CHAPTER ONE
SETTING
THE FOUNDATION
GREETINGS
COMMON
GROUND
DEFINING
THE MAJOR RAPTURE POSITIONS
THE
TRADITIONAL PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE – A BRIEF OVERVIEW
THE
REVISED PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE – A BRIEF OVERVIEW
THE
POST-TRIBULATION RAPTURE – A BRIEF OVERVIEW
ITS
ALL SO CONFUSING, WHO IS REALLY RIGHT?
THE
PRE-WRATH RAPTURE – A BRIEF OVERVIEW
CHAPTER TWO
STRAND
OF TRUTH: WHY
DOES THE RAPTURE OCCUR?
WHAT IS THE RAPTURE?
WHY
DOES THE RAPTURE OCCUR?
THE
EXPLICIT TEACHING OF RAPTURE AND WRATH
JESUS
SPEAKS OF THE COMING WRATH
THE
IMPLICIT TEACHING OF DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY
WHAT
IS A DISPENSATION ANYWAY?
WHAT
SHOULD WE DO WITH THE 70TH WEEK OF DANIEL?
THE
SOURCE OF CONFUSION
WHAT
ABOUT THE CHURCH?
THE
MORAL OF THIS STORY IS ….
THE
ROOT OF ALL TRUTH – JESUS
CONCLUSIONS
CHAPTER THREE
STRAND
OF TRUTH: THE
DAY OF THE LORD IS THE TIME OF GOD’S WRATH
THE KEY OF UNDERSTANDING
WHAT
WILL THE DAY OF THE LORD BE LIKE?
IS
THE DAY OF THE LORD PAST OR FUTURE?
JESUS
TESTIFIES AS TO WHEN
AND
ALL GOD’S PEOPLE SAID….
SUMMARY
CHAPTER FOUR
STRAND
OF TRUTH: THE
DAY OF THE LORD IS LINKED TO THE RAPTURE
A FAMILIAR TEACHING
THE
VOICE OF THESSALONICA
CONCERNING
WHEN
NEW
SUBJECT OR NOT, A VERY SERIOUS QUESTION
JUST
FOLLOW THE PATTERN
OTHER
OPTIONS?
MORE
VOICES FROM THESSALONICA
FOCUS,
FOCUS, FOCUS
DOES
ANYONE KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS?
WHAT
DAY WAS THAT?
SPIRITS
SAVED ON THE DAY OF THE LORD
BLAMELESS
ON THE DAY OF THE LORD
BLAMELESS
UNTIL THE DAY OF THE LORD
CHANGING
UNTIL THE DAY OF THE LORD
GETTING
READY FOR THE DAY OF GOD’S WRATH
PETER PROVIDES INSIGHT AND CLARITY
PETER PROVIDES INSIGHT AND CLARITY
NEW
HARMONIES FROM AN OLD TESTAMENT
JOEL
JOINS THE CHORUS
ZEPHANIAH
GIVES VOICE TO THE HARMONY
DANIEL
ADDS THE STRENGTH OF HIS VOICE
PLEASE, LET ME EXPLAIN
PLEASE, LET ME EXPLAIN
THE
VOICE OF JESUS COMPLETES THE HARMONY
OPPOSING
VIEWS AND ARGUMENTS
WOULD THAT BE ONE EVENT OR TWO?
WHEN
DID THE RAINS COME?
ONLY
FOR ISRAEL?
HOW
MANY RAPTURES ARE THERE?
THE LAST TRUMPET
THE
CALL TO ASSEMBLE FOR THE RAPTURE
THE
CALL TO WAR
SUMMARY
UPDATED INFORMATION TO THIS SECTION
UPDATED INFORMATION TO THIS SECTION
CHAPTER FIVE
STRAND
OF TRUTH: THE
DAY OF THE LORD BEGINS AT THE SEVENTH SEAL
SO IT COMES DOWN TO THIS
STRING
OF TRUTH: THE COMING OF ELIJAH
WHO ARE THOSE MASKED MEN?
THE
END OF A MINISTRY
WHAT
DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
THE
RESTRAINER: WHY WE NEED TO KNOW
STRING
OF TRUTH: THE RESTRAINER
TYPICAL UNDERSTANDING OF TODAY
SO,
WHAT HOLDS ALL THAT TOGETHER?
INTRODUCING
– THE RESTRAINER
SEEING
THE ANGELS AGAIN – FOR THE FIRST TIME
A
CHOICE IS MADE – A MINISTRY IS BORN
WHEN
DOES THE GREAT TRIBULATION BEGIN?
SATAN’S
GREAT ASSAULT
FILLED
WITH FURY
THE REMOVAL OF THE RESTRAINER
WHY WOULD MICHAEL DO THAT?
THE REMOVAL OF THE RESTRAINER
WHY WOULD MICHAEL DO THAT?
THE
GREAT PRINCE WHO PROTECTS
SUMMARY
OPPOSING
VIEWS AND ARGUMENTS
THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE RESTRAINER
IS
MICHAEL STRONG ENOUGH?
THE
HERALD SIGNS: NARROWING THE SEARCH
STRING
OF TRUTH: THE
HERALD SIGNS SHOW THE TIME
KNOWING THE SIGNS
WHERE DID I PUT THOSE SIGNS?
WHERE DID I PUT THOSE SIGNS?
SURELY
YOU DIDN’T REALLY MEAN ‘AFTER’
THE
SIXTH SEAL
KNOWING
THE SEASON
HOW
THEN SHOULD WE ACT?
AN
INTERLUDE: TAKING STOCK OF WHERE WE ARE
STRING OF TRUTH: THE APOSTASY/REBELLION OF BELIEVERS
THE ‘APOSTASIA’
A CLEARLY DEFINED LINE OF SEPARATION
A CLEARLY DEFINED LINE OF SEPARATION
THE
SEEDS OF REBELLION
A
DIFFICULT CHOICE IN A PERILOUS TIME
THE
REVEALING OF ANTICHRIST: HOW WILL HE APPEAR?
STRING
OF TRUTH: THE
REVEALING OF ANTICHRIST
LOOKING TO THE SCRIPTURES
PLEASE
STATE THE NATURE OF THE MEDICAL EMERGENCY
SIGNS
AND WONDERS
THE
ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
THE
DAY OF THE LORD – PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
PREPARING
FOR BATTLE
JIHAD
– THE HOLY WAR BEGINS
OPPOSING VIEWS AND ARGUMENTS
WHAT’S THAT ALL ABOUT?
WHAT
MAKES YOU THINK I’M ANGRY?
WASN’T
THAT JESUS?
EACH
RIDER ‘WAS GIVEN"
A
TIME OF GREATER DISTRESS TO COME?
PEACE
AND SAFETY IN THE TRIBULATION?
CHAPTER SIX
STRAND
OF TRUTH: THE
POSITION OF THE EARLY CHURCH
THE FAITH OF OUR SPIRITUAL FOREFATHERS
CHAPTER SEVEN
STRANDS
OF TRUTH: THE
RAPTURE ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE
INTRODUCTION
THE
ROAD BEHIND US
A
HARMONY OF TRUTH IN THE SCRIPTURES
THE
MYSTERY REVEALED
ADDING
DETAILS TO THE TEACHING
CONFIRMING
THE LINK
‘AFTER
THE DISTRESS OF THOSE DAYS’
‘I
WATCHED AS HE OPENED THE SIXTH SEAL’
PLACING
THE CAPSTONE ON SCRIPTURE’S HARMONY
WHAT
DIFFERENCE DOES ALL THIS MAKE ANYWAY?
OPPOSING
VIEWS AND ARGUMENTS
THE
GREAT MULTITUDE
THE
RAPTURE SEEN IN MATTHEW 24?
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX A UNDERSTANDING
THE DOCTRINE OF IMMINENCE
THE
IMPORTANCE OF IMMINENCE
THE
CASE FOR IMMINENCE
SCRIPTURE’S
MESSAGE OF IMMINENCE
JESUS
SAID ….
IMMINENCE
PRODUCES HOLY LIVING
THE
DISCIPLES AWAITED HIS IMMINENT RETURN
WINDS
OF CONTENTION
THE
COMING OF JESUS
FOR
HIS SAINTS AT THE RAPTURE
WITH
HIS SAINTS AT ARMAGEDDON
IT’S
ALL A MATTER OF TIME!
CONTINUED IN PART II
CONTINUED IN PART II
SUMMARIZING
IMMINENCE
ANSWERING
IMMINENCE: A REBUTTAL
WHAT
IS THE GRAND ILLUSION?
THE
ILLUSION CONTINUES TODAY
DESTROYING
THE ILLUSION: THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS
THE
TEACHINGS OF THE DISCIPLES
THE
PAROUSIA OF JESUS
HOW
MUCH TIME IS ENOUGH?
APPENDIX B COMMON
GROUND TOPICS
THE 70TH WEEK OF DANIEL
HOW
MANY IS SEVENTY ‘SEVENS’?
THE
DECREE TO REBUILD JERUSALEM
THIS
MUST BE THAT STRANGE ‘NEW MATH’
UNTIL
THE ANOINTED ONE COMES
AFTER
THE SIXTY-TWO ‘SEVENS’
THE
MYSTERY
THE
70 ‘WEEKS’: A VISUAL OVERVIEW
THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
AS
SPOKEN THROUGH THE PROPHET DANIEL
ANTIOCHUS:
SHADOW OF ANTICHRIST
THE
HISTORY OF THE FUTURE
THE GREAT TRIBULATION
THE
BEGINNING
IN
SEARCH OF AN ENDING
THE
COMMON VIEW
THAT’S
TRUE BUT
THE
CAST OF CHARACTERS
If the type of intimate temporal association we are
asserting were not true, and we were to suppose that a period of months or
years existed between the rapture and the day of the Lord, as is claimed by
many pre-tribulation supporters, then it seems highly unlikely the
Thessalonians would have been so readily deceived by the assertion that the day
of the Lord had already begun.
Scripture
indicates the time will come when God’s patience will eventually end and he
will return like a thief to usher in the great and terrible day of the
Lord. In that day the wrath of God will
devastate both the heavens and the earth as the fire of his jealous anger rolls
across the expanse of creation.
STRAND OF TRUTH: THE DAY OF THE LORD BEGINS AT THE SEVENTH SEAL
Since
scripture explicitly tells us that the duration of his ministry is 3 ½
years. Then we can clearly see that Elijah’s
ministry began at or sometime shortly prior to the mid-point of Daniel’s
70th week. Further,
since scripture has also explicitly declared that Elijah’s arrival will precede
the day of the Lord, it is also evident that the earliest point at which the
day of the Lord could possibly begin would be just prior to the
mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week, or just after the start of Elijah’s
ministry.
First,
identifying the restrainer will help us determine the proper season of the day
of the Lord. This is true since
scripture tells us the day of the Lord will not begin until the restrainer is
‘taken out of the way’. It is therefore
hoped that by properly identifying the restrainer and, if possible, when he is
removed, we will come one step closer to identifying the proper season of that
day.
Second,
the identity of the restrainer is important to us because it has become a
cornerstone of the pre-tribulation teaching to identify the restrainer as the
Holy Spirit or the indwelled
Church. Should this prove to be untrue, it would deal
a strong blow to that teaching. I say
this not because it is my central desire to discredit the pre-tribulation
teaching in particular, but to uphold the truth of the Father. Unfortunately, this writer does not believe
the pre-tribulation teaching is representative of the Father’s truth. In fact, this writer believes this teaching poses
a grave risk to the Church at large, which is in danger of being lulled into a
false sense of security by the belief that it will not have to personally
contend with the trials and tribulations lying before it in the form of the
tribulation years.
Do
not misunderstand me, I am not advocating the rejection of this teaching on the
basis of paucity of scriptural support.
I am just advocating caution due to this fact. I have done the same where warranted with the
teachings of the pre-wrath position, and therefore feel comfortable and fair in
doing so here as well. As such, and with
this understanding, let us continue.
CHAPTER ONE
SETTING THE FOUNDATION
GREETINGS
My dear brothers and sisters in
Christ, may the Lord bless you and keep you in the enduring labor of the
ministry to which he has called you. As
for me, I am grateful for the time you are now spending in the prayerful consideration
of the truths laid out in this paper. I
pray that Christ Jesus will bless you in its reading through the affirmation of
its truth and validity by the inter-working of his Spirit.
The purpose of this document is to outline the basic
concepts surrounding the season of occurrence of the Church’s rapture as
presented in the pre-wrath rapture teaching, and to rebut the major objections
to this teaching offered by its critics.
It is not intended that every aspect of the pre-wrath teaching be
addressed herein, or that those topics covered be subjected to an exhaustive
examination. Instead, it is intended
that the basic, fundamental strands of truth surrounding the season of the
rapture be examined such that through the moving of the Spirit you might be
compelled to seek beyond these introductory things and search out the fullness
of truth in that which is the very flesh and bone and blood of truth; the
living word of God.
COMMON GROUND
Terminology is the lifeblood of effective
communication. Therefore it seems
prudent that we should touch upon some of the more important terminology the
reader will encounter in this document.
The student of end-times prophecy will note the brief definitions
presented below are in many ways similar to, if not identical with, his/her
current understanding and thereby help us form a firm foundation of essentially
common ground from which to begin our journey.
In those cases where the definition may deviate from the reader’s current
understanding I can only ask for your patience.
The scriptural basis and rationale underpinning each definition will be
presented during the course of the text.
For
those readers who are not students of end-time prophecy, terms such as the ‘70th
week of Daniel’, the ‘abomination of desolation’, and ‘the day of the Lord’ may
be new and seem quite strange. It is
absolutely essential that at least a reasonable understanding of these topics
be held by the reader if he/she is to avoid a great deal of confusion and gain
the greatest benefit from the blessing our Father has prepared within these
pages.
It
is doubtful the definitions below will be adequate to help you understand the
importance and vital role each of these subjects will play in the scheme of
end-time events. Therefore, a more
detailed (but still quite brief) discussion of each of these topics is
presented either within the body of this document, or in the section titled,
‘APPENDIX B’. I would like to strongly
encourage the reader to review any unfamiliar topics prior to embarking on the
study presented in this work. I truly
believe it will help avoid a great deal of confusion and frustration as we seek
to consume the meat of truth from our Father’s table.
1)
The 70th week
of Daniel - That time period remaining as yet unfulfilled of Daniel’s prophecy
of the seventy weeks (Dan 9:24-27). The
first 69 weeks ended with Christ’s triumphal entry on April 6, 32 AD. The 70th week looms in our future
and is the primary subject of the book of Revelation. This ‘week’ is a time period of seven prophetic
years, each year consisting of 12 months, and each month containing 30
days. This time is commonly referred to
as ‘the tribulation period’.
2)
Abomination of
Desolation – The end-time action of scripture’s ‘Man of sin / Son of perdition
/ little horn / Antichrist’ wherein this man will, “exalt himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God showing himself that he is God” (2 Thes 2:4). I expect this event to have a literal
fulfillment which will involve a literal temple. However, it is also recognized that the
temple spoken of may very well be the body of Christ, which is in-dwelled by
the Spirit of God. The Abomination of
Desolation (AoD) is typologically and historically viewed in the actions of
Antiochus Epiphanes (Dan 8, Dan 11, 1 Maccabees 1-4, Josephus ‘Antiquities of
the Jews’ book XII chapter V). The
Antichrist will perform this action in the middle of (3 ½ years into) the 70th
week of Daniel (Dan 9:27, 12:11).
3)
Great Tribulation - That
period of time commencing immediately following the abomination of desolation
and continuing until the manifestation of the cosmic phenomena associated with
the sixth seal of Revelation (cf. Mat 24:29, Rev 6:12-17, Joel 2:30-31). With the opening of the sixth seal, the time
of ‘great tribulation’ is ‘cut short’, or brought to an abrupt end. This period will be a time of great trial,
testing and persecution for the followers of Christ
Jesus (Mat 24:21) and for national Israel. For those who choose
to accept the Antichrist, and worship him as their God/Messiah, this period
will be a time of relative peace and safety (1 Thes 5:3).
4)
Rapture - That event
wherein Christ descends from heaven to ‘snatch away’ the Church. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we
which are alive and remain will be caught-up together with them in the clouds
(1 Thes 4:16-17). Though identical in
character to the pre-tribulation position, the pre-wrath position contends the
rapture will occur immediately prior to the opening of the seventh seal of
Revelation, which the teaching further contends should be viewed as the
initiation of ‘The day of the Lord’.
5)
The day of the Lord –
That unique time period toward the end of the age that has been especially
prepared by God for the express purpose of pouring out his divine wrath upon a
sinful and unrepentant world (Joel 1:15, 3:12, Zeph 1:14-2:3, Isa 2:17,
13:6-13, Amos 5:18-20). It is also
during this period that the remnant of national Israel will undergo the process of
redemption, reclamation and restoration with the Lord (the time of Jacob’s
trouble Jer 30:7). The pre-wrath
position maintains the period of time covered by the day of the Lord will be
the only time of God’s worldwide
wrath during the last days (The first six seals do not represent the wrath of
God). The pre-wrath teaching maintains
the day of the Lord will begin with the opening of the seventh seal of
Revelation. The teaching further
contends this seal will be opened an absolute minimum of five months prior to the
close of Daniel’s 70th week.
Special Note: The reader
should be cautioned that at times during the course of this text we will
examine the views of opposing teachings.
Frequently I will attempt to present these views from the perspective of
someone who supports that teaching. When
this occurs, it is my habit to allow the terminology to change so that it
matches the common definition of the teaching under consideration. I will do my best to warn the reader when
such a shift is taking place.
DEFINING THE MAJOR RAPTURE POSITIONS
While it
is our goal and intention to study the merits of the pre-wrath rapture
teaching, it is inevitable that it must be compared with the major teachings
available today. Therefore, it only
makes sense that we briefly define those positions. As the reader moves through this section it
will become apparent that these positions are similar in many respects, and
differ primarily in small, but critical points of understanding. It serves as a constant source of amazement
to this writer how vast the differences in the final position of the various
teachings can become due to what appear to be relatively small changes in their
initial understanding.
This observation forces me to
give a word of caution to the reader with regard to this section of the
text. The reader is cautioned to pay
careful attention to the changing terminology used in the following
section. As the various teachings are
presented, it becomes necessary to alter our ‘common ground’ definitions to
match the viewpoint of the particular teaching being discussed as was mentioned
in our ‘special note’ section above.
THE TRADITIONAL PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE – A BRIEF
OVERVIEW
The traditional pre-tribulation rapture teaching is
relatively simple, straightforward and quite elegant. It is able to mesh widely accepted
dispensational understanding with logical arguments and both implicit
(implied), and explicit (openly declared) scriptural evidence to produce a
teaching that can be quite compelling.
The major points of understanding for this teaching are presented below
for your consideration.
While the pre-wrath teaching places the beginning of the day of the Lord (time of God's worldwide wrath) coincident with the 7th seal of the Revelation; the traditional pre-tribulation rapture teaching is
centered on the notion that the ENTIRE seven-year tribulation period is part
of, and caused by, the worldwide wrath of God.
As such, the entire tribulation period is generally understood to be nothing
less than the great and terrible day of the Lord's wrath, which is unleashed by God to purge the world during the
last days.
The teaching then recognizes scripture’s explicit promise
that the children of God will not be touched by his wrath (1 Thes 1:10, 5:9, Lk
17:26-30). This promise is naturally
associated with the scriptural teaching of the Church’s rapture (1 Cor
15:50-53, 1 Thes 4:13-5:11, 2 Thes 2:1-10).
The rapture itself serves as the means by which the Church is able to
narrowly escape the time of wrath about to fall upon the unsuspecting
world. The teaching further contends
that the rapture will rescue the Church immediately prior to the outpouring of
God’s wrath, as the day of the Lord is about to be unleashed upon heaven and
earth.
To support this position the pre-tribulation teaching
calls upon three main witnesses. These
witnesses add the strength of their testimony to an already strong argument to
produce a teaching that, at first glance, is difficult to deny.
First,
the witness of dispensational understanding is called. Dispensational understanding draws, in
general, upon the large body of proven dispensational truth from the past to
engender credibility. Dispensational
understanding then specifically projects a potential solution to the knotty
problem of how to interpret the coming dispensational change associated with
the 70th week of Daniel, which is also called the tribulation
period.
According
to this teaching, the correct interpretation views the Church as a mystery and
essentially, as a foreign entity grafted into the promises given to national Israel for a
limited and predetermined time. The Church
is taught to be a distinct and separate creation of God that was intended to
exist only within the interval of time between the close of the 69th
week of Daniel’s prophecy, and the beginning of the 70th week.
Therefore,
as the 70th week of Daniel dawns upon humanity, the Church must
be removed! The result of this
removal is the event we have come to call the rapture of the Church. As per this teaching the rapture will occur
immediately prior to the start of the tribulation period / 70th week
of Daniel / day of the Lord (the teaching views these as synonymous terms). Having rendered his testimony, the first
witness may now be seated.
The
doctrine of imminence is called next.
The testimony of this doctrine is driven by many passages of scripture
such as: 1 Cor 1:7, 16:22, Phl 3:20, 4:5, 1 Thes 1:10, 4:15-18, 5:6, 1 Tim
6:14, Tit 2:13, Heb 9:28, Jam 5:7-9, 1 Pet 1:13, Jude 21, Rev 3:11, 22:7, 12,
17, and 20. All of these passages bear a common theme. This
theme proclaims that Christ will one day return to this world and we, his
chosen brethren, are to remain alert, faithful, and anxiously await the day
when he will appear in the clouds of heaven to rescue the Church from the
coming storm of the Father’s wrath.
Within
these passages of scripture is the idea that the return of our Lord will be
sudden. Many of them seem to also imply
the possibility that it will be completely unexpected. The notion that the return of Christ is to be
completely unexpected is then used as the fulcrum to demand an understanding
that his return must be imminent (could happen at
literally any moment), and therefore, by definition, there cannot
be any sign or event that must precede it. This notion lends itself perfectly toward the
task of supporting a sudden, unexpected, and pre-tribulational rapture of the Church. A rapture that would occur immediately prior
to the unleashing of God’s great day of wrath upon an unsuspecting world (1
Thes 5:2-3). Having given its testimony,
imminence too may be seated.
The
final major witness called on behalf of the pre-tribulation teaching is that of
the identity of the restrainer of lawlessness (2 Thes 2:1-8). Scripture plainly declares the restrainer of
lawlessness must be removed before the day of the Lord (remember, the
day of the Lord is the same as the tribulation period in this teaching) may
begin. The teaching contends that
scripture is virtually silent as to the identity of the restrainer. This leaves us in the position of having to
employ our logic and reasoning in conjunction with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit to determine the correct identity of the one whom scripture calls the
restrainer.
Ultimately,
the teaching produces a wonderfully logical argument that strongly contends the
only entity capable of filling the role of restrainer is the Holy Spirit,
and/or the Church whom he indwells. Distilled
to its purest form, the teaching may be understood to state that the Church is
the ministry through which the Holy Spirit restrains the forces of
lawlessness. Therefore the Church,
empowered by the Spirit, may be viewed as the restrainer. As such, the passage of scripture in 2 Thes
2:1-3, which demands the removal of the restrainer prior to the beginning of
the day of the Lord, becomes a brilliantly clear picture of the rapture of the Church. A picture that demands the rapture occur
prior to the day of the Lord, and thereby, prior to the tribulation period.
Using these three major witnesses as a foundation, the
pre-tribulation teaching may then call many minor witnesses to render large
quantities of circumstantial and anecdotal supporting evidence. In this manner, the teaching is able to build
a very strong position that is capable of persuading even the most serious
student of the bible of its truth and validity.
THE REVISED PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE - A BRIEF OVERVIEW
Though
the evidence of the traditional pre-tribulation teaching is quite convincing,
it became evident to many students of the bible that it contained a flaw. Therefore, these students and theologians set
out to correct the error. The result of
their ongoing work is what this writer calls ‘the revised pre-tribulation
rapture teaching’. It is this form of
the pre-tribulation teaching that was popularized by the work of Tim LaHaye, and Jerry B. Jenkins in the ‘Left Behind’ series
of books, tapes and movies.
The flaw
in the traditional teaching that lead to the creation of the revised view,
centers around an obvious conflict between the doctrine of imminence, the
avowed pre-tribulational nature of the rapture, and the passage of scripture
found in Second Thessalonians chapter two.
To understand the roots of the conflict, recall if you will, the stated
position of the traditional teaching.
The traditional teaching contends
the rapture will occur at the very moment the tribulation period is beginning
to dawn upon this world. It also
contends that the tribulation is the beginning portion of that period of time
known as the day of the Lord. Finally,
it incorporates the doctrine of imminence that insists the coming of Jesus for
the rapture of the Church could occur at any moment, and by definition, no sign
or event can be required to precede his return.
Unfortunately for this teaching, scripture directly contradicts the
possibility of these events occurring in a literal manner as stated by the
traditional view.
2 Thes
2:1-8 (NIV) Concerning the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him [the rapture], we ask
you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy,
report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying 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.
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to
tell you these things? And now you know
what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is
already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so
till he is taken out of the way. And
then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow
with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. [emphasis/brackets added]
This
passage of scripture reveals with uncompromising clarity the flaw noted by the
supporters of the revised pre-tribulation teaching. Note carefully that three separate events are
clearly depicted as occurring before the day of the Lord, and therefore,
before the rapture. The rebellion, also called
the apostasy of believers, will occur.
The man of sin, who is the Antichrist, will be revealed, and at some
point prior to his revealing, the restrainer of lawlessness will be ‘taken out
of the way’.
Noting these things, the
supporters of the revised teaching were left with two very distasteful options
to resolve the error of the traditional teaching. EITHER the doctrine of imminence had to be
rejected, OR the rapture had to be divorced from occurring in close temporal
proximity to the day of the Lord.
Ultimately, and tragically, the latter was chosen to be sacrificed upon
the altar of compromise.
Now,
since the teaching accepted the doctrine of imminence (no sign can be required to precede Christ's return) as reflecting truth then, by definition, none of the events
listed above can be required to occur before Jesus' return for the rapture! Otherwise, a violation of the doctrine of imminence would occur and the teaching considers this prospect to be unacceptable.
With this in mind, we can see the
proper order of events from the above passage must be that the rapture will occur at the same time the restrainer is
removed. Following this, the rebellion of believers occurs and the Antichrist is
revealed. Finally, after all these things have transpired, the day of the Lord begins.
It is both obvious and reasonable to conclude
that some realistic quantity of time (Typically thought to be anywhere from 6-months to 2-years) must exist for the rebellion of believers,
and the revealing of the Antichrist to occur.
This mandates a separation of at least this same amount of time between
the rapture and the start of the day of the Lord / tribulation.
Therefore, it is immediately apparent the rapture and the day of the
Lord cannot proceed at the same time as was taught by the traditional pre-trib teaching and as such the traditional teaching required modification to account
for the separation.
The
passage referenced above further appears to indicate the restrainer will hinder
not only the revealing of the Antichrist but also his rise to world power. When other passages of scripture are
considered such as Isaiah 2:17, which declares ‘the Lord alone will be exalted’
during the day of the Lord and Daniel 9:26-27 which implies the Antichrist will be a world leader who will 'confirm a covenant with many' to initiate the 70th
week of Daniel; the teaching is moved to conclude the Antichrist must not only be revealed, but also rise to power during the time interval between the rapture and the start of the day of the Lord (which explains why some claim this time interval may be up to 2-years in length).
It was
further noted that by equating the tribulation period with the day of the Lord as had been done in the traditional pre-trib teaching, some very problematic issues were raised.
Some students of scripture attempt to resolve part or all of these
issues by completely divorcing the day of the Lord from both the rapture and
the tribulation period. In these versions of the teaching, the day of the
Lord is then associated primarily with either the great tribulation, or the
return of Christ at the battle of Armageddon some seven-plus years after the
rapture and at the very end of the tribulation.
The worldwide wrath of God these teachers see so clearly during the
earlier tribulation years is simply allowed to exist outside the boundaries of
the day of the Lord and the significance scripture places on that day is severely marginalized..
The
final result of this teaching is to divorce the day of the Lord from the
rapture of the Church, sometimes from part or all of the tribulation itself,
and the placement of a significant interval of time between the rapture and the start of
the 70th week of Daniel. All
of these things are in opposition to the traditional pre-tribulation teaching,
but are either completely, or in part, mandated by scripture (under the
assumptions being utilized by this teaching). The amount
of change being dependent upon several issues such as when the Antichrist is
revealed, when the day of the Lord begins and the nature and character of the
rebellion of believers.
THE
POST-TRIBULATION RAPTURE – A BRIEF OVERVIEW
The
post-tribulation rapture teaching stands in stark contrast to the
pre-tribulation views seen above. Two of
the major witnesses called to validate the pre-tribulation teaching are
rejected as unsound. In their place, this
teaching calls very strong scriptural and historical witnesses to validate its
own position and understanding.
The
post-tribulation rapture teaching rejects the doctrine of imminence as a faulty
construct of human logic and wishful thinking.
It contends no explicit scriptural support exists to validate such a
doctrine, but that a great deal of support does exist to undermine it. The teaching also disagrees with the
dispensational understanding of the pre-tribulation teachings, and therefore
rejects its conclusions.
To
replace these witnesses, scripture itself is first called upon to give its
testimony. Using passages of scripture
such as Matthew 24:29-31, Revelation 7:9-17 and numerous passages from the
epistles; the teaching is able to make a clear and powerful case for the
evident fact that the Church itself is seen inside the boundaries of the
tribulation period!
This
scriptural evidence is coupled with the crystal clear teachings of the earliest
of our Church fathers such as Irenaeus and Tertullian, who also saw the Church
itself as being present during the tribulation and resisting the persecution of
the Antichrist. The rapture is seen as
occurring very near the end of the tribulation period. The teaching contends that the Church will be
required to endure this time of trial and persecution through reliance upon the
blessings of God and the power of the Spirit.
Irenaeus: 5 …. And
they [the ten kings].... shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the Church
to flight. (Against Heresies 5.26.1) [Italics added]
Tertullian: 5 That the beast Antichrist with his false
prophet may wage war on the Church
of God.... Since,
then, the Scriptures both indicate the stages of the last times, and concentrate
the harvest of the Christian hope in the very end of the world. (On the
Resurrection of the Flesh, xxxv; cf. Scorpiace, xii) [Italics added]
Rev
13:8-10 (NIV) All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose
names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was
slain from the creation of the world. He
who has an ear, let him hear. If
anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed. This
calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. [Emphasis added]
The final result is an exceptionally strong teaching
which, like its pre-tribulational counterpart, is capable of persuading even the
most serious of biblical students. Such
evidence as can be brought to bear by the supporters of this teaching is
difficult to ignore.
ITS ALL SO CONFUSING, WHO IS REALLY RIGHT?
Each of
the teachings above represents what its supporters truly believe to be the
truth of the Father as given in his holy word.
It is abundantly obvious however that they cannot all represent that
truth. So then, the question becomes
which one, if any, is right? This author
believes the correct answer to that question is, all of them are right,
and yet none of them represent the fullness of the Father’s truth. Allow me to explain.
I believe
each of these teachings represent a portion of the whole truth. For instance, the pre-tribulation
understanding that the time when God’s wrath is poured out upon the world is
the long prophesied day of the Lord is beyond question. The pre-tribulation teaching that the rapture
will occur immediately prior to that time of wrath is also made abundantly
clear in scripture. However, it is not
nearly so clear, nor necessarily true, that the rapture and the day of the Lord
will proceed with the start of Daniel’s 70th week, which is often
called the tribulation period.
The
post-tribulation teaching that sees the Church struggling against the
persecution of the Antichrist during the tribulation, is so strongly supported
by both scripture and history, that it too cannot be denied. But its conclusion that sees the rapture
proceeding at the very end of the 70th week of Daniel is not nearly
so well supported, and must be seriously questioned.
What then
is one to believe? Does a teaching exist
that is founded fully upon the word of God?
A teaching that is essentially independent of human logic, and
guesswork, relying entirely upon the infallible word of truth?
In this
writer’s humble opinion, I believe there IS! I
believe scripture has always held the complete truth about the coming day of
rapture and wrath. I believe our Father
has sealed up this truth, releasing it only now for the benefit of his children
as the day when we will require that truth draws nearer.
Dan 12:8-10 (NIV) I heard, but I
did not understand. So I asked, my lord,
what will the outcome of all this be? He
replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed
until the time of the end. Many will
be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be
wicked. None of the wicked will
understand, but those who are wise will understand. [Emphasis added]
I would like to invite you to journey with me through the
scriptures as we search for that long hidden truth. Asking and yielding to the guidance and
wisdom of the Holy Spirit we will most certainly succeed if it be at all within
the will of our Father.
[Father, may it be that the eyes of this people
would be more readily opened, and our ears more apt to hear than those of the
Scribes and Pharisees who came before us.
Let it be that our only priority is to do the will of you, who is our
God and Father. To learn your truth,
teach your people, and obey your voice forever.
Amen.]
THE PRE-WRATH RAPTURE - A BRIEF OVERVIEW
In its simplest form the pre-wrath view of the rapture
sees the 70th week of Daniel divided into three phases. The first phase begins when, “he (antichrist
/ little horn) shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week” (Dan 9:27). When
this is done, it is all but certain that the identity of the coming end-time ‘man
of sin’ will be concealed behind a facade of deception as a bringer of peace,
master of diplomacy, and quite possibly looking for all the world like Israel’s
long awaited messiah (Mat 24:4, Rev 17:12-13, Rev 6:1-2, Typologically Dan
8:24-25, Dan 10:21-24). During this
phase we will witness the opening of the first, second, third, probably the
fourth, and possibly the fifth seals of Rev 6:1-8.
The
second phase begins at the mid-point of the 70th week and is
initiated by the abomination of desolation, which inaugurates that period of
time we commonly refer to as the ‘great tribulation’ (Mat 24:15-28, Dan 9:27,
Dan 11:45-12:2, Typologically Dan 11:31-35, Dan 8:11-13). During this period of time the fourth and
fifth seals of Rev 6:7-11, if not already opened shall be, and they will most
certainly reach their pinnacle of fulfillment during this period.
After
an undefined period of time, but at least five months before the close of
Daniel’s 70th week and the battle of Armageddon, the great
tribulation will be ‘cut short’ (Mat 24:22), or brought to an abrupt end. Those remaining on earth when this occurs
will witness the herald signs of the day of the Lord which will be manifested
by the opening of the sixth seal (Rev 6:12-17, Mat 24:29, Joel 2:10, 30-31, Isa
13:9-10, Isa 34:4, Joel 3:14-16, Isa 2:9-21).
At that time the whole earth will witness Christ Jesus ‘coming on the
clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.’ (Mat 24:30, Rev 7:9-14,). He will then send forth his angels to gather
his elect, and thus shall the Church be raptured out of this world.
Immediately
AFTER
the Church is raptured, the seventh seal shall be opened (Rev 8:1) and with its
opening begins the third and final phase of this period; the great and terrible day of the Lord. God will pour his wrath out against Satan,
his Antichrist and all those remaining on the earth who have elected to follow
the commands of the Antichrist and accept the ‘mark of the beast’.
During
this time shall come the seven trumpet judgments and the seven bowl judgments
(these are resident within the seventh trumpet judgment). The first six trumpet judgments shall occur
within the confines of Daniel’s 70th week, while the seventh trumpet
judgment (consisting of the seven bowl judgments) will be meted out to man in
the 30 day period immediately following the 70th week of Daniel and
culminates in the battle of Armageddon (Dan 12:11).
The
duration of the day of the Lord judgments is not known except to state that
they will last in excess of six months.
This we know due to the fact the fifth trumpet judgment alone is
declared by scripture to last for five months (Rev 9:1-12), and the seventh
trumpet (containing the seven bowls) will be poured out during the thirty-day
period immediately following the close of Daniel’s 70th week (Dan
12:11). Together these define a
six-month minimum period. How much
additional time is added by the other trumpet judgments is not declared and to
venture any guess towards the matter would amount to little more than
speculation. However, the obvious
implication of this is the fact the great tribulation shall come to a close immediately
BEFORE the day of the Lord begins and at least five months prior to the end of
the 70th week of Daniel (and 6-months before Armageddon).
CHAPTER TWO
STRAND OF TRUTH: WHY DOES THE RAPTURE OCCUR?
WHY DOES THE RAPTURE OCCUR?
Through the years a number of
different reasons have been given as to exactly why God would rapture the Church
out of this world. For the most part,
these reasons can generally be traced back in one form or another to a single,
fundamental, ‘root’ cause. In essence,
the rapture serves to remove the believer to a place of safety prior to the
outpouring of God’s wrath upon the earth.
This teaching is explicitly declared in scripture with such force that
virtually all who believe in a literal removal of the Church from the earth via
the rapture accept it without reservation.
Actually, there is a simple yet astonishing truth that underpins and
absolutely mandates this fact, but we will wait until the end of this chapter
to reveal it.
Another highly touted ‘reason’ for
the rapture comes from the arena of dispensational understanding. This argument stipulates that the rapture
must occur in order to separate the Church from the nation of Israel so it
will not hinder the Father’s plan to redeem and restore that nation. In all fairness and honesty, the author must
admit that he does not find any great merit in the dispensational approach and believes
the separation of the Church and national Israel is more a consequence
of the rapture than a cause of it.
However, as we will see, if we follow the dispensational argument only
as long as it remains on scriptural bedrock we will find that both paths
point toward the same conclusion.
While dispensational considerations
will not be used as a source of ‘proof’ in this study, it is highly desirable
that the reader should understand the basis upon which the dispensational
argument is founded if for no
other purpose than to keep him from taking this path in the future. Therefore,
in this chapter, we will first examine the explicitly declared truth of
scripture regarding the removal/rapture of the Church prior to the outpouring
of God’s wrath. Next we will briefly
survey some basic information regarding dispensational truth and problems
associated with determining that truth.
Then, we will take a moment to consider the dispensational argument
concerning the necessity of separating the Church from national Israel to
facilitate that nation’s redemption and reclamation. Finally, we will reveal the actual reason as
to why the rapture must occur.
THE
EXPLICIT TEACHING OF RAPTURE AND WRATH
In both contrast and compliment to
the teachings of dispensational truth, which we will review shortly, stands the
explicit teaching of scripture concerning God’s motives for removing the Church
from the earth through the rapture.
Scripture clearly states that one of God’s primary reasons for the
removal of the Church is to keep believers from being touched by his terrible
wrath about to be unleashed upon the world at that time. In the clearest of all the passages of
scripture dealing with the subject of the rapture the word of God declares:
1Thes
4:15-5:9 (NIV) According to the Lord’s
own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming
of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. Therefore encourage each other
with these words.
Now, brothers, 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, are not in darkness so
that this day should surprise you like a thief. ..... 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.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact
you are doing. [emphasis added]
This
passage makes it abundantly clear that a time will come when God will deem it
necessary to pour out his wrath upon humanity in a frenzy of destruction few
will escape. As always however, his
mercy and grace reside upon the Christian believers comprising the unblemished Church of Christ.
Believers who have been bought with the blood of his blessed son and who
stand spotless, blameless and righteous before the Father because of Christ’s
sacrifice at Calvary.
Throughout the ages our loving
judge and Father has always been faithful to rescue his righteous children from
the outpouring of his wrath. Just as the
scriptures declare he rescued righteous Noah from his wrath when he flooded the
ancient world, and again he rescued righteous Lot from Sodom before his wrath
rained fire from the heavens to destroy that wicked city; so too will our
Father rescue those who stand righteous before him because of the blood of the
Lamb when he consumes this world in his wrath.
For as the scriptures declare unto us, ‘God did not appoint us to suffer
wrath but to receive salvation (from his coming wrath, by way of the rapture)
through our Lord Jesus Christ.’
The word
of God reinforces this point when it commends believers who patiently wait for
the return of Christ Jesus that they might be rescued from the coming wrath of
God.
1 Thes 1:10 (NIV) and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he
raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. [italics added]
We are
able to link this passage to the rapture by comparing it with the passage we
previously viewed in 1 Thes 4:13 – 5:9.
Carefully note how this passage instructs believers to ‘wait for his Son
from heaven’. This is virtually
identical to the proclamation of 1 Thes 4:16 that tells us a time will come
when ‘the Lord himself will come down from heaven’. Both of these passages are in agreement, and
their unified message is that believers may rest assured a time will come when
our Lord, Jesus Christ, will personally come down from heaven.
The purpose of his coming is
openly declared in 1 Thes 4:16-17 to be the removal, or rapture, of the Church
from the earth. Further, both passages
declare the reason the Church is to be removed is to ‘rescue us from the coming wrath’
of God. It would be difficult for
scripture to be more open and straightforward in its declaration. A time is coming when God will pour out his
wrath upon the earth, and Christ Jesus will come to this insignificant orb just
in the nick of time to rescue his faithful Church from the horrors of that
wrath by way of the rapture.
JESUS SPEAKS
OF THE COMING WRATH
Summing
the entire situation up quite succinctly is the testimony of Jesus himself when
he spoke concerning his return from heaven.
It is worth noting that at the time of this statement his disciples were
not aware of the full meaning of what the Lord was saying and certainly had no
knowledge of the rapture at this juncture.
But later, through the moving of the Holy Spirit, this statement,
coupled with the testimony of Jesus from the Olivet discourse and certain Old
Testament passages are almost certainly what lead the apostle Paul to declare
the mystery of the rapture.
Luke
17:26-30 (NIV) Just as it was in the
days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and
being given in marriage up to the day
Noah entered the ark. Then the flood
came and destroyed them all. It
was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and
selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom; fire and sulfur rained down
from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the
Son of Man is revealed. [italics
added]
It is well worth the time to make a
quick comparison between this passage and the truths we found in our two
previous passages. In considering these
three passages we find:
1)
A day
will come when the Son of Man, Jesus, will be revealed.
a. ‘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,’
b. ‘wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from
the dead’
c. ‘Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it
be in the days of the Son of Man.’ …. ‘It will be just like this on the day the
Son of Man is revealed.’
2)
On the
day of his revealing, the righteous will be removed to a place of safety.
a. ‘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.’
b. ‘Jesus, who rescues us from the coming
wrath.’
c. ‘the day Noah
entered the ark’ …. ‘the day Lot left Sodom’
3)
Once
the righteous are safe, then the destruction of God’s wrath will be poured out upon the unsuspecting wicked who are living in what
they believe to be a time of peace and safety.
a. ‘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, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise
you like a thief.’
b. ‘Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.’
c. ‘People were eating, drinking, marrying and being
given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all’
…. ‘People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and
building. But the day Lot left Sodom; fire and sulfur
rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the
day the Son of Man is revealed.’
No words from man could state the
truth of our Lord more eloquently or succinctly. The parallels are too striking and clearly
evident to honestly or reasonably deny.
These passages are speaking of the same time and series of events, each
complimenting the other with added depth and insight. The meaning of these passages rings out with
crystalline clarity to anyone who has ears with which to hear the voice of the
Spirit.
A day is coming when the wrath of
God will be poured out upon this world.
Immediately prior to that day, our Lord Jesus Christ will leave his
heavenly abode to rescue his beloved followers.
Once they are removed to a place of safety, the wrath of God will be
poured out upon this sinful and wicked world.
This simple fact comprises our first strand of truth, which put into its
most basic form states ‘The
rapture rescues believers from the time of God’s wrath’.
THE
IMPLICIT TEACHING OF DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY
Many teachers claim to be able to
determine with absolute certainty, the season of the rapture based on his/her
correct understanding of dispensational truth (the basic concept of the various
dispensations is discussed below).
Indeed, this might very well be possible, provided of course that the
teacher’s understanding of the nature, meaning, timing and consequences of the
anticipated dispensational change is in fact 100% correct. Such understanding is not very likely however
considering the magnitude of the task involved, as I will attempt to explain.
This is a most unfortunate situation
since it is our perception of future dispensational truth from which many
teachers attempt to mold their understanding regarding the nature and timing of
the separation of national Israel
and the Church. In this system even
small errors in the initial understanding of these teachers can lead to
radically divergent teachings. With this
in mind let us briefly explore what a dispensation is, and then some of the
difficulties those who seek to take the path of dispensational interpretation
will encounter along their journey.
WHAT
IS A DISPENSATION ANYWAY?
The teaching of dispensational
theology has strong and deeply seated roots in the doctrines of modern
Christianity. The basic concept of
dispensational theology is that God, at various times in the course of human
history has chosen, or found it necessary, to alter the way in which his
relationship with man would be conducted.
Each of these ‘relationship periods’ may be considered as a different
‘dispensation’.
For
example, when Adam and Eve first walked in the Garden of Eden in their sinless
state, God was able to fellowship with them directly. This epoch of human history is commonly
called the dispensation of ‘innocence’. After their fall
through sin, the relationship between man and God changed dramatically. The period of time from the fall of man until
the flood contains this new epoch of human history and is often called the
dispensation of ‘human conscience’.
We might well continue our brief survey of all the different
dispensational periods of mankind’s existence, but it would not serve us well
at this time to meet our present needs.
As
stated previously, dispensational theology comprises a largely implicit group
of teachings. That is to say, the
scriptures never come right out and openly state that one dispensation is
ending and another is beginning. In
fact, scripture never mentions the various dispensations at all. Instead, we are able to distinguish one
dispensation from another as we view the entire body of scripture and carefully
digest the interactions between God and his creation. If we prayerfully study the scriptures, the
Holy Spirit will help us ‘read between
the lines’ and understand not just the things that have been explicitly
recorded in scripture, but also those things that are implied by
scripture. It is in this way, by
understanding both the explicit accounts of the scriptures and the implied
meanings of the events and interactions between God and man that we are able to
come to an understanding that indeed various dispensations, or ‘relationship
periods’ have and do continue to exist.
Dispensational theology has greatly
added to our understanding of God and his dealings with mankind in the course
of human history. If properly
understood, it could also serve as an aid to understanding what our Father has
in store for us in the future. It is at
this point however, (when we attempt to utilize dispensational thinking to
interpret future prophetic events), that we begin to encounter serious problems
with our application of dispensational understanding.
Many wonderful men of God have
delved into the scriptures and have become convinced that a change in our
current relationship with God (a new dispensation) looms on our horizon. It seems quite clear that this change is
intimately tied to the coming tribulation period (AKA – the 70th
week of Daniel). However, while most are
in agreement on these limited issues there is much disagreement as to when
and how this change will be effected.
Please understand that in no way is
it my intention to disparage the concepts and teachings stemming from a solid
understanding of dispensationalism, however, I feel compelled to urge caution
with regard to its use in trying to determine with any high degree of accuracy
the precise course of future prophetic events, including the season of the
rapture. This caution stems from a solid
conviction that while dispensational truth is a tool well suited for providing
a deeper understanding of events surrounding the changing relationship between
God and man in an historical context, it does not lend itself nearly so well to
understanding how that relationship will change, and associated events proceed
in the future. Allow me to explain the
source of this conviction.
WHAT
SHOULD WE DO WITH THE 70TH WEEK OF DANIEL?
The problems begin to arise when we
look into our future through the eyes of the scriptures and attempt to
determine how the 70th week of Daniel (commonly known as the
tribulation period) fits into God’s great plan.
As students of prophecy are well aware, the 70th week of
Daniel has been divinely displaced in time.
When God revealed his great master plan for the future of his people to
the prophet Daniel (Dan 9:24-27), he was told that future would comprise a
period of exactly 490 years (seventy ‘sevens’ or ‘weeks’ of years, 70 x 7 =
490).
The prophetic clock began to tick in
445 BC and then suddenly stopped in 32 AD when Jesus appeared on the outskirts
of Jerusalem on
the foal of a donkey. At this point some
483 prophetic years had passed (sixty-nine ‘sevens’ of years) and only 7 years
(one ‘seven’ or ‘week’ of years, called the 70th week of Daniel)
remained to complete the prophetic vision given to Daniel and usher in the kingdom of Christ Jesus.
