And Well, that just leaves one more, and people sort of grudgingly say well, okay, it's the rapture, but it's not the pre-trib rapture, it's just the rapture. Now when you get into this subject of the tribulation and the rapture what you discover is there's many views on this subject. In fact, sometimes you feel like you're in the tribulation itself trying to navigate your way through all these views.
But the view that we represent is the pre-tribulation rapture where the church is going to be removed before the tribulation period even begins. Then you have mid-tribulationalists who believe that the rapture will occur in the middle of the tribulation. Then you have post-tribulationalists who say the rapture will occur at the end of the tribulation period. And if that wasn't complicated enough somebody comes along with something called the pre-wrath rapture; I call it three-quarters rapture because the church is supposed to be here for three quarters (roughly) of the tribulation period before the wrath of God starts.
So people say okay, it's the rapture but it's not pretribulational, it's post or pre-wrath or mid or whatever. What did Jesus say? "Do not let your heart be troubled." The rapture teaching is designed to bring comfort to the believer. Can I ask you a question? Which of these views comforts you? I mean, if you're telling me that I've got to endure 42 months of hell on earth or three quarters of hell on earth, then assuming my head is not cut off by the antichrist, then I have the hope of being raptured I may be a little old fashioned but I find no comfort in that whatsoever. What comforts me is the first view, that I will escape the tribulation period and the wrath of God. I mean, why would you say "comfort you with these words" if we are going to be plunged into the wrath of God. It just doesn't fit, it doesn't make any sense.
And remember what also Jesus said in John 14:3, He says, "...I will come again and receive you to Myself...." Remember what we said that meant? That meant imminence, any moment this event called the rapture could take place. All of those verses I have on the screen in the epistles, as you research them you'll see that the rapture is always held out as the very next event on the prophetic horizon. I am not looking for the antichrist. I am looking for Jesus Christ!
Now question, which of these views teaches imminence? Which of these views teaches that Jesus Christ can come back today. Mr. Mid-tribulationalist, can Jesus come back today? No, because forty-two months of the tribulation period must transpire before the hope of the rapture can occur. Mr. Post-tribulationalist, can Jesus come back today? No, seven years of tribulation must manifest itself before Jesus can return to rapture the church. Mr. three-quarters rapturist, pre-wrath rapturist, can Jesus Christ come back today? No, three-quarters of the tribulation period must take place before Jesus Christ can come back. Mr. pre-tribulationalist, can Jesus Christ come back today? Yes.
You know, John Walvoord, the great prophecy scholar at Dallas Seminary had a plaque in his office on his wall, and this is what it said: Perhaps today. Do you know that we are the only view that says "Perhaps today." The mid-tribulationalist says at best perhaps in forty-two months. The post-tribulationalist says perhaps in seven years. We say perhaps today, and that fits, does it not, so well Christ's teaching on imminency, as Paul develops it in the Upper Room Discourse.
Now the second to last view has big problems, that's post-tribulationalism. Post-tribulationalism says the church is caught up at the end of the tribulation, only to be brought back down. If that's true, then what is the purpose of the heavenly dwellings that He's building. If we're to be caught up only to be brought back down and we have no seven year destiny to fulfill with Christ in heaven, than why is He busy preparing these temporary heavenly dwellings? It doesn't make any sense.
Hal Lindsey, in a very good book he wrote, called The Rapture, puts it this way: Since he says, "He is going to come in order that we may be with Him where He is, we would have to be with Him here on the earth, according to post-tribulationalism." Do you see the problem? The dwelling place in the Father's house would be unused. This makes Jesus' whole promise ridiculous. Why would He speak of preparing a place for us in the Father's house if He didn't mean that His return would take us there?
Every view you go through that people throw out, believer's death, believer's salvation, Christ's resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit, non pre-tribulational rapture, every view they create or come up with has more problems than simply believing Christ's straight forward statement. John 14:1, "Do not let your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe also in Me. [2] In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. [3] If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. [4] And you know the way where I am going."
I hope you leave with absolute conviction that the rapture is on the horizon. I can't promise it will happen in our lifetime; I pray it will. But it is a glorious event that the Lord brings to our attention. We've looked at the preliminary reason why a rapture understanding of these verses is true. We've done an exegesis in John 14:1-4, and we've answered the non-rapture arguments.
You know, the biggest question is are you ready for Him. If it were to occur today, tonight, would you go. And of course, as was expressed so eloquently in the prior session, it's the single condition of faith alone in Christ alone, which not only saves but it ushers us into the glorious promises of God where we learn that there's a better world coming and there's hope beyond this life. And as bad as this world can get and is getting we live with any moment expectation that Jesus could come back at any moment for His church.
Shall we pray: Father, we are so grateful for what You revealed in the Upper Room to these disciples of yours 2,000 years ago. We are grateful for the work of the Spirit whereby this great doctrinal truth was brought to greater fruition and understanding through the epistles. Make us great students of this truth, Father; make it part of our being and part of our hopeful expectation.
