Biblical Evidences for a Pretribulational

Rapture
by
Mike Vlach
President of Theological Studies.org
www.theologicalstudies.org
Introductory matters concerning the Rapture
Interest in the Rapture A 1994 survey by U.S. News and World Report found that 61 percent of Americans believe
that Jesus Christ will return to earth, and 44 percent believe in the rapture of the church. (Jeffery . !heler, "#he
Christmas Covenant," U.S. News and World Report, $ecember 19, 1994, pp. 6%, 64&
Where do we get the term "Rapture"? #he term "rapture" is not found in the 'ible, so where does the word come
from( #he term "rapture" comes from the atin translation of the )ree* word translated "cau+ht up" in 1
#hessalonians 4,1-. Charles .yrie e/plains, "#he )ree* word from which we ta*e the term 0rapture0 appears in 1
#hessalonians 4,1-, translated 0cau+ht up.0 #he atin translation of this verse used the word rapturo. #he )ree* word
it translates is harpazo, which means to snatch or ta*e away. 1lsewhere it is used to describe how the !pirit cau+ht
up 2hilip near )a3a and brou+ht him to Caesarea (Acts 4,59& and to describe 2aul0s e/perience of bein+ cau+ht up
into the third heaven (% Cor. 1%,%64&. #hus there can be no doubt that the word is used in 1 #hessalonians 4,1- to
indicate the actual removal of people from earth to heaven." (Charles .yrie, Basic Theology, p. 46%&
assages re!erring to the Rapture #here are three primary te/ts which refer to the .apture, 1 #hessalonians 4,15614,
1 Corinthians 17,7167- and John 14,165.
"omponents o! the Rapture
#he return of Christ "8or the ord 9imself will descend from heaven with a shout. . ." (1 #hess. 4,16&. ":f : +o and
prepare a place for you, : will come a+ain, and receive you to myself" (John 14,5&
A resurrection of dead church saints "#he dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 #hess. 4,16&. "#he dead will be raised
imperishable" (1 Cor. 17,7%&.
A translation of livin+ believers "#hen we who are alive and remain shall be cau+ht up" (1 #hess. 4,1-&.
A +lorious reunion ";e. . . shall be cau+ht up to+ether with them in the clouds to meet the ord in the air, and thus
we shall always be with the ord" (1 #hess. 4,1-&. ": will come. . . that where : am, there you may be also" (John
14,5&.
A +ivin+ of +lorified bodies ";e shall be chan+ed. 8or this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal
must put on immortality" (1 Cor. 17,7%675&. ";e ea+erly wait for a !avior, the ord Jesus Christ< who will
transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of 9is +lory" (2hilippians 5,%=6%1&.
!peed of .apture ":n a moment, in the twin*lin+ of an eye" (1 Cor. 17,7%&.
The timing of the Rapture in relation to the Tribulation period
The de#ate ":n the nineteenth century, teachin+ concernin+ the .apture of the church be+an to be widely
disseminated. #his raised such >uestions as whether the second comin+ of Christ involves several sta+es, the relation
of those sta+es to the #ribulation period, and the distinctiveness of the church from :srael in )od0s pro+ram. :n the
twentieth century one of the most debated >uestions in eschatolo+y concerns the time of the .apture." (.yrie, p.
4-4&
The $arious $iews Amillennialists and 2ostmillennialists re+ard the comin+ of Christ as a sin+le event to be followed
by a +eneral resurrection and ?ud+ment. ;ithin 2remillennialism, thou+h, five main views have been promoted
concernin+ the timin+ of the .apture,
2retribulationism 2retribulationsim teaches that the .apture of the church will occur before the seven6year
#ribulation period be+ins. !upporters of this view include John ;alvoord, Charles .yrie, $wi+ht 2entecost, Alva J.
@cClain, John 8einber+, and 2aul 8einber+.
@idtribulationism @idtribulationsim teaches that the .apture of the church will occur at the midpoint of the seven
years of #ribulation< that is, after three and one half years have elapsed. !upporters of this view include Aliver
'uswell and )leason Archer.
