CET: 13 A Biblical Evaluation of Pre-tribulationism

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Chapter 13

A Biblical Evaluation of Pre-tribulationism

A) Introduction to Pre-tribulationism

B) 8 Pre-tribulation myths already addressed in Christ’s Endtimes Teaching

Primary Points

The Pre-tribulation Rapture teaching is a significant fulfillment of Paul’s prophecy that myths would arise in the Church.
Pre-tribulationism is one of the most influential false teachings to invade the Church in its entire history.
There is not a single verse in Scripture that teaches what Pre-tribulationism claims.
All the arguments for the most popular view of the Endtimes are all myths, rather than biblical doctrine.
It is a myth that the events described in the first 28 verses of Christ’s Endtimes Teaching have nothing to do with the Church.
It is a myth that the Church will never encounter the Antichrist or experience The Greatest Persecution.
It is a myth that Christ will come in a “secret & silent rapture.”
It is a myth that the Church is not mentioned in Revelation chapters 5-18 as being on Earth.
It is a myth that Christ’s Return for the Church and His visible Coming are described as two different events in Scripture, separated by 7 years.
Matthew 24:31 is not describing a gathering of Jews at the Battle of Armageddon as Pre-tribulationism claims.
It is a myth that God’s Endtimes plan for Israel and the Church are completely separate and do not overlap in any way.
It is a myth that a literal interpretation of prophetic Scripture leads to the Pre-tribulational view.

A) Introduction to Pre-tribulationism

In chapter 1 you were reminded of the Apostle Paul’s prediction and warning to the Church:

The time will come when they [Christians] will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Tim 4:3-4 NASB)

The next several chapters will explain and refute several popular myths about the Endtimes. These are primarily promoted by the view known as the Pre-tribulation Rapture. It is important that we recognize that many of those who teach and believe this view are genuine Christians. No unnecessary offense is intended as we biblically evaluate the view. But unfortunately, the Pre-tribulation Rapture teaching is a significant fulfillment of Paul’s prophecy that Christians would accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and … turn away their ears from the truth and … turn aside to myths. To call the biblical errors in Pre-tribulationism myths, is a nicer way of saying they are actually false teaching. In fact, given the popularity of these myths, it will be demonstrated that Pre-tribulationism is one of the most influential false teachings to ever invade the Church in its entire history.

Let us be reminded of what the Pre-tribulational Rapture view claims. It teaches that the Church’s Rescue (“rapture”) will occur before the “tribulation.” Thus, it is labeled Pre-tribulationism. You read in chapter 3:

Pre-tribulationism claims that the Church is “raptured” from the Earth before any other Endtime events occur. In other words, it is claimed that the Church will not experience any of the events Jesus described in His Endtimes Teaching. Therefore, Pre-tribulationism claims no Christians in the Church today can experience or witness the wars, and famines of the beginning of birth pains, or Antichrist’s abomination of desolation, or the greatest persecution (Matt 24:4-7, 15, 21, 24).

Obviously, this is a very attractive view. In a survey, 36% of Protestant Pastors claimed Pre-tribulationism best reflected their beliefs on the Endtimes. That was significantly higher than the percentage for any other views. This view has been especially promoted by the Left Behind fictional novels which have sold over 65 million copies worldwide. Again, these novels are fiction. Still, they have had more impact on the Church’s Endtimes beliefs than any other resource. (sec. E)

As demonstrated in chapter 8 (sec. C), this view was not taught in the Early Church, nor in about 1900 years of Church history. It was not until the 1920’s that it grew in popularity. Since then it has been adopted by some very influential American seminaries and teachers. ^[1]

It is obvious why Pre-tribulationism is an attractive view of the Endtimes. It promises that Christians living today cannot experience the Antichrist and his Greatest Persecution. For example, Mark Hitchcock, one of the most popular teachers of Pre-tribulationism writes:

If the Rapture occurs in your lifetime, your future will be very different depending on which view is correct. Will you be here to see the Antichrist? Will you be forced to choose whether to take his mark?.. Or will you be in heaven during this time, experiencing a glorious fellowship and intimacy with the Lamb and His sheep? ^[2]

It is obvious which alternative is more attractive. We would all rather avoid what Jesus called the greatest persecution of His people that will ever occur in the history of humanity (Matt 24:21). But as Paul warned us in 2 Timothy above, we cannot determine sound doctrine … in accordance with our own desires. If we do, we will turn away … from the truth and will turn aside to myths. This is precisely what has happened in the Church’s response to the Pre-tribulation Rapture teaching. Perhaps the primary reason that Pre-tribulationism is so popular is because it promises we will not have to experience the suffering that Christ said would occur in the Endtimes.

It is feared that one motivation for some who teach Pre-tribulationism is to please people rather than God. If so, then they are among those teachers that enable Christians to accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires (2 Tim 4:3). This dysfunctional and unbiblical dynamic in Pre-tribulational churches has resulted in what Van Kampen described when he wrote:

There is, however, one other element that contributes to the reluctance of some of these Christian leaders to change their view on the timing of Christ’s return for His own, even if they know in the depths of their hearts that their pretribulation position is either wrong or, at best, weak. Teachers and preachers gain significance and stature through what they teach or preach. And if for years they have taught something as truth—and in some cases written books about it—then no matter how overwhelming the argument against their position becomes, it is hard for them to say, “I was wrong.” Like [the very influential 20^th century Bible teacher Donald G.] Barnhouse, they may admit reservations privately, but not publicly. Scores of men in Christian leadership have told me that if they were to publicly teach the Prewrath Rapture position, they would lose their jobs. ^[3]

Because of Pre-tribulationism’s popularity, the reader might be wondering what Bible verses are used to support it. It is not exaggerating to say there is not a single verse in Scripture that teaches what Pre-tribulationism claims. Again, its teaching is this: The very first event of the Endtimes is a ”secret and silent” Return of Christ to “rapture” the Church so that it does not experience The Beginning of Birth Pains or the Antichrist and his Greatest Persecution. Again, there is not a single verse in Scripture that teaches this.

