Better Late than Never

Coming to Grips with the Doctrine of a Posttribulation Rapture

Introduction

The topic of the end times is one of the most fascinating and yet one of the most divisive and hotly contested subjects in Christendom. This is especially true when it comes to a discussion of when the rapture will take place. The rapture, of course, refers to that day when Christ comes back in the air to resurrect all dead Christians and snatch them away, along with all living Christians, so that his true followers can be with him forever. The question is, does this rapture take place before the great tribulation, midway into it, or at its climactic end? That is the bone of contention.

Most Baptists, Pentecostals, Charismatics, and offshoots thereof, adamantly believe in a pretribulation rapture of the Church. Their evangelical and missionary zeal has helped to spread the their doctrinal views worldwide - influencing countless others over the years - even those of other denominations.

There are also a number of others, though much smaller in number, who believe that Christ may well return to rapture his people at a midway point during the tribulation - just prior to God pouring out his wrath upon an ungodly world. Because it is a relatively new doctrine, not readily tied to any denomination, its size, spread and influence is difficult to determine.

Lastly, there are those who believe Christ will return only one time, at the end of the tribulation. It will be at this posttribulation return that Christ will appear in the clouds of glory to reclaim his own via the resurrection and rapture, whereupon he shall descend to the earth with his saints to judge the world and establish his reign upon a redeemed earth amongst his redeemed people. This has been the predominant teaching of the Church from the time of the Apostles until now – and for good reason, as this presentation will demonstrate.

Ground Rules:

We must admit from the outset that it is very hard to change our views on anything, especially views that we have grown up with; views that have been handed down to us by people we know, love, and respect; views that are shared by our friends and family alike – perhaps for generations. We must also acknowledge that the longer we continue to believe in something, the harder it is for us to change, and harder still if we have passed such teachings along to others. After all, who wants to run the risk of losing someone's trust and respect by admitting we have transmitted a falsehood? On the other hand, who among us wants to live with the knowledge that we have helped perpetuate something which is not true?

As Christians we are called to love correction, steer clear of all deceptions, avoid the errors and entrapments of pleasant lies, and give ear to God's words over the doctrines of men. As the scriptures teach: "Beloved, don't believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 Jn. 4:1). "Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good." (1 Thess. 5:21)

This is easier said than done - especially so when the issues are so emotionally charged. Pride and ego often get in the way. Sometimes it is a fear of being wrong, or of having been misled. Occasionally it is a matter of feeling vulnerable – as if we are not capable of defending ourselves very well, or that we are being ridiculed, attacked, or looked down upon. As a result, many people feel deeply threatened or easily offended when such a topic is broached.

All too often these discussions have needlessly degenerated into shouting matches where scriptures and barbs are exchanged like bullets from machine guns. This kind of behavior has often resulted in long lasting wounds, anger, distrust, and even outright divisions in the body of Christ. This is something we must not permit.

In the pursuit of truth, understanding, unity of faith, and to avoid unnecessary conflict, we must establish some guidelines for our investigation and discussion. If we cannot agree upon these guidelines, then we might as well save ourselves both time and effort. Let us therefore look at the guidelines, and if we can agree on them, let us continue.

Hermeneutical Guidelines:

We will ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and ears, divest us of pride, correct where we are wrong, encourage us, prepare us, and guide us.
We will strive to remain teachable, correctable, and humble.
We will work hard to hear afresh the teachings of the scriptures as if for the first time by laying aside our personal preconceived notions as much as is humanly possible.
We will prefer the sound doctrine of God's word to the doctrines of men.
We will be lovers of the truth and bow to the facts – no matter how much it hurts.
We will strive to stick as closely as possible to known and demonstrable facts.
We will try to steer clear of uninformed opinion or speculation, except for purposes of discussion, and we will endeavor to remember to label such statements as such.
We will use sound methods of biblical interpretation

Let the clear teachings of the Bible help us understand the unclear or difficult passages.
Resist the urge to make obscure passages somehow fit into a pet theory or doctrine – recognizing that we at present we know only in part.
Take nothing out of context, but let the surrounding text and circumstances help us understand what is being said and why.
Understand the language used - making reference to Greek and Hebrew words and phrases and grammar and literary forms when these help us understand more fully what the writer intended us to understand.
Utilize what we know of the culture customs and history of the people involved.

We will follow the history of the Church's teaching to learn what, when, where, how, and why doctrines have changed.
We will be patient, respectful, and courteous towards one another – always exhibiting love towards one another in both word and deed and especially so when honest disagreement lingers.

Five Major Lines of Defense

This paper will demonstrate why the doctrine of a posttribulation rapture of the Church is to be preferred above all other views. The evidence presented will follow five main lines of defense:

The doctrine of a posttribulation rapture was the sole teaching of the Early Church and the predominant view of the Church until the early 1800's. On the other hand, the widespread notion of a pretribulation rapture can only be traced back as far as the early 1800's. The two isolated exceptions to this can be easily dismissed since neither instance reflects the beliefs of any sizable group within the Church and since neither instance served as a model or as a catalyst for the nascent pretribulation rapture doctrine that arose in the early 1800's.
Proponents of the pretribulation rapture believe in a secret second coming of Christ to rapture the Church some seven years or so before He publicly returns at the end of the tribulation. The writers of the Greek New Testament never once used vocabulary that would suggest that Christ's coming to rapture the Church would be secret or hidden from the general public. Instead, all of the New Testament Greek words used to refer to Christ's coming are words that signify a very open, public, and visible event.
The grammatical constructs used in the Greek New Testament make it quite clear that Christ's visible second coming is linked to the rapture of the Church. These events are not separated by a seven-year tribulation period nor by a 3 and one half-year period, rather they are instances of a whole series of events that transpire in rapid-fire sequence when Christ visibly returns at the end of the great tribulation.
The simple and clear teaching New Testament text and the history of the Apostolic Church make it quite clear that the Church must be prepared and ready to recognize and endure the great end-time apostasy, the great tribulation, and the many false prophets and messiahs that would arise – including the Antichrist himself.
Lastly, the doctrine of a pretribulation rapture necessitates many an artificial distinction and forces the reader to reinterpret the scriptures in a rather convoluted manner so as to make their novel theory work. This does an injustice not only to the scriptures, but also does a grave disservice to those so trained in this tradition. A Church prepared to avoid the great tribulation will certainly not be prepared to endure it.

Why This Discussion is Necessary:

A well-known preacher in Texas recently screamed to his congregation and television audience that they did not have to be worried about the upcoming trials and persecutions of the great tribulation. No! They don't have to be prepared for any of it because Jesus is coming to rapture them away before it all gets started.

This is tragic for several reasons.

First, the facts below demonstrate that we WILL indeed have to go through the great tribulation.
Secondly, just as it is important for a prizefighter to be trained physically and psychologically to fight his most powerful opponent, it is equally important for the Church to be trained to face the coming end-time events of deception, apostasy, hardship, and persecution.
Thirdly, those who are not prepared to withstand the deceptions and the coming hardships and persecution will either be so deceived or become so disillusioned discouraged disheartened or filled with doubts and confusion that their faith will falter and many will suffer needless defeat.

The late author and missionary/speaker Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of the Nazi holocaust, once noted that many Christians in China fell away from the faith when persecutions hit. In a published letter she made the following comments:

There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution. In China, the Christians were told, "Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated – raptured." Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly, "We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes – to stand and not faint."

We must not allow this to happen again. Instead, we must earnestly contend for the faith of our fathers as it was handed down to us, strive to complete the great commission with holiness compassion and humility, and prepare ourselves in every way possible for the dark days ahead so that we may stand before Christ unashamed on the day of His glorious return. Persecutions and deceptions are already beginning, battle lines are already being drawn, and little daylight remains. Let us rise to the serious task at hand.

Historical Review of
the Pretribulation Rapture Doctrine

The History of the Pretribulation Rapture Doctrine

Proponents of the pretribulation rapture often act as if their doctrine has been the predominant view of the Church from the earliest of times until the present. This is simply NOT true at all.

For nearly ALL of the first 1800 years of its existence the Church has held the singular belief that Christ will return for His own ONLY AT THE END of the great tribulation. This is one of the few teachings about which there was virtually COMPLETE agreement in the Church!

There have been only two known instances of someone mentioning a pretribulation rapture during the first 18 centuries of the Church's existence. These two isolated instances of a pretribulation idea are recorded in the writings of Pseudo-Ephraim (c. 400- 600 A.D.) and Morgan Edwards (c. 1742 A.D.). The pretribulation rapture ideas expressed by these men did not reflect the beliefs of any sizable group within the Church and those who developed the current teachings of a pretribulation rapture never used their ideas as inspiration.

Pseudo-Ephraim:

The sermon by Pseudo-Ephraim (entitled: "On the Last Times, the Anti-Christ, and the End of the World") is a pseudopigraphical work ascribed by its unknown author to the famous preacher/poet Ephraim the Syrian (c. 373 A.D.). Most scholars believe that this sermon was written perhaps as early as 400 A.D. to as late as 600 A.D, after the death of the true Ephraim.

Author Grant Jeffrey found the sermon in Paul Alexander's 1985 book "The Byzantine Apocalyptic Tradition". Grant Jeffrey refers to the following passage as proof that the doctrine of a pretribulation rapture is nothing new, but is actually quite old:

"Believe you me, dearest brother, because the coming of the Lord is nigh, believe you me, because the end of the world is at hand, believe me, because it is the very last time. Or do you not believe unless you see with your eyes? See to it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares: "Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!" For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."

Although this may indeed be a reference to an early pretribulation rapture doctrine, there is absolutely no proof that this sermon influenced any sizable group of people in the Church. Throughout the ages the Church has had to counter many unorthodox teachings. The fact that there is no record of the Church Fathers having to battle this aberrant idea shows how isolated and inconsequential its influence was. The whole concept of a pretribulation rapture appears to have originated and perished with the unknown author himself.

Anyone who has taken the time to read the many hymns and writings of the true Ephraim of Syria (306-373) will not find ANY hint of a belief in a pretribulation rapture. In fact, there are no known quotes from Ehpraim the Syrian which deal with the timing of the tribulation or rapture. Nevertheless, given that his life and work were so highly esteemed by his contemporaries, it may be assumed that his theology reflected the orthodox teachings of the Church - teachings that do NOT include a pretribulation rapture of the Church.

The following quote is taken from a work that may also be pseudopigraphical. It is listed here to show that others who capitalized on the reputation of Ephraim had a decidedly posttribulation theology:

Sermo Asceticus

Nothing remains then, except that the coming of our enemy, Antichrist, appear...

With all of the above in mind, the aberrant teachings of Pseudo-Ephraim can therefore be dismissed as irrelevant. His words and views have nothing to do with the rise of modern pretribulation teachings.

Morgan Edwards:

Apart from the work of Pseudo-Ephraim (c. 400-600 ? A.D.), an essay published by Morgan Edwards stands as the earliest known reference to a pretribulation rapture theory. It was written somewhere between 1742 and 1744 while Morgan Edwards was a student at Bristol Baptist Seminary in England.

His tutor had given him the assignment to write an essay for his eschatology class on the end times – using a literal method of interpretation. The resulting 56 page essay was published much later on (in 1788) under the title: Two Academical Exercises on Subjects Bearing the following Titles; Millennium, Last-Novelties.

As his personal notes indicate, the essay was merely an intellectual exercise and the views expressed were never assumed to be Morgan Edwards true belief about the end times. There is no record of him ever preaching this doctrine as a Baptist preacher and no record of his influencing anyone by his hypothetical views, neither in England nor in America.

Pages 5-6
And is it come to my lot to treat of the Millennium, or Christ's thousand years reign on earth? Thousand pities, sir, that you had not allotted the task to one of these older and abler students! But, since it is your pleasure, I will do my possible: and in the attempt will work by a rule you have often recommended, viz. "to take the scriptures in a literal sense, except when that leads to contradiction or absurdity." I need say no more to inform you, sir, that I wish to be understood as a minister of the letter only while I treat of the said Millennium. Very able men have already handled the subject in a mystical, or allegorical, or spiritual way: and could I rest satisfied with their sentiments, and deliver them perhaps with applause; as that would show my reading, - and at the same time, free a novice from the affectation of singularity and taking too much upon him, like another son of Levi

Page 7
II. The distance between the first and second resurrection will be somewhat more than a thousand years.
I say, somewhat more --; because the dead saints will be raised, and the living changed at Christ's "appearing in the air" (I Thes. iv. 17); and this will be about three years and a half before the millennium, as we shall see hereafter: but will he and they abide in the air all that time? No: they will ascend to paradise, or to some one of those many "mansions in the father's house" (John xiv. 2), and so disappear during the foresaid period of time. The design of this retreat and disappearing will be to judge the risen and changed saints; for "now the time is come that judgment must begin," and that will be "at the house of God" (I Pet. iv. 17)...

Page 21
Another event previous to the millennium will be the appearing of the son of man in the clouds, coming to raise the dead saints and change the living, and to catch them up to himself, and then withdraw with them, as observed before. This event will come to pass when Antichrist be arrived at Jerusalem in his conquest of the world; and about three years and a half before his killing the witnesses and assumption of godhead.

At the end of the original essay, Morgan wrote a few personal words to his professor and his professor replied:

Morgan: "I wonder, Sir, if your patience be not exhausted with the length, and perhaps, nonsense of my sermon?"

Professor: "You finished your discourse with a supposition that the length and nonsense of it had tried my patience. If you used lightness you are to blame. But as I hope you are always in earnest when you study the things of God, I have to assure you that the novelty and ingenuity of your attempt have entertained me not a little. And when you are more master of time than at present, I advise you to study your subject closely, and you will see cause to alter some parts of your plan, and correct errors of others. - You also dropped a hint or two touching the New Heaven and the New Earth, which sounded a little strange. Let us hear what you have to say on those subjects, when it comes your turn to appear in that desk again."

Once again, we see that this exception to the rule has nothing to do with our modern day pretribulation rapture theory. Morgan Edward's hypothetical venture into theological novelty was little more than an intellectual exercise and nothing more. To find the beginnings of this theory, we have to move ahead in time.

The Revivals of the Early 1800's:

The origin of the pretribulation rapture theory, as it is taught today, is less than 200 years old. It can be traced back to a period sometime between the late 1820's and the early 1830's in Scotland and England where revivals had broken out and a renewed interest in the gifts of the Spirit had drawn considerable attention.

Edward Irving was an eloquent preacher in the Church of Scotland. In 1825 he began to preach the futurist/dispensational views inspired by Father Manuel de Lacunza's 1790 book "The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty". Edward became so fascinated by Father Lacunza's futurist and literal method of interpretation of the end- time scriptures and his dispensational framework that by 1827 he had translated Lacunza's book into English.

When Edward's published his translation of Lacunza's book, he appended a 194- page "preliminary discourse" of his own eschatology and his own analysis of de Lacunza's eschatology. By this time, Irving had already concluded that God had one plan for the Church and a different plan for the Jews - an idea that would later lead Edward Irving and others to erroneous conclusions about the end-times. There was, however, no hint of a pretribulation rapture of the Church at this time.

In 1828, his open air meetings in Scotland Edwards drew crowds of 10,000 people and his church in London, which seated one thousand people, was packed week after week. Captivated by the prospect of living in the end times Edward began preaching about a great Pentecostal outpouring that would occur before the return of Christ. He claimed that this outpouring would include the restoration of Apostles and prophets to the Church.

Among the many people who experienced such a revival was a 15-year-old Scottish lass by the name of Margaret MacDonald. Gifts of healing, tongues, prophecies, and other manifestations of the Spirit were reportedly occurring during the "prayer meetings" in the MacDonald home. News of these supernatural manifestations of the Spirit spread throughout Scotland, England and Ireland, drawing many of the curious.

Margaret MacDonald's Vision in Glasgow Scotland, c. 1830:

Some researchers have attempted to trace the rise of the pretribulation rapture doctrine to Margaret MacDonald's end-time "revelation". Upon closer inspection of her actual "revelation", however, this accusation simply does not hold up.

In her revelation (see below), Margaret stated that when Christ returned, he would only rapture believing Christians. She said that the Church would go through the tribulation and be terrorized by the Antichrist. True believers would be tried, purged and purified by the ordeal. Those Christians who experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be in a better position to avoid the upcoming deceptions, dangers and entanglements of the end-times.

When Margaret received this "revelation" (around 1830) she sent written copies of it to a number of Christian leaders. Her vision was later published in 1840 by Robert Norton in his book "Memoirs of James & George Macdonald, of Port Glasgow" (London: John F. Shaw, 1840, pp. 171-176). Norton published it once more in 1861 in "The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets; In the Catholic Apostolic Church" (pp. 15- 18). Below is an excerpt of Margaret's "vision":

"Only those who have the light of God within them will see the sign of his appearance. No need to follow them who say, see here, or see there, for his day shall be as the lightning to those in whom the living Christ is. 'Tis Christ in us that will lift us up - he is the light - 'tis only those that are alive in him that will be caught up to meet him in the air. … Oh none will be counted worthy of this calling but his body, which is the church, and which must be a candlestick all of gold. … I felt that those who were filled with the Spirit could see spiritual things, and feel walking in the midst of them, while those who had not the Spirit could see nothing - so that two shall be in one bed, the one taken and the other left, because the one has the light of God within while the other cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven. I saw the people of God in an awfully dangerous situation, surrounded by nets and entanglements, about to be tried, and many about to be deceived and fall. Now will THE WICKED be revealed, with all power and signs and lying wonders, so that if it were possible the very elect will be deceived - This is the fiery trial which is to try us. - It will be for the purging and purifying of the real members of the body of Jesus; but Oh it will be a fiery trial. … The Spirit must and will be poured out on the church, that she may be purified and filled with God - and just in proportion as the Spirit of God works, so will he when our Lord anoints men with power, so will he. This is particularly the nature of the trial, through which those are to pass who will be counted worthy to stand before the Son of man. There will be outward trial too, but `tis principally temptation. It is brought on by the outpouring of the Spirit, and will just increase in proportion as the Spirit is poured out. The trial of the Church is from Antichrist. It is by being filled with the Spirit that we shall be kept. I frequently said, Oh be filled with the Spirit - have the light of God in you, that you may detect satan - be full of eyes within - be clay in the hands of the potter - submit to be filled, filled with God This will build the temple. … Oh! it is needed, much needed at present, a leading back to the cross. I saw that night, and often since, that there will be an outpouring of the Spirit on the body, such as has not been, a baptism of fire, that all the dross may be put away."

The only way anyone can get a pretribulation rapture doctrine out of this is to read such a doctrine into it. Unfortunately, both sides of this argument have done this.

In later "revelations", however, it seems that Margaret went a bit too far by claiming that Robert Owen was the Antichrist. Robert Owen (1771 - 1858), was an atheistic anti- christian Welsh industrialist and liberal minded socialist reformer who believed that human character would be greatly improved in a cooperative society rather than in the traditional family. While he was certainly anti-christian in his many of his views and practices, he was definitely not the long awaited Antichrist.

Edward Irving and John Nelson Darby

In about the year 1830 Irving received the letter from Margaret MacDonald relating her vision. According to an 1865 book entitled "The Life of Edward Irving" by Mrs. Oliphant (published by Hurst and Blackett, London) Edward Irving wrote a letter to a "Mr. Chalmers." In this letter (dated June 2, 1830) Irving states that Mary Campbell's, Margaret Macdonald's, and Mary Dunlop's visions or revelations gave him "a spiritual conviction and a spiritual reproof which I cannot express." Within a year or so of this date we find the modern pretribulation rapture theory emerging for the first time.

At the same time, John Nelson Darby (co-founder of the Plymouth Brethren) had also read the dispensational work of Father Lacunza, and had been keeping abreast of the goings on in Edward Irving's church via "The Morning Watch" publication. Attracted by the revival, John Darby is said to have spent 3 days in 1830 with the MacDonald family. Like Edward Irving, John Darby was much impressed by Margaret's visions and prophesies.

In Ireland, the 1831 Powerscourt Conference gave Edward Irving and John Darby a chance to meet many others and gave each an opportunity express their views and experiences. According to R. Cameron's book "Scriptural Truth About the Lord's Return" (pp. 70-72, as cited by Bob Gundry in his book "The Church and the Tribulation - p. 187) it was during this Conference that:

"An ex-clergyman of the Church of Ireland by the name of Tweedy seems to have played an important part in helping Darby and the Dublin group of Brethren to skirt the posttribulational import of the Olivet Discourse [Matthew 24] by relegating it to a dispensationally Jewish application"

It seems then that the artificial distinctions of their hyper-dispensational beliefs soon colored everything that these men read – whether it was the scriptures themselves or a letter from Margaret MacDonald. This continues to be a problem in the Church to this very day. In any case, it was only a few months after the 1831 Powerscourt Conference that we find the doctrine of a pretribulation being taught and developed in various assemblies.

The Spread of the Pretribulation Rapture Theory

Although there is much wrangling among researchers over the exact sequence of events, it seems quite clear that the participants of this revival, its leaders, and their ideas and experiences, all began to influence one another during this time. Irving seems to have led the way initially, with a reluctant Darby finally becoming (after nearly 10 years) one of the greatest advocates of the pretribulation rapture theory and dispensationalism.

Controversy exists amongst researchers as to when and how Darby came to change his beliefs so radically. Darby says he changed his mind when he adopted a literal approach to passages such as 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-2 (see William E. Bell's 1967 doctoral dissertation for New York University, A Critical Evaluation of the Pretribulation Rapture Doctrine in Christian Eschatology, pp. 60-61, 64-65).

While many Plymouth Brethren quickly accepted these new beliefs at a time when revival and spiritual gifts seemed to be breaking out, a number of other Brethren (such as: Samuel P. Tregelles, B. W. Newton, George Muller, William Booth, and Charles Spurgeon) opposed these new doctrines as both unsound and unscriptural.

Darby went on to found Plymouth Brethren churches as far away as Germany, Switzerland, France and the United States - visiting the United States some six times to help spread his views.

In 1861, Robert Norton authored the book "The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets; In the Catholic Apostolic Church". Norton took a favorable view of the Irvingite movement, writing in the preface that his book was offered "as proofs or illustrations of its heavenly origin and character." In this book, Norton credited Margaret MacDonald as the first to proclaim the "new doctrine" of a pretrib rapture, which was picked up by Edward Irving.

Page 15
Marvellous light was shed upon Scripture, and especially on the doctrine of the second Advent, by the revived spirit of prophecy. In the following account by Miss M. M. -, of an evening during which the power of the Holy Ghost rested upon her for several successive hours, in mingled prophecy and vision, we have an instance; for here we first see the distinction between that final stage of the Lord's coming, when every eye shall see Him, and His prior appearing in glory to them that look for Him.

Cyrus Ingerson Scofield was greatly influenced by the writings of J. N. Darby. In 1882 Scofield (1843-1921) moved to Dallas, where he became the pastor of the First Congregational Church. In 1902, he began work on the Scofield Reference Bible which incorporated many of Darby's dispensational futurist views (including the pretribulation rapture) in the copious reference notes. First published by Oxford University Press in 1909, one million copies were printed by 1930.

