by Alan Yusko
This tract may be freely copied/printed and distributed in any means possible. The only restriction is that it not be changed.
I wrote this tract in light of all the confusion concerning the timing of the rapture. I believe the Scriptures support the pre-tribulation rapture and this tract will outline some of the reasons why.
One thing that pre-trib, mid-trib, pre-wrath, and post-trib rapture folks all have in common....they all believe that the Lord Jesus is coming back soon! However the 'blessed hope' is only for those who believe in the pre-tribulation rapture. The other views unfortunately, are all waiting for the anti-christ and not the Lord Jesus Christ. They have lost their blessed hope! The other views are robbers to the Christian as they seek to steal from the believer the imminent, soon, unknown, time & hope of the rapture.
Another thing the other views have in common. They all viciously attack the pretribulation rapture. The goal is to disprove the pre-tribulation rapture at all costs. Each of the views contradict and disprove each other but they are all strangely united in their attack of the pre-tribulation rapture.
The attacks have confused many Christians and caused some to forsake all prophecy. What a sad thing to happen! Prophecy is a blessing and it should be studied as about 1/4 of the Bible deals with prophecy in some way. Jesus rebuked the people of His day for not recognizing what was written by the Old Testament Prophets. They should have recognized all the prophecies related to the Messaiah. Today we are living in the days before the Second Coming of Jesus. How much more should we study and be encouraged by the sure Word of prophecy in these troublesome days.
In this tract I'll present several reasons why I believe in the pre-tribulation rapture.
REASONS FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE
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NUMBER 1 ..... The 70 weeks of Daniel's prophecy.
********* ..... This is for Israel not the Church!
All the other false views on the timing of the rapture have one thing in common. They don't understand that God has a plan for the Church and God has a plan for Israel. The Church is a mystery, a called out people between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel's prophecy.
Daniel 9
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon THY PEOPLE and UPON THY HOLY
CITY, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and
to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to
anoint the most Holy.
**Note: notice that the 70 weeks are 'determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city'. This is the Jewish people of Israel and Jerusalem. We could stop right here as Daniel specifically says that the 70 weeks are for Israel and not the Church. The Church is a called out people between the 69th and 70th week. To put the Church on earth during the 70th week is to contradict Daniel above.
Notice that 70 Weeks of years (490 years) are determined upon the
people of Israel to:
- finish the transgression
- to make an end of sins
- to make reconciliation for iniquity
- to bring in everlasting righteousness
- to seal up the vision and prophecy
- to annoint the most Holy (The Lord Jesus in the
Millennial Kingdom)
All this has NOT yet been fulfilled. It will yet be fulfilled upon the nation of Israel just like Daniel was told. Lets continue on in the prophecy:
Daniel 9
25 Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of
the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah
the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:
the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous
times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off,
but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof
[shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations
are determined.
These verses are talking about the 7 weeks and 62 weeks of years which add up to 69 weeks. At the end of the 69th week the Messiah will be cut off. This happened at the cross of Calvary. So all that is left is that final week of 7 years. For a more detailed explanation get a good prophecy book that studies Daniel's 70 weeks. (Hal Lindsey, Grant Jeffery, M.R. Dehaan, Dwight Pentacost, J. Walvwood, Dave Hunt, Paul LaLonde etc...)
For a review: Daniel said there was appointed 70 weeks of years for Israel to bring in all righteousness and setup Messaiah. When Jesus entered Jerusalem in His triumphal entry it marked the end of the 69 weeks. So we are waiting for the 70th week to be fulfilled. This 70th week begins when the anti-christ confirms a covenant with Israel for 7 years. In the middle of the week he will break his covenant and commit the abomination of desolation.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Now between the 69th and the 70th week there is a time gap...commonly refered to as the Church age.
Points to consider:
- The prophetic 70 weeks stopped at the rejection and
death of the Lord Jesus Christ, The Messaiah.
- That occured after 69 weeks or 483 years.
