Answering Two Common Criticisms of Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua
“I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”
The rapture is on the mind of many believers because of the current coronavirus crisis. It has the feel of an eschatological disaster. So, there is a general sense that Christ’s return may be near.
When thinking about the rapture, many people are anxious to know whether it will take place before or after the Tribulation, which is a 7-year period of terrifying and unprecedented calamities. After that, it will be the end of the present age. Given a choice, nobody in their right mind would want to go through the Tribulation.
Then, some are curious. While there is so much talk about the rapture, nobody seems to know for certainty if it is going to happen before, during or after the Tribulation. As the apostle, Paul, said to the Corinthian believers, the rapture is a mystery (1 Corinthians 15:51).
All of these are legitimate reasons for wanting to find out about the timing of the rapture vis-à-vis the Tribulation.
Not Dogmatic
I hold to the pre-Tribulation rapture position. I believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will come and take the church to be with Him before the Tribulation begins. However, I am not writing this article primarily to defend the pre-Tribulation rapture position. Rather, my motivation is derived from the increasingly hostile attacks on people like me who hold to this position. Some post-Tribulation rapture believers resort to vitriolic comments such as “the pre-Tribulation rapture teaching is coming straight from the pit of hell.” Recently I saw a friend posted on her Facebook page calling it a “false teaching.” Not too long ago, a pastor after finding out my position told me, “I am right, and you are wrong.” I did not expect that.
I will be honest with you. While it is my strong conviction that the rapture will take place before the Tribulation, I am not dogmatic about it. I always tell other believers, “On this matter, we can agree to disagree.”
There are clues, and we all make inferences, but no one can be absolutely certain. Therefore, it is most appropriate that we discuss the matter objectively by referencing supporting biblical passages. We should debate about it sincerely because ultimately what we want is truth, and not who wins and who loses. It will be silly to do that – to win and miss the truth.
Given the situation, I feel compelled to respond and clarify. But this is by no means a comprehensive treatment on the complicated subject. I am only going to respond to two common arguments against the pre-Tribulation rapture position.
Escapism
Throughout history, Christians had often suffered for their faith. For some, even to the point of death. In the present time in countries like Iran, North Korea, and China, it is not uncommon for Christians to be arrested and thrown into prisons. Worse still, there are places like the Middle East and Africa where Christians run the risk of being brutally executed. Jesus had warned on the evening before his own execution that His followers would be hated and persecuted.
__________________________________________
So, why do we think that Christians will be spared from the Tribulation?
This is a common objection…
It seems more like a pipe dream, or worse, a doctrine of escapism.
___________________________________________
So, why do we think that Christians will be spared from the Tribulation? This is a common objection. From this standpoint, the idea of pre-Tribulation rapture does not seem compatible to the biblical theology of suffering. It seems more like a pipe dream, or worse, a doctrine of escapism.
The objection seems like a sound and noble argument except that it contains a fundamental flaw. What matters is not what we think should be the case, but what the bible says. It is frivolous to base an argument on our conjecture.
My argument against the objection is threefold.
Judgement on the Unrepentant World
First, the 7-year Tribulation is a time of judgement on the unrepentant world for its sins.
God waits until the time when sins become ripe, and then He will judge. We are getting there. Unrighteousness and injustice are nearing the tipping point where evil is called good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20; Malachi 2:17). The redefinition of gender and marriage are an affront to God, who created mankind in His image. In recent decades, abortion, which is first degree murder, is legal in most nations. It has now been taken to a whole new level of evil. In New Zealand and certain states in the U.S., abortion can now be legally performed up to the point of birth.
__________________________________________
First, the 7-year Tribulation
is a time of judgement
on the unrepentant world for its sins.
________________________________________________
God is forbearing and merciful. He prefers mercy to judgement. However, when sins reach its full measure, judgement will follow. This is a divine principle (Genesis 15:16).
Paul taught about divine judgement on “that day” when He comes (2 Thessalonians 1:10). On that day, “God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you…” and He will inflict “vengeance on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:6, 8 - ESV).
It will also be a time when God judges the nations for their unjust treatment of Israel. God will gather “all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat” and there He will “enter into judgement against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land” (Joel 3:1-3).
God’s Dealing with Israel
Second, the 7-year Tribulation is also a time for Israel “to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy” (Daniel 9:24).
This is referring to Daniel’s 70-week vision. In a nutshell, God had decreed seventy weeks of years for the nation of Israel, and then the end of the age would come. Israel had already completed 69 weeks of years, which began at the time when the edict went out for the rebuilding of the broken walls of Jerusalem and ended on Palm Sunday. One final week of 7 years was left unfulfilled. In the intervening years, the church mysteriously came into the scene. The final 7 years for Israel to complete this fascinating and highly significant prophecy will resume when the church is mysteriously raptured. That is, taken off from the scene.
__________________________________________
Second, the 7-year Tribulation is also a time for Israel
“to finish transgression, to put an end to sin,
to atone for wickedness,
to bring in everlasting righteousness,
to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.”
