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The Timing of the Rapture
Jesus makes it clear that the resurrection of all who are saved and have eternal life takes place on the last day. The last day can't be any other time than the last day of life on earth as we know it before the inauguration of the kingdom.
John 11:24 NASBJohn covers this concept earlier in his gospel in chapter six, where Jesus reiterates four times that the resurrection will occur on the last day. Do you think Jesus was trying to get a point across? If the words "Last Day" had no meaning, why would Jesus have added these to each of these statements. If Pre-Tribers can't concede this means the rapture would take place on the "Last Day", what should Jesus have said to make this point more clear? Peter said that Jesus "COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH" (cf. 1 Peter 2:22) So if the rapture does not occur are we to believe that Jesus was deceiving people? God forbid "let God be found true, though every man be found a liar" (cf. Romans 3:4) "God is not a God of confusion" (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:33), and Jesus' discourse was not to confuse people. The fact that Jesus reiterates this statement four times means it was something that was very important that He was trying to stress to the listeners and to us! John 6:39-40 NASB John 6:44 NASB John 6:54 NASB 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NASB To summarize these verses in John six, all Jesus' disciples will be raised on the last day (cf. John 6:39), everyone who is saved by believing in Jesus and all who have eternal life will be raised up on the last day. (cf. John 6:40) The Father must draw unbelievers to make a salvation decision, and if they get saved they will be raised on the last day. (cf. John 6:44) All who have eternal life are raised up on the last day (cf. John 6:54) An important fact to note is that in verse 39 Jesus states all his disciples who were saved would be raised up on the last day. All His disciples became members of the church, with the exception of Judas, and Jesus says they will be raised on the last day. Paul says that those who die in Jesus, yes those Christians, who have died before the rapture, will be raised from the dead at the same time the living Christians are resurrected at the rapture. The logical result of connecting 1 Thesolonians 4:13-18 and John 6:39-40 is that the Christians who were part of the church and died will be raptured on the last day. Therefore the rapture must occur on the last day. Only if you start with some other agenda and abandon sound literal interpretation of scripture will you arrive at any other conclusion. In John chapter six Jesus covers every possible scenario to show that all Christians are raised on the last day, and makes it impossible for someone to say that he was not referring to the church. He says every person who is saved, that believed on the son, and all who have eternal life, will be raised up on the last day. This could not be clearer! If you argue with these verses and say that Jesus was not referring to the church being raised on the last day, what would Jesus have had to say for you to be convinced? Jesus was not giving the Jews and the disciples a new doctrine. In fact the concept of the resurrection taking place on the last day was not something new with Jesus. Job 19:25-26 NASB Daniel 12:1-2 NASB Daniel 12:13 NASB This all fits the context of Jesus' Olivet Discourse where he also explained this same concept. Matthew 13:24-30 NASB Notice Matthew 13:30 says that the believers and unbelievers should not be separated until the harvest, which is a reference to the second coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation. This once again makes it clear that a pre-trib rapture could not be possible. If believers are raptured prior to the harvest, it goes without saying that they did not "both grow together until the harvest." Matthew 13:47-50 NASB Cults are great at twisting verses to mean what they want them to. How can someone condemn a cult just because they call themselves "fundamentalists", if they also twist scripture to align with their own views? A classic example of this twisting by pre-trib scholars is the interpretation of Second Thessalonians chapter two. This passage couldn't establish the post-tribulational rapture any better. It clearly states the rapture will not occur until after the Anti-Christ is revealed. Any other interpretation is based on preconceived notions that go way beyond what sound biblical interpretation should allow. You just have to read the passage as one thought, and it is simple to see what Paul is trying to say. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 NASB Paul continues Jesus' teaching that the rapture does not take place until after the anti-Christ is revealed, which by definition means that the rapture cannot be pre-tribulational. Titus 2:13 NASB Titus 2:13 is the key verse pre-tribers use to support an at any moment "imminent" rapture. They base this on the words "looking for", which apparently means imminent. Let's keep that in mind as we move into the next passage. 2 Peter 3:3-18 NASB We see even more evidence for a post-tribulational rapture from Peter. It is important to remember the context, topic and question raised when reading Second Peter chapter three. The main topic and question is stated in verses three and four, that mockers will come asking why hasn't the rapture occurred yet? Everything continues as it has since the beginning of time. With this context we know that the coming spoken of is a pre-millennial coming, otherwise you would not be able to put in there "all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." In verse nine what "promise" is Peter referring? Just look back at verse four "Where is the promise of His coming?" Verse nine really creates problems for the pre-trib view, because it goes on to say the reason Jesus has not yet come back and raptured the church, is because God wishes all to be saved. But why would a pre-trib rapture prevent someone from getting saved? In fact that would contradict scripture, because all agree a great number of unbelievers get saved during the tribulation, since it is a fact backed by scripture. Revelation 7:9, 13-14 NASB 2 Peter 3:9 only makes sense if the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation at the same time the lost are judged and sent