In fact, the Pre-tribulationist Mark Hitchcock admits this. He writes: “No single verse says Jesus is coming to rapture His saints before the seven-year Tribulation.” ^[4] That is a remarkable statement. But it is true. And this fact about Pre-tribulationism can be contrasted with the many NT Scriptures that clearly teach the Pre-wrath Rescue position explained in this book. As demonstrated in previous chapters, these include Christ’s Endtimes Teaching, Paul’s Thessalonian epistles, and Revelation chapters 6-7. All of these consistently teach that The Beginning of Birth Pains and The Greatest Persecution all occur before the Church’s Rescue. Therefore, it would seem the best argument for Pre-tribulationism is the modern Church’s fear of persecution and suffering, not something in God’s Word.

The following are 13 primary myths taught by Pre-tribulationism. They represent 13 of the most popular and foundational arguments for the position: ^[5]

Myth #1: The events described in the first 28 verses of Christ’s Endtimes Teaching have nothing to do with the Church.

Myth #2: The Church will never encounter the Antichrist or experience The Greatest Persecution.

Myth #3: Christ will come in a “secret & silent rapture.”

Myth #4: The Church is not mentioned in Revelation chapters 4-17 as being on Earth.

Myth #5: Christ’s Return for the Church and His visible Coming are described as two different events in Scripture, separated by 7 years.

Myth #6: Christ’s Return and the Church’s Rescue described in Christ’s Endtimes Teaching is merely a gathering of Jews at the Battle of Armageddon.

Myth #7: God’s Endtimes plan for Israel and the Church are completely separate and do not overlap in any way.

Myth #8: A literal interpretation of prophetic Scripture leads to Pre-tribulationism.

Myth #9: The “tribulation” is Christ’s Wrath which we are promised to be rescued from.

Myth #10: The Rapture will happen at any moment, without any warning signs.

Myth #11: Unbelievers will be experiencing “peace and safety” before Christ’s Return

Myth #12: The “Restrainer” of the Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 is the Holy Spirit, and His removal refers to the “Rapture” of the Church

Myth #13: Revelation 3:10 describes the Church’s Rescue.

Pre-tribulation myths #1-#8 above will be briefly discussed in this chapter because they have already been refuted in previous chapters of Christ’s Endtimes Teaching. Myth #9 regarding the nature and timing of Christ’s Wrath is a fundamental issue in disproving Pre-tribulationism and will be explained in chapter 14. Myths #10-#13 are addressed in chapter 15. Finally, the practical and spiritual harm of Pre-tribulationism and other views is discussed in chapter 16.

Obviously, this is a lot of information. That is why 3 entire chapters are devoted to explaining and biblically refuting Pre-tribulationism. Again, you can explain the truth well in a paragraph. But it requires pages to refute error. As a result of this study, it will become clear that all the arguments for the most popular view of the Endtimes are all myths, rather than biblical doctrine.

B) 8 Pre-tribulation myths already addressed in Christ’s Endtimes Teaching

B.1) Myth #1: The events described in the first 28 verses of Christ’s Endtimes Teaching have nothing to do with the Church

This myth is required to be true for Pre-tribulationism to have any validity. As discussed thoroughly in chapter 3 of Christ’s Endtimes Teaching, if there is even one Endtime event described by Christ in Matthew 24:4-31, that Christians in the Church will experience on Earth, then Pre-tribulationism completely falls apart.

Contrary to Pre-tribulationism, Jesus said three times that His Endtimes Teaching applied to the elect (Matt 24:22, 24, 31), a term used for God’s people in the Church throughout the NT. Therefore, this essential Pre-tribulational myth is proven to be unbiblical.

Myth #1 in Pretribulationism is that the events described in the first 28 verses of Christ’s Endtimes Teaching have nothing to do with the Church. The truth is this: All of Christ’s Endtimes Teaching applies to the Church because the Last Generation Church will experience everything Jesus described in his sermon.

B.2) Myth #2: The Church will never encounter the Antichrist or experience The Greatest Persecution

Again, this is probably the most attractive thing about Pre-tribulationism: It’s promise that the Church will never experience the events of the “tribulation.” However, chapters 3-8 of this book clearly and biblically refute this myth of Pre-tribulationism. Specific Scriptures that clearly refute it are Matthew 24:29-31 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. This popular myth claims that the Real Christ comes to Rescue the Church before the Antichrist comes to persecute the Church. That is not biblical. Instead, Jesus and Paul taught that the Antichrist comes to persecute the Church before the Real Christ comes to Rescue the Church.

Myth #2 in Pretribulationism is that the Church will never encounter the Antichrist or experience The Greatest Persecution. The truth is this: The Last Generation Church will suffer the greatest persecution in the history of humanity.

