END TIME: RAPTURE

Tuesday, August 10, 2021 0
END TIME: RAPTURE

END TIME: RAPTURE
WAY2GOD

The word “rapture” comes from the Latin word “rapio” meaning “to catch up” or Medieval Latin word “raptura” meaning “snatch away - like kidnapping someone in a quick manner” which is translated in English as “caught up.” It is highly cognized and significant to Christians though the exact word is not found in the Bible. The idea is that one day God will from the surface of this earth before the 70th week of Daniel (tribulation) begins so that all the true Church (or all true Church Age saints) will avoid tribulation and be with the Lord (our Savior) forever. It is based primarily on passages 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. Regarding its time, there are four views.

POST-TRIBULATION VIEW

Posttribulationalists believed that rapture will take place after the last tribulation (70th week of Daniel or Jacob’s trouble) is over and based their main viewpoints on these reasons:

First: rapture and second coming are not described by using separate words. Therefore, they will take place at the same time (1 Thes.4:15 & Mt.24:27).
Response – A technical way of word study and application is not always must be applied in every passage instead some, especially this case, are to be determined by the context of the passage. Therefore, both talk about the coming revelation of Christ Jesus but not at the same time, not at the same place, not to same group and circumstances because at rapture he will come secretly only till the heavenly (1 Thes. 4:13-18) but in 2nd coming He will come down with the saints (who were to be taken up on the day of rapture) to the earth that all eyes shall see (Rev.1:7).

Second: God will keep away all the saints/churches from trouble, not throughout the time as He kept Israelites safe in Egypt while torturing Egyptians.
Response – This 7-year tribulation (70th week of Daniel; Jacob’s tribulation) is different from all other general tribulations purposes

Third: as Mt.24:22 mentioned saints during tribulation, therefore, Churches also will go through this tribulation.
Response – All believers throughout all periods (in any dispensation) in the Scripture are called saints. Therefore, the term saints could mean any dispensational saints but saints according to Mt.24:22 are tribulation saints and not Church Age saints. It is very instructive to know that the book of Revelation is written sequentially and the Church Age saints (Christians) are no more mentioned (or found) from chapter 4 till 18 (as tribulation is described in these chapters).

Fourth: as we see in Rev.20:4, saints are raised before the millennium to reign with Christ. These saints could be the Church and their resurrection will be called church resurrection in rapture.
Response – Saints who arise just before the millennium are OT saints and Tribulation saints probably at the same time but they are not Church age saints. It is pretty good to know that there are mainly: Church Age Saints resurrection (in rapture before tribulation), OT saints and Tribulation saints resurrection (just after tribulation but before millennium), all non-believers resurrection (after millennium just before white throne judgment).

Fifth: the whole period from the first coming till the second coming of Jesus Christ is a tribulation period and saints/believers/churches will go through the tribulation and at the end, rapture and second coming will take place.
Response – Of course churches are allowed to face difficulties or trials (Phil.1:29) on this earth which also could be counted as their tribulation period but this period, the 70th week of Daniel or Jacob’s trouble), is very specified and different from other periods of trials. Therefore, Church Age saints will not go through it as God promised to deliver the Church from this hour(1 Thes.1:10; 2Thes.2:1-4; Rev.3:10; Mt.24:).
Response – it is meaningless/clueless that all saints will be taken up within the blinking of an eye and be brought back to earth. If so, when will they stand before the Judgment seat of Christ and be receiving their reward?
Response – Also, after the tribulation, if all believers who are dead and alive are translated/transformed in their body, who will be entering the millennium with this earthly human body? Because many will enter the Millennium with the earthly body, not only that they will also have their offsprings during this millennium. Therefore, the post-tribulation view seems to deviate away from the scripture.

MID-TRIBULATION VIEW

Midtribulationalists believe that Christ will come and take up the saints in the middle of the Tribulation period—that is at 3 1/2 years. And after the 7-year tribulation period (70th week of Daniel or Jacob’s trouble) is over, He will return to this earth to set up His millennial kingdom – that is to reign for 1000 years from Mt. Zion. Their arguments with responses:

First:The seventh trumpet of . The seventh trumpet is sounded in the middle of Tribulation. Therefore, the rapture will take place in the middle of the tribulation.
Response – As there are different kinds of resurrection, trumpets also do. So, the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52 is “Trumpet of God” (cf. 1 Thess.4:16) for the resurrection of the saints but the seventh trumpet of Rev.11:15 is “sounded by angels” for the outpouring of God’s wrath.
Response – also Mt.24:31 mentioned about trumpet call which is to be taken place at the end of the tribulation. Therefore, it is good to know that there are different kinds of a trumpet.

Second:The great tribulation is not the whole 7-year period of the 70th week of Daniel but the latter half only (i.e. the second 3 1/2 years). Therefore, the Church is promised to keep away from this latter half period of the Tribulation that begins somewhere in Rev 11:2; 12:6 and not from the whole 7-year tribulation.
Response – As we know that Revelation is written sequentially, half or middle of the tribulation is fallen somewhere in Revelation chapter 11 but this 70th week of Daniel or Jacob’s Trouble – Jer.30 is a single unit which purpose is to pour out the wrath of God/Lamb which already began somewhere in Rev.6:16-17 and not from Chapter 11 (i.e. the middle of the 7-year). Therefore, this judgment is not for the Church but for those who rejected Christ as their Savior and Lord, and also, the beginning is not from the middle of the 7-years but right from the first year.

