Post Tribulation View is Scripturally Correct

Definitions

(From)

The American Heritage Dictionary - Third Edition

*Progressive adj. (revelation) 1.Moving forward; advancing. 2. Proceeding in steps; continuing steadily by increments.

*Imminent adj. About to occur; impending.

Rapture n. 1.the state of being transported by a lofty emotion; ecstasy. 2. An expression of ecstatic feeling. Often used in the plural. 3. The transporting of a person from one place to another, esp. to heaven

G1996 ἐπισυνάγω episunagō

ep-ee-soon-ag'-o

From G1909 and G4863; to collect upon the same place: - gather (together).

Wrath n. 1. Forceful, often vindictive anger

2.a. Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger. b. Divine retribution for sin.

H639 אף 'aph af

From H599; properly the nose or nostril; hence the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire: - anger (-gry), + before, countenance, face, + forbearing, forehead, + [long-] suffering, nose, nostril, snout, X worthy.

G3709 ὀργη ́ orgē or-gay'

From G3713; properly desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind), that is, (by analogy) violent passion (ire, or [justifiable] abhorrence); by implication punishment: - anger, indignation, vengeance,.

Tribulation n. 1. Great affliction, trial, or distress; suffering. 2. An experience that tests one’s endurance, patience, or faith.

G2347 Θλίψις thlipsis thlip'-sis

From G2346; pressure (literally or figuratively): - afflicted, (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.

G2346 θλίβω thlibō thlee'-bo

Akin to the base of G5147; to crowd (literally or figuratively): - afflict, narrow, throng, suffer tribulation, trouble.

*Post-Tribulation: The belief that Jesus will return visibly and bodily to raise the dead Christians and gather together the living Christians at the end of a period of intense tribulation, called by Jesus “great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21). It is the only rapture view which sees only a single future coming of Jesus. All other rapture views see the rapture and resurrection prior to the second coming of Jesus by months or years.

*Pre-Tribulation: The belief that the Christians will be raptured before the tribulation. Some believe it will be a “secret”

pre-tribulation rapture. The belief that the rapture and the second coming of Jesus are two distinct events months or years apart.

*Imminence: According to Dr. Renald Shower and the majority of other pre-tribulationists: “Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens. If something else must take place before an event can happen, then that event is not imminent. In other words, the necessity of something else taking place first destroys the concept of immanency.”

Secret Rapture: According to Margaret Mac Donald’s visions/prophesies the belief that the rapture can be seen only with “the eyes of faith.” Only those who have the light of God within them by being filled with the Spirit will see the sign of His appearance.

THE POST-TRIBULATION VIEW

IS SCRIPTURALY CORRECT

SOME MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

PRE-TRIBULATION AND

POST-TRIBULATION VIEWS:

IS THE COMING OF CHRIST IMMINENT OR FUTURE?

MUST THE CHURCH GO THROUGH THE TRIBULATION?

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “THE DAY OF THE LORD, AND “THE DAY OF CHRIST” AND THE TIME SPAN?

IS THE MOUNT OLIVET DISCOURSE A PRE-TRIBULATION TEACHING OR A POST-TRIBULATION TEACHING?

WHO OR WHAT IS THE RESTRAINER?

WHAT IS MEANT BY “FALLEN AWAY?”

Some people wonder what difference it makes whether they believe Jesus’ coming is imminent or future. However, most people do think there is a huge difference when it comes to the question of the “church” going through the tribulation. It makes a great difference what we believe because it is extremely important that what we believe agrees with Scripture.

What we believe will affect our behavior and might affect our eternal destiny. It will make a great difference whether we get whisked away to Heaven or possibly become a martyr at the hands of the Anti-Christ. What we believe will make the difference between our being spiritually and emotionally prepared or having been deceived and possibly falling away. And, if it really doesn’t matter what we believe, why did YHVH devote such a large portion of His Word to end-time prophesy?

YHVH has always used prophesy to warn His people to repent and prepare themselves spiritually and emotionally for coming trials.

If we know what to expect because we have been given some signs to look for, we will be motivated to prepare.

The Bible is progressive revelation from YHVH to man. Scriptural information we have available to us was not available to everyone in history. We need to realize that some things were revealed through Moses, and other things through the prophets many generations later. More was revealed by Jesus, then some more through the writings of the Apostles, and finally through John in Revelation.

