The Pre-Tribulation Rapture
by John Greene
Warning, this position is wrong, very wrong!
The Lord showed me clearly in prayer on 2/26/99 that His return is post tribulational. While I was praying and praising the Lord, he told me to read Peter's sermon on Pentecost. As I was reading it He showed me the parameters of the last days, Pentecost until His return!
Acts 2:16-18 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Peter is preaching on Pentecost so the beginning of Joel's prophetic recording of the outpouring begins this day, but Joel also is quoted for the end of the outpouring, look!
Vss 19-21 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Notice the clarity that Peter makes of Joel's prophecy that Jesus returns after the tribulation! How do we know it is after? Because he says before that great and notable day of the Lord come!! This is exactly what Jesus says in His Olivet Discourse. Look!
Mt 24:29 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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
that the rest of this article in no way refutes or contradicts Peter's sermon or the Lord's discourse on Olivet. This article is merely wishful thinking that I believed for 18+ years. Praise the Lord that He still speaks and still moves on His people! If you are still pre-tribulational, consider what has been shown to me and what these precious Scriptures do say.
Since 1812, discussions have abounded about the rapture of the church. Today, there are forums on the net with one purpose in mind, the rapture. What will develop next is the very UN-Christian arguments. There can be no question about it, the rapture is hot! Darby took MacDonald's dream og 1830 and propogated it as did Scholfield and so many others since that time until we have a myth that is making huge money for a select few because it feeds into the Laodicean attitude and thus has become self-perpetuating in nature. Now the truth is to be seen!
Answering the Rapture Question
From 1 Thessalonians 4:17 we have the word, rapture from the Latin Vulgate. What we have for a debate is the timing of it. There are so many teachings on the timing that I don't think that any even weird thought has been left untold. However, from my studies I have found just a handful of prevalent and somewhat Scripturally baesd albeit shaky hermeneutics on several, but nonetheless major in terms of the number of people who believe that timing. These beliefs are as follows: pre-millenialism giving us pre-tribulation rapture, mid-tribulation rapture, post-tribulation rapture, and pre-wrath rapture, and for those who don't know there are some who hold to Augustine's amillenialism where there is no rapture or reign of Christ. From this passage in 1 Thessalonians in verses 13-17, we have the primary doctrinal source of the rapture. I hope to briefly examine the Scriptures in this passage and a few others to relate what the Scriptures say and perhaps answer a few more questions about the rapture. One thing I will do is use Scripture, and Scripture alone removing the emotions, the attachment to man's teaching to see what Paul tells us in this passage.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven... found in verse 16 is clear and taken literally shows Jesus descending from heaven. Now if we use this passage literally for the rapture, a literal event, we must take the same approach for the remainder of the context and apply it literally, so He descends from heaven to rapture the church. When we answer why He descends, that point will also clear up more confusion that is that He descends from heaven. The point is clear about where Jesus comes from.
The reason that Jesus descends from heaven can be found in the next verse. verse 17 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.
726 arpazw harpazo har-pad'-zo
from a derivative of 138; TDNT-1:472,80; v
AV-catch up 4, take by force 3, catch away 2, pluck 2, catch 1, pull 1; 13
1) to seize, carry off by force
2) to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly
3) to snatch out or away
This word, arpazw/harpazo is translated in the Latin Vulgate from the root word that we get rapture. So what we have here in this event is what we commonly term, the rapture. Jesus descends from heaven for the sole purpose of rapturing His bride, the church, the whole church, and as the verse tells us, ...to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. This clears up the notion that He returns for the church, it isn't a secret nor is it for part of the church else it wouldn't say so shall we ever be with the Lord.
