaks-out-in-congress-it-was-caught-on-video-3286752.html
War Declared Against Christians! -
Steve Quayle & Doug Hagmann - The Hagmann Report - Thursday, March 30, 2023
15:01 - https://beforeitsnews.com/christian-news/2023/03/war-declared-against-christians-steve-quayle-doug-hagmann-the-hagmann-report-2614686.html
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The Rapture of the Church
by Dr. David R. Reagan
Published on: August 7, 2013
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
March 30th 2023
The Rapture is a glorious event which
God has promised to the Church. The promise is that someday very soon, at the
blowing of a trumpet and the shout of an archangel, Jesus will appear in
the sky and take up His Church, living and dead, to Heaven.
The Term
A Promise to the Church
The concept of the Rapture was not
revealed to the Old Testament prophets because it is a promise to the New
Testament Church and not to the saints of God who lived before the
establishment of the Church.
The saints of Old Testament times
will be resurrected at the end of the Tribulation and not at the time of the
Rapture of the Church. Daniel reveals this fact in Daniel 12:1-2 where he says
that the saints of that age will be resurrected at the end of the “time of
distress.”
Biblical References
The first clear mention of the
Rapture in Scripture is found in the words of Jesus recorded in John 14:1-4.
Jesus said, “I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am,
there you may be also.”
The most detailed revelation of the
actual events related to the Rapture is given by Paul in 1 Thessalonians
4:13-18. He says that when Jesus appears, the dead in Christ (Church age
saints) will be resurrected and caught up first. Then, those of us who are
alive in Christ will be translated “to meet the Lord in the air.” Paul then
exhorts us to “comfort one another with these words.”
Paul mentions the Rapture again in 1
Corinthians 15 – his famous chapter on the resurrection of the dead:
“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we
shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet.” (verses 51 and 52)
Paul’s reference here to being
changed is an allusion to the fact that the saints will receive glorified
bodies that will be perfected, imperishable and immortal (1 Cor. 15:42-44, and
50-55).
The Timing
The most controversial aspect of the
Rapture is its timing. Some place it at the end of the Tribulation, making it
one and the same event as the Second Coming. Others place it in the middle of
the Tribulation. Still others believe that it will occur at the beginning of
the Tribulation.
The reason for these differing
viewpoints is that the exact time of the Rapture is not precisely revealed in
scripture. It is only inferred. There is, therefore, room for honest
differences of opinion, and lines of fellowship should certainly not be drawn
over differences regarding this point, even though it is an important point.
Post-Tribulation Rapture
Those who place the timing at the end
of the Tribulation usually base their argument on two parables in Matthew 13
and on the Lord’s Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24.
In Matthew 24 the Lord portrays His
gathering of the saints as an event that will take place “immediately after
the tribulation of those days” (Matt. 24:29). This certainly sounds like a
post-Tribulation Rapture. But it must be kept in mind that the book of Matthew
was written to the Jews, and therefore the recording of Jesus’ speech by
Matthew has a distinctively Jewish flavor to it as compared to Luke’s record
of the same speech.
Note, for example, Matthew’s
references to Judea and to Jewish law regarding travel on the Sabbath (Matt.
24:15-20). These are omitted in Luke’s account. Instead, Luke speaks of the
saints looking up for deliverance “to escape all these things” when the end
time signs “begin to take place” (Luke 21:28 and 36). The saints in Matthew
are instructed to flee from Judea and hide. The saints in Luke are told to
look up for deliverance.
It appears, therefore, that Matthew
and Luke are speaking of two different sets of saints. The saints in Matthew’s
account are most likely Jews who receive Jesus as their Messiah during the
Tribulation. The saints in Luke are those who receive Christ before the
Tribulation begins. Most of those who accept the Lord during the Tribulation
will be martyred (Rev. 7:9-14). Those who live to the end will be gathered by
the angels of the Lord (Matt. 24:31).
The parable of the wheat and tares
(Matt. 13:24-30) and the parable of the dragnet (Matt. 13:47-50) can be
explained in the same way. They refer to a separation of saints and sinners
that will take place at the end of the Tribulation. The saints are those who
receive Jesus as their Savior during the Tribulation (Gentile and Jew) and who
live to the end of that awful period.
Mid-Tribulation Rapture
There are variations of the
mid-Tribulation Rapture concept. The most common is that the Church will be
taken out in the exact middle of the Tribulation, at the point in time when the
Antichrist is revealed.
