The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie – Part 2 – False Evidence

 

John Little – OmegaShock.com

 

Many responses to my article on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie, were very troubling. It showed a desperate desire to hold onto this lie, even to the point of twisting the Bible, itself. And, I am shocked at the lack of evidence that pre-trib supporters have.

 

(Click HERE for Part One) – | – (Click HERE for Part Three)

 

It has taken a week, but I have finally come to realize that the only way that you can support the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie, is to believe that it MUST exist. Only then can you bend the Bible to support your argument.

 

This is exactly how supporters of evolution have been able to explain their theory as fact. According to them, because God cannot be real, evolution must be true.

 

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The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie – Part 2 – False Evidence

 

Doing good research is like building a house. You position properly. You lay a solid foundation, and then – and only then – set up the walls and roof. Without a solid foundation, your research is worse than meaningless. It’s toxic.

 

That’s why it upsets me so much to see such bad evidence put forward for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. There’s no foundational scripture for them to work from. There’s nothing that directly says that the church will be raptured before the coming of the Tribulation of the Antichrist.

 

As I try to understand this Pretrib Lie, it appears to me that their foundation is:

 

God would never allow us to suffer.

 

And, I am incredibly surprised at this idea.

 

With all the horrible suffering that Christians have gone through, down the ages, why would you believe such a foolish idea?

 

I am amazed by this. Really.

 

I Actually WANT To Be Pretrib

 

Please understand that I say this as someone who would love to believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Each and every article that I write on this site is a struggle. This website is a painful effort, that I would rather give up.

 

Furthermore, I don’t have a doctrinal background that encourages loyalty to a post-tribulation rapture idea. My favorite pastors all believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. My home church teaches a pre-tribulation rapture. My church here in Taiwan is the same.

 

I literally have no reason to attack the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie, and every reason to support it – except that I love God and His words, more than anything on this Earth. And, it hurts to see a corrupt interpretation of the Bible.

 

And yes, the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie is a corrupt interpretation of the Bible.

 

That statement will have upset some of you, so let me explain why.

 

The Pillars Of The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory

 

As best as I can understand them, these are the quasi-Biblical ideas that are foundational to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie:

 

• Imminent Return Of Jesus
   

• God Has Not Appointed Us Unto Wrath
   

• The Church Is The Restrainer
   

• Who Populates The Millennium?

 

Since the controversy is one of TIMING, I have left out those foundational elements that we ALL agree with, such as the fact that there WILL be a Rapture.

 

As far as I have been able to determine, all the other evidence that has been presented to support a pre-tribulation rapture… the feasts, ect. …well, that evidence stands upon those four points.

 

An Honest Appraisal

 

And yes, I am attempting to give an honest appraisal. This is not an attempt to create a ‘straw man‘ that I can then knock down with ease. These really are the foundational principles that I have seen used to support the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie.

 

Furthermore, there are elements to these foundational principles that I agree with. The fact that they are misused doesn’t change their truthfulness.

 

So, let’s take a look at whether these pillars for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie can stand up to a scriptural analysis.

 

Imminent Return Of Jesus

 

The first support, or pillar, of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, is the doctrine of an imminent return of Jesus. The verses that are used to support imminence are these:

 

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. - Matthew 24:36

 

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  – Matthew 24:42-46

 

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. - Matthew 25:13

 

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. - Acts 1:7

 

So, here’s the question:

 

Do these verses offer sound support for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture?

 

The answer is no.

 

Just because we cannot know the day or hour of the return of Jesus, does not mean that Jesus MUST come before the rapture. There are any number of reasons why we will not be able to predict the return of Jesus.

 

Furthermore, Jesus was speaking to the disciples, as well as to those Christians who would follow. They – and even we – would not know the day or hour when the Tribulation begins. And, by extrapolation, would not know the day or hour when Jesus returns.

 

In fact, the conditions surrounding the beginning of the Tribulation may make it difficult to establish when it begins and when it ends – for those in various parts of the world who are cut off from communication.