- God has been using the Church (invisible body of Christ)
during that time period.
QUESTION: What caused God's prophetic time-clock to stop ticking after 69 weeks and what will cause it to resume at the 70th Week?
Notice the following Scripture:
2 Thessalonians 2
3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not
come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin
be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God,
or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of
God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you
these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in
his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now
letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness of his coming:
9 [Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and lying wonders,
God is currently restraining the anti-christ by His Holy Spirit working in and through the Church (all the Spirit-reborn believers). When this restrainer (The Church) is removed, then and only then may the anti-christ be revealed so he can rise to power and confirm the covenant with Israel. As long as that restrainer is in the world the anti-christ cannot come to power...God's restrainer is preventing that. (2 Thess 2:7)
None of the other rapture positions can give any account for what is restraining the anti-christ. To clear up any misconceptions I'll say that the Holy Spirit will NOT be removed from the world. This is a common argument - based on lack of knowledge of the pre-trib rapture. It is usually given by those who say this 'proves' the pre-trib rapture is wrong. But the pre-tribulation rapture does NOT state that the Holy Spirit will be removed, but rather the Church will be removed. How can an omni-present being be removed from anywhere? It cannot be done. God the Holy Spirit is omnipresent and will never cease to be anything less than that.
However in this Church age, God is restraining the Wicked One by His Holy Spirit through the Church. When the Church is removed the Holy Spirit will still be here....but the restrainer won't! At that point the anti-christ will be free to rise to power and confirm that covenant with Israel to start the 70th Week of Daniel.
To restate, the 70th week is a prophetic week for the Nation of Israel. The first 69 Weeks were for Israel and so it is with the 70th Week. During the 70th week God again deals with Israel and there is really no need for the Church to be present on earth.
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NUMBER 2 .... The Wrath of God is NOT to be poured out on His Church.
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Many scriptural promises of escape from the wrath of the Tribulation or the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy must be ignored by the other rapture positions.
Verses like:
Luke 21
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be
accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to
pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Romans 5:9
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through him.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the
dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Revelation 3:10
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will
keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all
the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
THE ABOVE VERSES MUST BE IGNORED! It is amazing how the Second Coming will be like the Days of Noah and the Days of Lot. Notice that God did not pour out His wrath UNTIL He had safely removed both Noah and Lot to a safe place. The post tribbers ignore this and expect the Church, the Bride of Christ to endure the full inpact of the Wrath of God....and the question is WHY? Why must the church endure the Wrath of God? It just doesn't make sense.
To teach that the Church will go through the 70th week just doesn't line up with the Bible. During the 70th week the book of Revelation will be fulfilled....with the seal judgments, trumpet judgments, and vial judgments. This is the WRATH of God and the Church has no part of it.
Why should the Church go through the 70th week of Daniels prophecy when that time is specifically for the nation of Israel and not the Church. God has made provision for Israel after the abomination of desolation. They are told to flee and there is a place prepared for them. There is no such provision for the Church...because the Church will not be here in the 70th week.
- God made provision for Noah and the flood.
- God made provision for Lot at Sodom
- God makes provision for Israel in the 70th week of Daniel.
- There has been no provision for the Church to go thru the 70th
week. Why....no need as the Church will not be in the world at
that time.
After the rapture at the beginning of the 70th week God will seal 144,000 Jews. The spotlight is again on the nation of Israel and these 144,000 will win an innumerable number of people to Christ. They will take over and do the Commission the Church has done for the last 2000 years. The Gospel will go world-wide and everyone on earth will hear it!
So why should the Church be in the 70th week? There is really no reason or purpose. Today we have Christians in every major city....during the wrath of God we will have pestilence, all the vegatation burned, all water polluted and some say that it will not affect the Church? Sorry I find that hard to believe.
A final point is that during the Church age the devil (gates of hell) will not overcome the Church. During the 70th week the devil WILL overcome the tribulation saints.