B.3) Myth #3: Christ will come in a “secret & silent rapture”

It is difficult to understand how Pre-tribulationism even came to this belief in Scripture. This is a foundational theme of Lahaye’s Left Behind novels and Pre-tribulationism. The fictional books are famous for portraying Christians instantly and mysteriously missing from airplanes, cars, etc. This false teaching is that the unbelieving world will be clueless as to where all the Christians have gone after the “rapture.” Such an idea may make a wonderful storyline for fictional novels. However, there is not a single verse of Scripture that describes Christ’s Return or the Church’s Rescue as a “secret, silent” event. Therefore, without this foundational argument, Pre-tribulationism is completely false. The truth is that Christ’s Return for the Church’s Rescue will be visible to the whole world. Even the classic “rapture” text states:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven [and be seen by the whole world], with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thess 4:16-17 NIV)

Contrary to a fundamental claim of Pre-tribulationism, this is not describing a “secret, silent rapture” but a very visible and loud Rescue of the Church. The Bible consistently describes Christ’s Return for His Church in this way (cf. Matt 16:27; 24:27-31; Luke 21:25-28; Acts 1:9-11; Col 3:4; 1 Thess 4:15-17; 2 Thess 1:6‑7; 2 Tim 4:8; Tit 2:13; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:13; Rev 1:7; 6:16-17).

The most common Scripture offered to suggest a “secret & silent rapture” is 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 where Paul writes:

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. (NLT)

Obviously, this passage describes the Church’s Rescue and the First Resurrection. It also describes the transformation of our bodies happening quickly as in a moment, in the blink of an eye. Pre-tribulationism claims that because our bodies will all be transformed … in the blink of an eye during the “rapture,” that this means the “rapture” is a “secret and silent” event.

First, just because the transformation of our bodies will occur quickly in the “rapture,” does not mean it will happen “secretly and silently.” Secondly, those who teach this seem to intentionally ignore something very clear in the text. The Apostle adds that when the First Resurrection occurs the last trumpet will be blown and make trumpet sounds. This is the same trumpet call of God that Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 that will occur with the “rapture.” It is also the same loud trumpet sound that Jesus said would occur when He will send out His angels to lift up and gather together God’s elect people in the sky, from everywhere on Earth (Matt 24:31). ^[6]

Myth #3 in Pretribulationism is that Christ will come in a “secret & silent rapture.” The truth is this: Christ’s Return for the Church’s Rescue will be visible and known to the whole world. As Jesus said: For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (Matt 24:27 NIV) when He Rescues His Church.

B.4) Myth #4: The Church is not mentioned in Revelation chapters 4-17 as being on Earth

Many supporters of Pre-tribulationism suggest this is among the most important reasons to accept this view. For example, John MacArthur writes:

For many reasons, the pre-tribulation view seems most faithful to New Testament teaching. First of all, chapters 2-3 of Revelation speak of the church on earth, and chapters 4-5 speak of the church in heaven. But beginning with chapter 6, which introduces the Tribulation, there is no further mention of the church until chapter 18. ^[7]

Frankly, one is astounded with a statement like this from such a rightly respected Bible teacher. As demonstrated earlier, the many mentions of bond-servants and saints throughout the NT and the Revelation clearly refer to members of the Church (cf. ch. 6, sec. A). It seems the only places in Revelation that Pre-tribulationism wants to exclude the Church is where it describes Christians being persecuted by the Antichrist in chapters 12-13 of the book.

Again, Pre-tribulationism is the popular view that the Church is “raptured” before any of the painful events in Revelation occur. One of the most common verses to support this view is Revelation 4:1. The Apostle John writes:

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet [Jesus Christ] said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. (Rev 4:1-2 NIV)

Many supporters of Pre-tribulationism have claimed this is one of the clearest verses in Scripture supporting their view that the “rapture” occurs before any of the subsequent events in the Revelation. For example, Tim Lahaye writes:

Inasmuch as John was the last remaining apostle and a member of the universal Church, his elevation to heaven is a picture of the Rapture of the Church just before the Tribulation begins. ^[8]

What is a primary reason Lahaye gives for reading so much into the command “Come up here”? He writes: “The absence of any mention of the Church in the rest of Revelation.” ^[9] But that has been clearly demonstrated above to be simply false.

Contrary to Lahaye, we do not have the freedom to simply insert whatever meaning we want into the text in order to fit our preconceived scheme. The text itself explains why Jesus told the Apostle to “Come up here.” Jesus said to him, “I will show you what must take place after this.” The Apostle was elevated to Heaven to receive the rest of the Revelation. That’s it.

It is interesting to note that the two Endtime Prophets are given the identical heavenly command to “Come up here” (Rev 11:12). Pre-tribulationism never claims this has anything to do with the “rapture.”

As explained in chapter 6 (sec. B.2), Revelation 7:9, 14 is a much better description of the “rapture.” It would seem the only reason it is rejected as such by Pre-tribulationism is because it describes the Church’s Rescue occurring after the great persecution (v. 14), something Pre-tribulationists cannot accept. ^[10]

Myth #4 in Pre-tribulationism is that the Church is not mentioned in Revelation chapters 4-17 as being on Earth. The truth is that Revelation chapters 12-13 describe Christ’s bond servants and God’s saints who will be the Last Generation Church, being persecuted by the Antichrist on Earth.