Third:The idea of resurrection and rupture of the church is picturized by the resurrection of the two witnesses according to Revelation 11:11 which occurs at the middle of the tribulation.
Response – Though there are no clear and enough exegetical standpoints for this argument, we know that Church will be kept away from this hour or trial period (i.e. this whole 7 years not the latter ½ part) because this 7 years tribulation is the outpouring of God’s wrath that the Lord is to take away the Church before it began. This is the reason why the Thessalonians eagerly await the appearance of Christ to keep away from the trouble to come (1 Thes.1:10) .

PARTIAL RAPTURE

Partial rapturists have a close view to the pre-tribulation view that believers will be taken up before tribulation but are different in believing that only those who are well prepared and worthy enough will be taken up (i.e. not all believers are to be taken up but only who are worthy enough to be taken up). Other true believers who need sanctification will be left behind to face the tribulation (wrath of God) as their sanctification period. They based Hebrew 9:28: “….He will appear a second time to those who eagerly wait for Him apart from sin, for salvation,” and 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8: “God didn’t call us to uncleanness, but in holiness…” as they thought these passages talk about preparedness as a prerequisite to meet the Lord. This means good deeds are the requirement to qualify to be on the list of rapture.
Response – These verses don’t talk about the preparedness of believers for the rapture but the author wrote it as an encouragement to all believers to start living out their actual standard of living in God as they were just made perfect from their imperfectness just by their faith alone in the salvific work of Christ which is not by their good deeds. That means as God who calls us is holy and indwelt us, He wants us to live a holy life and do good for we are the handiwork of God to do good before the foundation of the earth (Eph.2:10). Therefore, Rapture is not a reward for a godly living but is a blessing of our salvation in Christ Jesus. Therefore, a good deed or godly living will be rewarded by crowns after the rapture and is not rewarded by the rapture.


PRE-TRIBULATION

Pre-tribulation rapture view holds that the rapture will be taking place before the 70th week of Daniel or Jacob’s trouble but the return of the Lord with His Church Age saints would be taking place just after the tribulation is over to set up His millennial kingdom on this earth.

The tribulation period is the great day of the Lord (Rev 6:17). Believers (here Thessalonians) know that God will deliver them from this wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10), for God has not appointed them to wrath (1 Thess 5:9). Especially in these latter verses even looking up to the second letter, Paul contextually spoke about the beginning of tribulation that all Christians will be kept out this hour. This shall come true only if the rapture is happening ahead of this trial period.

Rev 3:10 says, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” The preposition used in this passage is “Ek” meaning “out of” which is not “en” or “dia” meaning “in” or “through.” Therefore, the protection God promises to the church is not in or through the trial period instead out of this tribulation hour (i.e. God is not to preserve the Church throughout this trial period but to remove from this hour).

In II Thessalonians 2: 3 Paul says, “…for that Day (tribulation period) will not come unless the falling away (apostasy) comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes …” Here, we came to know that Tribulation period will not begin before (1) the falling away comes first (2) the man of sin is revealed. Now, the important thing is, what is falling away and who is the man of sin? Many expositors came up to say falling away (apostasy) is ‘falling away from faith’ or ‘rebellion’ but we must know that it is also possible to say ‘departure.’ Therefore, contextually throughout church history and lexicographical consideration the word ‘apostasy or falling away’ is used as the departure of the church from earth i.e known as the rapture. Also, the man of sin is non-other than the antichrist who will reveal himself before the tribulation begins. He is to be a normal human like us but highly would be filled in all possible ways by Satan.

Just after the church is taken up to heaven, the judgment seat of Christ and the Marriage of the lamb will be taking place in the air before descending to the earth with His Church Age saints as the 2nd coming.

What all things going to happen during these seven years tribulation are written in Revelation 4-19 where the church is not mentioning even once within this period except in chapter 1-3 and then in chapter 22:17. Thus, it is clear that there will be no church involvement during this tribulation period.

The message about the rapture is an encouragement as the author wrote to comfort one another with this message (1 Thessalonians 4:18). How can it be comforting if the Church has to go through the Tribulation?

CONCLUSION

The Pre-tribulation Rapture view is the most acceptable one among the other views as their view is based on the most consistent interpretation of the Scripture and highly accords to its teaching about the rapture of the Church. Setting or fixing the date when Church will be raptured is very unbiblical because the Scripture itself said that except the Father in heaven, no one knows the day, the month, or the year - . But one thing that we can be so sure of' is that the tribulation will not precede the rapture for the Rapture is the blessed hope of the Church (Church Age saints) as the Lord promised us (the Church) to keep away from this trial period. During this trial period, He will take us home to be with Himself forever where ever He is (1 Thess.4:13-18).


Also Read

70 weeks of Daniel (Zokam)
70 weeks of Daniel (English)
Hun nukhia silte zilna: Rapture



















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