The Five Worlds of Bible History, Science, and Prophecy (Bible Cosmology 17) Review the multi-world cosmology of the Bible (5 distinct world systems) 1. The very good world 2. The pre-flood world 3. The world after the flood 4. The kingdom age 5. The eternal state Between the 3 rd and the 4 th worlds the rapture must take place What is the Rapture? A sudden removal of people from the earth; A catching away Sudden appearance elsewhere Key Rapture Verse Passages In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:2-3 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: 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. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 Notice that the general theme of John 14:2-3 parallels 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; the Lord comes and take believers to the place where He resides Paul further explains that at the rapture, believers will be suddenly changed; it is here that we receive our glorified bodies: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Corinthians 15:51-54
Defending the Pre-tribulation Rapture Doctrine preliminary remarks: Not all arguments are created equal. An argument for what we believe is not necessarily a sound argument. There is more than one way to interpret Bible passages. Proper interpretation takes time, commitment, prayer and a willingness to be corrected. We are Christians we must love the brethren and have patience for one another. Common Ground: Belief in The Great Tribulation The Lord Jesus explained that in the future, there will be a time of unprecedented horror on planet earth: For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. Mark 13:19 In the middle of this, Satan s masterpiece, The Antichrist, will rule the world by Satanic power. He will oversee the wholesale slaughter of God s people. The Great Tribulation reaches its peak at the Battle of Armageddon, when the Lord Himself rescues His covenant people: Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints... Jude 1:14 At His return He will gather the nations and separate them like a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:41 The Lord will then reign and rule over a restored earth for 1,000 years. The planet will enjoy a restoration to Eden-like conditions (see Isaiah 11) During that time, children will be born who will also need to choose Christ as their Lord and Savior or not; many will reject Him in their hearts and will secretly long for Satan to return to lead them in rebellion against the Lord. This will happen at the end of the 1,000 years. There will be a final attack on the Lord s people, which God Himself will bring to a swift end: Then they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. Revelation 20:9 After the final rebellion is squashed, there will be a final judgment; those who have rejected the Lord and fought against Him will be consigned to eternal tormanet:
And the dead were judged according to their works, according to the things which were written in the books. Revelation 20:12 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15 But those who have loved and trusted the Lord for salvation will enjoy eternal joy with the Lord who bought them: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4 So - Where does the rapture fit into all this? There are 2 main views on this: The Pretribulation view (the rapture takes place before the great tribulation) and the post-tribulation view (the rapture takes place after the great tribulation). Here are the 2 views in timeline form:
The Five Worlds of Bible History, Science, and Prophecy (Bible Cosmology 18) I am tentatively a pre-trib advocate; however, I often hear arguments for this position that I think are less than convincing. Here are three: 1. The rapture is predicted in Revelation 4:1. Here John is shown a glimpse of heaven and the events that will transpire in the future. The language may indicate the rapture of the church prior to the tribulation, but I think the text is far from definitive. John might simply be experiencing something similar to the apostle Paul, who also was caught up into the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2) 2. The Church is absent from Revelation 4-19 (the Great tribulation). It s true that the word church is not seen in those chapters, but the word saints is there, and this term is often used of New Testament Christians. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. Revelation 13:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 1 Corinthians 1:2 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. Revelation 19:8 3. The Church will be saved from the wrath to come (the Great Tribulation)...ye 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, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. - Revelation 15:1 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. - Revelation 15:7 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. Revelation 16:1
The wrath to come: Events of the Great Tribulation or Christ s judgment at His second coming? And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Revelation 19:15 4. The Church is Christ s Bride (It should be protected) If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. John 15:18-19 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name s sake, because they know not him that sent me. John 15:21 The stoning of Stephen (Acts 7) Saul the Pharisee gives his consent Paul arrested in Jerusalem Acts 21 The Martyrdom of James (c A.D. 62) The Emperor Nero was the first to launch wholesale persecution of Christians beginning in A.D. 64 Polycarp was martyred for is faith in A.D. 156 at the age of 86; The persecution of Christians from the 1st to the 4th centuries was unspeakably harsh Perpetua (180 202 A.D.) and Felicitas martyred in the persecution at Carthage Perpetua martyred at the age of 22 while holding her infant. See Neander, Ecclesiastical History, vol. i p. 109, (Clark s ed.) In 303 Diocletian issued an edict that saw wholesale persecution of Christians - Emperor Diocletian ruled from A.D. 284 305 Better Arguments for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church 1. A Day both Known and Unknown? Which Calendar? Remember that before the flood one year consisted on 360 days; that is, one year was 12 months of 30 days each this means that: 3 ½ years