B.5) Myth #5: Christ’s Return for the Church and His visible Coming are described as two different events in Scripture, separated by 7 years

Pre-tribulationism claims the initial and visible appearance of Christ’s Return occurs separate from the Church’s Rescue. More than that, this false teaching claims that Christ’s visible Return occurs 7 years after the Church’s Rescue. This is because it is claimed that the Church’s Rescue occurs in a “secret, silent, rapture” at the beginning of what can be called “Daniel’s Last 7 Years” (“70^th Week”). And then it is claimed that Christ’s first visible appearance occurs at the end of those 7 years. Indeed, Pre-tribulationism is rather complicated.

Instead of trying to explain its errors more clearly, let us be reminded of Scripture and understand the truth about Christ’s Second Coming. Earlier in chapter 9 (sec. A) the following primary points were demonstrated:

There is one Second Coming of Christ. But within His Coming, Christ will visibly appear at two different times.
In Christ’s first appearance He comes for the Church’s Rescue (cf. Matt 24:29-31). In Christ’s second appearance He comes with His Church for the Battle of Armageddon (cf. Rev 19:11-21).
In between these two appearances of Christ on Earth, He remains in Heaven with the Church while His Angels execute His Wrath on Earth during a considerable but unknown period of time. The Pre-wrath Rescue position does not teach that the Church immediately returns to Earth after its Rescue.
Scripture does not tell us how much time elapses between Christ’s two appearances, or how long Christ’s Wrath lasts.

These biblical conclusions were illustrated in the following graphic:

Armed with these biblical truths, we can address errors in Pre-tribulationism regarding Christ’s Return. For example, Hitchcock writes:

There are three key future events that comprise God’s distinct prophetic plan for the church: the Rapture, the judgment seat of Christ, and the marriage of the Lamb. The church will be caught up to the Father’s house, each believer will be rewarded, and then the bride will be presented to her Bridegroom. All this will happen before the church returns with Christ to earth at His second coming [7 years later at the Battle of Armageddon]. ^[11]

Not only are these statements complicated, like most of Pre-tribulationism, they are unbiblical. Let’s again go to Scripture.

Pretribulationism places The Great White Throne Evaluation between the two appearances of Christ, suggesting it occurs during “Daniel’s Last 7 Years” (“70^th Week”). But the Bible does not require this and argues against it. Let us remember how Paul described this event:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Cor 5:10)

Jesus Christ will personally meet with every single person who has ever lived and evaluate everything in their life (cf. the books; Rev 20:11-13). How many people will that be? One source suggests that would be “about 117 billion” humans if the world ended today. ^[12] If Christ spends even one hour with each person that would require over 320 million “years.” All of this is why The Great White Throne Evaluation occurs after Eternity begins.

This is implied in Revelation chapters 20-21. After a description of the end of the 1,000 year Millennium (cf. Rev 20:7-10) we read: Then I saw a great white throne [where The Great White Throne Evaluation will occur] and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them (Rev 20:11). The absence of the earth and the heavens in Revelation 20 suggests at this point that the first earth had passed away and a new heaven and a new earth exist at this point in “time” as described in chapter 21 (v. 1). But there really is no “time” at this point because Eternity has begun. Therefore, it would seem that perhaps for the first several million “years” of Eternity, The Great White Throne Evaluation will be occurring. Why would this seem impractical? This event is very important to Christ, and again, time has no meaning at all in eternity!

This explanation is better than how Pre-tribulationism describes this. It claims “the Judgment Seat of Christ” occurs during some supposed 7 years between the Church’s Rescue and Christ’s second appearance at the Battle of Armageddon. To make such a view practical, Tim Lahaye in his fictional novels suggests Jesus supernaturally meets personally with millions of people all at the same time. Such a fanciful explanation is not necessary if we understand The Great White Throne Evaluation, which is “the Judgment Seat of Christ” occurs after Eternity begins. ^[13] But more importantly, it does not reflect the personal and individual nature of our evaluation with Christ described in 2 Corinthians 5:10.

In addition, the Pre-tribulational teaching that Daniel’s Last 7 Years (“70^th Week”) begins with the Church’s Rescue is not biblical. Daniel’s Last 7 Years begins with Antichrist’s Religious Covenant with many (Dan 9:27). This will occur sometime during The Beginning of Birth Pains, seven years before Christ’s Return to Rescue His Church. This will be discussed further in the book, The Beginning of Birth Pains.

Another error of Pre-tribulationism is to claim that NT references to “the day of Christ” can be clearly distinguished between references to “the day of the Lord.” It is further claimed that the “Christ” references refer to Christ’s “secret, silent, rapture” and the “Lord” references to His second appearance at the Battle of Armageddon.

Common sense would tell us such a distinction between “Christ” and “Lord” is very unlikely. In fact, when one studies the relevant verses, it becomes obvious there is no clear distinction at all. NT scholar Robert Gundry has provided a lengthy study of the issue and summarizes his research as follows:

A distinction is often made between a pre-tribulational “day of Christ” and a following “day of the Lord.” The phrases “day of Christ” and “day” with a compound appellative appear in 1 Corinthians 1:8; 5:5 (perhaps); 2 Corinthians 1:14; Philippians 1:6, 10; 2:16.

