[an error occurred while processing this directive] TheBible.net: What About The Rapture and The Tribulation?
What About The Rapture and The Tribulation?
by Dave Miller
    Events in the Middle East in our day continue to evoke a steady stream of Fundamentalist outcries that the end of time is near, the "Rapture" is about to occur, the "Antichrist," "Armageddon," and the "Tribulation" are all imminent.

    The word "rapture" comes from the Latin word "rapere" which means "to seize; snatch out; take away." Dispensationalists apply this word to the idea that Christ will come suddenly and secretly in the air to snatch away from the earth and take to heaven the living saints and the resurrected bodies of those saints who have died. They say Revelation 4 & 5 describe this heavenly scene. This rapture is suppose to occur just prior to the seven year tribulation period. While the saved are in heaven receiving their reward, a seven year tribulation will rage on earth as described in Revelation 4-19. Various passages are sprinkled here and there in this elaborate theory of the end times.

    Notice the significance of the secretive aspect of the rapture. We are told that families will be shocked by the strange disappearance of a mother, father, or child. Driverless cars will collide in the streets (cf., bumper sticker: "In case of rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned"). A man and wife will be in bed; she hears a noise, turns her head to find him gone. Planes will crash with no pilots found. Thus we are being told that the rapture will be an invisible coming of the Lord for His saints leaving visible results of chaos and confusion among the remaining unbelievers.

    The primary passage used to support the idea of a "rapture" is I Thess 4:13-17. But this passage was not given to deal with the return of Christ. Its purpose was twofold: (1) To reassure the Christians that their deceased loved ones would be able to share in the Lord's return, and (2) to inform Christians that those who are still living when Christ returns will have no precedence or advantage over those who have already died. This dual function of the text constitutes a very different emphasis from that imposed upon the text by the dispensationalists.

    The scriptures use 3 terms to refer to Christ's return" (1) Parousia--translated "coming, presence, advent"; (2) Epiphaneia--translated "appearing, manifestation, brightness"; (3) Apokalup-sis--translated "revelation." Dispensationalism holds that "coming" refers to the "Rapture" which occurs 7 years before the "Appearing" or "Revelation." Accordingly, at the "Rapture," Jesus comes for the church only, while at the "Revelation," Jesus will return with the church and put an end to the "Tribulation" and "Armageddon."

    The dispensational distinction made between the 3 terms referring to Christ's return are simply untenable:

    (1) Dispensationalists assert the "coming" (parousia) in I Thess 4:15 and II Thess 2:1 refers to the "rapture." Yet the same word is used in I Thess. 3:13 to speak of Jesus coming "with" His saints and therefore coincides with the dispensational concept of the "appearing" or "revelation" seven years after the "rapture."

    Dispensationalists apply II Thess. 2:8 to the antichrist and therefore must understand this as a reference to the "appearing." Yet the verse uses the expression "the manifestation (brightness -- epiphaneia) of His coming (parousia)." Thus the term "coming" is used in the N.T. To refer to both dispensational concepts of the "rapture" and the "appearing" and the two expressions are even combined in II Thess. 2:8 to refer to one and the same event.

    (2) The term "revelation" (apokalupsis) in I Cor. 1:7 is descriptive of what the dispensationalists call the "rapture" since Christians await it. In II Thess. 1:7, it clearly refers to the "appearing."

    (3) The term "appearing" (epiphaneia) is used in I Tim. 6:14 as the event that terminates Christian activity on earth and thus fits the "rapture" concept. In II Tim. 4:1,8, the references to judgment fit the "appearing."

    One must conclude that the 3 words relating to Christ's return are used in the N.T. synonymously and interchangeably. The N.T. simply makes no distinction between the coming of the Lord for His saints ("rapture") and the coming of the Lord with His saints ("appearing" or "revelation"). The alleged "Rapture" has no N.T. support and is therefore false.

    Matthew 24 is perhaps the most prominent passage that is pinpointed in an effort to prove the tribulation. In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounced multiple woes upon the Jewish authorities of His day. In verse 38, He declared that the Jews' house would be left to them desolate. He then left the immediate confines of the temple complex, but paused at a distance with His disciples to continue the same line of thought. He refers their attention to the temple and says, "there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be torn down."

    What a shocking statement! How horrifying to these "dyed-in-the-wool" Jews to even contemplate such a thing! Privately the disciples asked Jesus two questions (which they likely thought amounted to the same subject, i.e., the overturning of the temple stones which they would perceive as coincidental to the end of the world): (1) When shall these things be (meaning the temple disruption)?; (2) What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? Jesus proceeded to answer these questions in such a way as to distinguish between the destruction of the temple and the end of the world. He shows us that they are completely separate events.

    Jesus begins His response by delineating numerous signs that would take place precedent to the toppling of the temple:

    Near the time of Jerusalem's fall, many false messiahs arose, claiming to be the Christ (vs. 5). Numerous wars were engaged in by the Romans against various smaller nations as Rome continued her trek toward worldwide domination (vs. 6; the "end" referred to in this verse applies to the end of the temple, not the end of the world). It is documented historical fact that during the years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem, famines and earthquakes occurred (vs. 7). The occurrence of these signs between the time of Jesus' word (30 A.D.) and the destruction (70 A.D.) would be seen as the direct fulfillment of Jesus' statements. But if Jesus' words apply to a yet future event, His words would make no sense for there have been earth-quakes and famines all over the world for the last 1900 years, and the occurrence of them today is no sign at all!

    Peter, Paul, James (Acts 12:2), and James the Less were all put to death before the destruction of Jerusalem (vs. 9). As the pressure of persecution increased during the early decades of Christianity, so the faith of many decreased. Apostasy became prevalent (vs. 10-13). It is also historical fact that the gospel was preached to all the world prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (vs. 14; cf., Rom. 1:8; Col. 1:23).