The Scofield Reference Bible was instrumental in popularizing and firmly establishing the Futurist/Dispensational views in Protestant Bible schools of the United States in the 20th century. Scofield traveled widely and lectured in the United States and Europe, and from 1895 to 1915 he was head over the Scofield Bible Correspondence School.

As the years progressed, these doctrines have been further developed and disseminated around the globe by very vocal and active elements in the Church today. In the United States, one of the most influential proponents was the late John Walvoord (see below). His hyper-dispensational pretribulation rapture views continue to be spread by many modern day authors, teachers, preachers, evangelists and missionaries. One would be hard-pressed to find someone in modern times whose influence has been so far reaching.

Walvoord's Own Admission:

John Flipse Walvoord (1910-2002) was the Professor of Systematic Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary for over fifty years, and served as the president of the seminary from 1953 to 1986, then becoming its Chancellor and Chancellor emeritus. As a writer, professor, and theologian Walvoord was a major force in defining and promoting contemporary pretribulational premillenialism ideology.

Never-the-less, on page 148 of Dr. John F. Walvoord's book "The Rapture Question" (Findlay, OH: n.d., 1957, first printing), he makes a frank admission:

"The fact is that neither posttribulationism or pretribulationism is an explicit teaching of the Scriptures. The Bible does not, in so many words, state either."

As the remainder of this work will demonstrate, the New Testament teaching of a posttribulation rapture is quite clear - despite Walvoord's words to the contrary. What is striking here is Walvvord's admission that his OWN position is not an explicit teaching of the scripture. Either he must have thought better of such an admission or someone else must have drawn his attention to the matter. Either way, Walvoord's 1957 admission was deleted from all later printings of his book.

Walvoord not only admits that the pretribulation rapture is not explicitly taught in scripture, he also admits it cannot be found in the teachings of the Church Fathers:

"... it may be conceded that ... [the] pretribulationalism [i.e. the Secret Rapture theory] of today is not found in the early church Fathers ..." - quoted in Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today. Chicago: Moody Press, 1965. p. 47

Furthermore, Walvoord admits that the doctrine of a pretribulation rapture is a theological contrivance which dispensational thinking requires.

"All agree that saints will be found in the tribulation. Pretribulationism necessarily requires a distinction between these saints and the saints of the present age forming the church." [p. 148]

"If the church is to be judged, rewarded, and joined to Christ in the symbol of marriage before the Second Advent, an interval of time is required." [p. 84]

Below are two pages photocopied from Walvoord's 1957 book:

Title page from Walvoord's book

Walvoord's admittal on page 148, in 'The Rapture Question'

Photocopies were posted on a web page entitled: "For the Record: A Response"
January 2004 (?)
By Rev. Charles Cooper
at Sola Scriptura:
http://www.solagroup.org/articles/endtimes/et_0017.html

H.A. Ironside’s Own Admission:

Pretribulation rapture advocate H. A. Ironside (an influential home missionary, evangelist, Bible teacher, and a member of the Plymouth Brethren, 1876 – 1951) admitted the novelty of the pre-trib doctrine in his book "The Mysteries of God" (New York, Loizeaux Brothers, 1908), pp. 50-51. [Cited in Daniel P. Fuller's book, "Gospel and Law" (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdmans, 1980), p. 13.]

[U]ntil brought to the fore through the writings and the preaching and teaching of a distinguished ex-clergyman, Mr. J. N. Darby, in the early part of the last century [i.e., the nineteenth century], it is scarcely to be found in a single book or sermon through the period of sixteen hundred years! If any doubt this statement, let them search, as the writer has in measure done, the remarks of the so-called Fathers, both pre- and post-Nicene; the theological treatises of the scholastic divines; Roman Catholic writers of all shades of thought; the literature of the Reformation; the sermons and expositions of the Puritans; and the general theological works of the day. He will find the "mystery" conspicuous by its absence.

Thomas Ice’s Own Admission:

In an article entitled "The Origin of the Pretrib Rapture: Part II", that appeared in the March/April 1989 edition of "Biblical Perspectives", vol. 5, Thomas Ice (a strong proponent of the pre-trib rapture) echoes the statement made by Walvoord (see above):

"neither pre nor posttribs have a proof text for the time of the Rapture." [The doctrine, therefore,] "is the product of a deduction from one's overall system of theology, both for pre and posttribbers."

My thanks to Gary DeMar (a nonmillenarian partial preterist) for the above quote.

John MacArthur's Own Admission:

In a transcript of a question and answer session with John MacArthur (renowned Bible Commentator preacher author and teacher) at Grace Community Church (tape: GC 70-16, entitled “Bible Questions and Answers"), John admits:

“I really believe that they [dispensationalists] got carried away and started imposing on Scripture things that aren’t in Scripture. For example, traditionally, Dispensationalism says, “The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) has nothing to do with us, so we don’t need to worry about it.” When I went through the Sermon on the Mount in writing my commentary, as well, I pointed out how foolish that is.
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So let me tell you, I have been accused through the years of being a “leaky dispensationalist” and I suppose I am.”

That, in a nutshell, provides a basic understanding of how the idea of a pretribulation rapture got started. To be sure, people will continue to argue about the specifics of "who when where why and how", but one thing is for certain: the modern conception of a pretribulation rapture simply cannot be traced back much further than the early 1800's.

Sound Doctrine Versus the Doctrinal Deceptions of Human Tradition

As we shall see, those who promote a pretribulation rapture have been deceived and have turned away from the sound doctrines of the faith as it has been handed down to us by the Apostlic Fathers of the Church. The adherents of the hyper-dispensational persuasion have a difficult time seeing this due to the layers and layers of misconceptions and artificial distinctions that their traditions impose on the scriptures. As I consider the future end-time events which will unfold over the coming years I cannot help feel considerable sadness and frustration at my obstinant brothers and sisters in Christ who refuse to give serious ear to sound doctrine.

As Paul warns Timothy:

(2 Tim. 4:3-4)
... the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts; (4) and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables.

Such a fable is the doctrine of a pretribulation rapture of the Church. Those who teach such a doctrine are guilty of:

(Mk. 7:13)
making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. …

Paul gives further warning of this kind of doctrinal deceit:

(Col. 2:8)
Be careful that you don't let anyone rob you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ.

He exhorts us to:

(2 Thess. 2:15)
… stand firm, and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word, or by letter.

(Rom. 16:17-18)
Now I beg you, brothers, look out for those who are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them. (18) For those who are such don't serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the hearts of the innocent.

Paul also proclaims:

(2 Cor. 4:2)
But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

In a similar vein, Paul gives a rather stern condemnation of those who spread false gospels:

(Gal. 1:9-10)
As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any gospel other than that which you received, let him be cursed. (10) For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn't be a servant of Christ.

We are told to prefer sound doctrine:

(Tit. 1:9)
holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict ...

(1Ti 6:3-5)
If anyone teaches a different doctrine, and doesn't consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, (4) he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, (5) constant friction of people of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such.

Jude also gives a similar exhortation:

(Jude 1:3)
Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

May we heed these warnings and exhortations and begin to prepare the Church for the dark days ahead, no matter what the cost.

We will now examine the testimony of the Church on this most timely topic.

The Testimony of the Church
from the Beginning to More Recent Times:

The following are statements supporting a posttribulation rapture made by notables from the Early Church all the way up to respected scholars and clergymen of more recent times.

In many places the quotations below are brief and to the point. In other instances, however, I decided to include a number of relevant quotes. Some of citations are rather lengthy so as to provide the context needed for understanding (my apologies to the casual reader). Then, to help clarify matters, I have also interspersed a few notes when I felt it necessary.

I am indebted to a number of Internet sources for much of the content below. I took a lot of time to verify most of them and to add a few extra when I ran across them in my research.

You are now encouraged to lay aside your preconceived ideas, be teachable and correctable, and to let the sound hermeneutical methods of context, culture, language and history join hands with the Spirit of God in guiding you into all truth.

Ante-Nicene Fathers - 70 to 325 A.D.

The Didache (70-80/100)

Also known as the Teaching of the Twelve Aposles, the Didache dates from 60-100 to as late as possible 150 A.D. in its final form. Many scholars believe it to be closer to 70 or 80 A.D. While few, if any, scholars attribute this document directly to the Apostles themselves, many do tend to agree that its teaching reflect very early teachings and practices that existed in the Early Church. An number of the church fathers appear to be familiar with it: Hermas, Irenæus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Optatus, Justin, Tatian, Theophilus, Cyprian, and Lactantius. It is classed by Eusebius among the spurious works that were not to be included in the canon of Scripture.

In the Didache that we find the very clear teaching that the Antichrist comes first and then the resurrection of the dead:

16:
3 For in the last days the false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate. 4 For as lawlessness increases, they shall hate one another and shall persecute and betray. And then the world- deceiver shall appear as a son of God; and shall work signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands; and he shall do unholy things, which have never been since the world began. 5 Then all created mankind shall come to the fire of testing, and many shall be offended and perish; but they that endure in their faith shall be saved by the Curse Himself. 6 And then shall the signs of the truth appear; first a sign of a rift in the heaven, then a sign of a voice of a trumpet, and thirdly a resurrection of the dead;

The Epistle of Barnabas (40-100)

Chapter 4:
The final stumbling-block (or source of danger) approaches, concerning which it is written, as Enoch says, "For this end the Lord has cut short the times and the days, that His Beloved may hasten; and He will come to the inheritance." And the prophet also speaks thus: "Ten kingdoms shall reign upon the earth, and a little king shall rise up after them, who shall subdue under one three of the kings. In like manner Daniel says concerning the same, "And I beheld the fourth beast, wicked and powerful, and more savage than all the beasts of the earth, and how from it sprang up ten horns, and out of them a little budding horn, and how it subdued under one three of the great horns." … Now, being desirous to write many things to you, not as your teacher, but as becometh one who loves you, I have taken care not to fail to write to you from what I myself possess, with a view to your purification. We take earnest heed in these last days; for the whole [past] time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked time we also withstand coming sources of danger, as becometh the sons of God. That the Black One [Antichrist] may find no means of entrance, let us flee from every vanity, let us utterly hate the works of the way of wickedness. … Take heed, lest resting at our ease, as those who are the called [of God], we should fall asleep in our sins, and the wicked prince [Antichrist], acquiring power over us, should thrust us away from the kingdom of the Lord. And all the more attend to this, my brethren, when ye reflect and behold, that after so great signs and wonders were wrought in Israel, they were thus [at length] abandoned. Let us beware lest we be found [fulfilling that saying], as it is written, "Many are called, but few are chosen."

The Pastor/Shepherd of Hermes (40-140)

In his 2nd vision he is given a little book with strange writing in it, which, when he is allowed to understand its symbols discovers that the saints must repent and go through the great tribulation:

Hermas 1[5]:
3 But after I had risen up from prayer, I behold before me the aged lady, whom also I had seen last year, walking and reading a little book. And she saith to me, "Canst thou report these things to the elect of God?" I say unto her, "Lady, I cannot recollect so much; but give me the little book, that I may copy it." "Take it," saith she, "and be sure and return it to me." 4 I took it, and retiring to a certain spot in the country I copied it letter for letter: for I could not make out the syllables. When then I had finished the letters of the book, suddenly the book was snatched out of my hand; but by whom I did not see.

Hermas 2[6]:
1 Now after fifteen days, when I had fasted and entreated the Lord earnestly, the knowledge of the writing was revealed to me. … 2 "Thy seed, Hermas, have sinned against God … 3 … make these words known to all thy children, and to thy wife … 4 … and to all the saints that have sinned unto this day … repent with their whole heart, and remove double-mindedness from their heart. 7 Ye therefore that work righteousness be steadfast, and be not double-minded, that ye may have admission with the holy angels. Blessed are YE, as many as endure patiently the great tribulation that cometh, and as many as shall not deny their life. 8 For the Lord swear concerning His Son, that those who denied their Lord should be rejected from their life, even they that are now about to deny Him in the coming days; but to those who denied Him aforetime, to them mercy was given of His great loving kindness.

In his 4th vision he sees an enormous and terrifying beast. An angelic figure interprets this vision by saying the beast symbolizes the coming great tribulation. The angel tells him that the saints which are alive and have escaped from the world (ie from its temptations lies deceptions and guilt) will be purified like gold by going through the fiery ordeal of the great tribulation.

Hermas 1[22]:
1 The fourth vision which I saw, brethren, twenty days after the former vision which came unto me, for a type of the impending tribulation. … 5 And I went on a little, brethren, and behold, I see a cloud of dust rising as it were to heaven, and I began to say within myself, "Can it be that cattle are coming, and raising a cloud of dust?" for it was just about a stade from me. 6 As the cloud of dust waxed greater and greater, I suspected that it was something supernatural. Then the sun shone out a little, and behold, I see a huge beast like some sea-monster, and from its mouth fiery locusts issued forth. And the beast was about a hundred feet in length, and its head was as it were of pottery. 10 And the beast had on its head four colors; black then fire and blood color, then gold, then white.

Hermas 2[23]:
1 Now after I had passed the beast, and had gone forward about thirty feet, behold, there meeteth me a virgin arrayed as if she were going forth from a bridal- chamber all in white and with white sandals, veiled up to her forehead, and her head- covering consisted of a turban, and her hair was white. 2 I knew from the former Visions that it was the Church, … 5 "Go therefore, and declare to the elect of the Lord His mighty works, and tell them that this beast is a type of the great tribulation which is to come. If therefore ye prepare yourselves beforehand, and repent (and turn) unto the Lord with your whole heart, ye shall be able to escape it, if your heart be made pure and without blemish, and if for the remaining days of your life ye serve the Lord blamelessly. Cast your cares upon the Lord and He will set them straight."

Hermas 3[24]:
1 I asked her concerning the four colors, which the beast had upon its head. Then she answered me and said, "Again thou art curious about such matters." "Yes, lady," said I, "make known unto me what these things are." 2 "Listen," said she; "the black is this world in which ye dwell; 3 and the fire and blood color showeth that this world must perish by blood and fire; 4 and the golden part are YE that has escaped from this world. For as the gold is tested by the fire and is made useful, so YE ALSO [that dwell in it] are being tested in yourselves. Ye then that abide and pass through the fire will be purified by it. For as the old loses its dross. so Ye also shall cast away all sorrow and tribulation, and shall be purified, and shall be useful for the building of the tower. 5 But the white portion is the coming age, in which the elect of God shall dwell; because the elect of God shall be without spot and pure unto life eternal. 6 Wherefore cease not thou to speak in the ears of the saints. Ye have now the symbolism also of the tribulation which is coming in power. But if ye be willing, it shall be nought. Remember ye the things that are written beforehand." 7 With these words she departed, and I saw not in what direction she departed; for a noise was made: and I turned back in fear, thinking that the beast was coming.

Justin Martyr (100-168)

Justin, who lived near the time of the apostle John (who died c. 100 A.D.), wrote the following

"Dialogue of Justin - Philosopher and Martyr - with Trypho, a Jew"

Chapter 110:
O unreasoning men! understanding not what has been proved by all these passages, that two advents of Christ have been announced: the one, in which He is set forth as suffering, inglorious, dishonored, and crucified; but the other, in which He shall come from heaven with glory, WHEN the man of apostasy, who speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth AGAINST US the Christians,

"The First Apology of Justin" – Christ's 2nd advent includes the resurrection and judgment

Chapter 52:
For the prophets have proclaimed two advents of His [Christ]: the one, that which is already past, when He came as a dishonored and suffering Man; but the second, when, according to prophecy, He shall come from heaven with glory, accompanied by His angelic host, when also He shall raise the bodies of all men who have lived, and shall clothe those of the worthy with immortality, and shall send those of the wicked, endued with eternal sensibility, into everlasting fire with the wicked devils.

Melito (100-170)

Discourse on the Resurrection

i, 8
For with all his strength did the adversary assail us, even then giving a foretaste of his activity among us [during the Great Tribulation] which is to be without restraint...

Irenaeus (130-202 A.D.)

Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, as Polycarp had been a disciple of the Apostle John.

Against Heresies

Book 3, Chapter 26
1. In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord's disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who shall then arise, among whom the empire which now rules [the earth] shall be partitioned. He teaches us what the ten horns shall be which were seen by Daniel, telling us that thus it had been said to him: "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but shall receive power as if kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and give their strength and power to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, because He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings." It is manifest, therefore, that of these [potentates], he who is to come shall slay three, and subject the remainder to his power, and that he shall be himself the eighth among them. And they shall lay Babylon waste, and burn her with fire, and shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the Church to flight. After that they shall be destroyed by the coming of our Lord.

Chapter 27
For "He came to divide a man against his father, and the daughter against the mother, and the daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law;" and when two are in one bed, to take the one, and to leave the other; and of two women grinding at the mill, to take one and leave the other: [also] at the time of the end, to order the reapers to collect first the tares together, and bind them in bundles, and burn them with unquenchable fire, but to gather up the wheat into the barn; and to call the lambs into the kingdom prepared for them, but to send the goats into everlasting fire, which has been prepared by His Father for the devil and his angels. And why is this? Has the Word come for the ruin and for the resurrection of many? For the ruin, certainly, of those who do not believe Him, to whom also He has threatened a greater damnation in the judgment-day than that of Sodom and Gomorrah; but for the resurrection of believers, and those who do the will of His Father in heaven. If then the advent of the Son comes indeed alike to all, but is for the purpose of judging, and separating the believing from the unbelieving, …

Chapter 28
… tribulation is necessary for those who are saved, that having been after a manner broken up, and rendered fine, and sprinkled over by the patience of the Word of God, and set on fire [for purification], they may be fitted for the royal banquet. As a certain man of ours said, when he was condemned to the wild beasts because of his testimony with respect to God: "I am the wheat of Christ, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of God."

Chapter 29
2. And there is therefore in this beast [Antichrist], when he comes, a recapitulation made of all sorts of iniquity and of every deceit, in order that all apostate power, flowing into and being shut up in him, may be sent into the furnace of fire. Fittingly, therefore, shall his name possess the number six hundred and sixty-six, … [Antichrist] also sums up every error of devised idols since the flood, …

Chapter 30
1. … some have erred … and have vitiated the middle number in the name, deducting the amount of fifty from it, … Moreover, another danger, by no means trifling, shall overtake those who falsely presume that they know the name of Antichrist. For if these men assume one [number], when this [Antichrist] shall come having another, they will be easily led away by him, as supposing him not to be the expected one, who must be guarded against.
2. These men, therefore, ought to learn [what really is the state of the case], and go back to the true number of the name, that they be not reckoned among false prophets. But … let them await, in the first place, the division of the kingdom into ten; then, in the next place, when these kings are reigning, and beginning to set their affairs in order, and advance their kingdom, [let them learn] to acknowledge that he who shall come claiming the kingdom for himself, and shall terrify those men of whom we have been speaking, having a name containing the aforesaid number, is truly the abomination of desolation.
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4. But he indicates the number of the name now, that when this man comes WE may avoid him, being aware who he is: … But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom, that is, the rest, the hallowed seventh day;

Chapter 35
1. If, however, any shall endeavor to allegorize [prophecies] of this kind, they shall not be found consistent with themselves in all points, … "For, behold," says Isaiah, "the day of the LORD cometh past remedy, full of fury and wrath, to lay waste the city of the earth, and to root sinners out of it." And again he says, "Let him be taken away, that he behold not the glory of God." And when these things are done, he says, "God will remove men far away, and those that are left shall multiply in the earth." "And they shall build houses, and shall inhabit them themselves: and plant vineyards, and eat of them themselves." For all these and other words were unquestionably spoken in reference to the resurrection of the just, which takes place after the coming of Antichrist, and the destruction of all nations under his rule; … the righteous shall reign in the earth, waxing stronger by the sight of the Lord: and through Him they shall become accustomed to partake in the glory of God the Father, and shall enjoy in the kingdom intercourse and communion with the holy angels, and union with spiritual beings; and [with respect to] those whom the Lord shall find in the flesh, awaiting Him from heaven, and who have suffered tribulation, as well as escaped the hands of the Wicked one.

Tertullian (150-220/240 A.D.)

On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Chapter 22
I apprehend, previous to Christ's coming, our prayers are directed towards the end of this world, to the passing away thereof at the great day of the Lord — of His wrath and vengeance — the last day, … announced beforehand by signs and wonders, and the dissolution of the elements, and the conflicts of nations. … "there should be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." "For," says He, "the powers of heaven shall be shaken; and then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds, with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." He spake of its "drawing nigh," not of its being present already; and of "those things beginning to come to pass," not of their having happened: because when they have come to pass, then our redemption shall be at hand, which is said to be approaching up to that time, raising and exciting our minds to what is then the proximate harvest of our hope. … "So likewise ye," (He adds), "when ye shall see all these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand." "Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all those things, and to stand before the Son of man;" that is, no doubt, at the resurrection, AFTER all these things have been previously transacted.

Chapter 25
The souls of the martyrs are taught to wait [in Rev. 6]... that the beast Antichrist with his false prophet may wage war on the Church of God; and that, after the casting of the devil into the bottomless pit ...

Hippolytus of Rome, Bishop of Portus (160-240)

He was a disciple of Irenaeus, and he became the Bishop of Portus. After Irenaeus' martyrdom, Hippolytus carried on Irenaeus' work of refuting heresies. Hippolytus' eschatological work is even more extensive than Irenaeus'.

The interpretation by Hippolytus, (bishop) of Rome, of the visions of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar, taken in conjunction.

