Does The Bible Teach A Pre-Trib. Rapture?
Many professing christians believe in what is called the "pre-tribulation rapture", they say that the Lord will come for His Church, then 7 years later He will come back with His Church, but the bible does not teach that at all. I used to believe that for the same reason many professing christians do now, they were taught it and they believe it without actually checking the bible for themselves to see what the bible REALLY says about the Lord's return. The doctine of a pre-tribulation rapture is just one of many false teachings within the Christian Church. Instead of listening to what some of these tv and radio ministers say about the Lord's return, or what your preacher might say, read what Jesus said about his return, and read what the apostle Paul said and Peter and John, for they got their information directly from the Lord Jesus. Do not take my word for it, check out the verses in the bible that I will use in this message to show that the bible does NOT teach a pre-trib.rapture. People who believe in this false teaching have the Lord's 2nd coming divided into two parts, 7 years apart, when nowhere in the bible does it teach that. The 2nd coming is specific and singular.
The Lord Jesus Christ plainly said that He would return "immediately AFTER the tribulation" in Matt. 24:29, and it is also recorded in Mark 13:24. The apostle Paul plainly said in 2 Thess. chapter 2 that the coming of the Lord and our gathering unto him {rapture} would not happen until 2 things happen first, and those two things would be the "falling away" {apostasy}, and the "man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" {anti-christ}. It does not take a theological degree to realize that Paul said that the Church will not be gathered together unto the Lord, or as people call, "raptured", until these two things happen first. What two things happen after the man of sin {anti-christ} is revealed? the Church gets gathered {raptured} and the man of sin gets destroyed by the brightness of the Lord's coming, now if that happened before the tribulation, then the anti-christ wouldn't even be here for this 7 year period people call the tribulation. Nowhere does Paul say in 2 Thess. chapter 2 that the Church gets taken out of here before the falling away or the anti-christ gets revealed, but he said the exact opposite. Now some professing christians believe that it is the Church indwelt by the Holy Spirit that is the one that "withholdeth" {is restraining} in verse 6, and it is the Church that is "taken out of the way" in verse 7, but read my message on "Who is the Restrainer of 2 Thess. Chapter 2", and you will see that the restrainer is not the Holy Spirit or the Church. Read also very carefully 2 Thess.chapter 2 verses 1-8, and you will see that no pre-trib. rapture is in there.
John talked about 7 trumpets that will blow in the book of Revelation, and according to chapters 10 and 11, the Lord returns at the sound of the 7th trumpet, and I believe that the resurrection of the righteous dead that is mentioned in 1 Cor.chapter 15 happens at that 7th trumpet, because the 7th trumpet in Rev. is the last trumpet, and since last means "last", that "last trump" of 1 Cor.15:52 is that 7th trumpet, and that is when the Lord returns and that is also the time of the so called rapture and resurrection. Read my message "When is the First Resurrection", and you will see all the reasons why I believe that the rapture and first resurrection at the "last trump" is that 7th trumpet of Rev. and that it happens AFTER the tribulation. Anybody who is reading this who happens to believe in a pre-trib rapture, let me ask you this, When Paul said in 1 Thess. 4:14, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." why would the Lord bring them back to rapture us just to turn around and take them all back to heaven again? Your answer might be, "to get new bodies", well here is another question for you, why would they come back to get new bodys just to go back to heaven for 7 years, a spiritual place where there are no physical bodies? The answer is, they're coming back to get new bodies to rule and reign down here, not to go back to heaven for 7 years. The bible plainly teaches that the return of the Lord is a singular event, and is not divided into 2 parts, 7 years apart. The so called "rapture" and resurrection happens when the Lord returns to set up His kingdom. Please read my other messages in regards to the Lord's return, and have an open mind, and if you still have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me with comments or questions, and I will get back with you as soon as possible.
God Bless,
Christopher