The arbitrariness of the proposed distinction becomes evident in the following observations: In not one passage is the “day of Christ” construed with the rapture or a pre-tribulational coming of Christ (as Pretribulationism claims). In the one reference where Paul connects the phrase with other eschatological terms (1 Cor. 1:8), those terms are at least ambiguous if not weighted on the post-tribulational [rapture] side…

Of the remaining five occurrences, there are four different combinations of the component names in the full title of Christ: “day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:8); “day of our Lord Jesus” (2 Cor. 1:14); “day of Christ Jesus” or “Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6; but again manuscripts vary); “day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10; 2:16). The variations suggest that we do not have a single technical phrase in contradistinction to the day of the Lord, but an expansion of the basic term “day of the Lord.” ^[14]

Myth #9 in Pre-tribulationism is: Christ’s Return for the Church and His visible Coming are described as two different events in Scripture, separated by 7 years. The truth is that there will be an initial appearance of Christ to Rescue the Church (cf. Matt 24:29-31), and then after an unspecified period of time at the end of Christ’s Wrath (and the Trumpet and Bowl Punishments), Christ will appear again, with the Church, for the Battle of Armageddon (cf. Rev 19:11-21).

B.6) Myth #6: Christ’s Return and the Church’s Rescue described in Christ’s Endtimes Teaching is merely a gathering of Jews at the Battle of Armageddon

In Christ’s Endtimes Teaching He said:

Immediately after the completion of the greatest persecution, then ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

Then the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the sky. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet sound, and they will lift up and gather together God’s elect people from one end of the sky to the other, from everywhere on Earth.” (Matt 24:29-31 ^[15]).

As demonstrated throughout Christ’s Endtimes Teaching, Pre-tribulationism completely misinterprets this Scripture and practically ignores it. This would seem to be because of a bias against it. In chapter 3 (sec. A) there was a warning against the distorting effect of approaching Endtime texts with a preconceived bias. That distorting bias would seem to be illustrated by the eminent Dallas Theological Seminary Professor John Walvoord when he wrote regarding the correct interpretation of Matthew 24:

What is often overlooked in the discussion [of Endtime events] is that we lack a specific statement that the rapture of the church occurs at the time of Christ’s second coming to set up his kingdom. ^[16]

On the contrary, in Matthew 24:29-31 Jesus could hardly be clearer that He is describing a “rapture” of God’s elect people (eklektous) at the time of His coming.

Likewise, it is difficult to understand how Walvoord can write the following:

The two essentials of the rapture of the church are resurrection of the dead in Christ and translation of living Christians, as brought out clearly in central passages such as 1 Thess 4:13–18 and 1 Cor 15:51–58. The prophecy in Matthew [24], however, says nothing of either resurrection or translation [into the sky] and refers only to the gathering of the elect [on the Earth?]. ^[17]

On the contrary, Jesus said He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet sound, and they will lift up and gather together God’s elect people from one end of the sky to the other, from everywhere on Earth (Matt 24:31). Contrary to Pre-tribulationism, Christ was describing a gathering in the sky, not on the Earth. Also, Walvoord ignores that Jesus mentions a loud trumpet sound, just as Paul does in his description of the “rapture” (cf. 1 Thess 4:16), and the resurrection (cf. 1 Cor 15:52).

Unfortunately, Pre-tribulationism typically interprets Matt 24:31 in the following way: 1) This is describing only a gathering of Jews on the Earth; 2) This is Christ’s Return at the Battle of Armageddon. This latter claim was thoroughly refuted in chapter 9 (sec. A) and illustrated in the graphic above of Christ’s two appearances.

Regarding the claim that Matthew 24:31 is only describing a gathering of Jews on the Earth, more can be said. Scripture does predict a world-wide gathering of saved Jews after Christ’s Return (cf. Deut 30:4; Isa 27:12-13; 60:4; Jer 32:37; Ezek 34:11-13; Zech 2:6-7). But there are several reasons to distinguish the gathering of Jews described in the OT, from the gathering of the Church described in Matthew 24:31.

First, it was demonstrated earlier that Matthew 24:31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 are describing the same event (cf. ch. 5, sec. A). No Pre-tribulationists contend that Paul was describing a mere gathering of Jews in Thessalonians. Therefore, they are in error to claim this is the case with Matthew 24:31.

Second, the gathering of the Church in Matthew 24:31 lifts His people to meet the Lord in the air to be with the Lord forever (1 Thess 4:17). As reflected in the OT verses referenced above, the gathering of Jews predicted in the OT will bring them to the nation of Israel.

Myth #6 in Pre-tribulationism is: Christ’s Return and the Church’s Rescue described in Christ’s Endtimes Teaching is merely a gathering of Jews at the Battle of Armageddon. The truth is this: Matthew 24:31 is describing Christ’s Return for the Church, not His appearance at the Battle of Armageddon.

B.7) Myth #7: God’s Endtimes plan for Israel and the Church are completely separate and do not overlap in any way

This is another foundational belief of Pre-tribulationism. Lahaye writes:

Separating Israel and the Church is one of the major keys to rightly understanding Bible prophecy… If you do not make that distinction, it is unlikely you will see a pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.” ^[18]

That’s quite true. If you do not completely separate God’s Endtime plan for Israel and the Church, then you will not “see a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.” The fact is that the Scriptures clearly teach that both the Church and the Jews will be persecuted by the Antichrist in the Endtimes. For example, Jesus said The Greatest Persecution would involve God’s elect people (Matt 24:22, 24, 31) which includes the Church. However, it will begin in Jerusalem (Luke 21:21, 24) and Judea (Matt 24:15-16) and include the Jews.

