Why I am Historical Pre-Millennial and not Pre-Tribulation.

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Please understand me. Eschatology and the “timing” of the rapture of the church is not a teaching that causes me to divide fellowship with my fellow brothers and sisters who are genuinely born again. I have had several Christians part fellowship with me, because my view is different than theirs, in matters of “rapture timing” – but that has never been the case on my part.

So, why am I a proponent of historical premillennialism and not a pretribulation rapture believer? Without trying to sound trite, the short answer is simple – “Because the historical pre-millennial view (henceforth referred to as the HPM view) was the prevailing view (almost exclusively) of the first 300 years of Christian scholarship, and demonstrably remained so for the next 1,500 years.”

The plain truth of the matter is that the PT (pre-tribulation) doctrine is a relatively new teaching, especially in its current pervasive form. The advent of certain books (i.e., Left Behind series), movies, and internet video and blog platforms have gone a long way in making the PT teaching even more popular. But, it was not the prevalent historical view, nor is it what the Bible actually says – within its most literal context. 

First, let’s settle the matter of the historical view. The answer of the hard evidence is best addressed, believe it or not, by one of the most renowned and staunchest of the PT teachers in America today – Dr. David Reagan. I know Dr. Reagan personally. I have been on many of his television broadcasts, he wrote the Foreword to one of my bestselling books (The Rabbi Who Found Messiah), and I have subsequently spent many hours of personal time with him.

I am using Dr. Reagan’s quotes not to disparage him but, rather, to demonstrate that regardless of the number of people who continually insist that the PT doctrine was taught by “numerous” early scholars – and that the rest of us are simply ill-informed for thinking and saying otherwise – they first need to settle this issue with one of their most widely known PT teachers, who flatly disagrees with them.

Also, the PT teachers will often contend, with great vigor, that to interpret the Bible in any other way than PT is to interpret the Bible in a non-literal fashion. Some of those of the PT persuasion will even go so far as to call any other idea – other than PT – to be teaching downright heresy. Again, Dr. Reagan disagrees with those who say these things. In fact, what he doessay (in writing) about this entire issue may shock you. Prepare yourself.

The following quotes are from Dr. David Reagan’s book – “Wrath and Glory” pp. 112 and 113.

“The oldest viewpoint [about the doctrine of the rapture] is called historic premillennialism (Post Tribulation). It is termed “historic”for two reasons: to differentiate it from modern premillennialism and to indicate that it was the historic position of the early church … This view is based on a literal interpretation of what the Bible says will happen in the End Times. One of its distinctive features is that it places the Rapture of the Church at the end of the Tribulation, combining it with the Second Coming as one event.”

“This is the only systematic view of end-time events that existed during the first 300 years of the Church. … Justin Martyr, who was born in A.D. 100, went so far in his writings on the subject as to suggest that anyone with a different viewpoint was heretical.”

“Those today who disagree with this view [HPM view] respond to the near unanimity of the early ChurchFathers by saying they [the early church fathers] were simply wrong in their interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures.”

“Yet their concept of end-time events should not be dismissed out of hand as crude or primitive, for anyone who has studied the prophetic Scriptures will have to admit that the Church Father’s viewpoint presents a plain sense summary of the Bible’s teachings about the end times.” (The bold emphasis is mine. The brackets are mine. The parenthesis are in the original text)

Taking the most emphatic points that Dr. Reagan makes, we can conclude that his position is:

·         HPM is the oldest viewpoint of Christianity concerning eschatology. [It therefore began with those closest to Jesus himself, and the first generations that came from the time of Jesus. This would include Peter, James, and John – the first pastors of the first church, and writers of New Testament documents.]

·         HPM is based upon a literal interpretation of what the scriptures actually say in the matter of eschatology. [It is therefore notbased upon a “symbolic” interpretation – as is often accused by those of the PT persuasion.]  

·         HPM was the only systematic view of eschatology for at least the first 300 years of the early church. [Much longer than the United States of America has even been in existence.]