This concept is based upon a
statement in 1 Corinthians 15:52 which says that the Rapture will occur at
the blowing of “the last trumpet.” This trumpet is then identified with the
seventh trumpet of the trumpet judgments in the book of Revelation. Since the
blowing of the seventh trumpet is recorded in Revelation 11, the mid-point of
the Tribulation, the conclusion is that the Rapture must occur in the middle
of the Tribulation.
But there are two problems with this
interpretation. The first is that the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 is blown
for believers whereas the seven trumpets of Revelation 8, 9 and 11 are sounded
for unbelievers. The Revelation trumpets have no relevance for the Church.
The last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 is a trumpet for the righteous. The last
trumpet for the unrighteous is the one described in Revelation 11.
Another problem with this
interpretation is that the passage in Revelation 11 that portrays the sounding
of the seventh trumpet is a “flash forward” to the end of the Tribulation.
Flash forwards are very common in the book of Revelation. They occur after
something terrible is described in order to assure the reader that
everything is going to turn out all right when Jesus returns at the end of the
Tribulation.
Thus, the eighth and ninth chapters
of Revelation, which describe the horrors of the trumpet judgments, are
followed immediately by a flash forward in chapter 10 that pictures the return
of Jesus in victory at the end of the Tribulation. The mid-Tribulation action
resumes in chapter 11 with a description of the killing of the two great
prophets of God by the Antichrist. Then, to offset that terrible event, we
are presented with another flash forward, beginning with verse 15. The seventh
trumpet is sounded and we find ourselves propelled forward to the end of the
Tribulation when “the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord.”
The point is that the seventh trumpet
of Revelation relates to the end of the Tribulation and not the middle. It is
therefore no basis for an argument in behalf of a mid-Tribulation Rapture.
Pre-Wrath Rapture
The cornerstone of this concept is
that the terrifying events during the first half of the Tribulation are due to
the wrath of Man and Satan, and not to God. Since the Church is only promised
protection from the wrath of God, the Rapture will not occur until near the end
of the Tribulation when God will pour out His wrath on the world.
This concept raises a serious
theological problem because it questions the sovereignty of God. It assumes
that Man and Satan can act apart from God’s will, when the fact of the matter
is that neither can do anything God is not willing to permit. The Bible often
portrays God carrying out His will through evil persons or nations. One of the
classic examples is when He allowed the evil nation of Babylon to discipline
Israel by destroying Jerusalem and the Temple and by carrying the surviving
Jews away into captivity. It was an action that prompted the prophet Habakkuk
to ask why God would punish those who are evil with those who are more evil
(Habakkuk 1:13).
Any carnage wrought by Man or Satan
during the Tribulation will still constitute the wrath of God. They will simply
be His instruments. The Bible says God sits in the heavens and laughs over the
plots and deeds of evil men, not because He does not care, but because He has
everything under control (Psalm 2:1-6). The point is that He has the wisdom and
power to orchestrate all evil to the triumph of His will in history. That’s why
the psalmist wrote that “the wrath of man shall praise You [God]” (Psalm
76:10).
I think it is also important to note
that when God pours out His wrath, He does not always do so directly. One of
His most common ways is to simply back away from the nation or person and lower
the hedge of protection around them. This is clearly spelled out in Romans
1:18-32. That passage says that when people rebel against God to the point that
they begin to worship the creation rather than the Creator, God “gives them
over” to the evil in their hearts. In other words, He just steps back and lets
evil multiply. The passage further states that if they still refuse to repent,
He steps back again and “gives them over to degrading passions.” And if they
persist in their rebellion and sin, He finally “gives them over to a depraved
mind” at which point the society destroys itself. Such destruction could be
viewed as the wrath of Man, but it is really the wrath of God working through
Man.
There is another serious problem with
the pre-wrath Rapture concept. It relates to the fact that all the wrath of
Revelation is specifically portrayed as the wrath of God. Where do the seal
judgments originate? The answer is from the throne of God as Jesus opens each
seal of the scroll that was in the Father’s right hand (Revelation 6:1). And
where do the trumpet judgments originate? The same place — from the throne of
God (Revelation 8:2). When we arrive at the bowl judgments in Revelation 15:1,
we are told that with them, “the wrath of God is finished.”
Another problem with the pre-wrath
concept is that it does violence to the chronological order of Revelation. The
seal judgments are viewed as the wrath of Man and Satan, occurring during the
first half of the Tribulation. The trumpet and bowl judgments are considered to
be the wrath of God. They are lumped together at the end of the Tribulation.