2re6wrath .apture #he 2re6wrath rapture view teaches that all Christians will be ta*en in the .apture appro/imately
three6fourths of the way throu+h the #ribulation period. !upporters of this view include @arvin .osenthal and
.obert Ban Campen.
2osttribulationism 2osttribulationism teaches that the .apture and !econd Comin+ are facets of a sin+le event which
will occur at the end of the #ribulation period. #hus, the church will be on earth durin+ the seven years #ribulation
period. !upporters of this view include )eor+e add, .obert )undry and $ou+las @oo.
2artial .apture #he 2artial rapture view teaches that only the "spiritual" Christians who are watchin+ and waitin+ for
the ord0s return will be ta*en in the .apture. #hen durin+ the seven years of #ribulation other Church A+e saints
who were not prepared for the initial .apture will be raptured at various intervals. #his view ori+inated with .obert
)ovett in 1457 and was also tau+ht by J. A. !eiss and ).9. an+.
Why is this issue o! the timing o! the Rapture important?
;hole counsel of )od #he study of the .apture is important because we want to *now the whole counsel of )od.
#he Christian0s e/pectation #he .apture issue is important because it deals with the nature of the Christian0s hope
and e/pectation. Are Christians to e/pect Christ0s return at any moment( Ar, are we e/pectin+ to +o throu+h a time
of worldwide tribulation(
A Biblical defense of Pretribulationism Af these five views why is 2retribulationism to be preferred( #he followin+
are biblical evidences for a 2retribulational .apture,
The pillars o! retri#ulationism #he foundation of 2retribulationism has four elements,
Consistent literal interpretation #he literal method of interpretation attempts to e/plain the ori+inal sense of the
writer accordin+ to the normal usa+es of words and lan+ua+e. #he literal method interprets all of the 'ible in a
normal and plain way, all the time understandin+ that the 'ible, at times, uses symbols, fi+ures of speech and types.
$istinction between :srael and the Church #he more one reco+ni3es the biblical distinction between :srael and the
church, the clearer one will be able to see )od0s distinct plan for each +roup. Accordin+ to #homas :ce, ":f :srael and
the church are not distin+uished, then there is no basis for seein+ a future for :srael or for the church as a new and
uni>ue people of )od. :f :srael and the church are mer+ed into a sin+le pro+ram, then the Ald #estament promises
for :srael will never be fulfilled and are usually seen by replacement theolo+ians as spiritually fulfilled by the
church. #he mer+in+ of :srael0s destiny into the church not only ma*es into one what the !criptures understand as
two, but it also removes a need for future restoration of )od0s ori+inal elect people in order to fulfill literally 9is
promise that they will one day be the head and not the tail ($euteronomy %4,15&.
#he more that believers see a distinct plan for :srael and a distinct plan for the church, the more they reali3e that
when the Dew #estament spea*s to the church it is describin+ a separate destiny and hope for her. #he church
becomes more distinct in the plan of )od. :srael0s future includes the seven6year tribulation, and then shortly before
Christ0s return to Jerusalem she will be converted to Jesus as her @essiah. . . . An the other hand, the distinct hope
for the church is Christ0s any6moment return.
#hus, a distinction between :srael and the church, as tau+ht in the 'ible, provides a basis of support for the
pretribulational rapture. #hose who mer+e the two pro+rams cannot lo+ically support the biblical ar+uments for
pretribulationism." (#homas :ce and #imothy $emy, The Truth %#out The Rapture, pp. %76%6&
8uturism 2retribulationism ta*es a futuristic interpretation of $aniel 9,%46%- and the boo* of .evelation. $aniel
9,%46%- +ives the seven6year chronolo+ical framewor* of the #ribulation while .evelation 6614 details the
?ud+ments that ma*e up this period. 8uturism sees prophecy as bein+ fulfilled in the future, namely with the
#ribulation period, the !econd Comin+ of Christ to earth, and the @illennial Cin+dom. 8uturism is opposed to
preterism, which sees prophecy as already bein+ fulfilled in the past, predominately in A.$. -=. 8uturism is also
opposed to historicism which sees prophecy bein+ fulfilled in the current Church A+e.