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NUMBER 3 .... The coming of Jesus is imminent! His coming will
********* .... be at an UNKNOWN time and a KNOWN time.
The other views destroys the doctrine of the imminent coming of Jesus. Jesus is coming at an unknown time and believers are constantly being told to watch and be ready in Scriptures. All the other incorrect rapture views deny the imminent coming of Jesus.
These verses must be ignored - or destroyed by the other views. Notice that the command is to watch because the time of the coming of Christ cannot be known! That is called imminence!...as it could happen TODAY!
Matthew 24:36
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the
angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of
the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the
day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and
the other left.
41 Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be
taken, and the other left.
42 WATCH THEREFORE: FOR YE KNOW NOT WHAT HOUR YOUR LORD DOTH
COME.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in
what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would
not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: FOR IN SUCH AN HOUR AS YE THINK
NOT THE SON OF MAN COMETH.
Matthew 24:42
42 WATCH THEREFORE: FOR YE KNOW NOT WHAT HOUR YOUR LORD DOTH
COME.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in
what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would
not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: FOR IN SUCH AN HOUR AS YE THINK
NOT THE SON OF MAN COMETH.
Matthew 25:13
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Son of man cometh.
Mark 13
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not
pass away.
32 But of THAT DAY AND [that] HOUR KNOWETH NO MAN, no, not the
angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, WATCH AND PRAY: for YE KNOW NOT WHEN THE TIME
IS.
34 [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who
left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every
man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for YE KNOW NOT WHEN the master of the
house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or
in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, WATCH.
Luke 12:36
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord,
when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and
knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh
shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird
himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth
and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the
third watch, and find [them] so, blessed are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known
what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not
have suffered his house to be broken through.
40 BE YE THEREFORE READY ALSO: FOR THE SON OF MAN COMETH AT AN
HOUR WHEN YE THINK NOT.
1 Thessalonians 5:1
1. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need
that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so
cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child;
and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the
day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6. Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us WATCH
AND BE SOBER.
1 Peter 4:7
7. BUT THE END OF ALL THINGS IS AT HAND: be ye therefore sober,
and WATCH UNTO PRAYER.
Now as you have read the above verses...let me ask you a question. Can the time of the Second coming be known? Can we know the exact day? ...... According to these verses the answer is NO! We cannot know the exact day of the return of Christ. Jesus is coming at an UNKNOWN time!
The UNKNOWN DAY of Jesus' return:....the rapture: We will not know when the rapture will occur. It is an imminent event ... which means it could happen at any time. No prophecy needs to be fulfilled before it happens.
In light of the UNKNOWN day there is also a KNOWN DAY of Jesus' return. Did you know that after certain prophetic events the exact day of Jesus's return can be marked on a calendar. Did you also know that you cannot have a KNOWN day of Jesus's coming and an UNKNOWN day of His coming...on the same day? The UNKNOWN day is the rapture and the KNOWN day will occur at the end of the 70th week where Jesus will setup His kingdom on earth. Read on for more information about the KNOWN day.
Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for ONE WEEK:
and in the MIDST OF THE WEEK he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he
shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
ONE WEEK = 7 YEARS
MIDST OF WEEK = 7 years divided by 2 = 3 1/2 years
Daniel 12:7
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the
waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left
hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that [it
shall be] for a TIME, TIMES, AND A HALF; and when he shall have
accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these
[things] shall be finished.
TIMES, TIMES, AND A HALF = 3 1/2 YEARS
Revelation 12:6
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a
place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand
two hundred [and] threescore days.
AGAIN 3 1/2 YEARS
Revelation 12:14
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that
she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is
nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face
of the serpent.
AGAIN 3 1/2 YEARS
Revelation 13:5
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty
[and] two months.
