The Rapture, Part 2

Outline

Big Idea: The doctrine of the rapture teaches that the church will be “snatched up” prior to the Tribulation and spared the coming of God’s wrath upon the earth.

Rapture Defined and Explained

Rapture Views Explained

Pre-Tribulation

Post-Tribulation

Mid-Tribulation

Pre-wrath

Partial Rapture

Rapture’s Timing

Rapture’s Result

Introduction

Last week we began to consider the biblical position on the rapture.

Let me read again and remind you of the passages that speak to the reality of the rapture.

John 14:1-3

John 14:1–3 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

1 Corinthians 15:51-54

1 Corinthians 15:51–54 ESV

51 Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 ESV

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Today, as we come back to this study, I want to examine a few other positions on the rapture.

Body

Rapture Views Explained

Post-Tribulation

This view sees the rapture as occurring simultaneous to the return of Christ, His second coming, at the end of the Tribulation.

Until the rise of the pre-tribulation thought, this was the predominate thought within the church.

Some of this position is typically affirmed in amillennial, post-millennial, and historical premillennial understandings of scripture.

In this view, the church will go through the tribulation, will experience the wrath of God, the Day of the Lord but will ultimately be kept from Satan’s wrath.

This view contends that Revelation 20:4-6 is proof that all believers will be resurrected at the end of the tribulation.

Revelation 20:4–6 ESV

4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

It is my belief, and that of those who hold a pre-trib position, that this is referring to those saints will become saints during the tribulation and subsequently be killed during that time.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 seems to speak to the fact that believers prior the tribulation will be resurrected at the rapture.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 ESV

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Post-trib argues that this text is actually a reference to the bodily resurrection of the believers, the one spoke of at the end of the tribulation, and those that remain are the ones who had not died up until that point.

They reject the notion of separate events distinguishing the rapture from the second coming.

They argue that the Greek work parousia in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 that speaks about the coming of the Lord (the same text we believe speaks to the rapture) refers to his second coming. It means “presence, arrival, or coming.” It is often used in connection to His second coming, thus it should also be applied to his second coming here and not a separate secret rapture prior to the second coming.

Further, they argue that Matthew 24 speaks to believers enduring a great tribulation. He references the Abomination of Desolation that Daniel prophecies, that is clearly within the Tribulation period. Using personal pronouns, he warns them that when they see these things, the end is near and His coming is soon.

However, he clearly cannot be meaning them. When THEY, the disciples, the listeners present then, see these things…they won’t be around. It is written for those believers who are alive at the time and who are reading the words recorded.

This could just as easily be ONLY the tribulation saints as it could be ALL of us.

Going into the tribulation, there will be no believers except for 144,000 Jewish witnesses who will be left to witness during the tribulation period. All others will be gone.

BUT, many will repent and believe during the tribulation.

THOSE are the saints who will be killed and resurrected at the end of the tribulation.

Post Trib advocates will argue that verses 37-40 of Matthew 24 is definitive proof of our presence in the tribulation, of the rapture happening JUST BEFORE or simultaneously with the second coming.

One is taken, one is left.

However, this could as well refer to judgement. Those being taken are taken in judgment. This may not be referring to the rapture at all.

LISTEN

The early church did not understand it all. They were often plagued with false doctrines, as we are today as well. Point is, newness alone does not discredit the idea.

Truth is, there is MUCH we do not understand, do not fully see yet about these ends times.

It is easy to see their arguments, and it has some merit.

However, this post trib view tends to blur or remove the line betwen Israel and the Church, which I see has very clear and distinct.

AND

The clincher for me, is that we are not destined for wrath. We will be spared the wrath to come. We will be saved ek out of the coming Tribulation that comes upon the whole world.

The pre-trib positions is most consistent, I think, with a literal approach to Bible prophecy.

It is also built upon a solid distinction between Israel and the Church. When this truth gets blurred, it does indeed open up other possibilities for interpretation.

Mid-Tribulation Rapture:

This is similar to the pre-tribulation view except that it locates the rapture after the first three-and-half years at the point when the Anti-Christ assumes power.

Some who hold this view argue that the two witnesses who are taken up to heaven after being resurrection at the midway point of the tribulation represent the church.

Problem is, there is absolutely no evidence to substantiate this view.

They argue that the church will be delivered from wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), same as those who hold a pre-trib view.

However, they view the wrath of God as not descending until the second half.

The text, as we will see when we dive deeper, does speak of the Great Woe, the wrath of God coming. And YES, the second half of the tribulation is and will be far worse than the first half, BUT all 7 years of it will be filled with the outpouring of God’s wrath upon the world.

(Zeph 1:15,18; 1 Th 1:10; Rev 6:17; 14:7, 10; 19:2.)

They argue that since the last trumpet sounds at the midway point of the tribulation (Rev 11:15-19) and since the rapture of the church happens at the sound of a trumpet (1 Th 4:16-17), that these two things must be happening together.

Problem is, the sounding of these two judgments are not connected.

One if speaking of the rapture

One is speaking of judgement.

Pre-Wrath Rapture:

Similar to the mid-trib view is the pre-wrath view

So similar in fact, I am not sure of the difference except that maybe this view puts the rapture at some other point in the timeline than the beginning, middle or end.

This position appears to argue that the rapture will occur toward the end of the tribulation before the outpouring of God’s wrath with the bowl judgments (Rev. 16) prior to the return of Christ.

Their man contention is that we will be spared the wrath of God and since the word wrath does not show up until later in the tribulation, later in the judgements, they conclude that the rapture does not occur until later.

Partial Rapture View

This view is based upon the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. In it, 5 were prepared and five were not.