Had the Jews believed in and
accepted their Messiah on that fateful day this last seven-year period would
have been immediately played out and the prophecy given to Daniel would have come
to completion seven years later. History
tells us however, that Jesus was rejected by those whom he had come to
deliver. Instead of accepting him with
open and thankful arms the children of Abraham instead, spread-open the arms of
their Messiah and nailed them to a cross.
Because of this rejection, God in
his infinite grace and mercy divinely postponed the execution of the 70th
week of Daniel’s prophecy and opened the doors of his grace and love to all who
would believe and have faith in his beloved son Jesus. With this act, the dispensation of ‘the age of grace’, also commonly called ‘the Church age’, was ushered onto the stage of the cosmic
drama. At some point in our future
however, God will restart the prophetic clock he divinely stopped some two
thousand years ago. This is the precise
point where our dispensational understanding begins to break down and we must exercise extreme
caution.
THE
SOURCE OF CONFUSION
Allow me to share with you some of
the confusion surrounding this issue.
Remember if you will that scripture does not come right out and
explicitly tell us when, where and how the various dispensations will be
implemented. Therefore, we must ‘read
between the lines’ of scripture to understand the nature, meaning, timing and
consequences of the evolving relationship between God and man as well as the
events surrounding that evolution.
Now, when God restarts the prophetic
clock, the 70th week of Daniel will immediately begin to unfold; but in what dispensation does
the 70th week belong? Does it belong to the dispensation of ‘grace’
in which we now live, or to the dispensation of ‘law’, which is where it
originated but has been divinely displaced by God? Perhaps it is a peculiar mixture of both
‘grace’ and ‘law’. Perhaps it belongs to
neither but is instead a transitional period between ‘the age of grace’ and
‘the millennial kingdom’.
What will be the role of the Holy
Spirit during this time? Will his
ministry revert to the same type of ministry he executed during the Old
Testament, or will he continue the indwelling empowered ministry he now is able
to perform because of the victory of Jesus?
Questions abound concerning when
God’s plan for the restoration of Israel will begin to unfold and
what will happen to the Church at this time. Does God begin his plan for Israel’s
restoration immediately upon the restarting of the prophetic clock, or at some
point later in that final seven-year period?
Must the Church be raptured prior to the start of God’s restoration
plan, or might it coexist for a short while with national Israel? With so many questions, and most lacking
explicit instruction from scripture the difficulty and scope of the daunting
task regarding understanding and applying details of the coming dispensational
change becomes readily apparent.
WHAT
ABOUT THE CHURCH?
The Church is a mystery that was
never clearly revealed in the Old Testament as is the age of grace in which it
resides. It came into being due to the
rejection of Christ by the Jews and the infinite grace of a loving God. According to a strict interpretation of the
Old Testament prophetic scriptures concerning the future of mankind and God’s
plan for the nation of Israel,
neither the age of grace nor the Church of Jesus Christ should ever have come
into existence. It is believed by most
adherents of dispensational theology that it will not be possible for God to
complete his foreordained plan for the nation of Israel so long as the Church
remains in existence. Therefore, it is
understood that at some point prior to completing his plan to reclaim and
restore the nation of Israel,
God will remove the Church from this world through the rapture.
However, even if this is true, the question remains to be answered as to
precisely what
point during the course of the 70th week of Daniel might this
removal occur? Some
teachers claim the Church must be removed at the same time the prophetic clock
is restarted, which is to say at the same time the 70th week of
Daniel begins, so the Church will in no way interfere with God’s plan for the
nation of Israel. Other teachers point to specific passages of
scripture which seem to require that the Church’s rapture must occur a
considerable period of time, usually several years, prior to the start of the
70th week of Daniel. Still
other teachers conclude that it is entirely possible God may conduct his plans
for Israel and the Church simultaneously during part or all of the 70th
‘week’ by using still another version of dispensational ‘truth’ to support
their claims. With so many different
‘truths’, whom should we believe?
Each teacher has a convincing
message founded primarily upon his/her understanding of dispensational
truth. With this ‘dispensational
mandate’ firmly in place, it is fairly easy to search the scriptures for
supporting passages ‘proving’ their point.
Conflicting passages of scripture are then spiritualized away, twisted
to have a different meaning than that which is readily apparent, or simply
ignored as much as possible.
THE
MORAL OF THIS STORY IS…
The underlying message of this brief
consideration of the use of dispensational theology as a tool to determine the
season of the rapture is it is unreliable and not well suited for this
purpose. It is only as
accurate as our understanding of scripture’s implicit truths. Since by
the very nature of dispensational theology much of our understanding comes from
‘reading between the lines’ and applying our wisdom toward interpreting the
intentions of God, it is only natural that some ‘fuzzy’ areas would arise in
our overall understanding.
When gazing into the past, the tool
of dispensational understanding is easier to wield since we have history and
experience to help us in our efforts to understand. When using this same tool to try and
comprehend our future however, it seems to engender at least as many questions
as answers.
To be certain, many teachers and
preachers can deliver a spirited and convincing message based on dispensational
theology. Touting reams of loosely
related scriptural facts, circumstantial evidence and a few carefully placed
assumptions, they set out to prove any number of possible rapture
scenarios. Each carries with it an aura
of scriptural authority. Yet each falls
short of being representative of God’s pure truth when the teacher moves from
the bedrock of explicit scriptural teaching onto the shifting sands of
‘dispensational prophecy’. This is
indeed dangerous ground and should not be trod upon lightly. Dispensational theology, when used correctly
can add immensely to our understanding of God’s word and his dealings with man,
but it must be used carefully and correctly.
Finally, it should be pointed out
that the use of these potentially dangerous
dispensational arguments concerning the season of the rapture are wholly
unnecessary. Scripture
does contain explicit teachings that will lead us unerringly toward the season
of the rapture. And it is from these
teachings that our view and understanding of the coming dispensational changes should
be formed and revised as necessary.
If one’s dispensational understanding is correct, then it is an obvious
and indisputable fact that any consistent and explicitly declared teaching of
scripture will be in agreement with that understanding and ultimately lead us
to the same points of truth. What should
be equally obvious and indisputable is the notion that should such agreement not exist, we must alter our dispensational understanding to match the
explicitly declared truths of scripture rather than ignoring, minimizing or
twisting these truths for the purpose of preserving our chosen ‘dispensational
mandate’.
THE
ROOT OF ALL TRUTH – JESUS
Before we move ahead I would like to
take a moment to share with the reader the absolute bedrock of all truth
concerning ‘why’ the rapture must
occur. I hope the reader will appreciate
the simplicity and astonishing implications of what follows. Believe it or not our search for the true
‘root’ of all truth concerning the rapture begins long ago in the dessert
wanderings of Israel.
Recall if you will that at one point
in their journey the children of Israel were very thirsty and could
not find water. Fearing for his safety,
Moses cried out to the Lord. Hearing
Moses’s cry, God provided life-giving water for the people in a most miraculous
way.
Ex 17:5-6 (NIV) The LORD answered
Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people.
Take with you some of the elders of Israel
and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile,
and go. I will stand there before you by
the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock,
and water will come out of it for the people to drink. … [emphasis added]
And so the children of Israel were
saved on that day. Later, an identical
event occurred. Once more the people
found themselves longing for the water of life, and once more Moses turned to
the Lord for assistance. Again God
provided for the people, but his instructions to Moses were a bit different on
this occasion.
Num 20:7-12 (NIV) The LORD said to Moses, “take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather
the assembly together. Speak to that rock
before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the
community so they and their livestock can drink.”
So
Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he
commanded him. …. 11) Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff.
Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
But
the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust
in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will
not bring this community into the land I give them.” [emphasis added]
On this occasion the Lord commanded
that Moses should speak to the
rock. Moses, for reasons we may never
fully understand, chose instead to strike the rock as he had done previously.
Because of this, God was so displeased that he punished Moses and Aaron
by excluding them from entering the land.
Now I’m sure you may be wondering
why God was so upset with Moses, and just what this little bit of history has
to do with the rapture of the Church. To
understand this we must look to the New Testament for answers. First we must discover the identity of ‘the
rock’.
1 Cor 10:4 (NIV) and drank the same spiritual drink;
for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. [emphasis added]
With this declaration, scripture
leaves us no doubt that the rock Moses struck was meant to represent our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ! Our Father was
drawing us a picture of the path to salvation in the actions of Moses. This is called a typological event
and though you may not have realized it, scripture is filled with such
events. Their intended purpose is to
convey understanding to those who seek the face, truth and will of the Father
in his word.
The nugget of truth and
understanding this typological event conveys to us is simply this:
1)
The
rock is Jesus Christ!
2)
In order to
receive the water of life [salvation] from the rock [Jesus], it was necessary that the rock first be
struck [crucified].
3)
Afterward, we
need only speak/ask to the rock [repent
and ask Jesus for forgiveness] in order
to receive the life-giving water of eternal salvation.
4)
Finally, and
this is what got Moses in trouble, we should understand that our Father has
strictly ordained that the rock [Jesus] will be struck once and only once for the sin of mankind! He will
absolutely not be asked to pay a second time for that which he has already paid
in full!
It is imperative we understand that
Jesus will not be struck a second time! It was intended from the beginning that he be
offered and required to suffer once and once only for the sin of mankind.
Heb 7:27 (NIV) Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer
sacrifices day after day, first for his
own sins, and then for the sins of the people.
He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered
himself.
Heb 9:24-28 (NIV) For Christ did not enter a manmade
sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now
to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer
himself again and again, the way
the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not
his own. Then Christ would have had to
suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the
end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and
after that to face judgment, so Christ was
sacrificed once to take away the
sins of many people; …. [emphasis added]
Perhaps Moses was distracted or
angry, or maybe he just got a little careless or complacent, who can say? But one thing we know for sure, he disobeyed
the instructions of God. Instead of speaking to the rock he struck it! This was
the typological equivalent of crucifying Christ for a second time and the Lord
was amused by neither the typological insinuation nor the irreparable damage
that was done to his intended teaching.
In fact if you review the passage you will note that Moses had to strike
the rock twice before
water actually came out of it. Now, I
don’t mean to make light of a serious situation, but can you imagine the things
that must have been running through Moses’s mind when he first struck the rock
… and nothing happened? Not to mention
all the things that must have been transpiring in the spiritual realm as Moses
lifted his arm to strike the ‘fatal’ blow.
At any rate, the mistake Moses made
serves well to teach us just how serious our Father is about Jesus being ‘struck’ only once for sin. It
is exactly this issue which impacts our understanding of the rapture of the Church. Recall if you will that the rapture will
serve to rescue the Church from the impending wrath of God that is about to be
unleashed upon the world to punish it for its sins. Now, take a moment to consider the fact that the
Church is the body of Christ. Tell me, …. has the Spirit of God just hit
you squarely between the eyes with a nugget of understanding? If not, consider the following.
When our Father begins to punish the
world for sin by pouring his wrath out on the entire world, there is one thing
that he will have to do first. He must remove the Church
to prevent Jesus from being struck a second
time for sin! This is true
since Jesus lives within each member of the Church, which in turn comprises his
body. Therefore if the Church were not
removed, then Jesus, through the suffering of the Church, would be required to suffer and
pay a second time for sin as he/we
endured the very wrath of our own Father.
This will never be allowed to happen and therefore the Church must be removed before the wrath of God is
allowed to touch this planet!
At this juncture I should make
something clear. While the Church will
never be required to suffer the wrath of God, we have no such promise concerning the
wrath and temptation of Satan. Our Father has never promised us that
suffering at the hands of the wicked one would not be in our future. In fact, just the opposite is true. Consider this; if Jesus, who was by far
greater than we, was not exempted from the temptation and wrath of Satan, how
might we think ourselves to be above such things?
CONCLUSIONS
Everything we have studied in this
chapter tends to lead us toward the same undeniable conclusion. Namely, that the Church will be removed from
this planet before the wrath of God is unleashed in a worldwide maelstrom of
destruction.
Once we have grasped this truth, it
appears obvious that our next step toward determining the proper season of the
rapture will be to see if scripture will declare to us any further information
concerning the period when the Lord will pour his wrath out upon the
earth. We should note that several clues
seem to have presented themselves as we searched scripture.
Of special significance seems to be
the period of time called ‘the day of the Lord’. We initially encountered this term in the
first passage of scripture we studied (1 Thes 4:13 – 5:11). This passage of scripture seemed to equate
the time of God’s wrath with ‘the day of the Lord’ and, interestingly enough,
this same period of time was found to be tightly interwoven with our
dispensational considerations regarding the rapture and the redemption of
Israel.
Therefore let us delve further into
the subject of the day of the Lord that we might determine first, if this
period can actually be considered as a time of God’s wrath upon the entire
world, and second, if a connection truly exist between the rapture and the day
of the Lord. As scripture instructs us,
the voice of a single witness does not bear the burden of proof nearly so well
as having a thing confirmed by the witness of two or three.
With all these considerations in
mind, it would seem the one certain conclusion we can draw from our search
would be the absolute understanding that the rapture is intended to
rescue believers from the time of God’s worldwide wrath! It is therefore this simple and unassuming
strand of truth that we will use as the foundation of our continuing search for
truth.
[Thanks and praise be given unto
you oh LORD. For you have given us a clear place from
which we may begin our search. Guide us
now by your Holy Spirit as we continue on this, our exodus, toward the truth. Guide us even as you did the
wandering Israelites and grant us the courage to follow you even into the
places that frighten us. If it please
you, Illuminate your truth and keep your humble servants away from error. Amen]
CHAPTER THREE
STRAND
OF TRUTH: THE
DAY OF THE LORD IS THE TIME OF GOD’S WRATH
THE KEY OF UNDERSTANDING
The often overlooked and/or
misunderstood ‘essential key’ to understanding end time events, and especially
the timing of the rapture, is a thorough understanding of that unique period of
time called the day of the Lord. Proper
understanding of the nature and character of that day coupled with knowledge of
the circumstances surrounding the beginning of that time, creates the crucible
wherein God’s truth concerning end time events might be prepared for
consumption by his people. Error is
ground to powder and blown away, while genuine truth is refined and
strengthened through the process. With
this in mind, let us endeavor to gain a more complete understanding of the
essential characteristics of the day of the Lord pertinent to the timing of the
rapture as we turn our attention towards the Holy Scriptures in our search for
truth.
WHAT WILL THE DAY OF THE LORD BE LIKE?
Previously we discussed several points of ‘common
ground’ existing between the pre-wrath and pre-tribulation rapture
teachings. One such aspect of end times
theology about which we have much in common is our understanding of the nature
and general character of that period of time called the day of the Lord (though
there exists considerable disagreement as to when it begins and how long it
last). In fact, most bible students who
believe in a literal rapture view that time as a period toward the end of the
age, which contains God’s divine judgment, anger and holy wrath
against a sinful world. During this time
God will pour out his wrath upon all nations as he sends great
destruction among them in order that the sinner might be destroyed and all
mankind, in its vast vanity of pride, be humbled before Almighty God. To support this position we appeal to the
Holy Scriptures. Some of which are given
below.
Joel 1:15 (NIV) Alas for that
day! For the day of the LORD is near; it
will come like destruction from the Almighty. [emphasis added]
Joel 3:12-14 (NIV) Let the
nations be roused; let them advance into the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit to judge all the nations
on every side. Swing the sickle, for the
harvest is ripe. Come, trample the
grapes for the winepress is full and the vats overflow -- so
great is their wickedness! Multitudes,
multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in
the valley of decision.
Zeph 1:14-2:3 (NIV) The great
day of the LORD is near - near and coming
quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior
there. That day will be a day of
wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of
clouds and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry .... 17) I will bring
distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have
sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their entrails like filth. 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 world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who
live in the earth. …. 2:3) Seek the LORD
all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps
you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger. [emphasis added]
Isa 13:6-13 (NIV) Wail for the
day of the LORD is near; it will come
like destruction from the Almighty.
..... 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 in it. ..... Therefore I will make the
heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the
LORD Almighty, in the day
of his burning anger. [emphasis added]
Amos 5:18-20 (NIV) Woe to you
who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day
will be darkness, not light. It will
be as though a man fled from a lion, only to meet a bear, as though he entered
his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light - pitch-dark without a ray of
brightness? [emphasis added]
Rom 2:5-8 [NIV] But because of
your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath
against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment
will be revealed. God will give to each
person according to what he has done. To
those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he
will give eternal life. But for those
who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be
wrath and anger. [italics added]
IS THE DAY OF THE LORD PAST OR FUTURE?
Scripture could hardly be more
explicit in its declaration of God’s burning anger and the extent of the
destruction he will pour out upon the earth during this time. Yet one might be tempted to wonder how it is
that we should believe this time of divine wrath lies in our future rather than
our past. As always, we turn to
scripture for our answers.
1Thes 4:15-5:3 (NIV) According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you
that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will
certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. Therefore encourage each other
with these words.
Now, brothers, 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. [italics added]
In this passage, Paul clearly
explains to the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord ‘will come’. This indicates that it would exist at some
point still future to the time in which Paul was writing. Further, the passage associates that time with
the rapture, which we know lies in our own future and is in fact associated
with events surrounding end time prophecy.
Therefore, it becomes obvious that the period of time scripture calls
the day of the Lord looms on the horizon of humanity’s future rather than in
our distant past.
Scripture
again makes a similar declaration and not only associates the day of the Lord
with the rapture but with several other events associated with end times when
it makes the following declaration.
2 Thes 2:1-3 (NIV) Concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him (the
rapture), we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed
by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying 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. ….. but the one who now holds it back will continue to
do so till he is taken out of the way.
And then the lawless one will be revealed [emphasis and parenthesis added]
Here
again we see that Paul directly states the day of the Lord has yet to be
fulfilled as of the time of his writing.
Consistent with the text from 1 Thessalonians seen previously, he also
associates this period with the end time event we call the rapture. In this new passage however, Paul continues
on to associate the day of the Lord with three other well known end time
events; the apostasy/rebellion of believers, the unveiling of the Antichrist,
and the removal of the restrainer of lawlessness.
This
passage makes it abundantly clear that before the day of the Lord will proceed
forth from the hand of the Father, this world will witness a rebellion of
believers, the revealing of a very real and very personal Antichrist, and the
removal of the restrainer of lawlessness.
Each of these events is well known to students of the bible and each is
associated with events surrounding the time of the end. Once again, the declaration of scripture is
that the day of the Lord waits in humanity’s future and not its past.
I
understand most readers are no doubt already curious about the nature of the
association between the day of the Lord and other end time events. Rest assured we will explore these
relationships in depth at the proper time.
For now, let us be content with gaining a solid understanding of the
proper season in which the day of the Lord will occur. As such, I thank you in advance for your
patience.
JESUS
TESTIFIES AS TO WHEN
Scripture
has yet another witness to the nature and time frame of the day of the Lord’s
wrath, our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus
first began his earthly ministry, one of the first things he did was to return
to the town of Nazareth
where he had grown up. Scripture records
Jesus went into the synagogue and began reading from the scroll of Isaiah.
Luke 4:17b-21
(NIV) Unrolling it, he found the place
where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the
Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
Then he rolled up the scroll, ….. and he began by saying to them, ‘Today
this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
Luke
goes on to inform us that those listening to Jesus became so upset they
attempted to kill him. The reason for
their anger is they understood the scriptures he had read applied to the
Messiah and would be fulfilled at the time of his coming. By proclaiming to be the fulfillment of these
verses, the crowd understood Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah and they
simply were not ready to believe such a thing.
From
our vantage point in this day and age we are no longer shocked at the claim, as
were those who first heard him. In fact,
we who call ourselves the children of God loudly proclaim the Messianic
authority of Jesus. However, with regard
to the subject of the day of Lord, it is not what Jesus said to the crowd that
day which transfixes us so much as what he did not say.
If
we compare the scripture read by Jesus on that day with the text of the book of
Isaiah from which it was taken we will make a remarkable discovery.
Isa 61:1-2
(NIV) The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the
poor. He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s
favor and the day of vengeance of our God, [emphasis added]
Note
carefully the portion of this messianic prophecy where Jesus ceased his
reading; ‘to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’. What is amazing is that Jesus stopped reading
in the middle of a sentence. There is no
comma, period or anything else to prompt him to stop. He simply quit reading the prophecy at this
juncture, rolled up the scroll and declared that he was the fulfillment of what
had been read.
Jesus
is the Messiah, and as such he is the fulfillment of this entire passage of
scripture. Yet at the time of his first
coming he claimed only to be the fulfillment of that portion of this prophecy
wherein he would minister in love, mercy and grace to those who sought him. At that time he came to ‘proclaim the year of
the Lord’s favor’.
Another
time is coming when he will return to usher in the fulfillment of the remainder
of this prophecy and following closely in the wake of his return will come ‘the
day of vengeance of our God’. This time
of God’s vengeance upon the world, which will occur at the time of Christ’s
next visitation to this planet, is nothing less than the day of the Lord. That great and terrible time when God will
pour out his wrath and anger in righteous vengeance upon this sinful world full
of pride and vanity. As scripture has
written concerning that day:
Isa 34:1-8
(NIV) Come near, you nations, and
listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let
the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of
it! The LORD is angry with all nations; his wrath is
upon all their armies. He will totally
destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, their dead
bodies will send up a stench, the mountains will be soaked with their blood. All the stars of the heavens will be
dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall
like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree. …. For
the LORD has a day of vengeance,
a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s
cause. [italics added]
Isa 2:12-19
(NIV) The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the
proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), …. The
arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, and
the idols will totally disappear. Men
will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from dread of the LORD and the splendor of his majesty, when he
rises to shake the earth. [italics
added]
AND
ALL GOD’S PEOPLE SAID…
The plainly explicit truth contained
within these scriptures serves to help us fashion yet another strand of
truth. One of many such strands from
which we will weave an undeniable tapestry of truth that might be used to
wrap-up the question of the rapture once and for all. The strand of truth we have uncovered within
these verses is not an issue that is greatly debated and I will not therefore
belabor the point, but it is nonetheless of extreme importance. The general character of the day of the Lord
contained within these texts cannot be denied, misunderstood, nor
overstated. Simply put, our strand of
truth is this: The day of the LORD
is a period of time toward the end of this age during which God’s divine judgment,
anger and holy wrath is poured out upon a sinful world. Holding tightly to this small piece of truth
we shall now move on to see what more the Lord might add to our understanding.
SUMMARY
So,
let us pause a moment as we take stock of the treasures scripture has yielded
to our search for truth and understanding.
In this section I pray you will agree that scripture has been undeniably
clear in providing us with the following nuggets of truth.
1) The
day of the Lord is a time when God will pour out his wrath, anger, and divine
judgment upon the entire world.
2) Scripture
declares this time of destruction will be visited upon humanity toward the end
of this present age.
The
clarity with which scripture declares these things leaves us with little doubt
as to their truth and validity. We
should recognize that these truths reveal to us that the day of the Lord is
intimately associated with end-time events and is exactly the type of
worldwide, divine wrath the rapture is intended to rescue the Church from. This raises the interesting question of
whether scripture acknowledges any true link between the rapture and the day of
the Lord. With this question in hand, we
will turn to scripture and explore precisely such a possibility in the next
chapter.
CHAPTER FOUR
STRAND
OF TRUTH: THE
DAY OF THE LORD IS LINKED TO THE RAPTURE
A FAMILIAR TEACHING
The pre-wrath and traditional pre-tribulation
teachings share still another point of common ground concerning the day of the
Lord. Both teachings contend the rapture
of the Church is inextricably linked to the beginning of the day of the Lord
and its associated wrath (though the two teachings differ as to when the
rapture/day of the Lord will proceed).
An intimate temporal linking of the rapture with the day of the Lord
should hardly come as a surprise to us since it is a widely understood and
accepted fact that one of the primary reasons for the rapture is to remove the Church
immediately prior to the outpouring of God’s worldwide wrath, a point we
ourselves have considered previously in this text.
Also,
it was shown in our previous strand of truth that the unique time God has set
aside especially for the purpose of pouring out his divine wrath and judgment
upon the nations is called the day of the Lord.
In fact it is the view of the pre-wrath teaching that the rapture of the
Church is the event that, in a manner of speaking, initiates the day of the
Lord.
If
this hypothesis is correct, then we should be able to find scriptural evidence,
in addition to that shown previously, to further support our proposed dance of
rapture and wrath. Moreover, this dance
should be intimately tied to that period of time scripture calls the day of
the Lord.
THE VOICE OF THESSALONICA
1Thes
4:13-5:11 (NIV) Brothers, we do not want
you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of
men who have no hope. We believe that
Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus
those who have fallen asleep in him.
According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still
alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede
those who have fallen asleep. 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. Therefore encourage each other with these
words.
Now, brothers, 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. .... But you,
brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a
thief. .... 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. Therefore encourage
one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. [italics added]
Paul,
in writing this passage to the Thessalonians was seeking to quell concerns they
had regarding the rapture of the Church.
A subject he had doubtless instructed them about during his time
there. We can see from Paul’s response
to them that their concern was two-fold:
1)
What fate awaits our
loved ones who have died [fallen asleep] before the Lord’s return to rapture
us? That is, will they still participate
in the coming rapture?
2)
When might we expect the
rapture to take place and/or how much longer do we have to wait? This question would have been a natural
follow-on question to the first since the desire of their heart was to be
reunited with their loved ones who had ‘fallen asleep’. They also would have considered this question
pertinent since they, along with virtually everyone in the early Church and
indeed every generation of believers, expected Jesus to return in their
lifetime.
Paul’s
answer regarding their loved ones secure place in the rapture to come must have
brought great relief to the troubled minds in the young Church. Their loved ones would not only take part in
the rapture, but would in fact rise first to lead the way towards heaven’s
celestial shore. What a magnificent
scene that will be!
[All praise, glory and thanks be lifted to
the living God on high whom in his mercy has seen fit to include me, a lowly
sinner, and all my brethren in Christ Jesus, within the ranks of that blessed
throng. Amen.]
CONCERNING WHEN
Paul
continues on to answer the question of ‘when’ the rapture would occur. This time his answer did not bring the same
level of comfort. In fact, Paul’s honest
response was to remind the young Church that he could give them neither an
exact time nor date for the events just discussed and associated with the
rapture because, as they were already well aware, the day of the Lord
was to be completely unexpected and would come like a thief in the
night! With this statement a clear,
intimate and undeniable temporal link is placed between the two events, the
rapture and the day of the Lord.
He
went on to further link the two events by informing the Thessalonians that ‘God
did not appoint us to suffer wrath [the day of the Lord] but to receive
salvation [by way of the rapture] through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ In essence, what he was telling the
Thessalonians is that they could expect to escape the coming wrath
resident within the day of the Lord by way of the rapture when Christ Jesus
comes for his Church. Thus, he
has herewith placed the rapture on, or shortly before the beginning of the day
of the Lord and again we see the strong intimation of an intimate temporal
link.
This
relationship is self evident due to the intimate manner in which the nature,
character and purpose of the two events are inextricably interwoven. For example, since the rapture is to be the
vehicle by which mortals are to escape the wrath of the day of the Lord, it
naturally follows that this vehicle would be employed within a short time of
the coming wrath and not years prior to it.
This truth seems very clear when the text is taken literally, at face
value, and in its most natural form.
NEW SUBJECT OR NOT, A VERY SERIOUS QUESTION
There
are many who do not wish to see a link between the rapture and the day of the
Lord, and certainly not a link that would constrain the rapture to occur on or
near that day. These critics venture
that Paul’s mention of the day of the Lord at the beginning of chapter five is
the start of a whole new subject, which is at best only loosely linked to the
subject of the rapture.
It
is this writer’s opinion that to separate the text in this manner creates an
unnatural flow of understanding and a peculiar imbalance. This is particularly true with respect to the
‘new’ subject which would be ‘times and dates’.
Allow me to explain.
Note
the pattern in other sections of this letter where Paul is starting a new
subject. He first explicitly
names the subject, second he gives related information concerning the subject. Let us see how this works:
1Thes
2:1 (NIV) You know, brothers, that our
visit to you was not a failure. (He then expounds on this topic through
chapter 3:13) [italics added]
1 Thes
4:1 (NIV) Finally, brothers, we
instructed you on how to live in order to please God. (He continues this
instruction through 4:8) [italics added]
1 Thes
4:9 (NIV) Now about brotherly love
we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to
love each other. (Continues this topic through 4:12) [italics added]
1 Thes
4:13 (NIV) Brothers, we do not want
you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or grieve like the rest of men,
who have no hope. (Discusses details of the rapture and its season through
5:11) [italics added]
1 Thes
5:12 (NIV) Now we ask you, brothers, to respect
those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord, and who admonish
you. (Continues through 5:13)
[italics added]
As
we see, Paul is consistent with this pattern, but lets take a closer look at
the passage of scripture where the critics claim a new subject is begun. This passage begins at 1 Thes 5:1. What we see here is entirely different and
does not follow this established pattern if indeed his intent is to start a new
subject
JUST FOLLOW THE PATTERN
1 Thes
5:1 (NIV) Now, brothers, 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. (Continues through 5:11)
[emphasis added]
If
we follow Paul’s established literary pattern for beginning a new subject as
seen above, the subject of this passage is set forth as ‘times and dates’. Please note that this is a plural subject
indicating multiple objects of consideration, ‘times and dates’. However, it is interesting to note that only
a single ‘time and date’ is ever considered, and even that is only a brief
reference to the day of the Lord coming as a thief in the night. This tends to create a sharp contrast and
peculiar imbalance between the stated plurality of the passage’s proposed
subject and the singularity of the passage’s only mentioned event. Yet the fact remains that Paul never mentions
any time or date for any other event.
It
is fairly obvious then, that ‘times and dates’ was not intended to be the stand-alone
subject of this passage, nor would the singular subject of the ‘time and date’
of the day of the Lord serve well to satisfy the obvious plurality of the
proposed subject of this passage.
To
counter this last assertion, some critics have noted that the day of the Lord
encompasses a great number of events during the last days. These critics have suggested that Paul had
these many and various events ‘in mind’, even though he failed to discuss them,
when he invoked the plural subject of ‘times and dates’ and therefore it all
makes perfect sense. They, in an attempt
to avoid associating the rapture with the day of the Lord, would ask us to
overlook the unnatural flow of information created as our attention is first
directed toward ‘times and dates’ about which Paul does not need to write to
us. Momentarily we find ourselves
‘stranded’ and searching for a subject to tie into the idea of those ambiguous
‘times and dates’. Finally, the possible
subject of the day of the Lord is presented, but still something seems a little
off. The subject seems out of place and
its ‘singular’ nature does not fit well with the plurality of the ‘times and
dates’ previously mentioned. Although this
scenario can be forced into place, to this writer it feels like trying
to force a square peg through a round hole.
Something is just not right about the whole thing.
Though
it hardly seems appropriate for me to critique the writing of Paul, it
nonetheless appears evident that this sentence is of exceptionally poor
structural quality if the intended subject is in fact the day of the Lord or
the many prophetic events enclosed within its boundaries. Therefore, I humbly suggest we search for a
more likely subject for this sentence.
OTHER OPTIONS?
As
we consider what the proper subject of this passage might be, we should note
that beyond the things already considered, only one possibility truly exist.
Our
final option is to consider the possibility that Paul never intended to begin a
new subject, but was merely continuing and expanding his discussion of the
events surrounding the rapture and ‘those who have fallen asleep’. In this case the subject of ‘times and dates’
obviously refers back to the ‘times and dates’ of the events he had just discussed
such as the Lord’s coming, the resurrection of the dead in Christ, our meeting
Jesus in the air, and so on. This
progression is both well balanced and makes perfect literary and logical
sense. He then goes on to comment as to
the general nature of the temporal focal point of those events, the day of
the Lord.
To further underscore the unity and intimate
relationship between all these events, Paul then returns to the central subject
of the rapture by telling the Thessalonians how they would be spared the wrath
of the day of the Lord by way of the deliverance given by Christ through the
rapture (v 9). Finally, as if this were
not sufficient to solidify the connection of these two passages he goes on to
complete the circle by reasserting the original subject of ‘those who fall
asleep’ from the first passage and even gives an almost identical closing
statement so as to undeniably reinforce the unity of the entire message.
1 Thes
5:10-11 (NIV) He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we
may live together with him. Therefore
encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are
doing. [italics added]
This
constitutes outstanding literary closure if the unified topic of chapter
4:13-5:11 is indeed the rapture and ‘those who have fallen asleep’ as this
writer suggest. Otherwise we seem to
have a severe case of both poor literary craftsmanship, and a break from Paul’s
pre-established pattern of writing.
Therefore, it is this writer’s suggestion that such a notion be
rejected, and the text be understood in its most natural sense. That however is only my opinion. You must ultimately decide on your own with
the aid of the Holy Spirit. But perhaps
there is more light that scripture may shed on this entire subject, and just
perhaps on how we should understand this very passage.
MORE VOICES FROM THESSALONICA
As
already mentioned, Paul’s answer to the Thessalonian’s question concerning
‘when’ the rapture would take place, failed to fully comfort the pain these
young believers felt at being separated from their loved ones. They now knew that eventually they would be
reunited with their fallen loved ones at the time of the rapture. They also knew the rapture would occur on or
shortly before the beginning of the day of the Lord. With these things in mind, they now began to
listen intently for clues as to whether that day might be looming on their near
horizon.
Evidently
they began to receive reports, prophecies and apparently even forged letters
supposedly from Paul himself, all seeking to convince them the day of the Lord
had already begun. This meant they had
somehow missed the rapture, which they understood would take place near, but
prior to, the beginning of that time of divine wrath. No doubt, these reports caused the faith of
the young Church to be shaken to its very core.
It was in
the light of this disturbing situation that Paul set his pen to write a second
letter to the Thessalonians. In the
second chapter of that letter he directly answered the concerns of the
Thessalonians mentioned above, and at the same time left us with a clearer
understanding of the intimate temporal link existing between the rapture and
the day of the Lord. Paul stated the
matter, using the same literary style shown previously, as follows:
2 Thes
2:1-8 (NIV) Concerning the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,
not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter
supposed to have come from us, saying 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.
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to
tell you these things? And now you know
what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is
already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till
he is taken out of the way. And then the
lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the
breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. [emphasis added]
FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS
Paul’s stated subject in the passage is, ‘the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him’. By comparing the description of this event to
that in 1 Thes. 4:13-17 wherein we find ‘the Lord himself will come down from
heaven’ for the purpose of gathering both dead and living believers to himself;
we readily understand he is about to provide further instructions concerning
the rapture of the Church.
Since
the subject is stated to be ‘the rapture’, one would expect the supporting
information to be linked to, and provide information about
this event. Yet the vast majority of the
content of the passage that follows is focused directly and only
on how to tell when ‘the day of the Lord’ is about to begin, with no direct
mention being made of the rapture at all!
In
this light, even a cursory examination of the passage makes it abundantly clear
that Paul was intentionally equating the rapture and the day of the Lord in a
chronological sense. That is to say,
when Paul is giving the Thessalonians instructions regarding how and when they
might recognize the beginning of the day of the Lord; those exact same
instructions apply equally well to knowing how and when to expect the ‘coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him’. In essence, the coming of our Lord for the
rapture of the Church occurs, for all practical intent and purposes, at the
same time as the beginning of the day of the Lord!
Do not misunderstand me, I am not saying the two
are the same event, only that they begin to occur at essentially the same time,
or within close enough proximity to one another that by addressing the starting
time of one, you are effectively addressing the starting time of both. For the sake of clarity it should also be
pointed out that although the two begin to occur at essentially the same time,
they have vastly different durations.
While the day of the Lord will extend over some relatively long period
of time measured in months or years, the rapture will be over almost as soon as
it begins, or as scripture states, ‘in the twinkling of an eye’.
We can easily see this is true when we realize that
if the Thessalonians were already standing inside the boundaries of the day of
the Lord, as they feared, then the rapture, according to many pre-tribulation
teachings, should have occurred months or even years earlier. But the Thessalonians would have had rapid
access to recent historical records and would have immediately known that none
of the Church leaders such as Paul or Peter and indeed none of their sister Churches,
had either vanished or gone through the promised transformation of the
rapture. As such, there is little doubt
they would have immediately rejected the notion that the rapture had occurred
months or years earlier and everyone, including themselves, had missed
it.
From this consideration it becomes evident the source
of the Thessalonian’s concern stemmed from their understanding that the rapture
was to occur in close temporal proximity to the start of the day of the Lord
and/or that the teaching of Paul had been in error and there was to be no
rapture at all. To resolve these
concerns Paul reassured them the rapture still awaited them in the future. Interestingly enough he did this by
demonstrating that the day of the Lord had not yet begun; a fact which strongly
links its advent to the time of the rapture in a temporal sense.
Finally, please note that it is not my intention to
in any way equate either of these two events to Christ’s return at the battle
of Armageddon, which is a different event entirely and will occur at some point
in time well after both the rapture and the start of the day of the Lord.
A solid grasp of the temporal link displayed in
this passage, allows both the text and the readers understanding to flow
through the passage in an uninterrupted manner.
It is therefore this writer’s opinion that this is clearly the meaning
that should be ascribed to this passage.
Such a conclusion should hardly surprise us since it is precisely the
same as that reached from 1 Thessalonians 4-5, and only serves to strengthen
our growing understanding of the intimate nature of the dance existing between
the rapture and wrath that is embodied within the day of the Lord. Paul’s instructions to the Thessalonians
regarding the rapture have thus far proven to be clear, concise, and consistent
for all those who are willing to listen.
Namely, the rapture and the day of the Lord are intimately linked in
time.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS?
In the Old Testament, the writers
frequently used the term ‘the day of the Lord’ to describe that period of time
when, in the last days, the Lord would purge the world through the fire of his
wrath. In the New Testament, we find
this same term employed in a similar manner for the same purpose. In addition, the New Testament writers began
to employ several new terms that are generally considered to be essentially
synonymous with the day of the Lord.
Some of these terms are ‘the day of the Lord Jesus’, ‘the day of our
Lord Jesus Christ’, ‘the day of Christ’, and ‘the day of Christ Jesus’.
These new terms, although
synonymous with ‘the day of the Lord’ in most respects and for most purposes,
differ in one major aspect. While ‘the
day of the Lord’ is used predominantly in speaking of the wrath that our Lord
has stored up for the wicked; these newly introduced terms were employed to
focus on the blessed hope of salvation Jesus has prepared for the Church as
that darkest of days begins to dawn upon this world.
WHAT DAY WAS
THAT?
Though most teachers are in
general agreement as to the truth of this understanding, some contest the idea
that the New Testament terms under consideration are synonymous with the day of
the Lord. While they agree that these
terms should be associated with the rapture, they contend just as there is no
reason to associate the rapture itself with the day of the Lord, so also is
there no reason to associate these New Testament terms with that day
either. Unfortunately for them the facts
simply do not support their contention for two very important reasons.
First, the scriptural evidence we
have considered thus far, and shall continue to consider throughout the
remainder of this work, not only gives us a reason to associate the rapture,
with the day of the Lord, but in fact demands such an association.
Second, and most important,
scripture itself demands that we accept the synonymous nature of the New
Testament terms with the day of the Lord.
This demand comes into being as we consider the body of original
manuscripts from which our bibles are translated. As you may well be aware, there exist several
thousand partial or complete manuscripts from which we translate the New
Testament. In translating the venerable
and well loved King James Bible, many of these documents were selected and
yielded the following translation of the passage of scripture we just finished
studying.
2 Thes 2:1-2 (KJV) Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be
not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by
letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. [emphasis added]
This
passage becomes of immense interest to us when we pause to compare it with
other translations of the same passage taken from different manuscripts. One example of such a translation comes from
the New International Version and reads:
2 Thes
2:1-2 (NIV) Concerning the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him , we ask you, brothers, not to
become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed
to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has
already come. [emphasis added]
These translations are not founded upon a single
manuscript, but upon many. Some of these
manuscripts explicitly indicate the events of this passage are associated with
‘the day of the Lord’, while others with equal clarity indicate an association
with ‘the day of Christ’. Obviously, the
ancient scribes who devoutly performed the task of copying the original manuscripts
understood the essentially synonymous nature of these two terms and had little
problem with exchanging one for the other.
These scribes reinforced this understanding when they
allowed a similar exchange of terms in the following passage of scripture.
1 Cor
5:4-5 (NIV) When you are assembled in
the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our
Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature
may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. [emphasis added]
1 Cor
5:4-5 (KJV) In the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of
our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of
the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
[emphasis added]
A handful of our oldest and most respected manuscripts
indicate this passage should be associated with ‘the day of the Lord’. Yet many others indicate the association
should be with ‘the day of the Lord Jesus’.
What then shall we conclude? Were
the scribes in error and simply inserted their own understanding into the
sacred manuscripts they were entrusted to copy?
Or were they correct in their understanding of the synonymous nature of
these terms?
As for me, the choice is plainly evident. The scribes and teachers from the earliest
days of the Christian faith clearly understood the terms to be synonymous. When fairly evaluated, all the evidence of
scripture points toward their synonymous nature. And there exist nothing this writer is aware
of that in any way indicates the voice of these witnesses should be
ignored. Therefore, let us now move on
to see what magnificent things scripture might build upon this unassuming
foundation.
SPIRITS SAVED ON THE DAY OF THE LORD
1 Cor
5:4-5 (NIV) When you are assembled in
the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our
Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature
may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. [emphasis added]
Many have disagreed over the spiritual condition of the
man depicted in this passage. It is my
belief that this man was a born again child of God. This conclusion is reached for two
reasons. First, he was a part of the
Corinthian fellowship of believers (v 2).
Second, the fact he was to be ‘handed over to Satan’ is an indication
that Paul must have believed him to belong to God. If he were not a child of God, then he
already belonged to Satan, and the act of ‘handing him over to Satan’ would
serve no real purpose. Yet it is obvious
the action was intended to produce hardship in the life of this man to the
point he would repent of his sinful behavior.
Thus, making it all but certain he should be viewed as a child of God
who had fallen into a carnal style of living.
His spiritual condition aside however, what is truly
amazing about this passage is the hope extended that the spirit of this fallen
brother would be saved on the day of the Lord!
Now, let me ask you, when is it that the spirit of
every believer in Jesus, whether alive or dead, will be changed, resurrected,
and eternally perfected? In what day
will our salvation, which began at the moment of our conversion, be brought to
full and final consummation? Only one
such time exists, and that is the time of the rapture! Therefore, once again we see a clear and
intimate link between the rapture and the day of the Lord. This realization should hardly surprise
us. Has not scripture already spoken
concerning the rapture and the wrath of that day?
1 Thes
5:9 (NIV) For God did not appoint us to
suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[emphasis added]
With
this passage however, comes the clear expectation that this salvation will
occur on the day of the Lord. This declaration not only serves to strengthen
our proposed link between the rapture and the day of the Lord, it also serves
to raise the serious possibility that the rapture and the day of the Lord
may well proceed upon the very same day!
This is an amazing discovery, and yet there are still more voices to be
heard.
BLAMELESS ON THE DAY OF THE LORD
1 Cor
1:7-8 (NIV) Therefore you do not lack
any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be
revealed. He will keep you strong to
the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ. [emphasis added]
This passage speaks of the blessed hope of each
believer. That day when Jesus will be
revealed from heaven as he descends toward earth for the purpose of saving the Church
from the coming wrath of God by way of the rapture. It further speaks of the expectation that
each believer will be furnished spiritual gifts toward the end that he/she
might be kept strong and found blameless on that day. Again, what is truly amazing is the clarity
with which that time is proclaimed to be ‘on the day of our Lord
Jesus Christ’. Once more we are
afforded a glimpse of the rapture, and once more we find it intimately
associated with the day of the Lord in a temporal sense. The clarity and consistency with which
scripture repeatedly presents this truth makes it difficult to deny, and yet
there are still more voices which must be heard if our chorus is to be
complete.
BLAMELESS UNTIL THE DAY OF THE LORD
Php 1:10
(NIV) so that you may be able to discern
what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, [emphasis added]
Once more the scriptures speak of the incredible day when the rapture will occur. We may be certain of this since the day of the rapture is the only time when Christians shall no longer have a need of being kept from the sin, deception and immorality of this world. On that day and that day alone, both the living and the dead in Christ shall rise through the clouds of the air to stand ‘pure and blameless’ before our Lord and redeemer, Jesus. And here scripture proclaims that day is ‘the day of Christ’, which as we have seen is specifically mentioned in scripture as being synonymous with the day of the Lord.
How wonderful and marvelous is our God and Father, who
proclaims his truth before our very eyes!
How merciful and mighty is he who saves and loves his people, though
they deserve his wrath and anger! May
all praise, honor and glory be given unto our God, for he alone is worthy!
CHANGING UNTIL THE DAY OF THE LORD
Php 1:6
(NIV) being confident of this, that he
who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day
of Christ Jesus.
[emphasis added]
This is a
passage of scripture many believers hold dearly in their hearts. It holds out the hope that in the due course
of time each of us may begin to see the wonderful fruit of the labor our loving
Father so graciously pours into us through the working of his Spirit. Our desire is to be more like Jesus, and
little by little, day by day the work of the Spirit transforms us into his
likeness.
Yet
this passage also speaks of a day when the inter-working of the Spirit will
cease. For those who comprise the Church
of Jesus Christ, that day will of course be the day of the rapture, when each
child of God will be perfected both in body and in spirit. On that day the transforming work of the
Spirit will be complete and each perfected saint may take his place at the side
of his savior and Lord for all eternity.
Once more, the remarkable truth is brought home that the time of this
perfecting (the rapture) will be on ‘the day of Christ Jesus’, which is
synonymous with the day of the Lord.
GETTING READY FOR THE DAY OF GOD’S WRATH
Rom
2:5-8 [NIV] But because of your
stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against
yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be
revealed. God will give to each person
according to what he has done. To
those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he
will give eternal life. But for
those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will
be wrath and anger. [emphasis added]
This
passage is a bit less clear as to the temporal association between the rapture
and the day of the Lord. That
association can be clearly seen however now that we know what to look for. It clearly alludes to a very special day,
‘the day of God’s wrath’, when two things will happen.
First,
the righteous children of God will be given the gift of eternal life. Though each true believer receives the gift
of eternal life at the moment of his/her new birth, the formal, final and
finishing act of giving this gift obviously occurs at the rapture when we will
‘all be changed’ and ‘the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable,
and the mortal with immortality.’ (1 Cor 15:51-54).
Second,
those who have rejected the truth of our loving Father will receive the harvest
of the seeds they have sown; the harvest of wrath and anger that will be poured
out during the great day of God’s wrath which is the day of the Lord. Again scripture clearly depicts the intimate
nature of the dance between rapture and wrath, and again scripture shows this
dance proceeding with the start of the day of the Lord.
PETER PROVIDES INSIGHT AND CLARITY
Thus far
we have seen some very compelling evidence.
Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians, and scripture’s prompting to remain
pure and blameless until the day of the Lord are all strongly oriented toward a
single point of understanding. Namely
that the rapture and the day of the Lord must be intimately linked together in
a temporal sense.
Still, it would be nice if all these things could be
taught from a single passage of scripture.
A passage that would just come right out and openly state that the
believer should be looking for the dawn of the day of the Lord.
This
passage should also motivate the believer to strive toward living a holy
life. Keeping himself spotless and
blameless until the coming of that great day when the fullness of his/her
salvation will be realized. In fact, if
the Father were to allow me to craft such a passage for his holy word, well I
suppose it would look rather similar to that found in the third chapter of the
book of 2 Peter.
2 Pet
3:3-16a (NIV) First of all, you must
understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following
their own evil desires. They will say, “Where
is this ‘coming’ he promised?” ….
9) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness. He is
patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance.
But the day of the Lord will
come like a thief. The heavens
will disappear with a roar: the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the
earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed
in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of
the heavens by fire, and the heavens will melt with heat. But in keeping with his promise we are
looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
So then, dear friends, since you
are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless,
blameless and at peace with him.
Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our
dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God
gave him. He writes the same way
in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. [emphasis added]
The declarations of Peter in this passage are
nothing short of incredible! Carefully
note the time frame under consideration in this passage is explicitly stated as
being the time when Jesus has ‘promised’ to return. This can only be a reference to the rapture.
John 14:2-3
(NIV) In my Father’s house are many
rooms, if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be
where I am. [emphasis added]
1 Thes 4:15
(NIV) According to the Lord’s own
word [his promise], we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left
till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen
asleep. [emphasis, brackets added]
Make no mistake, the passage is absolutely clear with
regard to this point. Yet it is just as
clear and direct as it equates this time with that day when ‘the day of the
Lord will come like a thief’! Obviously
Peter knew and fully understood that the two events, the rapture and the day of
the Lord, were intimately linked in time.
Peter further underscores this point when he
encourages believers to ‘look forward to’ the day of the Lord and ‘to
be found spotless and blameless’ in the day when it arrives! This terminology and its associated
understanding, precisely parallel that encountered in our previous section and
provides the reader with further motivation to accept the intimate association
of the rapture with the day of the Lord.
The strength and clarity of this passage deals a
strong blow to all who wish to deny a temporal link between the day of the Lord
and the rapture. Therefore it is not
surprising that they attempt to discredit the understanding we have arrived at.
This is frequently accomplished by focusing on the
‘confusing’ nature of the passage. The
critics claim the passage becomes ‘confusing’ when it ‘apparently’ seeks to
encompass not only the rapture, but also the time when God will create a new
heaven and earth, which is understood to occur after the millennial
kingdom. They then offer whatever
explanation for this passage will best fit their proposed teaching and dismiss
the things that seem to conflict with their understanding as part of the
overall ‘confusion’.
However, there is nothing confusing about this
passage other than why the critics refuse to accept it at face value. The passage focuses on the coming of Christ
for the rapture and the initiation of the day of the Lord, which by definition
comes before the millennial kingdom!
The ensuing destruction, which causes so much ‘confusion’ on the part of
the critics is nothing more than a common ‘near/far’ prophecy concerning the
day of the Lord. Without doubt the
ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy, when a new heaven and earth are created,
will occur after the millennial kingdom.
But its near term fulfillment will come long before that; even in the
last days of this current era.
Mal 4:1
(NIV) “Surely the day is coming; it
will burn like a furnace. All the
arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming
will set them on fire,” says the LORD
Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will
be left to them.” [italics added]
Zeph
1:18 (NIV) “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 world will be consumed, for he will make
a sudden end of all who live in the earth.”
[italics added]
Isa
34:2-10 (NIV) The LORD is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all
their armies. He will totally destroy
them, he will give them over to slaughter. ….
4) All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved
and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like
withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree. ….
8) For the LORD
has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause.
Edom’s
streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her
land will become blazing pitch! It
will not be quenched night and day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie
desolate; no one will ever pass through it again. [italics added]
Isa
24:1-6 (NIV) See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; …. 3) The earth will be completely laid waste and
totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this word. ….
Therefore a curse consumes the
earth; its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are
left. [italics added]
Rev
8:5-7 (NIV) Then the angel took the
censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth;
and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an
earthquake. Then the seven angels who
had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
The first angel sounded his trumpet,
and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down
upon the earth. A third of the earth
was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was
burned up. [emphasis added]
Peter’s
prophecy foresees and describes this vast and unimaginable time of destruction,
and yet he encourages his fellow Christians to ‘live holy and godly lives’ and
to ‘make every effort to be found spotless and blameless as they looked forward
to this day of destruction when Jesus would fulfill the promise of his return.
“Why,”
one might ask, “would anyone look forward to, and even seek to speed the coming
of such a terrible time?” The answer is
very simple and can be found described in detail in the writings of Paul, who
according to Peter, taught these same truths in his own letters to the young Church. The answer is that Peter, Paul and the young Church
all understood very clearly that salvation and deliverance from the torment of
this world via the rapture lay at the very doorstep of the day of the Lord.
Peter’s teaching regarding this
issue lends clarity, support and insight to the teachings of Paul that we
considered earlier. According to Peter,
they both taught the same message. A
message that would have us understand that as the day of the Lord’s destruction
dawns upon humanity, the Church will rise to meet its Lord and savior in the
air. As is written in the gospel of Luke
concerning the coming of the day of the Lord:
Lk 21:25-28 (NIV) “There will be signs in the sun, moon and
stars. On the earth, nations will be in
anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of
what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your
heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” [emphasis added]
Take
care my brothers and sisters that no one deceives you concerning the truths laid
out so plainly for us in this passage of scripture. There will be those who will twist these
words in an attempt to force it to relate to ‘tribulation saints’ looking
forward to Christ’s return at Armageddon rather than the rapture. Others will try to convince you the rapture
of the Church must take place long before the day of the Lord falls upon our
world.
Such
cannot be the case however and we can easily see this to be true when we
realize that Peter fully anticipated the possibility that his brothers in
Christ, to whom he was writing, might very well be present to witness the
coming of the day of the Lord. Further,
he also fully expected repentant souls to find salvation and deliverance from
the wrath of God right up to the very border of that day.
Can
you not hear the rhythmic harmony of scripture’s many voices as they
consistently and with unity proclaim the truth?
Each voice insisting the child of God understand the rapture will occur
as the day of the Lord dawns upon this world!
Now, let us turn our attention to the Old Testament to see if this
chorus might find new harmonies from its oldest members.
NEW HARMONIES FROM AN OLD TESTAMENT
Like the New Testament, the Old Testament also is not
silent concerning the link between the rapture and the day of God’s wrath. It clearly supports our forming strand of
truth. It may come as a surprise to many
that the Old Testament should mention the ‘mystery’ of the rapture and yet it
really should be no surprise at all.
Remember if you will that Paul spent much of his time and energy with
the Thessalonians teaching them about end times and in particular about the
rapture and the day of the Lord. So much
so that he felt comfortable in saying that they knew ‘very well’ many things
associated with the end times.
Where did
Paul get the information concerning the ‘mystery’ of the rapture that he
imparted to the Thessalonians? Much of
it surely came to him through a new and special divine revelation, but I must
contend that a good portion of all Paul taught was always present within the
text of the Old Testament and was divinely illuminated unto him by the Holy
Spirit.
He knew well the scriptures
speaking of the day of the Lord, and he was presented with an age-old
quandary. Those scriptures seemed to
present a paradox. This was to be a time
of unbridled wrath, anger and destruction from God. Many scriptures clearly depicted the nation
of Israel
going through the very heart of this fury.
Being in many ways, the very center of its attention. Yet they also spoke of salvation and
deliverance from this wrath for the Lord’s people.
He, and all those who studied the scriptures were
left to wonder how the two mutually exclusive positions could possibly exist
together. Many of those teachers simply
chose to ‘overlook’ or minimize the teachings pointing towards the great
destruction to be poured out upon Israel, and focus on the promises
of deliverance and salvation. Thus, the
great day of God’s wrath actually became a time that the people of Israel began
to look forward to as they believed this would be a time of blessing for that
nation rather than a time of chastisement and destruction. Perceiving the error of this understanding
through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the prophet Amos summed up the
nature of this day and its attendant paradox best when he stated:
Amos 5:18-20 (NIV) Woe to you
who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day
will be darkness, not light. It will
be as though a man fled from a lion, only to meet a bear, as though he entered
his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light - pitch-dark without a ray of
brightness? [emphasis added]
With the creation of the Church, and again through the
inspiration of the Spirit, Paul was finally allowed to glimpse the full truth
of God and understand that two separate peoples had been in view all
along. Indeed, the nation of Israel would in
fact be subjected to the fury of God’s wrath in the day of the Lord just as the
scriptures had declared. And yet it was
equally true that a miraculous deliverance and day of salvation would be
associated with that terrible time. But
the promises of deliverance from this time of wrath, Paul perceived, were
focused on the newly created Church rather than the nation of Israel. Israel, unfortunately, would be
required to endure the refining fires of God’s wrath before they would find
blessing and restoration at the end of the day of the Lord.
The Lord placed his wisdom right before the eyes of his
people, yet just beyond the reach of their understanding. Just as the mystery of a suffering and
crucified messiah was always plainly in view yet never perceived, so too was
the mystery of the Church and its rapture from this world. Let us look now upon some of those passages
of scripture that the Holy Spirit may have long ago illuminated for the apostle
Paul, and let us pray that he will give to us that same gift of understanding.
JOEL JOINS THE CHORUS
Joel
2:30-32 (NIV) I will show wonders in the
heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the
moon to blood BEFORE the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone
who calls on the name of the LORD
will be saved. [emphasis added]
In
this passage Joel shows us some of the unmistakable herald signs of the day of
the Lord (remember these because they are extremely important and we will delve
into them later in this text). He then
continues on to further inform us that these signs occur before
that day begins (thus the term ‘herald signs’ since they do indeed herald the
approach of that coming day of wrath).
Finally he tells us that ‘everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.’
In
light of what we have previously learned concerning a clear and intimate ‘link’
between the rapture and the day of the Lord; it is obvious that this passage is
referring to the salvation that all true believers look to and long for at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ for the purpose of harvesting his Church at the
time of the rapture. Furthermore, he
strongly reinforces the intimate nature of this link by allowing us to refine
our relatively general view of when the day of the Lord, and therefore the
rapture will occur. With the new insight
brought to us by Joel we can see that it is strongly intimated that the day
of the Lord will not proceed until after its herald signs have been
manifested. And the rapture will occur
somewhere between the start of the herald signs, and the beginning of the day
of the Lord itself. This
understanding harmonizes perfectly with our current understanding of an
intimate temporal link between the rapture and the day of the Lord while adding
new and welcome depth of understanding to the issue. Let us continue our journey and see if this
intimation can stand up to the light of comparison with other passages of
scripture.
We find our next passage also within the book of
Joel. This is another classic text on
the coming day of the LORD which
encompasses Joel 3:12-16. For our
purposes here we will focus only on verse 16.
Joel
3:16 (NIV) The sun and moon will be
darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will
tremble. But the Lord will be a
refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. [italics added]
In this passage we again see the herald signs of the day
of the Lord. Therefore we know that the
time of this passage is again just before the beginning of that terrible day of
wrath (cf. Joel 3:14). Once more the
living word of God is gracious and reveals that even at this time salvation
exist for the Church of Jesus Christ.
Note
the clear way in which this prophetic passage of scripture looks down through
the ages by way of the omniscient sight of the Holy Spirit and shows the subtle
yet distinct division in the future plans God has in store for his Church and
his beloved nation of Israel. To the Church - ‘the Lord will be a
refuge for his people,’, and to the nation of Israel - ‘a stronghold for the people of Israel.’ This is exactly the division we now teach and
expect to see when that fateful time arrives.
The Church
will find refuge from the coming wrath of the day of the Lord through the
rapture. Meanwhile, the Lord shall be a
stronghold to the remnant of Israel
he has reserved unto himself as that nation will be required to go through that
terrible fury to be purged, purified and punished for the rejection of Jesus so
long ago.
Within
this passage we should also note that again we see the rapture as occurring
between the start of the herald signs and the beginning of the day of the Lord. This adds weight to our previous discovery,
but before we get really excited let us see if any other prophets might lend
their support to this argument. After
all, our position in this matter would be better served if two or three
witnesses could corroborate our claims rather than all of our evidence coming
from Joel alone.
ZEPHANIAH GIVES VOICE TO THE HARMONY
The prophet Zephaniah stands beside Joel, adding the
weight of his testimony to that of Joel.
Zeph
2:1-3 (NIV) Gather together, gather
together, O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day
sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you.
Before the day of the LORD’s wrath
comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he
commands. Seek righteousness, seek
humility; perhaps you will be
sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger. [italics added]
As with the passages in Joel, Zephaniah shows us a time
near the beginning of the day of the Lord.
And like with Joel, we find scripture pointing the way toward the hope
of deliverance from the approaching wrath of God. Zephaniah however leaves us not only with yet
another view of our now familiar intimate ‘link’ between the deliverance we
find in the rapture and the day of the Lord; he shows us for the first time in
the Old Testament, the clear possibility that the rapture of God’s people and
the outpouring of God’s wrath may well occur not just in close proximity to one
another, but on the very same day. This is the same discovery we made previously
in the New Testament, and now it reappears here in the Old Testament! Read it again; ‘perhaps you will be
sheltered ON THE DAY of the LORD’s anger.’ What an incredible prospect, what a glorious
moment, what an awesome God we serve!
At the very moment impending doom and destruction
is staring mankind squarely in the face (though it is probable that God’s
children are the only ones who will be aware of the coming destruction), the
face God’s people will see before them is that of a savior rather than a
judge. His gentle eyes speaking the language
of love and forgiveness, his outstretched arms and nail pierced hands bidding
us welcome to the heavenly abode he has been preparing for us since the time of
his departure. Is it any wonder we refer
to this moment as the blessed hope of all true believers? I can not help but get excited at the
thoughts, images and attitude of joyous thanksgiving that wells up inside me
when I consider how great a deliverance Christ Jesus has in store for his Church
at that moment. But we tarry here too
long, there is still more the Lord would have us see in his word. Now we have two prophetic witnesses and if we
will just turn back a few pages in our bibles we can find a third in the book
of Daniel.
DANIEL ADDS THE STRENGTH OF HIS VOICE
In one of the clearest references to the rapture and the
resurrection of the dead in the Old Testament, the prophet Daniel writes:
Dan
12:1-2 (NIV) At that time Michael, the
great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as
has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people - everyone whose
name is found written in the book - will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth
will awake; some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting
contempt. [emphasis added]
The
time when those things will come to pass is not specifically mentioned in the
passage. However, by simply comparing
this passage with Mat 24:21 we find that this event occurs around the time of
the ‘Great Tribulation’.
Mat
24:21 For then there will be great
distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be
equaled again. [italics added]
Since
both passages indicate they will occur at a time of ‘unequaled distress’, it
becomes fairly obvious that both must be referring to the same period of
time. Now I realize that for most people
reading this paper, the act of placing this event anywhere in the vicinity of
the great tribulation, and then trying to associate it with the rapture of the Church,
just caused your doctrinal ‘emergency auto-ejection system’ to kick in and
perform its proper safety related function!
In
short you just stopped listening to me, rejected any possibility that this
passage could in any way be linked to the rapture of the Church and you may
have even placed me on your personal prayer list. Some of you will be praying for my
enlightenment, while others will be seeking my swift and total destruction,
wishing fervently that we could revive the inquisition for just long enough to
extract a confession of heresy from my shameful lips. It’s OK though. I understand what you are feeling. I’ve stood in those shoes myself and I
commend your zealous desire to defend your beliefs. I do earnestly implore you however to honestly
consider the matter at hand.
Set
aside all preconception and logical arguments and let the word of God alone be
the judge. Remember that in the final
analysis, it does not matter what I believe or what you believe. It does not matter what your pastor believes
or what some great man of the faith believes.
The only thing that matters is what our Father has declared to be his
truth.
As
he speaks to us through the Spirit and the word, it is our responsibility to
listen and discern truth from deception. Therefore I say again, let us hear the counsel
of the living word and allow it alone, with the guidance of the Spirit, to be
the judge. On a personal aside, if you
are one of those who intended to pray for my enlightenment, leave me on your
prayer list, I need all the help I can get.
PLEASE, LET ME EXPLAIN
Now, allow me to explain why I believe this passage, even
though it is near the time of the great tribulation should be viewed as a
reference to the rapture and resurrection of the saints. If you will recall from the section entitled
‘The Pre-Wrath Rapture - A Brief Overview’, we stated the herald signs for the
day of the Lord would occur ‘immediately after the distress of those days’ (Mat
24:29). In effect causing the great
tribulation to be ‘cut short’ (Mat 24:22).
Shortly thereafter the seventh seal is opened, thereby inaugurating the
day of the Lord. Therefore, if
the pre-wrath view of when the day of the Lord begins is accurate, then
we see that the day of the Lord begins immediately after the great tribulation,
which is the same general period of time where most of the events of our
passage from Dan 12:1-2 take place and once again we see our familiar link
between the rapture and the day of the Lord appear.
Please
note that ‘after the great tribulation’ does not mean ‘after the tribulation/70th
week of Daniel’. The great tribulation
will be ‘cut short’ or brought to an ‘abrupt end’ at least five months prior to
the close of the 70th week of Daniel (We will discuss this in more detail in the section of Appendix B entitled, 'The Great Tribulation').
We
can now gain a new perspective from which to consider this passage, and from
that perspective we can understand that ‘at that time’ (just after the
great tribulation), ‘your people - everyone written in the book’ (the children
of God whose names are in the book of life), ‘will be delivered’ (delivered by
the rapture). Now we can see the exact
same result we have already found in so many passages of scripture. What is new and surprising here is the sudden
realization that we are witnessing the now familiar dance of ‘rapture and
wrath’ deep inside Daniel’s 70th week. This may be a result we are neither familiar
nor especially comfortable with. As
children of God however we know we must listen to the counsel of the word and
follow wherever the Lord chooses to lead us.
Trusting in his tender mercy to protect us even though we may find
ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death itself.
Another morsel of confirmation gleaned from this passage
comes in the form of the resurrection of the dead which forms a direct link
from this passage back to 1 Thes 4:13-17.
Looking again at God’s word we see, ‘multitudes who sleep in the dust of
the earth will awake;’ (at the rapture) ‘some to everlasting life others to
shame and everlasting contempt’ (sees both the rapture and great white
throne).
I fully
understand that this position is only viable if it can be proven that the day
of the Lord begins on or near the time of the opening of the seventh seal, and
that this time can be shown to be in close temporal proximity to the great tribulation
as has been contended. The proof of this
assertion is undertaken in the section of this paper entitled ‘The day of the
Lord begins at the seventh seal’, but will not be reproduced here due to its
length (see pages 84-149).
Thus
far, the evidence supporting our strand of truth (the day of the Lord is linked
to the rapture), has been clear, consistent, and pervasive, being attested to
by multiple witnesses from both the Old and the New Testaments. The counsel of the scriptures from both of
these sources has proven to be in complete unity in declaring that an intimate
temporal link exists between the rapture of the Church and the start of the day
of the Lord. In fact, both Testaments
strongly indicate that the rapture will proceed on the very same day that God’s
wrath is unleashed on this planet, with the dawning of the day of the
Lord. By any standard of measure, our
evidence is formidable. Still, one
witness remains to be heard, the voice of Jesus himself.
THE VOICE OF JESUS COMPLETES THE HARMONY
In Luke 17, we find Jesus revealing the nature and
character of the day in which he shall be revealed to the world. Let us hear his words and see if therein we
might find still more clues as to the relationship between the rapture and the
wrath of God.
Luke
17:22-37 (NIV) then he said to his
disciples, ‘the time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the
Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men
will tell you, there he is! Or here he
is! Do not go running off after
them. For the Son of Man in his day will
be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the
other. But first he must suffer many
things and be rejected by this generation.
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of
the Son of Man. People were eating,
drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered
the ark. Then the flood came and
destroyed them all. It was the same
in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and
selling, planting and building. But
the day Lot left Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. IT WILL BE JUST LIKE THIS ON THE DAY the son
of Man is revealed.’ ..... (cf. Mat 24:22-39) [emphasis added]
The Meaning of the Lord’s words in this passage are clear
and unmistakable. He shows us in
unparalleled precision the very heart of the intimate ‘link’ we have been
exploring. He reveals unequivocally just
how intimate the dance of rapture and wrath truly is. Listen as he says, ‘up to the day Noah
entered the ark. Then the
flood came and destroyed them all’.
Again he said ‘the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained
down and destroyed them all’. And
yet again he said, ‘It will be just like this on THE DAY the Son
of Man is revealed’.
In
two unmistakable examples, occupying only a few short verses of his holy word,
Jesus sums up everything we have searched so diligently to uncover, and reveals
plainly to his faithful followers the message he has been sending them since
the time of the prophets and even before.
The contents of that message are written explicitly before us. God will deliver his righteous people to a
place of safety on the same day he pours out his wrath upon the wicked!
The Bible records that Noah and his family entered
the ark on the very same day that God’s wrath was poured out upon the earth and
the fountains of the deep burst fourth and the rains came (Gen 7:11-13). Again it records that on the very same day
that Lot was removed from Sodom,
God’s wrath was poured out upon that wicked city (Gen 19:15-29). The importance of this message cannot be
understated. God will not pour his wrath
out upon his righteous children during the day of the Lord. Instead, he will remove them to a place of
safety immediately prior to executing his divine judgment. He did this with Noah, with Lot,
and he shall do it again with the faithful and righteous believers who comprise
the Church.
For as the Lord has said, ‘It will be just like
this on the day the Son of Man is revealed’.
He shall be revealed when ‘The Lord himself will come down from heaven
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of
God,’ (1 Thes 4:16a). God’s people will
then be removed to a place of safety when ‘The dead in Christ shall 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.’ (1Thes 4:16b-17).
And while it is not given unto us to know the precise time or date of
this event, we now know very well, as did our Thessalonian brothers before us,
it will be on the same day God pours his wrath out upon the earth when ‘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.’ (1 Thes 5:2-3).
However, now that you have been given to know and understand the
relationship between rapture and wrath you ‘are not in darkness so that this
day should surprise you like a thief.’ (1 Thes 5:4).
And
so we have come full circle, back to the place from which we began. I can only pray that the Holy Spirit has
blessed you in our travels with new understanding and the ability to see the
very fabric of his holy wisdom with which he helped us build our new strand of
truth. This strand of truth shows us the
depths of God’s mercy and the love he has for his people. Specifically, the strand of truth we have
been given is this: The Lord will deliver his people, by way of the rapture,
on the very same day he begins to pour out his wrath upon the world, when the
day of the Lord begins. What we now
need is to explore just exactly what scripture can tell us about when the great
and terrible day of the Lord will begin.
Before we journey on however, we would be remiss if we did not take the
time to answer questions the critics of this teaching are sure to raise.
OPPOSING VIEWS AND ARGUMENTS
WOULD THAT BE ONE EVENT OR TWO?
Recall if you will the passage of scripture we previously
considered in second Thessalonians chapter two (2 Thes 2:1-8). As you might remember, it was the conclusion
of this writer that the subject of that passage, ‘the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our being gathered to him’, should be viewed as a reference to a
single event; the rapture of the Church.
Also, this writer proposed an intimate temporal link between the rapture
and the day of the Lord. Recall further
that we reached this conclusion for two primary reasons. First, if we accept the text at its face
value, most natural sense, the proposed subject readily presents itself as a
single event, the rapture, and there is simply no reason to attempt to separate
it into two events. Second, in
attempting to prove that the rapture has not yet occurred, Paul does not
directly address the subject of the rapture itself within the passage, but
instead appeals to multiple proofs showing that the event immediately following
the rapture (the day of the Lord) has not been initiated. For these reasons, it appears obvious that an
intimate temporal link exist between the rapture and the day of the Lord.
Unfortunately, there are many who do not agree with this
conclusion, and therefore it is only fitting that we hear their argument as we
search for truth and understanding. To
this end, let us look again at the entire passage under question, and hear the
objection raised by those who oppose the pre-wrath teaching.
2 Thes 2:1-8 (NIV) Concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask
you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy,
report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying 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 worshipped, so that he sets himself up in
God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these
things? And now you know what is
holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already
at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is
taken out of the way. And then the
lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the
breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. [emphasis added]
Argument: The problem
critics have with the above text is that it appears to violate the doctrine of
imminence. The conflict becomes
immediately apparent when we attempt to reconcile the traditional
pre-tribulation view stating the rapture will occur immediately prior to the
day of the Lord with the explicit declaration of the passage. Namely, that three separate events must occur
before the day of the Lord can begin. To
resolve this apparent conflict the critics propose two distinct arguments, each
possessing the ultimate goal of dissociating Paul’s reference to the rapture
from his statements concerning the day of the Lord.
Some critics simply abandon or ignore the traditional
view that the rapture should be linked to the day of the Lord. With this done they tend to make two largely
dissociated statements. First they
acknowledge Paul’s reference to ‘the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
being gathering to him’ as indeed being an obvious reference to the
rapture. Second, they point out the
obvious fact that Paul’s statements concerning the ‘apostasy/rebellion of
believers’, the ‘unveiling of Antichrist’ and the ‘removal of the restrainer’
are all said to occur before the day of the Lord, which in their opinion
has no clear link to the rapture at all!
Therefore since the day of the Lord is thought to have no temporal link
to the rapture, and these statements are focused on that day rather than the
rapture, no violation of the doctrine of imminence occurs and the issue is
considered resolved.
It is very interesting that those who use this tactic
normally avoid addressing the issue of why the stated subject of the rapture is
never considered in the passage. They
also shy away from the concept of a ‘link’ of any type between the rapture and
the day of the Lord as though it were the plague. Further, they rarely attempt to explain the
nature and purpose of the day of the Lord beyond a few vague references
stipulating it as being a time of God’s apocalyptic wrath and judgment. By offering their explanation while
simultaneously minimizing the role and significance of the day of the Lord
these teachers are generally successful at limiting the number of damaging
inquiries into the apparent contradictions of this passage.
To avoid this pitfall others claim the rapture is
referenced in the passage when the issue of the restrainer of lawlessness is
addressed. They believe the one ‘holding
him back’ in the passage above (the restrainer) is the Holy Spirit or the Church. They continue their argument by stating that
when the passage states the restrainer is ‘taken out of the way’, it
constitutes a clear reference to the rapture.
Therefore, the subject of the rapture is in fact addressed within the
passage and in this way it again becomes possible to dissociate the rapture and
‘the day of the Lord’.
Once
the critics accept this dissociation, they use it to separate the rapture and
the day of the Lord by anywhere from several weeks to as much as ten or more
years. This sort of dissociation is
difficult to accept given the clear connection between the rapture and the day
of the Lord shown so strongly in this passage, and simply impossible when all
of scripture’s evidence is considered.
Yet the critics push doggedly onward because they realize only to well
that if the two are intimately linked chronologically it will spell the certain
doom of all pre-tribulation teachings.
Please note that this dissociation cannot even
begin to be considered unless we first assume ‘the restrainer’ to be the Holy
Spirit/Church and his removal as representing a picture of the rapture. Therefore, identification of the entity we
call ‘the Restrainer’ becomes of vital importance. With this understanding, lets take a closer
look at the argument.
Their
logic follows this line: If the
restrainer is the Holy Spirit/Church, and the Holy Spirit/Church is said to be
taken out of the way (essentially to be removed from earth), then it is obvious
that this is a perfect picture of the rapture.
Therefore, the subject of the rapture is discussed and can be paired
with the passage’s reference to ‘our being gathered to him’ which is an obvious
reference to the coming of Christ for the rapture of the Church. The rapture is then understood to take place
at or near the start of Daniel’s 70th week.
Once
this is done, we may turn our attention towards the passage’s mention of ‘the
day of the Lord’, and associate this with the reference to ‘the coming of our
Lord’. This is frequently presumed to be
a reference to the coming of Christ at the battle of Armageddon towards the end
of Daniel’s 70th week.
By
understanding the passage in this manner we are able to take the seemingly
unified event that Paul presented as; ‘Concerning the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him’, and present it as two separate
events that may be separated from one another by as much time as we wish; ‘the
coming of our Lord’ at the battle of Armageddon, and ‘our being gathered to
him’ which is the rapture.
Response: These are wonderfully logical arguments. I myself clung to similar ideas and used them
to extol the virtues of the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine for years. Ultimately however, through the gentle
teaching of the Spirit my eyes were opened and I was allowed to see things in a
different light. Let me share with you
some of what I have come to understand regarding the problems associated with
these arguments.
Our first point of reservation is primarily
oriented toward the first argument offered.
It concerns the shoddy scholarship involved in arbitrarily dismissing
the evidence demanding an intimate link between the rapture and the day of the
Lord. Once upon a time the intimate
nature of this link may not have been understood, but for quite some time the
evidence demanding this link has been offered to the community of Christian
scholars and teachers. Many have
prayerfully considered the evidence and accepted it while many others have
chosen to dismiss it virtually out of hand.
Generally speaking, their greatest point of contention
is that an intimate link such as that demanded by the evidence would violate
the doctrine of imminence!
Therefore, in the name of protecting their cherished doctrine and its
tradition they refuse to accept the truth.
For brothers such as these there exist no evidence that can sway
them. They choose to live in darkness
when the light of truth surrounds them, and nothing but prayer for the direct
intervention of the Spirit in the understanding of these beloved brethren will
change their course or their mind in this matter.
Our next
reservation is applicable to both the arguments in varying degrees. The reader should note the second argument’s
foundation is nothing more and nothing less than an assumption! Nowhere in scripture is a ministry of restraining
Satan (the ultimate power behind lawlessness) ever ascribed to the Holy Spirit
or to the Church whom he indwells; a fact that is admitted by even the
staunchest of pre-tribulation supporters.
The assumption is made quite simply because the proponents of this
argument are aware of no one else who might perform such a task. This would seem to be a very poor foundation
upon which to build a vital doctrinal argument.
Later we shall take an in depth look at another candidate to fill the
role of restrainer. One for whom a great
deal of scriptural evidence does in fact exist, but whom we in our pride and or
carelessness have failed to notice. For
details, see ‘THE RESTRAINER’, pages 89-101.
Next, if the restrainer’s being ‘taken out of the
way’ is truly a reference to the rapture, then the oblique and cursory manner
in which it is presented is highly unusual and not at all characteristic of the
blunt manner in which Paul normally addresses a primary subject.
Finally,
but perhaps most significantly, NOTE VERY CAREFULLY the extremely
important fact that in attempting to destroy the intimate temporal link between
the rapture and the day of the Lord, the critics are forced to create a
new temporal link between the coming of Jesus at the battle of Armageddon, and
the day of the Lord! Their
proposition is therefore forced to conclude that Jesus will return to earth at
the time of the battle of Armageddon (this part of the proposition is true),
and that this will initiate the day of the Lord. This later portion of their proposition can
and will be proven to be completely wrong!
While
the battle of Armageddon commences very near the end of the seventh
seal, the day of the Lord will be shown to begin at the opening of that
seal, and will be separated from the battle of Armageddon by an absolute
minimum of five months (see ‘The day of the Lord begins at the seventh seal’,
pages 84-149). The conclusive manner in
which this point is proven, completely destroys the critic’s argument
concerning not only the initiation of the day of the Lord at the battle of
Armageddon, but also any arguments that might see its initiation anywhere other
than at the opening of the seventh seal.
Acceptance and understanding of this point demands we accept the focus
of this entire passage as being centered about a single event, the rapture, and
that it must be linked in an intimate chronological sense to the day of the
Lord.
The
reader should fully understand the significance of this point. Our reference passage, when understood to be focused
upon two separate events, FORCES us to create an intimate
temporal link between either the rapture and the day of the Lord, or Christ’s
coming at Armageddon and the day of the Lord. Since it can and will be proven that the
start of the day of the Lord is separated from Christ’s return at Armageddon by
considerably more than five months, the possibility of a link between Christ’s
return at Armageddon and the day of the Lord vanishes in a puff of smoke. The only remaining possibility is that this
passage of scripture intended to create a temporal link between the rapture and
the day of the Lord!
Before fully accepting this conclusion, the reader
may wish to prayerfully consider both the strand of truth, ‘The day of the Lord
begins at the seventh seal’ (see pages 84-149), and the string of truth
concerning ‘The Restrainer’ (see pages 89-101).
Note that once these points have been proven, all of the arguments we
have just considered will become quite transparent and the true nature of the
intimate link between the rapture and the day of the Lord will become very
clear in this passage. For now however,
keep all these things in your heart as we look to scripture to see what more it
might reveal.
WHEN DID THE RAINS COME?
Argument: Some critics
have contended that the rain did not start on the same day Noah entered the
ark, but instead it waited for seven days.
They see this seven-day delay between the time Noah supposedly entered
the ark and the time when God’s wrath was poured out in the flood as a clear
typological picture of the coming seven-year tribulation. Additionally they contend this seven-day
delay would also serve to damage if not destroy our proposed intimate temporal
‘link’ between the rapture and wrath of our Father. The passage of scripture under question reads
as follows:
Gen
7:1-4 (NIV) The LORD then said to Noah, ‘go into the ark, you and your
whole family, because I have found
you righteous in this generation. Take
with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of
every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, ... Seven days from now I
will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. [italics added]
The critics argue that this passage clearly indicates the
rains did not come until seven days after Noah and his family
entered the ark. This separation of
seven days appears to correspond perfectly and symbolically to the proposed
seven-year separation between the rapture (at the start of the tribulation
period), and the beginning of the day of the Lord (which these critics
mistakenly place at the battle of Armageddon, see ‘The day of the Lord begins
at the seventh seal, pgs. 84-149).
Response: If this were
all scripture recorded regarding this subject, then I would be forced to agree
with the critics. However, in an even
clearer and more precise passage in the same chapter we find that:
Gen
7:11-13 (NIV) In the six hundredth year
of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month - on that day
all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of heaven
were opened. And rain fell on the
earth forty days and forty nights. On
that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth,
together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. [emphasis added]
In this passage we see that God is gracious enough
not only to tell us that Noah entered the ark on the same day the great flood
began, but he even tells us what day it all happened on! I think we may safely set this matter aside
and move along.
ONLY FOR ISRAEL?
Argument: Another
objection raised by some critics is the contention that the promises of
deliverance God made in some of the passages we studied point specifically and
exclusively to the nation and people of Israel. The contention is that statements such as:
Joel
3:16 ‘the LORD will be a refuge for his
people a stronghold for the people of Israel.’ [italics added]
Dan 12:1
... But at that time your people - everyone whose name is found written
in the book - will be delivered. [italics
added]
And others like these point
toward Israel
alone and therefore the Church cannot make claims to be partakers in these
promises.
Response: I would
disagree with this for two reasons.
First, the scriptures are often gracious enough to locally support the Churches
right to partake in these specific promises even within the passage where the
promise is made. For instance, as
previously stated, note the gracious way God declared the distinctly separate
plans he has at the time of the end for the Church and Israel.
To
the Church he says, ‘The LORD will be a
refuge for his people.’ (Joel 3:16a). I
know that I am one of his people, and certainly hope that you number yourself
as belonging to God also. Jesus Christ
died to give us that special privilege and no one can take us out of his
hand. God’s plan shows that he does not
plan to deliver Israel
in the same manner as the Church however.
Israel
will have to endure the scourging of his wrath for their failure to repent of
their rejection of Christ and will need the strength of God to stand fast
against both that time of destruction and the forces of Antichrist. Therefore unto Israel
he says he will be, ‘a stronghold for the people of Israel.’ (Joel 3:16b)
Again,
the protractors point out that in Daniel 12:1 the Lord declares deliverance
will be given to ‘your people’.
Obviously, this is a reference to Daniel’s people, which is to say
specifically, Israel. Yet again the Lord goes on to locally extend
his promise within the very same passage to ‘everyone whose name is found
written in the book’. Again, I know my
name is in the book (of life) and I pray that yours is there also.
Second, even when there does not exist a local
extension of such a promise, we possess a general extension that is found
throughout the New Testament in scriptures such as:
Gal 3:26-29 (NIV)
..... If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs
according to the promise. (cf. Gal 4:7, Eph 3:1-6, Rom 8:14-17)
These
declare plainly that everyone who accepts the blood of Christ as the
atonement for his sin, and is baptized into the body by the washing of the Holy
Spirit is a child of Abraham and a son of the living God. Therefore we, by definition have access to
the promises God has made to Abraham’s seed and to those called ‘his
people’. By saying this I do not seek to
say that we have replaced the nation of Israel, but that we have been
grafted into that nation for a time, through the miracle of the new birth.
HOW MANY RAPTURES ARE THERE?
Discussion Topic: Yet another
objection has surfaced to the views thus far presented. This objection stems from a view held by
some, that multiple raptures will occur during Daniel’s 70th
week. This proposal is founded primarily
upon two basic points of understanding.
First,
these critics contend that the passages of scripture we have studied in 1 &
2 Thessalonians should be viewed as supporting a pre-tribulation rapture. In considering these passages, the critics
either fail to notice any connection between the rapture and the day of the
Lord, or minimize its significance such that the day of the Lord is relegated
to the realm of the obscure and essentially unimportant.
Second,
the critics attempt to deal with the passages of scripture pointing toward a
rapture event deep within Daniel’s 70th week by postulating the
existence of additional rapture events beyond the initial pre-tribulation
event. The passages that create the need
for these additional events include the great multitude of Revelation 7, and
the Olivet discourse of Jesus.
Mat
24:29-31 (NIV) Immediately following the
distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its
light; the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all
the nations of the earth will mourn.
They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power
and great glory. And he will send his
angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (cf. Rev 6:12-17, Luk 17:22-37) [italics added]
Rev
7:9-18 (NIV) After this I looked and
there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every
nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front
of the Lamb. They were wearing white
robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. .... 11) All the angels
were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living
creatures. .... 13) Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes -
who are they, and where did they come from?’
I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’ And
he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation;
they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
.... [italics added]
In
dealing with these passages, the critics again see no connection between these
events and the day of the Lord. They see
the herald signs of the day of the Lord displayed clearly in scripture (sun/moon
darkened, stars falling from sky, earth and sky shaken, etc…), and interpret
them as ‘cosmic calamities’, or ‘nuclear war between the nations’. Again, the day of the Lord becomes virtually
invisible, and is relegated to the realm of the obscure and essentially
unimportant.
Often,
if mentioned at all, the day of the Lord is used to summarize the terrible
events of Daniel’s 70th week as the time of God’s wrath. More frequently, it is briefly mentioned as a
time span of some thousand years which will incorporate not only some portion
of Daniel’s 70th week (normally beginning either at the start of
that ‘week’ or at Christ’s return at Armageddon), but also the millennial reign
of Jesus. In either case, the day of the
Lord is not an event directly associated with the rapture in any deep or
meaningful way.
To
those who do not understand the importance God has placed upon the day of the
Lord and its intimate connection with the coming rapture, this may seem
inconsequential. But as you study the
truth of God’s word, and gain an understanding of the day of the Lord, the
arguments these critics present will be exposed for the half-truths that they
are. Once we understand the nature and
significance of the day of the Lord, scripture begins to unfold a new truth
before our eyes.
We
cannot help but immediately notice that each of the passages of scripture
mentioned above carries within them a vitally important point of
commonality. They are each intimately
associated with the start of the day of the Lord, and we are able to
perceive the truth that these are not separate rapture events, but are in fact
repetitive views of the same event.
Scripture is clear on this point.
There is only one rapture and it occurs just prior to, in
fact on the same day as, the day of the Lord!
In truth,
the only reason the critics appeal to such things as multiple rapture events is
because of the doctrine of imminence.
Allow me to explain. As stated
previously, multiple rapture events become necessary in their eyes because of
two reasons:
A)
They are fully committed
to a pre-tribulation rapture. A
pre-tribulation rapture is absolutely mandated by the doctrine of
imminence. Therefore, even if scripture
explicitly declares a rapture event will occur during the 70th week
of Daniel, that event MUST be in addition to the primary event
mandated by imminence.
B)
They see events such as
those depicted in Mat 24:29-31, and Rev 7:9-17 as irrefutable evidence of a
rapture event occurring deep within the 70th week. Therefore, in accordance with the rationale
shown above it follows that there must be two (or more) rapture events. One to meet the mandate of the doctrine
of imminence, and the second to meet the mandate of scripture.
This is a nicely logical argument, which is driven
completely by a forced and misplaced loyalty to the doctrine of imminence. By placing this logical argument on the
shoulders of imminence, what the proponents of this position have done is to
build a logical argument on the foundation of a logical argument. This is quite simply to far off the beaten
path of scriptural bedrock for me to find any comfort at all.
If you hold to this position, perhaps this would be
a good time to take a careful look at the section of this writing devoted to
reviewing the doctrine of imminence (Appendix A). Upon completion of that review, I pray the
Spirit will lead us to be in agreement on these things.
THE LAST TRUMPET
One final thing remains which points the way toward a
link between the rapture and the day of the Lord. I have saved it for last because I do not
consider it a ‘proof’, but only an indicator.
In the book of 1 Corinthians we find it written concerning the rapture:
1 Cor
15:51-52 (NIV) 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. [emphasis added]
In
this marvelous passage we are given knowledge of many characteristics we can
expect to find in the Church’s rapture.
We can expect it to occur ‘in the twinkling of an eye’, the ‘dead will
be raised imperishable’, and we will hear the sound of a trumpet blast. This is valuable knowledge, but as to
determining the season of the rapture all we can glean from this passage is
that it will occur ‘at the last trumpet’.
Some
have seen in this, a link to the seventh (or last) trumpet of the book of
Revelation. I cannot support this view
due to the fact that Paul obviously intended the Corinthians should be able to
understand the mystery he was revealing to them in this passage. If this were in fact a reference to the
seventh trumpet of Revelation they could not have understood it’s meaning since
the book of Revelation was not written until AD 90-95, or approximately fifty
years after first Corinthians. Therefore
I cannot with a clear conscience accept this association.
In
truth I cannot give a conclusive scriptural association as to what ‘the last
trumpet’ may imply (*See the 'update' section at the end of this chapter). I can offer a reasonably
compelling logical argument as to the meaning and association of the ‘last
trumpet’ that is strongly based in scripture.
Therefore, while I will relay to you a pre-wrath logical argument behind
the ‘last trumpet’ of first Corinthians 15; I cannot and do not lift it up to
you as solid ‘proof’, but only as a means to bridge a gap in our understanding
until such a time as God sees fit to fill that gap with a more precise
understanding.
It is widely known that God used the trumpet for many
occasions in the course of his peoples worship and life. Two significant uses of the trumpet were to
call his people to assemble together, and also as a prelude to war. I believe that the reference in first
Corinthians has both of these reasons in mind.
When that trumpet blast shall sound, two things will occur
simultaneously. All Christians, both the
dead and the living will be called to assemble together in the clouds with
their Lord and savior Jesus Christ, and at the same time, God will be sounding
his intent to go forth and do battle with the Antichrist.
THE CALL TO ASSEMBLE FOR THE RAPTURE
1 Cor
15:51-52 (NIV) 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. [emphasis added]
1 Thes
4:16 (NIV) 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. [emphasis added]
Mat
24:31 (NIV) And he will send his
angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. [emphasis added]
Rev
8:1-6 (NIV) 1) When he opened the
seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angles who stand before
God, and to them were given seven trumpets. ….. 6) Then the seven
angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. [emphasis added]
[Father, I pray your
Spirit will empower the words herein to open the eyes and hearts of your
children who read. Unto you Oh Lord be
the glory, honor and the increase for all these things which are wrought by the
moving of your hand. AMEN.].
UPDATED INFORMATION TO THIS SECTION
Andrew,
Since the writing of this section (some 5
years hence), the Lord has been gracious enough to finally teach me what 'the
last trump' is. The answer came so
simply and suddenly when I began to study the Lord's festivals presented in the Old Testament and their associated
customs.
You will note that in the course of this
text an association is continually seen between the time of the rapture and the
onset of the day of the Lord. It
would seem Paul's mention of 'the last trump' is also intended to point toward
this day, as was suggested above. So…
how do we get there?
VERY briefly…. As per Messianic
teaching: The four Jewish spring
festivals all are associated with the first coming of Christ (Passover,
Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits & Pentecost).
The three fall festivals are associated with His second coming (Feast of
trumpets, Yom Kippur (the day of judgment), and Tabernacles).
Each feast includes multiple 'themes' and is accordingly known by several names, each
of which illuminate a unique aspect/theme of that feast. Interestingly enough, one of the names/themes of
the Feast of Trumpets is…. 'THE LAST TRUMP'!!!
As such, Paul was simply using the long established imagery from the Lord's festival to teach that the
rapture would occur when Christ returned, and that His return would occur as
the day of the Lord was dawning on this world!
We miss the point because we typically know little or nothing about the imagery to
which he was referring, and with which both himself and his readers were quite familiar.
Your friend and brother…….. Lance
CHAPTER FIVE
STRAND OF TRUTH: THE DAY OF THE LORD BEGINS AT THE SEVENTH SEAL
SO IT COMES DOWN TO THIS
Everything we have thus far observed demands we understand
that the rapture of the Church will proceed immediately prior to the initiation
of the great and terrible day of God’s wrath.
To be honest, many who hold tightly to a pre-tribulation view of the
rapture would agree with this truth, provided of course we conclude that time
of wrath, which is the day of the Lord, might begin at the start of Daniel’s 70th
week.
Unfortunately,
this writer cannot in good conscience reach that conclusion. Instead, it is my intention to prove
conclusively, should our Father be willing, that the day of the Lord begins
with the opening of the seventh seal of The Revelation. Further, we will see that God’s worldwide
wrath cannot be associated with the years between the start of the
tribulation period and the opening of the seventh seal.
This truth is a cornerstone of the pre-wrath
teaching. Upon this truth, those who claim
the day of the Lord, and/or God’s wrath, is poured out upon this planet from
the very first day of Daniel’s 70th week, are destroyed. Upon this truth, those who claim the day of
the Lord does not begin until the battle of Armageddon, are put to flight. Upon this truth, those who wish to perceive
the day of the Lord as a nebulous period of time, being as much figurative as
literal, are put to shame. And so it
comes down to this; when does scripture declare the great and terrible day
of the Lord will begin?
To
prove this ‘strand of truth’, we will employ multiple sub-proofs which we will
call ‘strings of truth’. As each
‘string’ is proven and woven together with its complementary strings, I believe
the Lord will bless us with a final undeniable ‘strand of truth’ leading to the
inescapable conclusion that the day of the Lord begins with the opening of the
seventh seal.
STRING OF TRUTH:
THE COMING OF ELIJAH
Scripture declares that prior to the inception of the
day of the Lord, the prophet Elijah will once again walk among us.
Mal 4:5
(NIV) See, I will send you the
prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.
[emphasis added]
Jesus himself reinforced this
teaching at the time of his transfiguration.
Mat
17:10-13 (NIV) The disciples asked him,
‘why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?’ Jesus replied, ‘to be sure, Elijah comes
and will restore all things. .....'
[emphasis added]
Following
a literal interpretation of scripture we can anticipate that the same Elijah
who was taken up to heaven without ever tasting of death (2 Kng 2:11-12), will
return before the day of the Lord begins. Therefore, in order to gain some concept as
to when the day of the Lord will come, all we need to do is determine when
Elijah will arrive. We will then at
least know the day of the Lord will arrive after this time. To do this we must consult scripture for
clues as to the appearance of Elijah somewhere in the vicinity of the events
surrounding the end times. Since the book
of Revelation is our detailed guide through this period, it would seem to be
the place where God would have continued his instructions relating to the
return of Elijah. What we find in the
book of Revelation is that the Lord has promised to send two specially anointed
witnesses in the last days.
Rev
11:3-14 (NIV) And I will give power to
my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, ..... Now when
they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will
attack them, and overpower and kill them.
..... But after three and one
half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet,
and terror struck those who saw them.
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘come up
here.’ And they went up to heaven in a
cloud, while their enemies looked on. At
that very hour was a severe earthquake.
..... The second woe has
passed; the third woe is coming soon.
[emphasis added]
WHO ARE THOSE MASKED MEN?
The
identity of the two witnesses has been a source of debate for decades. Those who debate the issue are of conflicting
opinions as to the identify of the second witness (Moses and Enoch are the most
notable possibilities), but are in nearly unanimous agreement that Elijah will
almost assuredly be among this small assembly.
The identification of Elijah is based upon several factors including:
1) We are specifically told
to expect Elijah during this time period.
Therefore, his appearance as a witness for God is an expected,
prophesied event and his identification as one of the two witnesses of
Revelation 11 is a natural conclusion.