1. In speaking of a "lioness from the sea,"158 he meant the rising of the kingdom of Babylon, and that this was the "golden head of the image." And in speaking of its "eagle wings," be meant that king Nebuchadnezzar was exalted and that his glory was lifted up against God. Then he says "its wings were plucked off," i.e., that his glory was destroyed; for he was driven out of his kingdom. And the words, "A man's heart was given it, and it was made stand upon the feet of a man," mean that he came to himself again, and recognised that he was but a man, and gave the glory to God. Then after the lioness he sees a second beast, "like a bear," which signified the Persians. For after the Babylonians the Persians obtained the power. And in saying that "it had three ribs in its mouth," he pointed to the three nations, Persians, Medes, and Babylonians, which were expressed in the image by the silver after the gold. Then comes the third beast, "a leopard," which means the Greeks; for after the Persians, Alexander of Macedon had the power, when Darius was overthrown, which was also indicated by the brass in the image. And in saying that the beast "had four wings of a fowl, and four heads," he showed most clearly how the kingdom of Alexander was parted into four divisions. For in speaking of four heads, he meant the four kings that arose out of it. For Alexander, when dying, divided his kingdom into four parts. Then he says, "The fourth beast (was) dreadful and terrible: it had iron teeth, and claws of brass." Who, then, are meant by this but the Romans, whose kingdom, the kingdom that still stands, is expressed by the iron? "for," says he, "its legs are of iron."
2. After this, then, what remains, beloved, but the toes of the feet of the image, in which "part shall be of iron and part of clay mixed together? "By the toes of the feet he meant, mystically, the ten kings that rise out of that kingdom. As Daniel says, "I considered the beast; and, lo, (there were) ten horns behind, among which shall come up another little horn springing from them; "by which none other is meant than the antichrist that is to rise; and he shall set up the kingdom of Judah. And in saying that "three horns" were "plucked up by the roots" by this one, he indicates the three kings of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia, whom this one will slay in the array of war. And when he has conquered all, he will prove himself a terrible and savage tyrant, and will cause tribulation and persecution to the saints, exalting himself against them. And after him, it remains that "the stone" shall come from heaven which "smote the image" and shivered it, and subverted all the kingdoms, and gave the kingdom to the saints of the Most High. This "became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth."
3. As these things, then, are destined to come to pass, and as the toes of the image turn out to be democracies,159 and the ten horns of the beast are distributed among ten kings, let us look at what is before us more carefully, and scan it, as it were, with open eye. The "golden head of the image" is identical with the "lioness," by which the Babylonians were represented. "The golden shoulders and the arms of silver" are the same with the "bear," by which the Persians and Medes are meant. "The belly and thighs of brass" are the "leopard," by which the Greeks who ruled from Alexander onwards are intended. The "legs of iron" are the "dreadful and terrible beast," by which the Romans who hold the empire now are meant. The "toes of clay and iron" are the "ten horns" which are to be. The "one other little horn springing up in their midst" is the "antichrist." The stone that "smites the image and breaks it in pieces," and that filled the whole earth, is Christ, who comes from heaven and brings judgment on the world.
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7. … When the times are fulfilled, and the ten horns spring from the beast in the last (times), then Antichrist will appear among them. When he makes war against the saints, and persecutes them, then may we expect the manifestation of the Lord from heaven.
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40. Daniel has spoken, therefore, of two abominations; the one of destruction, and the other of desolation. What is that of destruction, but that which Antiochus established there at the time? And what is that of desolation, but that which shall be universal when Antichrist comes? "And there shall escape out of his hand, Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon." For these are they who ally themselves with him on account of their kinship, and first address him as king. Those of Edom are the sons of Esau, who inhabit Mount Seir. And Moab and Ammon are they who are descended from his two daughters, as Isaiah also says: "And they shall fly (extend themselves) in the ships of strangers, and they shall also plunder the sea; and those from the east, and from the west, and the north, shall give them honour: and the children of Ammon shall first obey them."He shall be proclaimed king by them, and shall be magnified by all, and shall prove himself an abomination of desolation to the world, and shall reign for a thousand two hundred and ninety days. "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days; "for when the abomination cometh and makes war upon the saints, whosoever shall survive his days, and reach the forty-five days, while the other period of fifty days advances, to him the kingdom of heaven comes. Antichrist, indeed, enters even into part of the fifty days, but the saints shall inherit the kingdom along with Christ.
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43. By the stretching forth of His two hands He signified His passion; and by mentioning "a time, and times, and an half, when the dispersion is accomplished," He indicated the three years and a half of Antichrist. For by "a time" He means a year, and by "times" two years, and by an "half time" half a year. These are the thousand two hundred and ninety days of which Daniel prophesied for the finishing of the passion, and the accomplishment of the dispersion when Antichrist comes. In those days they shall know all these things. And from the time of the removal of the continuous sacrifice there are also reckoned one thousand two hundred and ninety days. (Then) iniquity shall abound, as the Lord also says: "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."
44. And that divisions will arise when the falling away takes place, is without doubt. And when divisions arise, love is chilled. The words, "Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days," have also their value, as the Lord said: "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Wherefore let us by no means admit the falling away, lest iniquity abound, and the abomination of desolation- that is, the adversary-overtake us. And He said to him, "unto evening"-that is, unto the consummation" and morning." What is "morning? "The day of resurrection. For that is the beginning of another age, as the morning is the beginning of the day. And the thousand and four hundred days are the light of the world. For on the appearing of the light in the world (as He says, "I am the light of the world"), the sanctuary shall be purged, as he said, (of) the adversary. For it cannot by any means be purged but by his destruction.
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50. But now we shall speak of what is before us. For such measures will he, too, devise, seeking to afflict the saints in every way. For the prophet and apostle says: "Here is wisdom, Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred threescore and six." With respect to his name, it is not in our power to explain it exactly, as the blessed John understood it and was instructed about it, but only to give a conjectural account of it; for when he appears, the blessed one will show us what we seek to know. … Wherefore we ought neither to give it out as if this were certainly his name, nor again ignore the fact that he may not be otherwise designated. But having the mystery of God in our heart, we ought in fear to keep faithfully what has been told us by the blessed prophets, in order that when those things come to pass, we may be prepared for them, and not deceived. For when the times advance, he too, of whom these thing are said, will be manifested.

Hippolytus, (bishop) of Rome, Scholia on Daniel

Chapter 7
17. "Which shall arise." For when the three beasts have finished their course, and been removed, and the one still stands in vigour,-if this one, too, is removed, then finally earthly things (shall) end, and heavenly things begin; that the indissoluble and everlasting kingdom of the saints may be brought to view, and the heavenly King manifested to all, no longer in figure, like one seen in vision, or revealed in a pillar of cloud upon the top of a mountain, but amid the powers and armies of angels, as God incarnate and man, Son of God and Son of man-coming from heaven as the world's Judge.
...
19. "And I inquired about the fourth beast." It is to the fourth kingdom, of which we have already spoken, that he here refers: that kingdom, than which no greater kingdom of like nature has arisen upon the earth; from which also ten horns are to spring, and to be apportioned among ten crowns. And amid these another little horn shall rise, which is that of Antichrist. And it shall pluck by the roots the three others before it; that is to say, he shall subvert the three kings of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia, with the view of acquiring for himself universal dominion. And after conquering the remaining seven horns, he will at last begin, inflated by a strange and wicked spirit, to stir up war against the saints, and to persecute all everywhere, with the aim of being glorified by all, and being worshipped as God.
...
22. "Until the Ancient of days come." That is, when at length the Judge of judges and the King of kings comes from heaven, who shall subvert the whole dominion and power of the adversary, and shall consume all with the eternal fire of punishment. But to His servants, and prophets, and martyrs, and to all who fear Him, He will give an everlasting kingdom; that is, they shall possess the endless enjoyment of good.
25. "Until a time, and times, and the dividing of time." This denotes three years and a half.

Chapter 12
1. "There shall be a time of trouble." For at that time there shall be great trouble, such as has not been from the foundation of the world, when some in one way, and others in another, shall be sent through every city and country to destroy the faithful; and the saints shall travel froth the west to the east, and shall be driven in persecution from the east to the south, while others shall conceal themselves in the mountains and caves; and the abomination shall war against them everywhere, and shall cut them off by sea and by land by his decree, and shall endeavour by every means to destroy them out of the world; and they shall not be able any longer to sell their own property, nor to buy from strangers, unless one keeps and carries with him the name of the beast, or bears its mark upon his forehead. For then they shall all be driven out from every place, and dragged from their own homes and haled into prison, and punished with all manner of punishment, and cast out from the whole world.
2. "These shall awake to everlasting life." That is, those who have believed in the true life, and who have their names written in the book of life. "And these to shame." That is, those who are attached to Antichrist, and who are cast with him into everlasting punishment.
3. "And they that be wise shall shine." And the Lord has said the same thing in the Gospel: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun."

Hippolytus, (bishop) of Rome, Dogmatical and Historical Treatise on Christ and Antichrist

Section 61
And the dragon," he [John the Revelator] says [Rev. 12:14], "saw and persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. And to the woman were given two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days (the half of the week) during which the tyrant [Antichrist] is to reign and persecute the Church, which flees from city to city, and seeks concealment in the wilderness among the mountains, possessed of no other defense than the two wings of the great eagle, that is to say, the faith of Jesus Christ, who, in stretching forth His holy hands on the holy tree, unfolded two wings, the right and the left, and called to Him all who believed upon Him, and covered them as a hen her chickens.

Hippolytus uses a series of scripture to illustrate the doctrine that there is a single resurrection and a single co-joined judgment:

Section 65
Moreover, concerning the resurrection and the kingdom of the saints, Daniel says, "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall arise, some to everlasting life, (and some to shame and everlasting contempt)." Esaias says, "The dead men shall arise, and they that are in their tombs shall awake; for the dew from thee is healing to them." The Lord says, "Many in that day shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live." And the prophet says, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." And John says, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power." For the second death is the lake of fire that burneth. And again the Lord says, "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun shineth in his glory." And to the saints He will say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." But what saith He to the wicked? "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, which my Father hath prepared."

Cyprian (200 to 258)

Epistle 54 - To the People of Thibaris, Exhorting to Martyrdom

Section 19
For even Antichrist, when he shall begin to come, shall not enter into the Church because he threatens; neither shall we yield to his arms and violence, because he declares that he will destroy us if we resist. Heretics arm us when they think that we are terrified by their threatenings; nor do they cast us down on our face, but rather they lift us up and inflame us, when they make peace itself worse to the brethren than persecution.

Epistle 55 - To the People of Thibaris, Exhorting to Martyrdom

Section 1
For as, by the condescension of the Lord instructing me, I am very often instigated and warned, I ought to bring unto your conscience also the anxiety of my warning. For you ought to know and to believe, and hold it for certain, that the day of affliction has begun to hang over our heads, and the end of the world and the time of Antichrist to draw near, so that we must all stand prepared for the battle; nor consider anything but the glory of life eternal, and the crown of the confession of the Lord; and not regard those things which are coming as being such as were those which have passed away. A severer and a fiercer fight is now threatening, for which the soldiers of Christ ought to prepare themselves with uncorrupted faith and robust courage, considering that they drink the cup of Christ's blood daily, for the reason that they themselves also may be able to shed their blood for Christ.

Section 7
Nor let any one of you, beloved brethren, be so terrified by the fear of future persecution, or the coming of the threatening Antichrist, as not to be found armed for all things by the evangelical exhortations and precepts, and by the heavenly warnings. Antichrist is coming, but above him comes Christ also. The enemy goeth about and rageth, but immediately the Lord follows to avenge our sufferings and our wounds.

Treatise 11- Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus

Section 1
You have desired, beloved Fortunatus that, since the burden of persecutions and afflictions is lying heavy upon us, and in the ending and completion of the world the hateful time of Antichrist is already beginning to draw near, I would collect from the sacred Scriptures some exhortations for preparing and strengthening the minds of the brethren, whereby I might animate the soldiers of Christ for the heavenly and spiritual contest.

Section 13
The blessed Apostle Paul … says: "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory which shall be revealed in us." Who, then, does not with all his powers labor to attain to such a glory that he may become the friend of God, that he may at once rejoice with Christ, that after earthly tortures and punishments he may receive divine rewards? If to soldiers of this world it is glorious to return in triumph to their country when the foe is vanquished, how much more excellent and greater is the glory, when the devil is overcome, to return in triumph to paradise … to offer to God the most acceptable gift — an uncorrupted faith, and an unyielding virtue of mind, an illustrious praise of devotion; to accompany Him when He shall come to receive vengeance from His enemies, to stand at His side when He shall sit to judge, to become co-heir of Christ, to be made equal to the angels; with the patriarchs, with the apostles. with the prophets, to rejoice in the possession of the heavenly kingdom! Such thoughts as these, what persecution can conquer, what tortures can overcome?
The brave and steadfast mind, founded in religious meditations, endures; and the spirit abides unmoved against all the terrors of the devil and the threats of the world, when it is strengthened by the sure and solid faith of things to come. In persecutions, earth is shut up, but heaven is opened; Antichrist is threatening, but Christ is protecting; death is brought in, but immortality follows; the world is taken away from him that is slain, but paradise is set forth to him restored; the life of time is extinguished, but the life of eternity is realized. What a dignity it is, and what a security, to go gladly from hence, to depart gloriously in the midst of afflictions and tribulations; in a moment to close the eyes with which men and the world are looked upon, and at once to open them to look upon God and Christ! Of such a blessed departure how great is the swiftness! … meditate on these things day and night. If persecution should fall upon such a soldier of God, his virtue, prompt for battle, will not be able to be overcome. Or if his call should come to him before, his faith shall not be without reward, seeing it was prepared for martyrdom; without loss of time, the reward is rendered by the judgment of God. In persecution, the warfare, — in peace, the purity of conscience, is crowned.

Victorinus (240-303)

Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John

Chapter 6 of Revelation, and verses 5, 12, 13.
5. "And when He had opened the third seal. I heard the third living creature saying, Come and see. And, lo, a black horse; and he who sate upon it had a balance in his hand." - The black horse signifies famine, for the Lord says, "There shall be famines in divers places;" but the word is specially extended to the times of Antichrist, when there shall be a great famine, and when all shall be injured.
...
12. "And I saw, when he had opened the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake." - In the sixth seal, then, was a great earthquake: this is that very last persecution. … "And the entire moon became as blood." - By the moon of blood is set forth the Church of the saints as pouring out her blood for Christ.
13. "And the stars fell to the earth." - The falling of the stars are the faithful who are troubled for Christ's sake. "Even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs." - The fig-tree, when shaken, loses its untimely figs — when men are separated from the Church by persecution.

Chapter 7 of Revelation, and verse 2.
"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God" He speaks of Elias the prophet, who is the precursor of the times of Antichrist, for the restoration and establishment of the churches from the great and intolerable persecution. We read that these things are predicted in the opening of the Old and New Testament; …

Lactantius (240-330)

Divine Institutes, Book 7 – Of a Happy Life

Section 17
… another king shall arise out of Syria, born from an evil spirit, the overthrower and destroyer of the human race, who shall destroy that which is left by the former evil, together with himself. He shall fight against the prophet of God, and shall overcome, and slay him, and shall suffer him to lie unburied; but after the third day he shall come to life again; and while all look on and wonder, he shall be caught up into heaven. But that king will not only be most disgraceful in himself, but he will also be a prophet of lies; and he will constitute and call himself God, and will order himself to be worshipped as the Son of God; and power will be given him to do signs and wonders, by the sight of which he may entice men to adore him. He will command fire to come down from heaven, and the sun to stand and leave his course, and an image to speak; and these things shall be done at his word, — by which miracles many even of the wise shall be enticed by him. Then he will attempt to destroy the temple of God, and persecute the righteous people; and there will be distress and tribulation? such as there never has been from the beginning of the world.
As many as shall believe him and unite themselves to him, shall be marked by him as sheep; but they who shall refuse his mark will either flee to the mountains, or, being seized, will be slain with studied tortures. He will also enwrap righteous men with the books of the prophets, and thus burn them; and power will be given him to desolate the whole earth for forty-two months. That will be the time in which righteousness shall be cast out, and innocence be hated; in which the wicked shall prey upon the good as enemies; neither law, nor order, nor military discipline shall be preserved; no one shall reverence hoary locks, nor recognize the duty of piety, nor pity sex or infancy; all things shall be confounded and mixed together against right, and against the laws of nature. Thus the earth shall be laid waste, as though by one common robbery. When these things shall so happen, then the righteous and the followers of truth shall separate themselves from the wicked, and flee into solitudes. And when he hears of this, the impious king, inflamed with anger, will come with a great army, and bringing up all his forces, will surround all the mountain in which the righteous shall be situated, that he may seize them. But they, when they shall see themselves to be shut in on all sides and besieged, will call upon God with a loud voice, and implore the aid of heaven; and God shall hear them, and send from heaven a great king to rescue and free them, and destroy all the wicked with fire and sword.

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers - 325 to 589 A.D.

Athanasius (293-373)

Athanasius accuses Constantine to be a type or precursor of the Antichrist. He sees Constantine (and the Antichrist) as an enemy of the Church which is (and will be) very much present to be persecuted by him.

History of the Arians, Part 8

Section 74
And does not the vision of Daniel thus describe Antichrist; that he shall make war with the saints, and prevail against them, and exceed all that have been before him in evil deeds and shall humble three kings, and speak words against the Most High, and shall think to change times and laws? Now what other person besides Constantius has ever attempted to do these things? He is surely such a one as Antichrist would be. He speaks words against the Most High by supporting this impious heresy: he makes war against the saints by banishing the Bishops; although indeed he exercises this power but for a little while to his own destruction. Moreover he has surpassed those before him in wickedness, having devised a new mode of persecution; and after he had overthrown three kings, namely Vetranio, Magnentius, and Gallus, he straightway undertook the patronage of impiety; and like a giant he has dared in his pride to set himself up against the Most High. He has thought to change laws, by transgressing the ordinance of the Lord given us through His Apostles, by altering the customs of the Church, and inventing a new kind of appointments. …

Section 76
Now what is yet wanting to make him Antichrist? or what more could Antichrist do at his coming than this man has done? Will he not find when he comes that the way has been already prepared for him by this man easily to deceive the people? …
Section 77
Terrible indeed, and worse than terrible are such proceedings; yet conduct suitable to him who assumes the character of Antichrist Who that beheld him taking the lead of his pretended Bishops, and presiding in Ecclesiastical causes, would not justly exclaim that this was `the abomination of desolation ' spoken of by Daniel? For having put on the profession of Christianity, and entering into the holy places, and standing therein, he lays waste the Churches, transgressing their Canons, and enforcing the observance of his own decrees. Will any one now venture to say that this is a peaceful time with Christians, and not a time of persecution? A persecution indeed, such as never arose before, and such as no one perhaps will again stir up, except `the son of lawlessness ,' do these enemies of Christ exhibit, who already present a picture of him in their own persons. Wherefore it especially behooves us to be sober, lest this heresy which has reached such a height of impudence, and has diffused itself abroad like the `poison of an adder ,' as it is written in the Proverbs, and which teaches doctrines contrary to the Saviour; lest, I say, this be that `falling away ,' after which He shall be revealed, of whom Constantius is surely the forerunner. …

Section 79
… For behold, `they have not spared Thy servants, but are preparing the way for Antichrist.'

Ephraim the Syrian (306-373)

Ephraim the Syrian was a major theologian of the early Byzantine Eastern Church. He was born near Nisbis in the Roman province of Syria, near present day Edessa, Turkey. He was a man of great faith, with a love of scripture, who made use of poetry to express both.

Some people would love to ascribe to Ephraim a work entitled "On the Last Times, the Antichrist and the End of the World" (see above), but most scholars recognize that this was the later work of someone else (c. 400-600 A.D.) who used Ephraim's name and reputation to promote his own ideas (ie, it was a pseudopigraphical work).

Although there are no known quotes from Ehpraim the Syrian which deal with the timing of the tribulation or rapture, given that his life and work were so highly esteemed by his contemporaries, it may be rightly assumed that his theology reflected the orthodox teachings of the Church - teachings that do NOT include a pretribulation rapture of the Church.

While the following quote is taken from a work that MAY also be pseudopigraphical, it is listed here to show that others who capitalized on the reputation of Ephraim had a decidedly posttribulation theology:

Sermo Asceticus

Nothing remains then, except that the coming of our enemy, Antichrist, appear...

Cyril (315-386)

Archbishop of Jerusalem, writing in "The Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril", Lecture 15:

On the Clause, and Shall Come in Glory to Judge the Quick and the Dead; Of Whose Kingdom There Shall Be No End, - Daniel 7:9-14.

Section 4
But since it was needful for us to know the signs of the end, and since we are looking for Christ, therefore, that we may not die deceived and be led astray by that false Antichrist, the Apostles, moved by the divine will, address themselves by a providential arrangement to the True Teacher, and say, Tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world? We look for Thee to come again, but Satan transforms himself into an Angel of light; put us therefore on our guard, that we may not worship another instead of Thee. And He, opening His divine and blessed mouth, says, Take heed that no man mislead you. Do you also, my hearers, as seeing Him now with the eyes of your mind, hear Him saying the same things to you; Take heed that no man mislead you. And this word exhorts you all to give heed to what is spoken; for it is not a history of things gone by, but a prophecy of things future, and which will surely come. Not that we prophesy, for we are unworthy; but that the things which are written will be set before you, and the signs declared. Observe thou, which of them have already come to pass, and which yet remain; and make thyself safe.

Section 8
Thou hast this sign also: And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come. And as we see, nearly the whole world is now filled with the doctrine of Christ.

Section 9
And what comes to pass after this? He says next, When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing in the Holy Place, let him that readeth understand. … Most have departed from right words, and rather choose the evil, than desire the good. This therefore is the falling away, and the enemy is soon to be looked for: and meanwhile he has in part begun to send forth his own forerunners, that he may then come prepared upon the prey. Look therefore to thyself, O man, and make safe thy soul. The Church now charges thee before the Living God; she declares to thee the things concerning Antichrist before they arrive. Whether they will happen in thy time we know not, or whether they will happen after thee we know not; but it is well that, knowing these things, thou shouldest make thyself secure beforehand.

Jerome (340-420)

Epistle

21
I told you that Christ would not come unless Antichrist had come before.

Chrysostom (345-407)

Homilies on First Thessalonians

9
... the time of Antichrist ... will be a sign of the coming of Christ ...

Augustine (354-430)

The City of God

XX, 23
But he who reads this passage [Daniel 12], even half asleep, cannot fail to see that the kingdom of Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the Church ...

Medieval Period - 590 to 1517 A.D.

Venerable Bede (673-735)

The Explanation of the Apocalypse

II, 8
[The Church's triumph will] follow the reign of Antichrist.

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Sermons on the Song of Songs

33, 16
There remains only one thing - that the demon of noonday [Antichrist] should appear, to seduce those who remain still in Christ ...

Roger Bacon (1214-1274)

Opus Majus

II, p. 634
... because of future perils [for the Church] in the times of Antichrist ...

Reformation Period - 1517 to 1689 A.D.

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Works of Martin Luther

VI, p. 481
[The book of Revelation] is intended as a revelation of things that are to happen in the future, and especially of tribulations and disasters for the Church ...

Menno Simons (1496-1561)

Complete Writings...

p. 622
... He will appear as a triumphant prince and a victorious king to bring judgment. Then will those who persecute us look upon Him ...

John Calvin (1509-1564)

Institutes

Vol. 2, p. 411
... we ought to follow in our inquiries after Antichrist, especially where such pride proceeds to a public desolation of the church.

John Knox (1515-1572)

The History of the Reformation...,

I, p. 76
... the great love of God towards his Church, whom he pleased to forewarn of dangers to come, so many years before they come to pass...to wit, The man of sin, The Antichrist, The Whore of Babylon.

John Fox (1516-1587)

Acts and Monuments

I
...that second beast prophesied to come in the later time of the Church...to disturb the whole Church of Christ ...

Roger Williams (1603-1683)

The Bloody Tenent, of Persecution

p. 153
Antichrist...hath his prisons, to keep Christ Jesus and his members fast ...

Post-Reformation Period - 1689 to 1820 A.D.

Daniel Whitby (1638-1726)

A Paraphrase and Commentary

p. 696
... after the Fall of Antichrist, there shall be such a glorious State of the Church...so shall this be the Church of Martyrs, and of those who had not received the Mark of the Beast ...