AGAIN 3 1/2 YEARS
NOTE: *** a prophetic week is 360 days ***
The KNOWN day: Once the 70th week of Daniel, or the time of Jacobs trouble begins we can easily tell the exact day when Jesus will return. Once the antichrist and Israel sign the covenant we know that in exactly 7 years Christ will return. In the midst of the week (3 1/2 years) the antichrist commits the abomination of desolation. From that point in time we know there is: 3 1/2 years left, or 42 months left, or 1260 days left. At this point the coming of Christ is KNOWN. So what do we do with all the verses that say His coming is UNKNOWN? Throw them out? Of course not!
NOW in light of all this information about the KNOWN day and the UNKNOWN DAY we can think this through. Since the incorrect views put the rapture sometime after the 70th week begins, they have lost the unknown day. All the verses that say that the coming of Christ will occur at an unknown time must be thrown out. If I am here then when the antichrist signs the covenant with Israel then I know that in exactly 7 years Jesus will return. You can be assured that I will mark my calendar!...and count the days!
If by chance I miss the beginning of the 70th week, I won't miss the abomination of desolation in the middle of the 70th week. At that point I know that in exactly 1260 days Jesus will return. You see I've lost the unknown day because I can mark the day on my calendar. I may as well throw all those UNKNOWN coming verses out. There is no problem with the pre-tribulation view on the rapture. The rapture will occur at an unknown time sometime before Daniels 70th week begins. At that point the Church is taken to heaven and with the restrainer removed the antichrist may come to power. There an UNKNOWN day and a KNOWN day at the end of the 70th week. We have perfect harmonizing of Scripture with the Pre-tribulation rapture....the correct view. With the all the other incorrect rapture views we have to throw out the Scriptures related to the UNKNOWN day.
To repeat:
Since the false rapture views believes the rapture will occur sometime after the 70th week then why the command to WATCH and be READY? In the verses above the exhortation is to WATCH, WATCH, WATCH, and be ready! Why WATCH if the rapture will not occur until the end of the 70th week. Why bother watching for the coming of Jesus? Why not wait until you are in the 70th week to begin the watch. Human nature being what it is, that is what most people will do. So not only does the incorrect rapture views rob the Christian of the Blessed Hope of Christ coming to take him from the world before God judges it....he has no purifying incentive in lifestyle. Jesus cannot come today so why live in Holy expectation of His coming? However the pre-tribulation view has a great BLESSED HOPE looking for the coming of Jesus at an UNKNOWN time....that time could be today!!!!! Since the time is unknown and it COULD be today this is a purifying hope also....and encourages Holy living.
Titus 2:13
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
The post/mid/pre-wrath robs the believer of both the blessed imminent expectation of the believer and the purifying hope of Christ's return which could happen today! These views are a robber. Another way these incorrect rapture views robs from the blessed hope is... if the Church has to go through the 70th week it doesn't have much to look forward to. There will be 7 seal judgments, 7 trumpet judgments, and 7 bowl judgments. During that time all the vegation will be burned up, all the water will be polluted and turned to blood, the sun will scorch men, there will be massive earthquakes that shake every city in the world, and 100 pound hailstones. Now for the average person looking forward to going through that....we don't have a hope but rather a dread and something to be feared. Then as a result of God judging the world there will be massive death and not many men will make it to the end...maybe only several million as opposed to 6+ billion currently living. What a 'hope' these views offers... almost certain death as God judges the world with His bride it it. Then they have the nerve to call those who believe in the Pre-tribulation rapture as an 'escape' theology. God has promised an escape from His Wrath and Judgment for His people and these false views make a mockery of that promise. This does not make sense to me!!...or to the intelligent person who thinks it through.
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NUMBER 4 ..... Populating the Millenium: and Post-tribbers
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Lets draw the picture here. We are at the end of the Tribulation and Jesus is coming. At this point the post-trib wrath rapture happens and all Gods people are raptured and given new immortal bodies. The wicked are left to be judged by God... So we have all God's people removed from the earth...and all the wicked left. Now the question is: who will populate the nations of the millenium? The fatal error is that there is no one left to populate the nations of the millenium if the rapture happens at the Second Coming.