2) The title given these witnesses of ‘the two olive
trees and the two lampstands’, coupled with the supernatural way in which they
are protected throughout their 1260 day ministry gives us a glimpse of the kind
of unique, ultra-personal relationship these two prophets must have with the
Lord. This type of relationship can
best be accounted for by allowing the prophets to be identified as Elijah, and
Moses/Enoch.
3) The ministry of these witnesses is exactly the type of
work scripture declares Elijah is going to be sent to perform (cf. Mal 4, Mat
17:10-13). During the time period
scripture declares he is going to perform it.
4) Scripture does not record anyone else who even
remotely resembles Elijah or his work during the period covered by
Revelation. It is difficult to imagine
that the Lord would have given us a record of two OTHER prophets during this
period without even mentioning the ministry of the great prophet who was
specifically prophesied to appear during this period.
All
these things work together to give us an extremely high degree of confidence
that Elijah should be counted as one of these two witnesses. A virtual fact very few will dispute or even
hesitate in confirming due to the strength of the evidence supporting the
assertion. Even so, though we may well
assert this understanding with extreme confidence, we must admit to ourselves
and bear in mind that the argument is ultimately built on reasoning and logic
rather than on the explicit teaching of scripture. That is to say that
scripture never forces us to accept this truth by flatly stating that
Elijah is one of the two. Nor does it
irrefutably tie Elijah to these two witnesses, but instead is simply silent on
the matter. We are left in the position
of being able to build a very strong logical argument, but one that in the
final analysis falls short of being absolutely conclusive (though not by
much). These things being noted its time
to move forward with our study.
THE END OF A MINISTRY
Our scripture reference clearly shows us two very
important facts pertaining to the ministry of these witnesses (note that we
should and will continue, along with most other Christians, to identify Elijah
among these two until proven otherwise).
First, their ministry has a duration of 1260 days, which is to
say 3 ½ prophetic years. Second, their
ministry ends 3 ½ days prior to the termination of ‘the second woe’, which
is to say, deep within or near the end of Daniel’s 70th week.
Scripture records the first
woe is completed during the fifth trumpet judgment (Rev 9:1-12). It is also understood that the third woe,
though never explicitly mentioned, is fulfilled during the seventh trumpet judgment,
which is initiated immediately after our own reference text (Rev
11:15-19). Therefore, we can with great
confidence place the witness’s death deep within the second half of Daniel’s 70th
week, after the fifth trumpet, and before the seventh trumpet. This means that the witnesses are killed
approximately at the end of the sixth trumpet judgment. Simply stated: Elijah, being one of the two witnesses, is
killed very near the end of the second half of Daniel’s 70th week.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
Through
the constant guiding of the Holy Spirit, our first ‘string of truth’ has now
been realized. The day of the Lord
can begin no sooner than that period of time which exist just prior to the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week. You may be asking yourself, ‘Now that we have
it, just exactly what do we do with it?’
Let’s therefore take a moment to analyze the implications of this
‘string’ we have been given:
1) Since our second ‘Strand of Truth’ demands that the
rapture and the beginning of the day of the Lord occur on the same day we
have effectively disallowed and disproved all pre-tribulation positions under
consideration. Even if we
choose to allow the weaker version of our second ‘strand of truth’ to be
employed, which mandates only that the rapture and the day of the Lord can not
be separated by any great length of time; we still are forced to eliminate all
pre-trib positions. This is so because of the
fact that a gulf of time exceeding three years would be required to bridge the
gap from a pre-tribulation rapture to the start of the day of the Lord, which
by our present ‘string’, cannot begin prior to the approximate mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week.
2) We do possess the option of arbitrarily disallowing
Elijah to be identified as one of the two witnesses since it cannot be
irrefutably proven that he is counted among their number. If we choose to do this we can simply ignore
this ‘string of truth’ and allow the day of the Lord to once again be located
at or near the start of Daniel’s 70th week, and everything is returned
to the way it was before all this mess started.
Well almost everything. We still
must deal with the matter of Elijah’s coming, and in doing so we must take care
not to allow Elijah to appear BEFORE the rapture since this would
constitute a violation of the doctrine of imminence. Still, scripture does declare that he must
appear BEFORE the day of the Lord, which is coincident with the day of
the rapture. Only one solution exist
which might reconcile these demands:
A) Elijah will come during the interval of time between
the rapture and the beginning of the day of the Lord (This interval may not
exceed one day).
B) Elijah is NOT one of the two witnesses.
C) The book of Revelation makes no mention of Elijah nor
his activities during his prophesied return to earth and subsequent ministry,
all of which are continuing during the time covered by that book.
D) To accept the conditions of items A, B, and C above,
we must be willing and able to conscientiously set aside the strong body of
evidence which exists to the contrary of each of the above statements.
These
conclusions are a bit hard for me to accept, and yet they are the minimum
conclusions we are driven to in order to maintain a working pre-tribulation
position. This is the case, due to the
scriptural requirement of maintaining the day of the Lord in close proximity to
the rapture as shown by our second strand of truth. Is it any wonder so many today are searching
for a way to divorce the rapture from the day of the Lord? Yet it is quite simply impossible to separate
them and still maintain any semblance of honest, literal, biblical
interpretation. Please, take a moment to
consider the conclusions of this string of truth before you continue. Seek again the wisdom and guidance of the
Spirit of God. He is faithful to speak
to those who are willing to hear.
[Father, unto you we commit these things, that by your
Spirit of truth we may know the deep and secret thoughts of your heart. Those things which are hidden within your
word from the eyes of the wise, and yet are made plain to the eyes of your
humble children who see through the eyes of the heart rather than those of the
body. Amen.]
THE RESTRAINER:
WHY WE NEED TO KNOW
The
identity of the one whom scripture calls ‘the restrainer of lawlessness’ is of
great importance to us for two reasons.
STRING OF TRUTH:
THE RESTRAINER
Scripture
records only a single direct reference to the one whom we shall call ‘the
restrainer’. This reference is in the
book of 2nd Thessalonians as follows:
2 Thes
2:1-8 (NIV) Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being
gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or
alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us,
saying 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 worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming
himself to be God. Don’t you remember
that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back,
so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one
who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed,
whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by
the splendor of his coming. [emphasis
added]
It
becomes immediately apparent that prior to the day of the Lord several events
will occur. The rebellion will occur (a
period of conscious, extreme, deliberate rejection of God and his ways), the
Man of Sin will be revealed (Antichrist), and prior to the revealing of the
Antichrist, the restrainer must be ‘taken out of the way’ or removed from his
position of opposing Satan and his plan of lawlessness. Only after the restrainer is removed can the
Antichrist be revealed, and the full measure of his unholy power be brought to
bear against the nation of Israel
and the followers of Christ Jesus. In
the pursuit of this ‘string of truth’ we will undertake to scour the scriptures
and seek the face of God to determine, if it please the Lord, the identity of
‘the restrainer’.
TYPICAL UNDERSTANDING OF TODAY
Current understanding among most Christian groups asserts
that the role of restrainer belongs to either the Holy Spirit or the Church
whom he indwells. Both ideas are to a
large degree the same, since on the one hand the Spirit could be the restrainer
without the need of any outside agency such as the Church. While on the other
hand the Church, through its presence and prayer could be said to restrain
lawlessness. However, the power of that
restraint is still seen as coming from the indwelling Spirit. Though the details of the arguments vary, the
results are for all practical purposes the same.
Ultimately,
the purest form of this teaching asserts that the Church is the ministry
of the Spirit by which lawlessness is restrained. Therefore, many teachers point out that the
Spirit is never actually removed from the earth when the Church is
raptured. He merely ceases his ministry
of restraining lawlessness due to the absence of the Church. In addition, he
will no longer perform the New Testament ministry of indwelling the believer or
gift giving. He will, however, still be
here to help men to faith in Christ in a manner similar to his Old Testament
ministry.
These
teachers would point to the fact that since the restrainer is the Spirit/Church,
and since the restrainer is ‘taken out of the way’ prior to the day of the
Lord, then it is obvious that this is a clear and irrefutable picture of the
rapture. This is a very reasonable and
logical argument. The problem is that it
is only a logical argument and has zero explicit support from
scripture. As we have previously noted,
it is not impossible for a logical argument to be correct, not even one that is
purely logical with no real scriptural support. But, the argument should immediately set off
our warning flags and cause us to view the argument with the measure of wary
skepticism every logical argument deserves; especially those whose recipe is
based entirely upon logic and reasoning with little to no scripture to bring
stability.
SO, WHAT HOLDS ALL THAT TOGETHER
The
closest thing to scriptural support for this position I have been able to find
are scriptures such as (Jhn 16:7-11) which states:
Jhn
16:7-11 (NIV) ..... 8) When he comes
[the Spirit], he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and
righteousness and judgment: …. [italics and brackets
added]
That’s
it. And it will take more massaging than
I am capable of to turn this passage and others similar to it, into a
full-fledged ministry of restraining lawlessness. In case you might think I am just being
unfair in my assessment of this teaching allow me to quote Hal Lindsey in his
book ‘Vanished Into Thin Air, The Hope of Every Believer’. In the quote, Mr. Lindsey is addressing this
very subject of the Holy Spirit being the Restrainer and quotes Robert Gundry
who is a renowned theologian and supporter of the post-tribulation rapture
position. In turn, Mr. Gundry quotes
Henry Bettenson, all of whom see the Spirit in the role of restrainer (I
haven’t quite decided whether the idea of this game of tag is to find strength
in numbers or merely to be able to pass the blame should it all come
apart. Sorry, just thought I’d throw in
a little humor, no disrespect intended.)
Hal Lindsey ‘Vanished Into Thin Air, The Hope of Every
Believer’ 4
‘We may ask why Paul should not have openly
mentioned the Holy Spirit. But what
reason would have prompted him to do so?
For they knew what he was writing about in (2 Thes 2:5-6). No other passage of Scripture teaches
that the Spirit holds back the appearance of Antichrist. But neither does any other scripture teach
that Satan, the Roman Empire, or human
government holds back the Antichrist.’
[emphasis added]
So
there we have it, and in truth, not from these only. Many other theologians and Christian writers
have admitted the same thing. Simply
stated, this teaching is founded entirely upon reason and logic. They see this as permissible since as noted
above, they are aware of no one else whom scripture has presented who might
fill that role. Therefore, it seems
entirely reasonable that they should fill this ‘void’ with their best understanding,
and indeed, no fault can be found in this honest effort. But, what if scripture does have
somewhat more to say regarding the identity of the restrainer, and we have
somehow overlooked it? I wonder, how
many would be willing to listen?
INTRODUCING – THE RESTRAINER
With
this possibility in mind, allow me to introduce to you one whom scripture has
explicitly and consistently presented in the role of restrainer, but whom we,
in our wisdom, have refused to recognize.
Allow me to present to you, Michael the Archangel.
In
many ways it seems the Church has grown increasingly insensitive to the work
and ministry of angels. We have
increasingly come to view them as little more than bit players in the cosmic
drama constantly unfolding around us.
And yet the scriptures tell a distinctly different story.
Throughout
biblical history, from page first to page last we find God’s holy angels at
every turn. The angels perform many
functions. They minister to the Lord and
unto his people. They serve as messengers
to the prophets and chosen of God. They
praise God in song, and they RESTRAIN Satan and his forces of lawlessness
at every turn of human history!
SEEING THE ANGELS AGAIN – FOR THE FIRST TIME
Journey
with me, and let us revisit some scriptures you already know perhaps all to
well, but let us see them in a new light and through the eyes of the spiritual
world where live the angels and the forces of darkness with which they
constantly strive for the good of mankind unto the glory of God. As the scriptures literally abound in stories
that convey to us the service and ministries of these angels, we will only seek
to sample a small amount of the vast wealth available.
I
would like to challenge you, the reader, to add to the story we will begin here
by recalling your own favorite bible story.
Better yet, perhaps you have had a personal experience in your life
where an angel interceded between you and the forces of darkness. Restraining evil and its harm from touching
your mortal flesh, or allowing its malevolence to injure the precious fruit of
your soul. These personal experiences
are a part of most of our lives today.
This is true since the work of the angels is still ongoing. What will it be like I wonder, with more than
a little fear, when their ministry of protection and restraint shall cease?
Dan
10:4-11:1 (NIV) On the twenty-fourth day
of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the
Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt
of the finest gold around his waist. His
body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming
torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice
like the sound of a multitude.
..... 10) A hand touched me and
set me trembling on my hands and knees.
He said, Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the
words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to
you. And when he said this to me, I
stood up trembling. Then he continued, ‘Do
not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first
day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before
your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom
resisted me twenty-one days. Then
Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there
with the king of Persia.
..... Soon I will return to fight
against the prince of Persia,
and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; ..... (No one
supports me against them except Michael, your prince. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I
took my stand to support and protect him.)
[emphasis added]
From this passage we learn a number of things concerning
the ministry of restraint exercised by the holy angels of God. We are allowed to view a great struggle
between this unidentified angelic messenger sent unto Daniel and the Prince of
Persia, who is apparently a powerful demon (many have speculated this was Satan
himself) that exercised control over the kingdom of Persia in order that the
will and desire of his master, Satan, might be accomplished within that realm.
This
demon intercepted the angelic messenger in route to deliver his prophetic
message and restrained him for twenty-one days, locked in battle just beyond
the eyes of man in the realm of the spirit world. Yet Michael, that great prince of the host
who seems most interested in the affairs of men, came to break the stalemate
that the mortal children of God whom he is dedicated to serve should receive
the word of knowledge sent by the living God.
We later find that the two angelic warriors would unseat the demon from
his spiritual throne over Persia. No doubt thwarting some diabolical plan of
their fallen brethren.
How
often do you suppose this sort of struggle is enacted just beyond the sight of
our eyes? Angelic defenders locked in pitched combat
over the physical and spiritual safety of the mortals called man. How often have the angels unseated the
demonic forces seeking to corrupt and control governments, businesses, schools,
homes, and lives? Constantly
destroying the plans and restraining the activities of the dark ones who strive
to entangle the sons of man within their web of sin and deception.
Eph 6:12
(NIV) For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. [emphasis added]
In these struggles we are fortunate to count as our
allies the forces of angelic might, who with uplifted sword, stand constantly
at the ready to defend the mortal creation of the Father. Obeying his divine commands, the desire of
their hearts, and hearkening to the prayers of the saints of God.
A CHOICE IS MADE - A MINISTRY IS BORN
Another thing we learn from this passage is that this is
a ministry that is chosen by the angels themselves. It does not appear that this ministry has
been thrust upon them by the Father, but instead many of them have taken it
upon themselves to devote their angelic might and wisdom toward filling the
breach between man and Satan in order to protect us from the cruel darts he
would throw at us and our world.
Let’s
look again at the testimony of the angelic messenger. “(No one supports me
against them except Michael, your prince.
And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and
protect him.)” This angel proclaims
that he declared his support for Michael and his cause in the first year of
Darius the Mede. He chose
to stand with Michael. This mighty
figure thought it worthy to lift his sword in the cause of mortal man. Why?
What is man that we should be noticed by the angelic race. What interest do they have in us that they
should take their stand on our behalf and confront Satan and his legions of
demons?
As I
pondered these and other questions concerning the angels, God thought it
fitting to bring me into contact with a book by a long dead child of the
Lord. Allow me to share with you the
answer to this question found in the words of E. A. Stockman, which brought
tears to my eyes upon their reading.
E. A. Stockman ‘Footprints of Angels in Fields of
Revelation’ (1890) 7
‘It was by an apostate of their own race
and rank that the pure and fair creatures of Paradise
were seduced. The terrible curse and
blight of sin and pain and death was wrought by the malicious skill of angelic
envy. As the unsinning seraphs survey
the ceaseless sorrows of our world, they cannot but feel most humiliating shame
and sadness that those who were once pure and loyal as themselves, their own
blissful associates, blest with the smiles of the same loving Creator, should
have been the betrayers of a race fashioned for supreme delights.
By the invasion of Eden all the holy angels were defamed. And naturally they are intensely anxious to
aid in undoing the cruel work of the spirits of darkness. It must afford them peculiar pleasure to be
able to defeat, in any measure, the hateful designs and prevent the malevolent
intent of the angelic traitors. By all
the instincts of self-vindication, by all the pride of untainted loyalty, by
all their infinite hatred of rebellion, by all their love of purity and peace,
by their supreme devotion to the hope of a universe redeemed, they joyfully bring
all their wisdom and strength and skill into unceasing conflict with the powers
of darkness.
Moreover, their holy natures throb with
pity and compassion for the poor victims of satanic deception; and their love
for those who are struggling for redemption knows no limit. With vast knowledge of the human heart and
mind, and clear foresight of the adroit devices of the devil, they keenly
sympathize with us in our exposure to temptation and assault, and gladly interpose
their higher skill and power to strike the poisoned darts from the up-lifted
hand of the cruel and crafty foe. In
bands and troops, led by their invincible Michael, they sorely press the
traitor hordes on every field, and crown many a sanguine battle with triumph
for the friends of God.’
These
heavenly warriors have brought victory to the followers of the Living God on
more occasions than we shall ever know.
When Daniel was cast into the lion’s den it was the holy angels who
destroyed Satan’s fiendish plan and saw to it that the vicious beast were
pacified and restrained, thus allowing faithful Daniel to continue his work and
ministry.
Dan
6:19-22 (NIV) At the first light of
dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lion’s den. When he came near the den, he called to
Daniel in an anguished voice, ….. Daniel answered, ‘O king, live forever!’ My
God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, ….. [emphasis added]
When
Elisha, in the city of Dothan, was surrounded by
the armies of the king of Aram,
it was angels who restrained and blinded them so that they were unable to
accomplish the plans of the evil one.
2 Kng
6:15-17 (NIV) When the servant of the
man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and
chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh,
my lord what shall we do?’ the servant asked.
‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered.
‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘ O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the
hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. [italics
added]
Again we are allowed a glimpse
into the unseen spiritual realm. And we
find the mighty angels of God encamped round about the Lord’s faithful
servant. Always at the ready to restrain
the unseen darts and violent attacks of the dark forces of Satan. Should we be surprised at this? Has not God himself promised such protection
to his children?
Mat
18:10 (NIV) ‘See that you do not look
down on one of these little ones. For
I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in
heaven. [emphasis added]
Psalm
34:7 (NIV) The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers
them.
[emphasis added]
Psalm
91:11 (NIV) For he will command his
angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; [emphasis added]
This is the chosen ministry of many of these sacred
holy ones. They labor tirelessly to
erect an eternal vigil over the children of the living God. A ministry allowed and ordained by our loving
Father. And yet, do we ever take the
time to thank him for the ministry of these unseen mighty warriors. Always on guard against the dark exploits of
Satan and his followers. Always there,
ready to defend the helpless mortals who are so precious to God. Always serving, without thanks or
acknowledgement, and yet never growing weary in their service to the Lord or
his beloved mortal children.
These are the warriors of the Living God. Whose mission it is to defend us against
Satan and his evil ones. Who with power,
given by the Lord himself, will never fail nor falter, though their battle be
against even the despised angel of perdition himself.
Rev
12:7-9 (NIV) And there was war in
heaven. Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost
their place in heaven. The great
dragon was hurled down - that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who
leads the whole world astray. He was
hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
[italics added]
See again
the power of Gods warriors you children of the Lord. Here is the restrainer! Here is the one who leads myriads of holy
angels in the constant struggle to
oppose, restrain and
ultimately defeat the evil forces and intentions of the ancient dragon called
Satan. Here is your defender! Sent and empowered by the Lord himself for
the purpose of safekeeping his precious mortal sons. But will you give thanks unto God for the
constant protection he offers unto us through his servant Michael? Some will, and some will not, but all of us
will long for his protection in the day he stands aside and allows Satan and
his legions unopposed access to the physical, fleshly bodies of the mortal children he
has defended for so long. As scripture
declares:
Mat
24:21-22 (NIV) For then there will be
great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never
to be equaled again. If those days
had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect
those days will be shortened. [italics
added]
Once
deprived of our protector and the restrainer of lawlessness, is it any wonder
the children of God will be hard pressed to survive? We are no match for the power of Satan on our
own. Without the higher skill and power
of Michael and his angels to interpose themselves on our behalf, we will be all
but helpless before the onslaught of the dragon who has been cast down to earth
at this time, being ‘filled with fury’ against the followers of Christ Jesus
and the nation of Israel. Still, you may
be wondering just how it is that I should equate the ceasing of Michael’s
ministry of restraining with the time period we see in the passage above, and
know to be the ‘great tribulation’. And
again you may wonder how it is that I should think this period of time would be
when Satan and his angels are cast down to the earth. These are excellent questions, and ones that
I am eager to answer.
WHEN DOES THE GREAT TRIBULATION BEGIN?
Lets first look at that time period we call the ‘great
tribulation’ and determine when it is to begin in relation to what we know of
Daniel’s 70th week. Scripture
records that this time will commence immediately after the Antichrist commits
the abomination of desolation.
Mat
24:15-28 (NIV) So when you see
standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of
through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who
are in Judea flee to the mountains. …..
21) For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the
beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one
would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look,
here is the Christ! Or, ‘There he is! Do
not believe it. ….. [italics added]
We
also know that the abomination will be committed by the Antichrist at the
midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week.
Dan 9:27
(NIV) He [Antichrist] will confirm a
covenant with many for one ‘seven’[seven years]. In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will
put an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on a wing of the temple, he will set up an abomination that
causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. [italics added]
Therefore,
we see that 3 ½ years into Daniel’s 70th week the abomination of
desolation will be committed by the Antichrist.
Immediately after this, Christ tells us that a time of unprecedented distress
will be inflicted upon God’s people.
This is the period of time we commonly refer to as ‘The Great
Tribulation’. So then, to summarize, we
now understand that the abomination of desolation will occur at the midpoint
of Daniel’s 70th week. We
further understand that this will be the event that initiates the great
tribulation.
SATAN’S GREAT ASSAULT
To
understand why the great tribulation commences at this juncture in time
we must look at the book of Revelation.
As we look at the scriptures in Revelation, bear in mind that since the
abomination of desolation occurs 3 ½ years from the start of Daniel’s 70th
week, and the ‘week’ is 7 years long; this also means that there are 3 ½ years
remaining in Daniel’s 70th week after the abomination is committed. Further, we should remember that another way
scripture expresses this time period is by use of the term ‘a time (one year),
times (two years), and half a time (half a year)’. Therefore, when scripture uses the expression
‘a time, times and half a time’, we know that the period of time under
consideration is 3 ½ years. Bearing
this in mind, let us now look to scripture for an answer to our question.
Rev
12:7-17 (NIV) And there was war in
heaven. ….. 9) The great dragon [Satan] was hurled down ….. He was hurled down
to earth, and his angels with him. Then
I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ….. 12b) But woe to the earth and the
sea, because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. When the dragon saw that he had been hurled
to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child
[Israel]. The woman was given the two wings of a great
eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where
she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time [3 ½ years],
out of the serpents reach. ….. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and
went off to make war against the rest of her offspring - those who obey
God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus [the Church]. [italics, brackets added]
Once
again, our Father affords us a view of the spiritual realm, where we see
Michael and his angels defeat Satan and his angels. We are told that Satan, once defeated and
cast down to earth, will proceed to attack ‘the woman who gave birth to the
male child’. This woman is almost
universally identified as the nation of Israel.
Once
the attack begins, those of the nation of Israel will flee to a place God has
prepared for them. They will then be
cared for in this place for ‘a time, times and half a time’, that is to say 3 ½
years. This means that the attack of
Satan, once he is cast from heaven, will begin 3 ½ years prior to the end of
Daniel’s 70th week, which is of course the midpoint of that
seven-year period. We should note that
this means Satan is cast from heaven at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th
week, which is coincident with the abomination of desolation and the start of
the great tribulation. In
fact, we should recognize that the attack launched by Satan IS
the great tribulation.
FILLED WITH FURY
This
should come as no surprise to us. We
know that Antichrist receives his power from Satan. Therefore, when Satan is defeated by Michael
and cast from heaven he is, as scripture declares, ‘filled with fury’ and knows
he only has a short time left to him. He
therefore fills the Antichrist with the fullness of his unholy power, enabling
him to perform incredible ‘signs and miracles’ (Mat 24:24, 2 Thes 2:9, Rev 13:1-10)
which would deceive the very elect of God if it were possible. He will magnify himself above God by entering
into the very temple
of God, and claiming
himself to be God (this is the abomination of desolation, 2 Thes 2:3-4). He will also make war specifically against
the saints of God for these last 3 ½ years and will seek to destroy all of the
followers of God (the great tribulation).
All
of these things are a natural outgrowth of Satan’s eviction from the heavenly
realm and his growing desperation as he begins to realize the certainty of his
coming defeat. Take special note from
the passage above that the dragon will first attempt to exterminate the nation
of Israel
who is ‘the woman’. This is why Christ,
in Mathew 24 warned the Israelites to ‘flee to the mountains’ immediately upon
becoming aware of the abomination. From
our text in Revelation we can see that, at least to some extent, their escape
will be successful.
Failing
in his attempt to exterminate the Israelites, the dragon then turns his
attention toward ‘the rest of her offspring - those who obey God’s
commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus’. This can only be the Church of Jesus
Christ. The nation of Israel has not
at this point accepted Jesus, only the Church can at this time be said to ‘hold
to the testimony of Jesus’. This should
be a warning to every believer. A day is
approaching when Satan will be coming in all his evil fury to make all out war
against the nation of Israel
and the Church of
Jesus Christ. For a time he will be successful, but in the
end, God and his faithful will have the victory.
Dan 7:25
(NIV) He will speak against the Most
High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for
a time, times and half a time.
[italics added]
Mat
24:15-22 (NIV) So when you see
standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of
through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who
are in Judea flee to the mountains.
….. 21) For then there will be
great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never
to be equaled again. If those
days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the
elect those days will be shortened.
[italics added]
THE REMOVAL OF THE RESTRAINER
How is it, you may be asking that Satan could
possibly meet with any real success in making war against the Church of Christ. We are, after all, protected by our God and
his mighty servant Michael who is dedicated to defending his mortal children. To answer this question, we must remember
that a time will come when Michael will cease to restrain Satan. Scripture records that dreadful time as
follows:
Dan 11:45-12:2 (NIV) He [Antichrist] will pitch his royal tents
between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will
help him. At that time Michael, the
great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has
not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people - everyone
whose name is found written in the book - will be delivered. [italics added]
The
time when the events depicted in this passage will come to pass are pinpointed
for us by two clear references within the text.
First, it is a time when the Antichrist will ‘pitch his royal tents
between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain’. Since ‘the beautiful holy mountain’ seen in
the passage can only be a reference to Mount Moriah which lies between the
Mediterranean and Red seas and is in fact the holy mountain of both the Jewish
and Islamic peoples; it becomes obvious this is a very pretty way of saying
that Antichrist will setup his headquarters at Mount Moriah, in Jerusalem. This alone would be enough to tell us that this
is the time when Antichrist will break his seven year covenant with Israel (Dan
9:27) and unexpectedly attack the unwary nation at a time essentially
coincident with the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week. But scripture does not wish for there to be
any uncertainty and so we are given yet another reference.
Second,
we are told that this passage will occur just prior to ‘a time of distress such
as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then’ (cf. Mat
24:21). This again, clearly tells us
that the time is just before the start of the great tribulation, or as noted
above, just at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week.
We
are told that ‘at that time (right at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th
week), Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.’ We must ask however, what does scripture mean
when it says that Michael ‘will arise’?
Marvin Rosenthal, a noted bible scholar, has pointed out
the following concerning the term ‘will arise’(6). He notes that Rashi, one of Israel’s greatest
teachers, who’s mastery of the Hebrew language is unsurpassed and a person who
has no vested interest to uphold concerning the rapture of the Church or its
timing, has stated that the term arise’ (Hebrew ‘amad’)
in Dan 12:1 should be understood to literally mean ‘stand still’ or ‘desist’.
Michael,
the ‘great prince who protects’ the children of God will stand still. He will cease to restrain Satan and will
instead allow him unhindered access to the physical bodies of the mortals whom
he has protected and defended for so long.
Adding support to Rashi’s understanding is ‘Young’s Analytical
Concordance to the Bible’ which states that the proper meaning of the term
‘amad’ includes ‘to stand, stand still or fast’. ‘Strong’s Concordance’ states
that one of the definitions of ‘amad’ is to ‘stand still’ and that one of its
root meanings is to ‘cease’.
Mr.
Rosenthal goes on to point out that ‘If a man is reclining or seated and is
said to amad, he will stand ‘up’. If a
man is standing and active and said to amad, he will stand ‘still’. The archangel Michael, in context, was
already said to be actively defending God’s people. To amad, meant he would ‘stand still,’
‘desist,’ or ‘cease’ his defense on their behalf.’
Understanding that the meaning of the term ‘amad’ is to
‘stand still’, we now can understand the awesome significance of our reference
text. Simply stated, what we have
learned is that; at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week,
Michael will ‘stand still’ and cease to restrain Satan.
WHY WOULD MICHAEL DO THAT?
The
immediate question that comes to my mind is why? Why would God allow Michael to stand aside
while Satan makes war upon his children?
As always, the bible is faithful and responds to this question. In fact, it surrenders its truth to us in the
very same chapter that our reference text comes from and is even gracious
enough to once again affirm that all these things will occur at the midpoint of
Daniel’s 70th week.
Dan
12:6b-7 (NIV) ‘How long will it be
before these astonishing things are fulfilled?’
The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted
his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him
who lives forever, saying, ‘It will be for a time, times and half a
time. When the power of the holy people
has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.’ [italics added]
Here
lies our answer as to why this would be allowed to happen. God is going to allow this time of trouble in
order to humble the hearts of his people.
It is worth noting that the angel made this statement in connection with
the ‘holy people’. This could well be
applied to Israel,
the Church, or both. This writer
believes it is referring primarily to Israel, but to a lesser degree the Church
is also included in this statement.
Concerning
Israel,
that time will break the stony ground of their pride and religious
pretense. It will prepare the nation to
finally accept the Messiah whom they had once rejected. For that beleaguered nation it will be 3 ½
years of torment and anguish as they go directly from the fury of Satan in the
great tribulation, into the very wrath of God during the immediately ensuing
day of the Lord.
As
for the Church, we too will endure the time of Satan’s fury in order that we
might by tried and purified through the fire of tribulation. We will, however, be spared the time of God’s
wrath by the blessed hope of the rapture, as we shall see.
THE GREAT PRINCE WHO PROTECTS
One final thing we should carry away from this scripture
is the explicit manner in which the word of God declares Michael to be ‘the
great prince WHO PROTECTS YOUR PEOPLE’.
The truth is clearly, explicitly and finally spelled out in
scripture. Here lies a written
invitation from God himself, to all believers, to accept Michael as the
protector of his people.
What
God has openly declared, who are we to deny?
We have seen with our own eyes how Michael and his angels protect the
children of God, restrain the forces of Satan and minister to the needs of the
mortals called man. There is no longer
any room for doubt and rejection. Only
space and time to praise God and give thanks unto him for the provision of the
invincible armies he has seen fit to hedge his people with. A hedge composed of those majestic angelic
warriors who fill the ranks of an unseen army, which fights continuously an
unseen war. Will you surrender now the
sacrifice of praise the Lord so richly deserves?
Please
take note, as we mentioned previously, that the term ‘your people’ in this text
does not apply only to the Israelites at this time, but to all who are the
children of God. We of the Church have
been born of the Spirit, washed in the blood, remade into the spiritual seed of
Abraham. As such, we are his spiritual
children, and have been grafted into that holy nation for a time. Therefore, we are allowed to be partakers of
the promises afforded to that nation during the season of our existence, by the
power of God Almighty.
[May your name be praised oh Lord, for you alone are
worthy of praise. You have provided when
we have not thanked, you have given when we have withheld. We thank you now Father for your mercy and
compassion. For the goodness of all your
gifts, and at this time, especially for the gift of protection you have
provided in the form of Michael and your holy angels. AMEN]
SUMMARY
So, what exactly have we learned through this study? Let us take a moment to consider what great
things our Father has brought to us during this phase of our journey.
1)
We have learned
that at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week, Michael and his angels
will cast Satan and his angels to the earth.
(Rev 12:6-14)
2)
Once Satan is
removed from heaven, Michael will ‘stand still’ and will cease his ministry of
restraining Satan. This is the moment
that scripture speaks of when it states a time will come when the restrainer
‘will be taken out of the way’. (Dan
11:45-12:2)
3)
At this time
Satan, now knowing that he is defeated, will be filled with rage. In turn he will fill the Antichrist with his
unholy power. (Rev 13:1-2)
4)
Antichrist will
enter the very temple of God in Jerusalem
and proclaim himself to be God, demanding worship from the inhabitants of the
earth. (Thes 2:4)
5)
Satan, through
the Antichrist, will then commence a campaign of extermination against the
nation of Israel and the Church of Jesus Christ, thus initiating the time
of great tribulation spoken of by Jesus in the Olivet discourse. (Rev 12:13-17)
I
pray that the Spirit of truth has blessed you while we walked through the
scriptures in search of this string of truth.
It is my great hope that you would now agree with me that it is in fact
an immutable string of truth that Michael the archangel is the restrainer
of Satan, and at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week, Michael will
‘stand still’ and cease to restrain Satan.
With
this understanding, I would like to look at the implications of this truth in
connection with the day of the Lord.
Please, look again at the text of 2 Thes 2:1-8. Note carefully that the restrainer must be
removed before the Antichrist can be revealed, and the Antichrist
must be revealed before the day of the Lord may begin. Therefore, since we now know that the
restrainer, Michael, will cease his ministry of restraint at the midpoint of
Daniel’s 70th week; we also know that the day of the Lord
cannot begin until sometime after the midpoint. Again, this should not surprise us. In fact we should have expected it since it
agrees perfectly with the ‘string of truth’ we have already been given
concerning Elijah and his coming.
OPPOSING VIEWS AND ARGUMENTS
The preceding points of understanding seem very clear at
this point. It goes without saying
however, that many people absolutely refuse to accept Michael as the
restrainer. The reasons are
obvious. If Michael is accepted as the
restrainer mentioned in 2 Thes 2:6-7 then two things happen.
First,
there is virtually no way to avoid making a direct and intimate link between
the rapture and the day of the Lord.
Second, one of pre-tribulations strongest arguments vanishes into
nothingness (recall the argument that the removal of the restrainer is a clear
picture of the rapture if the restrainer is the Holy Spirit). Since those who defend the pre-tribulation
position argue against Michael, it is only fair that we consider their arguments.
I have read several refutations to the understanding that
Michael be identified as the restrainer.
Thus far they have all been based upon the same framework with very
little deviation between the
critic’s arguments. Therefore, we will
proceed to consider the arguments as outlined below.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE RESTRAINER
Argument: The restrainer
would need to possess all the attributes of the Godhead, omniscience,
omnipotence and omnipresence in order to effectively restrain Satan and the
forces of lawlessness that he directs.
Michael possesses none of these and is therefore excluded from
consideration as the one who restrains Satan.
Response: None of the
protractors whom I have heard have bothered to explain exactly why all
of the attributes of the Godhead would be necessary to execute the role of
restrainer. When last I checked with
scripture, Satan, who is ultimately the one being restrained, did not possess
these attributes either. Therefore, to
simply assert the necessity of these attributes as a requirement is invalid and
irresponsible.
The
simple truth is that Michael and Satan are both angelic beings. They are of essentially the same rank and
order and are therefore relatively evenly matched against one another. If an advantage is to be given, then it must
go to Michael since he has provision to appeal to God and his infinite wisdom,
strength and knowledge. Therefore,
Michael, while not possessing the attributes of the Godhead himself, does have
access to those attributes in his fight against the forces of darkness.
This
argument is incorrect in its initial premise and cannot be used to disallow
Michael as a candidate for filling the role of restrainer. The argument is based not upon scripture, but
upon human logic and/or a flawed understanding of God’s word relative to the
power of Satan.
IS MICHAEL STRONG ENOUGH?
Argument: The bible
makes it clear that while Michael is to be numbered among God’s most powerful
angels, he is quite simply no match for the power of Satan. This is pointed out in dramatic detail in the
following scripture:
Jude 9
(NIV) But even the archangel Michael,
when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to
bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’
This clearly indicates his
lack of ability to contend with Satan directly and therefore disallows him from
consideration as the restrainer.
Response: This argument
is much like the first. Both center
about different facets of the understanding that Michael is simply no match for
Satan and that he must therefore be removed from consideration as the
restrainer. The use of the above passage
and argument however has two fatal flaws that immediately condemn it.
First, the scripture is completely misrepresented
and taken out of context by those who use it for the purpose shown above. Lets look at more of the scripture to see
what was actually intended in this verse.
Jude
1-25 (NIV) ….. 4) For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago
have secretly slipped in among you. They
are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for
immorality ….. 8) In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own
bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. But even the archangel
Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did
not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘The Lord
rebuke you!’ Yet these men speak abusively
against whatever they do not understand;
….. 11) Woe to them! They have
taken the way of Cain; ….. 17) But, dear friends, remember what the
apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold, They said to you, ‘In the last
times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly
desires. These are the men who divide
you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
….. [italics added]
It
is abundantly clear that the intent of this passage was not to
teach that Michael was a wimp compared to Satan. Instead, we should understand that even
though he is the relative equal of Satan and could have
confronted him on the merit of his own strength and power, he instead humbled
himself before the Lord and proceeded to confront Satan with the wisdom, power
and strength of God.
This
is much the same approach we see in the confrontation between Jesus and Satan
at the end of his 40 days of fasting in the desert (Mat 4:1-11). We would do well not to insinuate that Christ
was unable to directly confront Satan just because he chose to contend with him
based on the power of the Father and His holy word rather than the power
resident within his own nature.
Michael’s
humility before God, and his reliance upon the Lord in this passage is in many
ways similar, and is held up in sharp contrast to the prideful boasting of the
godless men under consideration within the passage. Men who had no respect for the power of
heavenly beings that they could neither see, touch, nor fully understand. They therefore thought it of no consequence
to openly scoff at them and slander their power, their presence, their nature
and their ministry. Much like the
critics of this very ‘string of truth’ deny, reject and refuse to confirm the
fact that Michael, a chief prince of the host of God is dedicated to the
protection of God’s children. This
protection includes the restraining of Satan’s efforts to harm either directly
or indirectly the mortal heirs of the kingdom and earns him the right to the
title of ‘restrainer of lawlessness’.
I
say this not to the shame of all who have used this verse in an effort to
refute Michael’s claim to the title of restrainer, for some have done so in
ignorance. There are those however, who
have written many books concerning doctrine and spiritual understanding. Who for years have stood as pillars in the
theological community. Who fully
understood what was being spoken of in these verses, and still attempted to use
this passage for their twisted benefit and for their personal agenda.
To these
I say, yet not I, but the Lord, repent! Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to one with
a humble heart. Seek his truth, and do
not abuse his word for the purpose of leading his children astray, or defending
your own petty agenda. For these
things, the Lord has another purpose in mind for you, but we will pray that
such will not be needful.
The second flaw in this argument is quite simply that the
basic assertion, which states that Michael is no match for Satan is wrong! Scripture points to two undeniable instances
where Michael and Satan have, or will, come into direct confrontation and Michael
wins them both!
The
first is in the book of Jude, in the passage we have studied above, where
Michael and Satan contended over the body of Moses. Let me ask you, who ended up with the body of
Moses? Since Moses was later seen at the
time of Christ’s transfiguration with his body, I think I’m gonna have
to go with Michael as the winner of that contest (cf. Mat 17:3).
The
second time Michael and Satan will confront each other directly will be at the
midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week as we have noted previously.
Rev
12:7-9 (NIV) And there was war in
heaven. Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost
their place in heaven. The great
dragon was hurled down - that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who
leads the whole world astray. He was
hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. [italics added]
In
this text, scripture clearly, unequivocally and explicitly teaches us that
Michael can and will prevail over Satan in direct confrontation. It is Satan who is ‘not strong enough’
and will therefore lose his place in heaven.
There is no way scripture of this clarity can be denied, twisted or
circumvented by the true child of God.
It defines, explains and defends itself.
And since these are all of the major arguments against Michael taking
his place in the role of restrainer, we may now bring to a close this ‘string
of truth’.
THE HERALD SIGNS:
NARROWING THE SEARCH
We
have thus far been able to use the first two ‘strings of truth’ to help us
begin to narrow our search for the time when the great and dreadful day of the
Lord will commence. Each of these
strings leads us to the same conclusion, that the day of the Lord must commence
at some point beyond the middle, or first 3 ½ years, of Daniel’s 70th
week. We may use these strings as a
foundation for our acceptance of the fact that the day of the Lord begins deep
within Daniel’s 70th week. In
truth however, these are only general indicators of the coming season of that
day. Rendered here only as supporting
evidence, and for the purpose of allowing the reader time to become familiar
with the concepts presented. It is in
fact the herald signs of the day of the Lord that truly show the proper season
for the placement of that day within the framework of Daniel’s 70th
week. Let us now turn to the scriptures
as we undertake the task of carefully examining the string of truth that
considers the truth concerning the herald signs of the day of the Lord.
STRING OF TRUTH:
THE HERALD SIGNS SHOW THE TIME
Scripture
contains many passages that clearly present the herald signs of the day of the
Lord. Most notable among them are the
following:
Joel
2:10, 30-31 (NIV) Before them the
earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no
longer shine. ….. 30) I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke. The
sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming
of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. [emphasis added]
Joel
3:14-15 (NIV) Multitudes, multitudes in
the valley of decision! For the day
of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The moon will be darkened, and the stars
no longer shine. [emphasis added]
Isa
34:2-8 (NIV) The LORD is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all
their armies. ….. 4) All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the
sky rolled up like a scroll; all the
starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs
from the fig tree. ….. 8) For the LORD
has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause. [italics added]
Isa
13:9-10 (NIV) 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. The stars of heaven and their
constellations will not show their light, the rising sun will be darkened and
the moon will not give its light. [italics
added]
Amos 8:9
(NIV) ‘In that day,’ declares the
Sovereign LORD, ‘I will make the sun
go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.’ [italics added]
Ezek
32:7-8 (NIV) When I snuff you out, I
will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a
cloud, and the moon will not give its light.
All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you; I will
bring darkness over your land, declares the Sovereign LORD. [italics
added]
Isa
2:12-21 (NIV) The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and
lofty, for all that is exalted (and
they will be humbled), ….. 17) The arrogance of man will be brought low and the
pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear.
Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from
dread of the LORD and the
splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. In that day
men will throw away to the rodents and bats their idols of silver and idols of
gold, which they made to worship. They
will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from dread of
the LORD and the splendor
of his majesty. When he rises to shake
the earth. [italics added]
These
scriptures leave little doubt as to the signs that the Lord has provided so
that we might know when that great and terrible day is drawing near. God’s word is always faithful to provide us
with all that we might require to be prepared for any situation. Within these passages we are not only
provided with the signs to look for, but are told that these signs will come before
the day of the Lord actually begins (Joel 2:30-31, 3:14-15). So then, let us take stock of these signs
that will immediately precede the day of the Lord.
KNOWING THE SIGNS
From the passages of scripture seen above, we are able to
delineate a short list of the wondrous herald signs the day of the Lord will
include.
1)
The sun will be
darkened.
2)
The moon will be
darkened and/or turned a blood red.
3)
The stars will be darkened and fall from the
sky.
4)
The earth will
shake violently and the sky will tremble.
5)
The sky will be
rolled up like a scroll.
6)
Men will be so
frightened by these things that they will cast away their idols as they flee to
caves and holes in the ground to escape this frightening scene.
These are the signs that the Lord has given so that
we might recognize the coming of his day of wrath. These are signs that are unmistakable and
cannot be misunderstood by those who know what to look for. These are signs that are set apart for the
heralding of the great and terrible day of the Lord and which should be
engraved in the minds and hearts of his people.
While
they represent the certainty of coming destruction for the ungodly, they
represent the coming of certain salvation for his faithful children. This salvation will be found in the coming of
our Lord, Jesus Christ, for the snatching away of his Church at the
rapture. This will occur immediately
prior to the outpouring of wrath from the Father, as the day of the Lord
judgments begin to dawn upon this world.
WHERE DID I PUT THOSE SIGNS?
Since scripture has explicitly stated these signs are to
be associated with the approach of the day of the Lord, and thereby, with the
rapture of the Church; we will obviously be curious to see if they turn up in
any of the New Testament passages relating to the time of the end. It would also seem prudent to consider
especially well, passages found in the book of Revelation. The reader may be surprised to learn there
are in fact several references to these signs in the New Testament. Let us now focus on some of these and see
where they might lead us.
Mat
24:29 (NIV) Immediately after the
distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light; the stars will fall from
the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ [emphasis added]
Mrk
13:24-25 (KJV) But in those days, after
that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give
her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in
heaven shall be shaken. [emphasis added]
Lke
21:25-26 (KJV) And there shall be signs
in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
The word of God is rarely
ambiguous when it comes to important details of the Lord’s plan. This passage of scripture is a good example
of the incredible precision with which God has laid his plans out plainly
before us, and yet hidden them from the eyes of the wise. It is impossible not to recognize the
unmistakable herald signs of the day of the
Lord in these passages.
The
thing which is truly astounding however is the fact that right here, laid out
clearly and explicitly before us is the declaration of scripture that the
herald
signs will not be manifested
until ‘immediately after the distress of those days!’ By now, we know that this is referring to the
distress of the great tribulation (Mat 24:21-22). Therefore, what scripture is clearly saying
to us is that the herald signs for the day of the Lord will not begin
until immediately after the time of the great tribulation has come to a
close!
SURELY YOU DON’T REALLY MEAN ‘AFTER’
At
this juncture, it must be pointed out that the above truth does not
mean that the day of the Lord begins after Daniel’s 70th week has
come to a close. I realize that most of
us are accustomed to a view of Daniel’s 70th week in which the great
tribulation begins at the midpoint and continues until the close of that seven-year
period, when Christ returns at the battle of Armageddon to destroy the forces
of Antichrist. Please allow me to
present to you a slightly different view.
According to the pre-wrath view, the great tribulation
does indeed begin at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week. However, at some point well before the end of
the remaining three and one-half years of that 'week', the Lord will terminate or ‘cut short’ the time of the
great tribulation by manifesting the herald signs of the day of the Lord (as we
shall see later, these signs will be manifested in excess of five months prior
to the close of Daniel’s 70th week).
Scripture records the following concerning that day.
Mat
24:21-29 (NIV) For then there will be
great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never
to be equaled again. If those days
had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the
sake of the elect those days will be shortened. …. 29) Immediately
following the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the
heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ (cf. Mrk 13:20) [emphasis added]
The
intent of this passage is not to insinuate that the last 3 ½ years of Daniel’s
70th week will be reduced in length.
The book of Revelation makes it abundantly clear that the full 3½ years
will be completed and its days are specifically numbered (Rev 11:2-3, Rev 12:6,
Rev 12:14).
What
is being stated is that God will ‘cut short’, terminate, or bring to a
premature end, the time of Satan’s fury (the great tribulation). This will be accomplished when the herald
signs of the day of the Lord are manifested.
Subsequently, the Father will pour his wrath out upon the Antichrist and
an unrepentant world. In essence, God
goes on the offensive. The time of his
wrath and judgment has arrived.
While
the Antichrist is allowed to maintain a facade of dominance over the earth for
the duration of the 70th week in order that the prophecies
concerning his allotted time of control might be fulfilled (Dan 7:25, Rev
11:1-2, Rev 12:6, 13-17, 13:7); there can be no doubt in the mind of all who
dwell in heaven and earth that it is God alone who truly possesses dominion and
power over all of creation. Perhaps this
truth is best understood when we realize that the herald signs of the day of
the Lord we have seen spoken of by prophets in the Old Testament and again by
Jesus in his Olivet discourse of Mat 24:29 (cf. Mrk 13:24-25, Lk 21:25-26), are
nothing less than the sixth seal of Revelation!