Increase Mather (1639-1723)

Ichabod

p. 64
That part of the world [Europe] was to be principally the Seat of the Church of Christ during the Reign of Antichrist.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

Commentary on 2 Thess. 2:1-4

A reason why they should not expect the coming of Christ, as at hand, is given. There would be a general falling away first, such as would occasion the rise of antichrist, that man of sin. There have been great disputes who or what is intended by this man of sin and son of perdition. The man of sin not only practises wickedness, but also promotes and commands sin and wickedness in others; and is the son of perdition, because he is devoted to certain destruction, and is the instrument to destroy many others, both in soul and body. As God was in the temple of old, and worshipped there, and is in and with his church now; so the antichrist here mentioned, is a usurper of God's authority in the Christian church, who claims Divine honours.

Commentary on Rev. 3:10 ("I also will keep thee from the hour of trial")

Christ promises preserving grace in the most trying times, as the reward of past faithfulness; To him that hath shall be given. Those who keep the gospel in a time of peace, shall be kept by Christ in an hour of temptation; and the same Divine grace that has made them fruitful in times of peace, will make them faithful in times of persecution. Christ promises a glorious reward to the victorious believer.

George Whitefield (1714-1770)

Gillies' Memoirs of Rev. George Whitefield

p. 471
... 'while the bridegroom tarried,' in the space of time which passeth between our Lord's ascension and his coming again to judgment ...

John Newton (1725-1807)

The Works of the Rev. John Newton

Vol. II, p. 152
"Fear not temptation's fiery day, for I will be thy strength and stay. Thou hast my promise, hold it fast, the trying hour [Revelation 3:10] will soon be past".

Modern Period - 1820 A.D. to Present

Adam Clarke (1762-1832)

Commentary

Vol. VI, p. 550
We which are alive, and remain ... he [Paul] is speaking of the genuine Christians which shall be found on earth when Christ comes to judgment.

Charles Hodge (1797-1878)

Systematic Theology

Vol. III, p. 827
... the fate of his Church here on earth ... is the burden of the Apocalypse.

Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

Notes on the New Testament

p. 94
... he will keep them in the future trials that shall come upon the world [Revelation 3:10].

George Mueller (1805-1898)

Mrs. Mueller's Missionary Tours and Labours

p. 148
The Scripture declares plainly that the Lord Jesus will not come until the Apostacy shall have taken place, and the man of sin...shall have been revealed ...

Benjamin W. Newton (1805-1898)

Unpublished Fry MS. and F. Roy Coad's Prophetic Developments

p. 29
The Secret Rapture was bad enough, but this [John Darby's equally novel idea that the book of Matthew is on 'Jewish' ground instead of 'Church' ground] was worse.

R. C. Trench (1807-1886)

Seven Churches of Asia

pp. 183-184
... the Philadelphian church ... to be kept in temptation, not to be exempted from temptation ...

Carl F. Keil (1807-1888)

Biblical Commentary

Vol. XXXIV, p. 503
... the persecution of the last enemy Antichrist against the church of the Lord ...

John Lillie (1812-1867)

Second Thessalonians

pp. 537-538
In his [Antichrist's] days was to be the great - the last - tribulation of the Church.

Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1842)

Bonar's Memoirs of McCheyne

p. 26
Christians must have 'great tribulation'; but they come out of it.

S. P. Tregelles (1813-1875)

Samuel P. Tregelles was an eminent Plymouth Brethren scholar who openly opposed Darby's pretribulation rapture stance. In an 1855 article in The Christian Annotator, Tregelles wrote that the true Christian's hope is the final "advent" and "not some secret advent, or secret rapture to the Lord, as Judaizers supposed might be the case..." [Tregelles, Samuel P., Premillennial Advent, The Christian Annotator, June 16, 1855, p. 190].

Nine years later, in 1864,Tregelles published "The Hope of Christ's Second Coming" where he identified who the "Judaizers" were: "The theory of a secret coming...first brought forward...an utterance in Mr. Irving's Church...about the year 1832" [Tregelles, Samuel P., The Hope of Christ's Second Coming, Ambassadors for Christ, n.d. 1864, pp. 34-35].

A later Plymouth Brethren writer, William Kelly, also identified the Irvingites as "Judaizers." He defined "Judaizing" as Christians adopting "Jewish elements." Kelly added, "nowhere is this so patent as in Irvingism" [Kelly, William, The Catholic Apostolic Body, or Irvingites (The Bible Treasury, Dec. 1890), p. 191].

The Hope of Christ's Second Coming

I am not aware that there was any definite teaching that there should be a Secret Rapture of the Church at a secret coming until this was given forth as an `utterance' in Mr. Irving's church from what was then received as being the voice of the Spirit. But whether anyone ever asserted such a thing or not it was from that supposed revelation that the modern doctrine and the modern phraseology respecting it arose. It came, not from the Holy Scriptures, but from that which falsely pretended to be the Spirit of Elohim.

The Hope of Christ's Second Coming

p. 71
The Scripture teaches the Church to wait for the manifestation of Christ. The secret theory bids us to expect a coming before any such manifestation.

Nathaniel West (1826-1906)

The Apostle Paul and the "Any Moment" Theory

p. 30
[The pretribulation rapture doctrine] is built on a postulate, vicious in logic, violent in exegesis, contrary to experience, repudiated by the early Church, contradicted by the testimony of eighteen hundred years ... and condemned by all the standard scholars of every age.

M. R. Vincent (1834-1922)

Word Studies...

p. 466
The preposition ['from' in Revelation 3:10] implies, not a keeping from temptation, but a keeping in temptation ...

William J. Erdman (1834-1923)

Notes on the Book of Revelation

p. 47
... by the 'saints' seen as future by Daniel and by John are meant 'the Church' ...

H. Grattan Guinness (1835-1910)

The Approaching End of the Age

p. 136
... the Church is on earth during the action of the Apocalypse ...

H. B. Swete (1835-1917)

The Apocalypse of St. John

p. 56
The promise [of Revelation 3:10], as Bede says, is 'not indeed of your being immune from adversity, but of not being overcome by it'.

William G. Moorehead (1836-1914)

Outline Studies in the New Testament

p. 123
... the last days of the Church's deepest humiliation when Antichrist is practicing and prospering (Dan. viii:12) ...

A. H. Strong (1836-1921)

Systematic Theology

p. 567
The final coming of Christ is referred to in: Mat. 24:30 ... [and] I Thess. 4:16 ...

Theodor Zahn (1838-1933)

Zahn-Kommentar

I, p. 305
... He will preserve ... at the time of the great temptation [Revelation 3:10] ...

I. T. Beckwith (1843-1936)

The Apocalypse of John

p. 484
The Philadelphians ... are promised that they shall be carried in safety through the great trial [Revelation 3:10], they shall not fall.

Robert Cameron (1845-1922)

Scriptural Truth About the Lord's Return

p. 16
The Coming for, and the Coming with, the saints, still persists [among dispensationalists as being separate events], although it involves a manifest contradiction, viz., two Second Comings which is an absurdity.

Philip Mauro (1859-1952)

The Gospel of the Kingdom

p. 8
... 'dispensational teaching' is modernistic in the strictest sense ... it first came into existence within the memory of persons now living ...

A. T. Robertson (1863-1934)

Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament

vol 6, 2 Thess. 2:3:
"For it will not be (οτι)". … The meaning is clear. ... The second coming not only is not 'imminent,' but will not take place before certain important things take place, a definite rebuff to the false enthusiasts of verse 2nd Thessalonians 2:2.
[1. Now we ask you, brothers, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, 2. not to be so quickly upset or alarmed when someone claims that we said either by some spirit, conversation, or letter that the Day of the Lord has already come.]
"first" (πρωτον) before Christ comes again.

A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research

p. 596
In Rev. 3:10...we seem to have the picture of general temptation with the preservation of the saints.

William E. Biederwolf (1867-1939)

The Second Coming Bible

p. 385
Godet, like most pre-millennial expositors, makes no provision for any period between the Lord's coming for His saints and His coming with them ...

Alexander Reese (1881-1969)

The Approaching Advent of Christ

p. 293
... we quite deliberately reject the dispensational theories, propounded first about 1830 ....

Norman S. MacPherson (1899-1980)

Triumph Through Tribulation

p. 5
... the view that the Church will not pass into or through the Great Tribulation is based largely upon arbitrary interpretations of obscure passages.

Outstanding Bible Teachers throughout Church history have taught that the Church would encounter the persecution of the Antichrist here on earth before the Second Coming. The following is a list (in alphabetical order) of others not quoted above who have upheld the doctrine of a posttribulation rapture:

Henry Alford, J.Sidlow Baxter, Bengel, Brooks, F.F. Bruce, John Bunyan, Thomas Chalmers, Delitzsch, Derstine, DeWette, Ellicott, Jim Elliott, Ewald, Frost, Godet, Godwin, Robert Gundry, Carl F. Henry, John Huss, Orson Jones, Joyner, Kellogg, C.S. Lovett, J.Gresham Machen, Peter Marshall, Walter Martin, Gary Matsdorf, G.Campbell Morgan, Leon Morris, Ian Murray, Isaac Newton, H.J. Ockenga, Orelli, Bernard Ramm, Pat Robertson, Rothe, Ryle, A. Saphir, Demos Shakarian, A.B. Simpson, Oswald J. Smith, Jim Spillman, Spener, R.C. Sproul, Charles Spurgeon, Stier, Corrie TenBoom, William Tyndale, Van Ostersee, Volck, B.B. Warfield, Charles Wesley, Whiston, R.F. Youngblood

This is (of course) only a partial list. There are many more.

To be sure, the cumulative testimony of Church history is weighty evidence, but if the faith of our fathers is not rooted firmly in a sound interpretation of the scriptures then it is in error. We must therefore turn to the scriptures to confirm the validity of our faith.

Key Words Used:

Before launching into the scriptures themselves, let's look at some key words used by the Greek New Testament. These key words are used to describe Christ's coming back to the earth. They help us understand how and when Christ comes to: resurrect the dead, destroy the Antichrist, bring judgment upon the ungodly, issue rewards to his followers, and reign over his redeemed people in a redeemed world. When we couple an understanding of these key words with the constraints of Greek syntax and grammar then we will begin to see more clearly why the Church has historically believed in a posttribulation rapture and return of Christ.

The words we will look at are as follows: Parousia, Apantesis, Epiphania, Phaino, Phaneroo, Optanomai, Erchomai, Apokalupsis/Apokalupto

Parousia:

The word parousia "means arrival, someone's coming in order to be present. Technically the noun is used for the arrival of a ruler a king, emperor, ruler, or even troops from the Ptolemaic period to the 2nd century A.D." (G. Braumann, in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 2, article: "Present", p. 898, editor: Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975)

When the word parousia is used concerning Christ, it is also used as a specialized or "technical term," since it speaks "nearly always of his Messianic advent in glory to judge the world at the end of the age" (Greek-English Lexicon by Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich, p.635);

Apantesis:

"When a dignitary paid an official visit or parousia to a city in Hellenistic times, the action of the leading citizens in going out to meet him and escorting him on the final stage of his journey was called the apantesis ..." (F.F.Bruce, in New Bible Commentary, © 1970, p.1159).

"The use of apantesis in 1 Thess. 4:17 is noteworthy. The ancient expression for the civic welcome of an important visitor or the triumphal entry of a new ruler into the capital city and thus to his reign is applied to Christ. 'Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord (εις απαντησιν του κυριου) in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord.' … The same thoughts occur in the parable of the ten virgins. The virgins leave to meet the bridegroom (εις απαντησιν του νυμφιου) i.e. the Lord, to whom they wish to give a festive reception (Matt. 25:1)." (W. Mundle, in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 1, article: "Come", p. 325, editor: Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975)

Epiphania:

The root of this word is from the primary particle epi: upon; and from the verb phaino: to shine or to make manifest, to illuminate, to shine, to be seen, to appear.

In Greek texts "… at the time of Jesus, the word had almost become a technical term for the succouring appearance of an otherwise hidden deity" (B. Gartner, in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3, article: "Revelation", p. 317, editor: Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975). It is "used to describe the powerful intervention of the gods" (Ibid, p.318).

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint, LXX), the word is always used of "Yahweh's marvelous rescuing and redemptive vindication of his people in the sense of the OT theophany …" (Ibid). When used in an eschatological sense it refers to his end-time intervention into history that is at once terrible for Gods enemies who will be punished and glorious for his faithful followers who will be redeemed and rewarded (Ibid).

This same concept is carried over into the New Testament, and always refers to "the visible appearance of Jesus Christ on earth" (Ibid). Apart from speaking of Christ's redemptive intervention into human history at his first coming (ex. 1 Tim 1:10), it is also used in the eschatological sense for his redemptive intervention at his second coming "the appearance of the Lord on earth at the end of history" (ex. 2 Thess. 2:8, Ibid, p.319).

The word "epiphany" means "a visible manifestation of a hidden divinity," and in the literature of NT times, the word speaks "only of Christ's appearing on earth." (Greek- English Lexicon of the New Testament, by Bauer, Arndt & Gingrich, 1957, p.304)

Phaino:

The root of the word phaino is derived from a prolongation of the base word phos: to shine or make manifest, especially by rays of light as from a fire, torch, lamp, star, or God as as a source of light and illumination (spiritual or physical). Accordingly, phaino means shine, appear, become manifest, come into view (as in a visible outward appearance).

"It is used of the 'appearance' of Christ to the disciples, Mark 16:9; of His future 'appearing' in glory as the Son of Man, spoken of as a sign to the world, Matt. 24:30; there the genitive is subjective, the sign being the 'appearing' of Christ Himself" (Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, article: "Appear, Appearing", W. E. Vine, 1939/1984, Thomas Nelson Publishers, p. 31)

Phaneroo:

To "reveal, make known, show, manifest", the adverb of which means "'openly', 'publically', so that people can see", which is "the opposite of en krypto, 'in secret'" (C. Brown, in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3, article: "Revelation", p. 320, editor: Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975). Used in John and by Paul as a synonym for apokalypto, having the sense of 'make visible'" (Ibid, p.321).

New Testament writers also use the word "phaneroo" (to make manifest and visible) to describe the public visibility of the rapture. It is connected to the day of judgment when the righteous are rewarded:

(1 Jn. 3:2)
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed [phaneroo] what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed [phaneroo], we will be like him; for we will see [optanomai] him just as he is.

(Col. 3:4)
When Christ, our life, is revealed [phaneroo – "make manifest or visible what had been hidden"], then you will also be revealed [phaneroo] with him in glory.

(1 Pet. 5:4)
When the chief Shepherd is revealed [phaneroo], you will receive the crown of glory that doesn't fade away.

Optanomai:

This is the middle voice of optomai: to be seen, to appear, to be looked at. It "signifies to allow oneself to be seen" (Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, article: "Appear, Appearing", W. E. Vine, 1939/1984, Thomas Nelson Publishers, p. 32). An English derivative is the word "optometrist", an eye doctor.

Erchomai:

Is the most frequent (common) verb meaning "to come". It is sometimes used as a synonym for the Greek word heko which emphasizes the arrival aspect of having come. Erchomai is often in conjuction with prepositions indicating the direction of the coming. Of persons it means: "to come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving to appear, make one's appearance, come before the public." (Englishman- Strong's Concordance, Greek number 2064, electronic version, copyright 1993 by Online Bible, Winterbourne, ONT)

Apokalupsis/Apokalupto:

"The verb apokalypto, unveil, formed from kalypto, cover up, conceal, and apo, from …" denotes "the disclosure of previously hidden things; the noun apokalypsis, disclosure, revelation, is … used from the 1st century B.C. onwards, and then predominantly in a religious sense." Even though it is sometimes used as a synonym for phaneroo, apokalypto "refers to the removal of a covering" while phaneroo implies bringing something into the light (W. Mundle, in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3, article: "Revelation", pp. 310, 312, editor: Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975). Both describe a means of revealing something so that it can be known.

All of the above words are used by the New Testament to describe Christ's second coming, which includes (as we shall shortly discover) the rapture of the Church. Far from being a secret event, the above words demonstrate that the second coming of Christ and the resurrection and rapture of the Church will be a very public and open event – visible to all and by all.

The connotation of these words argues heavily against the baseless opinion that the rapture will be a secret event whereby non-believers will suddenly and inexplicably be found alone in unmanned cars and planes and buses that suddenly careen out of control when their Christian operators mysteriously vanish at the rapture. This fairly recent and popular notion has absolutely no foundation in the scriptures themselves but is instead a theological construct that has been injuriously imposed upon God's holy word.

Key Words NOT Used:

If, on the other hand, the writers of the New Testament has wanted to describe any aspect of Christ's second coming (including the resurrection and the rapture of the Church) as something secret or hidden, then they would most certainly would have used one or more of the following words:

Aoratos - invisible
Apokrupto - to hide, conceal, keep secret
Kalupto - to hide, veil, to hinder the knowledge of a thing
Kruptos (English derivative: cryptic) - hidden, concealed, secret
Krypto - to hide, conceal, to be hid, escape notice, to conceal (that it may not become known)
Lathra - secretly
Musterion (English derivative: mystery) - hidden thing, secret, mystery, generally mysteries, religious secrets, confided only to the initiated and not to ordinary mortals; or a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding; or a hidden purpose or counsel of either men or God to keep something hidden from enemies while disclosing it to allies.
Parakalupto - to cover over, cover up, hide, conceal
Perikrupto - to conceal on all sides or entirely, to hide, seclude

… but the fact is that the New Testament writers did not use ANY of these words to describe the coming of Christ to resurrect and rapture his church. Why? Because there is nothing secret or hidden about the coming of Christ to rapture the Church! Instead, Christ's coming to rapture the Church will be a very visible and public event.

Is The Rapture Separate From The Second Coming?

Those who teach a pretribulation rapture of the Church believe that this rapture is separated from the visible public second coming of Christ by as much as seven years. The image they paint is one of a U-turn whereby Christ first comes "for" his Church: resurrecting and snatching them up to be with him "in the air", and returning to heaven with them for the duration of the great tribulation. Later on, after the tribulation, Christ returns again but this time "with" his saints and descends with them all the way to the earth.

Although pretribulationists often describe this as one event divided into two stages (separated by the great tribulation), their theory requires two separate "comings".

Unfortunately for them, this is neither what the Church has historically taught, nor what the scriptures themselves proclaim. Let's look at some specific verses.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17

(1 Thess. 4:13)
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those who have fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left to the coming [parousia] of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. (16) For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God's trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, (17) then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up [harpazo] together with them in the clouds, to meet [apantesis] the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

In verse 15 Paul using the technical word parousia to stress that Christ's coming to rapture the Church will be like the coming of a dignitary, a ruler, a king, and perhaps that person's troops as well. The word parousia also implies that Christ is coming towards a specific destination. In this same passage, so as to complete this picture of Christ coming to his destination, Paul uses the word apantesis to define how Christian believers would "meet" their "Lord in the air". The word apantesis (meeting) expresses the idea that when Christians are resurrected and caught up [harpazo = rapture] to meet Christ, it will be for the purpose of welcoming, escorting, and joining Christ on the last leg of His journey to his destination. Since the parousia is Christ's second coming it can only mean that Christ's destination is once again planet earth.

This passage helps explain how Christ can come "for" his saints and also "with" them (verse 14). He comes "for" his people to resurrect and rapture them, and then continues on "with" them to his destination – which, as the very words used suggest, will be a very visible event.

As this and other scriptures below will demonstrate, the Scriptures speak of only one "parousia" (coming) of Christ. It is a coming that includes (as we have just seen) the resurrection and the rapture, as well as the destruction of the Antichrist, the judgment of all the living and the dead, the transforming of the earth, and the establishing of God's direct rule over his redeemed people upon a redeemed earth. There is not the slightest hint that this parousia is in two stages, but rather that it is all one event.

In the next verse we will see that the parousia includes the resurrection, the abolition of death, the end, and the delivering the kingdom to God the Father.

1st Corinthians 15:21

(1 Cor. 15:21-26)
For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man. (22) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (23) But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ's, at his coming [parousia]. (24) Then the end [telos] comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power. (25) For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. (26) The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

The resurrection of "those who are Christ's" (and their unspoken but implied gathering together unto Him) is said to be at Christ's royal 2nd coming [parousia]. Christ's parousia not only involves the abolition of death and the resurrection, it also initiates the end [telos] of this world order and begins the rule of God on earth.

Although the next verse (Titus 2:13) is not all that critical to establishing when the rapture takes place, it is often referred to by pretribulationists as a verse which might suggest that the secret rapture is separate from the public appearing of Christ at his second coming. However, when we know enough about the koine Greek used in this passage, we find that this simply is not true.

The Greek language used in Titus 2:13 makes it clear that the blessed hope of the church is not the rapture, but rather the glorious and very public appearing of Jesus Christ. Here is the verse with the Greek below it in interlinear fashion:

Titus 2:13

looking for the blessed hope and appearing

προσδεξομενοι την μακαριαν ελπιδα και επιφανειαν

of the glory of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ

της δοχη ου μεγαλου θεου και σωτηρος ημων Ιησου Ξριστου

"looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ;"

προσδεξομενοι την μακαριαν ελπιδα και επιφανειαν της δοχη του μεγαλου θεου και σωτηρος ημων Ιησου Ξριστου

Students familiar enough with the Greek New Testament, and with standard grammars, have probably heard of the "Granville Sharp" rule that deals with nouns connected by the word "and" (και).

Here is the Granville Sharp rule, as it appears in "Remarks on the Uses of the Definitive Article in the Greek Text of the New Testament: Containing Many New Proofs of the Divinity of Christ, From Passages Which are Wrongly Translated in the Common English Version" (Philadelphia: B. B. Hopkins and Co., 1807), on page 3:

"When the copulative και connects two nouns of the same case [viz. nouns (either substantive or adjective, or participles) of personal description, respecting office, dignity, affinity, or connexion, and attributes, properties, or qualities, good or ill,] if the article `ο, or any of its cases, precedes the first of the said nouns or participles, and is not repeated before the second noun or participle, the latter always relates to the same person that is expressed or described by the first noun or participle: i.e., it denotes a farther description of the first named person."

As one can see from the above, Titus 2:13 has two such instances of the Granville Sharp rule:

"the blessed hope" (την μακαριαν ελπιδα [accusative, singular, feminine]) is joined by the word "and" (και) to the word "gathering together" (επιφανειαν [accusative, singular, feminine]). This means that the blessed hope IS the very visible and illuminated appearing of Christ. The blessed hope cannot, therefore, be some hidden pretribulation rapture of the Church.
"of the great God" (ου μεγαλου θεου [genitive, singular, masculine]) as joined by the word "and" (και) to the word "saviour" (σωτηρος [genitive, singular, masculine]). This part of the verse makes it equally as clear that Jesus Christ is BOTH our great God AND our saviour.

The word επιφανειαν (from epiphaino, "appearing") is from the root word phaino (see above). This implies that the blessed hope, which is the appearing of Christ, will be a very radiant shining visible event. A.T. Robertson (Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament) says that this word was used by the Greeks of the appearance of gods, and that it is used in the New Testament exclusively of Christ's appearance in this world.

