Is the Pre-Tribulational Rapture
Teaching a Hoax? (Pt. 2)
Rock of Offence Special Commentary
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This is Part 2 of a three-part Bible study.
Click on the links below to access the
other parts of this study.
Part 1
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Part 3
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How Shall We Escape If We Neglect
So Great Salvation?
(Hebrews 2:3)
Few Bible topics are spurned and neglected more than the rapture, where Jesus returns in the clouds and calls His believing ones up to meet Him. JESUS REFERRED TO THIS “CALLING OR CATCHING UP” AS OUR ESCAPE (Read Luke 21:25-36). This “escape” is connected to Christ’s physical Second Coming at the end of the age. But, contrary to popular beliefs, the escape itself is not the Second Coming nor does it happen at the same time. The escape occurs before God’s judgment falls. The Second Coming occurs some 7 years later at the completion of God’s judgment.
When confronted with the subject of the rapture, Christians respond in various ways. Some say, “I don’t think about those things because my pastor doesn’t teach it. Others comment, “The Bible says that we can’t know the day or hour of Christ’s return, so I'm not concerned about it.” Still others claim that we should “walk in love” and avoid the subject because it offends other Christians. Then, there are those who say the word “rapture” isn’t in the Bible and for that reason it isn’t a real event. It’s true that the English word “rapture” isn’t in the Bible. Yet, the event the word represents is in the Bible. It’s just described using different phrases and words that mean the same thing; such as “we will be CAUGHT UP to meet the Lord IN THE AIR” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
All these common responses are really nothing but religious excuses, when you understand the following truth;
SCRIPTURE TEACHES THAT THE
RAPTURE OR THE “CATCHING UP”
IS THE EVENT WHERE THE NEW
TESTAMENT CHURCH RECEIVES
IT’S FULL BLOOD-BOUGHT
REDEMPTION (SALVATION BY
GRACE). CONTRARY TO SOME
POPULAR, YET FALSE RELIGIOUS
TEACHING, THE RAPTURE IS
NOT A REWARD GIVEN FOR
CHRISTIAN SERVICE, GOOD
BEHAVIOR AND HOLY LIVING.
When Jesus was instructing His disciples about the things that would be happening in the world around the time of His return, He said:
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud 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."
(Luke 21:27-28)
The return of Jesus Christ fulfills His
completed blood-bought redemption.
When various Christian believers make excuses for avoiding this subject, they are unconsciously admitting that their future salvation is not worth thinking about, too embarrassing to discuss -- and not important enough to take the risk of offending others. Stop and think about that. It’s possible that a hidden meaning exists in Hebrews 2:3, which says; “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation”. Many in the institutional Christian Church are guilty of neglecting their salvation (Jesus called it their “escape” from judgment). Any discussion about the rapture is offensive to their intellect. For them, it just seems too outrageous and unbelievable to take seriously – so they ignore the discussion to keep from looking foolish.
But, the splitting of the Red
Sea in the Old Testament that
saved the Israelites from the
murderous wrath of Pharaoh was
also outrageous and unbelievable,
according to natural human
reasoning. However, there's
one problem; God's ways are
higher than ours, which means
that He does not operate
according to human reasoning.
The question now becomes; How
much of the Bible will you ignore
to protect your reputation?
The Red Sea miracle was an Old Testament type and shadow of the future escape God provides for the Church when Jesus “splits open the sky” and rescues His believing ones from the coming judgment. The Church’s escape will also be a miracle (or supernatural occurrence). In a very real sense, the refusal to study and discuss the rapture is “neglecting salvation”. Yet, despite this neglect, the rapture (or the departure of the Church) will happen just as the New Testament says – and, it will be pre-tribulational (before God’s judgment falls). The question is; what side will you be on?
The Believer's Liberty in Christ:
The Church's Blood-Bought Exemption
From God's Judgment
Paul, speaking to the Thessalonian
believers, made the following
declaration ;
"For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus Who delivers (rescues) us from the wrath (Judgment) to come."