There is no justification for putting the trumpet judgments at the end of the
Tribulation. They are clearly placed in the first half of the Tribulation in
the chronological layout of the book of Revelation.
One final problem with the pre-wrath
concept of the Rapture is that it disputes the fact that there is no purpose
for the Church being in the Tribulation. The Tribulation is the 70th week of
Daniel, a time devoted to God accomplishing His purposes among the Jewish
people, not the Church.
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture
I believe the best inference of
Scripture is that the Rapture will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation.
The most important reason I believe this has to do with the issue of imminence.
Over and over in Scripture we are told to watch for the appearing of the Lord.
We are told “to be ready” (Matt. 24:44), “to be on the alert” (Matt. 24:42),
“to be dressed in readiness” (Luke 12:35), and to “keep your lamps alight”
(Luke 12:35). The clear force of these persistent warnings is that Jesus can
appear at any moment.
Only the pre-Tribulation concept of
the Rapture allows for the imminence of the Lord’s appearing for His Church.
When the Rapture is placed at any other point in time, the imminence of the
Lord’s appearing is destroyed because other prophetic events must happen first.
For example, if the Rapture is going
to occur in mid-Tribulation, then why should I live looking for the Lord’s
appearing at any moment? I would be looking instead for an Israeli peace
treaty, the rebuilding of the Temple, and the revelation of the Antichrist.
Then and only then could the Lord appear.
Focus
This raises the issue of what we are
to be looking for. Nowhere are believers told to watch for the appearance of
the Antichrist. On the contrary, we are told to watch for Jesus Christ. In
Titus 2:13 Paul says we are to live “looking for the blessed hope and the
appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Likewise,
Peter urges us to “fix our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at
the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). John completes the apostolic chorus
by similarly urging us to “fix our hope on Him” at His appearing (1 John
3:2-3).
Only Matthew speaks of watching for
the Antichrist (Matt. 24:15), but he is speaking to the Jews living in Israel
in the middle of the Tribulation when the Antichrist desecrates the rebuilt
Temple.
Wrath
Another argument in behalf of a
pre-Tribulation Rapture has to do with the promises of God to protect the
Church from His wrath. As has already been demonstrated, the book of Revelation
shows that the wrath of God will be poured out during the entire period of the
Tribulation.
The Word promises over and over that
the Church will be delivered from God’s wrath. Romans 5:9 says that “we shall
be saved from the wrath of God through Him [Jesus].” 1 Thessalonians 1:10
states that we are waiting “for His Son from heaven . . . who will deliver us
from the wrath to come.” The promise is repeated in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 –
“God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
Deliverance
Some argue that God could
supernaturally protect the Church during the Tribulation. Yes, He could. In
fact, He promises to do just that for the 144,000 Jews who will be sealed as
bond-servants at the beginning of the Tribulation (Rev. 7:1-8).
But God’s promise to the Church
during the Tribulation is not one of protection but one of deliverance. Jesus
said we would “escape” the horrors of the Tribulation (Luke 21:36). Paul says
Jesus is coming to “deliver” us from God’s wrath (1 Thess. 1:10).
Symbolism
There are several prophetic types
that seem to affirm the concept of deliverance from Tribulation. Take Enoch for
example. He was a prophet to the Gentiles who was raptured out of the world
before God poured out His wrath in the great flood of Noah’s time. Enoch
appears to be a type of the Gentile Church that will be taken out of the world
before God pours out His wrath again. If so, then Noah and his family are a
type of the Jewish remnant that will be protected through the Tribulation.
Another Old Testament symbolic type
which points toward a pre-Tribulation Rapture is the experience of Lot and his
family. They were delivered out of Sodom and Gomorrah before those cities were
destroyed.
The Apostle Peter alludes to both of
these examples in his second epistle. He states that if God spared Noah and
Lot, then He surely “knows how to rescue the godly from trial and to keep the
unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Peter 4-9).
Another beautiful prophetic type is
to be found in the Jewish wedding traditions of Jesus’s time. After the
betrothal, the groom would return to his father’s house to prepare a wedding
chamber for his bride. He would return for his bride at an unexpected moment,
so the bride had to be ready constantly. When he returned, he would take his
bride back to his father’s house to the chamber he had prepared. He and his
bride would then be sealed in the chamber for seven days. When they emerged, a
great wedding feast would be celebrated.