One last important point on this topic: The Granville Sharp rule has never been shown to be wrong.

Does the Word "Escape" in Luke 21:36
Refer to the Rapture?

We will now take a look at the word "escape" as it relates to the end times. The following passage has often been used by pretribulationists to suggest that the Church will "escape" the judgments of the great tribulation by way of the rapture beforehand.

Luke 21:36

Therefore be watchful all the time, asking that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Let's examine the context of this "escape clause" (i.e. verse):

(Lk. 21:26-36)
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
(27) Then they will see [optanomai] the Son of Man coming [erchomai] in a cloud with power and great glory. (28) But when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near."
(29) He told them a parable. "See the fig tree, and all the trees. (30) When they are already budding, you see it and know by your own selves that the summer is already near. (31) Even so you also, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. (32) Most assuredly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things are accomplished. (33) Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.
(34) "So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly. (35) For it will come like a snare on all those who dwell on the surface of all the earth. (36) Therefore be watchful all the time, asking that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man."

When the word "see" [optanomai] is used in verse 27 ("Then they [referring to the fearful "men" of verse 26] will see the Son of Man coming") it signifies that the coming of the Son of Man will be a visible event. The Greek word translated as "coming" [erchomai] further implies that the Son of Man will be visibly coming from one place so as to arrive at another place. The expression "Son of Man" is a familiar Jewish apocalyptic term that refers to a heavenly figure who receives an earthly kingdom over which he will rule in righteousness (cf., Dan 7:13-14 and 1 Enoch 37-71). Verse 27, therefore, refers to the very visible 2nd coming of Christ from heaven to earth for the purpose of reigning over his kingdom.

Verse 34 tells us to beware of getting caught up in sin and the cares of this life so that "that day" (a Jewish reference to the judgment day) does not suddenly come upon you. Otherwise, as verse 35 says, these sins and worldly concerns will come upon people "like a snare" to entrap and enslave them. Lastly, verse 36 implores us to be sleeplessly vigilant so that we can "escape" being ensnared by such things so that we can look forward to standing before Christ at His 2nd coming (rather than fear his righteous judgments upon his return).

The following 3 verses demonstrate a similar meaning/use of the word "snare":

(1 Tim. 3:7)
Moreover he [the bishop/overseer] must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.

(1 Tim. 6:9)
But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.

(2 Tim. 2:24-26)
The Lord's servant must not quarrel, but be gentle towards all, able to teach, patient, (25) in gentleness correcting those who oppose him: perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth, (26) and they may recover themselves out of the devil's snare, having been taken captive by him to his will.

Here are a few more verses that use the word "escape" in the sense of avoiding being overtaken entrapped or enslaved by sin and worldly concerns or temptations:

(1 Cor. 10:13)
No temptation has taken you but such as man can bear. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

(2 Pet. 1:4)
by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.

(2 Pet. 2:18, 20)
For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping from those who live in error; … [escape is defined in verse 20] (20) For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state has become worse with them than the first.

Below are a few more verses that use the word "escape" in the sense of avoiding God's condemnation:

(Mt. 23:33) You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?

(Rom 2:3)
Do you think this, O man who judges those who practice such things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

(1 Thess. 5:3)
For when they are saying, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape.

(Heb. 2:2-3, 18-25)
For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense; (3) how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation -- which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard … (18) For you have not come to a mountain that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and to blackness, darkness, tempest, (19) the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which those who heard it begged that not one more word should be spoken to them, (20) for they could not stand that which was commanded, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned;" (21) and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, "I am terrified and trembling."
(22) But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel. (25) See that you don't refuse him who speaks. For if they didn't escape when they refused him who warned on the Earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven,

The word "escape" of verse Luke21:36 does not refer to being raptured out of this world but rather it refers to escaping the snares and entrapments of sin and worldly concerns so that we can also escape the righteous judgment of God.

At What Time Is The Trumpet
Blown At The Resurrection?

1st Thessalonians 4:16-17

(16) For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God's trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, (17) then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet [apantesis] the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

The shout of our Messiah, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God herald the Lord's rather noisy return to resurrect his own and snatch up [rapture] all of his followers so as to meet him while he is still in the air.

As we have learned earlier, the word "to meet" [apantesis] implies that a group of people [in this case all Christians] will leave their place of habitation [the earth] to meet and accompany a dignitary who is coming to visit them where they live. This means that Christ's destination is earth and that we as Christians will be taken to Jesus so as to accompany him on the last leg of his descent from heaven to earth as part of his heavenly host.

The question at the moment, however, is the timing of when this resurrection trumpet is blown. Is it before the tribulation, mid-way into the tribulation, or at the end of the great tribulation?

Matthew 24: 30-31

Matthew 24: 30-31 mentions a trumpet as well which is said to announce the Lord's return and the resurrection of the elect.

(Mt. 24:30-31)
and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. (31) He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Notice that Christ's return to resurrect "his elect" is a very visible event that "all the tribes of the earth" "will see". Also notice that the resurrection mentioned by Matthew is also announced by a trumpet – just as it is in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17.

When the broader context of Matthew 24 is examined , we see that the trumpet, the coming, and the resurrection all occur after the revealing of the Antichrist (verse 15), and after the "great tribulation" itself (verse 21, 29-31).

(Mt. 24:15-22)
"When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (17) Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house. (18) Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes. (19) But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! (20) Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath, (21) for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be. (22) Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened.

(Mt. 24:29-31)
But immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; (30) and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. (31) He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

1 Corinthians 15:52

In 1 Corinthians 15:52, Paul refers to this resurrection trumpet as "the last trumpet" when "we" (all believers, including Paul) will be resurrected.

(1 Cor. 15:51-52)
Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the LAST TRUMPET. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and WE will be changed.

Revelation 11:15

Revelation 11:15 also mentions what happens at the very last of the seven end-time trumpets:

Christ publically returns to take control of and reign over the world after God's wrath has been poured out
A time of judgment follows his public return:

The rewarding of the God's people occurs
as does the destruction of the ungodly.

(Rev. 11:15-18)
The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!" (16) The twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God's throne, fell on their faces and worshiped God, (17) saying:
"We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who was; because you have taken your great power, and reigned. (18) The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints, and those who fear your name, to the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

These passages all refer the same event and the same last trumpet.

Revelation 20:4-6

The following passage from Revelation 20:4-6 clearly answers the question of when the 1st resurrection of believers takes place.

(Rev. 20:4-6)
I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as didn't worship the beast nor his image, and didn't receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived, and reigned with Christ for the thousand years. (5) The rest of the dead didn't live until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.

Unless one is willing to spiritualize the "first resurrection" and the millennial reign of Christ, this passage teaches that the "first resurrection occurs" only after the persecutions of the Antichrist and subsequent martyrdom of the saints.

The Alphabet Midrash of Rabbi Akiva

According to the "Alphabet Midrash" of Rabbi Akiva (50-135 C.E.), there will be seven shofars blown that will announce the successive steps of the resurrection process. "At the seventh trumpet all were made alive and stood up on their feet." Zechariah 9:14 is quoted as a proof text:

(Zec. 9:14)
Yahweh will be seen over them; and his arrow will go flash like lightning; and the Lord Yahweh will blow the trumpet [shofar], and will go with whirlwinds of the south.

Commentary on 1 Cor. 15:52, by David H. Stern, "Jewish New Testament Commentary" p. 489-490

Although Rabbi Akiva's "proof text" is not at all convincing, it does illustrate that a major voice in early Judaism identifies the seventh and final trumpet blast with the resurrection.

2nd Thessalonians

We will now examine a few selections from Second Thessalonians:

2nd Thessalonians - Chapter 1

In what may be his 4th letter to the church at Thessalonica, the apostle Paul attempts to comfort, correct, and instruct the believers there who are already suffering persecution. He begins by saying that their patient faithful endurance will one day be rewarded and that divine vengeance will be meted out to their persecutors.

(2 Thess. 1:6-10)
Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, (7) and to give relief to you that are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed [apokalypto] from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, (8) giving vengeance to those who don't know God, and to those who don't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, (9) who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, (10) when he comes [erchomai] to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in that day.

Note that Paul declares that "that day" is a time when believers who have been "afflicted with us" are given relief – implying that they all have endured tribulation of some sort. On the other hand, following the Old Testament pattern of teaching, "that day" will also be a day when God will "repay affliction" to the afflicters, as day of "vengeance" and "eternal destruction" "to those who don't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus". So, it is a day of both rewards/relief and punishment/vengeance.

And when does this all occur? It is on "that day" "when the Lord Jesus is revealed [visibly revealing what previously was hidden - apokalypse] from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire", "when he comes [publicly from one place to another - erchomai] to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed." This all occurs at the 2nd coming of Christ.

Paul continues his instruction on this same topic in chapter two.

2nd Thessalonians - Chapter 2

The dilemma of the Thessalonian church was, however, more than just having to endure persecution. Somehow the idea had began to circulate among the believers that "the day of the Lord" had already come, causing some believers to fear they had missed Christ's second coming. This undoubtedly caused confusion, doubts about their faith, and perhaps even fear.

(2 Thess. 2:1-2)
Now, brothers, concerning the coming [parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to him, we ask you (2) not to be quickly shaken in your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, saying that the day of Christ had come.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1, Paul links "the coming [the royal and public coming - parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ" with "our gathering together to him", which is the publically visible rapture of the Church.

2nd Thessalonians 2:1

της παρουσιας του κυριου ημων Ιησου Ξριστου και ημων επισυναγωγης

the coming of the Lord our Jesus Christ and our gathering together

Here the words "the coming" (της παρουσιας [the parousia: the public coming of Christ]) are joined by the word "and" (και) to the noun "gathering together" (επισυναγωγης - rapture) which is without an article of its own. Both nouns have the same case ending (genitive, singular, feminine). Here again we see the Granville Sharp rule in action. Paul, then, is saying that our "gathering together" (i.e. the rapture) unto Christ is at the very public "coming" [parousia] of Christ - NOT at some secret pretribulation rapture hidden from public view.

2nd Thessalonians 2:2

In verse 2, Paul refers to all of these events collectively as "the day of Christ". Contextually it is the same as "that day" mentioned earlier by Paul in chapter 1 verses 9- 10, which is the day of rewards/judgment.

Paul makes no distinction between the two terms "that day" nor "the day of the Lord". An analysis of the events mentioned in scripture connected to expressions like: "that day", "the day", "the day of Christ", "the day of the Lord", "the day of God", etc., demonstrate that the activities associated with them not only overlap but simply describe elements of the same event.

"The day of Christ" mentioned in chapter 2 verse 2 is contextually the same "day" as the one mentioned by Paul in 1:10 as "that day". A distinction between the two is neither implied nor intended.

2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4

Paul seeks to correct and comfort the Thessalonians by telling them that "that day" (i.e. "the day of Christ" - which is the parousia that includes Christ's revelation- apokalypse-2nd coming-rapture and His judgment of rewards and punishments) has not yet happened and that it cannot happen until the apostasy occurs and the man of sin is first revealed.

(2 Thess. 2:3-4)
Let no one deceive you in any way. For it [the day of Christ] will not be, unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed [apokalypto], the son of destruction, (4) he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.

These are two of the three major events that must transpire before the Lord Jesus Christ returns. The third is the preaching of the gospel:

(Mt. 24:14)
This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

In addition to these 3 major events, the scriptures also add a number of other events which must also transpire before Christ returns. These future events negate the theory of Christ's coming "at any moment":

A long period between Christ's ascension and return (Mt 25:5, 19)
The destruction of the Temple mount (Mt. 24:2)
The occupation of Jerusalem by Gentile forces (Lk 21:20-24)
The return of diaspora Jews to their homeland (Is 43:5-6; Ez 36:8-12)
The Jewish control of Israel and Jerusalem (Lk 21:24b)

A number of other events might be listed above as well, but these are sufficient to dispel the doctrine of Christ's "imminent" return to rapture his Church.

A number of pretribulation rapture teachers have accused posttribulation rapture believers of looking for the antichrist instead of looking for the return of Christ. This is utter nonsense.

As a child I remember riding in the car to go visit my Grandmother who lived in the country. There were no street signs in that area, only dusty gravel roads that twisted through the hills and valleys to out of the way places. The only way you could direct people to such places was by refering to landmarks along the way. "Go past the river, past the cone shaped hill, to the small country store, and take the dirt road to the left about two miles." That was the way to Grandma's house. We weren't focused on the river or the hill or on the store. Our hearts and minds were focused on Grandma's house and passing the landmarks only increased our desire to see her again.

In the same manner, Christ gave us similar signs by which we could know that we were closing in on the home stretch - close to seeing his face once more in a joyous reunion which will never end.

2nd Thessalonians 2:6-8, The Restrainer:

We will now take a brief look at the restrainer and who or what it might be.

(2 Thess. 2:6)
Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.
(2 Thess. 2:6)
και νυν το κατεχον οιδατε εις το αποκαλυφψηναι αυτον εν τω αυτου καιρω

(2 Thess. 2:7)
For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.
(2 Thess. 2:7)
το γαρ μυστηριον ηδη ενεργειται της ανομιας μονον ο κατεχων αρτι εως εκ μεσου γενηται

(2 Thess. 2:8)
Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nothing by the brightness of his coming;
(2 Thess. 2:8)
και τοτε αποκαλυφψησεται ο ανομος ον ο κυριος [ιησους] ανελει τω πνευματι του στοματος αυτου και καταργησει τη επιφανεια της παρουσιας αυτου

In order for the lawless one to be restrained until the proper time for his parousia (the Antichrist's open arrival upon the stage of history - see vs. 8), such a restraining force must be powerful enough, have a sufficient continuous worldwide presence, and be knowledgeable enough to be able to do so until that restraining force is moved out of the way.

The question is: What, or who, is this restraining force? This restrainer is first mentioned in the Greek text as a neuter noun. Then, one verse later, the restrainer is referred to as being masculine. How can this be? Any solution to the identity of the restrainer must take this into account.

Many of those who adhere to the doctrine a pretribulation rapture suggest that the restraining influence is to be understood as the Church itself. They believe that the removal of the restrainer who is blocking the way of "the lawless one" is to be equated with the rapture of the Church. Once the Church is raptured then the Antichrist has no obstacle blocking his way and is free to make his appearance.

The Church as the Restrainer theory fails on many points:

First, the Greek word for "church", εκκλησια, is always a feminine noun. It is never neuter.
Secondly, the Church has never been everywhere in the world at all times to restrain the satanic powers from producing the Antichrist.
Thirdly, it is doubtful that there are those in the Church who are knowledgeable enough and powerful enough to ascertain the particulars of who how when and where of the antichrists rise to power in order to be able to thwart block and assail the enemy.
Fourthly, even where the Church has existed, it has often been without much real restraining force over the potent deceptive forces of evil that have existed in the world.

Taken together, these objections make it seem extremely unlikely that the Church has been actively restraining the most powerful of evil forces that will one day give rise to the Antichrist.

Some suggest that the presence of Roman or civil law have been sufficient to hinder the rise of lawlessness and the emergence of the Antichrist. This theory also fails the same tests given above for the Church:

First, the Greek word for "law", νομος, is a masculine noun and is never neuter.
Secondly, the forces of law and order have never existed everywhere in the world at all times to restrain the satanic powers from producing the Antichrist.
Thirdly, it is doubtful that there are those in the civil law who are knowledgeable enough and powerful enough to ascertain the particulars of who how when and where of the antichrists rise to power in order to be able to thwart block and assail the enemy.
Fourthly, even where civil law and order has existed, it has often been without much real restraining force over the potent deceptive forces of evil which have existed in the world - acting instead mainly as a punitive force.

On the other hand, if it is by the power of God's Spirit that the "mystery of lawlessness" is restrained, then all problems disappear:

First, the word Greek word for "spirit", πνευμα, is neuter. Since it is God (θεος, masculine) who is at work via His Holy Spirit, then the restrainer may rightfully be spoken of using the masculine gender.
Secondly, God (via His Holy Spirit) has always existed everywhere in the world at all times to restrain the satanic powers from producing the Antichrist.
Thirdly, God is omniscient - knowing fully all of the particulars of who how when and where the antichrist is to rise to power. He alone knows when the time is right to step out of the way and unleash the satanic pseudo-messiah - the man of lawlessness.
Fourthly, only God has sufficient restraining force, via His Holy Spirit, over the potent deceptive forces of evil that have existed in the world.

The removal of the Holy Spirit is not a removal of the Holy Spirit from the world, but rather a removal of his restraint. He will no longer block the way or hinder the antichrist's appearance. As the Greek construction εκ μεσου (out of the middle, or way) implies, the Holy Spirit simply moves out of the way, ceases to block the powers of evil, and allows the forces behind the antichrist to bring the man of lawlessness onto the stage of world history - but only when the time is right.

Certainly variations of these theories exist, as do other conjectures. Our purpose here is not to give an exhaustive analysis and refutation of every speculative hypothesis. Our goal here is simply to demonstrate that the restraining influence is not the Church, nor the Law or the Roman Empire. We do this to demonstrate that these verses do not give any support to the notion of a pretribulation rapture.

2nd Thessalonians 2:8 - The Timing of the Epiphany and Parousia

From the rest of the New Testament we know that the epiphany of Christ includes the parousia of Christ, the destruction of the antichrist, and the judgment – all which must be at the end of the tribulation.

(2 Thess. 2:8)
Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nothing by the brightness [epiphania] of his coming [parousia];

In the above passage we see that the epiphany of Christ is also Christ's parousia – which is when the Antichrist is destroyed – an event that only occurs at the end of the great tribulation. It marks the beginning of Christ's righteous judgment:

(2 Tim. 4:1-2)
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing [epiphania] and His kingdom: (2) preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching.

Who are the Elect?

"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive."
- Sir Walter Scott

To avoid the idea that Christians must endure the great tribulation, proponents of the pretribulation rapture make an arbitrary and artificial distinction between "the Church" as Christians and "the Elect" as the Jews. They believe that since Jesus was speaking to Jews only in Matthew 24 that the words "the elect" must refer only to Jews. For the same reason, they believe that the word "church" does not appear after Revelation 3:22 because the "church has been raptured away before the great tribulation begins in earnest.

The question then is: "Does the term "elect" [eklektos] refer just to the Jews, or does this term include all Christian believers?"

According to an article in the Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology called "Elect, Election" (1996, pp. 199-201, by Dr. Walter A. Elwell - professor of Bible and Theology at the University of Edinburgh):

Those who are saved, the believers in Jesus Christ, are called "the elect (chosen)" (Matt. 24:22; Rom. 8:33; Col. 3:12; Titus 1:1; Rev. 17:14). This is based on Old Testament usage, where Israel is God's elect community. In the New Testament, the believers are God's elect. They are called the elect because God chose them to be saved (Matt. 22:14; John 6:37, 39; 15:16, 19; Acts 13:48; Rom. 11:5; 1 Thess. 1:4). This election is understood to be an eternal act in accordance with God's foreknowledge and predetermination (Eph. 1:4; 1 Peter 1:1-2).

As one can see from the verses immediately below, believers in Christ are called the "elect" [eklektos]:

(Rom 8:32-34)
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (33) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect [eklektos]? It is God that justifieth. (34) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

(Col. 3:9-13)
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. (12) Put on therefore, as the elect [eklektos] of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; (13) Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

(2 Tim. 2:10-11)
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's [eklektos] sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (11) It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:

(Tit 1:1-4)
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect [eklektos], and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; … (4) To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

From the above, one can see that there is scant reason to think that the word "elect" [eklektos] refers only to Jews as some pretribulationists suppose. The same then must also be true in the eschatological passages of Matthew 24:22 and Revelation 17:14.

(Mt. 24:20-22)
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: (21) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (22) And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's [eklektos] sake those days shall be shortened.

(Rev. 17:12-14)
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. (13) These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. (14) These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen [eklektos], and faithful.

(Mat 24:31)
He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

The resurrected/raptured "elect" mentioned in Matthew 24 verse 31 are not just Jewish believers, as dispensationalists teach. Instead the elect includes ALL of God's chosen people. Believers of any group are considered part of God's chosen covenant people.

(Gal. 3:26-29)
For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (29) If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise.

(Rom. 2:28-29)
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; (29) but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.

To believe that those of the elect are somehow different from those of the Church is to make an arbitrary distinction based wholly upon a strained theological presupposition. Such reasoning is inconsistent with good hermeneutical practices and the teaching of the Church.

What about God's Tribulational Wrath?

Those who believe in a pretribulational rapture often quote the following verse as evidence that the Church will not go through the great tribulation:

(1 Thess. 5:9-10)
For God didn't appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (10) who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

They reason that since the great tribulation is a time when God pours out His wrath upon the earth (Rev. 16:2-19) the Church must not be on the earth lest it too be the recipient of God's wrath.

Those who believe that the Church must go through the great tribulation also believe that true believers will be protected from God's wrath much as the Israelites were protected from God's wrath during the time of the plagues poured out on the Egyptians before the exodus. We catch a glimpse of how this is accomplished for one group of believes in the following passage:

(Rev. 7:2-4)
I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, (3) saying, "Don't harm the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!" (4) I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:

(Rev. 9:3-4)
Then out of the smoke came forth locusts on the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (4) They were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those people who don't have God's seal on their foreheads.

All true believers have been "sealed" by God (same Greek word used as in Revelation):

(2 Cor. 1:22)
who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.

(Eph. 1:13)
in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, -- in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

(Eph. 4:30)
Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

True believers already have the blood of the Lamb applied to the lintels and door posts of our hearts, and can fully expect that God's wrath will pass over them much as in the following passage from Exodus below:

(1 Pet. 1:18-19)
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold … (19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

(1 Cor. 5:7)
… Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

(1 Thess. 1:10)
… wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

(Ex. 12:22-23)
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. (23) For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

In another instance we find that the people of God are told to leave the city of "Babylon the great" before it is utterly destroyed:

(Rev. 18:4, 10)
I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don't receive of her plagues, … (8) Therefore in one day her plagues will come: death, mourning, and famine; and she will be utterly burned with fire; for the Lord God who has judged her is strong.

When the city is destroyed, a loud voice (in Rev. 19:3) proclaims "Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever." This is reminiscent of when Abraham saw the aftermath of Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction when "the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace" (Gen 19:28).

Although all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12), true and faithful believers who endure unto the end must never fear being the recipient of God's wrath. Instead, we are told in 2nd Timothy 4:5 to

… "be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry."

Only One Resurrection

This section demonstrates why I reject the belief in the two resurrections and the two judgments espoused by dispensationalists. I begin with a look at two of the Early Church creeds handed down to us. Note that they mention only one final judgment: a judgment that includes those living and dead, the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Such a judgment requires only one resurrection.

Apostle's Creed (after 200 A.D.)

"He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father Almighty, From whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead."

Nicene Creed (325 A.D.)

"… He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end."