to hell, with no second chance for salvation. "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (verse 9) 2 Peter 3:10 says "the day of the Lord will come like a thief", doesn't that sound familiar? Anyone who has studied eschatology is familiar with this phrase because it appears in the most popular of the rapture passages, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 where Paul references the timing of the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 NASB But Peter says this day comes like a thief and that on that day "the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." This once again shows that Peter was obviously not a pre-triber. To prove imminence pre-tribers use Titus 2:13 as a proof text that the rapture could occur at any time. In Titus 2:13 Paul states "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus." But notice Peter says basically the same thing "12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 14Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless." (2 Peter 3:12, 14) But look what Peter adds, that the day we look for, is the same day the heavens and earth are destroyed. Once again this disproves a pre-trib rapture. How could the Church be looking for the end of the tribulation if the Church is no longer on earth? The view that the second coming of Jesus at the end of the age and judgment occur at the same time, is also verified by Jesus himself in Matthew 13:37-4, 47-50, 24:49-51 and 25:14-30. Paul continues the third chapter by showing he is keeping the same context by restating the reason for the delay of the rapture shows "the patience of our Lord as salvation..." (verse 15) 2 Peter 3:15b-17 NASB Peter wraps up the chapter in such a fitting way warning that people will distort the doctrines of the rapture. So my challenge to you, from what you have read, is what you believe a distortion of what the Bible really says? So we find looking at 2 Peter 3 when we take scripture in context and allow scripture to interpret scripture, the only view that makes sense is the post-trib one. Daniel 12:1-4, 13 NASB Job 14:12-20 NASB The extent that pre-tribers have went over the years to prove erroneous doctrine is quite amazing. In reference to Daniel 12:2, one of the forefathers of the pre-trib rapture view, AC Gaebelein states "Physical resurrection is not taught in the second verse of this chapter, if it were the passage would be in clash with the revelation concerning resurrection in the New Testament... We repeat the passage has nothing to do with physical resurrection. Physical resurrection is however used as a figure of the national revival of Israel in that day. They have been sleeping nationally in the dust of the earth, buried among the Gentiles. But at that time there will take place a national restoration, a bringing together of the house of Judah and of Israel... anyone can see...that it is not a bodily resurrection, but a national revival and restoration of that people. Their national graves, not literal burying places, will be opened and the Lord will bring them forth out of all the countries into which they have been scattered."(1) What I find interesting is that pre-tribers like Gaebelein always fault other scholars for not taking the Bible literally, but at the same time, they don't follow literal interpretation themselves! To me that seems a bit hypocritical, especially when it is done with such dogmatism. Of course Gaeblein was not the only one with this view, it was shared with all the other pre-tribers at the time such as Darby. I have to recognize the late John Walvoord, who although being a pre-triber, denounced the spiritualization that occurred early on by pre-tribers like Gaebelein and Darby. Walvoord states "there is a growing tendency to review the question of whether Old Testament saints are, after all, raised at the same time as the church. Most of the Old Testament passages of which Daniel 12:1-2 is an example do indeed seem to set up a chronology of Tribulation first, then resurrection of the Old Testament saints."(2) "The best answer to Reese and Ladd is to concede the point that the resurrection of Old Testament saints is after the Tribulation, and to divorce it completely from the translation and resurrection of the church [the rapture]. Reese's carefully built argument then proves only that Darby was hasty in claiming the resurrection of the Old Testament saints at the time of the translation of the church."(3) So Walvoord says that you should not spiritualize the passage of Daniel 12:2 as Gaebelein does. To justify this passage however, he says that Old Testament Saints are not raptured/resurrected at the same time the church is. So Walvoord is saying Daniel will be resurrected with the rest of the Old Testament saints at the end of the tribulation. His thinking is that this reasoning will justify the fact that Old Testament saints are resurrected at the end of the tribulation, without giving up the pre-tribulational view. But as we saw in this article, this is not the case and is not supported by the Bible. The evidence found in the Bible is quite clear, both the Old Testament saints and the Church will be raptured at the same time at the end of the tribulation, on the last day. This is made clear by Jesus, Paul, Peter and by several Old Testament passages. FOOTNOTES (1) AC Gaebelein - Daniel, Page 200 (2) John F. Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and The Tribulation, Page 170 (3) John F. Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and The Tribulation, Page 171 HOME | ABOUT | ARTICLES: The Timing of the Rapture The Testimony and Parables of Jesus Does apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 refer to the rapture? The Church Not Found In Revelation The Resurrection 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, New Doctrine or Just a Clarification? Who Escapes What in Revelation 3:10? Imminence Refuted John 14 - In My Fathers House Harpazo the Greek Word for Rapture Behold! I tell you what mystery means The Dead in Christ & Tribulation Saints Andy Woods Revelation is NOT Chronological Is the Holy Spirit the Restrainer? What I believe - Day of the Lord Timeline Understanding Zechariah 14 Blasted Hope or Blessed Hope? Understanding Greek Pronouns and Their Importance The Comfort Given by Paul The Rapture in Revelation 7, Part 1 The Rapture in Revelation 7, Part 2 | |||
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