So, the Tribulation period is also a time
when God will deal with the nation of Israel. _________________________________________________
The church is a mysterious entity, which is not clearly known from the Old Testament Scriptures (Ephesians 5:32). So is the rapture. It is also a mystery (1 Corinthians 15:51)
So, the Tribulation period is also a time when God will deal with the nation of Israel. That is the reason the church is mentioned 19 times in the first 3 chapters of Revelation, but it goes missing at the beginning of chapter 4 when the Tribulation begins (Revelation 4:1). The church does not reappear until chapter 19 when she re-emerges as the Bride of Christ at the end of the 7-year Tribulation. During this time, we read of the 2 witnesses and the 144,00 from the tribes of Israel, and the tumultuous events in the land of Israel and around the world. The church Is not mentioned even once.
Christians are Not Destined for Wrath
Third, the true followers of Christ are not destined for wrath, which refers to the judgement of God on sins. This is a time of judgement on Israel for rejecting her Messiah and the unrepentant world for their sins against God, Israel, and the church. We must understand this distinction.
God spoke through the prophet, Malachi that "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not (Malachi 3:17-18).
__________________________________________
Third, the true followers of Christ
are not destined for wrath,
which refers to the judgement of God on sins.
_____________________________________________
God’s promise to Christians who are faithful like the Philadelphian church: “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth”(Revelation 3:10 - NIV). The hour of trial clearly refers to the Tribulation.
The apostle, Paul, gives us perhaps the clearest indication that faithful believers will escape the Tribulation. When telling the Thessalonian believers about the imminence of Christ’s return and the rapture, he made a definitive statement: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 - NIV).
__________________________________________
The distinction between suffering and judgement
must be made very clearly.
Christians are not spared from sufferings,
but we are exempted from God’s judgement
on Israel and the world.
___________________________________________________
Wrath here refers to judgment in the context of the rapture and Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11).
We are not destined for wrath and judgement. Why should we? Jesus Christ is our propitiation (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). Our sins had been paid by Christ Jesus on the cross. On the cross, Christ also bore the wrath and judgement of God for our sins.
One final comment. The distinction between suffering and judgement must be made very clearly. Christians are not spared from sufferings, but we are exempted from God’s judgement on Israel and the world.
Fostering Complacency
The other argument that is commonly levelled against the pre-Tribulation rapture position is that by teaching escapism, we are engendering complacency. Since believers will be spared from the fiery trials, they have little motivation, if any, to take their faith seriously. After all, God is going to rescue them. So, when Tribulation comes, these believers will be ill-prepared to face the extreme challenges. Consequently, they may fall from their faith in Christ.
Nothing is further from the truth. Again, such an argument betrays a lack of understanding of the Scriptures from the pre-Tribulation point of view.
The imminent return of Christ is an important doctrine for those who hold to the pre-Tribulation rapture position. It means that Jesus can come back anytime. Christ’s return will be sudden, and it will take many Christians by surprise. He will come back at a time which is least expected.
The doctrine of imminence is taught in numerous passages in the bible. Jesus taught it at the end of His Olivet Discourse. His warnings to “stay awake,”“be faithful and wise,”“be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect,” echoed throughout the parables in the Discourse. The apostles, Paul, Peter, and John also taught it. They were always exhorting their flocks to expect Christ’s imminent return. In fact, they were eagerly expecting Jesus to come back in their lifetime. In their writings, they used phrases such as “the end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7); “as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25); “we know that this is the last hour” (1 John 2:18); “the things that must soon take place (Revelation 1:1).
What is my point?
__________________________________________
Christians may not be motivated to be on their toes
until they know that the Tribulation has begun,
or it is about to begin...
In other words, not only is the argument
that the pre-Tribulation rapture position fosters spiritual complacency invalid,
the mid and post-Tribulation scenarios
actually create less incentive for spiritual preparedness.
__________________________________________
For pre-Tribulation rapture, we do not know exactly when Christ is coming back though we know roughly the season. Therefore, we must always be vigilant. We do not want to be caught sleeping like the unfaithful servants and the five foolish virgins.
Whereas in the case of the mid-Tribulation or post-Tribulation rapture scenarios, the timing of Christ’s appearing can be accurately predicted. The timeline of certain major events is clearly revealed in the bible, meaning that there is no element of surprise. This renders all those passages concerning the unexpected return of Jesus meaningless.
Besides, Christians may not be motivated to be on their toes until they know that the Tribulation has begun, or it is about to begin. A sign of it is the rebuilding of the third temple. Another is the signing of a comprehensive peace treaty between Israel and her surrounding neighbours. In other words, not only is the argument that the pre-Tribulation rapture position fosters spiritual complacency invalid, the mid and post-Tribulation scenarios actually create less incentive for spiritual preparedness.
In conclusion, let me say that “pre-Tribbers” like me are not escapists trying to seek the easy way out. We have come to our position based on careful analysis and common-sense logic. We are far from complacent. I often warned my church to be prepared for Christ’s return because the time leading up to the Tribulation is going to be very tough. It would be naive to assume that things will become terrifyingly difficult only during the Tribulation.