This is confirmed in Revelation 12 which says of the Satan-indwelled Antichrist: he pursued the woman [Israel] who had given birth to the male child [Jesus] (v. 13). Clearly he will be persecuting the Jews in Israel. However, the prophecy goes on to state that after Israel is miraculously rescued from the Antichrist (cf. vs. 14-16) He will wage war against the rest of her [Israel’s spiritual] offspring [the Church]—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus (v. 17).

The only way Pre-tribulationism can argue against this is to conveniently claim that passages referring to Endtime persecution have nothing to do with the Church, but only Israel.

This foundational argument for Pre-tribulationism (and its theological parent, Dispensationalism ^[19]) has been disproven multiple times in previous chapters of Christ’s Endtimes Teaching. In chapters 3, 6, and 7 sections were provided proving that Christ’s Endtimes Teaching (Matt 24), Revelation (chs. 6-7, 12-13), and Daniel (chs. 7, 9, 12), all apply to the Church. This is devastating to the Pre-tribulation position.

For example, perhaps the most foundational claim by Pre-tribulationism is that Daniel 9:24-27 has no application for the Church. More specifically, it is often stated that the “69 weeks” predicted in this passage does not apply to the Church. Therefore, it is claimed that Daniel’s “70th week,” describing activities of the Antichrist, cannot apply to the Church. But as stated earlier in this book:

First, the prophecy of the “69 weeks” clearly includes God’s plan for the Church. It culminates with the Anointed One (Christ) being put to death (v. 26). Does anyone want to claim that this prediction of the crucifixion of Christ does not apply to the Church in any way? (ch. 7, sec. B.1)

Unfortunately, as a Pre-tribulationist, MacArthur does want to claim that this prediction of the crucifixion of Christ in Dan 9:26 does not apply to the Church in any way. He writes:

That prophecy of Daniel [that Christ would be killed] was given to and about Israel, and it seems inappropriate to involve the church in the last week (the seven-year Tribulation) when it clearly was not involved in the first 69. ^[20]

On the contrary, if the culmination of the “69 weeks” was Christ’s death and applies to the Church, then we can expect elements of the “70th week” to as well. There are no Scriptures that teach otherwise. Even the Pre-tribulationist Walvoord admits: “The natural interpretation of [Dan 9:26] is that it refers to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.” ^[21]

Pre-tribulationism seems to completely ignore what the NT teaches on the relationship between the Church and Israel. The Apostle Paul wrote:

Don’t forget that you Gentiles [in the Church] used to be outsiders… You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know [nor were you participants in] the covenant promises God had made to them [Israel, including promises about the Endtimes]…

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus… He made peace between Jews [Israel] and Gentiles [the Church] by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. (Eph 2:11-13, 15 NLT)

Granted, the relationship between God’s Endtimes plan for Israel and the Church is one of the most complex topics of Scripture. ^[22] But contrary to Pre-tribulationism (and Dispensationalism), Israel and the Church have been united in at least some elements of God’s Endtimes plan for them. Any view of the prophetic Scriptures that automatically and completely separates God’s Endtimes plan for Israel and the Church is not biblical. ^[23]

The unity of Israel and the Church is clearly portrayed in Revelation. For example, twenty-four elders in Heaven are mentioned five times. They are introduced in chapter 4 where we read: Surrounding the throne [of God] were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads (v. 4). Not surprisingly, there has been considerable debate about who these elders are. But the best interpretation seems to be that they represent the 12 OT Patriarchs and the 12 NT Apostles. This is confirmed in Revelation 21 where we read of the New Jerusalem:

It had a great, high wall with twelve gates… On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes [Patriarchs] of Israel… The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Rev 21:12, 14 NIV).

Clearly, the consummation of God’s plan is to bring Israel and the Church together for all of eternity. It is suggested this unity is also portrayed in the twenty-four elders.

Pre-tribulationism itself seems to violate a complete distinction between Israel and the Church in the Endtimes in its interpretation of the 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel who will be sealed at Christ’s Return (Rev 7:4). According to Pre-tribulationism, these Jews will be super-evangelists who lead a multitude of new Christians into the New Covenant. Of course, the claim is that these Christians are not members of Christ’s Church, which is clearly not biblical. Nevertheless, the suggested mixture of Jews and Christians at this time argues against the typical (and Dispensational) view that God’s program for these two groups is completely separate.

Why does Pre-tribulationism want to completely separate God’s Endtime plan for Israel and the Church? For one reason, it allows them to claim the first 28 verses of Christ’s Endtimes Teaching has nothing to do with the Church.

Myth #7 in Pretribulationism is that God’s Endtimes plan for Israel and the Church are completely separate and do not overlap in any way. The truth is this: Both the Church and Israel will be persecuted by the Antichrist, which is one example of God’s Endtimes plan for them overlapping in some way.

B.8) Myth #8: A literal interpretation of prophetic Scripture leads to Pre-tribulationism

Fortunately, Pre-tribulationism has been a foremost defender of interpreting prophetic Scripture literally. Lahaye writes:

Never should one resort to a figurative, symbolic, or secondary meaning of any passage of Scripture unless there is warrant for the same in the context. ^[24]

This is good advice. Accordingly, Pre-tribulationism has provided many legitimate critiques of only interpreting prophetic Scripture metaphorically or symbolically. As a result, they have correctly exposed many biblical errors in other views including Amillennialism (i.e. fulfillment of prophecy is primarily spiritual) and Preterism (i.e. prophecy has already been fulfilled).