This is interpreted by them to mean that only the faithful and watchful Christians will be raptured. The unfaithful will be left behind to endure the tribulation period.

However, this text has nothing to do with the rapture.

This parable is told to admonish and encourage us a Church NOW to be ready, watchful, obedient, and serving Him

Some have even suggested that this parable refers to chrsitians living during the tribulation time who are not living with a sense of preparedness for His second coming, but that argument does not even hold water with me, for his coming then will be a little more predictable then it is now AND if you come to faith in Christ during a time of great suffering, wrath, and persecution, YOU WILL Be watchful.

AND, as we will see in the end times, you will be required to take a mark of the beast to buy, sell, trade, etc. You will need it to live. Someone who is not fully devoted to Jesus will not be willing to endure the hardships that come from living half heartedly. To embrace Christ during the tribulation, you will be all in

No, this parable has nothing to do with the tribulation but has to do us, now, living in a state of preparedness for those end days.

A partial rapture view is in no way supported by the text of scripture, by prophecy. It is derived from an improper view of scripture.

Rapture’s Timing

As we saw in Romans 3:10, we believe that this rapture, this “catching up” will take place PRIOR to the tribulation period.

The article THE hour suggests that this IS a very specific time and circumstance that they are being delivered from rather than a general trial that would be experienced

As I mentioned, the Greek preposition ek (from) used here and in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 also carries the idea of complete separation from. Thus this keeping them FROM the hour of trial was not a mere promise that despite having to endure it, they would come out safe from it. Ek suggests that they will be completely removed from the hour of struggle, not merely protecting from any lasting affect from enduring it.

In addition, no OT passage that refers to the tribulation makes any mention of the church (Deuteronomy 4:29-30; Jeremiah 30:4-11; Daniel 8:24-27; 12:1-2)

Likewise, no NT passage that refers to the tribulation makes mention of the church either (Matthew 13:30, 39-42, 48-50; 24:15-31; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 5:4-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11; Revelation 4-18)

The churches complete absence (lack of mention) would seem to be a strong indicator that the church will not be present on the earth during the tribulation.

In Romans 5:9 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9, we are told that we are not destined from wrath. The tribulation is ALL about the wrath of God.

The Greek word used in 1 Thessalonians means delivers, “To draw or snatch out to oneself, to rescue, to save, to preserve.”

Truth is, God is often been seen to deliver His people prior to judgment falling.

2 Peter 2:4-9

2 Peter 2:4–9 ESV

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

God preserved Noah before judgment fell

He rescued Lot before judgment fell.

Enoch would be transferred to heaven before the judgment of the flood. Gen 5:21-24; Heb 11:5-6; Jude 14-15)

The firstborn were shielded by the flood of Christ, if they obeyed and put the blood over the door, before judgement fell

The spies were safely out of Jericho and Rahab and her family were sheltered before judgement fell

God does have a pattern of protecting from judgement.

THUS, it is not unheard of or out of reason to think that God would rescue His Bride before bringing judgment on the earth for their sin and rebellion.

In Revelation 19, we see the second coming of Jesus and WITH Him, the armies of heaven arrayed in white…the saints…us…

If we are WITH him here, he has to have COME FOR us prior to this…and since this is at the end of the tribulation, the only two possibilities that make sense are pre-trib or midtrib…but since we are not destined for wrath and the entire tribulation period is about the wrath of God, pre-trib is the preferred view.

Rapture’s Effect

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8

2 Thessalonians 2:7–8 ESV

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

The lawless one, the antichrist, cannot come and will not come until the restrainer is out of the way.

Who is the restrainer?

Some have speculated it was Roman or even human government.

While it is not specifically stated in scripture, it is fairly easy to discern, I think.

I believe that the restrainer is most likely the Holy Spirit.

Only God is strong enough to restrain the Adversary, the Devil. Only God is strong enough to hold him back

And we know the Spirit is alive and well in our world today, convicting of sin, drawing men to salvation, instructing and reminder the church in the truth of God’s word.

One of the Spirit’s roles is to restrain sin, to hold it at bay and to hold the evil one at bay… at least to a degree.

In 2 Thessalonians 2 here, the word “restrain” is a present active participle (He who is restraining…) written in the MASCULINE form.

In verse, just one verse prior, the same word is written in the neuter (gender neutral) form, which is standard for a word that is related to a male or female personage.

The fact that it is used here in masculine, clearly indicates it is tied a person/being.

The same happens when scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit. The word for spirit, in and of it self, is neutral. But when referring to the HOLY SPIRIT it becomes a masculine word.

Since we know from Genesis 6:3 that the Spirit is at work restraining sin in the world…

and in the hearts of believers (Gal 5:16-17)

and since we know that when used to refer to a person or being the form changes

It is safe to infer that this is possibly or quite probably the Holy Spirit who is actively restraining.

WHEN HE IS REMOVED…

And by this, we mean his restraining work and power…

Since He, like the Father and Son, are omnipresent, his literal presence does not get removed, but his work does

It is even likely that this is another illusion to the fact that the church will be absent, for where does the Spirit dwell now? Within believers.

Excuse the phrase…but…ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.

Sin has no restraint.

And what do you think happens when sin has no restraint.

Zacharah Walker

With the restrainer gone, sin will escalate faster than you can possibly imagine.

In truth, this could be a bit misleading. For we do believe that the Spirit will be active during the tribulation…just not in restraining sin.

He will indwell the witnesses

He will be drawing people to repentance

BUT he will no longer be actively restraining sin.

This will explain why and how sin will get so bad so rapidly in the end.

Conclusion

Application