 

As I said, there are many different reasons that we can think of that could explain why we would not know the day or hour of the return of Jesus. To claim this as foundational proof of a pre-tribulation rapture is not warranted.

 

God Has Not Appointed Us Unto Wrath

 

The next pillar of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is one that I hear the most often. Supporters of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Lie always tell me:

 

God has not appointed us unto wrath.

 

That statement comes from this verse in 1 Thessalonians:

 

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, – 1 Thessalonians 5:9

 

That verse is exceptionally clear, and I agree with it 100%. But…

 

Does it require a Pre-Tribulation Rapture?

 

No, it does not.

 

Remember, that the sentence starts out with the word ‘For’. It is synonymous with the word ‘because’ – which is how the original Greek word, hoti is used. It essentially means that obedience to the previous statements will make the following statement accurate.

 

To put it another way, following the preceding verses will mean that we will not suffer the wrath of God.

 

Here is the entire section that is relevant to this verse:

 

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

 

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

 

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. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

 

 - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

 

Nowhere does this indicate a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. In fact, the context is to WATCH for the coming of the Last Days. Paul was telling them to be on the Lookout.

 

Why would Paul speak of being ‘watchful’ when The Rapture would take all Christians away before anything bad would happen?

 

What The Tribulation Really Is

 

Furthermore, the way that pretribbers use 1 Thessalonians 5:9 shows a distinct misunderstanding of what the Tribulation is.

 

What IS the Tribulation?

 

Well, Revelation 12 gives us a clue:

 

And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. – Revelation 12:14

 

…and:

 

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. – Revelation 12:17

 

It is the war between Satan and the followers of Jesus Christ.

 

Basically, the description that Jesus gives of the Tribulation in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 is:

 

war, violence, affliction and deception

 

The Wrath Of God

 

That is not the Wrath of God. Here is the beginning of the Wrath of God:

 

And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. – Revelation 16:1-2

 

THAT is the Wrath of God.

 

Do we go through that?

 

Well, the Last Trump blows before this. So, it appears to me that we don’t go through that. And, if we WERE around for this, God would make sure that we didn’t suffer it, in the same way that God protected Israel in the Land of Goshen.

 

The Church Is The Restrainer

 

The next pillar of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is this:

 

The Church is what keeps the Antichrist from coming.

 

That principle comes from this verse:

 

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. – 2 Thessalonians 2:7

 

Paul then goes on to describe the revealing of the Antichrist. So, I completely agree that there is something that keeps the Antichrist from being revealed. And, since Paul refers to this ‘something’ as a ‘he’, I also believe that this is the Holy Spirit. So far, we’re all in agreement.

 

Not Taken Out Of The World

 

However, all this verse is saying is that the Holy Spirit no longer blocks the coming of the Antichrist. There is a distinct difference between being taken out of the way and being taken out of the world. This verse does NOT say that the Holy Spirit must been taken out of the world for the Antichrist to come. It only says that the Holy Spirit must no longer stand in the way – or the path – of the coming of the Antichrist.

 

So, using this verse, to prove a pre-tribulation rapture, is wrong. It does NOT prove that there is a pre-tribulation rapture. Let me analyze their thinking about this.

 

The pretribbers claim that the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way because the church has been raptured.

 

But, is that true?

 

The pretribbers assume that the presence of the church is a sufficient barrier to the coming of the Antichrist, but I believe that this is NOT true. Not true at all.

 

We Have Driven Out The Holy Spirit

 

I wrote about this as a part of my series on Bible Twisting, here:

 

http://www.omegashock.com/2014/07/22/twisting-the-bible-part-2-the-holy-spirit-has-left-the-building/

 

When you look at our churches in America, you don’t find very much evidence of the Holy Spirit. There may be churches in various corners of America that still have evidence of the Holy Spirit, but I haven’t seen them for myself.

 

Our churches have become full of people that are indistinguishable from those who are not Christian. In fact, the average non-Christian here in Taiwan is more honest than the average Christian in America. The divorce rate among Christians is only slightly lower than for non-Christians. The abortion rate is also only slightly lower, and half of all pastors are regular consumers of pornography.