In order to better understand progressive revelation we should look at what Jesus taught his disciples about His coming and the end of the age.

We have to take into account what they already knew from their training in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Apostles certainly weren’t aware of later prophesy, such as the book of Revelation given six decades later. Jesus knew his disciples’ understanding was limited to past revelation. Jesus added to their current understanding with more detailed revelation. We know this from the Olivet Discourse where He referred the disciples to what Daniel had written about the “abomination of desolation (Matt. 24:15).

When studying Scripture, it is important to try to understand a passage in the way the original audience would have understood it according to their level of learning. Although we have the benefit of ALL Biblical prophesy, the original hearers of earlier prophesy did not have the benefit of later prophesy.

For example, some teachers claim that when Paul wrote to the Corinthians about Jesus’ coming at the “last trumpet” he was referring to the seventh trumpet in Revelation. But, the Corinthians had no idea about the seven trumpets in Revelation because that was not revealed until several decades later. They would have had to look backward in prophetic Scripture for “trumpets” in order to identify and compare the “last trumpet.” If we don’t take into consideration what the original audience understood, we can make all kinds of wrong assumptions when reading or studying Scripture.

When studying Scripture, it is also important to pay close attention to grammar. Language has certain rules which must be followed if we are going to correctly understand the original intent of Scripture.

Pre-tribulationists believe Jesus’ coming is imminent. They believe there is nothing, in Scripture that has to be fulfilled before He comes. Although other things might happen before an imminent event, nothing else must happen. If something must take place before an event can happen, then it is not imminent.

Post-tribulationists believe Jesus’ coming is future because there are still some Scriptural prophesies that must be fulfilled before He comes. For instance, Jesus, Peter, and Paul made certain prophecies that have to be fulfilled before the rapture such as:

Peter’s growing old and being martyred

The Gospel being preached to the

Samaritans and the entire world

The Apostasy in the last days

Scoffers in the last days

The Restrainer’s Identity

The revelation of the man of sin

Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s death:

Keep in mind that imminent means “at any

moment” and Pre-tribulationists teach that

the early Christians believed Jesus’

coming was imminent. Why would He tell

Peter he was going to be martyred, in his

old age, If the rapture was imminent?

Joh 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

Joh 21:19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

Peter, Paul, and the early Christians expected Peter to live to an old age, to die, and be resurrected later at the resurrection of believers. As long as Peter was fairly young and alive they knew the rapture could not be imminent.

The great commission:

How do pre-tribulationists explain Jesus’ sending the apostles out to preach the Gospel to all nations? Jesus gave them specific instructions to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit. He was also very explicit that they were to begin in Jerusalem, move on to Samaria, and then to the remote Gentile nations.

Act 1:7 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.

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Act 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

If pre-tribulationists are correct, Jesus could have come back at any moment after Pentecost, before the Apostles ever preached in Samaria, or to a single Gentile. The Apostles were expecting to obey Jesus’ command and so were not looking for His imminent return. But, we know, from reading Acts, that the apostles obeyed Jesus and began preaching in Jerusalem (Acts 2-7), then in Samaria (Acts 8-9), and finally to the Gentiles (Acts 10). Jesus could not have returned until at least a large portion of the events in Acts occurred or His sending them out would have been pointless.

Imminence:

Some of the early Thessalonians mistakenly assumed that Jesus’ coming was imminent. Paul assured them that Jesus’ coming would not catch them by surprise. He couldn’t tell them this if Jesus’ coming would be completely unannounced according to the

pre-tribulationists teaching of imminence.

1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

1Th 5:3 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.

1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

These verses clearly teach that the wicked will be caught by surprise at Jesus’ coming, but believers will not be surprised by His coming. Only by having some kind of idea when Jesus is coming can believers not be surprised “as a thief in the night.”

These Thessalonians were already suffering severe persecution and apparently didn’t understand this distinction. They were being influenced by an epistle, supposedly from Paul, indicating the rapture had already Happened or might be imminent. In order to clarify their confusion, Paul wrote his second epistle.

In chapter one, of his second epistle, Paul connected the Thessalonians’ relief from persecution with a post-tribulation Coming of Jesus.

2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Their relief from persecution, along with the punishment of their persecutors, could be expected at the post-tribulation revelation of Jesus. Paul was making it clear that their relief from persecution was not imminent, but would be preceded by specific signs.