However, Pre-tribulationism has assumed that after disproving these views, that their position is the only one that reflects a literal and logical approach to prophetic Scripture. In other words, it is often implied that by merely demonstrating the importance of interpreting Scripture literally, and disproving other views that ignore this, that Pre-tribulationism is proven to be biblical.

In response, two things can be said. First, Pre-tribulationism at times violates their own rules of hermeneutics. An example is the belief that the command to John in Revelation 4 to “Come up here” (v. 1) is the “rapture” of the Church. The Pre-tribulationist Lahaye was quoted above to say: “Never should one resort to a … secondary meaning of any passage of Scripture unless there is warrant for the same in the context.” Yet as noted above, (sec B.4), Lahaye violates his own rule of interpretation.

The second thing that can be said about the myth that a literal interpretation of prophetic Scripture leads to Pre-tribulationism is this. The Pre-wrath Rescue position explained in Christ’s Endtimes Teaching also emphasizes a literal interpretation of prophetic Scripture.

Myth #8 in Pre-tribulationism is that a literal interpretation of prophetic Scripture leads to the Pre-tribulational view. The truth is that a literal interpretation of prophetic Scripture also leads to the more biblical Pre-wrath Rescue position.

Seminaries and Bible Colleges especially promoting Pre-tribulationism include Dallas Theological Seminary, The Master’s Seminary, Talbot School of Theology, Grace Theological Seminary, and Liberty University. Prominent teachers promoting Pre-tribulationism include John MacArthur, John Walvoord, and many popular radio teachers including Charles Swindoll and David Jeremiah. ↑
Hitchcock, End, 135. ↑
Van Kampen, Rapture, Kindle loc. 2675ff. ↑
Ibid. 136. ↑
Just to make sure that all the important arguments for Pre-tribulationism are addressed, we will note those proposed by Dr. Richard Mayhue. He is the Research Professor of Theology Emeritus at The Master’s Seminary where the rightly respected Bible teacher John MacArthur also serves. In the Master’s Seminary journal (vol. 10, num. 2) Mayhue writes an article entitled “Why a Pretribulational Rapture?” Because of his standing as a Bible scholar one would expect the very best arguments for Pre-tribulationism in his article. One section is entitled: “Will the ‘Rapture’ be Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Daniel’s 70^th Week?” Notice he does not even include the Pre-wrath Rescue position in his article.Mayhue has seven arguments he claims will support Pre-tribulationism. #1 is: “The Church Is Not Mentioned in Revelation 6-18 as Being on Earth.” This argument was refuted earlier in ch. 6, sec. A, and in this chapter (12, sec. B.4) where it was pointed out that God’s servants and saints are repeatedly mentioned throughout Revelation and clearly refer to the Church.
Arguments #2 and #5 from Mayhue are meant to refute Post-tribulationism (#2: “The Rapture Is Rendered Inconsequential if it is Posttribulational First; #5: “John 14:1-3 Parallels 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). The Pre-wrath Rescue view would generally agree with Mayhue on these points. However, his arguments against Post-tribulationism do nothing to refute the Pre-wrath Rescue position.

Mayhue’s third argument is: “The Epistles Contain No Preparatory Warnings of an Impending Tribulation for Church-Age Believers.” First, Mayhue completely ignores the warnings to the Church in Christ’s Endtimes Teaching as all Pre-tribulationists do. Secondly, Paul wrote: But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days including people who would be brutal and treacherous (2 Tim 3:1, 3-4 NIV) toward other people, certainly including Christians. Thirdly, if there is a lack of “warnings” regarding a “tribulation” in the epistle, it may be because the early Church believed it was already experiencing Endtime events. Therefore, they did not need a “preparatory warning” of “tribulation.” This was certainly the case in the Thessalonian epistles.

Mayhue’s fourth argument is: “First Thessalonians 4:13–18 Demands a Pretribulational Rapture.” He supports this by stating:

One would expect the Thessalonians to be joyous over the fact that loved ones are home with the Lord and will not have to endure the horrors of the tribulation. But the Thessalonians are actually grieving because they fear their loved ones have missed the rapture. Only a pretribulational rapture accounts for this grief.

This is not true. These Christians were grieving because their loved ones had died. And why would these Christians “fear their loved ones had missed the rapture” if their loved ones were already dead?

Secondly, Mayhue writes:

One would expect the Thessalonians to be grieving over their own impending trial rather than grieving over loved ones [why? They died]. Furthermore, they would be inquisitive about their own future doom. But the Thessalonians have no fears or questions about the coming tribulation.

This is only presumption, and they certainly had “fears” and “questions” when Paul wrote his second letter to them (cf. ch. 2).

Mayhue goes on:

Third, one would expect Paul, even in the absence of interest or questions by the Thessalonians, to have provided instructions and exhortation for such a supreme test, which would make their present tribulation seem microscopic in comparison. First Thessalonians 4 fits only the model of a pretribulational rapture. It is incompatible with any other time for the rapture.

Mayhue ignores the fact that in Paul’s second letter to this same church he “provided” considerable “instructions and exhortation” about The Greatest Persecution (cf. 2 Thess 1:6-10; 2:1-11). The reason the Apostle went into so much detail about the Antichrist in 2 Thess 2 was because he clearly anticipated that the Church will experience these things (cf. esp. 2 Thess 2:1-4). Mayhue’s last statement above is false.