2remillennialism At the end of the seven year #ribulation period, Jesus Christ will return to earth in power and +lory
to set up an earthly Cin+dom from Jerusalem that will last for a literal one thousand years (see .ev. %=,166&.
roper methodology !or addressing the rapture issue ;hat is the proper method for addressin+ this issue of the
timin+ of the .apture(
1/amine the .apture and !econd Comin+ passa+es )o first to the portions of !cripture that spea* directly about the
.apture and the return of the ord to earth. !tudy John 14,165< 1 Corinthians 17,71674< and 1 #hessalonians 4,15614
for the .apture. 1/amine Eechariah 14,16%1< @atthew %4,%9651< @ar* 15,%46%-< u*e %1,%76%-< and .evelation 19
for the !econd Comin+ to earth.
1/amine implications of conclusions 2roper methodolo+y does not stop with an e/amination of the primary te/ts
addressin+ an issue. As John 8einber+ says, ";hile one should be+in with passa+es that spea* directly about the
doctrine under consideration, one must also pay attention to the implications of the doctrine. #his is especially
important if, as in the case of the rapture, the passa+es about the rapture and return of the ord do not determine the
>uestion of the rapture0s timin+ in relation to the time of the #ribulation. . . . :mplications and relations of doctrines
to one another are crucial. :f one0s position on a +iven theolo+ical issue is correct, it will fit with other *nown
theolo+ical and biblical truths rather than contradict them. (John !. 8einber+, "Ar+uin+ for the .apture, ;ho @ust
2rove ;hat and 9ow" in, When the Trumpet Sounds, #homas :ce and #imothy eds. p. 191&
2uttin+ it all to+ether "#he *ey point to remember is that proper theolo+ical methodolo+y dare not allow us to i+nore
either the rapture and parousia passa+es or the doctrines that have implications for one0s views on the rapture and
second advent. Althou+h study should be+in with passa+es that spea* directly to the topic at hand, both are e>ually
important. :t is surely no victory to uphold one0s views on the timin+ of the rapture at the e/pense of denyin+ what
)od0s ;ord says, for e/ample, about the relation of the church to )od0s ?ud+mental wrath." (John 8einber+, p. 19%&
Bi#lical e$idence !or retri#ulationism #he 'ible does not e/plicitly tells us the timin+ of the .apture. #hus, no one
verse tells us that the .apture will be pretribulational (or midtribulational or posttribulational for that matter&. $oes
this mean that the doctrine of pretribulationism is unbiblical( Dot necessarily. @any important biblical doctrines are
not +iven to us directly in one verse. !ome doctrines are based on a harmoni3ation of multiple passa+es. 8or
e/ample, no one verse e/plains the doctrine of the #rinity or that Jesus Christ is the )od6man. Fet a harmoni3ation
of passa+es shows these doctrines to be biblical. i*ewise a harmoni3ation of biblical te/ts shows the
pretribulational rapture view to be biblical. #he followin+ are the biblical evidences,
)od has promised the Church deliverance from divine wrath (1 #hess. 1,1=< 7,9< .ev. 5,1=& )od made a special
promise to the church that it will be delivered from the future, tribulational wrath of )od. :t is best to ta*e this
deliverance as a physical removal (.apture&from this time of divine wrath.
& Thess. &'()&* #he #hessalonians were wait+ing, !or -is Son !rom hea$en. . . that is .esus/ who deli$ers us !rom
the wrath to come. ;hy does this wrath refer to the #ribulation( 8irst, the conte/t of 1 and % #hessalonians deals
with the $ay of the ord and the ?ud+ment of )od that precedes the comin+ of Christ. !econd, the te/t states that it
is a future wrath ("wrath to come"&. #hird, it is a wrath one can be rescued from by the return of Christ. #hus, #he
wrath referred to then is the wrath of the #ribulation period and not )od0s eternal wrath in +eneral.