·         HPM was the nearly unanimous version of eschatology of the early church. [There were only a very few of the earliest scholars who even came close to saying something like the PT teaching of today. They were summarily dismissed by the vast majority of those early scholars. Again, these early church “fathers” were the people who were the very closest to the original teachings of Jesus, and the original disciples, on matters of eschatology.]   (All bracketed words are mine)

 

To be fair to the entire context of Dr. Reagan’s book “Wrath and Glory,” we have to admit that Dr. Reagan ultimately falls into the camp of those claiming that the early church fathers, “were simply wrong in their interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures.”  Dr. Reagan is a wholesale Pre-Tribulation Rapture proponent.

 

Dr. Reagan is certainly entitled to his position in the matter. However, I choose to stick with what those who were the closest to Jesus himself, as well as His disciples and the generations after them, believed and taught. Certainly the original Church fathers would have learned their foundational understanding from Jesus himself. How could this not be so? (See: 1 Thess. 4:15, 2 Peter 1:12-16, 2 Peter 3:2, 1 John 1:1-3)

 

So, to go forward almost 1,500 years from the time of Jesus, and introduce a relatively new (and “strange”) teaching, and then proclaim the PT doctrine is the only “real” understanding of eschatology, and that the early disciples and scholars were “simply mistaken,”  is absolutely nonsensical. 

I won’t bore you with a lengthy verse–by–verse discourse on the matter. I will present only a few very powerful contextually biblical rationales for believing in the historical premillennialist view – just like the earliest disciples did.  

Luke 17:26-28, 30

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot.It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”

This is a huge clue. And it comes from the mouth of Jesus himself. He’s extremely clear about the matter.

Jesus says we can know the “pattern” of the last days, and of His ultimate return, by referring to the biblical/historical blueprint of the days of Noah and of Lot. He said the days of His return would be “just like this.” There really is no room to parse Jesus’ words, or to adjust the very obvious biblical pattern of both Noah’s and Lot’s day.

So, what was the pattern of the days of Lot and Noah?  Both are identical. There’s no way around it.

Have a look:

1. Noah and Lot both lived in the midst of the “great tribulation” of their day. In both times, the days were so exceedingly wicked that God pushed the reset button on their cultures and utterly destroyed the civilizations involved. In Noah’s day, it was the global flood. In Lot’s day it was the megalopolis of Sodom and Gomorrah being buried alive by fire and brimstone raining down upon them. Neither Noah nor Lot (and their families) were “taken out” of the tribulation. Instead, they were left to live in the midst of it as witnesses. And God not only used their witness of the coming judgment of the Lord, but he also protected them all in the midst of the days of “great tribulation.”   

2. Both Noah and Lot, however, were “taken out” just before the wrath of God came upon their worlds. Noah was “lifted up” in the ark.  Lot was “taken out” by two angels who were sent to collect God’s people, before His wrath fell upon the city.

3. After Noah and Lot were “raptured,” the wrath of God fell upon those “left behind.” The objects of God’s wrath were the unbelievers and the tormentors of God’s witnesses during the days of “great tribulation.”  Those during the days of tribulation had no excuse. God’s faithful witnesses lived among them, right up until God brought His wrath.

There are those who will argue: “But Noah and his family were taken inside the ark for seven days before the flood came (Genesis 7:1-10). This represents the “rapture” – out of the great tribulation.” 

There are some major contextual problems with this position. 

First, there is no such corresponding position with regard to Lot and his family. And Jesus said that His coming would be just like both the days of Noah and Lot – not just like Noah, but only similar to Lot.

Second, when we read the text of Genesis 7 closely, we discover that they were in the ark for a very specific purpose: to collect and care for the animals that God was now bringing to them! There was work to be done! However, they were still living in the midst of the terrible tribulation of their day. God was protecting them, as He had always done, but they were not yet “taken out.” That would happen on the day the flood waters “raised” them up – safely in the ark. Also, we are told in Genesis 7:7 that: “And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.” 

Exactly. They were in the ark completing the work of preparing the animals, and to eventually escape the wrath of God, through the flood. Surely, during those days, they might have even come in and out of the ark – as they were making final preparations and adjustments and caring for the animals. They were not in the ark to escape the tribulation of the world they lived in, which still surrounded them daily, and which was always just outside the doors to the ark. Noah and his family were not “hiding” in the ark – they were working – preparing to be “raptured out” just before the flood (wrath.)

