Timing of the Rapture
In beginning a discussion on the timing of the rapture, we need to notice that God has left it ambiguous, on purpose. The last thing that the disciples asked Jesus was about the timing of end-time events.
And he (Jesus) 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)
Notice to whom Jesus is speaking. It is not for you, Apostles of the Lamb, to know about the timing of certain things. Do not feel bad if the timing of end-time events leaves you a little confused. It is supposed to be that way.
Something else accompanies a study of the rapture. Someone will always say that the word rapture is not in the Bible. That's strange. It was there this morning.
それはあなたが読んでいる言語に依存します
If you know what I mean.
Depende de que qual idioma Ud. esta' leyendo.
In other words, It depends on which language you are reading. Any English translation will have the idea of a great catching away but not that very word.
As to the timing of the rapture, there are two main schools of thought, among many minor ones. Probably, the largest camp today is the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. This is the idea that there will be a catching away of the Christians before the start of the Great Tribulation. (Matt 24:21 Rev 7:14)
The second most popular idea is that of a Post-Tribulation Rapture. This is the idea of everyone entering a period of great trouble and Jesus comes after this. There are, of course, a multitude of variations on these two ideas. In addition, there are teachings which include no rapture, no tribulation, and no Millennium, as well as teaching that all these events already happened centuries ago or that we are currently in the Millennium. I have a friend that says that if we are living now in the Golden Age of the Millennium, he wants a refund because this one is no good.
When I was a child my father was shingling the roof of our house, all by himself. It was a hot day. I was big enough, however, to climb the ladder and get on the roof. My Dad was pausing from his work and was a little glad, I think, for me to come visit him. He said to me, “ If the Lord would come today I wouldn't have to finish this roof.”
He wasn't a coward. He was just hot and tired and thinking about the Lord's appearing. Right then, he thought, would be a good time for it.
Many are, however, considered cowards for believing in a Pre-Tribulation rapture. They are accused of cultivating an Escapist Mentality. The arguments for a pre-trib rapture include typology from Old Testament stories, a literal interpretation of Scripture, and lots of 'I don't want to go through any troubles' attitude.
The argument for a post-trib rapture seems to be more social than personal. “People are being beheaded and having their houses burned down in some places, so why should you be privileged by escaping persecution?”
I have to admit that I am somewhat biased against this attitude. A few years ago I seemed to become buried in an abundance of prophetic messages from Romanian preachers. Nearly all were about persecution, troubles of all kinds and basically 'death to America'. I am not aware that there was any fulfillment of any part of these prophecies. They seemed to be Romanian Christians that had escaped communist control. They were now living in the US. Bitterness inflamed these scathing messages of death and suffering to all you miserable American wimps. I called these, Romanian Grudge Prophecies. I have a to be clear, I may have my memory flavored a bit about these past events. I really am somewhat sensitive about this persecution mentality even if Jesus did promise it. (Mark 10:30)
Ironically, one of the sweetest men of God I have ever had the privilege of meeting was a prophet from Romania.
The Pre-trib position may include some, I don't want to go through persecution. The Post-trib position seems to have more, YOU need to go through persecution. And of course we all violently scramble through the Bible, searching for verses that justify our own personal opinion.
I have another idea.
What does God need to make His end time plans work?
What?
You or I may have opinions, but what does God need to work His plan for the end times? That is an entirely different issue. No one ever thinks of that.
When Noah's ark was constructed and after all the animals were inside, God shut the entrance. (Gen 7:16) Noah's family may have debated whether there were still some animals left outside. Maybe the door needed to stay open for a while longer. Perhaps Noah's wife wanted the door shut so as to not let the flies in. It did not matter what anyone thought was right. When it was the right time, God closed the door. He did so for safety concerns for Noah's family and the animals. He also closed it because it was necessary to carry our His plan to flood the world.
When Lot was urged to leave Sodom, he hesitated. (Gen 19:16) His wife was even more unwilling to leave than he was. (v. 26) The angels had to take the family of four by the hand and drag them out of the city. (v. 16) God had to have things just so before He could carry out His plan for the city.
There remains one more prophetic week (of years) for God to complete His dealings with the nation of Israel. (Dan 9:24) You and I have been living in an anomaly, which has lasted for the past 2,000 years. One day it will be over forever and the door of Grace will be shut.
Is it possible that God needs things to be a certain way for Him to deal with Israel (and the world)?
I would like to suggest to you that before God deals with Israel for one more set of 7 years, He needs to shut the door of Grace. He needs every last person who has the Holy Spirit indwelling them, to be gone from the face of the earth. It is possible that the earth needs to be the way it was at the 69th week in order to continue with the 70th week that Daniel wrote about. The space in between them (2,000 years) has been an unexpected (for the most part) delay in God's dealing with His first covenant people. You and I, Jew or Gentile, have been the beneficiaries of an unanticipated pause. That Great Day of the Church is going to end soon.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (Dan 9:24)
This is what God is about. It just happens that you and I got “caught” in the pause between the 69th and 70th weeks. This has also been the plan of God, to take for Himself a people from the Gentiles. We are recipients of the Great Goodness of God while He has had His plan for Israel “on hold” for 2,000 years. It looks as if the Times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24) and the 70th week cannot take place at the same time.
For the 70th and final week (7 years) to work, two things are required: The Church must be gone and the Holy Spirit, in His indwelling work, must be removed from His current position. If the Body of Christ is “he who restrains”, He will be taken out of the way. If the Holy Spirit is “he who restrains”, (II Thess 2:7) His indwelling presence is preventing the full tide of evil from flooding the earth. His moving aside, allows the man of sin to be revealed. (II Thess 2:8)
I believe the Holy Spirit is acting as a restraining force against sin by indwelling the Christians. Most people would think, Big Deal. I don't think we appreciate the Spirit's work in baptizing us into the Body of Christ. (Gal 3:27) He makes us the Body of Christ. It was not like this in previous ages. The Holy Spirit came upon certain persons for a specific purpose. It will be that way again, after the Holy Spirit has no one left on earth to indwell.
Salvation is still by the Grace of God, as it has always been. The Holy Spirit will be on the earth as He was in Old Testament times. The name of Jesus has been given and is required for salvation. There just won't be any Church, the Body of Christ, on earth during God's very severe dealings with the world and specifically with national Israel.
If this speculation is true, then God needs a rapture. He needs it before the Great Tribulation. We don't get to vote on it. He needs to close the Day of Grace forever. The day of easy believism is over, if it ever started. Millions will come to Jesus during the Great Tribulation but it will be by aligning with the name of Jesus and with Israel during the most difficult period in the history of the planet.
June 13, 2023