(1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 - Emphasis and Clarifications Added)
The Apostle Paul, who wrote nearly half of the New Testament canon, taught that Christ's Church (the one He promised to build after His crucifixion and resurrection) “was not appointed to the wrath of God” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10). Why? All future divine judgment for the believer was eliminated when the Lamb of God took their sin away at the cross (John 1:29). When God reckons that an individual has no sin (because Jesus took it away) - it also means they can no longer be judged for sin. This sinless "reckoning" by our Heavenly Father is referred to as "imputed righteousness", which overrides any and all human sin that occurs for the rest of the believer's earthly life (Romans 4:4-8). Christ's imputed righteousness, based on His shed blood is so sufficient and absolute that God no longer charges sin to a believer's account, even when they do sin (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). This is a core Biblical truth of Christian salvation that many (but, thankfully not all) within the institutional Church have been trying to redefine since the first century. "God's wrath" is an alternate term often used in the Bible to describe His judgment against the world's sin.
The sacrifice of Christ sets His Church and all its blood-bought (redeemed) members free (it’s part of our Liberty in Christ) from any future judgment against sin. Yet, because of the illegal practice of mixing together the Biblical programs of Israel and the New Testament Church, various expressions of counterfeit Christianity and its leaders attempt to discredit and even redefine this powerful truth. Israel has existed in a fallen condition since the crucifixion of Christ and needs to be restored back to God. However, the New Testament Church neither deserves nor requires such judgment and restoration, because Jesus Christ has already dealt with these sin issues. As a result, His righteousness is imputed (or assigned apart from merit and behavior) to all believers in the Church through the cross. This is why the Apostle Paul taught that the Church must be removed prior to the start of Jacob’s Trouble (the Tribulation Period), which, according to Jesus, is a global judgment. Since the Church has already been “judged” and reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Christ, our Heavenly Father would be committing an unjust act if He didn’t perform this removal and relocation.
The Forgery of Terror
The epistles (letters) addressed to the Thessalonians were some of the first written by Paul and had a unique purpose. He was confronting false teaching, specifically from a forged letter (sent in Paul’s name) that terrorized the congregation. This fraudulent letter (similar to some of the false end-time Christian teaching today) essentially claimed that the time of tribulation and judgment, also known as “The Day of the Lord” had already started. The letter essentially warned that the Church (which included the Thessalonians) was not going to be removed beforehand; but would now experience the full force of God’s judgment and wrath. Earlier, when visiting the Thessalonian congregation in person, Paul taught that they would be exempt from this future judgment. The forged letter was contradicting what He had originally taught them. One reason Paul wrote 1st and 2nd Thessalonians was to reinforce his original teaching and expose the information in the forged letter as being false (or a hoax). The overall subject of Paul’s epistles to this group of believers concentrated on the Church’s “gathering together to Jesus in the clouds”, commonly referred to as “the rapture” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). When we understand the purpose for Paul’s writings, we can see that the Thessalonian believers were given an important truth. This 'gathering of the Church to Jesus in the clouds' (or its removal from the earth) represents not only the fulfillment (or the complete manifestation) of the salvation He purchased for us at the cross, but also our exemption from the coming judgment and wrath against the world's sin.
Paul relayed this truth to the
Thessalonian believers (and all
Christians living today) by
saying ;
"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him." (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)
"For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus Who delivers (or rescues) us from the wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)
Note: This is a ‘before judgment’ (or pre-tribulational) removal, otherwise the rescue becomes nonsensical. The entire 7 year period of Jacob’s Trouble is a time of God’s Judgment directed at all those remaining on earth, who rejected His Son. We must keep in mind that the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ (and all its true believing members) did not commit this sin, which means it is not subject to this global judgment.
In an effort to squelch the heated rhetoric that usually accompanies any discussion of this subject, some church leaders say that we shouldn’t argue about these things because there’s too much we don’t know, especially about the timing. Yet, from the writings of Paul we know for sure that the rapture is a “salvation event”, which means it is a central part of our redemption through Christ. Contrary to some popular church teaching, the rapture of the Church is not an earned blessing given to a special elite group of Christian believers as a reward for service, faithfulness and holy living. This popular teaching subjugates Christ’s salvation to a benefit earned through various works and behavioral merit. However, the apostle Paul warns that this way of teaching the Bible represents; “another Jesus and a different gospel” and is a direct attack on the authentic salvation of Christ freely available through the unmerited and undeserved favor of God (also known as Grace).