2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Verse one makes it clear that Paul is linking the coming of the Lord with our gathering to Him. This makes it clear that the rapture is the subject of this passage. Most pre-tribulationists say the coming and the gathering, in verse one, are separate or unrelated. However, Greek grammar shows they are the same.

In the Greek, the nouns “coming” and “gathering-together” are separated by (kai) which is “and” in English. The first noun has the definite article (the) and the second noun “gathering-together” does not. In Greek grammar, (Sharps first rule), this normally indicates that both nouns of the same case are referring to the same person or a unity between impersonal nouns. The grammar Paul used connects our “gathering-together” unto Him with Jesus’ coming. If Paul wanted

to indicate two separate comings or events, he would have also used the definite article before the second noun (according to Sharp's sixth rule), as follows:

Concerning the coming the Lord our Jesus Christ and the gathering-together of-us to Him

The above grammatical structure would indicate two distinct events. However, Paul was writing about a single, compound event, the coming of Christ when we will be gathered together unto Him. The remaining sentences refer to this event, the rapture, which occurs at His coming. Verse two implies that these believers were "shaken in mind" or "troubled," due to some outside influence, a false epistle claiming to have been from Paul, which indicated that the "Day of Christ" was "at hand." There is no doubt that Paul was identifying the "Day of Christ" WITH the "coming" and "gathering" in verse one, and that he was still linking it WITH the rapture.

Paul disproved this false expectation of "imminence" held by the Thessalonians by telling them that certain known signs must occur before "our gathering together unto Him." In verse two, Paul explains the mistake in their thinking that the rapture was "imminent" or "immediate", and in verse three, Paul corrected their mistake. That day (the "coming" of Christ and our "gathering" together unto Him — the "Day of Christ") cannot come until after two signs occur. These are the apostasy and revelation of the Man of Sin. Paul then went on to explain how the Man of Sin will be revealed sitting in the Temple claiming to be God. Both of these signs were major features of Jesus' Olivet Discourse in the same order in Matt. 24:9-15, as events that must occur before His post-tribulation coming. According to Paul, until the "apostasy" and the "Man of Sin" is revealed by sitting in the Temple of God, "our gathering together unto Him" cannot be imminent. This is the very issue of a false sense of imminence that Paul warns, "let no man deceive you by any means."

Paul further explained the "apostasy" in other passages. He wrote of a future sharp increase in apostasy among the Church in "the last days," far beyond what they currently were experiencing (1 Tim. 4:1, 2 Tim. 3:1, 2 Tim. 4:3). Peter also wrote that scoffers would come "in the last days saying, where is the promise of His coming" (2 Pet. 3:3-4).

Again, keep in mind that according to pre-tribulationists’ definition of imminency,

If something else must take place before an event can happen, then that event is not imminent. In other words, if something else has to take place first, the concept of "imminency" is destroyed. Therefore, the rapture was not "imminent" while these things remained unfulfilled and while Paul's and Peter's Epistles were being written. If Jesus’ coming was not imminent when these very passages were being written, those passages cannot teach "imminence," otherwise, they would not have been true when delivered to the first century Christians, when the above things were still unfulfilled.

James' parable of the farmer (James 5:7-8) shows more evidence that the rapture was not imminent.

Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Jas 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

James used a parable of a farmer to illustrate how believers should await the coming of Christ. He pointed out that the farmer patiently waits for the time of harvest. He recommended that believers take the same approach as the farmer, patiently waiting for the coming of Christ. How could this be an illustration of an "any moment" coming with no prior signs? A farmer doesn’t expect the harvest "at any moment" during the entire year after planting? A farmer knows that there is an appointed time for the harvest, after the crop has matured. He patiently waits for the rainy season before harvest. In Israel, there were two main rainy seasons. The harvests followed these rainy seasons. Farmers never harvested their fields until after the rains. The rainy seasons in this parable are equivalent to the signs that must come prior to Christ's "harvest." While the coming of the Lord is drawing near (fast approaching), it is not "imminent" in the sense that nothing needs to occur first. If there are signs (rains) prior to the harvest for the farmer in James' parable, so too are there signs prior to Jesus' coming, before it can be considered "imminent." If the farmer knows that the harvest is not "imminent" during the growing stage, James expected his readers to realize that Jesus' coming would be delayed for a season as well. In fact, the whole point of this parable was to encourage them toward patience, because the Lord's coming was still some distance away.