& Thess. 0'( 1or 2od has not destined us !or wrath/ #ut !or o#taining sal$ation through our 3ord .esus "hrist. ;hy
does this wrath refer to the #ribulation( #he immediate conte/t is the wrath of the $ay of the ord (7,164&. 2lus, this
must be the same wrath as 1 #hess. 1,1=.
The whole se$en year Tri#ulation period is a time o! 2od4s di$ine wrath so the protection promised must #e !or the
whole se$en years. !ome have tried to say that divine wrath does not characteri3e the whole seven year #ribulation
period. #hey say that the early ?ud+ments (the seals& of the tribulation are the wrath of man and !atan. #he followin+
points, however, show that the whole #ribulation period is a time of divine wrath.
Jesus is the Ane who directly opens all the #ribulation ?ud+ments includin+ the seal ?ud+ments which be+in the
#ribulation period. :n .evelation 4 and 7 Jesus is the Ane found worthy to open the seals which 9e be+ins to open
in 6,1. #he openin+ of the seals by Christ indicates that the seal ?ud+ments are divine wrath.
#he seal ?ud+ments which open the #ribulation are consistent with divine wrath "#he ?ud+ments of these four seals
include the sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts, fre>uently used in !cripture as the e/pressions of divine
wrath. :ndeed, they are all included and named when )od calls 9is 0four severe ?ud+ments upon Jerusalem, sword,
famine, wild beasts and pla+ue0 (13e*. 14,%1&." ()erald '. !tanton, "A .eview of the 2re6;rath .apture of the
Church, Bi#liotecha Sacra, vol. 144 G749, January 1991& 2lus, pla+ues such as pestilence and wild beasts can hardly
be caused by man.
As early as the si/th seal, unbelievers declare that )od0s wrath "has come" (.ev. 6,1661-&. Hnbelievers reco+ni3e
that all si/ seals that have happened so far are the direct wrath of )od. .obert . #homas says "#he verb elthen (0has
come0& is aorist indicative, referrin+ to a previous arrival of the wrath, not somethin+ that is about to ta*e place. @en
see the arrival of this day at least as early as the cosmic upheavals that characteri3e the si/th seal (6,1%614&, but upon
reflection they probably reco+ni3e it was already in effect with the death of one6fourth of the population (6,-64&, the
worldwide famine (6,766&, and the +lobal warfare (6,564&. #he rapid se>uence of all these events could not escape
public notice, but the li+ht of their true e/planation does not dawn upon human consciousness until the severe
phenomena of the si/th seal arrive." (.obert . #homas, Re$elation &)5, pp. 47-674&
Re$elation 6'&* Because you ha$e 7ept the word o! 8y perse$erance/ I also will 7eep you !rom the hour o! testing/
that hour which is a#out to come upon the whole world/ to test those who dwell upon the earth. 9ere is a promise to
the Church of preservation outside of the time of #ribulation. #hus, believers are not only promised deliverance
from divine wrath but from the time period ("hour"& of divine wrath. #his rules out the possibility of the Church
bein+ on earth durin+ the #ribulation. As .yrie says, ":t is impossible to conceive of bein+ in the location where
somethin+ is happenin+ and bein+ e/empt from the time of the happenin+."
$ifferences between .apture passa+es and !econd Comin+ passa+es indicate that the two are different events
happenin+ at different times. #he central passa+es dealin+ with the Rapture are John 14,165< 1 Corinthians 17,71674
and 1 #hessalonians 4,15614. #he central passa+es dealin+ with the Second "oming to earth are Eechariah 14,16 %1<
@atthew %4,%9651< @ar* 15,%46%-< u*e %1,%76%- and .evelation 19. A careful e/amination of these te/ts will
show that there is enou+h reason to conclude that the .apture and the !econd Comin+ to earth are not the same
event,
The Second "oming is preceded #y signs #ut the Rapture is presented as imminent with no signs preceding it. ":n
passa+es that deal with the !econd Advent there are si+ns or events that lead up to and si+nal the return of Jesus
Christ (e.+., @att. %4,46%4< .ev. 19,116%1&. :n each of these passa+es of !cripture there is the careful and e/tensive
itemi3in+ of details that should alert believers in that day that the !econd Advent is about to occur. . . . An the other
hand, there is no mention of any si+ns or events that precede the .apture of the church in any of the .apture
passa+es. #he point seems to be that the believer prior to this event is to loo*, not for some si+n, but the ord from
heaven. :f the .apture was a part of the comple/ of events that ma*e up the !econd Advent, and not distinct from it,
then we would e/pect that there would be a mention of si+ns or events in at least one passa+e." (!ee 2aul $.