So, once again, the pattern of Noah and Lot is as follows:

1.      The world and culture grew increasingly evil.

2.      Finally, the evil reached an apex. God’s judgment was about to fall.

3.      Both Noah and Lot were not “taken out” during those days of evil (tribulation). They lived in the midst of those days, but protected – - as the Lord’s witnesses to the world of His coming judgment.

4.      But, before God’s judgment fell upon the world of Noah and Lot, God “raptured them.” He “delivered them.” He “took them out.”

5.      Then,the wrath of God fell … Noah’s flood – and the utter inhalation of Sodom and Gomorrah. But, God’s people were gone.

And don’t forget. Jesus said that the last days would be “just like this.”  This is a huge reason why I am not a PT follower. Because, Jesus wasn’t. Neither was the early church – for over 300 years. Neither have the majority of serious scholars been PT – for the last 1,500 years. And so, neither am I.

By the way, the children of Israel being brought out of Egypt, and eventually into the Promised Land, follows the exact same pattern of Noah and Lot.  They were in slavery. Their world, and the persecution against them, grew increasingly horrid. They lived in the midst of their day of “great tribulation.”

God only “took them out” just before His wrath fell – the death of all firstborn in Egypt. How did God’s people escape? They had to get under the blood of the lamb. On the night of God’s wrath, the children of Israel were “taken out.” Then, they were actually “taken out” again at the parting of the Red Sea – just before Pharaoh’s armies descended upon them. God’s people escaped with their lives – the Egyptians fell under God’s hand of judgment and died. The patterns are there, if we care to see them. That’s why Jesus told us “just how it would be” before His ultimate return.

So, what do I believe? I believe exactly what the early church believed. Apparently, they believed exactly what Jesus and the disciples taught them. We (the church of our day) will live under increasing persecution and times of sorrow and tribulation. Tribulation is what the world brings, not God. Do not confuse “tribulation” with “God’s wrath.” They are two very different things.

We have been left here as witnesses and ambassadors of the soon coming Kingdom. We are also to be “prophets” and “preachers” of the soon coming wrath of God that will fall upon the unbelieving. But, just before His wrath falls, we will be “taken out” and we will return with Jesus Christ to rule and reign with Him – forever.

For these reasons, and dozens more contextual biblical reasons like them – I am a historic premillennialist – and not pre-trib. I am willing to be proven incorrect. But, it must be done contextually – and thoroughly. And the “proving” must take into account what Jesus said concerning the days of Noah and Lot – contextually.

I follow the words of Jesus, and the contextually connected Word of God (from Genesis to Revelation) and not the clever inventions of humans who distort the Word of God to fit their own agendas.

In the meantime, it would be nice if I were wrong. It would be wonderful that if during the days of tribulation, the antichrist, and the evil days of the very last time period just before God pours out his wrath, the church could “escape” from having to live in those evil days. The problem is, most of today’s “church” is living in them now. Think Arab Spring. Think of the extinction of Christian communities throughout the Middle East. Think China. Think North Korea. And so on. Think of what’s happening in the United States right now. Just because your favorite football team is playing and the corner coffee shop is open, doesn’t mean all is right with the world. There has never been as much persecution and tribulation of the Church – in the history of the Church – as there is right this very moment.

So, where’s the rapture that supposed to “take us out” of those tribulation days?  It’s coming!  Just not now. It will happen (like Egypt, Noah, and Lot). But, it will happen just before God pours out his wrath – on that Great and Terrible Day of The Lord.  The early disciples and church fathers knew all this. Because Jesus told them about it.

That’s where I stand.

I will not “argue” or “fight” with anyone, concerning where I stand in this matter. I have laid out a very small sample of my overall case. My words here (and Jesus’ words), speak for themselves.

Now, let us faithfully advance the Kingdom of Jesus together. Let us be faithful where we are – we have been raised up for such a time as this. Never doubt, God will provide for His faithful ones – even in the midst of great tribulation.

May the Lord bless you and keep you – always.