Scriptural References:

Since the focus of God's redemption work in the Old Testament was his chosen people, its references to a resurrection center mainly on the resurrection of the righteous rather than on a general resurrection. Probable references may be found in Psa 17:15; Psa 16:11; Psa 49:15; Psa 73:24, and in Job 14:13-15; Job 19:25-29. Two certain passages are Isa 26:19 margin and Dan 12:2. Isaiah mentions only the resurrection of the righteous dead of Israel, but Daniel includes the unrighteous as well (see: Dan 12:2; . Dan 10:7, Dan 10:8).

The struggles against foreign domination during the Intertestamental period often resulted in the focus being placed on the resurrection of Jewish martyrs (see: Enoch 90:33, and 2 Macc 7:9, 11, 23; 14:46). But even in this period, the literature also contains many references to the resurrection of the righteous in general (see: Enoch 91:10, theTestament of the Twelve Patriarchs, and the Testament of Judah), and the resurrection of the unrighteous as well (see: Enoch 22:11; Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, and the Testament of Benjamin). In one case, Enoch 25:6, the resurrection results in the increased longevity of the risen saints rather than in immortality. This view seems to mirror the thoughts expressed in Isaiah 65:17-25 which many Christians view as belonging to the millenial reign of Christ - before the general resurrection and the final judgment.

The idea of a general resurrection and final judgment in intertestamental literaure is not very common (see: the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Testament of Benjamin 10:7, 8 (the Greek text seems to mention two resurrections); Baruch 50:2; Enoch 51:1; Sibiline Oracles 4:178-90; Life of Adam (Greek) 10, and 2 Esdras 5:45; 7:32; 14:35).

During the New Testament period Jewish thought seems to be mixed. The idea of a resurrection was held primarily by the Pharisees although the earliest part of the Talmud does not mention a belief in a general resurrection. On the other hand, the Sadducees denied any resurrection at all (see: Mat 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27, Luke 20:27-38, and Acts 23:8).

In the New Testament the resurrection of all men is taught. The men of Sodom, Tyre, and Nineveh appear for judgment (Mat 11:22, Mat 11:24; Mat 12:41, Mat 12:42 parallel Luk 10:14; Luk 11:32), and those cast into Gehenna are represented as having a body (Mar 9:43-47; Mat 5:29, Mat 5:30; Mat 10:28; Mat 18:8, Mat 18:9). It is at this final judgment that all men appear (Mt 25:31-46). The same distinction is made in John's gospel (see: Joh 5:28-29, Joh 6:39, Joh 6:40, Joh 6:44, Joh 6:54; and Joh 11:25).

The apostles refer quite often to the resurrection (see: Acts 4:2; 17:18, 32; 23:6; 24:15, 21; Rom 4:17; 5:17; 6:5, 8, 11; 11:15; 1st Cor 6:14 and chapter 15; 2nd Cor 1:9; 4:14; 5:1-10; Phi 3:10, 11, 21; Col 1:18; 1st Thess 4:13-18; 2nd Tim 2:18; Heb 6:2; 11:19, 35; Rev 20:4, 5 (only martyrs are mentioned); and Rev 20:12, 13. Of these passages, only Act 24:15 and Rev 20:12-13 refer to a general resurrection with absolute unambiguity, but the doctrine is certainly contained in others passages as well such as in 2nd Tim 4:1, et. al..

Although some of these passages are understood by many as referring to two resurrections, I believe that such passages simply center on two aspects of one resurrection and one final judgment, contrasting the fate of the righteous and the unrighteous. The New Testament contrasts the resurrection to life with resurrection to judgment in both John 5:29 and in Acts 24:15. A similar contrast may lie behind the statements in Revelation 20 about “the first resurrection” (20:5) and “the second death” (20:13-14). It appears that these references are using figurative language – not intended to be taken literally.

The following passages will hopefully demonstrate why I believe in just one resurrection and judgment:

(Dan. 12:1-2)
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (2) And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

(Mt. 3:12)
"His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."

(Mt. 13:27-30, 37-43)
"The servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did this darnel [false wheat] come from?' (28) "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and gather them up?' (29) "But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel, you root up the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the darnel, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" …
(37) He answered them, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, (38) the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the kingdom; and the darnel are the children of the evil one. (39) The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. (40) As therefore the darnel is gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. (41) The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, (42) and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. (43) Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

(Mt. 25:31-33,46)
"But when the Son of Man comes [erchomai] in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. (32) Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (33) He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. … (46) These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

(Jn. 5:25-29)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (26) For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; (27) And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (28) Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, (29) And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

(Heb. 9:27-28)
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (28) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

(Acts 24:15)
And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

(Acts 17:30-31)
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent: (31) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

(2 Cor. 5:10)
For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

(2 Tim. 4:1)
… the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing [epiphaneia] and His kingdom:

(1 Cor. 4:5)
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes [erchomai], who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man will get his praise from God.

Revelation 20:5, 13-14

The “first resurrection” mentioned by John in Revelation 20:5 is the assurance that believers and martyrs for the faith have of being with the Lord in the spirit after death/martyrdom but before life everlasting with the Lord after the resurrection. This language is similar to that used in the Gospels and by Paul in 2nd Corithinans, Colossians, and in Ephesians:

(2 Cor 5:6)
while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord

(2 Cor 5:8)
We … are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

(Col 2:12)
you were also raised with him [Christ] through faith

(Col 3:1)
you were raised together with Christ

(Eph 2:1)
You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins

(Eph 2:5-6)
we were … made us alive together with Christ … (6) and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus

In his Gospel, John records Jesus using similar figurative language about faithful believers not being dead but very much alive after the death of their bodies:

(Joh 8:51)
“Most assuredly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death."

In Matthew 22:32 Jesus tells his listeners:

(Mat 22:32)
“'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

The “second death” mentioned by John in Revelation 20:13-14 and in 21:8 refers to the eternal consignment to hell itself of the ungodly following the judgment. When the ungodly die they do not enjoy a blissful spiritual union with Christ in the heavenlies but are separated from God and all that is good [see Jesus parable in Luke 16:19-31]. That spiritual separation may seem bad enough, but Jesus says that the final condemnation of the ungodly at the judgment will see them all consigned to the “lake of fire” where they “will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” This, it is said, “is the second death”:

(Mat 16:28)
"Most assuredly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." [see parallel passages in Mark 9:1 and in Luke 9:27]

(Rev 19:20)
The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

(Rev 20:10)
The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

(Rev 20:14)
Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

(Rev 20:15)
If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.

(Rev 21:8)
… the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

There is only one literal physical resurrection and one judgment when Christ returns to the earth. The last enemy (death) will be destroyed and the eternal reign of God in Christ Jesus will be enjoyed on this earth forever - "World without end. Amen." ... Even so, come Lord Jesus!

An Overview of Pretribulation Views
vs. Posttribulation Views

The following table was taken from Dan Dudley's website (The Posttribulation Rapture) at: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6476/index.html. It presents a comparison of the pretribulation and posttribulation views and graphically shows the "dubious duplication" of end-time events proposed by those of the pretribulational persuasion:

Event Pretribulation Rapture Posttribulation Rapture Bible Reference

The sun is darkened, the moon is turned to blood (or darkened), the stars fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven are shaken (wonders in the sky or stars lose their brightness). three times ^{1, 2} once Joel 2.30-31
Joel 3.14-16
Rev. 6.12
Mt. 24.29

Christ coming in the clouds twice once 1Thess. 4.17
Mt. 24.30

Angelic involvement at His coming twice once 1Thess. 4.16
Mt. 24.31

Resurrection of believers Twice, with the second one called the "first resurrection" once 1 Cor. 15.52
Rev. 20.4-5

Last trumpet sounds twice once 1 Cor. 15.52
Rev. 11.15

Saints are rewarded twice once Rev. 22.12
Rev. 11.18

Believers are told to expectantly await His coming twice once Titus 2.13
Mt. 24.42

Christ's advent to initiate the day of the Lord is illustrated as being like the coming of a thief twice ¹ once 1Thess. 5.2
Rev. 16.15

¹ Most pretribs also believe the day of the Lord includes the entire 70th week of Daniel.
² Before the 70th week, during the 70th week, and then after the 70th week.

In the remaining section we examine the testimonies of men who have renounced pretribulation rapture teachings, and we look at the teachings of the Catholic church and the Orthodox church.

Tribulation or Rapture - Which?

By
Oswald J. Smith, D.D., Litt D., LL. D.

http://www.pbministries.org/Eschatology/smith_01.htm

Why did the Lord Jesus conceal the Secret Rapture in Matthew twenty-four? How are we to explain the silence of the Church for centuries concerning it? What about the passages that have been used to support it? Have we been lulling the Church into a false security? Are there any outstanding Christian leaders who believe that the Church will go through the Great Tribulation?

In my first book on Prophecy I asked the questions: "Will the Church pass through the Tribulation or be raptured out of it?" In answering I made this statement: "I have always held the view that the Rapture precedes the Revelation by some seven years, and that the Church, therefore, will not go through the Tribulation, but I do not want to be dogmatic about it and, if God should reveal the contrary to me, I will gladly accept it". Hence, you see, I did not approach the subject with my mind closed to new light and my heart already prejudiced. I was open to whatever God might reveal.

Now, after years of study and prayer, I am absolutely convinced that there will be no rapture before the Tribulation, but that the Church will undoubtedly be called upon to face the Antichrist, and that Christ will come at the close and not at the beginning of that awful period. I believed the other theory simply because I was taught it by W. E. Blackstone in his book "Jesus is Coming," the Scofield Reference Bible and Prophetic Conferences and Bible Schools; but when I began to search the Scriptures for myself I discovered that there is not a single verse in the Bible that upholds the pretribulation theory, but that the uniform teaching of the Word of God is of a posttribulation Rapture: pre-millennial always. everywhere pre-millennial, but posttribulation.

My First Awakening

My first awakening to this important truth came one day in 1925, when I was spending a few days in a cottage at Stoney Lake, Ontario. One of my neighbors, Frank Edmonds by name, simply made the suggestion to me. I opposed it at once. "Why," I exclaimed, "however could that be? What about the Scriptures? The teaching of a pretribulation Rapture is clear and indisputable." But he quietly affirmed that I was wrong and emphasized the truth concerning the Last Trump. Of course, I was not convinced. I almost ridiculed the very idea of such a possibility. And there the matter rested.

One day, in the early twenties, I began preaching on Prophecy. I had taken my people through Daniel without difficulty. Then came Mark 13. Luke 21, and Matthew 24 and 25. But. lo and behold, no sooner had I started on Matthew 24 than I got into trouble. I had announced that I would deal with Matthew 24 at the next service. Hundreds had gathered. I was in a maze, for I was perplexed. So I took a verse here and there through the chapter and thus satisfied the people for that hour at least. But now the next meeting was coming. What was I to say?

I need not point out that there is no pretribulation Rapture in Matthew 24. The Second Coming is unmistakably placed "immediately after the Tribulation" (verse 29), and I was forced to the conclusion that if the Rapture was to be 'before" the Tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ would certainly have given some hint of it at least. He was dealing with the End-Time of the Age. It is unthinkable that He would have spoken so minutely of the Tribulation without stating that the Church would escape. Instead, He purposely led His hearers to the belief that His followers would be in it. Hence, I was staggered, nor could I honestly defend my previous position.

So, when I again faced the people, I said sufficient to let them know that I questioned my former stand and saw evidence of a posttribulation Rapture. For, as I read Matthew 24 and 25, I saw that many things, as prophesied by the Lord Jesus Christ, simply had to take place before Jesus could come, namely: "All these things" (verse 33), especially the prediction regarding the preaching of the Gospel. See Mark 13:10, and note the significance of the word "first". Thus, since God's future program could not be set aside, there could be no "any moment expectation" of Christ's Return. We are to watch, watch as prophecy after prophecy is fulfilled, ever looking forward to His Appearing; and, in the End-Time, to watch as never before, and to always be ready, for none can ever know how quickly the events predicted might come to pass and Christ return.

My "Any Moment" Theory

Then followed the next step. There came into my hands a copy of a book by Dr. Henry W. Frost, then the Home Director of the China Inland Mission. It was entitled "Matthew 24 and the Revelation," a volume of over 300 pages. I fairly devoured it. Portions of it I read through twice. It was most conclusive in its arguments for a posttribulation Rapture. About the same time I got hold of a book by James H. McConkey, called "The Book of Revelation," and another—perhaps the best of all—by Edmund Shackleton (England), entitled "Will the Church Escape the Great Tribulation?" Before I had read them through I was firmly convinced that there would be no Rapture before the Tribulation, and that I had done wrong in promising the Church an escape instead of preparing her for the terrible ordeal that must most surely be awaited. My "any moment" theory could not be sustained. In fact, the very first statement in the latter book, which was written about 1890, amazed me beyond measure and I was fairly staggered as I grasped its significance. Let me quote it verbatim:

All who held the pre-millennial Coming of Christ were, till about sixty years ago, of one mind on the subject. About that time a new view was promulgated that the Coming of Christ was not one event, but that it was divided into stages, in fact, that Christ comes twice from heaven to earth, but the first time only as far as the air. This first descent, it is said, will be for the purpose of removing the Church from the world, and will occur before the Great Tribulation under Antichrist. This they call "The coming for His saints" or "Secret Rapture." The second part of the Coming is said to take place when Christ appears in glory and destroys the Antichrist. This they call "The coming with His saints."

Apart from the test of the Word, which is the only final one, there are certain reasons why this doctrine should be viewed with suspicion. It appears to be little more than sixty years old; and it seems highly improbable that. if scriptural it could have escaped the scrutiny of the many devoted Bible students whose writings have been preserved to us from the past. More especially in the writings of the early Christian fathers would we expect to find some notice of this doctrine, if it had been taught by the Apostles; but those who have their works declare that they betray no knowledge of a theory that the Church would escape the Tribulation under Antichrist, or that there would be any "coming" except that spoken of in Matthew 24, as occurring in manifest glory "after the Tribulation." This is all the more significant, because these writers bestowed much attention upon the subject of the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation. Augustine, referring to Daniel 7, wrote: "But he who reads this passage even half asleep cannot fail to see that the kingdom of Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the Church."

Then when I remembered that the death of Peter, his prediction of corruption and apostasy after his decease, the death of Paul, and many other events had to occur before the Rapture—especially the evangelization of the world (Mark 13:10 and Matt. 24:14)— my "any moment" theory took wings and fled.

Last of all, I ran across "The Great Tribulation—The Church's Supreme Test" by John B. Scruby, the most convincing; the most unanswerable of all. It deals with every point minutely and proves conclusively that the Tribulation precedes the Rapture.
Recently I got hold of that remarkable book "Tribulation to Glory" by H. A. Baker. in which he wrote:

"For eighteen centuries the fundamental principle of tribulation to glory was the universal belief of the truly born-again members of the Church"

and then he goes on to show that the new pretribulation rapture teaching was first proclaimed as a direct revelation by a woman in Edward Irving's church, and then taken up by John Nelson Darby (and the Scofield Reference Bible) in direct contradiction to the teaching of the Church for eighteen hundred years.

"Beginning with the Irvingite woman, then propagated by John N. Darby about 1830, this new 'spirit-inspired' doctrine during the last century has come down to us until it has become popular. George Muller opposed it; so did Benjamin Wills Newton; so did Dr. S. P. Tregelles and other Brethren, but all in vain."

But now, thank God, large numbers of our leading Bible Teachers are coming back to the original position.

God's Word

I discovered that no time element is ever mentioned so far as the Rapture is concerned, except as it is related to the Resurrection. And that the Resurrection is always placed at the time of the sounding of the Last Trump (1 Cor. 15:51-54). This Trump, without doubt, closes the Tribulation. There is no eighth. The saints are rewarded (Rev. 11:18). The "mystery of God", is then finished, there is time (delay) no longer (Rev. 10:6 and 7), and the Resurrection, of course, immediately precedes the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:16).

Naturally, I thought of 2 Thessalonians 2:7: "he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way". But then I learned from the Greek that the second "he" is the Antichrist, and that the Greek does not say "taken out of the way," but "revealed in the midst," or, "born out of the midst." In other words, lawlessness will be restrained until the appointed time for the lawless one, the Antichrist, to appear. There is no mention of the Holy Spirit at all. That is a Scofield Bible assumption. The Holy Spirit and the Church remain to the end of the Age.

Then, too. I thought of Luke 21:36 and of Revelation 3:10. But Noah, I remembered, "escaped" by preservation. Daniel "was kept" and protected in the lion's den. The three Hebrew children were "kept" though in a burning fiery furnace. None of them were taken out. Rather they were kept, preserved, protected while in, and thus they escaped. Why not the Church? Note that 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 finds the saints in trouble, in tribulation, and resting only at the close. In fact the first two chapters of 2 Thessalonians cannot be interpreted in any other way. Chapter two, verse one, is most explicit. "Now we beseech you, brethren", writes Paul, "by the coming (Revelation) of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together (the Rapture) unto Him". There is here no separation between the Rapture and the Revelation. The Coming is the one and only Coming spoken of throughout the two chapters, the Coming described in chapter one, verses seven and eight.

I learned, too, that the word for "meet" in 1 Thessalonians 4: was only used in two other places, and, in both cases, it meant "returning with" and not "remaining at" the place of meeting. When the brethren from Rome met Paul, they immediately returned to the city with him. When the Virgins met the Bridegroom they accompanied Him back to the wedding. When the saints meet Christ in the Air, as He comes to judge the nations and establish His Kingdom on earth, they will return with Him. There is no Scripture that says they will remain for some seven years in the Air.

In 1 Thessalonians each chapter closes with a reference to the Second Coming, but no distinction is made. As Christ descends with His angels after the Tribulation, the saints ascend, and, meeting Him in the Air, turn and continue with Him back to the earth. How long He remains in the Air, following the meeting with the Church is nowhere revealed. "The Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints" (1 Thess. 3:13), is unquestionably the Revelation, after the Tribulation, simply because the words, "with all His saints" are added. But why infer another, a previous Coming, in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and 1:10, or 5:23? It is all one and the same. There is no Secret Rapture. That theory must be deliberately read into the passage. There is no Rapture in Revelation until chapter nineteen is reached.

I had been taught that the Greek word "parousia" always referred to the Rapture and that other words were used for the Coming of Christ in glory after the Tribulation. But I found that this is not true. Parousia is used for the latter, too. See 2 Thessalonians 2:1.

While it is clear that the Church must endure the wrath of the Antichrist, it is certain that the Church will not have to endure the wrath of God. When His judgments are poured out on the Antichrist and his followers, the Church will be divinely protected by God even as the Israelites were protected when His wrath was poured upon the Egyptians—not by being raptured, but by being kept.

We might go through all the writers of the New Testament, and we would fail to discover any indication of the so-called "two-stages" of our Lord's Coming. Peter, James and John tell the same story. There is no Scripture for a pretribulation rapture. That theory had to be invented by man. Search and see. There is no verse in the Bible that even mentions it.

I discovered that nearly all evangelical missionary leaders believe that there must be representatives in the Church of Christ from every tribe, kindred, tongue and nation, and not just from the so-called civilized world, and that, therefore, the only way to hasten the Coming of Christ is by evangelizing the remaining unreached peoples of earth. Jesus made it perfectly clear when He said, "the gospel must first be published among all nations" (Mark 13:10) "and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14). Hence, the greatest incentive to missionary work is the Second Coming of Christ.

Spiritual Preparedness

I am sure that with the true child of God it is not a question of preference but of truth. Does God's Word say so? Why then rebel? Is not His plan best? Besides, what difference does it make so long as we are ready? "Spiritual Preparedness" is the only important factor after all.

I wonder if we have been lulling the Church into a false security? Can it be that we have been preaching an easy escape? Ought we to prepare the Church for the greatest of all ordeals? Should not our teaching harden her for the fires of the Tribulation? What kind of soldiers are we training? I am afraid that we have been very guilty and that God will certainly hold us responsible for the type of Christian our preaching is producing. We need men and women today of the martyr spirit. The test of the Inquisition is coming again and woe betide the pre-millennialists who are not ready. The Church must be purified in the fires of persecution.

Voices of Others

Now if I were to go into the subject in detail and attempt to deal with the numerous passages, both for and against, I would simply be overlapping. Others have already done this most ably, far better than I can, and so, if you are really interested, I would suggest that you secure the books that have been written on the subject and study them prayerfully and with an open mind before taking sides. A great many have been written by men on both sides of the Atlantic. The following are among the best that have been published in Great Britain and you may procure most of them from THE SOVEREIGN GRACE ADVENT TESTIMONY, I DONALD WAY, CHELMSFORD, ESSEX, CM2 9JB, the organization that publishes the posttribulation magazine Watching and Waiting, edited by James Payne.

Here are the books:
Will the Church Escape the Great Tribulation? (by Edmund Shackleton); Christ's Second Coming (by S. P. Tregelles) [these two are scarce]; Our Lord Cometh (by W. J. Rowlands); The Coming of the Son of Man (by Rev. E. J. Poole-Connor); The Second Advent of our Lord, Not Secret, but in Manifested Glory (by B. W. Newton); One Second Coming of Christ (by W. J. Rowlands); The First Resurrection (by S. P. Tregelles); Touching the Coming of the Lord (by Dan Crawford); The Saints' Rest and Rapture (by Frank H. White); The Second Coming of Christ (by George Muller). Send for their catalogue.

The following have been published in North America: "The Blessed Hope" (by Professor George E. Ladd). Dr. Ladd teaches in Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena. It is a masterly volume and it goes into both the history and doctrine of both the Pretribulation and the Posttribulation Advent. "Will Christ's Coming he in two stages?" (by Norman F. Douty).

I have a list of nearly seventy Bible Teachers who have proclaimed this view of the Return of Christ. Among them, in addition to those who have written the above books, there are such names as W. J. Erdman, Charles R. Erdman. Dr. Campbell Morgan, Bishop Frank Houghton, Dr. A. B. Simpson, Dr. J. W. Thirtle, Dr. Charles T. Cook, Alexander Reese, Dr. Horatius Bonar, Dr. Adolph Saphir, Henry Varley, Dr. Nathaniel West, David Baron, H. W. Soltau, Dr. Bergin, Dr. Harold J. Ockenga, and many others. To ignore the convictions of such spiritual leaders is impossible. Deference must be given to their views.

These views I would sum up by quoting from "Watching and Waiting"

"We believe that this was the teaching of our Lord and His Apostles. We believe it was held by the Early Church and by all in the Middle Ages who had any light on the Second Advent. We believe, too, that it was the teaching of the Early Brethren and that no other view was generally accepted among them until the Any Moment. Secret Rapture, Pretribulation, or Two-Stage Coming theory was taught by Edward Irving, as a result of a vision received by a woman in his church. Thus Any Moment teaching is a 'novel' doctrine".

My Final Appeal

Beloved, the shadows are darkening. The day is drawing to a close. It is now Saturday night in the history of the Church. The times of the Gentiles have almost run their course. Events are fast shaping for the end. The Antichrist will soon be here.
One fact and one only is important—Christ is coming. Of that there can be no doubt. One question and one only is vital—Are we ready?