According to most pre-tribulationists, any New Testament passage that speaks of Christians waiting for or watching for Jesus' coming necessarily implies "imminence." In fact, this is the whole subject of the entire "imminence" argument. Thomas Ice,

Tim La Haye, and most other teachers of a pre-tribulation rapture use these verses stating that Christ could return at any moment, without warning and those instructing believers to wait and look for the Lord's coming prove the doctrine of imminence.

There are no passages in Scripture, which makes a claim that Jesus might come without warning. That is something pre-tribulationists are forcing into the Scriptures.

There are a variety of passages that speak of believers waiting and watching for Christ's coming. Does "waiting" or watching" imply the rapture could occur at any moment? Here are the passages that Tim La Haye and others claim teach "imminence".

*1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

1Co 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

*Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

*1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

*1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

*1Ti 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

*Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Jas 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Jas 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

*Rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

*Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

*Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

*Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Do any of these passages claim or imply that no signs can precede Jesus' coming? The pre-tribulationists’ entire premise is that a person cannot wait or watch for an event unless it can occur at any moment.

How does Jesus define Watching?

Mar 13:5 And Jesus began to say to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.

Mar 13:6 "Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He!' and will mislead many.

Mar 13:7 "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.

Mar 13:8 "For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

Mar 13:9 "But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.

Mar 13:10 "The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

Mar 13:14 "But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Mar 13:19 "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will.

Mar 13:22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.

Mar 13:23 "But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.

Mar 13:24 "But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT,

Mar 13:25 AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

Mar 13:26 "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.

Mar 13:27 "And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

Mar 13:30 "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

The context plainly shows that Jesus commanded His followers to watch for His post-tribulation coming, which will be announced by a host of signs. How can

pre-tribulationists state that "watching" or "waiting," in the epistles, imply that NO SIGNS can occur before Jesus comes? In fact, He makes it clear that, by watching, we will see all of these signs being fulfilled in a future single generation.

Pre-tribulationists have difficulty imagining how one can "watch" and "wait" for an event that will be preceded by prior signs. But, not only did Jesus command His followers to "watch" for an event that would be preceeded by signs, He also gave the perfect illustration in the same discourse. Jesus referred to some of the signs that must occur first as "the beginning of birth pains" (Matt. 24:8 & Mark 13:8). He spoke of the events that follow the abomination of desolation as "great travail" (Matt. 24:21/Mark 13:19). The imagery Jesus used for His coming, and the brief period of tribulation prior to it, was a pregnant woman giving birth. The pains of labor and childbirth are unpleasant. A woman doesn’t look forward to or "wait" for the time of labor. But, she most certainly awaits and looks for the birth of her baby with eager anticipation! She is aware that the birth will come after a period of travail? But, she looks beyond the labor pains to the moment when she can hold her baby in her arms.

"Watching" and "waiting" for Christ's return in Scripture has to do with anticipation and placing our hope in Jesus' coming, not merely a sequence of events. As Paul wrote, "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:25). The focus of our hope and our joy is Jesus' coming. We watch for the thing in which we place our hope. This is how the early Christians "watched" and "waited" for Jesus' coming as their hope of deliverance. Unless we define "watching" and "waiting" for Christ's coming as Jesus did, we can easily be misled.

Since Jesus gave a series of signs, He clearly taught that watching for His coming includes paying attention to the signs He gave that will immediately precede His coming. Just the same as a woman enthusiastically watches for, and awaits the day she will give birth, yet she is very aware of the signs that will precede it. We too must await and anticipate the coming of Christ, while being aware of the signs Jesus gave.

Jesus did teach that His coming would become imminent at some point in the future, but that it was not imminent at that time. It would become "imminent" only after the signs He predicted would come to pass. After giving the series of signs and describing His coming afterwards, Jesus said:

Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

Jesus used a fig tree to illustrate the relationship of signs to "imminence." The disciples could tell when summer was "imminent" by watching for the signs of the fig trees sprouting leaves. In the same way the disciples watched the fig tree as a sign of summer, Jesus said they should know when His coming would be "imminent," or "near, even at the doors.” It will be imminent after the signs come to pass.