Biblical Forensics©


Deliverance before Judgment”

Part 25


This is part 3 of Nathan E. Jones’ “11 Reasons Why I Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture”.(1) We pick up with point #8:


8. The Church is busy elsewhere during the Tribulation

While the 7-year Tribulation is occurring, the Bible records the Church will be busy with three events. None of the three have to do with suffering on a world being destroyed.

The first event, the Raptured Church, will participate in is a judgment by God – the Judgment of the Just. This judgment on works is not to determine eternal destiny, but to determine degrees of reward –(2nd Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 19:6-9).

The second event is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, This feast celebrates the spiritual marriage of Christ’s Bride, the Church – to her Savior. Revelation 19:7-9 shares this wonderful celebration. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.). “Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God’.”

The third event following the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is the Church preparation to follow the King of Kings into the Battle of Armageddon, at the conclusion of the Tribulation. This event is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ –(Zechariah 14:1-21; Matthew 24:20-31; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-27; Revelation 19:11-21). Revelation 19:14 identifies the Church in their “fine linen, white and clean”, which was given to them during the first event – the Judgment of the Just. The Church and angelic forces follow the King of Kings into His Second Coming to the Earth, but only Jesus Himself will engage in battle and with mere words defeats the nations in siege against Jerusalem.


9. There needs to be sheep to separate from the goats

If the Church is raptured at the end of the Tribulation, receiving their glorified bodies, and then immediately U-turns back with Christ for the Second Coming as the Post-Tribulation Rapture view holds, then what believer in Christ will be available for the Sheep and Goats Judgment of Matthew 25? The only people left on Earth would be unbelievers, called goats. No believer – sheep – would be available for God to put into the sheep category.

Since those who are in glorified bodies will be like the angels in that they aren’t given in marriage or reproduce –(Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25), then a believing unglorified, human remnant must make it into the sheep category and go on to produce the nations during the Millennial reign of Christ –(Ezekiel 43:13-27; Isaiah 19:21; Isaiah 65:20-22; Revelation 20:7-10). This would mean that people would need to come to Christ during the Tribulation, yet after the Rapture, to produce this Millennial population.


10. The Bible shows God rescues the righteous from His wrath

Being a Christian means having to endure suffering and trials at the hand of man -(John 16:33; Philippians 1:27; 1st Thessalonians 3:3; 1st Peter 4:12-13). But, the Bible has many examples of those who put their faith in God and exempt from God’s wrath. Noah and his family were removed from the Flood waters that, in God’s wrath, were used to judge and cleanse the Earth. Lot and his wife and two daughters were made to leave Sodom and Gomorrah before God burned the towns up with fire and sulfur. Rahab’s family was set apart when Joshua’s army invaded Jericho.

Could believers be miraculously protected during the Tribulation, like the Israelites were during the plagues on Egypt? Yes, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists from Revelation 7 and 14, for instance, will be divinely protected. But, the slaughter of believers during the Tribulation will be so massive that they are certainly not under any special protection –(Revelation 7:9-17; 20:4).


11. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is not too new to discount

Some will argue that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is just “too new” to be considered viable. Critics will point to the origin of the modern Pre-Tribulation view and credit John Nelson Darby (1800-1852) with its founding. But, is that assessment historically accurate? Indeed, it is not.


The Early Church fathers such as Barnabas -(ca. 100-105), Papias -(ca. 60-130), Justin Martyr -(110-195), Irenaeus -(120-202), Tertullian -(145-220), Hippolytus -(ca. 185-236), Cyprian -(200-250), and Lactantiius -(260-330) wrote on the imminent return of Jesus Christ, the central argument for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view.

Biblical truth is determined by Scripture, and not how that teaching has been perceived at different times during history. When Augustine began spiritualizing the Bible, his view of a non-literal interpretation took hold of the church until the Renaissance, obliterating the Premillennial and Pre-Tribulation Rapture views in favor of Amillennialism. But, some Medieval writers, such as Ephraem of Nisibis -(306-373), Abbot Ceolfrid’s Latin Codex Amiatimus -(ca. 690-716), and Brother Dolcino, wrote statements that distinguish the Rapture from the Second Coming.

When the chains of allegorical interpretation began to fall off beginning with the Reformation in the 1400 and 1500’s, writers, such as Joseph Mede -(1586-1638), Increase Mather -(1639-1723), Peter Jurieu -(1697), Phillip Doddridge -(1738), John Gill -(1748), James Macknight -(1763), Thomas Scott -(1792), and Morgan Edwards -(1772-1795), all wrote concerning the Rapture occurring separate from the Second Coming. Even in the more modern church, those like William Witherby -(1818) were precursors to John Darby in support of the view. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is indeed then not only Biblical, but supported throughout Church history.


Closing Thoughts

I thank you for coming down this mental journey with me concerning why I believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. Hopefully it has confirmed or challenged some of your eschatological ideas. Bear in mind, though, that one’s end-time views have no bearing on the doctrine of salvation. What is to be celebrated is that our salvation will one day lead us upwards to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever and ever.

*****

As these three segments show, the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture (“Deliverance before Judgment”) is well organized, based upon Scripture, through cross-analysis, and the reconciliation of all key points fully explained.

Critics of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture always, deceive their readers and viewers by stating the doctrine began in the 1800’s with John Nelson Darby and Margaret MacDonald. By attacking the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine, it reveals their disingenuous agenda. It is an outright lie and misrepresentation of Church leadership and became evident since the days of the Apostle Paul. -(Acts 20:28-30; 2nd Thessalonians 2:3).

The fact is that when Roman Catholicism became dominant under Constantine and Augustine in the early to mid-fourth century, the merger of church and state led to suppression of all theological discussion that did not conform to Rome’s established doctrine and dogma. They snuffed out Pre-Millennialism by the end of the fourth century and controlled all theological discourse until the period of the Reformation in the 1500’s. The Jesuits were created and established by Ignatius Loyola as a measure of waging a Counter-Reformation of destroying all dissidents. Jesuits are not the typical Catholic order of priests. The Jesuits are the Vatican’s “Army”, they led the Inquisition since 1540. Jesuits are not permitted to baptize or marry laity under Roman Catholic doctrine. They hear confession, and are engaged in education and government.

In over fifty years of study of Bible Prophecy, I have found that most opponents of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture have been raised in the Roman Catholic Institution. When engaged in debate or discussion by those opposed to the view expressed here by Nathan E. Jones, or myself, I would ask such individuals to explain their religious background or training. The common denominator of those opposing the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is in the fact they came from a Roman Catholic background, where “fear” is the dominant controlling emotion used to intimidate and manipulate its congregants. This, in turn, leads to rejection of the premise of “Deliverance before Judgment”. Rome has used “fear” as a motivator since Augustine! I grew up in a Catholic neighborhood, my friends were Catholics, and several became Catholic priests, one an Auxiliary Archbishop. Their conversations reflected the use of the role of “fear” in controlling their parishioners.


Pastor Bob


Notes:

  1. http://christinprophecy.org/articles/why-i-believe-in-a-pre-tribulation-rapture/