The Pre-Tribulation Rapture
A Word on what the future might hold.
I’m not
going to argue scripture over the timing of the rapture. Because, the
scriptures do not tell us when the rapture will occur, nor when Jesus will
return. It’s not there. I have heard many views on the timing of the rapture.
Pre-trib, mid-trib, pre-wrath, post trib. I have heard that there will be two
raptures. I have heard scripture twisted and turned in every way possible to
make their own view fit.
I have seen prophecy guru’s claim
that the Soviet Union was part of the last day’s scenario and built whole story
lines about it. They called anyone who didn’t agree with them a heretic, who
didn’t know scripture or didn’t know the original language. Then, the Soviet
Union fell.
I’ve seen these people swear up and
down that the European Union is the 10 nation confederacy. If you don’t believe
it then you don’t know the Word! They’d claim. But, then the European Union
went past 10 nations. Then, Britain left the Union. So, what now? Well, now the experts scramble to come up
with explanations that fit their ideology.
I love prophecy, and I believe Jesus
is coming soon. I believe we are in the last days, and there might be a
pre-tribulation rapture at any moment…But…Hold on…There might not be.
Now before you burn me at the stake
as a prophecy heretic, please realize that my desire is to follow Jesus Christ.
I want the truth. I want to follow the Holy Spirit who leads me into all truth.
I don’t want to join a camp or group of Christians who believe a certain way,
and refuse to listen to anyone else.
I want to believe what the apostles
believed. They believed that Jesus Christ was coming soon; in their lifetimes.
They seemed to believe they would face tribulation, because they were already
facing it. Like Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation.” (John
16:33)
I lean in the direction of
pre-wrath. The Bible says that believers are not afforded to wrath. I think
that this is referring to God’s final wrath. It doesn’t mean we won’t face
tribulation. There are some guru’s who call the entire 7 year tribulation God’s
wrath. I’m talking about the final destruction. Jesus said, “As in the days” of
Lot and Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. (Luke 17:37) In both
instances the righteous or the believer, was left living beside the unbeliever until
just before the flood came or the fire fell. Noah did not sit in the ark for 7
years having a feast. Lot did not sit in the mountains for seven years as
things got worse, in Sodom. In both cases, the door was shut, and the person
was removed or made safe, just before the final doom fell. The door being shut,
I believe is the end of the Gospel; the end of grace. (Genesis chapters 5-9 and
chapter 19)
We see in the Exodus story that God
sent plague after plague upon Egypt. But, His people were protected from the
plagues. There was a distinction made between the Egyptians and God’s People.
In the Bible Egypt is often viewed as a picture of the world. God can protect
His people through trouble. It will be said that this is referring to the Jews
and the Jews will be here but Christians will be gone. My argument is that we
as Christians are grafted in. The Bible says it. (Romans chapter 11) God can
protect us through tribulation.
I think there is plenty of reason
and evidence to suggest that believers will be here for large parts of the
tribulation period. One reason is that we will be here to try and get more
folks saved, up until the time the door is shut. Another possibility is that
the church will be weeded out. Just like Lot’s wife, and the great falling
away. Which I believe will be one event, but it will also be over time. Time
will work on folks to pull them away, and there will be a final event that will
bring about the great falling away and create the apostate church. Tribulation
could be the reason folks start falling away, and God leaves us here for that
to happen. It could be much like the cleansing of the temple. He drove out the
money changers. (2 Thess. 2:3)
The church could be here, as the
Anti-Christ makes war with them. The times are bad, plagues are falling and the
saints are telling people about Jesus, but other folks, who have practiced
churchianity, instead of Christianity start to fall away, because they never
knew Him. The believers are protected, for the most part, but we stay on the
earth to save the lost and wake up the backslider, and for God to weed out the
unbeliever. Then, Christ returns and we go to meet Him in the air, as God pours
out is wrath upon the Earth. Then we return with Him for judgment, and the
marriage supper.
I’m not saying I’m right. But, I
believe that American Christians need to start exercising their faith and start
expecting to see tribulation. To me, it’s far wiser for Christians to be ready
to endure through hardship, than to expect to be removed. God will remove us
when He sees fit. In my experience God almost never does things the way we want
Him to. We don’t want to suffer. But, I think we might have some.
Anyway, I want to encourage every believer to read God’s Word, and study prophecy. Look at the different views. We do not know the hour. But, we can prepare for whatever might come.
Draw closer to the Lord. When the time comes and if the Church is going through the Tribulation period. It will be very hard to try to build more faith in the Lord at that time. Things will be happening and you will need to make decisions that will lead you down some dark paths. You need to know the Lord is there. That comes through experience and relationship.
Do you really know Him?
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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/
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