If the rapture occurs according to pre-wrath or post-trib we have a problem. Maybe you can answer that little problem....If all God's people are raptured at the end of the Tribulation at the 2nd coming of Jesus...then who will populate the millenium? Surely not the wicked.. You see the folks with the truth of the pre-tribulation rapture don't have any problem populating the millenium with mortals...but the post trib view does.
This is a nasty problem for the incorrect rapture views. You see if all of God's people are raptured at the very end when Jesus returns that leaves only the wicked left. The wicked will all be destroyed at the coming of Jesus...so you have a problem. Who will populate the millenium? If the rapture occurs at the 2nd Coming all of God's people will have their immortal bodies and they will not marry, have children etc...so they cannot be the ones who populate the millenium and have children etc. Some of course try to argue that the wicked will inherit the Kingdom of God. What foolishness to lower oneself in order to defend an incorrect doctrine.
2 Thessalonians 1
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Notice that ALL those who are not saved will be destroyed. By that time men will have accepted or rejected Jesus. So I repeat at the second coming of Jesus...all the wicked (Christ rejectors) are destroyed and all Gods people are raptured (according to post) then there is no one left to populate the millenium.
Lets dig a bit deeper about the lost inheriting the Kingdom:
Will the Christ rejectors inherit the Kingdom...in other words the wicked. Sorry that will not happen. By the end of the 70th week all mankind will have chosen sides either for or against Christ.
Again no problem with the pre trib view as there will be tribulation saints that will survive to the very end of the 70th week. The survivors of the tribulation saints will go into the Kingdom and not the wicked who will be destroyed. These saints will have children who must choose to accept or reject Jesus. As in every dispensational age sinful man has failed and at the end there will be many who have rejected Christ.
However if the rapture happens when Jesus returns you have no one to populate the kingdom. Problem for post trib and pre-wrath...no problem for pre tribulation.
For those who are still not convinced and think the unsaved may inherit the kingdom of God....here are some verses that say it all:
Psalms 2:12
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the
way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all
they that put their trust in him.
Zephaniah 3:9
9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they
may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one
consent.
Malachi 4:1
1. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and
all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble:
and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Matthew 13:41
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall
gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which
do iniquity;
Matthew 24:51
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion
with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.
Matthew 25:12
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you
not.
Matthew 25:30
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 17:29
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire
and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed [them] all.
Luke 17:27
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were
given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:32
32 Remember Lot's wife.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and
whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
1 Thessalonians 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child;
and they shall not escape.
2 Thessalonians 1:7
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
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NUMBER 5
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The other tribulation views allows no time for the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Marriage of the Lamb, and the Marriage Supper to occur.
The Judgment seat of Christ:
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Romans 14:10
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at
nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment
seat of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;
that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body,
according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.
1 Corinthians 3:9
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's
husbandry, [ye are] God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a
wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another
buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth
thereupon.
11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which
is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall
declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire
shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he
shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but
he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1 Corinthians 4:5
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
The Wedding and Marriage Supper of the Lamb follows the Judgment seat (Rev 19:7-9). This occurs BEFORE the second coming which is recorded in Rev 19:11-21.
Revelation 19:7
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself
ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine
linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints.
9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto
me, These are the true sayings of God.
Only the Pre-Trib position allows sufficient time for these events to occur. You see believers will be in heaven at least 7 years before the second coming of Christ...lots of time for the Judgment seat, the Wedding, and Marriage Supper.
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NUMBER 6 ..... 24 Elders: Representative of the GLORIFIED Church
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Here is a description of the 24 Elders:
Revelation 4:1
1. After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in
heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a
trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will
shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne
was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine
stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight
like unto an emerald.
4 And ROUND ABOUT THE THRONE [were] four and twenty seats: and
upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in
WHITE RAIMENT; and they had on THEIR HEADS CROWNS OF GOLD.