8einber+, "#he Case 8or #he 2retribulation .apture 2osition," in )leason Archer, 2aul 8einber+, $ou+las @oo, The
Rapture' re)/ 8id)/ or ost Tri#ulational? p. 4=&
The Rapture is presented as a coming in #lessing while the Second "oming is a coming !or 9udgment. ":n the clear
.apture passa+es, the ord0s comin+ is presented as a comin+ in blessin+ for the saints. Dothin+ is said about 9is
comin+ for ?ud+ment. An the other hand, passa+es about the second advent spea* of the ord0s comin+ in ?ud+ment
upon 9is enemies (.ev. 19,11ff< Joel 5,1%616< Eech. 14,567&." (John 8einber+, p. 194&. ":n each of the .apture
passa+es there is no mention of trial before the event. .ather, there is the bare promise of Christ0s return for 9is
own." (2aul 8einber+, p. 41&
Second "oming passages are in the conte:t o! the setting up o! the ;ingdom while the Rapture passages ma7e no
mention o! the ;ingdom. "!econd advent passa+es are invariably followed by tal* of settin+ up the *in+dom after
the ord0s return (e.+., @att. %4,51< %7,51ff< Eech. 14< Joel 5< .ev. 196%=&. !o, the second advent is preparatory to
the establishment of the millennial *in+dom. An the other hand, clear rapture passa+es +ive no hint that after the
rapture the ord establishes the *in+dom." (John 8einber+, p. 194&
2lori!ied #odies at the Rapture ":t is very clear from 1 #hessalonians 4,15614 and 1 Corinthians 17,71ff that at the
rapture those +athered to the ord will be +lorified. An the other hand, second advent passa+es say nothin+ about
anyone (livin+ or dead& receivin+ a +lorified body." (John 8einber+, p. 194& "Dowhere in the te/ts that deal with the
!econd Advent is there the teachin+ about the translation of livin+ saints." (2aul 8einber+, p. 4%&
No mention o! meeting in the air in Second "oming passages Dowhere in the !econd Comin+ passa+es is a meetin+
in the air mentioned.
<i!!erences in timing o! resurrections "#here seems to be an inconsistency between the time of the resurrection at the
.apture and at the !econd Comin+. :n the central .apture passa+e dealin+ with this issue, 1 #hessalonians 4,15614,
the time of the resurrection of dead saints in clearly stated to be during the descent of Christ of to the earth. #hose
raptured, livin+ and dead saints, will be cau+ht up to meet the ord in the air. Contrast that information with what is
found in .evelation 196%=. #here, the order seems to be, the descent of Christ, the slayin+ of 9is enemies, the
castin+ of the 'east and the 8alse 2rophet into the la*e of fire, the bindin+ of !atan, and then the resurrection of the
saints. :t seems as thou+h the resurrection of the dead will be during the descent at the .apture, but a!ter the descent
at the !econd Comin+." (2aul 8einber+, p. 44&
<i!!erences in destiny at time o! comings "#here seems to be an inconsistency between the destination of those who
are raptured in the .apture and the destination of those who participate in the !econd Comin+. :n the posttribulation
understandin+ of the events that surround the !econd Comin+, the church will be cau+ht up to meet the ord in the
air and will immediately accompany 9im on 9is continued descent to the earth. Compare that with John 14,5. :n the
.apture the ord is +oin+ to come and ta*e those raptured to be with 9im. #he clear implication is that the raptured
saints will be ta*en to heaven, not earth. :f this is so, then the destination of those cau+ht up in the .apture will be
heaven. Accordin+ to the !econd Comin+ passa+es, however, the saints involved are headed for the earth." (2aul
8einber+, p. 44&
The role o! the angels in the comings At the !econd Comin+, the an+els are the ones who will +ather the elect (@att.