We may differ on minor details of prophecy. We may disagree as to the time of His Appearing. We may not see eye to eye regarding the order of prophetic events. But one thing is certain—He is coming. We will be with Him. The Millennium is at hand and soon now we shall know all. Therefore, let us love one another sincerely and labour together "till He Come".

If I am mistaken I will know it then. Hence, let us agree to disagree agreeably. God knows our hearts. He knows that we love Him and that is all that really matters. If I love Him and you love Him, we will love each other. Soon the day will break and all the shadows flee away. Meanwhile I am "looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2 :13).

Why I Left Scofieldism

By
William E. Cox

Taken from the website at:
http://www.gracegospel.org.uk/scofieldism.htm

Breaking away from the fascinating teachings of The Scofield Reference Bible was one of the most difficult decisions of my entire life. Even after doubts arose in my mind, it took some seven or eight years to relinquish the ready-made theological clothing I had worn since the day of my conversion. For I was saved, at the age of sixteen, in a Baptist church where almost everyone carried a Scofield Bible. My spiritual tutors knew the footnotes and headings placed in the Bible by C. I. Scofield as well as they knew the Bible itself. Indeed, the two had become almost synonymous in their minds even as they were destined to become in my own mind. Even today it is difficult at times to clear my mind of some of Scofield's presuppositions when I study God's Word.

It was while I was serving in Europe as a member of a medium tank crew that God called me into the ministry of his dear Son. Even before the beginning of World War II - in fact, from the time of my conversion, I had been active as a Sunday School teacher and had taken other active interests in the local church. However, acting on the advice of Scofield himself, I had distrusted the outstanding Bible commentaries and had felt that all I needed for a thorough understanding of the Bible was supplied by the notes of my favorite "Bible."

With my call to the ministry came the jolting realization that I would be called upon to say to members of my congregation, "This is why we believe thus and so about the Bible; here is the verse and chapter for our belief on a given subject." With this thought in mind I deliberately took my theology apart to see whether or not I could put it together again, based on the Bible. My thinking was that if I could not convince myself, then certainly I could not convince others. In other words, I asked myself, concerning each and every major doctrine in which I believed, "What saith the scripture?" (Romans 4:3).

This was a helpful experience in my life and ministry. I heartily recommend it to every preacher and teacher. Let me caution you, however, that there are risks involved in such a procedure. You might have to burn some favorite sermons or lessons! I did. Still, it was a rewarding experience, too. To me it was like walking out of a dimly lighted room into one flooded with light. My God and his Book appeared larger than ever before.

Getting back to the dissecting of my beliefs, it was disconcerting, to say the least, to find that some of my most cherished beliefs simply would not stand up under a close scriptural scrutiny. I got most of Humpty-Dumpty back together with relative ease. I could show, from the Bible, why I believed in such great doctrines as the Virgin Birth, deity of Christ, his literal Second Coming, the inspiration and infallibility of the Scriptures, believers' immersion, eternal security, perseverance of the saints, the bodily resurrection of all, the judgment, eternal heaven, an equally eternal hell, and many other cardinal doctrines.

But, try as I would, certain beliefs kept embarrassing me. For I could not find the verse and chapter to support my beliefs concerning national Israel. I had been taught that the Jews would go back to Palestine, rebuild the Temple, reinstitute the blood sacrifices, serve as Christ's missionaries during an earthly millennium, and be involved in many other related events. I was so determined to find scriptural support for these teachings that oftentimes I became angry with myself for being so lacking in Bible knowledge.

Finally, after some seven or eight years of searching in vain, God jolted me into reality. It finally dawned upon me that what I sincerely thought were verses of the Bible actually were footnotes put inside the covers of the Bible by a man. I acknowledged, too, that C. I. Scofield was a man. like ourselves and that he did not belong in the same authoritative category as Peter, James, and John.

I broke with Scofieldism grudgingly. He had been such a help in preparing a Sunday School lesson and, later, in "getting up a sermon." All one needed to do was to turn to the passage in mind. In most cases the headings and footnotes presented a ready outline, requiring very little study. Also, just about every Christian in my peer group seemed to agree that here was profound teaching.

Perhaps one of my greatest surprises came with the realization that followers of Scofield actually represented a comparatively small minority among Christians. It was only their dogmatism, plus the fact that they were so vocal, which made them appear to be in the majority. It was a comfort to learn that Scofield's "rediscovered truths," which he had learned at the feet of John Nelson Darby, a Plymouth Brethren, differed not only from most known commentaries, but from the great majority of the church fathers, and the reformers as well. I learned, too, that most of the critics of Scofieldism had, as I had, been devoted followers at one time.

Having come out of Scofieldism, I passed through at least three stages to arrive at my present position. My first feeling was that, although many things my former hero taught were not so, the good points (and he has many of these) in his system outweighed the bad. From this stage continued study led me to believe that I must leave The Scofield Reference Bible alone completely, but that I should not make an issue of it with equally sincere Christians. Further study led me to the position which I now hold. That position is that Scofieldism is heresy, and that, since God has given me this light, I must seek in love to warn others of the household of faith against this subtle, intriguing heresy.

It has been some 14 years since my final break with Scofieldism. Let me share with you some of the objections to this teaching as they are now formulated in my mind.

1. Scofield Downgrades the Church and Her Role in God's Plan.

Historic Christian teaching always has been that the church was the antitype of national Israel. This teaching goes on to say that the church succeeded Israel at the first advent, and that all unfulfilled promises to Abraham will be fulfilled in and through the church.

Scofield admits that this is the historic Christian teaching, then proceeds to teach that it is erroneous. He says: "Especially is it necessary to exclude the notion - a legacy in Protestant thought from post-apostolic and Roman Catholic theology - that the Church is the true Israel, and that the Old Testament foreview of the kingdom is fulfilled in the Church" (p. 989, S.R.B.).

He begins early in his footnotes to lay the groundwork for his teaching that the church will end in failure and be replaced by national Israel, who will succeed where the church failed. On page 8, in footnote I, he states that Eve is a type of the church! Like most of Scofield's "types," this one is arbitrary, artificial, and forced. Any interested reader may turn to the passages given as "proof" that Eve is a type of the church, and he will see that there is no mention whatsoever of this fact. He lists John 3:28,29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32; and Revelation 19:7,8. This is typical of Scofield's scriptural references; they rarely say what he says they do. He apparently counted on the fact that his readers would not turn to the passages given. Either that, or he slighted the intelligence of his readers.

On page 9, footnote I, Scofield says: "The Adamic Covenant conditions the life of fallen man - conditions which must remain till, in the kingdom age, 'the creation also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God' (Rom. 8:21)." Here again the reader will find that the passage given does not even refer to people, but to the creation.

One might ask just what harm could come from fixing in people's minds that Eve and Adamic conditions represent the church. The subtle danger is that when Scofield's disciples think of the church they just automatically think of sinful, fallen, unfaithful children of Satan, and Adam and Eve! Then it is a simple step to teach, without scriptural proof, that the church is destined to end in failure (apostasy).

Coming to the Tower of Babel (p. 18) Scofield continues his slander-by-association. He says that the history of Babel strikingly parallels that of the professing church. He then refers his readers to his footnote on Isaiah 13:1. There he says that Babylon means confusion and is used symbolically to refer ahead to the church. Babylon, he says on page 725, refers to apostate Christianity, destroyed by the nations headed up under the Beast and false prophet (Rev. 17:16).

One could go on piling footnotes on top of each other, showing that Scofield teaches that the church will end in failure, and also showing the type of "reasoning" he uses in arriving at such a conclusion. Let us give one last statement to this effect. "Each of the Dispensations may be regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment - marking his utter failure" (C. 1. Scofield, Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth, p. 13).

In this teaching, as in many others, Scofield unveils his weak Christology. For he admits elsewhere that this church, which he says will end in failure, is the Body and the Bride of Christ! Paul says that the church is destined to glorious victory: "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22,23). Should one believe Scofield or the apostle Paul? And what should one do with the statement of our Lord (Matt. 16:18) that not even the gates of hell should prevail against his church?

2. Scofield Teaches that God has Two Bodies - Israel and the Church.

Let us first get before us the age-old Christian teaching on this subject: God always has had but one people. In the Old Testament this people (the type) was called Israel. In the New Testament the antitype was known as the church, or "the Israel of God." The elect number from Israel plus the elect number of Gentiles constitute one and the same olive tree (Rom. 11: 17,24).

Here, again, Scofield begs to differ from the New Testament writers, the church fathers, the reformers, and the outstanding commentators. He chooses rather to accept another of John Nelson Darby's "rediscovered truths" instead of the historic Christian teaching. He teaches that Israel is an earthly people while the church is a heavenly people; that God has two separate plans for these two distinct peoples; and that Israel and the church have separate destinies. Israel, he says, will spend eternity on earth while the church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, will spend eternity in heaven.

Facing one of the many quandaries to which this teaching naturally leads, Scofield says (p. 922, S.R.B.) that one must make a distinction between the wife of God and the bride of Christ (the church). He says that a wife and a bride are two different things! Here again, Scofield betrays his weak Christology. Does God the Father have attributes which God the Son does not have? Or, to pose the question another way, does God the Son have possessions to which God the Father may not lay claim? Jesus said, "I and the Father are one."

Scofield flies in the face of many scriptures when he teaches that God has two separate bodies. Let a few such passages suffice.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd (John 10:16, italics mine).

For if thou were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree (Rom. 11:24)?

In this verse Paul teaches two things pointing to one body, which is made up of Jews and Gentiles:

(1) Gentiles were grafted into the faithful remnant of national Israel (not into a separate olive tree), and (2) the believing part of Israel will be grafted into the same olive tree. In other words, Paul explicitly teaches (by way of analogy) that God is grafting Jew and Gentile into one and the same olive tree. If God had two bodies, Paul's logic would break down and he would need two separate olive trees.

Let us continue with other scriptures which show conclusively that God has, not two bodies, but one.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:28,29, italics mine.)

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby (Eph. 2:13-16, italics mine).

Whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel (Eph. 3:4-6, italics mine).

It would be difficult to find language any plainer than that used by Paul in the above- quoted scriptures. Paul states emphatically that God took two peoples and made them into one people. He says that God, in effect, took two men (Jew and Gentile) and made the two of them become one man.

Truly Scofield contradicts the apostle Paul by teaching that God has two bodies.

3. Scofield Teaches that God's Promises to National Israel Await Future Fulfillment.

What is the historic Christian teaching on this subject? All such promises have been either fulfilled or invalidated through unbelief. Those on which Scofield rests most of his case have been literally fulfilled, and these fulfillments are clearly recorded in the Bible.

Scofield, on the other hand, teaches that God has future plans to regather national Israel to Palestine, rebuild the Temple, and reinstitute the Old Testament economy (including the blood sacrifices). The reader might find it interesting to look at some of the typical scriptures on which Scofield builds this argument. On page 157, note 2, one reads: "The feast of Trumpets, vs. 23-25. This feast is a prophetical type and refers to the future regathering of long-dispersed Israel." This footnote goes on to state that trumpets are always symbols of testimony and that they are connected with the regathering and repentance of Israel after the church, or pentecostal, period is ended.

Remember now, that this conclusion is based on Leviticus 23:23-25. Let us quote these verses word for word in order that one might see more clearly Scofield's handling of the Scriptures.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto God.

You expected more? Honestly now, that is all the passage says! Check it in your own Bible. And on this passage, and others equally unrelated, Scofield bases a doctrine of the regathering of Israel to Palestine.

Realizing that the Bible records two regatherings of Israel to Palestine in fulfillment of prophecies (see note on p. 25, S.R.B.), Scofield says that three such regatherings are predicted in Scripture. His only proofs for this alleged return are scriptures such as Leviticus 23:23-25, which we have quoted above. Actually, no third regathering to the land is mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Scofield lists a number of scriptures on page 25, purporting to show by these that a third such regathering is promised. However, each of these passages clearly refers either to the first or second regathering to the land (already fulfilled, as attested to in the Old Testament), or to the first advent of Christ.

It is not necessary here to refute all of Scofield's claims for national Israel. His argument actually rests on whether or not they have ever occupied all the land promised them through Abraham. Scofield argues thus: (1) Israel has never received all the land promised in the Abrahamic Covenant (p. 250, S.R.B.); (2) therefore, she must some day return to the land; (3) associated with the land are the Temple, blood sacrifices, etc.; therefore, since they will return to the land, it stands to reason that they will rebuild the Temple and all that goes with the land.

So, if Scofield is wrong concerning the land, his entire plan for national Israel goes begging. Let us examine the Bible itself to see whether or not God has kept his promise that Israel would inherit all the land of Palestine.

Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to them and to their seed after them (Deut. 1:8, italics mine).

Please note which land it is into which God says Joshua will lead the Israelites. It is the same land promised to Abraham.

And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers (Deut. 6:23).

Moses stated explicitly that God's purpose in the Exodus from Egypt was to fulfill his promise to Abraham to give the land to Abraham's seed.

Be strong and of a good courage; for unto this people shalt thou divide the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them (Joshua 1:6).

Here God but reaffirms to Joshua the promise given through Moses, i.e., that God was now about to fulfill his promise to Abraham with reference to the land. Did God keep this promise through Joshua? What saith the scripture?

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war (Joshua 11:23).

And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass (Joshua 21:43-45, italics mine).

Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it (Nehemiah (9:23).

The above scriptures record the first regathering of Israel to the land. Scofield devotes not a single footnote to either of these verses! The prophets later predicted a second such return. This second return literally came to pass under the leadership of Zerubbabel, and its fulfillment is recorded in such books of the Bible as Ezra and Nehemiah (whose books, incidentally, were written after those of all the prophets with the possible exception of Malachi). Following this second return and the literal rebuilding of Solomon's temple, in 516 B.C., there is not a single scripture reference, either in the Old Testament or the New, regarding a return to the land. What saith the scripture?

4. Scofield Mishandles Many Clear Verses of Scripture.

In 2 Corinthians 4:2 Paul prided himself on walking without craftiness and on not handling the Word of God deceitfully. Unfortunately, this claim could not be made for Dr. Scofield. For he posits his teachings on craftily manufactured premises, then handles the Word deceitfully in order, to support these premises. Lest this statement seem too harsh, let us look at only a few of the plain scriptures on which he places interpretations altogether contrary to their obvious meaning.

Let us begin with Acts 15:16, since this verse is said by leading dispensationalists to be the most important verse of scripture in their entire school of thought (p. 1169, S.R.B.). Scofield interprets James as saying that, after the time that James was speaking, God would return and rebuild the tabernacle of David. Actually, Acts 15:16 is a quotation from Amos 9:11, and the words are those of Amos, not those of James. So that the "after this" refers to a time following Amos's time, not to a time subsequent to James. In fact, James says (read the entire context) that Amos's prophecy was fulfilled when Cornelius' household (Gentiles) were added to the church.

If this be spiritualizing then the blame must be placed on James, who spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And James definitely disagrees with Scofield on this interpretation.

On page 1015, note 2, Scofield says:

"The parable of the wheat and tares is not a description of the world, . . ."

Verse 38 of this passage which the footnote is interpreting says, "The field is the world." Here we have the words of Jesus versus the words of C. I. Scofield!

On page 1036, note 1, one reads that the judgment of Matthew is to be distinguished from the judgment of the great white throne. One of the "proofs" of this is that

"three classes are present, sheep, goats, brethren. . .. These 'brethren' are the Jewish Remnant who will have preached the Gospel of the kingdom to all nations during the tribulation."

What saith the scripture? In Matthew 12:48-50 our Lord asked a question and also gave the answer to it.

"... and who are my brethren? . . . whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Jesus' own words would make the brethren of Matthew synonymous with the sheep of that same passage. This would give, not three, but two groups of people at the judgment of Matthew 25 - the same two groups present in Revelation 20:11-15. Acts 1:15 and Hebrews 2:11,12 also refer to Christians as the brethren of Christ.

On page 1023, note 1, Scofield says:

"Christ confirms the specific and still unfulfilled prophecy of Mal. 4:5,6: 'Elias shall truly first come and restore all things.'"

He goes on to speak of "that yet to be fulfilled in Elijah." Here again, Scofield is daring to contradict the words of Christ himself. Jesus said: "But I say unto you. That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him" (Mark 9:13, italics mine). Is any further comment necessary here?

Scofield assigns Zechariah 12:10 ("they shall look on him whom they have pierced") to a time following the tribulation and says it teaches that national Israelites will accept Christ at a future date. John says explicitly that this prophecy was fulfilled when the spear pierced Jesus' side on the cross at Calvary (John 19:34-37).

On page 1115, note 2, these words appear:

"As a dispensation, grace begins with the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 3:24-26; 4:24,25). The point of testing is no longer legal obedience as the condition of salvation, but acceptance or rejection of Christ, with good works as a fruit of salvation. . . ."

And on page 1011, note 2, he speaks on this same subject.

"The new message of Jesus. The rejected King now turns from the rejecting nation and offers, not the kingdom, but rest and service to such in the nation as are conscious of need. It is a pivotal point in the ministry of Jesus."

Here Scofield lays himself open to the charge leveled against him, i.e., that he has more than one plan of salvation in his system. Note his words, "no longer legal obedience as the condition of salvation." He plainly implies that:

(1) before Christ came, people were saved by good works (legal obedience);
(2) now that Jesus has come, they are saved through Christ; and
(3) good works now are a fruit of salvation, whereas before they were the means of salvation. And if Jesus offered people one thing in his "old" message while offering something else in his "new" message, what other conclusion can be drawn except that he offered two plans of righteousness?

That thinking people have taken dispensationalism to present various means of salvation is evident in the report adopted by the Southern Presbyterian Church in the United States. That report, adopted by this assembly in May, 1944, was in part as follows:

It is the unanimous opinion of your Committee that Dispensationalism is out of accord with the system of doctrines set forth in the Confession of Faith, not primarily or simply in the field of eschatology, but because it attacks the very heart of the theology of our Church. Dispensationalism rejects the doctrine that God has, since the Fall, but one plan of salvation for all mankind and affirms that God has been through the ages administering various and diverse plans of salvation for various groups. . . .

Conclusion.

Many other discrepancies could be pointed to in Scofieldism. However, to discredit any of the points dealt with above is to bring his entire system into serious question, since these are pivotal dogmas.

It has not been the intention of this writer to discredit a person, but to challenge unscriptural teachings put forth by a person. This pamphlet is sent forth in Christian love for all the household of faith, and with the prayer that it might lead many to a "more excellent way" of handling the Word of God.

Published Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.Co. Box 817. Phillipsburg. New Jersey 08865 ISBN:0-87552-154-1 as a small booklet. No Date. No Copyright claim.

Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse

By
Jim Bakker

Taken from Tim Warner's website "The Last Trumpet":
http://www.geocities.com/lasttrumpet_2000/bakker.html

PTL founder, and former president, Jim Bakker, while in prison after his fall from grace, was forced to reevaluate his beliefs. He had nothing to lose at this point in his life. Perhaps, the loss of his ministry and his family gave him a unique perspective. At any rate, while in prison, he had a lot of time to think, to study the Word, and to seek after God. During this time, he slowly came to certain disturbing conclusions.

First, that the prosperity theology he was known for, and which is still widely promoted in Charismatic circles, was a lie. And, this teaching was leading Christians away from the true gospel of Jesus Christ, setting them up for the last days apostasy predicted in the Bible. He personally had been responsible for untold damage to the body of Christ.

Secondly, he became convinced that the pretrib rapture doctrine, that he had promoted throughout his entire ministry, was also false. He concluded that belief in a pre- trib rapture was born out of the same mentality as the "prosperity" teaching -- that God wanted His children to be wealthy, healthy, and comfortable, and that God was there to service our needs and desires. The "God" of "prosperity theology" certainly wouldn't allow His children to suffer intense persecution in the tribulation. Jim discovered that this "God" is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible expects us to serve Him, to take up our cross daily, and walk in the footsteps of Jesus, a "man of sorrows, and aquainted with grief." And, if necessary, even to our own "crucifixion." Jim began to understand what Paul meant.

Phil 3:10
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
(KJV)

Now, Jim spends much of his energy trying to undo the damage he has done, warning Christians of the coming Apocalypse, and the danger of this materialistic / escapist mentality. His new book, "Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse", describes his journey, and his new- found beliefs, which motivate his now very humble lifestyle, and new ministry for Christ. I have included a few excerpts from Jim's book below. I highly recommend this book. Jim's insight comes from a perspective that few Christians have, and is born out of experiences that few Christians can fathom. Jim has truly "been to the woodshed," and has come out a better man, and now serves the Master with a clear understanding, and singleness of purpose.

Jim's book is not a deep theological treatise on eschatology. He speaks from the heart. I believe God will use him and this book to get the attention of pastors who are not easily swayed by theological arguments

Pg. 27 "The more I studied the Bible, the more I had to face the awful truth: I had been preaching false doctrine for years and hadn't even known it. Tragically, too late, I recognized that at PTL I had done just the opposite of Jesus' words by teaching people to fall in love with money. Jesus never equated His blessings with material things, but I had. I laid so much emphasis on materialism, I subtly encouraged people to put their hearts into things, rather than into Jesus. I should have taught them to fall in love with Jesus. He is the only One who will never leave us nor forsake us when the money and possessions are gone."

"When I realized the truth, I was deeply grieved and repented over my error. How could I have been so wrong? How could I have missed Christ's true message so completely? His statements about material possessions in general, and money in particular, were clear. How could I have had the audacity to twist Jesus' statements into the opposite of what He taught?"

"I am now convinced that I did the body of Christ a great disservice. God can take care of His people. He promises to supply all our needs, and He has all the riches of heaven at His disposal. He can and does bless us, but our main focus should never be on material blessings. Our focus must be on Jesus and our total love for Him."

"By preaching "another gospel," with its emphasis on ease of living, material wealth, and sensational miracles, prosperity preachers and teachers have unwittingly set the Christian community up for the arrival of the Antichrist."

Pg. 122 "For me, belief in the Rapture played right into prosperity theology. It made for a perfect package: people could get saved by saying a few words, they could live in luxury and excess throughout this lifetime, and then Jesus would return to take them out of the tough times that others were to experience during the end-time tribulation. It was pure escapism."

Pg. 125 "The more I studied the Scriptures, the more I became convinced that we are living in the last days, and that we will soon begin seeing the fulfillment of the predictions in the prophetic books of the Bible, including the cataclysmic conditions on earth, which will precipitate the rise of the Antichrist."

"I also saw a connection between the escapist Rapture and those who espouse a materialistic gospel. I became convinced that we are wasting so much time and energy teaching people how to get rich and how to become self-fulfilled, we have not adequately prepared them for what is to come. Instead of the Church presenting a false hope by preaching the pretribulational Rapture, we should be spending this time informing believers that they will have to go through the Tribulation, or at least some part of it. We should be teaching people to fall in love with Jesus. We should be spending our time, energy, and resources getting spiritually ready for a severe period of persecution and a time of unparalleled upheaval."