Mayhue’s sixth argument for Pre-tribulationism is: “Revelation 3:10 Promises that the Church Will Be Removed Before Daniel’s 70^th Week.” Unfortunately, this fine scholar makes the classic Pre-tribulational mistake of defining “Daniel’s 70^th Week” as Christ’s Wrath. “Daniel’s 70^th Week,” the last half of which is after Antichrist’s Claim to be God, will include The Greatest Persecution (cf. Matt 24:15-22). Therefore, “Daniel’s 70^th Week” is not synonymous with Christ’s Wrath. In fact, “Daniel’s 70^th Week” will end with Christ’s Return and the beginning of Christ’s Wrath. As argued elsewhere in ch. 15, sec. D, Rev 3:10 seems to be promising Endtimes Christians divine protection from the damning temptation of worshipping the Antichrist.

Mayhue’s last argument is that: “The Nature of Events at Christ’s Posttribulational Coming Differs from that of the Rapture.” Again, some of his points refute Post-tribulationism but not the Pre-wrath Rescue position which would agree with some of his points. For example, he concludes: “These differences demand that the rapture occur at a time significantly different from that of the final event [and appearance] of Christ’s second coming.” Indeed, there are differences between Christ’s first appearance to Rescue the Church, and a second appearance sometime later where the Church joins Him for the Battle of Armageddon. This is discussed further in CET (ch. 9, sec. A).

However, Mayhue makes several statements here that are not biblical. For example, he writes: “At the rapture, Christ gathers His own (1 Thess 4:16-17), but at the final event of the second coming, angels gather the elect (Matt 24:31). Because of his misunderstanding of Matt 24:31, he thinks there is a difference between Christ’s “own” and “the elect.” This Pre-tribulational myth will be addressed in ch. 15, sec. E.

Secondly, Mayhue misinterprets Matt 24:40-41 which is discussed thoroughly in ch. 4, sec. C.3.

Thirdly, Mayhue shows his dependence on denying that Christ’s Endtimes Teaching applies to the Church when he writes:

Finally, the rapture is not mentioned in either of the most detailed second coming texts—Matthew 24 and Revelation 19. This is to be expected in light of the observations above, because the pretribulational rapture will have occurred seven years earlier.

How such an otherwise fine Bible scholar cannot see “the rapture” in Matt 24:31 is difficult to understand. ↑
The respected Baptist theologian Millard Erickson writes in response to the idea that there will be a “secret” return of Christ: “There seems little doubt, upon examining the biblical data, that Jesus’ return will be personal and bodily and thus perceivable and unmistakable” (EDT, 993).G. Campbell Morgan, one of the most respected Bible teachers of the last century stated emphatically:
The phrase ‘secret Rapture’ has to me for a longtime been a very objectionable one, and utterly unwarranted in its wording, and in what it is made to stand for by the teaching of Scripture. (quoted in The Blessed Hope, George E. Ladd, p. 55) ↑
MacArthur, MNTC, Matt 24, underlining added. ↑
Lahaye, Revelation, 99. ↑
Ibid. 100. ↑
Gundry shares another reason that Pre-tribulationism’s view of John’s translation to Heaven is incorrect:John does not maintain his heavenly viewpoint throughout Revelation, as we see from 10:1; 11:1ff.; 13:1; 14:1; 18:1. He was transported back and forth between heavenly and earthly settings. Has John suddenly lost his symbolic value as representative of the Church? Or will the Church be raptured only to commute between heaven and earth during the tribulation? There is no convincing reason why the seer’s being ‘in the Spirit’ and being called into heaven typifies the rapture of the church any more than his being taken into the wilderness to view Babylon indicates that the church is there in exile. (Tribulation) ↑
Hitchcock, End, 224. ↑
https://www.prb.org/articles/how-many-people-have-ever-lived-on-earth/#:~:text=No%20demographic%20data%20exist%20for,ever%20been%20born%20on%20Earth. ↑
The timing of the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9) is described in a text describing the second appearance of Christ before the Battle of Armageddon. However, the Revelation is known to not always describe events in chronological order. Surely this event will include all of the Church and therefore be after the Second Resurrection. Therefore, it too will occur at the beginning of Eternity. ↑
Gundry, Tribulation, loc. 1569. ↑
For an explanation of the suggested translation of Matt 24:29-31 see ch. 3, sec. E and ch. 4 sec. C. ↑
Walvoord, “Is a Posttribulational Rapture Revealed in Matthew 24?,” Grace Theological Journal 6, no. 2 [1985], 258) ↑
Ibid., 262. ↑
Lahaye, 110. The order of the sentences quoted is reversed for greater clarity. ↑
Dispensationalism is a popular theological framework that believes there are clear divisions of covenants that God has made with people, and there is virtually no relationship between them. Therefore, they believe God’s redemptive and eschatalogical plan for Israel and the Church are completely separated. ↑
MacArthur, Matt, at Matt 24. ↑
Walvoord, Rev, 229. ↑
The relationship between God’s Endtimes plan for Israel and the Church is discussed further in Additional Studies on the Endtimes, chapter 11, available online at www.trainingtimothys.com. ↑
Unfortunately, Amillennialism uses Eph 2:11-15 to claim the Church has symbolically fulfilled all of God’s intended meaning of His promises to Israel and there is no literal or future meaning for all of OT prophecies. Such “replacement theology” completely ignores the fact that almost 600 biblical prophecies that have already been fulfilled in history, were fulfilled in a literal way, as in a physical event, person, or place (cf. ch. 3, sec. E). ↑
Lahaye, 117. ↑

Chapter 13

A Biblical Evaluation of Pre-tribulationism

Contents

Primary Points