The Timing of the Rapture!
by Tony Warren
I
n many Christian circles there is a popular theological view which states that the Church mustsomehow be taken out of the world before the Great Tribulation period. Sadly this doctrine hasbecome one of the most predominant views in the Church. This form of theology is the product of spurious dogma that over the years has been taught relentlessly. It is not supported by soundBiblical hermeneutics, but is constantly repeated so that now many Christians actually believe thatthe scriptures themselves say these things. Clearly they do not! Neither do they imply, nor alludeto such things. In truth, this doctrine is a predisposed handling of certain scriptures which say otherthings, but which Theologians teach to indirectly support this doctrine. If you were to ask thesepeople to give you the exact chapter and verse of scriptures which says that the Church will betaken out of the world before the Great Tribulation period, they couldn't do it. For they are forcedto provide other scriptures which they then allege implies it, even though they readily admit itdoesn't say it! i.e., it's their own interpretation of the verses, not something that God has actuallydeclared. However, the scriptures are not subject to private or personal interpretation.Interpretations belong to God (Gen. 40:8, 41:16). unfortunately, this very glaring lack of soundhermeneutics doesn't deter those who choose to believe these type doctrines. The age old adagestill applies:
"if you repeat an untruth enough times, many will begin to believe it simply by processof indoctrination, and will look upon it as their truths."-WiseManSay
This is how all false teachings start. If you say things enough times in a way which on the surfacesounds reasonable, or which seems right in their own eyes (proverbs 12:15), there are alwayspeople who will believe it, no matter what the scripture actually says. There is not one Theologianwho can give you a single solitary verse which actually says these things, nor whichunambiguously alludes to them, but somehow to many this is not an important point. However,this is ignoring a most basic fundamental Biblical principle of sound exegesis. That which statesthat, "
Man cannot of himself interpret God's Word, the scriptures interpret scriptures.
" Whichmeans that we cannot of our own will personally interpret or assign meaning to scripture whichGod has not assigned to it. If God doesn't say this in some part of the scriptures, or if there is nounambiguous scripture which supports this view, then it's simply not God's interpretation, it'sman's own interpretation. Because as righteous Joseph declared, "
it is not in me, interpretationsbelong to God -Gen 40:8, 41:16
". Unless God is talking to us through the burning Bush, or fromthe smoke on the Mountain, then His revelation is in His Holy Word, the Bible, and this is wherethe interpretation must be found. In the Word of God revealed by the Spirit of truth.As a practical example, we cannot privately interpret Ezekiel's wheel to be a flying automobile, orthat the 7 candlesticks of revelation are 7 great volcanoes in Asia, or that the 10 horns of daniel ascollection of utilities which help men put their shoes on. to do so would constitute making private(personal) interpretations. Interpretations belong to God, not Webster's dictionary nor man's ownthoughts on a matter!In this study we will take a careful look at this teaching to see if it is in any way in agreement withthe rest of the Bible. Comparing scripture with scripture we shall see if it can possibly be true. If
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so, then it will be made manifest by the Spirit of God via the Word, and if not, that will be madeknown as well.First of all, a brief recognition that there are some Christians who object to the use of the wordRapture. Generally they argue against it because it's not a word that is found in the Bible, orbecause they have the idea that it pertains to premillennialism or dispensationalism. This isbecause so many of this Theological viewpoint use this word in their unbiblical doctrines.However, the word Rapture has nothing whatsoever to do with Premillennialism orDispensationalism. Not only do I see no problem with using this word, I think it perfectlydescribes what is unquestionably scripture. We should understand that the word Rapture is derivedfrom a Latin term meaning "caught away" and is merely used by Christians to avoid repetitiveawkward quoting of an entire verse of scripture each time we reference an the event it describes.So let me be clear that when I use the word Rapture, I am simply speaking about nothing more andnothing less than what the
scripture itself
define as:
when the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of thearchangel, and with the trump of God: and when the dead in Christ shall rise first,and we which are alive and remain shall becaught uptogether with them in theclouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we forever be with the Lord.-1st Thess. 4:17
This is our being caught up (Raptured) together to be with Christ in the air at His Coming. In orderto avoid typing or repeating that whole verse every time we refer to this great event, we simplify itby calling this "The Rapture!" So when we use this word Rapture, know that 1st thessalonianschapter 4:17 is what we are referring to. ..Nothing more should be read into it.The first obvious question about this belief that the Church must be removed before theTribulation would be, "
Why would God want to take the believers out of the world before the great tribulation?