= 1260 days = 42 months These figures are important to understanding end times chronology; It looks as though God s prophetic timeline is based upon the world s original, pre-flood calendar Let s consider some verses that will bring this out: When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Matthew 24:15-16 According to Jesus, there is a time coming when the temple would be defiled with an abominable image; at that time Israel must flee into the wilderness for safety. He reminds us that is was spoken of by the prophet Daniel. Let s consider what Daniel said: 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. Daniel 9:27 The vast majority of Bible teachers agree that Daniel means a seven-year-period here when he refers to a week. In this passage, Daniel is speaking of the Man of Sin, the Antichrist, who will establish a 7-year covenant with Israel. In the midst of the 7-year period (3 ½ years) he will break the covenant and desecrate the temple and bring a stop to the legitimate sacrificial system. This corresponds to Christ s instructions in Mathew 24. When this happens the people are to flee to the wilderness. This is described in Revelation 12:6: 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. Revelation 12:6 The woman here is a symbolic description of Israel. Notice that she is in to wilderness for 1250 days, or 3 ½ prophetic years (this corresponds to the last half of the 7 broken 7 year covenant with Israel. That time block appears several times, each referring to the same period but in different ways: But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. Revelation 11:2 note that 42 months of 30 days each = 1260 days or 3 ½ prophetic years And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? 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. Revelation 13:4-5
[The false prophet] deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Revelation 13:14-15 The image of the beast corresponds to the abomination of desolation spoken of by Jesus and Daniel. When it goes into the temple exactly 3 ½ years into the 7-year covenant period, that is when the people of God must flee into the wilderness So: The Great Tribulation will last 3 ½ years beginning with the broken treaty and an image being set up in the Jewish temple. Jesus will return exactly 1260 days after the image is erected. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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. Matthew 24:29-30 This poses a bit of a problem, because there are several passages that indicate that Christ s coming will come when nobody expects it: Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:44 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Matthew 25:13 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. 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: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. Mark 13:34-37 The pre-tribulation rapture view may help to explain the discrepancy. On this view, Christ s coming for His church occurs at an unexpected time; His second coming to establish His kingdom comes at an expected time exactly 1260 days after the blasphemous image is erected:
Question: what about the mid-tribulation rapture view? Could God not rapture His people from the earth when the image is set up and the Antichrist begins his great persecution of God s people? This view makes sense in light of the fact that the Antichrist will not be persecuting God s people during the first 3 ½ years of the 7-year covenant period. Notice that in my chart above I have the entire 7-year period designated as great tribulation and this is not precisely correct. The great tribulation occurs after the midway point and lasts 3 ½ years and ends with the Lord s return. Nevertheless, even the first 3 ½ years will be a time of trouble. How do we know? According to Revelation 6, which I take to be the commencement of the 7-year period, there are wars, famines and pestilence. Consider Ezekiel 34:25-29: And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
The trouble that runs through the first 3 ½ years of the 7-year covenant period may be a sign from God that this is a false covenant; Antichrist is not the true Messiah. If he were, the problems that attend the first 3 ½ years would not be there. Notice also that on the pre-trib rapture view, the church age ends when the church is removed from the earth. Israel is left to the ministry of the 2 witnesses (Revelation 11) who will succeed fantastically under God to convert most of the nation to Christ. At that time (the first 3 ½ years of the covenant period), there will be a return to a temple ordinance program. On the mid-trib rapture view, for 3 ½ years there are two competing religious systems going on: the church system, which does not recognize the temple program as essential, and the revived temple/priesthood program. It is hard to imagine why both systems would be at work in this way; it makes much more sense (to me at least) to understand that God will stop one system completely (the church at rapture) and reinstitute the other (Israel s priesthood/temple program) rather than have two competing systems at work at the same time.