%4,51&. At the .apture Jesus is the direct a+ent of the +atherin+ (1 #hess. 4,16&.
#he "mystery" nature of the .apture "2aul spea*s of the .apture as a 0mystery0 (1 Cor. 17,71674&, that is, a truth not
revealed until it was disclosed by the apostles (Col. 1,%6&. #hus the .apture is said to be a newly revealed mystery,
ma*in+ it a separate event. #he !econd Comin+ on the other hand, was predicted in the Ald #estament ($an. 1%,165<
Eech. 1%,1=< 14,4&. (#homas :ce in "#he 'iblical 'asis for the 2retribulational .apture," in Basic Theology %pplied,
p. %69&
Do mention of the Church in .evelation 4614 .evelation 4614 +ives the most detailed account of the seven year
#ribulation period. :f the Church were to be in the #ribulation period, surely one would e/pect at least one reference
to the Church in this time period. #he Church, however, which is referred to nineteen times in the first three chapters
of .evelation, is suddenly silent and never referred to in chapters 4614. ":t is remar*able and totally une/pected that
John would shift from detailed instructions for the Church to absolute silence about the Church for the subse>uent
17 chapters if, in fact, the Church continued into the tribulation." (.ichard . @ayhue, Snatched Be!ore the Storm, p.
4&
2retribulationism best e/plains the presence of non+lorified saints who will enter the @illennial Cin+dom. #he
'ible indicates that livin+ unbelievers will be removed from the earth and ?ud+ed at the end of the #ribulation. Fet
the 'ible also teaches that children will be born durin+ the @illennium and that people will be capable of sin (:sa.
67,%= and .ev. %=,-61=&. 9ow can this be( #he pretribulational view allows for people to be saved after the .apture
and durin+ the #ribulation who will then enter the @illennial Cin+dom in non+lorified bodies. As John 8einber+
says, "Accordin+ to pretribulationism, after the rapture the #ribulation be+ins. #he +ospel is preached throu+hout the
#ribulation and there are some who believe. #hou+h many who believe are *illed (e.+., .evelation 15,-, 17&, not all
believers are *illed durin+ the #ribulation. #hose who live throu+h the #ribulation +o into the *in+dom in natural
bodies. :n addition, some people accept the ord when he returns at the end of the #ribulation (e.+., Eech. 1%,1=&.
@any of these people do not die at that point, and there is no evidence that they are +iven a +lorified body when they
receive Christ. #hese people are also available to +o into the *in+dom in natural bodies. 8or a pretrib position, there
are seven years to +et people saved prior to the *in+dom, and some of those can +o into the *in+dom in natural
bodies. . . . #he position that is really in trouble with respect to this issue is the posttribulation rapture view. I!
e$eryone who goes at the rapture is glori!ied/ and i! the rapture occurs at the end o! the Tri#ulation/ who is le!t to
enter the 7ingdom in natural #odies? %ll #elie$ers will ha$e #een raptured and glori!ied #y that time." (:talics mine&
(John 8einber+, p. %=1&
#he nature and purpose of the #ribulation e/cludes the Church from bein+ part of it.