- location is around the throne
- Wearing White Raiment which is a promise to the Church
- They had crowns of Gold on their heads indicating that
the judgement seat of Christ has already occured and His
Church has been rewarded
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings
and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before
the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
6 And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto
crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the
throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast
like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the
fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle.
8. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him];
and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and
night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was,
and is, and is to come.
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him
that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on
the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and
cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and
power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure
they are and were created.
Revelation 5:8
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four
[and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one
of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the
prayers of saints.
- They are kings and priests before God. Another promise to God's Church
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we
shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round
about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power,
[be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for
ever and ever.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four [and] twenty
elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and
ever.
- They have crowns on their heads. Only the Church will receive and wear crowns which they will then throw at the feet of the Lord Jesus in worship. The fact that they are wearing crowns indicate that the Judgment Seat of Christ has already occurred. This alone refutes the other incorrect views on the timing of the rapture and proves the pre-tribulation position as correct.
Some more points proving that the 24 elders represent the Church:
- They are numbered (24). On the other hand angels are never numbered
- Their position suggests that they represent the Church. They are seated on thrones surrounding the Throne of God. God gave the promise to His Church that she would reign with Him. Here are some promises the Lord Jesus gave to His people related to reigning with Him:
Revelation 3:21
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father
in his throne.
Matthew 19:28
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye
which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man
shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
- They have white raiment again suggesting the Church. The white rainment represents the righteousness that has been imputed to the believer as a result of what Jesus did on the cross.
Revelation 3
5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white
raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of
life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before
his angels.
- They have a priestly ministry: They have "harps and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints." (Rev 5:8)
This concludes this section. I think there is enough evidence to suggest that the 24 Elders represent the Church. The fact that they have crowns on their heads proves the Beama seat judgment has already occurred. Only the Church is promised crowns in Scripture and in Revelation Chapter 4 they are wearing those crowns!
If that is true, which it is, then the rapture must have already happened!
OTHER POINTS
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Here are a few additional points to consider related to the timing of the rapture.
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POINT 1
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The other incorrect rapture views cannot explain why the church is so prominent in Revelation chapters 1-3, yet so totally absent during the wrath portion (Chapters 6-18)
The obvious reason is the Church is not on the earth.
Again the question arises? Why must the Church endure the wrath of God? The Seal, Trumpet, and Vial judgments will decimate the planet and there is no purpose at all for the Church to be here during that time. The 70th week, The Time of Jacobs Trouble is for the nation of Israel.
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POINT 2
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Troubles with trumpets!!
Trumpet errors. The post/mid tribulation view tries to make the trumpet in 1Corthians and 1Thessalonians 4 the same as the trumpets in Revelation and Matthew 24. They get really hung up on the trumpets trying to prove the last trumpet is all the same in Matthew 24 and Revelation, and 1 Corinthians.
Let me give you an example. Lets say I tell Joe I read a blue book. Next I tell Mary I read a red book. Finally I tell Bill that I read a green book. According to the mid tribulationist logic I read the same book. Ignoring the context of each book discussion the only thing to focus on is the word book. However they fail to realize that the blue book was the Bible. The red book was a cookbook and the green book was a gardening book. This example shows exactly what these people do with the trumpet blasts. They assume that because the word 'trumpet' is used in 1Corinthians, 1Thessalonians 4, Revelation, and Matthew 24 that it must mean the same trumpet. They totally ignore the context and setting for each trumpet blast. Based on that tunnel vision they come up with their trumpet "proof" for the mid tribuation or post tribulation rapture.
Sadly, some people are convinced that the pre-tribulation view is incorrect because they are hung up by wrong teaching about the various ‘trumpet’ verses related to the end of the age.