" The most common responses are,1."because God does not want his believers to go through the horrendous Tribulation of thattime"2."He has not appointed the Church to wrath"3."He has said He would keep us from the hour of temptation."Let's be the faithful stewards and try/test these reasons by what the Word of God has to say. DoesGod say that He won't let the believers go through any tribulation, whether Great or Small? Theonly Biblical answer is, No! It is an absolute fact that God nowhere in scripture says believers willnot go through Great Tribulation. So we've established that Biblical fact right from the onset. Godnever "ever" uses that word tribulation to either say, imply, indicate, or even allude that we won'tgo through it. On the contrary, when we search the scriptures (
correct Biblical hermeneutics
), andwe examine the places where that word is used, and the event spoken of, we see believers arealways there! And if believers are there, that means that the Church is there. Because they are oneand the same. God tells us all through scripture that we "will have tribulation" in this world and wewill have trial in this world, but we will overcome it because we are in Christ who is our strength.The Word declares "Plainly" that tribulation is in fact normal for the believer, not something thatwe fear or are expect to be taken out of the world from. Great Tribulation is simply more of whatChristians normally have in the world. It's the normal expectation. Many Theologians understandthis truth about tribulation and believers, and so they attempt to make an artificial distinction byclaiming:
"..Yes, True, but in this time, it will be different tribulation, and so God will bemerciful and not let us go through that, for he is not going to beat up on His bride".
As faithful Christians, the first obvious question is, Where is the scriptural support for the claimthat God won't allow His believers to go through Great tribulation? Moreover, where is scriptural
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support that this tribulation will be different (other than more or greater)? There is no scripturewhere God says, "
I will let my Church go through tribulation, but not if I add the word Great toit?
" That is a addendum by those who believe this in doctrine, but not prescribed by the Word.This is nothing more than the rationalizations required to justify believing this theory. There is notone scripture anywhere in which God tells us that He will not let the Church go through GreatTribulation! And the Word of God being our authority, we should not presume to say it either.Something that we need to understand here is that this Greek word Great [
megale
] means large insize or big in dimension. For example as we would use it in a sentence like, "
A great fire swept through Chicago
", or "
the tribulation in New York was great
". It doesn't mean a new kind of tribulation, it simply delineates there is a greater degree of tribulation.The way some Theologians speak on this issue, you would think that there is going to be new waysinvented to persecute Christians in this time. Not at all! Christians have been persecuted in everyimaginable way, and had tribulations which are unthinkable, but God never took them out of theworld to avoid it. Great tribulation is used to denote that the tribulation of this period will be morewidespread, greater than it has ever been in history. Just as if we say, "
Noah was in a Great flood
".It doesn't denote there was a new kind of water or flood, it simply denotes that this flood wasgreater (more water) than all the rest! The flood waters were the same, there was simply "more" of it.Likewise, that is how the word great is used to describe this period of tribulation. At this timeChrist speaks about, there will be much more iniquity abounding and persecution of anyoneholding to the truth of scripture. Thus, greater tribulation in the world than ever before. Butnowhere does God say Christians won't go through it. On the contrary, indeed the Church is thevery ones who are in tribulation and persecuted for the cause of Christ. Just as they have been forcenturies.They have been burned at the stake, Stretched on the rack, Stoned to death, Sawn asunder, fed tothe lions, crucified, tortured, and severely beaten. God didn't rapture them because he didn't wantthem to suffer in this world, He allowed it! Are we better than these who went before us that wewon't go through the same? Theologians say these things, but God says, "
pick up your cross and follow Me
". God says, if they've done it to me, expect that they'll do it to you, for we are notgreater than He.
John 15:20
"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If theyhave persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they willkeep yours also".These are the things God says, not, "
..you poor Christians, I'll not let you go through Great Tribulation
". That would be the exact opposite of what we see as normative for Christians allthroughout scripture. Indeed it is through these persecutions that we learn humility and grow closerto the Lord! Our weakness in tribulation makes us aware of our lack of ability to overcome of ourselves. It highlights our inadequacies cause us to turn our hearts to God, from whence comethour help. In trial and persecution we come to understand more fully our dependence upon God, toHis Glory! Tribulation humbles us and is a blessing in disguise, compelling our dependence onHim. We don't need to be taken out of the world, for Grace is more than adequate.
2nd Corinthians 12:9-10
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect inweakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
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