Pre-Trib Notes

Pre-Trib Rapture

I understand that the end times is a polarizing topic. That many are interested in how it will all shake out.

But…

I would like to start off by staying of all the topics in scripture, this topic is probably one of my least favorites and one of the ones I am least worried about

I even told myself that I wouldn’t do anything in revelation for at least the 1st year here… and even then…

I believe my priority as pastor is to strengthen us internally

With Love and doctrine

The time and fashion in which Jesus comes back does not

Fully play into that

So, I beg of you. Do not let any end times views divide us

I can assure you it is not worth it

Now, with all of that said

Don talked last week about the Post Tribulation viewpoint

And it is a great viewpoint

During my 30,000 foot study

Post trib makes a lot of sense.

I could even see myself believing that

But, that was last week

I also hope that you

Understand my goal in these short lessons

On the rapture and end times is to

Not convince you of any view

But to provide you with material in order

To study and learn for yourself.

So, tonight we are talking about the

Pre-Tib View

With that in our heads lets start where we agree

And there are 3 things all of us should agree on

There is a time of great tribulation in which the world has never seen

After that, Christ will return and establish His kingdom on earth

There will be a rapture - which is a transition from

Mortality to immortality

That is for believers along

John 14:1-3

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

1 Thess 4:16-17

So, the question becomes, when will all of this happen?

The 3 views as we know are

Pre, Mid, and Post

Now, Pre-Tribulation means that the rapture of the church occurs before the tribulation period

Here’s the argument of where this comes from

And I will tell y'all at the end where I am ending up…

Although Historically I have been pre trib…

But to be honest I haven’t done this area of study

As much justice I suppose

As I have focused on outreach

Discipleship

Etc

Anyway, without further ado

lets look at some text in support of it

Where do they get the 7 years

I believe Don spoke on it some last week

but the 7 years as argued by pre trib folks

is found in Daniel 9:27 “And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.””

according to Daniel there is seventieth “seven”

that is still yet to come

all that is explained in Daniel 9:20–27 .

It is a time period when God will focus His

attention on Israel

The 70th 7 (the tribulation)

thats Daniel 9:24.

Again, this is more specifically focused on Israel

so, with that I should say that this view of

the tribulation shows a distinction between

Israel and the church

as in God has 2 different plans of salvation for them

so.. if this time period is specifically for Israel

Why does the church still need to be around

We already spoke that one thing we agree on is that

there will be a rapture

that is in 1 Thess 4:13-18.

a few verses later we see

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

so he is going to call all of us up

and we wont be destined for wrath

1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

Then we have Revelation 3:10 “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.”

Lets think for a moment about what is not found in scripture

The word church appears 19 times in the 1st 3 chapters of Revelation

but, after the first 3 chapters it isn't found again until chapter 22…

why?

During the entire description of the rapture

the word church is absent..

the bible never actually uses the word

church in a passage that relates to the Tribulation

Another is this view seems to keep in mind Gods

character

We believe his desire is to deliver us

from the judgement of the world

and make us rightous

Noah was saved from the flood

Lot from Sodom

Rahab from Jericho

Lets look again at 2 Thessalonians 2 .

READ THIS

This about the antichrist

This seems to point to the fact that

the antichrist will not come back until

after the rapture of the church

Why, because something is holding it back

it must come after something

that is our could be

the Holy Spirit

which is still here

but when it goes with the believers

then the lawless will be revealed

Matthew 24:36 ““But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

In a post trib world, we know the hour and the time

its after the 3.5 years or the 7

Yall also discussed the letter to Philadelphia last week

they would argue that is for all the church

So that is Pre-Trib in a nutshell

Pre trib is a fairly new concept

It came about in 1833 by John Nelson Darby

So, I am always a little nervous with new things

So… where am I?

I would say that historically I was in this camp. But now, I am moving away from it

Starting to be more in view of a post trib rapture

Please forgive me, but I am allowed to change my mind

I would also like to say that I hope it is a pre trib rapture

But I believe that God will test us

I believe God will protect us

But I also believe that we must persevere through

whatever is thrown at us.

Because we must show that we trust God more than our own understanding