According to the New Testament Scriptures, the rapture represents the full manifestation of the believer’s salvation, which Jesus purchased at the cross. Beginning in the first century many have taught various doctrines, which attempt to redefine the salvation of Jesus Christ. In Acts chapter 15 we find one such doctrine, which nearly destroyed the faith of the Galatian Church and was condemned by the apostolic leadership in Jerusalem. These contrary doctrines (or systems of theology) masquerade as fundamental Bible teaching and continue to exist today under various good-sounding names and labels. You can often identify these teachings by the position a particular minister, church or denomination takes concerning the rapture, which is a “pre-judgment”, or what some call “pre-tribulational” event. Jesus bore all of the believer’s punishment and judgment for sin at the cross.
Therefore, any minister or Bible
teacher, who insists ...
The Church must go through either
part or all of this period of
judgment called “The Tribulation."
Or,
Believers, who are deficient in
faithfulness, good works and
Christian character will be left
behind to go through the Tribulation
for “additional purification and
cleansing” ...
... are almost certainly preaching “a different or counterfeit gospel” that denies one of the most important truths of Christian salvation, that. . . “Jesus bore our total punishment and judgment on the cross.” When speaking about the rapture (or departure) of the Church, this is how Paul explained it in his letter to the Thessalonians;
“For God hath not appointed us to
to wrath, but to obtain salvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who
died for us ...”
God's Guarantee To
The Believer
Jesus finished all the work necessary for the believer to obtain salvation (eternal life) at the cross. Yet, the New Testament teaches that Christ's pre-purchased salvation is not fully manifested until 'the day of redemption,' which occurs in the future (and thought to be imminent). Until then, God seals us with the Holy Spirit - and refers to this Divine act as 'His guarantee' ... that the 'purchased possession' (the believer) will receive their fully manifested salvation on that future day. The 'sealing of the Holy Spirit' occurs at the same time we first believe on Christ ... which also activates God's guarantee. This is why the Bible refers to salvation as 'God’s gift of eternal or everlasting life' (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2;8-9) ... because He will never revoke it once it's given. Contrary to popular church teachings – God does not unseal a believer when they sin ... and then performs a resealing when they repent. The sealing (God’s guarantee) occurs only once and remains in place until that future day of our redemption; also known as the rapture. At this event our physical bodies are changed from mortal to immortal (1 Corinthians 15:50-55). Paul refers to this change as a "quickening". In the original language of the Greek New Testament the word 'quicken' means to 'make alive' - which is exactly what happens when we receive our immortal bodies at the rapture (see Romans 8:11 below).
"For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]" (Romans 11:29 Amplified Bible)
"In Him (Jesus Christ) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession (all true believers in Christ), to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14 -- Also Read About “God’s Guarantee” In 2 Corinthians 1:22 and 2 Corinthians 5:5)
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." (Romans 8:11)
It is a blatant denial of the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ to say or suggest that a blood-washed Christian believer - who is thought to be deficient in certain works and behavior “requires additional purification and cleansing”. Why? The cross of Christ provides all the purification and cleansing from sin that God requires.
For this reason ...
God never uses the Tribulation
period to provide additional
purification or cleansing for
any part or individual member
of the Church of Jesus Christ.
To do so would be an admission
that His Son's blood was
insufficient to provide their
complete salvation. Any person
or supernatural vision/dream
that claims (or even suggests)
that under-performing or
misbehaving Christians will be
'left behind' for additional
cleansing and discipline during
the Tribulation - is teaching a
counterfeit gospel of Christ.
Additional information is available
at the following link:
The Great Divine Exchange
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This is Part 2 of a three-part Bible study.
Click on the links below to access the
other parts of this study.
Part 1
-----
Part 3
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