The trumpet error has lots of holes in it. For example the trumpet Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 15:52 is a trumpet of blessing directly blown for the church. It is associated with great blessing for the Church rapture and resurrection. Also in 1 Corinthians 15:51 Paul states that this is a mystery....something new...not revealed. At the trumpet in Matthew 24...men will hide and be fearful as Jesus is returning in judgment. The last trumpet in Revelation is a trumpet of judgment. It signals the release of the 7 bowls of the wrath of God to be poured out upon the earth. By looking at the context of each trumpet it can be seen that they are different trumpet blasts. However the mid/post tribulationists ignore the context and just focus in on the word 'trumpet'. Clearly those verses are different trumpet calls...unless you want to twist, twist, and bend the Scriptures a bit. That is exactly what is done when the claim is made that they are all the same trumpet blast.
Below are the trumpet blasts. Look carefully at the context of each and try to figure out why some people make them the same trumpet???
Revelation 11
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in
heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms]
of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 15
5. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the
tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven
plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts
girded with golden girdles.
7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven
golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and
from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till
the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
In the book of Revelation the wrath and judgment of God is found in the 7 seal judgments, the 7 trumpet judgments, and the 7 bowl judgments. The 7th seal begins the 7 trumpets and the 7th trumpet begins the 7 bowl judgments. The sounding of the 7th trumpet which marks the beginning of the 7 bowl judgments is the trumpet blast the mid and post tribulationists focus on. Clearly that trumpet blast is a judgment trumpet blast. It is the last in a series of seven trumpet blasts and it marks the beginning of the 7 bowl judgments.
1 Corinthians 15:
51 Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality.
1 Thessalonians 4:
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,even so them
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which
are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The trumpet blasts in both 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians are related to the rapture and resurrection of the Church. It is a trumpet blast of great blessing given directly to the church to call God's people to meet the Lord. It is a blessing trumpet blast and not a judgment one as found in the 7th trumpet of Revelation.
Matthew 24:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall
see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power
and great glory.
31 And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other.
In Matthew 24 the trumpet is sounded as the Lord Jesus physically and visibly returns to earth. This trumpet blast signals the gathering of His people.
Clearly when the context for each trumpet blast is viewed it can be easily seen that they are not the same trumpet blast.
THE TRUMPET IN REVELATION IS NOT THE SAME AS THE ONE IN MATTHEW 24
Lets do a quick comparison of the context of the trumpet blast in the book of Revelation with the trumpet blast in Matthew 24 and see if they could be the same like the mid/post tribulationist claim.
In the book of Revelation the 7th angel sounds and the call is made that the kingdoms of this world become Christ’s. This trumpet blast also signals the beginning of the 7 bowl judgments to be poured out on the earth.
The trumpet in Matthew 24 sounds as Jesus visibly returns to earth. Matthew 24 does not have the bowl judgments as they have already occurred before His return. The Lord Jesus has returned to earth and everyone can see Him coming. But when the last trumpet sounds in Revelation, this signals the beginning of the bowl judgments. We have a problem here. The 7th trumpet in Revelation signals the beginning of the 7 bowl judgments. The trumpet blast in Matthew 24 is blown as the Lord Jesus visibly returns to earth. Clearly they are different trumpet blasts! The context of Scripture has been twisted and ignored in order to make the trumpet blast the same in Revelation as in Matthew 24.
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POINT 3 .... No resurrection in Matthew chapter 24
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RESSURECTION IN MATT 24??? When Jesus returns....Not in My Bible! But that is what I have been told by some followers of the incorrect views of the rapture.
Where is the resurrection in Matthew 24? There is clearly no resurrection in Matthew 24...in fact if you look at Matt 25 you will see a separation of Sheep and goats rather than a resurrection. Matthew chapter 25 follows right after Matthew 24 and should not be ignored OR 'ignored by spiritualization'.
Matthew 25
31. When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the
holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his]
sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats
on the left.
Notice that after Jesus returns in Matthew 24 there is a sheep and goat separation in Matthew 25. This is not necessary if the rapture happens according to the post trib view. The separation would have already occurred at the rapture. There is no problem with the pre-trib view as the rapture would have happened before Daniel's 70th week and the separation of the survivers of the Tribulation in Matt 25 makes perfect sense.