Rev
6:12-17 (NIV) I watched as he opened the
sixth seal. There was a great
earthquake. The sun turned black like
sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the
stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when
shaken by a strong wind. The sky
receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was
removed from its place. Then the kings
of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave
and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks,
‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the
wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of
their wrath has come, and who can stand?’
[italics added]
THE SIXTH SEAL
In this passage of scripture, the living word of God
plainly shows us the same signs we have followed through the Old and New
testaments. Signs which have been
prepared and set apart by the Father himself to point the way into the dreadful
day of divine wrath that follows closely on their heels. That day which we have come to know by name
as, ‘The Day of The Lord’. Here,
in a clear and explicit manner we have the declaration of divine scripture
proclaiming that all those remaining on the earth will flee and hide themselves
‘from the wrath of the Lamb! For
the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’
In
this passage, the Lord allows his servants to clearly perceive the day of his
wrath is heralded through the signs spoken of by Joel, Amos, Ezekiel, Isaiah,
Jesus, and by John in the book of Revelation as the sixth seal is opened. Recall if you will, as we have learned from
the prophet Joel, these signs are to be manifested before the day
of the Lord actually begins (Joel 2:30-31, 3:14-15). These are the herald signs, which point
directly to the wrath of God embodied in the next major event of the book of
Revelation; the opening of the seventh seal.
Truly,
we can begin to understand the significance of these signs as we now see they
unequivocally prove the day of the Lord begins deep within Daniel’s 70th
week. That day shall begin after the
time of ‘great distress’ spoken of by Jesus in Mat 24:21-22, and very shortly
after the herald signs of the sixth seal.
Based upon the things we have seen here I pray that the Lord has blessed
you with the following understanding of our ‘string of truth’: The day of the Lord begins after its
herald signs, which are manifested in the opening of the sixth seal.
KNOWING THE SEASON
In
answer to the obvious question as to when the sixth seal will be opened in
relation to Daniel’s 70th week, it should be pointed out here that
the herald signs are seen prior to the opening of the seventh seal. Within the seventh seal, there are seven trumpet
judgments. The trumpet judgments last
for an undefined total period of time, with the only trumpet possessing a
clearly defined time frame being the fifth.
The duration of this trumpet judgment (Rev 9:5) is declared by scripture
to be five months.
It
is therefore reasonable to assume that the total period of time required for
completion of all the trumpets of the seventh seal is well in excess of that
five-month period. Strictly speaking, we
can only assert with absolute confidence that the sixth seal will be opened not
later than 37 months ([last 3 ½ years of 70th week = 42 months] - [5
months minimum duration of seventh seal] = 37 months) after the mid-point of
Daniel’s 70th week. This is in accordance with scripture, which
teaches that no man is to know the day or the hour (Mat 24:36), but also that
we, as children of the light should not be taken by surprise (1 Thes 5:4),
since we may and indeed should, know the season of these things.
What
the Spirit has graciously granted us is the understanding that a ‘season of
expectation’ will exist. A season when
for some thirty-seven months, the glorious appearing of our Lord could truly be
at any given moment.
This
should not surprise us since it is a concept that has been liberally scattered
throughout the scriptures. We have
already seen passages referring to such a season of expectation, and we have
only just begun to scratch the surface of the scriptures. One passage strongly alluding to such a
season is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 25:1-13).
While
many truths may be gleaned from this parable, one often-overlooked truth is the
fact that the virgins had a time of warning, a season of expectation, when the
bridegroom’s arrival was near.
Mat
25:6-10 (NIV) “At midnight the cry
rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come
out to meet him!’ Then all the
virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps
are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied,
‘there may not be enough for both us and you.
Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’) “But while they were on their way to buy
the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The
virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.” [italics added]
In this passage we see that a warning was issued
that the bridegroom was about to arrive; “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s
the bridegroom! Come out to meet
him!’ This warning began the season of
expectation during which the faithful virgins trimmed their lamps and awaited
the bridegroom’s actual arrival.
Meanwhile, the foolish virgins went to find oil for their lamps.
Note
carefully that the bridegroom did not actually arrive until sometime after the
initial warning was given; “But while they were on their way (to buy the
oil,) the bridegroom arrived.”
From the time the initial warning was issued until the actual arrival
time of the bridegroom, the virgins had time to wake up and trim their lamps (a
picture of increased spiritual awakening/awareness and preparation of
themselves for Christ’s arrival), debate among themselves the sensitive issue
of readiness (volumes might be spoken on this issue, but we will save that for
another time), and some even started upon a journey to acquire the ‘oil’ which
they so desperately needed. All of these
things required the passage of some quantity of time. It need not be an especially long period of
time, but it is apparent that the passage of some realistic quantity of time
occurs between the announcement of the bridegroom’s impending arrival,
and his actual arrival on the scene.
In this way, scripture once again shows us the existence of our
anticipated ‘season of expectation’.
The
reader may wish to note that two events exists that should serve as our
‘midnight warning cry’. First we will
encounter the abomination of desolation.
This will serve as a general warning to all who understand. Next we will encounter the ‘herald
signs’. These will serve as a specific
and final warning of our Lord’s impending arrival.
HOW THEN SHOULD WE ACT?
The events depicted in the parable above are
exactly what scripture has told us we should expect. Our warning cry will first be sounded at the
abomination of desolation. It is at this
time the Lord’s faithful will recognize, beyond any doubt or question, the
nature and identity of the Antichrist.
We should know that all God’s children are about to face incredible
mortal danger during the time of great tribulation about to commence, as Satan,
through the Antichrist, will attempt to destroy all of God’s people. It is also at this time that we can take
comfort in the fact the season of expectation has begun. We, as Christians, will be able to rest in
the assurance that within the next thirty-seven months our Lord will return to
take us home.
If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the
cry of the faithful in that day; ‘Arise from your slumber and stand fast oh Church,
for even now the bridegroom comes!’ Just
as in the parable however, I fear those who are unprepared when the warning cry
rings out will find it difficult, if not impossible, to ready themselves in
that day and time. How many of our
brothers and sisters who now serve faithfully beside us will perish in that
time because they are unprepared to meet the challenge of that day. Let us work together to ensure the
preparation of the entire body, and let us pray the Father will cut the days of
Satan’s fury very short for the sake of those who may be tempted to falter in
the final hour.
AN INTERLUDE: TAKING STOCK OF WHERE WE ARE
When we first set out to prove the ‘strand of
truth’ that will reveal to us that ‘the day of the Lord begins at the seventh
seal’, we mentioned that multiple sub-proofs would be utilized to help us reach
our goal. Since then we have covered
considerable ground as outlined below.
1) The coming of Elijah.
(Places the day of Lord after the mid-point of the 70th week)
2) The restrainer.
(Again, the day of the Lord is placed after the mid-point)
3) The Herald signs show the time. (Places the day of the Lord after the sixth
seal)
Given the strength of the evidence provided in these
strings of truth, we might now proceed to weave these ‘strings’ together in
order to prove our ‘strand’ of truth.
However, before we proceed towards accomplishing this end, it would be
productive for us to consider two additional truths. These will not only be useful in proving our
overall ‘strand of truth’ but will be of great value in adding details to the
fullness of our understanding concerning the general nature of the times and
events of Daniel’s 70th week.
Let us therefore take this opportunity to consider ‘The
Apostasy/Rebellion of Believers’ and ‘The Unveiling Of The Antichrist’ before
we conclude our consideration of this ‘strand of truth’.
STRING OF TRUTH:
THE APOSTASY/REBELLION OF BELIEVERS
The
apostasy/rebellion of believers, in relation to the day of the Lord and the
rapture of the Church, is spoken of by scripture in 2 Thes 2:1-3.
2 Thes
2:1-2 (NIV) Concerning the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to
become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed
to have come from us, saying 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. [italics added]
This
scripture clearly reveals to us that before the rapture and the day of
the Lord, we will first encounter the rebellion of believers. Since it serves as a precursor to the rapture
and day of the Lord, it goes without saying that we should be intensely
interested in learning all we can about its nature and season of occurrence if
at all possible. Toward this end, let us
more closely examine the rebellion of believers.
THE ‘APOSTASIA’
In this
scripture, the word rebellion is translated from the Greek word
‘apostasia’. This word may be rightly
translated as ‘apostasy’, ‘rebellion’, or ‘to completely turn away from’
something. In trying to better
understand just how this term is to be understood, it will prove helpful to
consider its other uses in the New Testament.
It turns out that this word is found in only two places. One use is here in our reference passage, and
the second is Acts 21:21. In this
passage, it is stated that Paul was teaching the Jews to whom he was bringing
the gospel of Christ, that the Mosaic Law and the Jewish customs were of no
effect and should therefore be abandoned in favor of the teachings of Jesus,
and the new birth of salvation. The idea
of a complete ‘turning away’ from, or abandonment of the Law, so enraged the
Jews in Jerusalem that they sought to kill Paul.
Acts
21:21 (NIV) They have been informed that
you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from
[apostasia] Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live
according to our customs. [italics,
brackets added]
What
should be noted here is that ‘apostasia’ is used here to denote a complete
‘turning away from’, or abandonment.
Further, it is seen in this instance to be a definable and clear cut
separating point for the people. On the
one hand stood those who continued to hold tightly onto the Mosaic Law, while
on the other stood those who believed that no flesh could be justified through
the Law and hence rejected the ‘religion’ of law and its associated
customs. Thus, we are allowed to see
that what was created by the ‘apostasia’ was a clear and distinct
dividing line between the two opposed ideas, and the people who
supported those ideas.
Yet
another applicable use of the word ‘apostasia’ comes to us from the apocryphal
book of first Maccabees. This book
presents to us a history of many of the events surrounding the time of
Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabean Wars.
These wars were fought to overthrow the dominion of this evil personage
from the holy land.
For
those not familiar with this period, it should be understood that Antiochus
Epiphanes is our best historical picture of the future Antichrist. He is mentioned as a major character in
several of the prophecies in the book of Daniel. These prophecies, and the accounts of history
surrounding this man have direct implications for, and impact upon, on our
understanding of what the future Antichrist will be like (Dan 7, 8, 10, 11).
The
amount of scripture devoted to Antiochus Epiphanes, and its intimate
connections to the future Antichrist lead us to the inescapable conclusion that
our Father intended for us to learn from the exploits of this man. As such, we should endeavor to understand the
parallels existing between him and our future adversary who will be patterned
after him. While it is not necessary for
us to pursue those parallels in depth, it will be useful for us to briefly
review the major actions of Antiochus Epiphanes.
After
being thwarted in his attempt to complete the conquest of Egypt and its
surrounding regions by the arrival of the Romans, Antiochus turned his anger
and frustration upon Israel who possessed no great means to resist. Antiochus managed to capture Jerusalem and
proclaimed victory. He next defiled the
temple of God by sacrificing a pig upon the alter, an act which was intended to
disgrace the Jewish God and prove that he was no match for the gods of
Antiochus. Finally, Antiochus committed
an act that came to be known as the abomination of desolation. This occurred when he placed a statue of his
god, Zeus Olympus, in the temple and demanded that the Jews worship the image
(cf. Dan 11:31-32, 2 Thes 2:4, Rev 13:15, Josephus ‘Antiquities of the Jews’
book XII chapter V, 1 Maccabees 1-4).
Thousands
were killed for refusing to worship. Many others eventually fled to the
mountains under the leadership of the priest Mattathias and his sons. They began a military campaign against
Antiochus that eventually ended successfully some three and one-half years
later. Unfortunately, most Jews gave in
to the demands of Antiochus and worshiped the image. Antiochus then commanded the new religion be
instituted throughout the land as can be seen in the following historical
account from first Maccabees. It is
here, in this passage of text, we find our other example of the use of the word
‘apostasia’.
1 Mac
1:11-2:15 In those days [of Antiochus]
lawless men came forth from Israel saying, ‘let us go and make a covenant with
the gentiles round about us,’….. so they built a gymnasium [Greek school] in
Jerusalem, according to gentile custom, and removed the marks of circumcision,
and abandoned the holy covenant. They
joined themselves with the gentiles and sold themselves to do evil. …..
41) Then the king [Antiochus] wrote to
his whole kingdom that all should be one people, and that each should give up
his customs. All the gentiles accepted
the command of the king. Many even from
Israel gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the
Sabbath. And the king sent letters by
messenger to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow
customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink
offerings in the sanctuary, to profane Sabbaths and feast, to defile the
sanctuary and the priest, to build alters and sacred precincts and shrines for
idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, and to leave their sons
uncircumcised. They were to make
themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they should
forget the law and change all the ordinances.
…. 2:15) Then the kings officers who were enforcing the apostasy
[apostasia] came to the city of Modein to make them offer sacrifice. [italics,
brackets added]
A CLEARLY DEFINED LINE OF SEPARATION
Here
again we find that the apostasy (apostasia), is associated with a complete
‘rejection’, ‘abandonment’ and ‘turning away from’ the things of God. Again we see that this sort of apostasy
creates a clearly definable line of separation for the people
involved in the situation.
The
pattern of activity and social consequences associated with true apostasy seems
clear. Yet in regards to the rebellion
of believers mentioned in 2 Thes 2:3, it has often been stated that the
apostasy/rebellion will be a slow process during which the Church will
gradually fall away from the pure truth and worship of God. In this scenario, the apostasy takes on a
nebulous, shadowy form that could be said to exist to some degree in every age,
including our own.
The
need for this to be true is motivated by a desire to prevent the
apostasy/rebellion from becoming anything clearly definable by which we might
be able to anticipate the time or season of the day of the Lord and thereby the
rapture. This is necessary, because it is
feared a violation of the doctrine of imminence would result. However, this understanding does not appear
to harmonize with the actual teaching of scripture, which provides three strong
indicators demanding we view the apostasy/rebellion as a definable event.
First,
historical modeling indicates the coming apostasy should follow a similar
course as its predecessor, which occurred during the time of Antiochus
Epiphanes. If this is true, then the
coming apostasy/rebellion of believers will not be a gradual, nebulous time of
‘falling away’, but instead will be a definite time of violent spiritual
upheaval and complete rejection of the ways of God. As its final by-product, this time will
produce a clear dividing line between the people who choose to serve God and
those who choose to serve Antichrist.
It
must be admitted the idea of historical modeling does not serve as an
indisputable proof but only an indicator.
It does however give us pause to seriously consider the probability,
that if the historical uses of the term culminated in a clearly definable
dividing of the people, it is highly likely that any future instance will be
similar in nature and produce a similar result.
Second,
a straightforward understanding of the scriptures make it plain that the rebellion
Paul instructed the Thessalonians about (2 Thes 2:1-3) was something he fully
expected them to clearly and unambiguously identify. This prophetic ‘landmark’ was given, along
with the revealing of the man of sin, in order that they might know without a
doubt they had not entered into the day of the Lord.
If
these were nebulous, indefinable events, then to what purpose could they hope
to put these instructions? The obvious
answer to that question is absolutely none! Therefore, this fact demands, with more
strength than the last, we understand the apostasy as being a clearly definable
time of rebellion against the ways of God.
Finally,
and most importantly, the use of the definite article ‘the’ before the word
‘rebellion’ demands we understand this as a clear and definite event. It is true that scripture speaks about the
danger of false doctrines and false believers creeping into the Church. It is also true that scripture speaks of the
spirit of Antichrist already being at work even during the days of the
apostles. Yet this passage is not
speaking of a gradual form of apostasy, but of the apostasy,
which will occur in the end-times, and will be different from any other in that
it will create a traumatic spiritual rift in the Church. This rift will appear in the physical realm,
and be visible to the mortal eye as a radical departure from the faith by many
whom we had called brother and sister.
I
tell you of a certainty, the rebellion will be a clearly definable period
of time, prior to the day of the Lord, wherein each of us will have to choose
what we will place our faith in and whom we will serve! This fact constitutes our current string of
truth. Yet if you will indulge me I
would like to take a short side trip into the world of modest conjecture to see
how and why the rebellion might unfold.
THE SEEDS OF REBELLION
Thus far we have seen that the rebellion is to be a
definable event, but this begs the question of ‘when’ this event is to take
place and what might be the circumstances surrounding such an event. In response to this I would like to share
with you something the Lord has placed heavily upon my own heart. This is a thing I cannot prove conclusively
in scripture, yet the possibility is so frightening to me that I feel compelled
to share it with you, that should it prove correct, you might be prepared to
meet the challenge ahead.
It is written in scripture that the Antichrist will
one day compel all people upon the earth to take the mark of the beast in order
to effectively control the economic system of the world and force the people of
the world to worship him. It is thought
by many, including myself, that the time when this economic system will be set
up, and the taking of the mark instituted, will be during the time of ‘great
tribulation’. In truth, the setting up
of this economic system may very well be one of the primary agents for the
initiation and implementation of the trials and tribulations resident within
that terrible period for God’s children.
Rev
13:16-18 (NIV) He also forced everyone,
small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right
hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had
the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his
name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the
number of the beast, for it is man’s number.
His number is 666. [italics
added]
In
essence, what this scripture is showing us is a time when the Antichrist will
set up a worldwide economic system. Access
to this system can only be gained by accepting the mark of Antichrist, whatever
that might be. Without this mark,
scripture tells us that access cannot be gained, even to the point that it will
not be possible to either buy or sell anything.
What scripture does not tell us, but which we can infer with only a
small extrapolation of the facts is that if we do not accept the mark and are
cut off from the economic system, our depravation will go far beyond mere
buying and selling. We will also be
prevented from holding a job, owning a home, owning a car, using a phone,
eating in a restaurant, having a bank account or anything else that will
require a transaction of monetary funds.
It will be impossible to make a purchase of any type or gain access in
any way to the economic system that will be controlled by Antichrist.
Think
of it like this, if you had a job, how would you be paid since you are not in
the system? If you got paid or even had
a million dollars stuffed in a drawer somewhere, what good would it do you
since you can’t spend it, not even to pay a mortgage payment, an electric bill,
purchase gas for your car or portable camping stove. You will even be denied the right to purchase
food for your family!
The
ugly truth is that you and I may one day have to face a very real and deadly
serious choice between two mutually exclusive positions. These positions will create, even force, a
very real dividing line to be drawn between the people then living on
this planet. Another point of extreme
importance that must be realized is that this is an eternal
dividing line! Those who
accept the mark will do so at the cost of their very soul!
Rev
14:9-12 (NIV) A third angel followed
them and said in a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image
and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of
the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of
his wrath. He will be tormented
with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for
ever and ever. There is no rest day or
night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives
the mark of his name. This
calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s
commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
[emphasis added]
Understand
this point very clearly for it is the primary reason God has moved my heart to
write this paper. You may be a child of
the living God, saved by his grace and renewed by the washing of the Spirit in
the blood of the Lamb. You may have run
the race well and served the Lord admirably for many years, but if you accept
the mark of the beast and thereby falter at the end of your course, YOUR SALVATION
WILL BE LOST and all your labors will have been in vain! I am convinced of the eternal security of the
believer, but scripture is explicit and clear on this point. If you accept the mark of the beast,
you will share in his condemnation!
This judgment will be passed regardless of your prior spiritual
condition.
A DIFFICULT CHOICE IN A PERILOUS TIME
Long
ago, Joshua presented the children of Israel with a choice (Jsh 24:15). In the future, the Antichrist will present
God’s people with the exact same choice: ‘Choose you this day whom you will
serve’, and your choice will directly impact your eternal destiny. The following scenario may help us visualize
the challenge ahead.
ACCEPT THE MARK: In accepting
the mark you will be allowed to continue to live in a manner largely unchanged
from your current way of life. You will
be able to keep your job, own a home, own a car, buy and sell merchandise, live
in relative peace and safety, etc… All
that is required is that you acknowledge your loyalty to, and support of, the
world governmental body headed by the Antichrist, and accept the mark of that
commitment (in exchange for your very soul Rev 14:9-12).
Of course, he won’t be called Antichrist. He will instead be shrouded in a mist of
deception and delusion. He will appear
to most people as a doer of good and an instrument of God. In all likelihood he will be thought of as
the world savior and perhaps even as messiah or god himself (2 Thes 2:1-12, Rev
13:11-18, Mat 24:23-28). Therefore, in
making this choice you will fall under the influence of the delusion God will
allow to test every man.
You
will believe yourself to be serving the greater good, even the very will of
God, and that those who reject this path are hindering world progress and
recovery from the terrible years of war, plague and famine that destroyed fully
a fourth of the world’s population. Out
of this hellish mess, the world was rescued by your messiah just as the
scriptures had foretold.
He,
along with his faithful prophet (a false Elijah), has performed many signs and
miraculous wonders in order to save the world.
Surely he has proven himself to be the most capable leader the world has
ever known. The miracles, signs and
wonders he has performed have served to confirm his right to claim his place as
our messiah and god. It is self-evident
that only through the power of God could such incredible things be done.
The
‘non-believers’ will claim that your messiah is really the Antichrist, and the
wars, plagues and famines were the first four seals of the apocalypse. Though this is obviously absurd, they will
stubbornly refuse to submit to messiah’s rule or his mark. Surely they deserve no better than to be
persecuted, hunted, even killed.
Whatever it takes to rid the earth of their vile unbelief, lies and
dangerous influence. This will occur
during that period of time which they will call the ‘great tribulation’, but
which you will think of as the reclamation of Eden as you obediently assist in
cleansing the earth of non-believers in an effort to pave the way toward what
promises to be the golden age of man, under the direct rule of the long awaited
messiah.
SPECIAL
NOTE: Notice if you will that in his greatest
delusion of all, Satan will create a false millennial kingdom under a false
Christ. It even comes complete with a
false Elijah who will perform wondrous signs and miracles to confirm the false
Christ’s claims of divinity. The sinners
will become the saints and the saints will assume the role of the wicked who
speak great heresies against the most high and his messiah as they denounce the
messiah/Antichrist and declare his god to be none other than Satan himself (Rev
13:5-6, Dan 7:8-11,25).
Satan
will no doubt continuously support his diabolical work through the use of God’s
own word, twisting its meaning to suit his fiendish desires, just as he
attempted with Jesus in the wilderness.
For instance, the ‘mark of the beast’ may very well be supported through
reference to Rev 7:1-8 where the servants of God receive a seal in their
forehead. The Church might easily become
the great harlot of Rev 17 when Satan supplies just the right twist to the
truth. As such, in the minds of
Antichrist’s followers, she will be worthy of nothing less than the utter
destruction poured out upon her in Rev 18, which would of course both justify
and explain the unprecedented worldwide persecution of the great tribulation
directed against the people of God.
These
things are of course mere supposition, but rest assured, the great deceiver has
a delusion in store for mankind. A
delusion that will be closely tied to the word of God! How might I conclude that Satan’s delusion
will be tied to God’s word you might ask?
It is simple really.
Consider
the fact that according to Jesus, Satan is going to weave a delusion that will
be so powerful and persuasive that even the very elect will be tempted to
believe (Mat 24:24). The only possible
way to tempt the elect of God toward believing in the Antichrist; that is to say,
in order to deceive the biblically grounded, spiritually mature, faithful unto
death, dyed in the wool, cross carrying, spiritually minded, dipped in the
blood, baptized by the Spirit, anointed by and through prayer, well versed,
bible believing follower of the living God; Satan will have to twist the word
of God oh so subtly in order to make it into a convincing biblical argument
for believing that the coming of Antichrist is in fact, the second coming
of Jesus!
There
is no logical argument, no threat to personal safety or comfort that will tempt
God’s true elect to turn away from his/her calling. In order to tempt this kind, the delusion
will have to be based upon the only thing to which they pay any heed; the word
of their God. And it is to this word
that Satan will appeal in that day, in the same manner that he appealed to it
in the day he tempted Jesus himself. The
unsaved world will readily accept this demonic ‘truth’, and for a time, many of
God’s elect will have to seriously ponder and pray for the Spirit to help them
discern the proper path to follow.
REFUSE THE MARK: In doing this
you must be prepared to sacrifice everything you own. Your job, your home, your car, your
accumulated wealth and all your assets.
You will not even be able to purchase food for your hungry children, or
seek medical care for your family in times of illness. You must be prepared to
endure the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Persecution will come from those who have chosen
to accept the mark, even persecution unto the death of yourself and your loved
ones. Death will also come from the
rigors of your new life and from those sent by the world government to find and
destroy you. Many around you will die,
in fact, probably most (Mat 24:22-23, Rev 6:7-11). You will be forced to gather together what
you can carry and seek a place of safety in the wilderness, for most people
will be seeking to kill you for your refusal to submit to the one you know to
be Antichrist. Your only consolation
will be your deep and abiding faith in God and the knowledge of the blessed
hope of Christ’s return to rapture you home.
Therefore, you will eagerly watch, wait, hope, pray and serve.
The things written above sound very frightening and
unpleasant. I would like to be able to
say that things will not be this way and that no child of God will ever taste
of this type of persecution and hardship.
However, I do not believe that scripture supports this view, and
therefore to say such would be a lie.
For the sake of all of God’s people I would love to be wrong in this
matter, but the Spirit within me continually confirms the truth of these
things. A truth further confirmed by the
scriptures themselves when they declare that the Antichrist will be given
dominion over the saints of God for 3 ½ years (Rev 13:5-7, Dan 7:25, Mat
24:21-22). It is true that I may be
deceived in these things. I am willing
to entertain that notion. But are you
willing to entertain the notion that these things may be true?
Though I cannot conclusively prove all this in scripture,
I do strongly believe that the events depicted above are not very far from
being an accurate picture of what we may very well expect to encounter in our
not so distant future. Let me ask you; what
if the events depicted above come to pass?
Are you prepared to make the kind of decisions that would be
required? Is your relationship with God
such that you are, right now, prepared to give up quite literally everything
for him?
I am
afraid that many of the brethren would stumble under such a heavy load, succumb
to the deception of the Antichrist and sell their birthright, as did Esau
before them, for a morsel of meat.
Yet it is exactly this sort of separating point or dividing line we
should expect and must be spiritually prepared to successfully cross during the
coming apostasy of believers.
It
may not come exactly as depicted above, but rest assured that it will come, and
it will serve to clearly, definitively and eternally separate the truly faithful
from those who merely play at Christianity and toy with the things of God. Also, you must take note that it will come before
the day of the Lord, and therefore before the Church is to be removed
from the scene.
We,
as a body of believers must prepare ourselves to meet this spiritual challenge today. We must exercise our faith today. We must seek a closer relationship with God today. We must reach out to harvest the fields of
our Lord today. We must learn his
wisdom and place his word in our heart today. We must crucify ourselves to the things of
this world through Christ Jesus today.
We must put him first and forsake the goods and riches of this world today. We must do all these things today, for
tomorrow may be too late. The time
may be upon us, and what a tragedy it will be if you and I are not
prepared. Will we, like the rich young
ruler (Mat 19:16-23), turn away from the calling of our Lord to take up his
cross and follow him, because we are unable to bear the burden of relinquishing
our riches? Or will we, like Esau, sell
our birthright (Gen 25:29-34) for a morsel of the meat Antichrist will offer us
in the form of his ‘mark’?
Questions
such as this are why every day we must each ask ourselves if we are truly
ready. We must daily seek out the things
which keep us from fully submitting to the will of God and through his strength
remove them, for these are the things wherein the enemy will seek to entangle
and destroy us. This is true of today,
and will be especially true in that coming time of great persecution and great
decision. Can you hear the voice of
Joshua, reaching even now across the ages?
Calling to the children of God to prepare today for the challenges of
tomorrow. The choice is still the same,
‘choose you this day whom you will serve’.
What will your answer be?
[Father, we pray for your
strength as we surrender ourselves to you.
Teach us to avoid the snares of this world and not to care for its
riches, but instead to focus our minds and our hearts upon you and upon your son,
our savior and example, Jesus Christ.
Bless us Father, as we lift up our hearts to you in his name. AMEN]
THE REVEALING OF ANTICHRIST: HOW WILL HE APPEAR?
When the one we call
Antichrist first enters upon the stage of the divine drama laid out in the word
of God, he will not present himself as the vile and lawless son of perdition,
but instead as a child of light and wisdom.
By means of this masquerade he will seek to win the hearts and minds of
the world populace as he fiendishly prepares to usurp the very throne of God
and proclaim his own right to divinity in the name of his father, Lucifer. Many, and perhaps most, will gladly follow
this pied piper from hell. All the while
feeling quite confident that they are embarking on a noble journey into
mankind’s golden age with their divine pilot at the helm. Some will however, recognize the Antichrist
for who and what he is. They will be
able to pierce his veil of delusion and see the evil standing just beyond the
trappings of light and wisdom. Knowing
their foe, they will be better able to strengthen their faith and their flesh
for the challenges ahead. They will
survive, even in the darkest hours of the coming storm. Many others will not be sure exactly what to
make of this charismatic leader who will present a point of great contradiction
between what seems to be the truth of scripture and what they can perceive with
their own senses. In their confusion,
many of them will likely fall as easy prey to the diabolical hunter of human
souls sent forth by Lucifer into a ripe and unsuspecting world.
STRING OF TRUTH:
THE REVEALING OF ANTICHRIST
Which group will you fall into? The very fact that you are reading this paper
indicates the strong possibility that you are a child of God and interested in
discovering the truths of scripture concerning the end times. So then, just how will you be able to know
the Antichrist for who he really is?
Students of end times have long been at odds over when the identity of
this would-be messiah will become apparent.
It would seem that there exist several possibilities as to when he might
be revealed, yet scripture is not silent on this issue, and leaves only little
to the imagination.
If we use the proofs we have already laid out
plainly in this document, and look to scripture to provide our answers we will
find that only one possibility remains reasonably intact under the probing
light of God’s illuminating word. Some
of the more interesting theories advanced as to when the Antichrist will be
revealed are listed below.
1)
Before the start
of Daniel’s 70th week by means not discussed in scripture.
2)
At the signing of
a seven year covenant with Israel
(Dan 9:27).
3)
During his
meteoric rise to power in the first 3 ½ years of Daniel’s 70th week
(Rev 6:1-2, Dan 8:23-25).
4)
When he or one of
his puppet rulers miraculously recovers from a fatal head wound (Rev 13:3-4).
5)
When he commits
the abomination of desolation by entering the temple of God
and proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thes 2:3-4).
6)
Through the signs
and miracles which he and his prophet will perform (Rev 13:13-14, Mat 24:24).
LOOKING TO THE SCRIPTURES
Now then, the problem falls to us to determine
which of these possibilities, if any, will bear up under the discerning light
of God’s word. Therefore, let us look to
the scriptures for truth and understanding.
Immediately we find:
2 Thes
2:2-8 (NIV) ….saying 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. ….. 6) And now you know what is holding
him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is
already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so
till he is taken out of the way. And
then the lawless one will be revealed,…. [emphasis added]
This passage clearly and without any ambiguity tells us
that the Antichrist will not be revealed until the restrainer ceases his work
and is taken out of the way. Then and
only then may the lawless one, the Antichrist, be revealed. If you will recall, we discovered previously
that the restrainer is none other than Michael the Archangel. Further, we learned that his ministry of
restraint ceases at the approximate midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week
(see the string of truth ‘The Restrainer’ pgs 89-105). Therefore, in accordance with our scripture
reference above, the Antichrist cannot be revealed prior to the midpoint of
Daniel’s 70th week.
This
fact allows us to immediately eliminate from consideration all those theories
postulating the Antichrist’s revelation prior to that time. This would include items 1, 2, and 3 from our
sample list above.
PLEASE STATE THE NATURE OF THE MEDICAL EMERGENCY
In
looking at and beyond the midpoint of that week, we should realize that the
event we are seeking would allow the Lord’s faithful servants to identify with
certainty the man of lawlessness.
Looking at our remaining list of possible scenarios, we can probably
eliminate the idea of his being revealed from the fatal wound mentioned in
Revelation.
Rev
13:1-3 (NIV) And I saw a beast coming
out of the sea. He had ten horns and
seven heads. ..... One of the heads of the beast seemed to
have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed
the beast. [emphasis added]
At
first glance it would seem that the healing of the fatal wound to the head of
the beast should be an event whereby the Antichrist might be easily
identified. What we must realize however
is that the ‘beast’ is described as having seven heads. Just exactly what kind of heads are these,
and what does scripture mean when it speaks of a wound to one of
these heads? Revelations 17:3-11
provides more details as to the nature of these seven mysterious heads.
Rev
17:3-11 (NIV) .... there I saw a woman
sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had
seven heads and ten horns. .....7) Then the angel said to me: Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery.....8) The
beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss
and go to his destruction. The
inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life
from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast,
because he once was, now is not, and yet will come. This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills
on which the woman sits. They are
also seven kings. Five have
fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must
remain for a little while. The beast who
once was, and now is not, is an eighth king.
He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. [emphasis added]
Now, we must ask ourselves what all of this
means? Expositors of the bible offer
many different interpretations as to the nature of the seven heads seen in
these passages, and just as many explanations as to what is meant by the
healing of the fatal wound to one of the heads.
Our understanding of this passage is anything but clear.
Many,
including myself, view the Beast as representing a corporate entity such as an
empire and the heads as representing the beast’s sphere of influence. In this scenario the ‘wounding’ of one of the
seven heads would equate to the devastation of a city, a nation or perhaps an
entire continent, depending on the interpretive details. Regardless of the precise nature of those specifics,
it is clear that if the generalities of this prophetic view are valid, then we
should be looking for a mass destruction event.
But and still, the precise scope of that destruction is debatable and
therefore ‘uncertainty’ will exist any time a large destructive event is
encountered.
Some
see the heads as symbolic of Antichrist’s authority and the wound as a literal
wound to the head of Antichrist himself.
Others see the heads as puppet rulers under the influence of Antichrist
and the wound might then be a wound to any one of those rulers or, again, to
the Antichrist who controls them. Still
others see the heads as seven hills upon which the city of Rome sits and the wound then becomes
associated with that city and/or the Catholic Church. Yet again, others see the
heads as the seven great world empires which at various times in history have
arisen to dominate virtually the entire world of their respective times. The wound then becomes the collapse or defeat
of one of those nations, and its healing represents a miraculous rekindling of
its ancient eminence and a rise to world dominance in our own time.
These are only some of the explanations available,
and since we are dealing with a highly figurative section of prophetic
scripture it is difficult to honestly and with absolute confidence either prove
or disallow any of the possibilities.
The net result is that we are left with many more questions than
answers. Therefore, since it is
essentially impossible to clearly and decisively identify what the true nature
of the heads might be, it is equally impossible to base our identification of
Antichrist upon this hypothesis. To do
so would mean abandoning our position of fairly interpreting the word of God,
allowing it alone to resolve the issue.
SIGNS AND WONDERS
Now our list is down to two possibilities. Let us first consider the signs and wonders
performed by the false prophet and Antichrist.
We might be tempted to think that we could surely identify Antichrist
through these signs, but in fact just the opposite is true. Scripture declares the following concerning
these signs and wonders.
2 Thes
2:9-10 (NIV) The coming of the lawless
one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit
miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives
those who are perishing. [italics
added]
Rev
13:13-14a (NIV) And he [the false
prophet] performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come
down from heaven to earth in full view of men.
Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the
first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. [italics, brackets added]
Mat
24:24 (NIV) For false Christs and false
prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even
the elect - if that were possible.
[italics added]
Scripture
reveals that the signs and miracles performed by Antichrist and his false
prophet will be awesome displays of power that will serve to compel the
majority of humanity to worship him.
They will be so convincing that even the very elect of God will be
tempted to accept his claims of divinity and offer him the worship and
adoration reserved only for the true God and his beloved son Jesus.
It
is evident that these signs will create a great deal of confusion as to the
nature and identity of this false Christ within the ranks of God’s own
children. Meanwhile, the rest of
humanity will fall under the thrall of his power. They will accept his authority and believe
his commands to be those of God himself.
But we must ask, is the manifestation of signs and wonders to be the
manner in which one is allowed to recognize the Antichrist? God forbid, lest we should see the hand of
Antichrist in the moving of God’s own Spirit.
No, it is not by these signs that we will know him, but by the actions
he takes prior to the manifesting of these signs. We will know him when he commits the
abomination of desolation!
THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
Let
us now take a careful look at the abomination of desolation so that we might
understand how this event will serve to unmask this prince of deception. If you will, recall our brief consideration
of the actions of the primary archetype of the coming Antichrist, Antiochus
Epiphanes (see pgs 251-254 and 114).
It
was the action of Antiochus that allows us our historical perspective of what
has been termed the abomination of desolation.
As you will recall, this action took the form of placing a statue of Antiochus’s
god, Zeus Olympus upon the very altar of God and demanding worship of this
idolatrous figure from the Jews (Dan 8:11-13, 11:31-32, for historical
information on this topic please see the works of the Jewish historian Josephus
‘Antiquities of the Jews’ book XII chapter V, and 1 Maccabees 1-4). While we should not presume that the future
abomination of desolation must be exactly like the first, we can anticipate
that it will be rather similar.
Therefore, understanding the historical imagery surrounding this event
will provide us with an excellent place to begin our understanding of what lies
in our future.
Now
then, with this imagery firmly in place, please look carefully at the following
passages of scripture.
Mat
24:15-24 (NIV) So when you see
standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of
through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - ….. 21) For then
there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until
now - and never to be equaled again. ..... 23) At that time if anyone
says to you, ‘look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe
it. For false Christs and false
prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even
the elect - if that were possible.
[italics added]
Dan 9:27
(NIV) 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 on a wing of the temple, he will
set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed
is poured out on him. [italics added]
Dan
11:31-32 (NIV) His armed forces will
rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily
sacrifice. Then they will set up the
abomination that causes desolation. With
flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people
who know their God will firmly resist him.
Dan
12:11 (NIV) From the time that the daily
sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up,
there will be 1,290 days. [italics
added]
2 Thes
2:1-12 (NIV) Concerning the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not
to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter
supposed to have come from us, saying 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. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I
used to tell you these things? And now
you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper
time. For the secret power of
lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue
to do so till he is taken out of the way.
And then the lawless one will be revealed,…. 9) The coming of the
lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds
of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that
deceives those who are perishing. They
perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful
delusion so that they will believe the lie ..... [emphasis added]
Rev
13:14-15 (NIV) Because of the signs he
was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants
of the earth. He ordered them to set up
an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the
image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to
worship the image to be killed.
At this juncture I must beg the reader’s patience
and indulgence for the short excursion we are about to take. There is much we should see and understand
from these passages and I would like to take the time to first consider the
facts from each passage individually and then put those facts together as a
whole in chronological sequence. To
facilitate this, let us begin with the passage in Matthew 24.
Many teachers, myself included, see the events of
Matthew 24 as being presented by Jesus in an essentially chronological
order. That is to say, as you read
through the passage, it progresses in a predominantly linear fashion from an
initial point in time toward its conclusion, with only minor and obvious
overlapping of some events. In this
scheme of understanding, we should not expect, for instance, that the events
depicted in the later portions of the passage should be thought to have
occurred prior to the events depicted in the beginning of the passage, and so
on. Based upon this understanding, let
us use the passage of scripture from Matthew 24 as our chronological foundation
for the following analysis. Upon
consideration of our reference passage the following sequence of events emerge.
1) The abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel (Dan
8:11-12, 11:31-32, 9:27, 12:11) is seen in the ‘holy place’ (the temple of God).
2) Immediately after this event a time of ‘great
distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now’ is initiated
(the great tribulation).
3) ‘At that time’ (during the period of ‘great
tribulation’), ‘false Christ and false prophets will appear and perform great
signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible’.
Upon inspection of the
passages in Daniel we find:
1) The abomination of desolation will occur ‘In the
middle of the seven’, which is to say, at the 3 ½ year mark of
Daniel’s 70th week.
2) As suggested by the history of Antiochus Epiphanes,
The abomination of desolation will involve the cessation of daily sacrifices,
and the setting up of someone or something within the temple of God. The reader should note this mandates the
rebuilding of the temple, since it does not currently exist, for this to occur.
Upon inspection of the
passage in 2 Thessalonians we find:
1) The man of lawlessness (Antichrist), cannot be
revealed until ‘the one who now holds it back (the restrainer, the Archangel
Michael).... is taken out of the way.
And then the lawless one will be revealed’.
2) Scripture openly and adamantly proclaims the manner in
which Antichrist will be revealed when it parallels the unmistakable imagery of
the original abomination of desolation and declares Antichrist ‘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’.
There
can be no misunderstanding the significance or immediate impact of this action
by the future Antichrist as he revisits and enacts anew one of the most heinous
events in all of Jewish history, The Abomination of Desolation. Also, this act will instantly reveal the true
nature, character and identity of this wolf in sheep’s clothing to all true
children of the living God. These
children will be well aware that this was an event specifically prophesied by
Jesus as something to watch for. It will
serve as the event that will polarize all of humanity, separating the wheat
from the tares. It was first committed
by Antiochus Epiphanes and recorded for our benefit and understanding by Daniel
the Prophet (Dan 8:11-12, 11:31-32, 9:27, 12:11), Josephus the Jewish
historian, and the first book of Maccabees.
Mentioned as a pivotal point in end time events by Jesus, and taught
specifically by Paul to the Thessalonians so that they, and now we, might
understand the revealing of the Antichrist will come when he commits the
abomination of desolation.
A fact this writer submits as our current string of truth. Still, to better understand the ‘big
picture’, we should continue to explore the other events surrounding the time
of the abomination.
3) Once revealed, Antichrist ‘coming.... will be in
accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit
miracles, signs and wonders’ (recall these signs and wonders will be performed
during the great tribulation).
4) These lying wonders are unopposed by God who is now
allowing the inhabitants of the world to be tried, tested and separated by the
lies and web of illusions cast by Satan and his would-be messiah.
To
these scriptures let us add one thing further so that we might increase our
understanding of these events.
Dan
11:45-12:2 (NIV) He will pitch his
royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will
help him. At that time Michael,
the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as
has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people - everyone whose
name is found written in the book - will be delivered. [italics added]
Inspection of this passage leads us to understand that:
1) ‘He (the Antichrist) will pitch his royal tents
between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain’. This passage shows the Antichrist setting up
his headquarters, ‘royal tents’, at ‘the holy mountain’, which is Mt. Zion, in
Jerusalem. This is also essentially the same location
where the temple
of God once stood, and
will again stand in the fullness of time when the Lord shall move his hand.
2) ‘At that time’ (the time when Antichrist is setting up
his headquarters), ‘Michael.... will arise (Hebrew ‘Amad’ = stand still,
desist)’, thereby ceasing his efforts to restrain Satan and the forces of
lawlessness. This means that at the time
when Antichrist makes his headquarters in the area of Jerusalem (other
scriptures reveal that this comes about through military conquest of the city,
Dan 11:41, 45, Zech 14:2, Luke 21:20), Michael will stop restraining the forces
of Satan, and the way will then be paved for the Antichrist to be revealed
through the abomination of desolation.
3) The result of Michael’s standing still or ‘being taken
out of the way’ is that, ‘There will be a time of distress such as has not
happened from the beginning of nations until then’. We know from our passage in Matthew 24 that
this is the ‘great tribulation’. By
recognizing that the Antichrist’s conquest of Jerusalem, and Michael’s
cessation of restraining the enemy occur shortly before the ‘great
tribulation’ begins, allows us to place the two events at approximately the
mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week.
Now, we have finally gathered all of the most pertinent
information together so that we may inspect it.
Perhaps I should apologize again for having taken the ‘scenic route’ to
get here, but I hope you will be able to appreciate the end result of all our hard
work. To get a clearer picture of that
result let us now quickly reorganize the facts we have collected above so that
they are in chronological order. Our
clock begins ticking at a point shortly before the mid-point of Daniel’s
70th week.
1) Antichrist captures Jerusalem and sets up his headquarters there
(Dan 11:41, 45, Zech 14:2, Luke 21:20).
Note that although we did not cover the issue, Satan is cast out of
heaven at essentially this same time (see pgs 97-98 for details).
2) Michael and the angels cease to restrain the forces of
lawlessness (Dan 12:1-2, 2 Thes 2:6-8).
3) Antichrist, no longer opposed by the holy angels, and
compelled by the indwelling fullness of Satan’s power and fury, commits the
abomination of desolation by entering the rebuilt temple of God and declaring
himself to be God (2 Thes 2:4). This
action will clearly reveal his true nature and identity to the Lord’s faithful
who have the foreknowledge of scripture, and know to expect this vile
continuation of Satan’s original lie (I will be like the most high) through the
Antichrist. From scripture, they also
know that the coming of their true Lord will not be after this fashion (Mat
24:27, Luke 17:22-37).
4) The Antichrist will seek to destroy both the nation of
Israel
and the Church as the period of ‘great tribulation’ begins (Mat 24:15-22, Dan
12:1-2, Rev 12:7-17).
5) Coincident with the start of the ‘great tribulation’
the Antichrist and his false prophet begin to verify the claim of deity through
many astounding signs, miracles and wonders (Mat 24:23-24, 2 Thes 2:9-10, Rev
13:13-15). Most of the world’s
population will fall under the thrall of his deceptive web of lies and
miracles. They will see the Antichrist
as their great hope of salvation from the devastation of the first 3 ½ years of
tribulation. They will fear to make war
with him (Rev 13:4), and he will quickly rise to take dominion over the whole
earth (Rev 13:7-8). With this power in
hand he will move to establish his world economic system which will prove to be
devastating to those who are faithful to the Lord and his word (Rev
13:14-18). They will know the true
identity of the Antichrist and the significance of his economic system and its
associated mark. Each child of God will
therefore find himself squarely on the horns of an incredible dilemma. Some will stand firm in the faith, while
others will give in to the pressures, deceptions and lies of the Antichrist.
6) Most people will be deceived and truly believe that
Antichrist is Messiah/God (2 Thes 2:10-12, Mat 24:24). The true children of God however will be able
to avoid Antichrist’s web of deception because they can hold to the truths
found in scripture which detail his actions.
These are things such as the signing of the covenant, his rise to power,
his revealing through the abomination of desolation, the coming of the ‘great
tribulation’, the setting up of an image to be worshiped, the mark of the beast
economic system, the miraculous signs and wonders he will perform, etc... These
things will help them find a sure anchor for their faith, and continue to focus
on the reality of the one true God and our Savior even in the midst of this
great trial.
It should be noted from the above chronological list of
events that the abomination of desolation, during which Antichrist will declare
himself to be God, occurs prior to the manifestation of the awesome
signs and wonders produced by the Antichrist and his false prophet. This is yet another reason for rejecting the
manifestation of those signs and wonders as the means of identifying the coming
Antichrist and accepting our proposed ‘string of truth’ which states; the
Antichrist will be revealed at the mid-point
of Daniel’s 70th
week when he commits the abomination of desolation.
[Thank you Father for
revealing this truth to us through the guidance of your Holy Spirit. Strengthen us in mind, body and faith Oh Lord
as you prepare us for the trials of our life that lie before us. In those trials, may it be so Father, that we
bring only honor and glory to your name.
Avoiding deception by the power of your word, and holding tightly to our
love of the truth that comes from you. Amen]
THE DAY OF THE LORD - PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
It only took forever (OK maybe a little longer), but we
have finally returned to our starting point.
Our quest to prove the day of the Lord begins at the seventh seal has
taken us on a long journey. As we
traveled, we have considered five separate sub-proofs or ‘strings of truth’,
which have greatly expanded our understanding of the events leading to the day
of the Lord. These sub-proofs have also
consistently demanded the day of the Lord will begin deep within Daniel’s 70th
week, sometime after the sixth seal of the apocalypse is opened.
Now, armed with the knowledge the Holy Spirit has
brought to us during our journey, we are finally in a position to complete our
quest and consider our original strand of truth; ‘the day of the Lord begins at
the seventh seal’. First however, we
should take a quick look at where we have been, so that we might better see
where we are going. The following is a
brief list of the sub-proofs we have investigated and their immediate
implication with regard to our search.