Pg. 127 "When I speak on this subject nowadays, I facetiously tell audiences, 'I tried my best to keep us out of the Tribulation. For years I preached that we would escape it. In my studies while in prison, I searched for hours on end, trying to find some way that believers would escape the difficult times about to come on the earth, but I couldn't do it. I am convinced now that we are going through. Hold on tightly to Jesus. It's going to be a wild ride!'"

Catechism of the Catholic Church

An Image Book
Doubleday – a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., New York, New York, 1995

Part One: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
Section Two: The Profession of the Christian Faith: The Creeds
Chapter Two: I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God
Article 7: "FROM THENCE HE WILL COME AGAIN TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD"
I. He Will Come Again in Glory
The Church's ultimate trial [pages 193-194]

675. Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers [cf. Lk. 18:8; Mt. 24:12]. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth [cf. Lk. 21:12; Jn. 15:19-20] will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh [cf. 2 Thess. 2:4-12; 1 Thess. 5:2-3; 2 Jn. 7; 1 Jn. 2:18, 22].

Part Four: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
Section One: Prayer in the Christian Life. What is Prayer?
Chapter One: The Revelation of Prayer
THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER
Prayer in the Christian Life
Article 3: IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
V. Prayer of Praise [page 697]

2642. The Revelation of "what must soon take place," the Apocalypse, is borne along by the songs of the heavenly liturgy [cf. Rev. 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-12] but also by the intercession of the "witnesses" (martyrs) [Rev. 6:10]. The prophets and the saints, all those who were slain on earth for their witness to Jesus, the vast throng of those who, having come through the great tribulation, have gone before us into the Kingdom, all sing the praise and glory of him who sits on the throne, and of the Lamb [cf. Rev 18:24; 19:1- 8]. In communion with them, the Church on earth also sings these songs with faith in the midst of trial. By means of petition and intercession, faith hopes against all hope and gives thanks to the "Father of lights," from whom "every perfect gift" comes down [Jam. 1:17]. Thus faith is pure praise.

Eastern Orthodox View of the Rapture
What is 'The Rapture?'

By
Fr. Dimitri Cozby - Archbishop of the Orthodox Church of Dallas and the South
Originally published in The Dawn, the official publication of the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the South

http://www.stgabrielokc.org/Glossary_Items/rapture.htm
This material is included with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) www.oca.org

Some of our evangelical or Pentecostal neighbors occasionally speak about "the Rapture" as one of the events leading up to Christ's Second Coming. By this they mean the physical removal from earth of the true believers in Christ in preparation for the "Great Tribulation," a seven-year period of unparalleled calamity which will herald the end. (A few advocates say that the Rapture will follow the Tribulation. Most who believe in it, however, contend that it precedes the Tribulation.) The Rapture's purpose, according to its advocates, is to safeguard the righteous during that horrible time. Its most familiar champions are Hal Lindsey (author of The Late, Great Planet Earth and other books), John T. Walvoord (of Dallas Theological Seminary), and the late Cyrus Scofield (author of The Scofield Reference Bible).

These ideas are popular with groups who are enchanted, even obsessed, with speculation about the Second Coming and who have convinced themselves that they see in current events signs that His return is near. These speculations form part of a broader ideology called "dispensational-ism." Dispensationalists come in all shapes and sizes and what we say about one may not apply to all. Still we can list some general characteristics which virtually all dispensationalists share. The name comes from their division of history into eras or "dispensations." They believe that the Bible outlines the whole course of mankind's religious history. Each stage in God's program is a dispensation, and in each dispensation God relates to the world and His chosen peoples in a different way. Some dispensationalist schemes encompass all human history; others include only Christian history since the time of Christ. Most often these systems are based on a symbolic interpretation of the "letters to the seven churches" of Revelation 2 and 3, with each church standing for the Christianity of a particular period. (Since dispensationalism is Protestant in origin its "Church history" is strictly Western. The dispensations take into account almost nothing of Orthodox history after the period of the early councils that we share with the West.) The dispensational system includes the future as well as the past. Thus dispensationalism presents a detailed program of events leading up to the Second Coming. Two of the events in this master plan are the Rapture and the Great Tribulation.

Such opinions seem odd to Orthodox Christians. Still, strange as they are, we cannot turn our backs on them or their advocates. After all, the Orthodox Church too affirms that Christ "will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead" (as we say in the Creed). The Rapture's advocates claim to base their notions on the same Bible that we read, and they can sometimes be very persuasive, particularly since too many Orthodox are woefully ignorant of what the Bible really says. As a result, some Orthodox have been led astray by this doctrine. The Church's teachings about the end of time (called "eschatology" by theologians) are important, though neglected. Referring to eschatology, St. Athanasius wrote, "When one knows properly these points, his understanding of the Faith is right and healthy; but if he mistakes any such points, forthwith he falls into heresy" (Against the Arians I 12,50). We need to examine it, sift the true from the false, and put what is true into its proper place within the framework of the Orthodox Faith. We must explain the true meaning of the Bible passages in question as interpreted by the Fathers, the great Orthodox teachers of past ages. And we must put this doctrine in perspective and accord it its true importance. Our purpose in this article is to examine the Rapture doctrine and the Scripture passages on which it relies to determine the proper Orthodox approach and interpretation.

Proponents of the doctrine of a pretribulation Rapture claim that it rests on Scripture and has always been a part of Christian teaching. The truth is that it dates from about 1830 and was largely the creation of John Nelson Darby, a one-time Anglican priest and founder of a sect called the Plymouth Brethren. He contributed much to the dispensationalist scheme, and in particular he was the first to include the Rapture among the catalogue of phenomena of the last times. The Rapture's recent origin is one of the things that should make us skeptical. Neither the Apostles nor the Fathers expounded any such teaching (nor, for that matter, did any of the notorious heretics of the past). Even Darby's circle, although they claimed to find support for their teaching in the Bible, did not maintain that they had arrived at this doctrine through study of the Scriptures, but that they had received it through a revelation. According to its supporters the pretribulation Rapture is an extremely important part of the Christian message. Yet it was unknown before 1830.

The Rapture's supporters derive their opinions ultimately from a single Scripture verse, I Thessalonians 4:17, "Then we who are left alive will be carried off together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord." Less popular but often cited is Matthew 24:40-42, "Then there will be two in the field. One will be taken and the other left. Two will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and the other left. Therefore, be vigilant, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come." Other passages are frequently quoted in connection with these (for example, I Corinthians 15:23-28), but even believers in a pretribulation Rapture will admit that the other verses can be taken to refer to that doctrine only if interpreted in the light of the I Thessalonians passage, their principal support.

The paragraph which contains the first verse quoted above, I Thessalonians 4:17, forms the Epistle reading for funerals in Orthodox worship. The passage begins with 4:13. In preceding verses St. Paul has spoken of the necessity for holiness of life and for brotherly love among Christians (4:1-12). With verse 13 he turns to another topic, the fate of Christians after death. Misunderstandings on this issue had apparently caused needless distress and apprehension in the church at Thessalonika. It seems that some people believed that Christians who died before Christ's return would somehow miss out on that glorious event. St. Paul seeks to calm their fears (vs. 13). He points out that as Christ returned from the dead at His Resurrection, so also, at the end of time, His followers who have died in the interim will be restored through resurrection (vs. 14). At the Second Coming, the Christian dead will be raised (vs. 16). Then they and the faithful who are still alive will be caught up into the clouds to welcome Christ as He descends (verses 15,17). Paul then discusses other matters relating to the Second Coming, beginning with the date it will occur.

When we look at verse 17 in context, it is easy to see that is does not really support the doctrine of the Rapture. There is no reference to a Great Tribulation or to any other events preceding Christ's Return. The verse refers to something that will happen as part of the Lord's Coming. The course of events St. Paul presents is simple and straightforward. At the time of the Second Coming, the dead will be raised, and all the faithful (the dead now restored and those still alive now transfigured) will ascend to be with Him as He comes down. This is the universal interpretation of the Fathers who see the verse as referring to the last days.

Why does St. Paul speak of an ascension of the righteous? The Fathers suggest at least three answers to this question. St. Gregory of Nyssa says that the ascension is a natural consequence of the purity of the transfigured resurrection body: "...this change which takes place...when the resurrection trumpet sounds which awakens the dead in an instant transforms those who are left alive to incorruptibility according to the likeness of those who have undergone the resurrection change, so that the bulk of the flesh is no longer heavy nor does its weight hold them down to earth, but they rise up through the air..." ("On the Making of Man" 22,6).

St. John Chrysostom and others say that it is to provide Christ with a proper escort for His appearance on earth and to demonstrate His favor toward the faithful. "If He is about to descend, why shall we be taken up? It is for the sake of honor. When a king enters a city, those who are in his favor go out to meet him, but the condemned await their judge inside. Or, when a loving father comes, his children, and also those worthy of being his children, are taken out in a chariot to see and kiss him, but the servants who have offended him remain indoors. So we are carried out upon a chariot to our Father...See how great our honor is? As He descends we go out to meet Him, and what is more blessed, we shall be with Him always" (Homily 8 on Thessalonians).

The third opinion is that St. Paul's words should be taken symbolically. St. Ambrose and St. Jerome, for example, suggest that the verse does not speak of a real physical ascent at all, nor does it even refer to the Second Coming. What the Apostle means is that the righteous, even when living in the body, are already with Christ in heaven. St. Methodius of Olympus presents a more acceptable symbolic interpretation. He agrees that the passage refers to the Second Coming, but he contends that "the dead" and "the living" do not mean different types of people. The dead, in his view, are our bodies; "those who are alive" are our souls. These will be reunited at the resurrection and then carried up to meet Christ.

Let us summarize what we have found so far. St. Paul does speak of a sort of rapture, in the sense of a carrying up into the sky of the righteous at the time of the Second Coming. The Fathers generally agree on that. But St. Paul and the Fathers see this as an event that accompanies Christ's return and immediately precedes the Judgment and the establishment of the Kingdom. The Rapture which Darby and Scofield taught and which Lindsey, Walvoord, and others still teach, is different from that. They talk about it as a separate happening, part of a decades long program of events leading up to Christ's Coming. The dispensationalists see the Rapture as the disappearance of the faithful from the earth before the Great Tribulation and many years before the Judgment. This is foreign to the Apostle and to the Tradition. St. Paul mentions no period of affliction and persecution following the Rapture.

So let us summarize what we have found so far. St. Paul does speak of a sort of rapture, in the sense of a carrying up into the sky of the righteous at the time of the Second Coming. The Fathers generally agree on that point. But St. Paul and the Fathers see this as an event that accompanies Christ's return and immediately precedes the Judgment and the establishment of the Kingdom. The Rapture which Darby and Scofield taught and which Lindsey, Walvoord, and others still teach is different from that. They talk about it as a separate happening, part of a decades long program of events leading up to Christ's Coming. The dispensationalists see the Rapture as the disappearance of the faithful from the earth before the Great Tribulation and many years before the Judgment. This is foreign to the Apostle and to the Tradition. St. Paul mentions no period of affliction and persecution following the Rapture.

In an effort to forge a link between the Rapture and the Tribulation, supporters turn to Matthew 24:40-42, quoted above (in part 1, September's Dawn). Certainly we have here references to a time of horror and suffering, and 24:21 even speaks of "great tribulation" (but not "the Great Tribulation"). Matthew 24 and 25 comprise a long discourse by Jesus. The occasion for this teaching is the first days of Holy Week, when Christ and His disciples were in Jerusalem on that last visit which ended in His death and resurrection. The Lord and His entourage have been in the Temple. As they leave, one of the company remarks on the structure's splendor and grandeur (24:1-2). Jesus replies by prophesying its coming destruction, which took place some 40 years later (70 AD). The group proceeds to the Mount of Olives, across the Kedron Valley from the city. They halt at a place, which even today offers an admirable panorama of the Old City and the Temple site. The disciples, perhaps alarmed by Christ's words, ask when "these things," meaning the Temple's destruction, will happen and what will be the signs of Christ's return.

Christ's sermon is His response to these questions. In order to understand it properly we must remember that there were two questions, one about disasters, which would befall Jerusalem during the Roman-Jewish War of 66-72, the other about the end of time. Parts of the speech address one concern, some the other. Much of what Christ says is intended to keep His followers from confusing the two events, taking the horror of the Jewish War as a sign of the Second Coming. We see this in the warnings He gives: that the Gospel must be preached in the whole world before the end comes (vs. 8), that many deceivers will arise claiming to be Him (verses 23-26), that no one knows "the day or the hour" except the Father (vs. 36), and many more. Christ is concerned that His followers not confuse the impending disasters in Judea with the cataclysms of the end. To make His point clear He emphasizes the suddenness and unpredictability of His return.

We must interpret 24:40-42 in light of Christ's insistence that He will return "at an hour you do not expect" (24:44). It would seem strange if Christ were to make this point over and over in the early verses of chapter 24, then in verses 40-42 describe an occurrence which would certainly tip everyone off that something was about to happen, and all the more peculiar if that tip-off were to happen seven years before His appearance, as the dispensationalists assert. The key to understanding the passage is the Greek word normally translated "taken." The word ("paralambano") has two meanings. The first we might render "to take," but not in the sense of "to lift up," the meaning which the dispensationalists give it. It means instead "to bring along," as in English we might say that someone takes a friend to the movies. That does not seem to fit the use of the word in Matthew 24, so we turn to the second meaning, "to accept" or "to choose." Either of these words would be better in these verses than the imprecise "take." This second meaning fits with what the Lord has been saying in the passage in question, that His followers must be ready for His coming lest they be caught off-guard like the world, unprepared for the Judgment. Some will have heeded His commandments, will face the Judgment in confidence, and will be "accepted" into the Kingdom. Others, though living and working with the first group, day by day, will not have lived the life of the Gospel and will not be chosen or accepted by Christ when He returns. These verses form part of Christ's exhortation to all who hear Him to respond to His message and thereby avoid condemnation at the End. The verses do not supply the idea of the Rapture.

Conclusion:

What conclusions can we draw from our discussion? As we have seen, neither of the two passages upon which advocates of the Rapture rely means what they say they do. Both refer to Christ's final return. Those who support this doctrine neglect the context of the verses they use, distort the meanings of words and verses, and, in one case, take advantage of a loose translation. We must approach the Bible with more reverence. We must avoid pulling verses out of context. Instead, look at the surrounding verses to see what the Biblical writer is talking about and how that may affect your interpretation of a problem verse.

Beware, also, of interpretations, which disagree with or attack the Tradition of the Church. As we saw in our discussion of 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the Fathers of the Church pointed the way to the proper understanding of the verse. We must investigate the origin of ideas, which other groups advocate, especially when they seem to contradict Orthodoxy. The concept of the pretribulation Rapture only appeared in England about 150 years ago. Orthodox Christians of great piety and learning have been reading the Scriptures for 2000 years. Would an important doctrine have escaped their notice? Very often these new doctrines do not really come from a careful reading of the Bible but from "special revelations"; their adherents have then ransacked the Scriptures for difficult or obscure verses which they can use to support them. Sometimes they arise when a reader tries to make sense out of hard-to-understand passages and does not succeed. Orthodox Christians have the living witness of the Holy Spirit who, as Christ said, will guide us to all truth (John 16:13), and we also have the tradition of the Fathers to help us in our search. These are not two different sources but one and the same thing. The Fathers knew and listened to the voice of the Spirit; they affirm that the Spirit lives in the Church even up to the present day; they are one of the ways the Spirit has chosen to continue His work of teaching and guiding. Trying to make the Bible support one's own preconceived notions or insisting on one's own limited understanding without seeking the guidance of Holy Tradition will not lead us to a true appreciation of what the Bible says or of what God says to us through it.

Sometimes too, the groups that support these new teachings are anti-Church. In their view the Church, and the Christian's life in it, plays no part in preparation for the Second Coming and the Judgment. In fact, membership in most religious groups is a hindrance, since they have abandoned the Gospel. The dispensationalists emphasize the individual independent congregation, "where the Bible is believed and preached," as they often say. They advise the Christian to shop around until he finds a congregation that, in his personal opinion, fills this criterion. The Rapture doctrine reflects this; it will reveal those who have been the true "Bible - believing" Christians (their people), because these will be the ones to disappear, leaving the rest to face the Tribulation. The dispensationalist view of the Church entraps us in circulation reasoning. Following it means you must look for a congregation where you can learn their "true Gospel," yet you must know that Gospel in order to judge whether it is taught in that congregation or not. The individual, weak and ignorant and sinful as he or she is, becomes the final judge of truth. Doesn't it seem more logical to turn instead to the institution that Christ founded to preserve and to propagate His Gospel and to cleanse and strengthen its members through His sacraments? As the Ethiopian said to St. Philip, "How can I understand if no one guides me?" (Acts 8:31) We have a guide, the Church, where we can still learn the Gospel that Christ taught, the Apostles proclaimed, the Fathers defined, and the Martyrs confessed with their last breath.

Finally, we must keep our perspective and not give less significant doctrines an importance they do not deserve. Even if the dispensationalist understanding of the Rapture were true, should we give it the emphasis that they do? Dispensationalism generally places the greatest importance on the timetable of the Second Coming and on determining the order of events leading up to it.

This is not what is important to the New Testament authors or to Christ Himself, as His own words testify. Recall the passage discussed above from Matthew 24 and 25. Christ stressed that no one could predict when He would return. His primary concern was to exhort His followers (us) to be ready for His return. What we must know about the Second Coming and the Judgment is not when it will be or what occurrences will precede it, but whether we are ready to face it. Have we committed our lives to Christ's Gospel? Are you living lives of repentance and faith? Have we drawn near to Him in fervent prayer, diligent reading of the Scriptures and frequent and sincere reception of the Sacraments? Are we using the grace of the Spirit imparted to us by Christ to grow in the Father's image and likeness? The answers to these questions are more important than whether the Rapture immediately precedes the Judgment or occurs seven years earlier. We must resist anything such as speculation about the end that distracts us from our salvation. Christ spoke often of the last days, but always with one purpose: to incite us to repentance and to encourage us to grow in His Gospel and to persevere in the Faith. If we respond to His exhortation, then, when He returns, we will go to meet Him in the clouds, escort Him to His Judgment Seat, and stand at His Right Hand with the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs and all the saints, ready to enter the glory of His Kingdom.

The Dogmatic Tradition of the Orthodox Church

Rt. Rev. Maximos Aghiorgoussis, Th.D., Bishop of Pittsburgh

The following information is from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America site:
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8038.asp

V. ORTHODOX ESCHATOLOGY

The Holy Spirit of God, working through the Church and its sacramental life, leads the plan of salvation in Christ to completion and final fulfillment. The final battle with evil that operates in the world will occur just before the coming again of the Lord. In the meantime, the struggle against evil and dark forces in the world continues, with some victories on behalf of the Church, and with some failures on behalf of some of its members. This is the normal condition of the life of the Church, which is the inaugurated Kingdom of God, and which, however, has not yet come fully. Two distinct stages are to be recognized, in terms of Christian Orthodox eschatology: that of a "partial judgment," of a "partial" or "realized" eschatology, and that of a "final judgment," at the coming again of the Lord, which will come at the end of time.

Partial judgment - the hour of our death
Our physical death, a consequence of the first man's sin that we still suffer, can be seen in two ways:
1. negatively, as a kind of catastrophe, especially for those who do not believe in Christ and life everlasting in Him; and
2. positively, as the end of a maturation process, which leads us to the encounter with our Maker. Christ has destroyed the power of the "last enemy," death (1 Cor. 18:26).
A Christian worthy of the name is not afraid of this physical death insofar as it is not accompanied by a spiritual or eternal (eschatological) death.

A partial judgment is instituted immediately after our physical death, which places us in an intermediate condition of partial blessedness (for the righteous), or partial suffering (for the unrighteous).

Disavowing a belief in the Western "Purgatory," our Church believes that a change is possible during this intermediate state and stage. The Church, militant and triumphant, is still one, which means that we can still influence one another with our prayers and our saintly (or ungodly) life. This is the reason why we pray for our dead. Also, almsgiving on behalf of the dead may be of some help to them, without implying, of course, that those who provide the alms are in some fashion "buying" anybody's salvation.
General Judgment - the Coming Again of Christ
The early Church lived in expectation of the "day of the Lord," the day of His coming again. The Church later realized that its time is known but to God; still, some signs of Christ's second coming were expected:
1. The Gospel will be preached everywhere in the world (Matt. 24: 14; Luke 18:8; John 10: 16);
2. The Jews will be converted to Christ (Rom. 11:25-26; cf. Hosea 3:5);
3. Elijah, or even Enoch, will return (Mark 9:11);
4. The Antichrist will appear with numerous false prophets accompanying him (1 John 2:10; 2 Thes. 2:3; Matt. 24:5);
5. Physical phenomena, upheavals, wars, sufferings will occur (Matt. 24:6; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:25); and,
6. The world will be destroyed by fire (ekpyrosis; see 2 Peter 3:5).

All these signs are expected to be given in due time; without them, the end-time will not come.

The resurrection of the dead is a miracle that will happen at the second coming of the Lord. According to the Creed: "I await the resurrection of the dead." This resurrection will be a new creation. However, our physical bodies as we know them now will be restored, in a spiritualized existence like that of the Lord after His Resurrection.

The final judgment will follow the resurrection of all. Some will rise to the resurrection of life, and some to the resurrection of judgment and condemnation. Christ will be our Judge on the basis of our deeds, our works of love or our acts of wickedness.

The end-time will follow, with a permanent separation between good and evil, between those who will be awarded etemal life of happiness and bliss in heaven, and those who will be condemned to the fire of eternal damnation, to the eternal remorse of their conscience for having rejected God and authentic life in Him and having joined the inauthentic life invented by the devil and his servants.

A new heaven and new earth will be established, inhabited by righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). The Kingdom of God will be fully established; the Church will cease to exist. Finally, the Son of God will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, "that God may be everything to everyone" (1 Cor. 15:28).

Concluding Remarks

You have now seen compelling evidence that the Church's long-held belief in a posttribulation rapture is to be preferred above all other views. Instead of attempting to discuss every contested verse and concept, I have chosen to center on a few of the major points and verses. Not every question or issue can be addressed in this manner, but it is preferable to the mind-numbing tedium of trying to cover everything.

Those who wish to delve deeper into the matters discussed above are heartily encouraged to do so. If you should find I have made a legitimate error, or you have a sincere question, a helpful suggestion, or a constructive criticism, then please feel free to email me. I don't have a lot of free time, but I will try my best to respond as quickly as possible to genuine concerns.

If you have read all of this and are left wondering how close to the end we really are then you might want to look at the web page entitled "So How Close are We?" Or, if you are already convinced you need to get prepared to face the darker days ahead, please take a moment to review the web page "How Can I Get Ready?". Both pages will give a brief overview and will point you to yet other pages for greater depth.

I wish to thank the reader for bearing with me through this lengthy study, and I pray that God richly blesses you as study his word and allow him to lead you, transform you, and use you.

" ...press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:14).

- Clark Hay for DC Ministries, 12/27/2003

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