Another point is if the resurrection occurs in Matthew 24 they why bother separating the sheep from the goats in Matthew 25..the rapture would have done that? To have a resurrection in Matthew 24 just doesn't make sense or line up with the Bible OR Matthew 25.
Another thing I have been told is that the elect in Matthew 24 are the Church. Where does it say the elect He gathers are the Church in Matthew 24 and not tribulation saints or Israel? Some claim the term 'the elect' only refers to the Church. They are probably the same ones who claim all the last trumpets are the same. The elect can be Israel, or the tribulation saints, or the Church.
CONCLUSION:
***********
Many times when talking to the adherents of the incorrect rapture views I hear this death question.
CLASSIC STUPID QUESTION
=======================
>If a day comes in your lifetime when there is a mark given on the right hand or on the forehead, without which you cannot buy or sell anything, will you receive that mark?...or die?
This is a really stupid question ... a standard one given by the followers of the incorrect rapture view. This is not the first time I have heard it.
It shows the following:
- These people cannot tell the difference between the tribulation that the Church has experienced for the last 2000 years and the tribulation of the 70th week of Daniels prophecy for Israel. Try picking up and reading Foxes Book of Martyr's and read about some 'tribulation' that the church has experienced in days past. Do a few studies on the current persecution of the Church in China, Russia, Mexico and other places.
- It assumes a bloodbath in the 70th week for all believers. It is a death question...a what-if that will not happen to the Church because of the pre trib rapture. It will however happen to the tribulation saints. Why would God send His loved bride into the 70th week and into the bloodbath? There is no reason at all and certainly has no part of the 'blessed hope'. The blessed hope of these incorrect views is the bloodbath of the 70th week of Daniels prophecy which is...certain death.
- If these people have a martyr complex then why wait until the tribulation of the 70th week. Why not go to Saudi Arabia and preach the Gospel...or go to Tehran and hand out Gospel tracts? I guarantee you will get your desired results TODAY! Prove you do not wish to 'escape tribulation'.
For those reasons there is no reason to answer a question that is doctrinally incorrect....and just downright stupid.
To conclude:
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In this tract we have looked at the fact that the 70 weeks of Daniels prophecy is for Israel and not the Church. We saw that the wrath of God is not to be poured out on His beloved Church. Also, there is no reason for the Church to be on earth during Daniels 70th week. We showed that there was a KNOWN day of Christ's return and an UNKNOWN day which is the rapture. We looked at the problem of populating the millenium. This alone refutes the post tribulation view as they leave no one alive on earth but the wicked to populate the 1000 year reign of Christ. We also had a peek at the Judgment seat of Christ, the marriage, and the 24 elders in Revelation who are representative of the glorified & rewarded Church. We covered a few other points but surely enough evidence has been given to show that the pre-tribulation view is Scriptural and is the only view that harmonizes with the entire prophetic picture.
Why stop here? There are lots of good books that give Scriptural references to the pre-tribulation rapture. Authors like Dwight Pentecost, John Walvwood, Hal Lindsey, Grant Jefferies, and Dave Hunt Paul LaLonde give lots more reasons for the pre-tribulation rapture.
Here is some points to study or ponder in light of what you have read:
- What about the KNOWN day and the UNKNOWN day of Jesus' coming?
- Study Daniels prophecy about the 70 weeks to ISRAEL. The post trib, mid-trib, pre-wrath all make the same error. They cannot tell the difference between God's plan for Israel and the Church which is a mystery and a called out people between the 69th and 70th week.
- Have a look at the 24 elders in Revelation
- Notice they have crowns & sit on Thrones etc...
- Sounds like the Judgment seat of Christ has occurred.
- Who else but the Church will wear crowns? (no one)
- Think thru the 'who will populate the millenium' problem. The post trib leaves no saved mortals after the 'rapture' to inherit the Kingdom of God and populate the nations. The pre-trib leaves the saved, unresurrected Tribulation saints who will go into the millenium, have children etc.
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