1) Elijah will come before the day of the Lord. (Places the day of the Lord after the
midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week.)
2) The restrainer must stand aside before Antichrist can
be revealed. (Places the day of the Lord
after the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week.)
3) The Antichrist will be revealed before the day of the
Lord (Places the day of the Lord after the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th
week.).
4) The apostasy/rebellion of believers will occur before
the day of the Lord. (Places the day of the Lord after the midpoint of Daniel’s
70th week.)
5) Perhaps of greatest significance thus far, was our
investigation of the herald signs of the day of the Lord that will be
manifested just prior to the beginning of that day (Places the day of the Lord
after the opening of the sixth seal of Revelations.).
These five sub-proofs constitute a clear and indisputable
body of evidence unequivocally demanding the day of the Lord shall not proceed
until after the opening of the sixth seal of the book of Revelation. All that remains to complete our strand of
truth is to put our proposition to the test and locate that period of time
associated with end-time events wherein God is seen to play an active
role in causing the worldwide destruction we know is resident within the coming
day of the Lord. If our strand of truth
is correct, we should be able to show that terrible time will come after the
sixth seal of Revelation. Conversely, it
should also be provable that no event prior to the opening of the seventh seal
can rightly be attributable to the active working of God’s worldwide
judgment and wrath. To this end, let us
now turn our attention to the only certain source of truth, the word of the
living God and look at those events proceeding immediately after the sixth
seal.
PREPARING FOR BATTLE
Chapter six of Revelation closes with a vivid
presentation of the sixth seal/herald signs for the day of the Lord, and then
openly declares, “the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
(Rev 6:12-17) If the day of the Lord
were truly at hand, then we would hope and expect to soon see activity
commensurate with the dawning of this terrible time of worldwide wrath. In fact, scripture does not make us wait past
the first verse of chapter seven.
Rev
7:1-3 (NIV) After this I saw four
angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four
winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the
sea or on any tree. Then I saw another
angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four
angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: Do not harm the land or the sea or the
trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God. Then I heard the number of those sealed: 144,000
from all the tribes of Israel. [emphasis added]
In this passage we are allowed to witness two fantastic
events preparing to unfold. First, we
are allowed to see heaven’s angelic warriors, under the command of their God
and King, preparing to initiate the outpouring of God’s wrath. Second, we are shown the sealing of the
144,000 Jewish witnesses/remnant that prepares the way for the impending trial,
purification and ultimately the restoration of the nation of Israel. The reader should carefully note that prior
to this, neither God nor the angels have played an active role in any of
the death or destruction experienced by humanity (this point is proven during
the discussion of opposing views at the end of this section). Yet now, the forces of heaven are clearly
seen to be mobilizing, this fact suggests the nature of this conflict is about
to take a sudden and dramatic change.
Even
in the midst of preparations for war however, we should take note of our
Father’s faithfulness toward his servants.
The four angels are instructed to hold back the destructive forces
(winds) until the servants of God have been sealed. The purpose of this sealing is to ensure
their protection from the awesome forces about to be unleashed by the storm of
God’s own wrath (cf. Rev 9:4). As we
know, he has promised and is faithful to keep that promise, not to pour his
wrath out upon his own children (1 Thes 5:9).
It is important to note that the servants who are being sealed are all
from the tribes of Israel. This is significant in that it strongly
implies that at the time of their sealing, they must be the only servants of
God upon the earth. That is to say,
the Church has been or very soon will be raptured and God is initiating his
plan for the spiritual reclamation and redemption of Israel.
Though
it is a little off our immediate subject, this seems to be a good opportunity
to mention a very interesting fact.
Following the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses/remnant, the very
next and only other event in chapter seven, is the sudden appearance of a vast
multitude in heaven that is said to be from “every nation, tribe, people and
language”. We will take a closer look at
this great multitude later, but it goes without saying this looks exactly like
the anticipated rapture of the Church as proposed by the pre-wrath
teaching. For now, I will presume to
accept this event as just that, and ask the reader to bear with me until we
reach chapter seven where we will examine this issue in more depth. Enough about that for now, let us move ahead
with our current subject and see what more the Spirit would reveal to us
through the holy word of God.
JIHAD – THE HOLY WAR BEGINS
Chapter seven of Revelation details heavens preparations
for war. These preparations included
mobilization of the angelic warriors, the sealing of the Jewish remnant, and
the removal/rapture of the Church. With
all noncombatants secured or removed to a place of safety, the way has now been
prepared for God’s time of holy wrath, the great and terrible day of the Lord,
to begin.
Rev
8:1-6 (NIV) When he opened the seventh
seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand
before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel, who had a golden censer,
came and stood at the altar. He was
given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden
altar before the throne. ..... 5) Then the angel took the censer, filled it
with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals
of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Then the seven angels who had the seven
trumpets prepared to sound them. [italics
added]
Scripture clearly unfolds the scene occurring in heaven
as the Lord prepares to initiate the judgments he has prepared for the great
day of his wrath. The scene opens with a
short space of silence in heaven. The
silence appears to be a clear and ominous foreshadowing of the awesome
destruction about to be unleashed.
Perhaps this time is best thought of as the calm before the coming
storm. Many have looked to this period
of silence and have seen it as a time when God will be extending one final
opportunity for repentance to those on earth.
Perhaps this is so, no one can tell for certain exactly what the meaning
of this time of silence might be. The
idea of a final opportunity for repentance is certainly an attractive
proposition and not at all out of character for our loving Father. Yet all we can say for certain regarding the
silence is that it lets us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that something
different from what has gone before is about to be unleashed.
It
is impossible to deny the truth that the ‘something different’ is the wrath of
God. Up to this point God’s wrath has
been withheld, but now it will flow freely during the great and terrible day of
the Lord about to explode upon heaven and earth. As evidence to support this rather obvious
conclusion we should carefully note four things.
First,
the time is right. This is evidenced by
the fact that every sub-proof we considered pointed us toward this general time
frame. The sub-proof concerning the
herald signs for the day of the Lord even goes so far as to point toward this
specific time. In each case where
scripture has made a prophetic utterance concerning the season of the day of
the Lord, it can be matched to, and harmonized with, this point in time. This is a claim no other period of time can
make and serves as clear and compelling evidence.
Second, the combatants are right. This becomes apparent when we understand
chapter seven of Revelation details the measures our Father has taken to
protect the innocent. This protection
can be clearly seen in the sealing of the Jewish remnant and the removal of the
Church from the earth immediately prior to the coming storm of wrath and
destruction.
Third,
the scope is right, as evidenced by the fact that the ensuing trumpet judgments
of the seventh seal have a worldwide impact. The destruction is not limited to one city,
one country or even one continent. It is
exactly this type of global wrath and destruction we expect from the day of the
Lord and finding it here in conjunction with so much other corroborating
evidence only serves to strengthen our case.
Finally,
the source of wrath and destruction is right.
This is clearly evidenced by the fact it is the angels of God who serve
as the mediators of the ensuing maelstrom.
It is fire from God’s own alter that is cast down upon earth and it is
from the very presence of God these angels go forth to execute their divinely
appointed task of destruction. Clearly
and without ambiguity, God and the faithful denizens of heaven have gone on the
offensive and assumed an active part in the drama of destruction about
to unfold around the inhabitants of earth.
As
the first angel hurls the fire from God’s own alter upon the earth, there can
be no doubt that the great I AM has initiated his terrible day of vengeance. The day of the Lord has arrived,
Jehovah God has declared war upon his enemies, he alone shall be exalted in
that day, and none shall be able to abide the force of his coming wrath. He has sent his prophets, fulfilled the words
of the prophecies, displayed signs for all to see, and waited patiently while
mortal man, his most precious creation, made his decisions and chose whom he
would serve. Now, with those decisions
and choices made, the day for choosing and deciding draws to a close. In its place stands a day of judgment and
wrath, a day of destruction and anger, a day of terrible vengeance as the holy
war of God begins.
Isa 13:6-13 (NIV) Wail for the
day of the LORD is near; it will come
like destruction from the Almighty.
Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man’s heart will
melt. Terror will seize them, pain and
anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their
faces aflame. 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. .....
I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the
haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more
rare than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I
will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at
the wrath of the LORD
Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. [italics added]
Zeph 1:14-2:3 (NIV) The great
day of the LORD is near – near and coming
quickly. …. I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind
men, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out
like dust and their entrails like filth.
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 world
will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the
earth.
Isa 2:17-19 (NIV) The
arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear. Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to
holes in the ground from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty when he rises to shake the earth. [italics
added]
Amos 5:18-20 (NIV) Woe to you
who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day
will be darkness, not light. It will
be as though a man fled from a lion, only to meet a bear, as though he entered
his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light - pitch-dark without a ray of
brightness? [italics added]
Joel
2:10, 30-31 (NIV) Before them the
earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no
longer shine. ….. 30) I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke. The
sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the LORD. [italics added]
Joel
3:14-15 (NIV) Multitudes, multitudes in
the valley of decision! For the day
of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The moon will be darkened, and the stars
no longer shine. [italics added]
Isa
34:2-8 (NIV) The LORD is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all
their armies. ….. 4) All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the
sky rolled up like a scroll; all the
starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs
from the fig tree. ….. 8) For the LORD
has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause.
[italics added]
Mat
24:29 (NIV) Immediately after the
distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light; the stars will fall from the
sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ [italics added]
Rev
6:12-7:3 (NIV) I watched as he opened
the sixth seal. There was a great
earthquake. The sun turned black like
sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the
stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when
shaken by a strong wind. The sky
receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was
removed from its place. Then the
kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every
slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks,
‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the
wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of
their wrath has come, and who can stand?’
After this I saw four angels standing at the
four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to
prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another angel coming up from the
east, having the seal of the living God.
He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given
power to harm the land and the sea: Do
not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads
of the servants of our God. Then I
heard the number of those sealed: 144,000
from all the tribes of Israel. [italics added]
Rev
8:1-6 (NIV) When he opened the seventh
seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand
before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel, who had a golden censer,
came and stood at the altar. He was
given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden
altar before the throne. ..... 5) Then the angel took the censer, filled it
with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings,
flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Then
the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. [emphasis added]
As we can plainly see, scripture is
clear and explicit in its declaration of the time and nature of the day of the
Lord. It supports completely and
unambiguously our strand of truth, the day of the Lord begins at the
opening of the seventh seal!
OPPOSING VIEWS AND ARGUMENTS
WHAT’S THAT ALL ABOUT?
This strand of truth serves to drive
the final nail into the coffin of a pre-tribulation rapture. It is therefore not surprising that it is
hotly contested. Without doubt, the
single greatest source of controversy is over the issue of God’s role during
the first six seals of Revelation.
The pre-wrath position contends that
God does not assume an active role in judging, avenging, or creating the death
and destruction resident in the first five seals. In addition, the sixth seal, while
attributable to God, is not an outpouring of his wrath but instead an
unmistakable final warning to humanity that his wrath is imminent.
In contrast to this position stands the
pre-tribulation view that sees all seven seals as the direct moving of God’s
hand, with the death and destruction resident within those seals as direct
evidence of God’s judgment, wrath, and vengeance being manifested against
humanity. So which position, if either,
is correct? To find an answer we must
look to scripture and scripture alone.
Let us endeavor to investigate this
question as we analyze the two positions in the light of God’s holy word. Please understand that this is an extremely
important point of contention in the consideration of these two positions. Therefore, before we continue, I would ask
that you take a moment to pray for understanding from the Holy Spirit. As for me, I will not only ask for continued
enlightenment from the Spirit, but also that my own biases will not prevent me
from presenting clearly, adequately, and fairly the main thesis of the
pre-tribulation argument. For only by
fully understanding both sides of the issue can we really hope to make an
informed decision regarding which actually represents the truth of God.
[Father, we ask that you would grant us the
gift of understanding through your Holy Spirit regarding this vital issue. Holy Spirit, we ask in the name of our Lord
and savior Jesus that you would teach us, and guide us in the paths of
truth. If we have found favor in your
sight, then please grant us the gift of your holy wisdom, that the glory of God
might be magnified through the proper understanding of your holy word by your
humble children. Amen]
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I’M ANGRY?
Argument: The book of
revelation reveals that during the first four seals, terrible atrocities are
unleashed upon mankind. For instance,
the second seal sees the outbreak of worldwide war, the third seal brings
famine, plague and a breakdown of the global economy, the fourth ushers in
death, who because of the war, famine and plague, is allowed to claim fully one
fourth of the worlds population (Rev 6:7-8).
Understand that in terms of today’s global population estimates, this
means that by the time the sixth seal is opened considerably more than 1.5
billion people have died as a direct result of the opening of the
seals. It should be obvious to anyone
who gives even cursory consideration to this fact that God is more than a
little angry at this point.
To reinforce and solidify this
understanding it should be noted that Jesus is the one who is opening the
seals, thereby demonstrating in an undeniable manner heaven’s active
participation in the events transpiring on earth.
Rev 5:1-6:1 (NIV) Then I saw in
the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides
and sealed with seven seals. ..... 5) Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do
not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.
He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had
been slain, standing in the center of the throne ..... 7) He came and took
the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ..... 6:1) I
watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. [emphasis added]
As
if this were not enough it must also be pointed out that the various
apocalyptic riders also clearly demonstrate the active participation and
moving of God’s own hand.
Rev 6:2 (NIV) I looked and there
before me was a white horse! Its rider
held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror
bent on conquest. [italics added]
Rev 6:4
(NIV) Then another horse came out, a
fiery red one. Its rider was given
power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. [italics added]
Rev 6:8
(NIV) I looked, and there before me was
a pale horse! Its rider was named Death,
and Hades was following close behind him.
They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by
sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beast of the earth. [italics added]
Note carefully that each of these riders ‘was given’
their power and authority! Here is yet
another clear picture of God’s active participation in the drama of
destruction being played out upon the earth.
What
more need be said? Scripture clearly
reveals the fact it is Jesus who opens the seals. The riders are given their power and
authority by God. And as a result, more
than 1.5 billion mortal souls will perish prior to the seventh seal.
Therefore,
by scripture’s own account it is abundantly evident that this is the hand of
God judging the world, avenging the blood of his prophets and saints, while
pouring out his holy and righteous wrath upon a sinful and unrepentant
world. Furthermore, it is all occurring
before the seventh seal, and therefore clearly disproves the
assertion of the pre-wrath teaching that the wrath of God is reserved until the
seventh seal is opened!
As still another argument to disprove this teaching, it
should be noted that according to the pre-wrath position, the time of ‘great
tribulation’ is attributed to the wrath of Satan upon the earth and is brought
to a premature close when the sixth seal is manifested. The wrath of God is then supposedly poured
out on the earth during the seventh seal trumpet judgments. We should make careful note however, that
when speaking of the ‘great tribulation’ scripture states:
Mat
24:21 (NIV) For then there will be great
distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never
to be equaled again. [emphasis
added]
Please
do not miss the point here. Scripture
clearly and explicitly states that the time of distress during the ‘great
tribulation’ is never to be equaled again! Are we therefore to
understand that the time of Satan’s wrath is to somehow be a time of greater
distress and trouble than the time of God’s own wrath? God forbid!
And yet somehow, this is exactly what you must accept in order to buy
into the pre-wrath teaching. This fact
places the pre-wrath camp squarely on the horns of an unsolvable dilemma, and
constitutes yet another excellent reason why this teaching cannot and does not
hold water in the light of true biblical analysis.
Response: OK, now that
we have finished with the pre-tribulation argument, I hope you will agree with
me that it has been fairly represented.
I suppose some might be thinking that it may have been represented so
fairly that it can not be successfully answered, or maybe you are just glad you
are reading this section rather than writing it (yet another small attempt at
humor...).
In
truth however, the argument presented above is quite compelling and sounds very
convincing. That is why so many accept
it without hesitation. Yet even though
it is very compelling, it is also very wrong!
To understand why this is so, we should first clearly
define what our question is. Simply
stated, the gist and sum of the entire point of contention is nothing more
than, ‘when does the judgment and wrath of God begin?’ It is fascinating to note that upon this tiny
question hinges an incredible theological burden. That burden stems largely from the fact that
while the teaching supported in this document is known as the ‘pre-wrath’ teaching;
in reality the ‘pre-tribulation’ teaching is also built upon a ‘pre-wrath’
foundation.
The
fundamental truth that is the wellspring of both the pre-tribulation and
pre-wrath teachings is the immutable fact that God has promised to spare his
children from the coming storm of his wrath, and the vehicle of our salvation
from that wrath is understood to be the rapture. Therefore, the quintessential question
becomes ‘when does the judgment and wrath of God begin?’ Furthermore, with specific relation to the
contention between the pre-wrath and pre-tribulation teachings the
primary question simply becomes whether or not the judgments and wrath of God
exist within the first six seals of Revelation, or are they
confined to the seventh seal alone?
In
order to answer this question we actually need look no farther than the fifth
seal of Revelation, which directly, explicitly and unambiguously addresses this
enormously important point of contention.
Rev
6:9-11 (NIV) 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. They called out in a loud voice, How
long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the
inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood? Then each of them was given a white robe, and
they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their
fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was
completed. [emphasis added]
With this passage, we are immediately presented with the
crystalline clarity of scripture’s truth.
Scripture could hardly be more directly explicit. As of the fifth seal, God has neither
judged the inhabitants of the earth, nor avenged the blood of his saints!
In
fact, rather than the enraged destroyer of nations we might have expected to
see; we are afforded a glimpse of a somber scene where God is in a time of
waiting before he passes his divine judgments of destruction. Waiting for the last of his beloved martyrs
to be slain, as was Jesus before them.
Waiting in the hope that yet one more soul might be saved. Waiting…. for yet a little longer, before he
judges and pours out his holy and righteous wrath upon this sinful people.
In
truth, this one incredibly clear and poignant passage of scripture resolves the
issue! The judgment and wrath of God
will not begin until sometime after the fifth seal according to the direct
and explicit testimony of scripture.
Though 1.5 billion people may have perished during the wars, famines,
and plagues of the first four seals, scripture clearly demands that their
deaths cannot be attributed to the active hand of a vengeful God, who up to
this point has neither judged nor avenged.
We will address the issue of responsibility shortly, but not just
yet. For now, let us continue to travel
the path we are on.
Another problem for the pre-tribulation argument is
associated with the Antichrist’s rise to power and world domination. Scripture states that this man will come to
have dominion over the whole earth.
Rev
13:7-8 (NIV) He 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.
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose
names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the lamb that was
slain from the creation of the world.
[italics added]
Scripture
also declares that he will speak vile blasphemies against God himself, and will
be victorious in his exploits against the saints of God who will suffer
terrible atrocities by his cruel hand.
Rev
13:5-7 (NIV) The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and
blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and
to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He 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. [italics added]
Dan 7:25
(NIV) He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try
to change the set times and the laws. The
saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. [italics added]
Mat
24:21-22 (NIV) For then there will be great distress,
unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled
again. If those days had not been cut
short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will
be shortened. [italics added]
He
will capture and pillage the holy city of God, Jerusalem, and torment
its inhabitants.
Zech
14:2 (NIV) I will gather all the nations
to Jerusalem to
fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the
women raped. Half of the city will
go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. [italics added]
Dan
11:45 (NIV) He will pitch his royal
tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will
help him. [italics added]
Luk
21:20 (NIV) When you see Jerusalem being
surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. [italics added]
Finally,
he will desecrate the very temple and earthly throne of God when he commits the
abomination of desolation. As scripture
declares:
2 Thes
2:4 (NIV) 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. [italics added]
And
yet, if the pre-tribulation teachers are correct, and the day of the Lord
begins at the start of Daniel’s 70th week, then he gains all of
these victories and gathers to himself all this glory during a time when
scripture explicitly declares that none but the Lord alone will be exalted.
Isa 2:12,17 (NIV) The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted (and they
will be humbled), .....The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride
of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. [emphasis
added]
Scripture explicitly declares that during the day of the Lord,
the Lord alone will be exalted!
Understand that this is a time the Lord has set aside expressly for the
purpose of humbling not only humanity, but also the powers of heaven, lead by
Satan which have arrayed themselves against him, and it is a time during which he
alone will be magnified and exalted!
Isa
24:21-22a (NIV) In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the
kings on the earth below. They will be
herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; [italics
added]
It
is therefore impossible to see how we are to believe that during a time in
which God himself will wage war against Satan and his vile ambitions; during a
time when his holy judgment and wrath will be poured out upon the unrepentant
pride of both heaven and earth; during a time when the great I AM has declared
that he will move his holy, omnipotent hand of vengeance to destroy both the
land and the sinners in it; during a time when scripture explicitly and
emphatically declares the Lord alone will be exalted; that we should find anyone,
much less the very son of perdition himself who could gain victory after
victory over the hand of God’s wrath.
Even to the point of usurping the very earthly throne of God in his own
holy temple and magnifying himself in that temple as god.
These
things are quite simply beyond the bounds of reason, and more importantly,
beyond scriptures explicit teachings.
The mandate of scripture is clear on this point, the first six seals of
Daniel’s 70th week, during which the Antichrist gains dominion over
the world and exalts himself before heaven and earth, is not the day of the
Lord, and the judgment and wrath of God is not in them!
Although scripture is absolutely clear on this issue, we
would be remiss if we did not address and provide explanations of our critic’s
specific arguments. Arguments that at
first glance also seemed quite clear.
Let us therefore look at each argument individually and witness what
scripture has to say regarding these issues.
WASN’T THAT JESUS?
Argument: In perhaps
their strongest argument, the critics claim the fact that Jesus is the one
opening the seals, proves heavens active participation in the destruction being
endured by humanity.
Rebuttal: This argument is half true, but completely wrong. It is true that Jesus is the one opening the
seals, but that does not mean he is personally responsible for what happens due
to the opening of those seals. That
conclusion is nothing more than an uninformed accusation on the part of the
pre-tribulation teachers.
It
is my contention that Jesus opens the seals to allow the foreordained course of
prophecy to be completed. That is to
say, the fullness of time has been reached.
He, as sovereign over all things, is the only one who can,
and therefore must, open the seals to allow the foreordained
course of prophetic scripture to be completed.
While this action could, it does not of necessity
make him culpable for the events that transpire after their opening. To support the feasibility of this contention,
we need look no further than the story of Job, wherein the exact same sort of
situation occurs.
When
Satan repeatedly requested access to certain parts of Job’s life, and God
granted that access (comparable to opening the seals); does this mean that God himself
was to blame for the death, destruction, and tragedy that came into Job’s life
as a result? I dare say you will find
few if any true believers in God who would seek to lay such a charge at his
holy feet!
While
God may have allowed Satan to work in the life of Job, he in no way caused
that evil, nor can he be held responsible for it. In the same way, Jesus, in opening the seals,
allows the prophetic events that come next (the plans and schemes of
Satan) to unfold, but we cannot hold him responsible or accountable for the
destruction that follows. We most
certainly cannot assume this is an outpouring of his judgment and wrath unless
the rest of scripture supports that assertion, and as we have seen and will continue
to see, scripture does not in any way support such a conclusion.
EACH RIDER ‘WAS GIVEN’
Argument: Next, some
critics contend the fact that each rider of the apocalypse ‘was given’
his power and authority, proves conclusively that God is intimately and
actively involved in the first six seals and their resident destruction.
Rebuttal: To this, I can
only ask if those who would make such an assertion have read the
scriptures? Do they not know that Satan
is still the prince of this world?
Jhn
12:31 (NIV) Jesus said, ‘This voice was for
your benefit, not mine. Now is the time
for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. [italics added]
Jhn
14:30 (NIV) I will not speak with you
much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, [italics added]
Jhn
16:11 (NIV) and in regard to judgment, because
the prince of this world now stands condemned. [italics added]
Eph 2:2
(NIV) in which you used to live when you
followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,
the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. [italics added]
Mat 4:8
(NIV) Again, the devil took him to a
very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their
splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he
said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me,’ [italics added]
Perhaps
you know the victory of Jesus at the cross passed judgment upon Satan, sealed
his ultimate fate, and meant that ownership and rulership of earth would one
day pass back into the hand of God. But
did you know the time when God will bring these things to fruition and finally
take control of this world away from Satan will not come until the sounding of
the seventh trumpet of the seventh seal of Revelation?
Rev 10:7,
11:15 (NIV) 10:7) But in the days when
the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of god will be
accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. ..... 11:15)
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven,
which said: ‘The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for
ever and ever.’ [emphasis added]
Until
that time comes, Satan is still the ruler of this world. Power, authority, and dominion in this world
are still his to give just as he offered them to Jesus. Many are not aware of this truth and will
have trouble accepting it. However,
scripture explicitly and irrefutably supports this understanding and declares
that Satan, not God, will give the Antichrist his power and authority over the
earth!
Rev
13:2-8 (NIV) The beast I saw resembled a
leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a
lion. The dragon gave the
beast his power and his throne and great authority. ..... 7-8) He
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. All
inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not
been written in the book of life belonging to the lamb that was slain from the
creation of the world. [emphasis,
underline added]
In this passage, scripture has again clearly and explicitly
opened the way of truth and wisdom before us.
Like the red sea parting, the word and Spirit of God part the veil of
mist and confusion before us that we might look upon the holy truth of the
Lord’s sacred word. Once again, we find
God to be righteous and blameless. Scripture
openly declares that Satan is the one who ‘gives power and authority’ to the
Antichrist! Just as scripture also
declares at the opening of the fifth seal that God is waiting, and has neither
judged the inhabitants of the earth, nor avenged the blood of his saints.
The
blood of the 1.5 billion slain is to be laid at the doorstep of Satan and the
lust of man. In our pride, lust for
power, and endless quest to find freedom from God, we will bring these
disasters upon ourselves. Yet in truth,
for listening to the voice of the wicked one rather than the voice of our
loving Father who has even been so righteous as to warn us of these things in
advance, do we really deserve any less?
This
solves the great mystery, if you can accept and believe it. We, in cooperation with Satan, will bring the
death and destruction of the first six seals upon ourselves.
A TIME OF GREATER DISTRESS TO COME?
Argument: Our critics
have one argument remaining. They would
contend that if the great tribulation is to be ‘a time of distress such has
never been, nor ever shall be again’; how can the day of the Lord, which will
surely be worse, come after it?
Rebuttal: To answer this
argument, we must grasp a point of truth that is relatively simple, but
difficult to adequately explain and therefore goes almost universally unnoticed
or is misunderstood. The problem lies in
our failure to correctly identify who is to endure the time of ‘great
distress’ (great tribulation) and why.
In essence, it is this writer’s contention that the time
of great tribulation will be a time of great persecution, distress and mortal
danger for the servants of God only! Conversely, the wrath administered during the
day of the Lord will be endured by the wicked alone since, as
previously noted, the servants of God will have either been removed via the rapture or sealed
to protect them during this time. As
such, it is my contention that Jesus was considering and referring specifically
to times of distress that the servants of God would be required to
endure when speaking the prophecy of Matthew 24:21-22.
Therefore,
the simple truth in this matter is that the great tribulation will be a time of
unparalleled distress and suffering for the servants of God. However, there may very well exist a time of
greater distress for non-believers and that time will come as God’s
vengeance is poured out in the day of the Lord.
This truth was strongly indicated when Jesus spoke the following words
with regard to both the tribulation years and the great tribulation.
Mat 24 4-25 (NIV) Watch out that no one deceives you
…. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you
are not alarmed. …. Then you will be handed over to be
persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all
nations because of me. … So when you see standing in the holy
place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ … Pray that your
flight will not take place in winter … If those days had not been cut short, no
one would survive, but for the sake of the elect
those days will be shortened. At that
time if anyone says to you … false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if
that were possible. See, I have told you
ahead of time. [emphasis added]
Carefully
note how throughout the entire passage Jesus consistently focused his warnings
and instruction upon believers. Also
note how several of these instructions strongly indicate it is the believers
who will have to endure the persecution associated with the tribulation years;
‘Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to
death, and you will be hated by all nations because of
me’. It is not the non-believers who
will be persecuted and put to death, but those who follow Jesus.
In directly addressing the time
of great tribulation the passage states; ‘If those days had not been cut short,
no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be
shortened.’ When the passage uses the
expression ‘no one would survive’, we have been indoctrinated to understand it
as a reference to any and everyone on the face of the planet. In truth, there is no particular reason to
draw this conclusion. We could just as well
conclude that Christ was focusing his statement on believers alone. Such an understanding draws strength from
three sources.
First, the statement ends by
focusing on believers; ‘for the sake of the elect those days will be
shortened’. Second, as previously shown,
the entire passage consistently focuses on the believer as Jesus issues his
instructions and warnings. Therefore we
have no reason to believe the focus has changed at this particular
juncture. And finally, but most
importantly, the remaining body of scriptural evidence, yet to be considered,
demands this understanding as will be demonstrated.
While the things we have thus far
considered serve as a great indicator of a possible understanding for
the general nature of the great tribulation; I will confess they fall short of
actually proving the point. Therefore,
lets get down to adding some teeth to this teaching and as always it is to the
living word of God that we must turn.
In the following passage we can
readily see the purpose of the great tribulation is to test and separate the
people of the world. Our Father will
allow this time of testing because of our hard-hearted refusal to draw near to
his truth and thereby the salvation he has prepared for us in Christ Jesus.
2 Thes 2:9-12 (NIV) The coming of the lawless one will be in
accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit
miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who
are perishing. They perish because
they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful
delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned
who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. [italics added]
All the people of the world will
be tested by the delusion our Lord will allow.
Each person will have to choose whom he/she will serve as the Antichrist
rises to his prophesied position of world domination and self proclaimed godhood. In a near/far prophecy, scripture again
speaks of this coming time of trial and decision.
Dan 11:31-33 (NIV) His armed forces will rise up to desecrate
the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that
causes desolation. With flattery he
will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who
know their God will firmly resist him.
Those who are wise will instruct many,
though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or
plundered. When they fall, they will
receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that
they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of
the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. [emphasis added]
Note the time of this prophecy is set after the
abomination of desolation has been set up, and is therefore clearly associated
with the great tribulation. The prophecy
goes on to show the divergent paths and immediate fate of those who will be
tried by the schemes and ruthless machinations of Satan and his Antichrist.
Those
who ‘have violated the covenant’ will be tested and ultimately fall under the
thrall of Antichrist’s ‘flattery’ and persuasion. As such, they will become his willing
servants. They will enjoy his
blessings and live in peace and safety under the watchful eye of their
chosen sovereign during this time scripture calls the great tribulation. They will have traded their soul for the
worldly fulfillment offered by Antichrist.
And as the eternal minions of Satan and his Antichrist, they will be
the ones killing, burning, capturing and plundering those who oppose their
‘lord’ and ‘god’. They will be the
conquerors, and as such will think themselves to be safe and free from
fear. The tremendous success of
Antichrist and his minions at destroying the saints of God during the time
of the great tribulation has been pointed out previously, but bears
repeating here for clarity.
Dan
7:21-25 (NIV) As I watched, this horn was
waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days
came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High …. He will
speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the
set times and the laws. The saints
will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. [italics added]
Dan
8:11-12 (NIV) It set itself up to be as
great as the Prince of the host; it took
away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought
low. Because of rebellion, the host
of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth
was thrown to the ground. [italics
added]
Dan 8:24
(NIV) He will become very strong, but
not by his own power. He will cause astounding
devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy
people.
Dan
12:7b (NIV) I heard him swear by him who
lives forever, saying, “it will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been
finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
Mat
24:15-22 (NIV) So when you see standing
in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through
the prophet Daniel …. For then there
will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now –
and never to be equaled again. If those
days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the
elect those days will be shortened.
In the brilliantly revealing light of these passages of
scripture two things become undeniably clear with regard to the time of great
tribulation.
First, as has already been stated but cannot be
emphasized enough, those who choose to side with Antichrist will not
be required to endure any ‘great distress’ during this time. Instead they will assume the role of
conqueror, persecutor and oppressor.
They will no doubt think themselves to be serving the greater good and
furthering the goals of the one they perceive to be ‘God’ as they fall under
the powerful delusion of Satan that will be allowed by the Ancient of Days to
test the world. Due to the unprecedented
level of success they will enjoy in their endeavor to rid the world of our
unwelcome presence, coupled with the care and protection given by their ‘god’;
they will live a relatively normal life in perceived peace and safety as they
think themselves to be headed toward mankind’s golden age.
Conversely, ‘the people who know their God’ will
oppose and resist the Antichrist at every turn.
In doing so, they will suffer greatly at his hands. They will meet with intense persecution and
wholesale slaughter such has never been seen since the dawn of time, nor ever
shall be again. The scale of their
slaughter during the great tribulation will be of such magnitude Jesus was
moved to prophetically state that ‘If those days had not been cut short, no one
would survive.’ But how could these
things be true? What form of seduction or
persuasion could Antichrist possibly use to affect such a complete victory against
the people of God?
Though
the seduction and persuasion of Antichrist will no doubt take many forms; it
will most certainly include, and likely achieve its pinnacle of expression in
the mark of the beast economic system.
By definition, this system will force every person who comes into
contact with it to make an eternally irrevocable decision with regard to the
fate of his/her soul. Scripture records
the choice to be made in the following way.
Rev 13:16-17 (NIV)
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave,
to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could
buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the
number of his name.
Rev 14:9-13 (NIV)
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “if anyone worships the beast and his
image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he,
too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been
poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.
He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy
angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of
their torment rises for ever and ever. There
is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for
anyone who receives the mark of his name.
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints
who obey god’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed
are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their
deeds will follow them.” [emphasis
added]
Though it is not the specific truth we are here to
observe, note that in the above passage those who submit to the Antichrist ‘will
drink … of God’s fury’. This
statement clearly indicates that the fury of God has not yet been released and
still lies in the future of the mark of the beast economic system. This constitutes yet another strong
endorsement of our strand of truth.
As for our specific truth, the above passages make it
abundantly clear that regardless of what other means the Antichrist might
employ; the mark of the beast economic system will serve as a powerful ally in
his quest to segregate and destroy the servants of the one true God. In this way everyone on the planet will be
immediately divided into two camps; those who have taken the mark and those who
have not. One group, having committed
themselves to Antichrist and his plans, will gladly follow wherever he leads. The other will become his avowed enemies and
thereby outcast of society. In
understanding these things we can begin to grasp the truth regarding the time
of great tribulation, and we begin to understand it may not come about as we
have been indoctrinated to believe.
To
summarize and reiterate; in examining the great tribulation, the key feature we
so easily miss is that it is a time when the people of God will
be tried, tested, and persecuted in a manner unlike anything that has ever
occurred or ever will again. The
troubles, persecution and torment they will endure when Antichrist sets up his
‘mark of the beast’ economic system will be completely without parallel or
equal. Not even when Nero was committing
wholesale slaughter of the Christians, or when Hitler sent more than six
million of the children of Israel
to their deaths will this time of trouble be matched. But those who accept that mark will live in
relative peace and safety.
Satan
will not be out to destroy them. They
will have become his willing servants and as such will enjoy his
blessings. As has been pointed out
previously, what will be a time of great tribulation for the children of God,
will be a time of relative blessing for the followers of Satan.
In
stark contrast to the great tribulation stands the day of the Lord. The children of God will have no part in that
day. The few servants of God who are
left behind will be sealed to protect them from its horrors. This will not be a time of mercy and
grace. There will be no opportunity to
change your mind or choose whom you will serve.
Virtually all such choices will have been made by this time (with the
possible exception of Israel
who will be undergoing God’s reclamation, but this is another issue).
For
those who have accepted the mark, the time for those things is long past and
all that remains is to taste of the judgment and wrath of God that scripture
declares will be poured out in its purest form (Rev 14:9-10). Therefore, it is my humble opinion that the
key to understanding the great tribulation lies in understanding that it is a
time of distress for God’s children, and should not be confused with the
time of God’s wrath against the wicked.
That time will most certainly be far worse.
As one final point of support for this
understanding I would like to remind the reader of one other instance in
scripture that was also surely a greater time of distress than the great
tribulation. The flood of Noah’s time
destroyed the entire world and all who lived on it. The solitary exception was those who were in
the ark; the children of God.
This
was surely a time of greater overall distress for the wicked people who lived
then, and yet scripture declares of the great tribulation that such a time of
distress has never occurred before.
Scripture can make this declaration because it is speaking of times of
distress that God’s children have endured.
In
the flood, the children of God were safe and secure, just as they will be
during the day of the Lord. They will
not be under any tribulation or distress during this time for they will have
been rescued just as Noah was. Noah had
the ark to rescue him from the flood, and we will be borne above the flood of
God’s wrath by the rapture when our Lord comes for us in the clouds of the air. Praise God for his goodness and faithfulness!
PEACE AND SAFETY IN THE TRIBULATION?
Argument: Scripture
makes it plainly evident that the day of the Lord must begin at or near the
beginning of the 70th week of Daniel. This is clearly demanded when scripture
describes the nature and character of the time surrounding that terrible period
of God’s anger.
1 Thes
5:2-3 (NIV) 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.
[italics added]
Luke
17:22-37 (NIV) then he said to his
disciples, ‘the time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the
Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men
will tell you, there he is! Or here he
is! Do not go running off after
them. For the Son of Man in his day will
be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the
other. But first he must suffer many
things and be rejected by this generation.
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of
the Son of Man. People were eating,
drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered
the ark. Then the flood came and
destroyed them all. It was the
same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying
and selling, planting and building.
But the day Lot left Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the son
of Man is revealed.’..... [italics
added]
2 Pet
3:10 (NIV) But the day of the Lord will
come like a thief. The heavens will
disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth
and everything in it will be laid bare.
These passages plainly declare the day of the Lord will
come unexpectedly upon the earth. They
graphically illustrate the normalcy of life just before the day of the Lord as
people are seen to be building, planting, marrying, etc…. And they explicitly describe the
psychological outlook of a people who consider themselves to be living in an
era of ‘peace and safety’.
This sort of activity, outlook and lack of expectancy can
only be harmonized with our understanding of end-times prophecy by placing the
beginning of the day of the Lord at the start of Daniel’s 70th week. It is unimaginable to think such a time could
exist during a period that will see the devastation of the earth and the death
of the vast majority of its population.
Yet this is exactly what the pre-wrath teaching would have us believe.
In fact, those who uphold the pre-wrath teaching would
have us believe the day of the Lord will come during the midst of the great
tribulation. Don’t they know this is a
time Jesus himself declared would be a time of unparalleled distress such as
the world has never witnessed nor ever shall again? In such an environment how could it be
possible for the day of the Lord to come ‘like a thief’? More to the point, how could it be possible
for life to have any semblance of the normalcy so clearly illustrated in the
passages of scripture above? The answer
of course is that it can’t, and upon the rock of this truth the
pre-wrath teaching is crushed!
Response: In response to
this argument I would like to refer the reader to the section
entitled ‘A time of greater distress to come?’.
The response to that argument also serves well in answering this
argument.
Now
that these questions have been answered, we will bring to a close this strand
of truth. I pray the Spirit and the word
have brought you, among other things, an understanding that ‘the day of
the Lord will begin at the seventh seal’.
[Thank you for your
presence oh Lord. Spirit, please
continue to enlighten us as we proceed on our journey to understand your
truth. We know we can go no further
without your presence and touch. Praise
be unto your name Father, for you have seen the end from the beginning and have
laid it before the eyes of your children.
Holy is your name, and mercy is in your wings. We stand in awe as we lift up our thanks and
praise to you. Amen]
CHAPTER SIX
THE POSITION OF THE EARLY CHURCH
THE FAITH OF OUR SPIRITUAL FOREFATHERS
Though I
firmly believe that scripture alone must ultimately define the truth and
acceptability of any teaching, it is of more than passing interest to sample
the beliefs and teachings of the early Church fathers. When speaking of the early Church, I intend
to indicate the Ante-Nicene fathers who were the Church’s teachers and leaders
from apostolic times until the council of Nicea in 325 AD. The view of these men is of significant
interest because it very likely reflects the thoughts and teachings of the
apostles themselves.
For
example, we know that John was a disciple of Jesus. Polycarp in turn, was a disciple of John.
Further, Irenaeus, who’s teachings we will quote, was a disciple of
Polycarp. We may therefore draw the very
reasonable conclusion that the teachings of Iranaeus reflect to a large degree,
the very teachings and understanding of Jesus himself. While this cannot be automatically assumed as
fact, it is without doubt these men were in a much better position to discern
the true nature and intent of the apostolic message than we who are removed
from that message by some 20 centuries.
So
then, just what did the early Church believe?
Did they see the Church as being removed prior to the tribulation
period, thereby supporting a pre-tribulation rapture view? Or did they perhaps see the Church as
enduring most of that period, including the time of Satan’s wrath, which we
call the great tribulation, thereby supporting a pre-wrath interpretation of
scripture?
According
to Robert Gundry8, ‘every Ante-Nicene father who touches in any
detail upon the tribulation, resurrection, rapture, or second coming displays a
post-tribulational persuasion.’ Which is
to say that according to these fathers, the Church would enter into the time of
tribulation and suffer persecution at the hands of the Antichrist. Gundry further notes that the only exception
to this unity of understanding comes from the highly dubious sources of Origen
and Clement of Alexandria who are credited with being the wellspring of the
mystical and highly allegorized view of scripture which came to characterize
the centuries following the council of Nicea.
The
following quotations, quoting Gundry’s work, were taken from Robert Van
Kampen’s book ‘The Sign’5, they represent the teachings of the
Ante-Nicene fathers and allow us to hear the voice of their testimony regarding
the matter.
Justin
Martyr: The man of apostasy [Antichrist] .... shall
venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians. (Trypho
ex)
The
Pastor of Hermes: Happy ye who endure the great tribulation
that is coming. (Vision Second)
Those, therefore, who continue
steadfast, and are put through the fire, will be purified by means of it. ....
wherefore cease not speaking these things into the ears of the saints. This then is the type of the great
tribulation that is yet to come. (Vision Fourth)
Barnabas: The final
stumbling-block approaches, concerning which it is written, as Enoch says, ‘For
this end the Lord has cut short the times and the days, that His Beloved may
hasten; and He will come to the inheritance.’
And the prophet also speaks thus: ‘Ten kingdoms shall reign upon the earth,
and a little king shall rise up after them, who shall subdue under one three of
the kings.’ ‘....Take heed, lest resting
at our ease, as those who are the called [of God], we should fall asleep in our
sins, and the wicked prince, acquiring power over us, should thrust us away
from the kingdom of the Lord. (Epistle of Barnabas, chapter iv)
Irenaeus: And they [the
ten kings] .... shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the Church to
flight. (Against Heresies 5.26.1)
But [John] indicates the number of the name
[Antichrist, 666] now, that when this man comes we may avoid him, being aware
who he is. (Against Heresies 5.30.4)
Hippolytus: Now concerning
the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon the Church from the
adversary .... That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days
[the last half of Daniel’s 70th week] during which the tyrant is to
reign and persecute the Church. (Treatise on Christ and Antichrist, pp. 60,61)
Tertullian: That the beast
Antichrist with his false prophet may wage war on the Church of God
.... Since, then, the Scriptures both indicate the stages of the last times,
and concentrate the harvest of the Christian hope in the very end of the world.
(On the Resurrection of the Flesh, xxxv; cf. Scorpiace, xii)
The
Teachings of the Twelve Apostles 16:1-7: Be watchful for your life; let
your lamps not be quenched and your loins not ungirdled, but be ready; for you
know not the hour in which our Lord comes.
And you shall gather yourselves together frequently, seeking what is
fitting for your souls; for the whole time of your faith shall not profit you,
if you be not perfected at the last season.
For in the last days the false prophets and corrupters
shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall
be turned into hate. For as lawlessness
increases, they shall hate one another and shall persecute and betray. And then the world-deceiver shall appear as a
son of God; and shall work signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered
into his hands; and he shall do unholy things, which have never been since the
world began.
Then all created mankind
shall come to the fire of testing, and many shall be offended and perish; but
they that endure in their faith shall be saved by the Curse Himself. And then shall the signs of the truth appear;
first a sign of a rift in the heaven, then a sign of a voice of a trumpet, and
thirdly a resurrection of the dead; Yet, not of all, but as it was said The
Lord shall come and all His saints with Him.
Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.
These
quotations from the earliest of our Church fathers declare openly that they
fully expected the Church to be present during the great tribulation and suffer
persecution at the hands of a very real and very personal Antichrist. Their testimony declares the understanding
that the Church, rather than being rescued prior to that time of trouble and
persecution, would instead be expected to withstand the violent persecution of
the beast.
The strength to stand in the
midst of this coming storm will require the patient endurance of the saints of
God and faith in the blessed hope of Christ’s return for the harvest of his
beloved Christian Church. As scripture
has said:
Rev
13:8-10 (NIV) All inhabitants of the
earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the
book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the
world. He who has an ear, let him
hear. If anyone is to go into
captivity, into captivity he will go. If
anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and
faithfulness on the part of the saints.
[italics added]
Rev
14:11-13 (NIV) And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those
who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his
name. This calls for patient
endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain
faithful to Jesus. Then I heard a
voice from heaven say, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from
now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘They
will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’ [italics added]
As was mentioned during our discussion of the
Apostasy/Rebellion of believers, a day is coming when each of us, regardless of
our past lives and service to Christ, will be required to make an eternal
decision. ‘Choose you this day whom you
will serve!’. The words of Joshua still
echo across the ages, and the choice still remains to be made by each of us in
that day.
Are
you ready? Do you have the faith and
spiritual strength it will take to endure the coming storm? You can have it, but only if you give yourself
and your life completely to Jesus. He is
our hope, our strength, the very cornerstone of all that God has built within
us. As the beloved child of God, Martin
Luther, pointed out so long ago, our lives must be lived by grace alone,
through faith alone, on the word alone, for Christ alone,
unto the glory of God alone. May
it be that none of us are found lacking in that day and in that hour.
[Spirit we thank you for
your presence and guidance as we have been blessed to walk at your side. Comfort us, teach us and help us prepare for
the trials that lie in our future. Grant
us strength to overcome through our submission to Christ so that glory, honor
and blessing might be brought before the throne of the Father continually. Amen.]
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE RAPTURE ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE
INTRODUCTION
The rapture, that time when the Lord will descend from
heaven to gather his faithful children to himself in the clouds of the
air! Scripture records many things
concerning this incredible time. It goes
without saying that the number of passages touching in some form on various
aspects of the rapture is far greater than we can hope to accommodate in this
work. Therefore, we will focus our
attention primarily on the aspect of the rapture’s timing, and endeavor to
touch upon those scriptures having the greatest bearing on this facet. As we study these scriptures, we must listen
carefully for the voice of the Spirit as he breathes life and understanding
into his holy word.
THE ROAD BEHIND US
Everything we have studied to this point serves as our
foundation for considering the rapture according to the scriptures. Upon the rock of this foundation we have
crushed many of the half-truths poured into us through the constant torrent of
indoctrination. As such, we are now both
equipped and prepared to knowledgably consider the truth according to scripture
as it relates to the rapture.
Obviously the foundation of any structure is of vast
importance. Therefore let us take a
moment to consider and absorb the significance of some of the most profound
truths we witnessed to this point.
1)
The rapture of
the Church will be enacted to meet a two-fold purpose of God. First, it will be used as a vehicle to remove
the Church to a place of safety before the wrath of God is poured out upon this
world. Second, the rapture will be used
to separate the Church from the nation of Israel prior to the time of that
nation’s restoration. Special note: I recognize the second point has not been
‘proven’ and has only been briefly considered and provisionally accepted as
factual in this work. As was mentioned
earlier, this is due to the fact that it inevitably leads to the same issues
and conclusions as the first point.
