Featured QUESTION RE: The Rapture?

The fact of the rapture is not in dispute. The dispute is over the timing of rapture. That's what divides the pre's, mids, and posts.

I'm still looking for a clear, unequivocal, not-subject-to-any-other-interpretation verse which speaks of a pre-trib rapture.

 

Only one person knows when Jesus is going to return. So there has to be an "antichrist" (and possibly more than one) ready in any given generation.

He may be a well known person, but to be able to capture the whole world so quickly...that will take some time.

Countries will do what they can to calm down their people, and during this time the Antichrist will appear. That might be a week, month, year...who knows. But I don't think the Rapture happens and BAM...24 hours later the Antichrist is wooing everyone.

 

I know of no definitive verse, although Zane Hodges once wrote an exposition of 1Thessalonians 5 that was quite convincing. Unfotunately, it has not been widely distributed. I saw it in a book entitled Walvoord: A Tribute, which was published in the 1980s.

Belief in the pre-trib rapture pretty much goes hand-in-hand with Dispensationalism. The best explanation and defense of Dispensationalism, that I have seen, is Chafer's Systematic Theology, particularly the volumes on Ecclesiology and Eschatology.

 

"rapture" - Greek harpazo.

A "snatching away". Also used historically (secular) of purse-snatching or as a thief snatching a thing of value out of someone's hands and running away.

Or perhaps as "A thief in the night" carrying off valubles.

So, some have surmised that believers will be "snatched away" to a place or even perhaps a condition or environment of safety, not necessarily heaven but out from under the wrath of God.

Whatever the details Paul says "Wherefore comfort one another with these words".

Psalm 91:8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.​

HankD

 

Think the problem in this question of the rapture is that there are NO passages that can absolutely say " this is when it happen!"

much of that due to just HOW one interpretes the Bible for prophecy, wether Dispy or Covenenat theology, or if rferring to things spiritual or a literal sense!

2 common verses used to support it are:
Revelation 3:10
New International Version (NIV)

10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth

and

Luke 21:36
Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:35-37

 

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when I was first taught about the end-times, it was from a Pre-trib viewpoint. But the rules keep changing.

For instance, I was taught that the Day of the Lord in I Thess 5 was post-tribulational. But somebody made a movie back then called "Thief in the Night" which was from the pre-trib viewpoint.

Somebody else wrote, "yeah, the Day of the Lord is post-trib, but the Day of Christ is pre-trib."

Then I was taught that Matthew 24 basically was post-tribulational. then I read stuff that tried to make some of it pre-trib.

I know that we all appeal to scripture for our views, but it surely seems that sometimes, we adopt a view, then go looking for scriptures to support it.

So, it appears that even among dispies, there is not complete agreement on terms and events.

 

At least we all agree as Dispy that jesus will be doing a second coming still, unlike some here seeing him already came back!

 

The way I understand it, Dispies hold that the rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events separated by a seven-year Tribulation.

The common explanation that I heard was that at the Rapture, Jesus comes FOR his saints (and returns with them to heaven); at the Second Coming, Jesus comes WITH his saints.

The eschatalogical fervor of the late 60s and 70s was triggered, in part, by the events in the Middle East. The Six-Day War was one of those events that drew attention.

Another factor was Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth. This triggered a whole bunch of other end-times books, and prophecy conferences on every corner.

In fact, I even heard it said that if you didn't believe in a pre-trib rapture, you might not be saved.

 

That's so sad.

 

Would say that its the prominent view held by Dispy BUT that there are indeed some of us holding to mid/post trib, as well as NO rapture, just second coming then goe into milliniu,!

Regardless of view, NOT issue to divide or gey us lost over!

 

I know exactly one person who holds to a mid-trib rapture. I know a few A-milienalists, and a bunch of post-tribs and a whole lot of pre-tribs.

I don't know any post-mils.

I can get along with all of them. I have a couple of pre-trib brothers who tease me. They say when the rapture comes, they're grabbing my hand, and taking me with them whether I believe in it or not.

 

Actually, when the Rapture finally occurs, Tom is going to be transported to that Great Universal Church in the sky handcuffed to Obama on one side and Joel Olsteen on the other.

 

I'm with your pre-trib brothers, always willing to give a helping hand.

 

Folks, SN and I are friends, fellow servants at the same church. He has managed to work in a dig at my views on the Universal Church, the Rapture, Obama and Osteen into one sentence. Give me a couple of years and I'll think up a snappy comeback.

 

Thank you Bob, you are very kind. I look forward to going when you do, whenever that is. When I see you, we'll exchange high fives...and I do mean HIGH fives!

 

And the pretierist bethren will be there smiling, wondering why we all missed the first rapture/return of Christ!

 

Although I'm a historic pre-mil, I hope Bob Alkire and his pre-trib friends are right. Who wants to go through the tribulation, even if we think we will?

 

Well, we could all become pretierist or Amil, and NOT see any great tribulation period in the bible to go through atall any ways!