Biblical Forensics©


“Deliverance before Judgment”

Part 21


Dr. Andy Woods was one of the main speakers at the 2015 Compass International Steeling the Mind Bible Conference in Denver, CO. Dr. Woods is pastor of Sugar Land Bible Church and professor at Houston Bible College. He is one of a new group of scholars who has come along to take up the mantle of well-known and respected scholars who were taken home to be with the Lord.

Dr. Woods has two Baccalaureate degrees from the University of the Redlands; a Juris Doctor (Doctor of Law) degree from Whittier Law School; a Masters in Theology and a PhD from Dallas Theological Seminary. He has received High Honors in all of his academic work, not to mention numerous awards. His rise to recognition in the scholarly community has not gone unnoticed among Bible Prophecy groups as well. Having listened to his presentation on “Seven Reasons for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture”.(1) I believe it is something worth listening to. Take a moment to watch his 45 min. presentation. It is posted under Notes in this segment. In 2016, Dr. Woods book, ‘The Middle East Meltdown’ was published and his book, The Coming Kingdom’ was just released. He is a welcomed voice speaking on behalf of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine, which is under heavy attack by vehement critics and those who oppose this doctrine. In the past twenty years, from so-called academic intellectuals in the secular world to church leaders across the gamut of Christian leadership, unfounded attacks on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine is on the rise and increasing.

In my focus on “Biblical Typology” presenting God’s “Deliverance before Judgment”, I thought I would introduce readers of this series to Dr. Woods and share his “Seven Reasons for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture”. I particularly appreciate Dr. Woods’ style and sound logical reasoning. His gifted, rational, logical analysis and his command of the Word of God permit him to speak with believability and credibility on the prophetic nature of the Word of God. His video address at the “Steeling the Mind Conference” is 45-minutes long, but I have no doubt that he could have spoken longer on additional points. Anyone who would like to obtain a copy of his presentation can contact Compass International, at www.compass.org or Dr. Woods at his website for ordering information here: http://andywoodsministries.org/contact-us/ “Compass International” is an international ministry based in Coeur d’Alene, ID, and offers abundant resources on the Dispensational view of studying the Bible and the teaching on the Pre-Tribulational Rapture teaching.

Following are the “seven” key points of Dr. Woods presentation with the appropriate Scriptures. His “short list” was determined by the allotted time permitted for each conference speaker’s presentation. Note that the YouTube link below is also his YouTube Channel. You can subscribe and view a number of his teachings at this Channel. Dr. Wood’s comes to the academic and theological world after a recent string of deaths of foremost scholars in the past decade who carried the mantle for Dispensationalism, like Dr. John Walvoord, Dr. Tim LaHaye, Grant Jeffrey, Dr. David Breese, Dr. J.R. Church, and others.


“Seven Reasons for the Pre-Tribulation Doctrine”

  1. The Tribulation’s purpose concerns Israel. -(Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:24).

  2. No Biblical reference to the Church during the Tribulation Period. –(Revelation 4-22).

  3. The Church is promised an exemption from Divine Wrath -(1st Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9; Romans 5:9; Revelation 3:10; 6:17).

  4. The Rapture is imminent. -(1st Corinthians 15:51; 1st Thessalonians 4:15).

  5. The Rapture is a comfort. -(1st Thessalonians 4:18).

  6. The Antichrist cannot come to power until the Restrainer is removed. –(2nd Thessalonians 2:6-7).

  7. Symbolic Parallels. -(2nd Peter 2:5-9).


Dr. Woods was spot-on in his use of the key passages identifying the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine. They are not the only ones but he delivered a great presentation on important truths of the Bible.


The following are passages about the Rapture in the KJV Bible:

The air is Satan's sphere -(Ephesians 2:2), so this is a triumphal gathering in open defiance of the devil right in his own stronghold.(b)

Incidentally, verses 34 and 35 accord with the rotundity of the earth. The fact that it will be night in one part of the earth and day in another, as indicated by the activities mentioned, displays scientific knowledge not discovered until many years later.(b)

It will be with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. Several explanations have been offered as to the significance of these commanding sounds, but frankly it is almost impossible to speak with finality about them:

  1. Some feel that the shout is the voice of the Lord Jesus Himself which raises the dead -(John 5:25; John 11:43-44) and changes the living. Others, like Hogg and Vine, say that the shout is the archangel's voice.

  2. The voice of Michael, the archangel, is commonly understood as an assembling command for the Old Testament saints, since he is so closely associated with Israel -(Dan 12:1; Jude 1:9; Revelation 12:4-7). Others think its purpose is to revive Israel nationally. And still others suggest the voice of an archangel summons the angels as a military escort to accompany the Lord and His saints through enemy territory back to heaven -(cf. Luke 16:22).

  3. The trumpet of God is the same as the last trumpet of 1st Corinthians 15:52, which has to do with the resurrection of believers at the time of the Rapture. It calls the saints to eternal blessing. It is not to be confused with the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11:15-18, which signals the final outpouring of judgment on the world during the Tribulation. The last trumpet here is the last for the church. The seventh trumpet of Revelation is the last for the unbelieving world (though it is never specifically called the “last trumpet”).

