Christian, Will the Rapture Save Us?
Most professing Christians believe the rapture will save them. They believe they will be lifted off the earth before the time of tribulation spoken of by Jesus. They believe what they've been taught by their Pastor, Minister, or Priest without really looking at what the Bible teaches on the subject.
There are three basic beliefs about when the rapture will happen. They all relate to the tribulation of these end times, which most Christians agree will last for seven years. During the tribulation time, the Antichrist will be revealed and the Mark of the Beast will be set up. Also, during that time - or at least during part of that time - God will pour out his wrath on the earth. The question is: Where will the Church be? Will the rapture take us out of it; or will we be here on earth through it? The Pre-tribulation belief hold that the rapture will take place before the tribulation; that the church will be with the Lord for those seven years, and will return with him when it's over. The Mid-tribulation belief is that the rapture will take place in the middle of the seven years of tribulation; that the church will be with the Lord for the last 3 1/2 years, and will then return with him. The Post-tribulation belief is that the rapture will take place at the end of the tribulation when the church will be lifted to the Lord, and will then return with him. They believe the rapture and the return of the Lord are one event; not two separate events. A close reading of the Bible, and a look at the history of church teaching, will show that the rapture will take place at the end of the tribulation; and that the church will be on earth through those last seven years.
Most professing Christians today hold to a Pre-tribulation belief. However, the early church believed in a Post-tribulation rapture; and held that belief for some 1800 years! For example, Ireneaus and Hippolytus, 2nd and 3rd generation disciples of John the Revelator wrote of the rise of the Antichrist and the coming of the Lord from a Post-tribulation point-of-view. They both taught that the Antichrist will reign on earth and persecure the church right up to the return of the Lord at the end. Ireneaus (130-202 AD) was a disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of John the Revelator. In those days, disciples were taught personally, primarily by word of mouth. Polycarp sat at the feet of John; and Ireneaus sat at the feet of Polycarp. Certainly, they would have gotten their facts straight!
Anyone really interested in the truth will find out that there is no mention whatsoever of a Pre-tribulation rapture in any church teaching, writing, or commentary until the early 1800s. Before that time, Christians had always believed in a single coming of the Lord. They believed the rapture will take place "immediately after the tribulation" spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24: at the glorious return of the Lord when he will send his angels to gather his elect (Matt. 24:29-31).
The Pre-tribulation theory began in 1812 when a Jesuit priest from Chile, South America, writing under the pen-name of Rabbi J.J. Ben-Ezra wrote a book called "The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty." In the book, Ben-Ezra claimed that all of the church leaders and teachers for over 1800 years were wrong; and that his new ideas were right. He claimed that the entire church, up to that time, had been "convicted of error."
The book was translated from Spanish into English by a Scottish preacher named Edward Irving; and was published in London in 1827. After the book was published, Irving began to teach that Christ would first come for his church in a secret rapture; then, after seven years of tribulation, he would return with them to destroy the Antichrist and reign on earth.
At about the same time, John N. Darby and a Christian religious movement called "The Plymouth Brethren" that began in Ireland and England started to toy with the idea of a Pre-tribulation rapture. The subject was discussed by the movement at great length at annual prophecy conferences that began in about 1831.
In April of 1830, a 15 year-old Scottish girl named Margaret MacDonald claimed to have received a "new revelation" from several hours of prophecy and visions. Some say she is really the first person to teach a Pre-tribulation rapture. However, if you read her "new-revelation" just as she wrote it, there is no mention whatsoever of anything like a Pre-tribulation rapture. Edward Irving and John Darby visited Margaret MacDonald in the early 1800s; and although it's impossible to know what influence they may have had on each other, it is incredulous to think they were not mutually influenced in some way.
Now, to the Bible itself. There are a number of examples of the truth of the Post-tribulation rapture in the Bible; but for the sake of space, we will only consider three of them here.
First, Paul speaks of what we call the rapture in two places: I Thessalonians 4 and I Corinthians 15. In I Thessalonians 4:16-17, he says we will be lifted to the Lord; and in I Corinthians 15:52, he says it will take place at the sound of "the last trump." Think about it! The last trump can't sound at the beginning of something, or in the middle. It is not a Pre or a Mid-tribulation sound. It happens LAST: at the end. It is a Post-tribulation trumpet sound. In the Book of Revelation, there are seven trumpets that sound. The 7th is the last trumpet; and according to Revelation 11:15, that's when "the kingdoms of this world ARE BECOME the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."
Second, even a brief reading of Matthew 24 and Luke 13, where Jesus tells about the end times, will show that there is no mention of anything like a rapture until "immediately after the tribulation" (Matt. 24:29-31 & Mark 13:24-27). Surely, if Jesus knew of a Pre-tribulation or a Mid-tribulation rapture, he would have included it in his teaching. But, it's just not there!
Third, let's look at what the Bible says about where the church will be during the tribulation. The Bible teaches that the Antichrist will come to power somewhere during the time of tribulation. And, as we will see, it also teaches that the church will be persecuted by the Antichrist after he comes to power. That can only happen if the church is on earth at the same time as he is.
In the New Testament, the "saints" are mentioned over 50 times; and in every instance, the word is used to refer to the church: the followers of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the prophet Daniel makes it clear that the Antichrist will persecute those same people: the "saints," the church on earth. Symbolically speaking of the Antichrist as a "horn," a person of power, Daniel says, "the same horn made war with the saints" (Dan. 7:21). In the same chapter, he also says that the Antichrist "shall wear out the saints of the most High" (Dan. 7:25). And, the New Testament confirms the words of Daniel. In the Book of Revelation, John says that "power was given to him (the Antichrist) to make war with the saints" (Rev. 13:5 & 7). Daniel and John lived many years apart, yet they agree in their prophecies that the "saints," the followers of Jesus Christ, will be on earth when the Antichrist is here.
We are headed for some very difficult times in this country and around the world. It will not do for Christians to put their heads in the sand and believe that a secret rapture will save them! It is important that we "watch" just as Jesus said we must (Matt. 24:42); and it is important that we, as the Army of God, "occupy till he comes" (Luke 19:13). Let's put our faith in Jesus to save us! Let's not believe in a rapture that won't come until it's over.
"Will the Rapture Save Us?" (An article by James C. Taylor) Copyright (c)2009 by End Time Overcomers. All Rights Reserved.
For more information; and for more literature on this subject and others, please visit http://www.endtimeovercomers.com.
Related Tags: saints, rapture, tribulation, hippolytus, pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation, irenaeus, edward irving, john darby, margaret macdonald
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