Further, the scriptural truths required to ‘prove’ its validity within
the amorphous realm of dispensational understanding as it applies to the
future, are in fact the same truths we are considering during this study. As such, it is necessary to first resolve
these explicit scriptural issues before we can begin to seriously
discuss the implicit truths of dispensational doctrine. Therefore, the reader may accept or reject
the validity of our second point as desired.
2)
The day of the
Lord is a unique time towards the end of the age that God has set aside for the
express purpose of pouring out his wrath, anger and divine judgment upon a
sinful world. We also learned that this is
a strict truth. That is to
say, God’s worldwide wrath is reserved only for the
day of the Lord and will not be released upon humanity outside of the
boundaries of that unique time which has been especially prepared for it.
3)
The rapture is
chronologically linked to the day of the Lord such that the two events will
begin on the same day.
4)
Prior to the day
of the Lord/rapture, we will witness the herald signs of the day of the
Lord. These will occur before
the day of the Lord, and will ‘cut short’ the time of the great
tribulation. The manifestation of these
signs will signal both God’s preparation to remove his saints to a place of
safety through the rapture, and his intention to declare war on Satan and his
Antichrist by initiating the judgments resident within the great and terrible
day of the Lord.
5)
The day of the
Lord will begin when the seventh seal of Revelations is opened. This will occur sometime during the last 3 ½
years of Daniel’s 70th week, but not less than five months prior to
the close of that period.
Each of these strands of
truth weaves a simple yet beautiful portion of the overall tapestry of truth
hidden by our Father for so long from the eyes of his children. Each serves to compliment the other even as
it displays its own unique ‘color’ and ‘texture’ of understanding. Ultimately, each serves to prepare the way
toward full and final acceptance of the truth concerning the rapture of the Church
as together, they harmoniously vocalize what the heart already begins to
perceive in the depths of its silent intimacy with the Spirit of our God and
Father.
A HARMONY OF TRUTH IN THE SCRIPTURES
Though scripture contains many passages that brush
against the subject of the rapture; only a scant handful address the issue
directly. It is from these passages we
glean the greatest portion of our understanding concerning that long hoped for
moment. Therefore, it is to these
precious passages of scripture that every teacher of the rapture must
ultimately turn for application, validation and harmonization of his/her
teaching. Unfortunately it is this same
truth that has caused these passages to become a battleground. A place bearing witness to intense doctrinal
conflict as each teacher seeks to justify and harmonize his/her ‘truth’ by the
living word.
It is an uncontested fact that every previous
teaching regarding the subject of the rapture has difficulty harmonizing its
core understanding (pre/mid/post/partial rapture) with even the small handful
of passages touching directly on the subject.
Each teaching proclaims the message that it contains the ‘highest
degree’ of harmonization and ‘fewest’ problems.
Yet the astute reader will note claims of this nature amount to an
admission of problems within the teaching and lack of full scriptural
harmonization.
I
point this out not to malign other teachings, but to demonstrate the admitted
fact that no previous teaching has yet found true scriptural harmonization. I point this out to serve as a springboard
for proclamation of what I am convinced is a teaching possessing that full and
elusive harmonization. I point this out
that I might present for your prayerful consideration the rapture according to scripture.
THE MYSTERY REVEALED
1 Cor
15:50-53 (NIV) I declare to you,
brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 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. For the perishable must clothe itself with
the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. [italics added]
With this statement Paul first declared the mystery of
the Church’s rapture to the people of Corinth. From this passage we learn that we cannot
inherit the kingdom
of God while still
possessing the physical bodies we now live in.
At the time of the rapture, we will all be transformed! We will receive a perfected body that does
not suffer from decay or the blight of death.
These bodies will be given to the followers of Jesus; both those who
have already passed beyond the veil of death and those who are still alive at
the time of his coming. What’s more,
this transformation will be virtually instantaneous. As scripture says, ‘in a flash, in the twinkling
of an eye’, we will all be changed. This
exchange of our imperfect physical bodies and sinful natures for a perfected
body and nature at the time of the rapture is both an astonishing and
comforting truth we can and should hold on to tightly.
ADDING DETAILS TO THE TEACHING
Again
we find the rapture as a prominent subject in the book of first
Thessalonians. This is a passage we have
studied previously. In fact this passage
has played a major role in serving as our guide and reference in outlining the
nature and character of the rapture.
Nonetheless, let us once again review this passage as we collect the
nuggets of scripture’s truth together into one basket.
1 Thes
4:13-5:11 (NIV) Brothers, we do not want
you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, .... 15) According to the
Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the
coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen
asleep. 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. Therefore encourage each
other with these words.
Now, brothers, 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, are not in
darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light .... 5:9) 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. Therefore encourage one another and build
each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
[italics added]
In this passage scripture declares at the time of the
rapture, the Lord himself will leave heaven to come for his Church. We will hear a loud command issued by our
Lord. We will also hear the voice of the
archangel. Clearly demonstrating that
the Lord is accompanied by, at a minimum, an archangel and most probably by
many other angels who would be under the authority of the archangel. This truth is adequately and explicitly
supported by scripture when it declares:
2 Thes
1:6-7 (NIV) God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble
you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is
revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. [italics added]
This passage is apparently a direct reference to
the anxiously anticipated rapture the young and suffering Church had come to
long for. This conclusion becomes
obvious when we realize Paul was speaking of a time when the saints of God
would still be upon the earth and would receive relief from their troubles
while retribution would be meted out to their persecutors. As Christians, we can expect such a time of
‘relief’ and ‘retribution’ only at the time of the rapture. And here, explicitly stated, is an open
declaration of intimate angelic involvement in that rapture.
Returning to our reference passage, we again
encounter ‘the trumpet call of God’ (remember the trumpet from first
Corinthians), and the resurrection/transformation of the dead and living
saints.
Finally, we are reacquainted with the now familiar
relationship existing between the rapture and the day of the Lord with precious
details being provided concerning the coming time of ‘relief’ and
‘retribution’. Scripture provides these
details when it declares the day of the Lord will come upon the world
suddenly and unexpectedly to all but the children of God. Though the world will be unaware of
their impending doom and destruction; the Lord’s children will know, for
reasons we also are now well aware of, when the season of destruction is
near. Unlike those of this world
however, the children of God will not see doom in the rising storm of
destruction but will instead see the brilliant radiance of hope. Hope in the form of the rapture, God’s great
mystery of deliverance that will ride the leading edges of the storm, rescuing
his children just before the great storm of his wrath engulfs the earth.
We can rest in the assurance of this truth because
our Father, who is always faithful to keep his promises, has promised to remove
the followers of Jesus prior to the start of the day of the Lord so we will not
be touched by his terrible wrath that will be loosed upon the world during that
time. As it is written:
1 Thes
5:9 (NIV) ‘God did not appoint us to suffer wrath
but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ’. [italics added]
This
scripture speaks of receiving salvation, by way of the rapture, from the coming
wrath of God resident within the day of the Lord. Again scripture directly teaches and
reinforces the link between the coming of Christ for the rapture of the Church
and the fact that the rapture will serve as the vehicle to escape the
approaching wrath of God when it says:
1 Thes
1:10 (NIV) and to wait for his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. [italics added]
CONFIRMING THE LINK
Understanding and accepting the nature and validity of
the intimate temporal link between the rapture and the day of the Lord is vital
to grasping the truth concerning the season of the rapture. As such, our Father has been faithful to
repetitively declare and confirm the truth of this link in many places
throughout his word. To the witness of
the passages we have already considered scripture adds the testimony of many
others.
2 Thes
2:1-12 (NIV) Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being
gathered to him [the rapture], we ask you, brothers, not to become easily
unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come
from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. ..... [italics/brackets added]
This passage clearly, and in harmony with our previous
witnesses, insists that Christ will come from heaven to rescue his Church from
the coming wrath of God. Further, it
echoes the previous declaration declaring this wrath is embodied in that unique
and long prophesied period of time known as the day of the Lord.
As previously noted, Jesus
himself taught the disciples concerning the intimate relationship between the
outpouring of God’s wrath and the rescuing of his faithful children, though it
wasn’t until much later, when Paul revealed the mystery of the rapture (1 Cor
15:51-52), that the true depth and meaning of his words could be fully grasped.
Luke
17:22-37 (NIV) then he said to his
disciples, ‘the time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the
Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men
will tell you, there he is! Or here he
is! Do not go running off after
them. For the Son of Man in his day will
be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to
the other. But first he must suffer many
things and be rejected by this generation.
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of
the Son of Man. People were eating,
drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered
the ark. Then the flood came and
destroyed them all. It was the same
in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and
selling, planting and building. But
the day Lot left Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the son
of Man is revealed.’..... [italics
added]
No teaching on the dance of rapture and wrath could be
clearer than that given by our Lord and savior.
As we read, the truth comes alive.
On the day Noah was rescued in the ark, the flood came and
began the destruction of the world. On
the day Lot was rescued from Sodom,
God sent fire to destroy the wicked cities of the plain. In precisely the same manner, ON THE
DAY Jesus comes, his faithful Church will be rescued from Satan’s hand
and God will immediately begin to pour his wrath out upon the wicked during the
day of the Lord.
This
passage beautifully describes the scene when Jesus will be revealed to
humanity. The time of his coming is
likened unto lightning which instantly, irrevocably, and completely shatters
the darkness from one end of heaven to the other. At this time the faithful will look toward
heaven to see the face of their Messiah whom they know is bringing deliverance
(Lk 21:28). Meanwhile, the wicked, who
have existed in relative peace and safety, will hide in caves and holes in the
ground (Rev 6:12-17) from the one whom they suddenly understand is bringing
their destruction. They will be
astonished as they realize the one whom they have served, the Antichrist, is
not able to save them. It will be
self-evident that in their immediate future lies the wrath of the true
God. And they will tremble in fear as
the day of the Lord begins to unfold.
‘AFTER THE DISTRESS OF THOSE DAYS’
Again Christ taught on this same subject, paralleling his
first teaching, but adding poignant depth and substance.
Mat
24:26-31 (NIV) So if anyone tells
you, ‘there he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the
inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as
lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will
be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever
there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the distress of
those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the
stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ At that time the sign of the Son of Man will
appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will
gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the
other. [italics added]
There
isn’t much this passage does not tell us.
Therefore, let us spend a little time and effort picking up some of the
larger nuggets this text has to offer.
We
immediately note how this passage mirrors the passage from Luke 17:22-37,
thereby confirming they are discussing the same event and time frame. It goes far beyond that passage however when
it tells us that ‘Immediately after the distress of those days “the sun
will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall
from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”’
It is obvious even to the casual observer this
unmistakably unique array of cosmic disturbances can only be the long awaited
and often prophesied herald signs of the day of the Lord! These signs serve the two-fold purpose of
announcing the imminent inception of both the great and terrible day of the
Lord and, since there exist an intimate temporal link, also the rapture. A parallel account of this scene from the
gospel of Luke serves to support and emphasize this truth.
Lk 21:
25-28 (NIV) “There will be signs in the
sun, moon and stars. On the earth,
nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the
sea. Men will faint from terror,
apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be
shaken. At that time they will see the
Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand
up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
It cannot
be overemphasized at this point that scripture has repeatedly and consistently
demanded we understand the rapture will occur immediately prior to the fury of
the day of the Lord being unleashed.
Here, in these two parallel passages of scripture we are afforded an
incredibly detailed account of the events leading up to the rapture.
Both
passages declare the herald signs of the day of the Lord with crystalline
clarity. In addition, when the reader
considers the entirety of each passage (Matthew 24 and Luke 21) it is
absolutely undeniable these signs will be manifested deep within Daniels 70th
week. While the precise time cannot be
determined, it is explicitly stated to be sometime after the abomination of
desolation which occurs at the mid-point of that week. Matthew goes even further when he states the
signs will be manifested ‘immediately after the distress of those days’, when
they will serve to ‘cut short’ the time of ‘great distress’.
If
our understanding of the nature and character of the day of the Lord and its
intimate link to the rapture is correct, then following closely on the heals of
these cosmic harbingers of doom will be the actual fury of God’s own wrath. And nestled somewhere between the beginning
of the herald signs and the actual inception of the day of the Lord we should
find the rapture of the Church.
Interestingly
enough, both these passages support this understanding in a clear and
absolutely unambiguous manner.
Mat
24:29-31 (NIV) Immediately after the
distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be
shaken.’ At that time the sign of the Son
of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will
mourn. They will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end
of the heavens to the other. [emphasis added]
Lk 21:
25-28 (NIV) “There will be signs in the
sun, moon and stars. On the earth,
nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the
sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive
of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your
heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” [emphasis added]
Luke informs the saints of God that when the herald signs
begin to be manifested they should be encouraged since the time of ‘your
redemption is drawing near’. This
obvious reference to the rapture finds its chronological placement exactly
where scripture has consistently pointed to it.
Again, Matthew declares that at the time when the herald signs are
manifested, Jesus will ‘send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and
they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to
the other’. Once more we find
the rapture chronologically nestled precisely where scripture has said it
should be; between the inception of the herald signs and the actual start of
the day of the Lord.
The fact this scene is played out somewhere within the
second half of Daniel’s 70th week has caused many to stumble in
acceptance of this teaching. Their
rejection comes in large part from the unpalatable consequences associated with
endurance of the trials and persecution waiting within the boundaries of that
time, and especially so for the faithful believer. However, what scripture openly declares to be
true, let not man call a lie. Instead,
let us purpose to accept, receive and believe whatsoever our Father declares
unto us through his word to be truth.
Fortunately, our Father does not want us to be ignorant
and has gone to great lengths to reinforce and repetitively proclaim much of
the body of truth he deems so vitally important to his children. Such is the case with scripture’s declaration
of truth concerning the rapture.
Although much evidence has already been presented in an entirely
harmonious manner; there is still more and greater confirmation scripture is
prepared to yield to those who would seek the wisdom within its pages.
‘I WATCHED AS HE OPENED THE SIXTH SEAL’
To
find some of the most compelling confirmation offered in scripture, the reader
has but to recognize the gospels of Matthew and Luke present only the ‘short
list’ of the unique signs heralding the approach of the day of the Lord. A fascinating point comes into focus when we
realize that while the gospels present the ‘short list’, a complete list of
these signs can be obtained from consideration of the sixth seal of Revelation.
Rev
6:12-17 (NIV) I watched as he opened the
sixth seal. There was a great
earthquake. The sun turned black like
sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in
the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a
strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll,
rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the
generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves
and among the rocks of the mountains.
They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us
from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the
Lamb! For the great day of their
wrath has come, and who can stand?’ [emphasis added]
Recognition of the commonality of these signs allows us
to place the events described in Matthew and Luke in the same general time
frame as the events of the sixth seal.
As noted earlier in this work, the time of the sixth seal lies within
the last half of Daniel’s 70th week, but not less than five months
prior to the close of that week. Once
again this confirms with perfect harmony the general chronological placement we
expect for the inception of the day of the Lord. This is true since we expect the day of the
Lord and its herald signs will serve the multi-fold purpose of ‘cutting short’
the time of great tribulation, pouring out God’s wrath upon the world,
chastening and redeeming the nation of Israel and inaugurating the millennial
kingdom of Christ.
OK, we are getting down to the short rows at this point
and the reader should note we have formed, tested and consistently proven the
understanding that the rapture is intimately linked chronologically to the
inception of the day of the Lord in such a way that we expect to find it
separated from that time by not more than a single day. In fact, during our consideration of the
passages in Mat 24:29-31 and Lk 21:25-28, we saw that the rapture appears to
nestle very nicely into the time period existing between the inception of the
herald signs and the actual start of the day of the Lord.
Now, with the understanding that the cataclysmic events
associated with the sixth seal are nothing less than those same herald signs;
it seems we have encountered a perfect opportunity to once again test our
understanding against the perfect standard of truth, the living word of
God. If our understanding is correct, we
should once more find the rapture of the Church nestled between the
manifestation of these awesome signs and the beginning of the day of the
Lord. Should this prove to be true then
scripture will have uttered a single, consistent truth with a voice reflecting
near perfect harmony. What more could
one ask of any teaching?
PLACING THE CAPSTONE ON SCRIPTURE’S HARMONY
At the close of chapter six of Revelations, we saw the
opening of the sixth seal heralding the coming of the day of the Lord. The beginning of chapter eight sees the
opening of the seventh seal and thereby, the inception of the day of the
Lord. Chapter seven, which occurs in the
interval of time between the herald signs (sixth seal) and inception of the day
of the Lord (seventh seal) reveals the flurry of activity transpiring in heaven
as the Lord prepares to redeem Israel, remove the Christian Church and wage war
on the wicked.
Chapter
seven opens with the ‘sealing’ of 144,000 Jews.
This ‘sealing’ is to protect them from the wrath of God about to be
poured out upon the earth. Further, it
shows that God is planning to perform a great work among his chosen
nation. He is preparing to begin in
earnest the work of redemption and restoration of Israel to her proper place in his
eternal plan. If our understanding is
correct, God should also be preparing to remove the Christian Church from the
world. This is necessary to prevent the Church
from being touched by his wrath that is about to be released. Also, it is necessary in order to separate
the Church from Israel,
thereby preventing intermingling of their preordained and distinct paths in the
divine plan. These facts harmonize
perfectly and maintain uniformity of character with our understanding of
dispensational truth.
Immediately
following the ‘sealing’ of the chosen of Israel, scripture records the
following scene:
Rev
7:9-17 (NIV) After this I looked and
there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every
nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front
of the Lamb. They were wearing white
robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. .... 11) All the angels
were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living
creatures. .... 13) Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes -
who are they, and where did they come from?’
I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’ And
he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation;
they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
.... [italics added]
Here,
at just the point where all of scripture has consistently said it would be, we
find a detailed view of the rapture of the Church from a heavenly
perspective. Coming after the sixth
seal, and just before the seventh seal, scripture reveals the sudden appearance
of a great multitude in heaven. The
timing of when this multitude arrives in heaven is explicitly confirmed as the
passage openly declares that ‘These are they who have come out of the great
tribulation’. This multitude is so
vast that no man could number them.
Truly, this must be a crowd of mind boggling size since we know it will
include not only those who have survived upon the earth but also the followers
of Jesus who have ‘fallen asleep’.
The people constituting this vast multitude are said to
be ‘from every nation, tribe, people and language.’ Clearly, this destroys any possibility that
the crowd might be associated solely with the Jewish people, or the nation of Israel
alone. However, this same fact serves to
strengthen and solidify our contention that this great throng be seen as the
raptured Church. Only the Church can
make the dual claim of being both the people of God, and yet also quite literally
represent every tribe, nation, people and language.
Another point of more than passing interest concerning
our reference text is that ‘All the angels’ were gathered about
the throne. This fact is important to us
for two reasons.
First,
it supports our earlier contention that Michael and the holy angels should be
viewed as serving in the role of restraining Satan and the forces of
lawlessness. Specifically, it supports
the assertion that it is Michael and the angels who are ‘taken out of the way’
(2 Thes 2:7) so that the Antichrist might work his iniquity without hindrance
from these angelic warriors.
To
better explain this contention, consider the following proposal. Unless Michael, together with those angels
that follow him, is to be considered as the restrainer of lawlessness then
there is no time during this present age that they might all be
in heaven. This is due to the fact that
Michael and the angels are committed to various ministries concerning the
children of God, perhaps most notably their ministry of defending God’s
precious children from the unseen dangers of the spiritual realm. Now, regardless of when the rapture occurs
(pre, mid, post or pre-wrath), there will be children of God left behind to
which the angels would normally continue to extend this ministry of
defense (at a minimum, Israel
will be left behind). Therefore, unless
Michael and the angelic host are specifically and intentionally removed from
their duties of ministry and gathered in heaven; there exist no time when the
presence of many of the host will not be required upon this planet to keep
watch over God’s children who continue to live here.
I
realize that much of what has been presented here falls under the category of
‘logical extension’ and therefore must be considered as supporting evidence of
the proposed truth. Yet the marvelous
way in which it harmonizes with our previous strand of truth makes this
consideration well worth the time spent.
Secondly,
the fact that all the angels are in heaven at this time tends to
promote our contention that this event should be viewed as the rapture due the
precise way in which it harmonizes with and expands upon our current
understanding. At the time of the
rapture, the Church will be removed from this world. When we are removed, the Angels, who have
been entrusted with protecting and ministering to us for untold millennia will
have no need to remain on the earth.
Strictly speaking, they will have already returned to heaven when they
ceased their ministry of restraining Satan.
Because of the temporary cessation of that ministry they will have no
reason to remain behind and tend to the needs of any of God’s children who may
be left upon the earth after the rapture such as the nation of Israel. Instead, they will no doubt gather along with
the raptured Church as we offer praise and adoration to the one true and living
God.
On
every issue we find this passage harmonizes perfectly with the understanding we
have been provided by the Spirit during our brief study of the scriptures. It thereby puts the capstone of our quest
firmly into place and compels all who would seriously search for the truth to
consider the beautiful tapestry of that truth as it is consistently and
repetitively presented in God’s holy word.
We
have been able, with the aid and guidance of the Holy Spirit, to glean one
strand of truth after another from the scriptures. Each strand has now been woven into a single
tapestry of truth without conflict or omission.
All have lead us toward a single vision of truth, and in this passage we
have been allowed a clear and undeniable glimpse of that vision through the
inerrant word of the Father.
WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES ALL THIS MAKE ANYWAY?
Once
again I ask, what more could one ask for?
What more is required to convince you to set aside petty and
insignificant arguments and embrace the truth of our Father?
This
is not a matter of one being right and another being wrong. This is an issue that MUST be
proclaimed in order that the body of our Lord, the Church, might be prepared to
meet that dreadful day awaiting it. The
subject of when the rapture occurs is no longer one of academic importance
only. It is now an issue of salvation,
both physical and spiritual.
We
who would call ourselves spiritual must be able to perceive the danger
ahead. The Church has grown far too
complacent and self-assured as its shepherds have allowed it to be lulled into
a false sense of security. The Church
has been promised that it will not have to participate in the coming chaotic
melee of destruction. We have been told
we will get to watch from the grandstand of heaven. Therefore we have neither considered nor
approached this time with the careful respect that it deserves and as such we
are almost completely unprepared.
We
are hardly the conquering warriors of the Lord we would like to think. In fact, through our apathy and self-assured
pride we have allowed ourselves to become little more than lambs being prepared
for Antichrist’s coming slaughter. ARISE
AND AWAKE you sleeping children of the Lord. Prepare yourselves for war! Put on the full armor of Christ, and prepare
to stand fast in the faith. War clouds
loom on the horizon and the Church
of Jesus Christ should
not be caught unaware for we are the children of light and the salt of the
earth. Support and strengthen one
another my brothers and sisters, and all the more as you see the day
approaching!
[May you alone oh Lord be given praise and honor in
that day. May you alone oh Lord be
lifted up in that hour. Thank you Father
for all you have shown us. Now grant to
us the wisdom to use this knowledge unto your glory and that of your Son Jesus,
in whose name we pray. Amen]
OPPOSING VIEWS AND ARGUMENTS
Though the truth imparted to us by the Spirit through the
scriptures seems plainly evident and all but undeniable, there are always those
who have questions and concerns regarding these truths. Yet rather than be frustrated by this fact,
we should acknowledge that this is exactly as it should be. For scripture itself commands each believer
to test the spirit of the teachings and doctrines he/she is asked to
accept. It would therefore be unjust if
we did not honestly entertain those contentions and seek the truth of scripture
to either support or invalidate those concerns.
With this goal in mind, let us now consider some of the views raised by
the critics of the pre-wrath position and let the word of God alone be counted
as true and faithful.
THE GREAT MULTITUDE
1st Argument: If we look
carefully at the passage describing the great multitude, and scrutinize the
construction and precise meaning of the words comprising the elder’s statement
we find an intriguing fact. When he
states ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation’, the
implication is that they are continuously coming all during the
tribulation period.
This fact helps us to understand that the crowd
should be rightly identified not as the Church, but as martyred tribulation
saints who have been persecuted unto death all during the time of the
tribulation. As they die, their souls
come to heaven and reside under the altar of God as seen in the scriptures of
Rev 6:9-11 involving the opening of the fifth seal. In short, it becomes abundantly clear that
this crowd does not simply appear in heaven as might be expected at the
rapture, but are gathered over the duration of the tribulation period. This fact constitutes a compelling reason why
this multitude should not be viewed as the raptured Church, but rather as a
vast multitude of martyred saints who will give their lives for the gospel of
Jesus during the time of the tribulation period.
For
this reason, the great multitude viewed in Rev 7:9-17 is quite simply not large
enough! The pre-wrath position insists
that the great multitude should be viewed as the raptured Church. Yet the scriptures, as shown above, clearly
indicate in that very same passage that the crowd represents martyred
tribulation saints only.
What about all of the believers in Christ from the first century until
now? Scripture emphatically states they
are to be resurrected and receive a glorified body also at the time of the
rapture, but they are not shown anywhere in this passage. This is therefore obviously not a scripture
which can be associated with the rapture of the Church as seen in 1 Cor
15:51-52, or 1 Thes 4:13-17.
2nd
Argument: Proponents of the multiple rapture position
normally view the appearance of the great multitude in heaven as a rapture
event. According to their position,
144,000 Jewish faithful will be sealed by God after the initial pre-tribulation
rapture of the Church. These 144,000 men
will be given power and authority to witness the gospel throughout the world
during much of the tribulation period. Their
efforts will produce a vast harvest of souls won to the gospel of Jesus Christ
during this time. The great multitude is
in fact the fruit of their labor, and that multitude will be raptured sometime
during the last 3½ years of the 70th week of Daniel. This rapture will include both the living
and the dead tribulation saints only!
Response: In an attempt
to disallow the great multitude from taking part in the rapture, the critics
argue that the crowd is comprised of martyred tribulation saints only, and is
therefore simply not large enough. In an
effort to support this contention the critics place the entire weight of their
argument upon the questionable foundation of two shaky points. First, they presume the rapture must
be of a pre-tribulational nature thereby leaving only tribulation saints to
take part in the gathering of the great multitude. Second, the elder’s statement proclaiming
‘these are they who have come out of the great tribulation’ is understood to
carry the connotation of ‘continuously coming’ rather than ‘suddenly
appearing’. Let us therefore examine
these issues a bit more closely.
In
considering the second argument, lets first make note of three basic
facts. First, regardless of when the
rapture actually occurs; scripture has promised it will be at that time
when all living and dead believers will be resurrected and
transformed. Therefore, whether the
rapture occurs near the beginning, middle or end of the tribulation period is
irrelevant. Whenever it occurs
all believers, past, and present will take part in it (with one apparent
exception we will discuss momentarily).
As such, it is unreasonable and unscriptural to insist that two or more
raptures exist when scripture has openly declared that all believers
will participate in the rapture.
Second,
we must recall the pre-tribulation understanding which asserts that all of the
tribulation period should be viewed as ‘the wrath of God’. It is difficult to understand how we are to
reconcile this understanding with the contention that myriads of men and women
will be converted to disciples of Jesus during the tribulation/wrath of God;
yet scripture has promised that followers of Christ will not be subject to that
wrath.
Finally,
it is impossible to deny that the chronological placement of the appearance of
the great multitude within the framework of Daniel’s 70th week is
precisely coincident with scripture’s harmonious declaration of the overall
evidence for when we expect to find the season of the rapture. In fact, while other teachings are forced to
struggle with how to interpret and deal with the ‘great multitude’, the
pre-wrath teaching actually predicts and anticipates its arrival. Therefore, rather than detracting in any way
from the pre-wrath teaching, the appearance of the great multitude only serves
to strengthen the case for its acceptance.
Next, we should turn our attention toward the first
argument and the proper interpretation of the elder’s statement that ‘these are
they who have come out of the great tribulation’.
One
possible interpretation is precisely that which has been proposed by most
pre-tribulation supporters. Namely, the
elder’s statement could imply that those who have appeared in heaven are
believers who have died during the 70th week of Daniel. However, the contention that this crowd is
comprised entirely of martyred tribulation saints is hotly contested,
and not by the supporters of the pre-wrath position only. Indeed, many who believe in a pre-tribulation
rapture contend that all tribulation saints, both living and dead
will be included in this crowd (partial rapture position). There are two problems however that must be
dealt with to reach either of these conclusions.
First, the contention that the grammatical
construction of the elder’s statement in any way demands the ‘continuous
coming’ of the great multitude is wholly unfounded. Many qualified experts have considered the
passage and nearly as many varying opinions have been produced. Therefore, to say that ‘no consensus of opinion
has been reached’ by these experts would be a considerable understatement. In short, the elder’s statement is
sufficiently nonrestrictive that it may be used to support any one of several
possible doctrinal positions. None of
which are clearly mandated by his statement alone.
Second,
the proposition extended by the pre-tribulation teaching stating this crowd
will include martyred tribulation saints is absolutely impossible! Scripture, and scripture alone makes this
perfectly clear. To help understand this
truth let us consider four simple facts.
1)
The great
multitude appears in heaven within the confines of Daniel’s 70th
week (from the time frame of the great tribulation).
2)
Those comprising
the great multitude are seen to possess physical bodies (they ‘stand’
before the throne, ‘hold’ palm branches in their ‘hands’, and ‘wear’ white
robes).
3)
The souls of the
martyred tribulation saints reside under the altar of God during the 70th
week of Daniel (Rev 6:9-11) and do not possess a physical body at this time.
4)
Scripture openly
declares the souls of the martyred tribulation saints will be resurrected (that
is, receive their perfected resurrection bodies) after the battle
of Armageddon, at the start of the millennial kingdom of Jesus, which is outside
of the confines of the 70th week of Daniel (Rev 20:4, see
also 19:11- 20:4)!
Since
scripture explicitly declares the martyred tribulation saints will not receive
their resurrection bodies until after the close of the 70th week of
Daniel, It is absolutely impossible for the great multitude, which already has
their bodies and is seen within the 70th week of Daniel, to include any
of the martyred tribulation saints, much less be composed entirely of those
martyred saints. Read for yourself the
open declaration of Scripture which creates this impossible situation for the
critics:
Rev
19:11 –20:4 (NIV) I saw heaven standing
open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and
True. …. 13) He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word
of God. The armies of heaven were
following him, …. 19) Then I saw the beast and the kings of the
earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the
horse and his army. But the beast was
captured, and with him the false prophet ….
20:1) And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to
the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent,
who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. …. 4) I saw thrones on which were seated
those who had been given authority to judge.
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their
testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image
and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands [martyred
tribulation saints]. They came to
life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. [italics, brackets added]
Here, scripture clearly shows the tribulation martyrs
will be resurrected only after the close of Daniel’s 70th week. They will not therefore be part of the great
multitude viewed in Rev 7:9-17 as the critics contend.
One
may ask why these martyrs will be excluded from that joyous throng. Why will they be required to wait a little
longer than their fellow believers in order to receive their reward? I wish I could answer these profound
questions, but I cannot. I must confess
my understanding is limited regarding this matter. But I cannot, do not, and will not set aside
the explicitly declared truth of scripture simply because I do not understand
the way in which the Father is moving his hand.
He has openly declared that it is to be this way, and for now that will
simply have to be sufficient.
Some
possible explanations revolve around the nature and timing of expected
dispensational changes during this period of time. Other explanations center on the
chronological placement of Revelation 20:4 itself. The idea obviously becomes to justify placing
the events shown in that passage within the confines of Daniel’s 70th
week. Ultimately however we must admit
to less than perfect understanding and wait upon the breath of wisdom from the
Holy Spirit to enlighten us.
I
would like to ask that should the Spirit choose to enlighten one of those
reading this text, please be so kind as to share with me the blessing of that
wisdom. For now however, we can at least
be grateful for those things we are permitted to know. What we have learned here allows us to
disprove the contention that the elder’s statement in Rev 7:9-18 demands that
only tribulation martyrs will comprise the great multitude. What then does his statement mean?
While several possibilities exist, it is the belief of
those supporting the pre-wrath rapture position that the elder’s statement
should be taken in its most natural manner.
That is say, when the elder states that, ‘these are they who have come
out of the great tribulation’, he is merely indicating the time frame
during which the multitude arrived. He
is not indicating whether they were alive or dead at the time of their
coming. Nor was he trying to insinuate
that each member of the multitude was living on earth during the time of the
tribulation. Only that the appearance of
the multitude in heaven coincided with that time. Nothing more should be inferred into his
statement. Instead, we must allow the
rest of scripture to inform us as to the remaining details; and inform us it
has.
As we
have searched, scripture has revealed to us a consistent and unified truth in
numerous explicit passages which span both the Old and New testaments. These passages have been used to form simple,
clearly stated and undeniable strands of scriptural truth. Every strand of truth we have studied
regarding the season of the rapture points us to the exact same point in time
and has lead us toward the inescapable conclusion that the rapture will occur
just after the great tribulation is cut short by the opening of the sixth seal,
but just before the seventh seal is opened to usher in the time of God’s wrath.
The
reader should recognize that this time, just after the great tribulation, is
precisely coincident with the appearance of the great multitude in heaven and
the composition of the multitude is exactly that which we expect to find in the
raptured Church (Rev 7:9-18). Hear again
the voice of scripture and the words of the elder. The throng which appears in heaven is
described as ‘a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation,
tribe, people and language’, and concerning the time of their arrival the
elder states; ‘these are they who have come out of the great tribulation’. How can we honestly deny what all of scripture
consistently proclaims?
As
for our uncertainty regarding the disposition of the martyred tribulation
saints; do with them as you will. Should
the time of their resurrection prove to be during Daniel’s 70th
week, it merely becomes coincident with and integrated into the rapture of the Church. Should the time of their resurrection be
placed after Daniel’s 70th week it merely becomes a very special
albeit separate event the Spirit has yet to provide full enlightenment
about. In either case, no damage is done
to the basic and fundamental truths surrounding the pre-wrath rapture teaching.
THE RAPTURE SEEN IN MATTHEW 24?
Autor’s note: I find the
sequencing of this argument to be something of a problem in that to fully
explore it one must utilize several arguments directly associated with the
doctrine of imminence. Therefore, unless
the reader fully understands the tenets of imminence, I respectfully suggest
he/she first read the section entitled ‘Understanding The Doctrine of
Imminence’ prior to considering the following argument.
Also, let me take a brief moment to remind and warn the
reader of a very important point. As was
mentioned at the start of this text, terminology is the lifeblood of
communication! As such the
reader is warned that the following argument uses the common terminology of the
pre-tribulation teaching to present its case.
Please do not let the change in terminology become a source of
confusion.
Be aware that the following argument reflects the form of
the pre-tribulation teaching that sees the day of the Lord as being synonymous
with the tribulation period. As such,
the major alteration in terminology is the pre-tribulation understanding that
God’s wrath is poured out during the entire seven-year tribulation period. Remember, both these contentions were proven
to be untrue earlier in this work.
Argument: The
supporters of the pre-wrath rapture position view the passage of scripture
including Matthew 24:26-31 as evidence of the rapture of the Church. Further, they contend this scene should be
viewed as occurring in the time interval between the sixth and seventh seals of
Revelation, well before the end of Daniel’s 70th week.
Unfortunately
for them, this perspective simply will not withstand analysis in the light of
scriptural facts. An honest and accurate
evaluation of the facts demands these events be viewed as the coming of Christ
at the battle of Armageddon, and will occur at the very end of Daniel’s 70th
week!
As we begin to evaluate the facts supporting this
contention, let us first consider the passage of scripture lying at the center
of the dispute.
Mat
24:26-31 (NIV) “So if anyone tells you,
‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner
rooms,’ do not believe it. For as
lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the
coming of the Son of Man. Wherever
there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Immediately after the distress of
those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
At that time the sign of the Son of
Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming
on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end
of the heavens to the other.” [italics added]
Many have
speculated this passage of scripture might refer to the rapture. However, there are subtle clues within the
entirety of the Olivet discourse, and specifically within this section of text,
which both destroy the idea of associating this passage with the Church’s
rapture and point us unerringly toward a time far beyond the season of that
rapture; toward the time of the battle of Armageddon when Christ will come with
power and glory for the purpose of destroying the plans of Satan and his Antichrist.
First, a proper understanding of the nature and character
of the new dispensation beginning at the inception of Daniel’s 70th
week demands the following truths be maintained. At the start of this time, two things will
happen. First, God will remove the Church
by way of the rapture and second, he will begin the final phase of his plan to
restore and redeem the nation of Israel.
The Church
must be removed at, or prior to, the start of this time to prevent it
from being touched by his wrath that will be poured out during the seven year
tribulation period. Also, this removal
will serve to prevent the Church from hindering the divinely ordained plan for Israel’s
future. With the removal of the Church,
and the inception of the tribulation period (also known as the ‘time of Jacob’s
trouble’ and ‘the day of the Lord’), the focus of God’s plan and attention will
once more be centered upon Israel, who will resume her rightful place as the
chosen people of God.
Simply
stated, we must bear in mind that the entirety of the 70 weeks program
prophesied by Daniel (Dan 9:24-27) was centered about, and exclusively for, Israel! Since the seven year tribulation period is
without doubt (and none will argue this point) the 70th and final
week of Daniel’s prophecy; then it stands to reason that this week will also be
centered about, and exclusively for Israel and this is exactly what
scripture reveals.
Therefore, the compelling conclusion of our first point
is simply this. Proper understanding of
dispensational truth, coupled with the tenets of the doctrine of imminence,
demand the Church be raptured at the start of Daniel’s 70th
week. The scene depicted in Matthew
24:26-31 occurs deep within that ‘week’.
As such, it is obvious this passage cannot refer to the Church’s rapture
since the rapture will have already occurred well before the time frame of this
passage.
Second, the Lord has been kind enough in this very
passage of scripture to give us some clues as to the proper time frame
associated with the passage, and it is obviously not where the pre-wrath
teaching contends. Verse 28 is the first
clue to properly understanding when these events will take place. Note carefully the similarities between this
verse and Revelation 19:17-18.
Mat
24:28 (NIV) Wherever there is a carcass,
there the vultures will gather.
Rev
19:17-18 (NIV) And I saw an angel
standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in
midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat
the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and
the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.”
As we compare these verses it becomes plainly evident
that the same event is depicted. Of more
importance to the issue at hand is the absolute fact this event occurs at the
battle of Armageddon and is therefore pinpointed as being at the very end of
Daniel’s 70th week. This
means the events of Mat 24:26-31 cannot possibly be associated with the rapture
of the Church!
Our second clue is even more directly explicit than the
first and serves to drive home the same inescapable point. Matthew 24:29 begins with an absolutely clear
proclamation of the time when it will take place.
Mat
24:29 (NIV) Immediately after the
distress of those days….
Even the casual observer will immediately recognize the
absolutely clear and unambiguous declaration that the events associated with
this passage of scripture will take place immediately after the great
tribulation. Since the time of
great tribulation ends with the return of Christ during the battle of
Armageddon, we once again recover the same truth we previously discovered. Namely, the events of Matthew 24:26-31 cannot
be associated with the rapture of the Church and are in fact separated from the
rapture by some seven or more years!
Third, in Matthew 24:26-31 scripture declares the return
of the Lord will be both known and visible to all the people on the
planet. This truth is explicitly
declared when scripture states, “as lightning … is visible …. so
will be the coming of the Son of Man.” and again we read, “all
the nations of the earth will mourn.
They will see the Son of Man coming”. Yet with respect to the rapture scripture
proclaims that only those who are looking for him will see his return!
Heb 9:28
(KJV) So Christ was once offered to bear
the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second
time without sin unto salvation.
[italics added]
This passage clearly insinuates when Christ returns to
gather his Church from the world, that return will be visible only to those who
are looking for him. To the rest of the
world his return at that time will be invisible and unexpected. In this we find yet another reason to reject
the notion that the events associated with Matthew 24: 26-31 might be
associated with the rapture of the Church.
Response: Some or all of
the issues mentioned above are used by the various groups of critics who seek
to oppose the pre-wrath teaching. On the
surface the arguments sound plausible, but in truth they are built upon
unproven assumption and misinterpretation or misunderstanding of
scripture. To support this assertion
let’s explore each of the arguments individually.
In the first argument our critics employ dispensational
understanding to conclude the day of the Lord, and hence the wrath of God, will
begin at the start of Daniel’s 70th week (this part of their
argument is incorrect). It is further
understood via direct scriptural proof that the Church must be removed prior to
this time so it might be protected from the wrath of God and separated from his
plan for Israel’s redemption, both of which will be prosecuted during the day
of the Lord (this part of their argument is true). Yet scripture itself is absolutely explicit
in displaying the herald signs of the day of the Lord deep within the
boundaries of Daniel’s 70th week; at the opening of the sixth
seal. Recall if you will that the
prophet Joel was adamant in declaring these signs would be displayed before
the day of the Lord began.
What
then shall we believe, and in whom shall we place our trust; the subjective
reasoning of men that has been employed in an attempt to fathom dispensational
‘truth’ or openly declared scriptural fact that comes straight from the Spirit
of God? As for this writer, my trust
will be placed in the living word of God for there is no absolute truth save
that which the Spirit and the word declare.
If
the word declares the Church will be removed just prior to the day of the Lord
and national Israel redeemed during that day then that is exactly what will
happen. And if the word further declares
that day will not begin until the seventh seal is opened rather than at the
start of the tribulation period then that also is exactly what will occur.
We,
as teachers of the word, do not create its truth in and of ourselves. Instead we receive it from the Spirit of our
Father and as obedient children we must speak and acknowledge that which is declared
by the Spirit and the word.
Specifically, in this instance we must acknowledge that the time of our
Father’s wrath, and the season when national Israel will begin the process of
reclamation and redemption is called the day of the Lord and that day will
commence with the opening of the seventh seal of Revelation.
Therefore,
we should all agree the evidence as presented by scripture indicates the
rapture will occur just prior to the opening of the seventh seal of
Revelation. We should also agree this is
the same temporal location for the setting of Matthew 24:29-31, a fact that
strongly endorses our understanding that this passage depicts the rapture of
the Church.
The critics second argument relies upon vague
similarities in Matthew 24:28 and Revelation 19:17-18 to draw a ‘concrete’
conclusion. To see the error in this,
let’s take a slightly expanded view of the passages under consideration.
Mat
24:26-31 (NIV) “So if anyone tells you,
‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner
rooms,’ do not believe it. For as
lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the
coming of the Son of Man. Wherever
there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Immediately after the distress of
those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be
shaken.’
At that time the sign of the Son of
Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will
gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the
other.” [italics added]
Rev
19:17-18 (NIV) And I saw an angel
standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in
midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat
the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and
the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.”
As we examine these passages we must admit a certain
amount of similarity exists. Both
passages mention birds gathering around carcasses. Both also are associated with a time when
Christ will visit this planet. One
speaks of the battle of Armageddon that occurs at the end of Daniel’s 70th
week while the other speaks of a time immediately following the great
tribulation; thought by most to also refer to the end of that week. The real question however is whether they actually
refer to the same events or merely seem to.
The critics obviously believe they refer to the same
events and seize upon the similarities to drive the point home. Yet in their haste they have made a fatal
mistake that will prove to be their undoing in this matter. They have failed to deal with the unique and
unmistakable herald signs of the day of the Lord. Before we address this flaw in the argument
of our critics however, let’s first turn our attention to some points of lesser
though still significant importance.
First, though both of these passages refer to a time when
Jesus will visit this planet we cannot rely upon this fact to prove we are
talking about the period of time surrounding the battle of Armageddon. We must bear in mind the scriptures
repeatedly declare Jesus will come from heaven and visit this orb at the time
of the rapture also. Therefore, unless
the passage expresses some action or description that definitely applies
to one or the other event only, then we must fairly allow either
of these timeframes to be a possible site of these events. To my humble knowledge no such action or
description exist and therefore this writer finds no reason to definitively
conclude one or the other timeframe should be preferred based solely on the
fact of Jesus’ visitation.
Second,
while the passage in Revelation speaks of the birds of the air feasting on the
dead bodies of those killed at Armageddon; such does not appear to be the case
in the passage from Matthew. The careful
student will note the focus of Jesus’ instructions at this point is on
‘identification of false Messiahs’ rather than events surrounding
Armageddon. Let’s look at this section
of scripture again.
Mat
24:23-28 (NIV) At that time if anyone
says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe
it. For false Christs and false prophets
will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if
that were possible. See, I have told you
ahead of time.
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the
desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe
it. For as lightning that comes from the
east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the
vultures will gather. [italics
added]
According to the instructions of our Lord, many will come
during the days of the great tribulation claiming to be the true Messiah. The purpose of these false Messiahs will be
to deceive the followers of Christ and lure them from their places of hiding
presumably in order to destroy them.
Given
power by Satan and unopposed by God or his angelic servants, these would-be
saviors will be capable of performing astounding miracles to substantiate and
validate their claims of deity. These
miracles will not be done by slight of hand or trick photography, but will be
genuine and absolutely convincing to the mind and physical senses; convincing
enough to deceive even the very elect of God should they rely upon those senses
alone. How then will it be possible to
distinguish the false Messiahs from the genuine article?
The
instructions our Lord gave in this passage has provided us with both advance
warning of the danger to come and a two-tiered litmus test against which we can
measure all who come claiming the mantle of Christ. Therefore, we should not be surprised or
deceived when we encounter these satanic minions.
Jesus
has told us his actual future return will not involve any type of prior earthly
ministry. That is to say, we should not
look for Jesus to be ministering in a large Church, nor in any secret place,
nor in the secluded reaches of the desert.
He will not minister through a successful television ministry nor will
he appear to us as a Church official or successful world leader.
When
our Lord and Savior comes back to this tiny orb he will do so in a manner that
will take the breath away from everyone on the face of the globe. He will come from heaven itself. His revealing will be like the brilliant and
instantaneous passing of lightning as he passes overhead. Traversing this sphere in the clouds of the
air as he reveals to all of humanity his awesome power and glory. At the same time, he will send his holy
angels to gather his beleaguered saints from all over the planet.
Therefore,
no matter how wonderful and godly a person may seem, no matter what kind of
miracle he might perform and no matter what power and authority he may seem to
possess; no one who stands upon this planet clothed in a body of flesh
and blood can rightfully claim to be Christ!
The true Christ will not come in this manner. He has been raised perfect, and no longer
possesses a mortal body of perishable flesh and blood.
Those
who ignore his teachings on this matter and follow after the false Messiahs
that are sure to arise are only falling into the hands of the enemy and death
will not be far behind. The bodies of
each of these false Messiahs will be nothing more than mortal, perishable
flesh. A rotting carcass
which, as is true with all such bodies, is doomed to eventually die and rot in
the grave. Those who seek out such a
Christ rather than trust in the immortal, imperishable, resurrected Jesus are
like vultures seeking to feast upon what appears to be an easily obtainable
‘spiritual’ meal.
Rather
than look to the realm of the truly spiritual, where the invisible power of
faith makes all things possible, they find it easier and more appealing to
focus their faith upon a living body of flesh and blood they can touch and
see. They will flock to such a one, and
like vultures will seek to tear blessings from the earthly ministry of this
rotting carcass which falsely claims to be Christ. Ultimately however all they will find will be
deception and death. For as it is
written:
Mat
24:28 ( NIV) Wherever there is a
carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Therefore
guard yourselves brothers and sisters in Christ. Guard your faith and trust in the words of
the Almighty God who has warned us of what to expect. The times ahead will be dangerous and full of
deception, but we have a faithful word that will guide our paths if we will but
place our trust in it.
It
seems clear to this writer the focus of the passage was never intended to
direct the hearer toward the timeframe of Armageddon, but instead was meant to
serve as instruction whereby he might safeguard his physical and spiritual
existence. Hopefully the reader is
already beginning to see this passage in a new light and will agree that
nothing thus far seen mandates the passage be relegated to the timeframe
associated with Armageddon.
Next,
we should carefully consider scripture’s declaration that the timeframe of the
events displayed in Matthew 24-31 is ‘immediately after the distress of those
days’. The critics point out this
definitively places the events immediately after the time of great tribulation,
and let it be noted this writer agrees with that conclusion
wholeheartedly. What is in error here is
the timeframe ascribed to the end of the great tribulation by the critics.