The bodies of the dead in Christ will rise first. Whether this includes the Old Testament saints is debatable. Those who think it does point out that the archangel's voice is heard at this time, and that he is closely linked with the destinies of Israel -(Daniel 12:1). Those who think that the Old Testament saints will not be raised at the Rapture remind us that the phrase in Christ (the dead in Christ) is never applied to believers who lived before the Church Age; these believers will probably be raised at the end of the Tribulation -(Daniel 12:2). In any case it is clear that this is definitely not a general resurrection. Not all the dead are raised at this time, but only the dead in Christ.(b) The Bible does not ignore or forget the fact that many have perished in the depths of a watery grave. Revelation 20:13 notes that in the case of those who died by drowning, God has measures to bring them back as well.

This “great time of testing” is also described as the Great Tribulation or Day of the Lord, mentioned also in Daniel 12:2; Mark 13:19; and 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-12. All the judgments recorded in the remainder of the book of Revelation take place during this time of tribulation. While believers may have to face difficulty and suffering, they will certainly be protected from God’s wrath and judgment.(a)

Some understand wrath here to refer to the punishment which unbelievers will suffer in hell. Of course it is true that God has not appointed us to that, but it is uncalled for to introduce that thought here. Paul is not talking about hell, but about future events on earth. The context deals with the Day of the Lord - the greatest period of wrath in the history of man on earth -(Matthew 24:21). We do not have an appointment with the executioner but with the Savior.

Some say that the Tribulation is the time of Satan's wrath -(Revelation 12:12), not the wrath of God. They say that the church will experience the wrath of Satan, but will be delivered from the wrath of God at the Second Coming of Christ. However, the following verses speak of the wrath of God and of the Lamb, and their setting is during the Tribulation Period: Revelation 6:16-17; 14:9-10; 14:19; 15:1; 15:7; 16:1; 16:19.(b)

Jesus’ followers would not want to be found spiritually lax, but instead conscientiously going about the work given by God for them to do. Each of us has enough assigned work to do that we shouldn’t be neutralized or paralyzed by fear or doubt. We do not need to worry about how other employees compare to us; instead, but rather we should devote ourselves to doing what God has given us to do.

Jesus had spoken this discourse to only four of his disciples -(Mark 13:3). Here he instructed them to carry these words to the rest of the disciples, for their truth was of vital importance. By extension, the words were meant for all believers. Even today, we do well to watch for his return—watching out for false teaching and watching expectantly for Christ’s return as we do his work in the world.(a)

Anyone can say he or she believes something, but God knows each person’s heart. In this confession, it is not enough to merely utter the words; they must be declared, professed, proclaimed from the heart, expressing our full conviction. The gospel message in a nutshell is confess and believe and you will be saved. There is no reference to works or rituals.(a)

The seventh angel blew his trumpet, in essence announcing the arrival of the King. There was now no turning back. The coming judgments were no longer partial but complete in their destruction. God unleashed his full wrath on the evil world that refused to turn to him (Rev 9:20-21). When his wrath would begin, there would be no escape.

The song of triumph by the heavenly hosts introduces the great themes of the following chapters. The end times had begun. When Christ first came, he brought in the Kingdom, yet his fulfilled Kingdom was still to come. The Kingdom is with God’s people spiritually but has not been fulfilled historically. This verse refers to that final consummation. This is a worship pageant, portraying in heaven what will be unfolded on earth.(a)

Before closing, it is important to understand that whatever doctrine one looks at in the Bible, it is most obvious that doctrine can only be established by a systematic overview of the Scriptures. Biblical doctrine is not always precisely and clearly stated, but rather must be gleaned by an exhaustive study of the whole counsel of God. The importance of a comprehensive thorough analysis emphasizes this matter. Scripture itself plainly explains at Isaiah 28:10 reads: “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” This lesson is repeated with greater clarity at Isaiah 28:13: “But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little;….” Critics of the Dispensational school presumptively draw inaccurate conclusions about Biblical doctrine, particularly with regards to the Pre-Tribulational Rapture doctrine without thoroughly doing their homework. The high requirement to obtain accurate truth involves scholarship and hours of prayerful study leading to increased insights and discernment. Such are the words of 2nd Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.

In coming segments we will look at more aspects of God’s Master Plan of “Deliverance before Judgment”.



Pastor Bob


Notes:

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZBoSaG4-KY

  2. http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/apr2015/pastorbob45-2.htm

  3. www.nhunderground.com/jesus/PastorBob/Deliverance%20before%20Judgment%208.pdf

  4. http://www.nhunderground.com/jesus/PastorBob/Deliverance%20before%20Judgment%20-%2019.pdf


Commentaries:

  1. Life Application New Testament Commentary

  2. Believer’s Bible Commentary

  3. IVP Bible Background Commentary


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