Likewise, Jesus has returned to
Heaven to prepare a place for His bride, the Church. When He returns for His
bride, He will take her to His Father’s heavenly home. There He will remain
with His bride for seven years (the duration of the Tribulation). The period
will end with “the marriage supper of the Lamb” described in Revelation 19.
Thus the seven days in the wedding chamber point prophetically to the seven
years that Jesus and His bride will remain in Heaven during the Tribulation.
Revelation
Speaking of Revelation, the structure
of that book also implies a pre-Tribulation Rapture in a symbolic sense. The
first three chapters focus on the Church. Chapter 4 begins with the door of
Heaven opening and John being raptured from the isle of Patmos to the throne of
God in Heaven. The Church is not mentioned thereafter until Revelation 19:7-9
when it is portrayed as the “bride of Christ” in Heaven with Jesus celebrating
the “marriage supper of the Lamb.” At Revelation 19:11 the door of Heaven opens
again, and Jesus emerges riding a white horse on His way to earth, followed by
His Church (Rev. 19:14).
The rapture of the Apostle John in
Revelation 4 appears to be a symbolic type of the Rapture of the Church. Note
that it is initiated by the cry of a voice that sounds like the blowing of a
trumpet (Rev. 4:1). Since the Tribulation does not begin until Revelation 6,
the rapture of John in Revelation 4 appears to be a symbolic type that points
to a pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.
Some counter this argument by pointing
out that although the Church is not mentioned in Revelation during that
book’s description of the Tribulation, there is constant mention of “saints”
(for example, Rev. 13:7). But that term is not used in the Bible exclusively
to refer to members of the Church. Daniel uses it to refer to Old Testament
believers who lived long before the Church was established (Dan. 7:18). The
saints referred to in the book of Revelation are most likely those people who
will be saved during the Tribulation, after the Church has been taken out of
the world.
Paul’s Assurance
An interesting argument in behalf of
the pre-Tribulation timing of the Rapture can be found in 2 Thessalonians. The
church at Thessalonica was in a turmoil because someone had written them a
letter under Paul’s name stating that they had missed the “gathering to the
Lord” and were, in fact, living in “the day of the Lord” (2 Thess. 2:1-2).
Paul attempted to calm them down by
reminding them of his teaching that the day of the Lord would not come until
after the Antichrist is revealed. He then stated that the Antichrist would not
be revealed until a restraining force “is taken out of the way” (2 Thess.
2:3-7).
There has been much speculation as to
the identify of this restraining force that Paul refers to. Some have
identified it as the Holy Spirit. But it cannot be the Holy Spirit because
there will be people saved during the Tribulation, and no one can be saved
apart from the testimony of the Spirit (John 16:8-11 and 1 John 5:7).
Others have identified the restrainer
as human government. It is true that government was ordained by God to
restrain evil (Romans 13:1-4). But the governments of the world are in
rebellion against God and His Son (Psalm 2), and they are therefore a
contributor to the evil that characterizes the world. Furthermore, the
Tribulation will not be characterized by a lack of government. Rather, it will
feature the first true worldwide government (Rev. 13:7).
In my opinion that leaves only one
other candidate for Paul’s restrainer – and that is the Church. It is the
Church that serves as the primary restrainer of evil in the world today as it
proclaims the Gospel and stands for righteousness. When the Church fails in
this mission, evil multiplies, as Paul graphically points out in 2 Timothy
3:1-5. Paul says that society in the end times will be characterized by chaos
and despair because “men will hold to a form of religion but will deny its
power.” When the Church is removed from the world, all hell will literally
break loose.
Escapism?
The pre-Tribulation concept of the
Rapture has often been condemned as “escapism.” I think this criticism is
unjustified. The Bible itself says that Christians are to “comfort one
another” with the thought of the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:18). Is it a comfort to
think of the Rapture occurring at the end of the world’s worst period of war
instead of at the beginning?
Regardless of when the Rapture
actually occurs, we need to keep in mind that the Bible teaches that societal
conditions are going to grow increasingly worse the closer we get to the Lord’s
return. That means Christians will suffer tribulation whether or not they go
into the Great Tribulation. And that means all of us had better be preparing
ourselves for unprecedented suffering and spiritual warfare.
If you are a Christian, you can do
that on a daily basis by putting on “the full armor of God” (Eph. 6:13),
praying at all times in the Spirit that you will be able to stand firm against
the attacks of Satan (Eph. 6:14-18).
If you are not a Christian, your only
hope is to reach out in faith and receive the free gift of God’s salvation
which He has provided through His Son, Jesus (John 3:16).
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