When we look at what is happening we must also keep in mind that Paul is responding to a question about the dead loved ones of the Thessalonians who were also in Christ, they had a right relationship through genuine repentance in Jesus Christ, but they died and are in heaven with Him. They didn't understand this as it related to the rapture. I know there are some who would teach that when we die we are in the grave, and that is only one third true. The body is in the grave returning to dust, but the soul and spirit of a man in Christ goes to be with Him. Why? Simply because the body is corrupt until it is sown and produces the new body or glorified body to house the soul and spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Now we don't know what we will be like, but we know that when He calls us forth we will be like Him, and if the same Spirit that raised Christ dwells in us, we will be raised as He was raised. Christ Jesus sowed His earthly tabernacle at His death and as the first fruits of the first resurrection rose with a glorified body (1 Corinthians 15). Just as the Godhead is triune, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, He made us in His image triune, body, soul, and spirit. Howbeit when we are raised we too sow the earthly tent and are then housed in a glorified tent as He was.
Without jumping ahead, let's recount the points. This is the rapture. Jesus descends from heaven. He raptures the whole church. The dead in Christ go first, then the ones who remain and are alive in Christ go next. for those alive in Christ, it is a force that catches them away, the rapture or arpazw. This is an answer to the concerns of the Thessalonians and their loved ones in Christ.
Paul uses a technical Greek term in this passage that sheds more light on the subject of the rapture. So let's see what I am talking about. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. I don't want to go in any depth because of the other article related to this subject, The Parousia. Pay particular attention to this detail because it is vital to see, Paul is telling the Thessalonians that the Parousia of the Lord comes BEFORE the rapture takes place.
When looking at verse 15, Paul also states the inspiration of his answer, he tells them that this is the word of the Lord. ...by the word of the Lord..., this dictates that Paul's reference to the Parousia is from the Lord, he has inside information about the rapture and the Parousia. While telling them of the inspiration he goes on the make a profound statement that many doctrines about the rapture omit or do away with ...that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
The alive in Christ do not precede the dead in Christ. The alive in Christ do not do not prevent those who are dead in Christ. Let's look at the Greek word, prevent.
5348 fqanw phthano fthan'-o
apparently a primary verb; TDNT-9:88,1258; v
AV-come 4, already attain 1, attain 1, prevent 1; 7
1) to come before, precede, anticipate
2) to come to, arrive at
3) to reach, attain to
Paul details clearly that the dead in Christ are first in this event, the Parousia, the alive in Christ no way precede or attain to the rapture before the dead in Christ. Since this is the rapture, and since the dead in Christ go first preceding those who are alive in Christ, then it simple from this passage to see that the first resurrection happens before the rapture, but please don't get upset at your pastor, he is merely following what he has been taught and not reading the passage. The twinkling of an eye is the time frame that separates the resurrection and the rapture because we both get that glorified body together. Once we understand this, much confusion disappears. Of course, the prideful, the dogmatic, the arrogant, the ones solely convinced their position is correct will reject the Scriptures, but they do so in error, and as they teach error they will be accountable to the Lord.
Now look at the next verse which is where we get our determination that we are discussing the rapture. Verse 17 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. Please pay particualr attention to the wording, the rapture happens after the dead in Christ. Look again! Then we which are alive...
1899 epeita epeita ep'-i-tah
from 1909 and 1534; ; adv
AV-then 9, after that 4, afterward(s) 3; 16
1) thereupon, thereafter, then, afterwards
Vine's states this word is ONLY used of sequence.
This word used by Paul establishes a sequence, the timing of the rapture which follows His parousia. The dead in Christ are first at His coming, then following that we have the rapture, those who alive who do not hinder or prevent in any way the dead in Christ from rising first. This means all those people who are teaching a pre-tribulation rapture violate the very passage of Scripture they get their source of information for the rapture.
Man denies the Scripture for many reasons, but it is my hope that my brothers and sisters in Christ who take this passage and twist away all the meaning so they may pridefully keep themselves correct in their own mind, it is my hope that they will read what Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Paul merely answered some questions and he wrote this in his Epistle. Even his other Epistle to the Thessalonians tells of the order which confirms this passage as does his Epistle to the Corinthians which confirms this passage. At the Parousia, the dead in Christ rise first, then following that event will be the rapture which takes place in the twinkling of an eye. Let's read what is written rather than our beliefs when we read Scripture.