Nature o! Tri#ulation centers on Israel Accordin+ to $aniel 9,%46%-, the "seventy wee*s" prophecy includin+ the
final "one wee*" (seven years& is for :srael ("your people"&. Jeremiah 5=,- refers to the #ribulation period as a time
of "Jacob0s distress." ";hile the church will e/perience tribulation in +eneral durin+ the present a+e (John 16,55&,
she is never mentioned as participatin+ in :srael0s time of trouble, which includes the +reat tribulation, the day of the
ord, and the wrath of )od." (:ce and $emy, The Truth %#out The Rapture, p. 56&
urpose =&' reparation o! Israel "#he 'ible teaches that the #ribulation is a time of preparation for :srael0s
restoration and conversion ($euteronomy 4,%9, 5=< Jeremiah 5=,5611< Eechariah 1%,1=&." (:ce and $emy, p. 56&
urpose =>' .udgment !or an un#elie$ing world .evelation 5,1= refers to the #ribulation period as "the hour of
testin+, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth." #he second
ma?or purpose of the #ribulation, then, is to test the unbelievin+ world. "#hose who dwell upon the earth" refers to
those who are unbelievers on earth durin+ the period described in .evelation 4619. (#homas 1d+ar, "An 1/e+esis of
.apture 2assa+es," in Issues in <ispensationalism, p. %16&
The nature o! the "hurch :f the nature of the #ribulation is Jewish and the purpose of the #ribulation is to brin+
:srael to belief and to ?ud+e the unbelievin+ world, what purpose does the church have in relation to this period( As
shown already, the church is promised deliverance from this time of wrath (1 #hess. 1,1=< 7,9< .ev. 5,1=&.
#he e/pectation of the Church is the imminent comin+ of Christ not the #ribulation period. "2assa+es such as 1
Corinthians 1,-< #itus %,15 and 2hilippians 5,%= are applicable at this point. #he believer is pictured as ea+erly
waitin+ and earnestly e/pectin+ the !avior. ;atchin+ for si+ns is entirely forei+n to these passa+es. :t never occurs.
Dot even once. 8urthermore, not only is the believer to loo* for the any6moment return of the ord, but he is to
direct his life in the li+ht of it (cf. .om. 15,11614< James 7,-64< 1 John 5,165&. :f, on the other hand, there are specific
prophesied si+ns, in reality we would not be loo*in+ for the !avior at any moment but instead should be watchin+
for the revelation of the man of sin, the )reat #ribulation, etc. #here would be at least a seven6year preparation
period." (1arl $. .admacher, "#he :mminent .eturn of the ord," in Issues in <ispensationalism, pp. %64667&. ":t is
incon+ruous then that the !criptures would be silent on such a traumatic chan+e for the Church. :f posttribulationism
were true, one would e/pect the epistles to teach the fact of the Church in the tribulation, the purpose of the Church
in the tribulation, and the conduct of the Church in the tribulation." (@ayhue, p. 9&
#he #hessalonian0s e/pectation #hat 2aul had tau+ht a 2retribulational .apture can be inferred from % #hessalonians
%,%65. :n this passa+e, 2aul notes that the #hessalonians had been "sha*en" and "disturbed" because they had been
led to thin* that they were presently in the $ay of the ord (i.e. the #ribulation period&. #he fact that they were
disturbed is si+nificant. :f 2aul had tau+ht a posttribulational rapture, the #hessalonians would have had no reason to
be disturbed since they would be e/pectin+ si+ns and persecution before the comin+ of the ord. #hus, they could
?oyously loo* to the soon comin+ of the ord after the #ribulation. 9owever, the fact that the #hessalonians were
shoo* up indicates that they did not e/pect to be in the $ay of the ord. A fair inference is that, in line with 2aul0s
previous teachin+, the #hessalonians e/pected to be raptured prior to the $ay of the ord.
Concluding thoughts #he purpose of this wor* has been to present a positive, biblical case for the pretribulational
rapture position. #he ?ud+mental and Jewish nature of the #ribulation seems to e/clude the Church who is promised
deliverance from this time of wrath. #he differences between .apture and !econd Comin+ passa+es, thou+h not
convincin+ to all, seem wei+hty enou+h to ma*e it very possible that the two are different events happenin+ at
different times. :f this be the case, this view harmoni3es well with the fact that the Church is nowhere to be found in
the very detailed #ribulation section of .evelation 4619. #his view also harmoni3es well with the fact that there must
be a time period allowed for people to be saved and then enter the @illennial Cin+dom in non+lorified bodies.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "Sermons and Articles ollection" by!
#ony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
'o/ 119
Columbus, Dew Jersey, H!A, =4=%%
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