 

I believe that the Holy Spirit has been taken out of the way, because we have DRIVEN Him out. We have rejected the Holy Spirit, so He has rejected us.

 

To claim that The Church must be raptured, because the presence of Christians will always block the coming of the Antichrist is a false assumption. You are assuming that the Holy Spirit needs to actually leave the world for the Antichrist to come. But, that’s not true.

 

So far, I have knocked out all three pillars that act as the foundation for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

 

Who Populates The Millennium?

 

However, I ran across someone who raised an objection to a Post-Tribulation Rapture, and he claimed that this was the only reason why he was a pretribber. And, he posed his objection as a question:

 

Who populates the Millennium?

 

What an excellent question.

 

There ARE people in the Millennium, and they WILL repopulate the Earth. And, eventually, those of them who are not God’s people will rise up and rebel against God at Armageddon.

 

So, who do they come from?

 

Good question.

 

I don’t think that it’s a good enough question for someone to support a pre-tribulation rapture. But, I like tough questions, so I will do my best to offer some possible answers.

 

Do you remember the woman who flees into the wilderness and escapes the serpent?

 

I referred to it here:

 

And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. – Revelation 12:14

 

Why Some Do Not Take The Mark

 

I find Revelation 12 to be interesting because it indicates that the Antichrist is limited. He doesn’t have total and absolute control. There are areas of the world that he is unable to dominate completely.

 

Does this mean that there are non-Christians who are somehow unable to take the Mark of the Beast?

 

It could be.

 

We recently had a tribe from the Amazon jungle come into contact with civilization for the first time. Those like them, that are still in Amazon, will not take the Mark of the Beast. But, there’s something more than that.

 

Have you noticed that you cannot be forced to take the Mark of the Beast, and that it MUST be either on your Right Hand or on your Forehead?

 

I find that to be interesting. There is something about this mark that renders it inoperable on the left hand. And, the Antichrist would rather chop your head off, than force you to take his mark.

 

So, there must be a conscious, willing compliance. You must want this mark, and take it of your own free will.

 

But, what about children?

 

They don’t really have the ability to do this of their own free will. Or, at least, there are limitations.

 

Could a baby exert enough free will to take this mark?

 

That doesn’t appear to be the case, but I cannot be dogmatic about this. But, it does allow us to foresee reasons why there would be people and/or children who survive to repopulate the Earth, once the Millennium arrives.

 

So, that should answer your question. There ARE possible reasons for why there are survivors who repopulate the Earth in the Millennium.

 

Everything Else

 

Since all of the other passages offered by pretribbers must stand upon the above evidence, those passages cannot stand as evidence.

 

There really isn’t any other way of looking at this. Unless someone can come up with yet ANOTHER foundational passage for a pre-tribulation rapture…

 

…the pre-tribulation rapture is a lie.

 

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Really Is A Lie

 

Of course, all of that is secondary.

 

Here is part one of this series:

 

http://www.omegashock.com/2014/07/28/the-pre-tribulation-rapture-lie/

 

That article proved that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a lie. In that article, I showed that the following WILL and MUST happen before the Rapture:

 

• The Antichrist must come before the Rapture
   

• The Tribulation must come before the Rapture
   

• The Lord Must descend from Heaven with a Shout before the Rapture
   

• Jesus Must Return before the Rapture
   

• The Resurrection must happen just before the Rapture (or, at the same time)

 

The scriptural evidence provided to back up those statements are completely and utterly obvious.

 

And, when you compare that evidence with the evidence coughed up by the pretribbers…

 

…well, there is really only one conclusion.

 

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a Lie, and it is so obvious, that it’s hard to understand why ANYONE believes in such nonsense.

 

Please, everyone, throw off this deception and start preparing for disaster. There is no time left for foolishness and self-deceit.

 

I truly hope that you’ll be ready for this

(That’s a link. Do more than just think about it.)

 

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If you find a flaw in my reasoning, have a question, or wish to add your own viewpoint, leave a comment on the website. Your input is truly welcome.

 

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