    Once all of these signs (i.e., false Christs, wars/rumors of wars, famines/earthquakes, persecution/death of apostles, apostasy of some , rise of false prophets, worldwide proclamation of the gospel) came to pass, Jesus said the "end" would come. That is, the end of Jerusalem, the end of the temple, the end of formal Judaism, the end of the Old Testament Economy would occur. Jesus said this end would come about with the presence of the "abomination of desolation" in the holy place. Jesus applies Daniel 9:27 to the presence of the Roman army at the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple (vs. 14-15, cf., Luke 21:20).

    History records the remarkable fact that Christians took the invasion of the Roman armies as the appointed sign which Christ had given. From their housetops and fields, upon seeing the Roman military machine in full march, Jewish Christians dropped everything and made their escape to Pella, a village east of the Jordan about 15 miles south of the Sea of Galilee (vs. 16-18). Bearing and caring for children, wintertime, and observance of the Sabbath with closed city gates (Neh. 13:19) all refer to the hindrances to fleeing from the besiegement of Jerusalem.

    We who live subsequent to 70 A.D. have difficulty fathoming the magnitude of the tribulation experienced during the destruction of Jerusalem (vs. 21-22). Josephus, an eyewitness, alludes to the atrocity in the words, "neither did any other city suffer such miseries...from the beginning of the world" (Wars of the Jews, v,10,5). The phrase "nor ever shall be" shows that Jesus had in mind a time near His own day. If He was alluding to some period near the end of time (as per dispensationalism), He would not have added such words since there would be no future time left for such an occurrence.

    When people face severe and intense disruption to their lives, they tend to become easy prey for those who seek to exploit their misfortune. Jesus warned of this phenomenon as the time for Jerusalem's destruction grew nearer (vs. 23-27). When any individuals, even in our day, seek to seduce people into believing that the Lord's final coming is imminent, Jesus says, "don't believe it!" Why? Because when Jesus comes at the end of time, everyone will know it! The second coming will be as visible and as evident as a blinding flash of lightening that covers the entire sky!

    In contrast to the ultimate return of Jesus, the coming of Jesus in judgment on Jerusalem would be discernible on very different grounds (vs. 28). The eagle was the symbol of Roman power. It was carried by the different units of the Roman army wherever Roman authority was being exerted. The contemporaries were readily familiar with this fact. Thus, in 70 A.D., the Roman eagles swarmed over Jerusalem and devoured the carcass of apostate Judaism.

    Next, Jesus resorts to the use of several highly figurative phrases which are based upon Old Testament apocalyptic language (cf., Isaiah 13:6,10,13; 34:4; Ezek. 32:7). If God can discuss the overthrow of Babylon, Egypt and Edom in such extravagant, dramatic terminology, surely He can do the same when discussing the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (vs. 29).

    The darkening of the Jewish temple, the shaking up of the Jewish commonwealth and the fall of Jewish authority through the instrumentality of imperial Rome was the sign or signal that Christ had come in judgment upon Israel (vs. 30). Jesus would do exactly what He had told Caiaphas he could expect to witness personally: "the son of man is coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64). Jesus knew that such language was completely normal when describing God's execution of wrath in time. When God punished Egypt in the long ago, He "rode on a swift cloud ...into Egypt" (Is. 19:1).

    Historians tell us that once Jewish opposition to Christianity was removed in 70 A.D., the true nation of God began to experience unparalleled effectiveness. The sound of the gospel trumpet was heard more clearly than ever before. The word for "angel" means "messenger." In this passage it refers to the emissaries of the gospel who, by means of the preached word, gathered individuals into the elect fold from all over the world (vs 31).

    Tender branches and new leaves on a fig tree function as signs--signals the summer is near. Likewise, the signs that Jesus had been delineating pinpoint the time when Jerusalem was to be destroyed (vs. 32-33). The repetition of the 2nd person plural pronoun is further proof that Jesus is referring to His own generation: "Likewise, ye when ye shall see..."

    Jesus concludes His response to the first question asked by His disciples in vs. 34. The generation to whom He was addressing Himself would still be living when "all these things" would occur. Thus every single sign which Jesus pinpointed would occur during that generation!

    Verses 35 functions as a transition verse. Verse 36 is where Jesus turns His attention to dealing with the disciples' second question. Emphatic distinction must be made between the destruction of Jerusalem which He has been discussing and the end of the world or second coming. Even if the disciples had not asked about "the end of the world," it would have been appropriate for Jesus to have dealt with such since He would not want the two to be confused. So He alludes to "that day," i.e., the day heaven and earth will pass away (vs. 35) and the end of the world and Christ's second coming will occur (vs. 3). Thus, vs. 36-51, as well as chapter 25, refer to the end of time. Jesus' first point is that, whereas those who give proper heed to the signs can pinpoint the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, no one can pinpoint the time of Christ's return to end time as we know it. There will, in fact, be absolutely no signs to alert men to the second coming. Verses 37-39 clearly show that life on this earth will be going on as it always has with "business as usual." Jesus' ultimate return will be totally unexpected with no sign to warn of its approach (I Thess. 5:2; II Peter 3:10).

    There's no question that there will be tribulation in the world. Christians are, in fact, assured of such (II Tim. 3:12; Jn. 16:33; Acts 14:22). Christians always have and always will endure tribulation. But there will be no future period of tribulation from which saints will be exempt as the dispensationalists describe. The world may well experience World War III. Horrible atrocities may well be unleashed upon humanity. But Christians need to understand that such future events will in no way result as the fulfillment of biblical teaching. The Bible simply does not teach that there will be a "Rapture" nor a future seven year "Tribulation" on earth that will culminate in a battle of "Armageddon."

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