They
contend the great tribulation will draw to a close at the end of Daniel’s 70th
week and is associated with Armageddon and the second advent of Christ. This is incorrect and constitutes a very
common misconception carried by most servants of the Lord today. In truth the great tribulation will draw to a
close a considerable period of time before the end of Daniel’s 70th
week and the time of its termination is not associated even remotely with
Armageddon or Christ’s return to earth during that battle. In support of this we can offer two points of
proof.
First,
the reader must consider the statement made by Jesus only a few verses earlier
in this passage.
Mat
24:21-22 (NIV) For then there will be
great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never
to be equaled again. If those days had
not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those
days will be shortened.
Note carefully the words of our Lord when he says, “those
days will be shortened”. This
statement strongly indicates the great tribulation will be prematurely
terminated and not allowed to reach its originally projected length. The obvious questions become ‘how long was it
supposed to be?’, ‘how long will it actually be?’, and ‘by what means will it
be terminated?’. To find the answer to
these questions we must expand our search to include both the books of Daniel
and Revelation.
As
we begin our investigation, recall if you will all the events that are
coincident with the mid-point
of Daniel’s 70th
week. Satan will be cast from heaven,
Michael will cease his ministry of restraint, and Antichrist will proclaim
himself to be God. Having been cast from
heaven Satan, being ‘filled with fury’, will proceed to wage a genocidal war
against both Israel
and the Christians. We call this
satanically spawned war the time of ‘great tribulation’, and since this war
begins at the mid-point of that seven-year period we know it will have a
maximum duration of 3 ½ years. Also
recall we previously learned that 3 ½ prophetic years may be expressed as 42
months, 1260 days (42 months x 30 days/prophetic month), and ‘a time, times and
half a time’ (one year + two years + half a year). Now we are ready to begin.
Dan
7:21-26 (NIV) As I watched, this horn
was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient
of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High,
and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.
He gave me this explanation:
…. 25) He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to
change the set times and the laws. The
saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
But the court will sit,
and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. [emphasis added]
Rev 13:5-7 (NIV) The beast was
given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his
authority for forty-two months.
He opened his mouth to blaspheme god, and to slander his name and his
dwelling place and those who live in heaven.
He 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. [emphasis
added]
Rev
12:13-17 (NIV) When the dragon saw that
he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to
the male child. The woman was given the
two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her
in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and
half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. …. 17) Then the dragon was
enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her
offspring – those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of
Jesus. [emphasis added]
These scriptures indicate Satan’s war against the saints
during the great tribulation was originally intended to last for 3 ½
years. This would comprise the entire
period of time extending from the abomination of desolation at the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week until the
very close of that week. This understanding
adds credence to the views of our critics who support precisely this order of
events.
Now
that we understand what is supposed to happen, let us endeavor to
discover what will happen.
Remember the words of Jesus when he said, “If those days had not been cut
short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days
will be shortened”. The fact he
says the days “will be shortened” strongly indicates the
time allotted to the great tribulation is definitely going to be reduced from
its originally stated length. But how
and by how much?
Discovering
the ‘how’ is actually very simple. Once
again let us look at a portion of our reference passage.
Mat
24:29 (NIV) Immediately after the
distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will
not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies
will be shaken.’ [emphasis
added]
Now that we know and understand their significance, the
herald signs of the day of the Lord virtually leap out of this passage. The reader will note these signs will be
manifested ‘immediately after the distress of’ the period of great tribulation.
Only a few verses earlier in this same passage Jesus had
promised to ‘cut short’ the days of the great tribulation. Now, the means by which those days will be
shortened is graphically and unmistakably presented. The great tribulation will be ‘cut
short’ and come to a premature close when the herald signs of the day of the
Lord will be manifested to testify of the impending wrath of God.
In regard to the day of the Lord, we previously learned ‘the
Lord alone will be exalted in that day’ (Isa 2:12-19). Therefore, since it is obviously true that as
the day of the Lord commences, the Lord alone will be lifted up; the converse
must also be true that as the day of the Lord commences, Satan’s influence and
the illusion of his apparent absolute authority will diminish. In essence, his time of total and absolute
dominance will be ‘cut short’.
Please do not misunderstand me, I am not saying the time
allotted to Daniel’s 70th week will be decreased. It has been allotted a specific amount of
time and scripture clearly indicates the full seven years will be
completed. Nor am I saying that Satan
and the Antichrist will be completely vanquished at the inception of the day of
the Lord. What I am saying is that when
the herald signs are manifested, the time of Satan’s perceived absolute
dominion will be at an end. From this
moment on his glory and dominance will steadily decrease, while that of the
Lord will increase.
Satan also has been allotted a specific period of time to
exist and work his schemes upon this planet after he is cast from heaven. That period of time is 42 months, 1260 days,
‘a time, times and half a time’, or 3 ½ prophetic years. During this period he will be allowed to
exercise dominion over the earth. Most
of its inhabitants shall worship him, ‘all whose names have not been written in
the book of life’ (Rev 13:8b). During
this period of time his dominion of this ‘kingdom’ will be unquestioned by God
or man and from an earthly, physical point of view his authority and dominion
will be absolute in all things. Yet with
the dawning of the day of the Lord, things will take a sudden and dramatic
turn.
The Lord will remove his Church from this planet, well
outside the reach of Satan and his machinations. Further, he will begin to pour his wrath out
upon this world in spectacular fashion as in rapid succession he smites a third
of the earth, a third of the seas and a third of the heavens. Yet his wrath is only just beginning at this
point.
I find it interesting that none of the judgments
pronounced during this time are aimed directly at Satan or his Antichrist. None of them directly usurp nor inhibit their
power or dominion over this planet. God
does not divinely limit them in any way.
Yet it is abundantly clear from the first moment the herald signs are
manifested until the last judgment is complete that Satan and his Antichrist
can no longer be considered the ultimate authority in the universe, but rather
God and God alone was, is and always shall be in control of all creation.
The
conflict here is very similar to, and is in fact the typological fulfillment of
that between Pharaoh and God when Moses was sent to free the children of Israel. While Pharaoh’s authority was never usurped,
it was self-evident that he was neither the god he claimed to be, nor even in
control of his own fate. Even the
characters are similar, Antichrist takes the place of Pharaoh, the two
witnesses take the place of Moses and Aaron while God, who is the same in all
ages, plays the part of himself.
Though these things are true enough, the hardened skeptic
will be quick to point out that thus far nothing we have shown absolutely demands
an understanding that the great tribulation must end prior to the close of
Daniel’s 70th week. After
all, this business of days and times being ‘cut short’ really is somewhat
ambiguous when you get right down to it isn’t it? Such skepticism as this brings us to our final
piece of evidence. Evidence that is
incontrovertible and demands the placement of the events associated with
Matthew 24:29-31, be placed long before Armageddon and the close of Daniels 70th
week. This evidence will also go a long
way toward answering the question of how much the period of great tribulation
will be shortened.
Consider
if you will the passage of scripture in Mat 24:29-31. As we have already shown, this text shows the
manifestation of the herald signs of the day of the Lord. These signs are seen again and serve to
constitute the sixth seal of Revelation (Rev 6:12-17, also as previously
shown. Therefore, though it seems
trivial to state the obvious, both these text point to the same place in time –
the opening of the sixth seal. It follows
then that their placement in the chronology of Daniel’s 70th week
must be before the events associated with the seventh seal!
Though at
first glance this may seem rather simple and of little use, actually it is an
extremely significant conclusion. Such
is the case because we know most or all of the events associated with the
seventh seal must be concluded prior to the close of Daniel’s 70th
week. We also know the seventh seal is
composed of seven ‘trumpet judgments’ that will be meted out during the course
of its execution. Further, though not
much is known concerning the duration of six of the seven ‘trumpet judgments’,
we do know the duration of the fifth ‘trumpet judgment’.
Rev 9:1-12 (NIV)
The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, …. 3) And out of the smoke locusts
came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the
earth. …. 10) They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they
had power to torment people for five months. … [emphasis added]
So then,
if the fifth ‘trumpet judgment’ alone last for five months, then the duration
of the entire seventh seal, while unknown and unknowable, obviously is in
excess of five months. Therefore we can
conclude with absolute confidence that the sixth seal must be opened an
absolute minimum of five-plus months prior to the close of Daniel’s 70th
week and the battle of Armageddon. Thus
it is an absolute impossibility that the passages of text in Mat 24:26-31, Lk
21:25-28, Mk 13:24-27, Rev 6:12-17 or Rev 7:9-17 could in any way be connected
to the end of Daniel’s 70th week, Armageddon or the return of Christ
during that battle.
Irrevocably
deprived of this argument, those who have embraced this misunderstanding as
‘truth’ must now reassess the events described in Matthew 24:29-31. I can only hope and pray you will join with
me in embracing a new understanding and find in this understanding the truth
regarding the rapture of the Church.
CONCLUSION
I pray that you have joined me as the Spirit has lead us
on a journey through the scriptures in search of the truth concerning when we
might expect the season of the rapture.
I further hope you have been blessed and encouraged to a closer walk
with our Lord and Savior as we have come to understand the need to exercise and
strengthen our faith to prepare for the challenges that may lie in our near
future.
Finally,
I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude for your willingness to open your heart
and mind to consider the things written here.
Also I should extend a vote of special appreciation to those who were
able to put up with my rambling thoughts, redundant explanations and longwinded
nature and were able to actually reach the end of this journey. Kudos to you!
As scripture has said, ‘This calls for patient endurance on the part of
the saints’ (one final very small attempt at humor).
[May the Father bless you
in wisdom by an understanding and confirmation of these things, that we each
might more fully comprehend the magnitude of the war being fought, the price of
victory, the consequences of defeat, and the honor and privilege we are given
at being afforded a place in the Lord’s camp. Amen]
APPENDIX A
UNDERSTANDING THE DOCTRINE OF IMMINENCE
THE IMPORTANCE OF IMMINENCE
The
importance of the doctrine of imminence to the pre-tribulation rapture position
cannot be overstated. It has been
variously called the ‘cornerstone’, the ‘linchpin’ and the very ‘heart’ of the
pre-tribulation teaching by those who know it best. It is aggressively used to attack or
perfunctorily dismiss opposing teachings suggesting prophetic events exist that
must be satisfied before our Lord returns to ‘snatch away’ his Church. As such, it is without doubt one of the most
hotly contested issues in the arena of end-time understanding. So, just what are the points of contention
that make it such a hotbed of debate?
In large part the contention associated with the issue of
imminence is driven by the fact it is an implicitly derived teaching. While this does not of necessity mean the
doctrine is in error, conflicts tend to arise when other teachings display what
they consider to be directly explicit statements from scripture that appear to
contradict the tenets of imminence. Thus
we find ourselves in the difficult position of having to decide whether the
implicit evidence available outweighs the explicit evidence presented.
One thing is for certain however. Each individual reading this work must come
to grips with the teaching concerning imminence, and your decision on this
point will no doubt be the single greatest factor motivating the remainder of
your end-time understanding. Therefore
the following discussion, and the view you take away from it, is of extreme
importance with regard to your perception of and attitude toward the
approaching time of worldwide testing.
With this in mind let us move ahead as we attempt to fairly present the
case supporting imminence. Next we will
look at the shortcomings and failures of this argument as perceived by the
author.
The reader is reminded that in presenting the case for
the pre-tribulation position, terminology normally associated with that
teaching will be employed.
THE CASE FOR IMMINENCE: WHAT IS IMMINENCE?
Imminence is the belief that from the time of the early Church
until this very day, Christ could return quite literally at any
moment. Imminence, by definition, claims
that his return will be without warning and absolutely sign-less. That is to say that prophecy extends
absolutely nothing that must be fulfilled prior to our Lord’s
return. Note the distinction that this
does not mean no prophecy can be fulfilled, only that no prophecy must
be fulfilled.
The primary argument for the doctrine of imminence hinges
on the testimony of numerous New Testament passages that can only be reconciled
by an imminent, or ‘any moment’, return of our Lord. These passages consistently speak of the
return of Jesus as being an event that could occur at quite literally any given
moment. Therefore, in accordance with
this understanding followers of Jesus are constantly reminded to maintain an
attitude of alertness and watchfulness.
Correspondingly,
since his return is to be sudden, without warning and sign-less, it follows that
none of the events recorded as occurring during the 70th week of
Daniel can be required to precede it.
This understanding readily lends itself to the idea that the return of
Christ for his Church must occur prior to the next event on the prophetic horizon;
the signing of a seven-year covenant between Antichrist and the nation of
Israel that will initiate the period of tribulation (Dan 9:27). Therefore it is thought the rapture must
occur prior to the tribulation and the signing of the prophetically predicted
covenant.
Another powerful argument endorsing the imminent return
of Christ centers about a clear understanding of the nature and character of
his two-stage return to this planet during end-times. Scripture clearly demonstrates the fact our
Lord will first return for his saints when he comes at the rapture. Later he will return with his saints
at the time of the battle of Armageddon.
The evidence offered by scripture strongly indicates a
period of approximately seven years will separate these two events. Since the latter is given by scripture to be
Christ’s return at Armageddon, which will occur at the very end of Daniel’s 70th
week, the former must just as obviously occur prior to the start of that
seven-year period. This understanding is
supported through prophetic decree and implicit scriptural evidence that serves
to beautifully illustrate the truth of our Father.
Finally, the imminent pre-tribulation return of our Lord
is necessary to allow for the unhindered redemption and restoration of the
nation of Israel
to their proper place in the plan of God.
Scripture teaches that the Church must be removed before the redemptive
work of Israel’s
salvation can be accomplished. Revealed
with equal clarity is the fact this work of redemption will be accomplished
during ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’, which is also known as ‘the tribulation
period’ and ‘the day of the Lord’. Since
the Church must be removed prior to ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’, and this
period is synonymous with the tribulation, then it is self-evident the rapture
must be pre-tribulational in character.
SCRIPTURE’S MESSAGE OF IMMINENCE
Both our Lord and the writers of the New Testament
frequently spoke on the subject of Christ’s return. Their message was concise and consistent in
its nature. It resonated with an eager
sense of expectancy concerning the return of our Lord and the thrust of their
message was simply that his return could occur at any moment. With the voice of unity they declared the
return of our Lord was an event that was constantly overhanging, or imminent,
in the life of believers. How could so
many today refuse to accept these statements issued in such a clear and
compelling manner?
JESUS SAID…
The clear
message of Jesus was that his servants should be watching and waiting for his
return. In fact, the servant of Christ
is to be constantly ready for his master’s return because while he knows
neither the day nor the hour of his return, he has the certain knowledge that
he will return.
Luke
12:35-38 (KJV) Let your loins be
girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that
wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding; that, when he cometh
and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord
when he cometh shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he shall
gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve
them. And if he shall come in the second
watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those
servants. [italics added]
Mat 24:
42-51 (KJV) Watch therefore; for ye
know not what hour your Lord doth come.
But know this, that if the Goodman of the house had known in what watch
the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his
house to be broken up. Therefore be ye
also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due
season? Blessed is that servant, whom
his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his
goods. But and if that evil servant
shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite
his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that
servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he
is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with
the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [italics added]
Several important points of understanding should be drawn
from these passages. First, the time of
the Lord’s return is unknown even to his own children. Second, the Lord’s return will be completely unexpected
by anyone on earth. Finally, the
faithful servants of Christ are instructed to maintain a constant attitude of
expectant readiness in anticipation of their Lord’s return even as they
continue steadfastly in their ministry of service to others.
Our Lord touched further on the sudden and unexpected
nature of his return in other passages of scripture as well.
Luke 17:30-35 (KJV) Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son
of man is revealed. In that day, he
which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not
come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise
not return back. …. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one
bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one
shall be taken, and the other left.
[italics added]
Mat
25:1-13 (NIV) At that time the kingdom
of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet
the bridegroom. …. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all
became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out:
‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet
him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and
trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones
said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough
for both us and you. Instead, go to
those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
But while they were on their way to
buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The
virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
Later the others also came. ‘Sir!
Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I
don’t know you.’
Therefore keep watch, because you
do not know the day or the hour.”
[italics added]
The
meaning of these passages is clear and ominous.
Our Lord may come on any day and at any hour. We, his humble servants, must be constantly
ready for his arrival so that even if he comes at the midnight hour we will be
prepared to greet him. There will be no
warning signs of his imminent approach.
The suddenness of his arrival will not allow time for us to consider the
eternal destiny of our souls once we have reached that moment. Now is the time for such considerations, and
now is the time to make the necessary preparations.
In fact,
the sudden and unexpected nature of our Lord’s return and its potentially
devastating consequences moved him to issue the following word of warning to
his disciples.
Luke 21:34-36 (KJV) And take heed to yourselves, lest at any
time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares
of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that
dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch
ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of
man. [italics added]
Each of
us should hear the words of our Lord and heed his advice. We are to watch, wait and be constantly
prepared for his return. This is
essential since as it is written:
Mat 24:36 (NIV) “No one knows about that day or hour, not
even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
IMMINENCE
PRODUCES HOLY LIVING
How shall we prepare for that day? We prepare by going about our master’s business
each and every day, constantly mindful of his potential return at any moment to
take us home. We prepare by allowing his
love to flow through our lives to touch a dying world. We prepare by striving to reflect the very
image of his holiness so the world can see Christ manifested in us, and we
prepare by being always ready to give an account of how we have spent our/his
time and used our/his talents.
Just
as in the parable of the talents (Mat 25:14-28), our master will unexpectedly
return some day from his long journey.
Upon his return he will demand an account of how we have performed in
his service and our answer will bring us either glory or shame. Now is the time to sow the seeds that bring
us glory and honor on that day. The
knowledge of his imminent, any moment return provides us with motivation to
help us remain steadfast while running the race that lies before every follower
of Christ. The apostle Paul clearly
understood this when he wrote his epistle to the Romans.
Rom
13:11-12 (NIV) And do this,
understanding the present time. The hour
has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is
nearer now than when we first believed.
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and
put on the armor of light. [italics
added]
The disciple John also understood the purifying effect a proper understanding of the imminent return of our Lord would have on the life of the believer.
1 Jhn
3:2-3 (NIV) Dear friends, now we are
children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is
pure. [italics added]
THE DISCIPLES AWAITED HIS IMMINENT RETURN
In fact, all of the disciples understood the vital truth
and necessity of the imminent return of our Lord. Their letters of instruction were permeated
with the belief that Christ might return at any moment. Based on the strength of this belief they
constantly urged the young Church to be alert, ready, watchful and eagerly
awaiting the ever-present possibility that Jesus might suddenly appear in the
clouds of heaven to take them home.
Let
me reiterate that last point because it’s important. The instructions of the disciples, while
applicable to believers of every generation, were specifically directed toward
believers of that generation. The
point here being that the disciples understood the return of our Lord could
come at literally any moment. As such
they knew it was absolutely possible he might very well return even in their
own lifetimes. They were not looking for
him to return at some distant point in the future after the manifestation of
some prophetically given sign. They
fully expected and anticipated the possibility that he might return right
then and there! But don’t believe
me, look at the things they wrote for yourself.
1 Cor
1:7 (NIV) Therefore you do not
lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be
revealed. [italics added]
1 Thes
1:10 (NIV) and to wait for his Son
from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us
from the coming wrath. [italics added]
1 Thes
4:15-18 (NIV) According to the Lord’s
own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left
till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen
asleep. 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. Therefore encourage
each other with these words. [italics
added]
1 Thes
5:6 (NIV) So then, let us not be
like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and
self-controlled. [italics added]
Phil
3:20 (NIV) But our citizenship is
in heaven. And we eagerly await a
Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
[italics added]
Phil
4:5a (NIV) Let your gentleness be
evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, [italics added]
1 Tim
6:13b-14 (NIV) I charge you to
keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord
Jesus Christ, [italics added]
Titus
2:13 (NIV) While we wait for the
blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ, [italics added]
Heb 9:28
(NIV) so Christ was sacrificed once to take
away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear
sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
1 Pet
1:13 (NIV) Therefore, prepare your
minds for action: be self-controlled, set your hope fully on the grace to
be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. [italics added]
1 Pet
4:7 (NIV) The end of all things is
near. Therefore be clear minded and
self-controlled so that you can pray.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude
of sins. [italics added]
Jude 21
(NIV) Keep yourselves in God’s
love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you
to eternal life. [italics added]
James
5:7-9 (NIV) Be patient, then, brothers,
until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer
waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the
autumn and spring rains. You too,
be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers,
or you will be judged. The Judge is
standing at the door! [italics
added]
The crystal clear message of the above passages is that every
believer of every age should be ready at every moment for
the potential return of our Lord! This
message only makes sense when evaluated in the light of understanding the
return of our Lord is and always was imminent.
Paul and the disciples understood this fact and their listeners were
constantly urged to ‘look for the return of Jesus’. But nowhere in any of these passages, or
anywhere else in scripture, is the believer ever admonished to look for ‘the
tribulation’, ‘The Antichrist’, or any of the supposed ‘signs’ so many today
insist will precede the coming of our Lord!
WINDS OF CONTENTION
Those who
dispute this claim invariably point to two sections of scripture, the first of
which is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3.
This passage reads as follows.
2 Thes
2:1-3 (NIV) Concerning the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him , we ask you, brothers,
not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter
supposed to have come from us, saying 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.
It is readily apparent this passage’s mention of ‘the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him’ is a direct
reference to the rapture of the Church.
On this point there is little contention. However, those who oppose the teaching of our
Lord’s imminent return contend the language of this passage requires the
rapture to assume an intimate temporal association with the period of time
scripture calls ‘the day of the Lord’.
They contend that due to the intimate nature of this
association, when Paul tells the Thessalonians the rebellion and the revealing
of Antichrist to the world must occur before ‘that day’ (the day of the Lord)
comes; a clear violation of the teaching of imminence has occurred since the
rapture supposedly occurs immediately prior to that day/time.
This assertion is however patently false! Nowhere does scripture teach the existence of
any sort of ‘temporal association’ between the rapture and the day of the
Lord. In fact, scripture is quite clear
in demonstrating that while the Day of the Lord will proceed with the battle of
Armageddon, the rapture will take place sometime before the tribulation
period begins. Therefore we are forced
to conclude that this ‘association’ is purely the creation of the overactive
imaginations of those who seek the destruction of scripture’s clear teaching
concerning the imminent coming of our Lord.
To put all of this into proper focus, we must bear in
mind that Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians had lifted up our Lord’s
imminent return to ‘snatch away’ his Church as a source of great comfort and
encouragement to the young Church. As
noted author and teacher John McArthur2 states the matter:
“He had
spent his entire first epistle urging them to be watchful and expectant and to
encourage one another with the news of Christ’s imminent return (cf. 1 Thess.
1:10; 4:14-18; 5:6, 9, 11). If the
apostle now meant to teach them that all the events of the Tribulation must be
fulfilled
before Christ could return for them, that would be scant
“comfort” indeed. In fact, it would
overturn everything the New Testament has to say about Christ’s return being
imminent, comforting, and hopeful.”
There is
still another point of understanding by which we can rest assured Paul never
intended to encourage the young believers to defer their hope of Christ’s
imminent return by his reference to the day of the Lord in this passage. * See Note
The
reader will note this passage was intended to address the Thessalonian’s fear
that they had entered into the time of God’s final wrath and judgment called
the day of the Lord. If this were true,
then they understood it to mean they had somehow missed the rapture and were
doomed to face the terrible destruction of the Lord’s apocalyptic wrath.
The very fact they had this fear is instructional to
us. It shows us very clearly that Paul
had taught them the rapture must precede the day of the
Lord! If he had taught them the rapture
would come after the day of the Lord, then they would have been filled
with anticipation rather than fear.
Therefore, we can know without a doubt that the rapture must come
before the day of the Lord falls upon this tiny orb we call home.
As Paul writes this passage in the hope of quelling their
fear, he lays out the order of events that will lead up to the beginning of the
day of the Lord. First must come ‘the
rebellion’ of believers. Next will come
the Antichrist’s revelation to the world.
This will occur with the opening of the first seal of revelation. But Paul reminds the young Church that
something must occur before the Antichrist can be revealed. The restrainer of lawlessness must be
removed!
2 Thes
2:5-8a (NIV) Don’t you remember that
when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back
[the Antichrist], so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is
already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till
he is taken out of the way. And then the
lawless one will be revealed
From this passage we find it is the one called the
‘restrainer’ who is holding back the forces of lawlessness. Once the restrainer is removed the way will
be cleared for the Antichrist to be revealed.
What’s more, the passage strongly suggest the restrainer must also be
removed before ‘the rebellion’ of believers can occur since it is only in the
absence of his restraining influence that the type of massive and complete
apostasy as described in this passage could occur.
It is a well known and established fact that the
restrainer of lawlessness can be none other than the Holy Spirit of God. For none but he could possess the
omnipresence to suppress the forces of evil on a worldwide basis. None but he could possess the omnipotence
required to successfully confront the power behind lawlessness which is Satan
himself. And none but he could rightly
be referred to in both the neuter and the masculine, as is the case in this
passage.
Therefore, the truth we find in this passage is that
before the day of the Lord (which is the tribulation) comes, the Holy Spirit
will be removed from the earth. This is
tantamount to openly declaring the pre-tribulational nature of the rapture
since it is obvious that when the Holy Spirit is removed, the vessels whom he
indwells, the
Christians, must be removed
with him. After this the rebellion of
believers will occur and the Antichrist will be revealed. Then and only then may the great and terrible
day of the Lord be released upon the world.
So, in the light of clear analysis, this passage is found
to support rather than destroy the concept of the imminent return of our
Lord. Here again we find the clear and
consistent teaching of scripture to proclaim the message that our Lord will
come to claim his Church prior to the day of the Lord, which will begin with
the dawning of the 70th week of Daniel.
The second source of contention cited by the critics of
imminence comes from several scriptural references that warn of a time of
terrible apostasy before the coming of our Lord. During this time many will turn against the
faith and distort or abandon the truth of the gospel of Christ.
2 Pet
3:3-4 (NIV) First of all, you must
understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and
following their own evil desires. They
will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes
on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
1 Tim
4:1-2 (NIV) The Spirit clearly says that
in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving
spirits and things taught by demons.
Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have
been seared as with a hot iron. [italics added]
2 Tim
3:1-5 (NIV) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last
days. People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their
parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without
self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness
but denying its power. Have nothing
to do with them. [italics added]
The critics are quick to point out the fact this apostasy
will occur in ‘the last days’. They
reason these things should constitute a clearly visible indicator that we have
entered into the season of ‘the last days’ and should thereby serve to aid in
marking the season of the rapture. While
this contention does not seem to be without merit at first glance, the full
council of scripture does not support it.
At
the crux of the matter lies the question, ‘how shall we know if we are in the
last days?’ John, the disciple, clearly
revealed to us how we ought to understand this issue and apply it to our lives.
1 Jhn
2:18 (NIV) Dear children, this is the
last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now
many Antichrist have come. This is how we
know it is the last hour. [italics added]
The disciple knew and understood that many of the ‘last
days’ signs were already being fulfilled even in his own time. What he was saying was that he and the young Church
were already living in the last days, and even so do they continue into
our own time. They were living in the
last days and the coming of our Lord was imminent. It has been the same throughout every
generation. Each sees itself as possibly
living in the time when our Lord will return and each understands his return to
be an ever-present possibility. This
understanding has encouraged believers of every age, including our own, to live
holy lives, constantly aware that each passing moment might bring us face to
face with our great God and savior, Jesus Christ.
Again, the arguments of the critics fall far short of
undermining the truth of our Lord’s imminent return. Instead they serve only to strengthen it and
prove its consistency and its integrity.
THE COMING OF JESUS
An extremely important area of understanding that serves
to both strongly support the concept of imminence while debunking virtually all
other teachings regarding the rapture is the nature and character of the coming
of our Lord Jesus. Scripture undeniably
indicates his coming will occur in two stages and that many events must occur
between them. While some teachings may
allow for the two-stage character of our Lord’s return; only the
pre-tribulation rapture teaching allows sufficient time to exist between the
stages to accommodate all the events that must occur. Also, only the pre-tribulation rapture
properly correlates the nature of our Lord’s coming for his
saints at the rapture and with his saints at Armageddon with the
many scriptural passages pertaining to these two aspects of his coming.
The
reader should not misunderstand what is being said here. The pre-tribulation view does not intend to
teach two ‘second comings’ of Jesus during the end-times. Instead it teaches a single ‘second coming’,
but attempts to distinguish between two very important events encompassed
within that ‘coming’ through use of the ‘two-stage’ figurative.
With this understanding let me reiterate; scripture is
quite clear that the coming of our Lord will occur in two separate stages,
separated by some seven or more years.
As we shall see, numerous scriptures describe the ‘coming’ of Christ
with widely divergent characteristics that can only be reconciled by
understanding that his ‘coming’ will occur in this two-stage manner. Scripture’s clear message concerning this
issue is that Jesus will first come to the world for his saints
and some seven or more years later he will come again with his
saints as he destroys the Antichrist at Armageddon. Since there are some three hundred references
to the coming of Christ, we will examine only a few that will serve to illustrate
the differences between the two stages of our Lord’s coming.
FOR HIS SAINTS AT THE RAPTURE
Mat
24:42 (NIV) Therefore keep watch, because you do not know
on what day your Lord will come.
1 Thes
4:13-18 (NIV) …. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are
still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not
precede those who have fallen asleep.
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.
Therefore encourage each other with these words.
1 Cor
15:51-53 (NIV) 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. For the perishable must
clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
1 Cor
1:7-8 (NIV) Therefore you do not lack
any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be
revealed. He will keep you strong to the
end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Cor
5:10 (NIV) For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the
things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Rev
19:7-9 (NIV) “Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory! For the wedding of
the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her
to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the
righteous acts of the saints.)
Then the angel said to me,
“Write: ‘Blessed are those who are
invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’”
And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
Heb
9:28 [NIV] so Christ was sacrificed once to take away
the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to
bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. [emphasis added]
WITH HIS SAINTS AT ARMAGEDDON
Mat
24:29-30 (NIV) Immediately after the
distress of those days “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will
be shaken.” At that time the sign of the
Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will
mourn. They will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. [italics added]
1 Thes
3:13 (KJV) To the end he may stablish
your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. [Italics added]
2 Thes
2:8 (NIV) And then the lawless one will
be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth
and destroy by the splendor of his coming. [italics added]
Titus
2:11-13 (NIV) For the grace of God that
brings salvation has appeared to all men.
It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to
live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we
wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, [italics
added]
1 Pet
4:12-13 (NIV) Dear friends, do not be surprised at the
painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to
you. But rejoice that you participate in
the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is
revealed. [italics added]
Jude
14-15 (KJV) And Enoch also, the seventh
from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten
thousands of his saints,
To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. [Italics added]
To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. [Italics added]
Rev
19:11-21 (NIV) I saw heaven standing
open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called Faithful
and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his
head are many crowns. …. 14) The armies of heaven were following him,
riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. …. 19) Then
I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together
to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the
false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had
received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the
fiery lake of burning sulfur. …. [italics
added]
The differences in these scenes are readily apparent even
to the casual observer. However, let’s
take a moment to review some of the more important differences together.
Relative to the rapture
and subsequent events:
1)
The Lord will
return on a day and at an hour when we do not expect him.
2)
Jesus descends
from heaven in the air.
3)
His coming is a
secret and will be known only by believers.
4)
A loud command or
shout will be heard along with the trumpet call of God and the voice of the
archangel.
5)
All believers,
both living and dead will be resurrected, given perfected bodies and will rise
to meet the Lord in the clouds of the air.
6)
All these
resurrected believers will be required to stand before the judgment seat of
Christ as he judges their works.
7)
Sometime later,
apparently just prior to his return for Armageddon, the marriage supper of the
Lamb will be held.
Relative to Armageddon:
1)
Christ’s return
is said to be immediately after the great tribulation.
2)
Will be heralded
by signs in the sun, moon and stars.
3)
Jesus will come
from heaven riding on a white horse.
4)
His coming will
be public and known by all people.
5)
His coming will
be with great power, glory and splendor.
6)
When Jesus
returns he will be accompanied by the perfected Church.
7)
He will destroy
the armies of Antichrist.
8)
The Antichrist
and the false prophet will be cast alive into the lake of fire.
9)
Jesus will
establish his kingdom.
ITS ALL A MATTER OF TIME!
While the
fact of our Lord’s two-stage return may be highly interesting, you might be
asking yourself just exactly how this helps us understand the first stage of
his return, for the rapture, truly is an imminent event. After all, don’t most if not all rapture
teachings accept the reality that both these events will occur?
The
answer to that question is yes they do.
However, the pre-tribulation teaching is the only one that allows for
sufficient passage of time to accommodate all the events that must occur
between the rapture and Christ’s glorious return at Armageddon. All other teachings are forced to compress
these events into an unrealistically short span of time that simply does not
meet the requirements of scripture.
As we
look to scripture and take note of all the things that must take place we begin
to realize that, just as is predicated in the pre-tribulation teaching, a gap
of some seven or more years must separate the rapture from the glorious
appearing. Therefore our Lord’s return
for the rapture of the Church must occur before the tribulation begins,
and will therefore occur before any of the signs associated with the
tribulation or the glorious appearing.
In a word, his return for the Church will be imminent or ‘constantly
overhanging’ in the life of the believer.
To better understand this, let’s take a look at some of the things that
must happen between the rapture and the glorious return.
The judgment seat of Christ:
Scripture records that each believer in Christ Jesus will
one day be required to stand before his judgment seat (2 Cor 5:10). The purpose of this particular judgment is
not to determine salvation or righteousness, for these have been imputed to the
believer from the moment he/she accepted Christ as Savior. This judgment will instead be to test the
works of the believer for the purpose of receiving heavenly rewards.
This process of judgment is understood to commence
shortly after Christ returns for the Church at the rapture and will begin the
task of preparing the Church, the bride of Christ, for its marriage to him (Rev
19:6-9). Without doubt, the process of
judging the countless multitudes of believers throughout the ages will be
daunting and must consume some realistic quantity of time. The time spent in this process is easily
accounted for by a seven or more year gap as proposed by the pre-tribulation
teaching.
The
marriage of Christ to the redeemed Church:
The
nineteenth chapter of Revelation records the heavenly wedding scene
beautifully.
Rev
19:6-9 (NIV) Then I heard what sounded
like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of
thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our
Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice
and be glad and give him glory! For the
wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her
to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the
righteous acts of the saints.)
Then the angel said to me, “Write:
‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, “These are the true words of
God.”
In this scene we are afforded a fleeting glimpse of the
marvelous spectacle that will be the marriage of Christ to the perfected Church. Without doubt this scene is occurring in
heaven, and it is occurring before Jesus returns to earth at Armageddon
to destroy the forces of Satan gathered there.
As such it becomes obvious that the Church must be taken to
heaven before his glorious return for that great battle.
Equally obvious is the fact that the wedding, preparation
of the bride, the attendant celebrations of the heavenly host and the
subsequent preparations for the battle of Armageddon will all consume
time. Many teachings do not allow for
the normal passage of time as these events unfold. The pre-tribulation teaching, however, allows
for these events to unfold just as scripture describes them by including a
seven or more year gap between the rapture and the glorious return of Christ.
Separation of the sheep
and the goats:
According to scripture, shortly after his return in glory
to destroy the armies of Antichrist Jesus will set about separating his sheep
from the goats. The scene is recorded in
the following way.
Mat
25:31-46 (NIV) “When the Son of Man
comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in
heavenly glory. All the nations will be
gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on
his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the
kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’ ….
41) Then he will say to those on his
left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his angels.’ …. 46) Then they will go away to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”
The
temporal placement of this judgment near the time of Christ’s glorious return
poses significant problems for every rapture teaching other than the
pre-tribulation teaching. The reason for
the difficulty becomes apparent when we ask the simple question; ‘If the
rapture occurs at the time of Christ glorious appearing, and all the believers
are removed from earth then who will be left to be separated?’
The
answer, obviously, is no one since it is impossible to have a
bodily separation of the saved from the unsaved if only the unsaved are
present. This fact argues strongly for
the acceptance of the pre-tribulation teaching, which deals very effectively
with this problem by separating the rapture from the glorious appearing by
seven or more years. During the
tribulation millions will be converted to a saving faith in Jesus. Those converts who survive the seven years of
tribulation will then take part in the separation of the sheep from the goats.
Who will populate the
Kingdom?
An argument somewhat similar to that above raises yet
another question. ‘If the rapture occurs
at the time of Christ’s glorious return, who will be left to populate the
millennial kingdom?’
This is a difficult question for all who would seek to
place the rapture near the end of the tribulation. The very act of rapturing the Church to
heaven would strip the earth of all those who might populate the Kingdom.
Again this problem is solved by the pre-tribulation gap
between the rapture and the dawn of the millennial kingdom. Once more we find that millions will turn to
Christ during those years, and it is they, along with redeemed Israel, who
will walk into the kingdom once Antichrist is defeated.
What happened to the Church?
Another fact that argues strongly for a pre-tribulation
rapture is the absence of the Church from any and all scriptures dealing with
the tribulation years. If the Church
were present during this period of time one would reasonably expect some
mention of it in at least a few of the many passages of scripture devoted to
this period. Yet such is not the case.
One may scour the Old Testament, New Testament and even
Revelation itself, searching in vain for some mention of the Church during the
time of the tribulation. Indeed, the Church’s
absence from Revelation 4:1 (just prior to the tribulation), until Revelation
19:7 (just prior to Christ’s glorious return with the redeemed Church) is
perhaps the most telling of all the omissions, and certainly speaks the loudest
in favor of a pre-tribulation rapture.
In the
first three chapters of Revelation the term ‘Church’ is used frequently. However, at the beginning of chapter four
John records a rather interesting event transpiring.
Rev 4:1
(NIV) After this I looked, and there
before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to
me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what
must take place after this.” [emphasis added]
Most bible scholars are inclined to agree the event John
records at this point is a figure for the rapture of the Church. This understanding is strengthened when we
consider that in the verses immediately following John’s ascension into heaven
we are presented with a view of the throne of Christ. Surrounding his throne are twenty-four other
thrones and seated on each is an elder (Rev 4:4).
It is of more than passing interest that elders were used
of God both during Old and New Testament times to represent the entire body of
the faithful. Many scholars believe this
pattern will continue in heaven.
Therefore it seems most probable that the twenty-four elders are
intended to represent the entire assembly of the raptured Church. As such the reader should note this means the
Church is seen as appearing in heaven before the first seal of the
tribulation is opened (Rev 6:1)! This
fact argues strongly for acceptance of a pre-tribulation rapture.
As we proceed through the book of Revelation we
repetitively encounter national Israel during the tribulation years (Rev 7:3-8,
9:4, 12:1-17, 14:1) but the Church is conspicuously absent from Revelation’s
descriptions of events during this period.
Again, this omission is best explained by the pre-tribulation rapture
teaching.
All
other teachings see the Church as being present during all or part of the
tribulation, and would have us believe that scripture is silent regarding the Church’s
presence and its activities. This does
not seem likely, yet this is the best explanation offered for the Church’s
absence from scripture’s commentary.
Since
these things are true, it once more seems that scripture’s evidence compels us
toward accepting that the rapture will occur before the tribulation. This fact tends to strength our belief that a
gap of some seven or more years will separate the coming of Christ for the
rapture, which will occur before the tribulation, and his glorious
return at Armageddon. This in turn
strengths our understanding that his return for the rapture is in fact imminent
and could proceed at literally any moment; perhaps before you even finish
reading this page.
The
tribulation is a time for national Israel, not the Church:
As noted
above, scripture repetitively makes reference to Israel during its consideration of
the time of tribulation, but the Church is never once mentioned. The rationale behind this peculiarity is an
end time aspect not only explained by the pre-tribulation teaching, but is in
fact predicted by it.
When our
Father originally set the course of national Israel’s fate in the stone of
prophecy he vividly expressed his plan to the prophet Daniel.
Dan 9:24-27 (NIV) “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your
people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put
an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,
to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. ….
27) 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 on a wing of the temple he will set up …. [emphasis
added]
This plan was and still is focused centrally and
exclusively on the people of Daniel.
That is to say, the Lord’s seventy ‘week’ program is exclusively focused
on the nation of Israel
and not on the Church. The above passage
makes this truth abundantly clear as it speaks of ‘the temple’, ‘sacrifices’
and also specifically states the focal point of the prophecy rest upon ‘your
people’ and ‘your holy city’. The Church
therefore cannot realistically lay claim to any of the provisions of this
particular prophecy or this particular plan as set forth by our Father.
The Church
was created by God to be a unique, separate and distinct program from that of Israel. The Church was designed to be the ‘body of
Christ’, indwelt by the Spirit of God and composed of all who will respond to
the call of God whether Jew or gentile.
These characteristics are unique to the Church, and it is this very
uniqueness that creates a boundary of distinction between the Church and Israel. It is also these unique qualities and
distinctly separate paths our Father has ordained for his two programs, the Church
and Israel, that will ultimately mandate the removal of the Church in order to
open the way for Israel to successfully complete the program our Father has set
for them.
Verse 24 of the prophecy states the intended goals and
plots the course of the prophetic plan.
Those goals are to “finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone
for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and
prophecy and to anoint the most holy.”
Fulfillment of these things will be reached when national Israel repents
of their wickedness, including the rejection of Jesus, and is restored to their
unique position and relationship with the Father under the reign and authority
of the Messiah, Jesus.
The reader should already be aware these things will
begin to be accomplished during the final ‘week’ or seven-year period of this
prophecy. This period of time is better
known as the ‘tribulation’ or ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ and is vividly
outlined in the book of Revelation. An
analysis of this book reveals the stark fact that in order to break the
stubborn will of Israel and force that holy nation to its knees in repentance
(and to punish the rest of the world for its treatment of Israel and its
immeasurable iniquity, but that is another matter) our Father will unleash the
fury of his long bridled wrath. A few
Old Testament passages serve to best illustrate and explain the nature and
character of the seven terrible years of tribulation that lie in the future of
Israel before they find the blessings of the Father through repentance.
The
Lord’s warning and call for repentance:
Joel
2:1-14a (NIV) Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on
my holy hill. Let all who live in the
land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It
is close at hand – a day of darkness
and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. …. 11b) The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? “Even now,” declares the LORD “return to me with all your heart, with
fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart and not your
garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow
to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave
behind a blessing -- …. [emphasis added]
Israel’s chastisement and ultimate restoration:
Jer
30:5-24 (NIV) This is what the LORD says: “’Cries of fear are heard – terror, not
peace. Ask and see: Can a man bear
children? Then why do I see every strong
man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned
deathly pale? How awful that day will
be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be saved out of it.’ …. 11) ‘I am with you and will save you, I
will not completely destroy you. I will
discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely
unpunished.’ This is what the LORD says: ‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond
healing. There is no one to plead your
cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you. All your allies have forgotten you; they care
nothing for you. I have struck you
as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel, because your guilt is so
great and your sins so many.’ ….17) ‘But I will restore you to
health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no
one cares.’ This is what the LORD says: ‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s
tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be
rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place. From them will come songs of thanksgiving and
the sound of rejoicing.’” …. 23) See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the
wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the
purposes of his heart. In days to come
you will understand this. [emphasis
added]
Zech
13:7b-14:9 (NIV) “Strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little
ones. In the whole land” declares the
LORD, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet
one-third will be left in it. This
third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold. They
will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The LORD is our
God.’”
A day of the LORD is coming
when your plunder will be divided among you.
I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it;
the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but
the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.
Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. ….
14:6) On that day there will be
no light, no cold or frost. It
will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime – a day known to the
LORD. When evening comes, there will be light.
On that day living water will
flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western
sea, in summer and in winter.
The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day
there will be one LORD, and his name the
only name. [emphasis added]
Amos
5:18-27 (NIV) Woe to you who long for
the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day
will be darkness, not light. It will
be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered
his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light – pitch dark, without a ray of
brightness?
I hate, I despise your religious
feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not
accept them. Though you bring choice
fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
…. 26) You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your
idols, the star of your god – which you made for yourselves. Therefore I will send you into exile
beyond Damascus, says the LORD, whose
name is God Almighty. [emphasis added]
The
punishment of the nations:
Joel
3:1-18 (NIV) In those days and at
that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah
and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and
bring them down to the Valley
of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them
concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my
people among the nations and divided up my land. …. 14) Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision! For the
day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the
stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the sky will tremble. But
the LORD will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.
Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem
will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. In that day the mountains will drip new
wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run
with water. A fountain will flow out of
the LORD’s house and will water the
valley of acacias. [italics added]
Isa
13:6-13 (NIV) Wail, for the day of
the LORD is near; it will
come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp,
every man’s heart will melt. Terror will
seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in
labor. …. 11) I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their
sins. I will put an end to the arrogance
of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. I will make man scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from
its place at the wrath of the LORD
Almighty. [italics added]
These
passages repeatedly confirm our understanding that this awful period of time is
centrally focused on national Israel. Note these statements that clearly reveal the
subject and focus of this time.
1) Blow
the trumpet in Zion
2) It
will be a time of trouble for Jacob
3) I
will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
4) I
will gather all the nations to Jerusalem
5) On
that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem
6) Even
though you bring me burnt offerings …. I will not accept them
7) When
I restore the fortunes of Judah
and Jerusalem
8) The
Lord will be …. A stronghold for the people of Israel
9) Jerusalem
will be holy, never again will foreigners invade her
In every passage relating to the
tribulation, in both the Old and New Testaments, it is Israel and Israel alone that is seen to be the
focus of our Fathers attention. Nowhere
is the Church seen, spoken of or dealt with.
What then are we to conclude? That
these obvious and consistent omissions were simply an oversight on the part of
our Father? God forbid! Rather, we should accept the obvious
implications. Namely that this period of
time we call the tribulation is exactly what scripture says it is, a ‘time of
trouble for Jacob’. Its purpose is to
bring the holy nation of Israel
to repentance just as the prophet Daniel has foretold.
Dan 12:7b (NIV) “It will be for a time, times and half a
time. When the power of the holy people
has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
The Church
has no part in this time and therefore will be removed from her place on earth
prior to the start of this time, which is to say before the tribulation
begins.
There is
yet another truth we can and will glean from these passages. During this time of Israel’s chastisement and ultimate redemption
our Father will loose the fire of his divine wrath against not only Israel, but
against the entire world.
1) The
day of the LORD is great; it is
dreadful. Who can endure it?
2) How
awful that day will be! None will be
like it
3) I
have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel
4) See,
the storm of the LORD will burst out in
wrath
5) two-thirds
will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire
6) A
day of the LORD is coming when your
plunder will be divided among you. I
will gather all the nations to Jerusalem
to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the
women raped.
7) I
will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them
8) Wail,
for the day of the LORD is near; it will
come like destruction from the Almighty
9) I
will punish the world for its evil
10) I will
make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir
These
statements from scripture make it unequivocally clear the Lord’s wrath will be
poured out upon the entire world during the tribulation. Yet the Church has received a promise from
our Father that it will be excluded from his scourging and purifying wrath.
1 Thes 5:9 (NIV) For God did not appoint us to suffer
wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. [emphasis
added]
Rev 3:10 (NIV) Since you have kept my command to endure
patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is
going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. [emphasis added]
Clearly the Church is not intended to ever be touched by
the wrath of God. This clearly explicit
promise from God, who is always faithful to keep his promises, mandates beyond
any argument of man that the Church will not be present to see even the
first three minutes of the tribulation period much less the first three or more
years!
CONTINUED IN PART II
Hi, WECry...Interesting blog. You might enjoy Googling "The Pretrib Rapture Jackpot," "Pretrib Rapture Stealth," and "Hal Lindsey's Pretrib Rapture Proof."
ReplyDeleteTrevor