Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Pre-Trib Scripture Dump & Surprising Conclusion


#1 You should know that this is a Biased List!


"I Want to Believe!" as they said in film and TV series, X-files. For most of my life, I have wanted to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, but that always meant that I was trusting someone else's word for it.  I never "owned" my own research and sought out the supporting scripture until...
Well, here's my back-story:

  When I was in high school, I went to a youth group of the pre-tribulation persuasion.  The group wasn't associated with any formal church organization. It began as an ad-hoc thing at a seminary in my town. A couple of the students decided to interview high school kids for a class assignment. Things snowballed and the two friends ended up leading a Bible study which lasted a couple of years until they graduated. During the summer break between those two academic years, we had a short-term lease on a storefront and ran a coffee house right next to the movie theater.  (It did not actually serve coffee; that wound have meant health inspections, and permits, and fees, etc.   But we had a no-markup vending machine for cold Coke, and it was summertime, so that worked.)

   Anyway, my childhood home-church avoided (a) most controversial subjects, and (b) end-time eschatology. Given the double-whammy censorship, it wasn't surprising that I'd never heard much about this "rapture" stuff.  And given my season of life, neither is it surprising that between liking peer acceptance and respecting scholars working on their advanced degree, I was not going to scrutinize anything that wasn't obviously blasphemous.

   So, hearing about 'The Rapture' at this Bible study was incredibly fascinating. I learned that the etymology of the term came from the Roman translation of scripture into Latin, rapiemur, which means 'caught up.' They taught that before Jesus' second return (my childhood church did teach Jesus' second return, but only that 'no one will know' when that will be), there will be seven years of evil, just like in the days of Noah, but that the true church would be caught up to heaven and escape this time of tribulation.

  That sounded good to me!  Later, as an adult out on my own, the next church that I attended taught the same thing as a given, nothing to really question.  But as time went on... where was the proof? There is no hard and fast proof. Then where is the evidence? 

   This—does the Bible speak of the rapture, and if so when—became something that I needed to know for myself.  I'm willing to take scripture for it, but not someone else's opinion.  And that is how this list began. There are two categories of scripture references in this list.
  1. Yes, I think this scripture is pretty good supporting evidence of a pre-trib rapture, and 
  2. Not a straightforward statement about an end-of-the-age catching away, but it does show either (a) a pattern or type that is likely to repeat, or (b) God's heart is to preserve His people.

   Admittedly, the 2b category forms pretty weak evidence because much of the Old Testament chronicles situations where God's people are so far into rebellion that 'catching away' those with recalcitrant hearts isn't going to achieve His end game; they need correction to come to their senses. But at the same time, these are often the scripture verses that I find most comforting; God's heart is preservation! Where this has left me—for now, anyway—is that I understand the reasoning of those who teach that not all born-again Christians qualify for the rapture, but only those who are looking for His return. That is a position beyond the scope of this post, but I'm leaving it on the table as a possibility these days. 

 So, let's get started. I collected these over the years in several notebooks and on random scraps of paper.  I have yet to find a method to categorize them that I am happy with, so there's no particular order. A few years ago I transferred these notes into a hard-bound journal so that they'd all be in one place.  My original list was a hodge-podge from whatever translation I was using when I discovered the verse. Here, unless otherwise noted, so that I can take advantage of the blessing of copy & paste and save myself considerable time, most verses are from the Berean Bible.  Words in parentheses indicate an alternate translation from the New American Standard Bible or are otherwise identified. 

Note-Dump in Support of a Pre-Trib Rapture

••• The Verse List

12Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD, and teach from Your law, 13to grant him relief from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14For the LORD will not forsake His people; He will never abandon His heritage.…  - Psalm 94:12-14

 3Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth, who carry out His justice. Seek righteousness; seek humility. Perhaps you will be sheltered (hidden) on the Day of the LORD’s anger. - Zephaniah 2:3

I am about to fulfill My words against this city for harm and not for good, and on that day they will be fulfilled before your eyes. 17But I will deliver you on that day, declares the LORD, and you will not be handed over to the men you fear. 18For I will surely rescue you so that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted in Me, you will escape with your life like a spoil of war, declares the LORD.”…  - Jeremiah 39:16-18

In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger (storms of destruction - ESV) has passed. - Psalm 57:1

At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people— everyone whose name is found written in the book— will be delivered. 2And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake... - Daniel 12:1, 2a

19Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her dead. 20Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until the wrath has passed (Until indignation runs its course). 21For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and no longer conceal her slain. - Isaiah 26:19-21   (responsibility of the people to go, enter, and hide)

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock. 6Then my head will be held high above my enemies around me. At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. - Psalm 27:5 (would enemies be "around" you in His tent? at the rock? the tabernacle?)

For God has not appointed (destined) us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  - 1 Thessalonians 5:9

...and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath. - 1 Thessalonians 1:10

20You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the schemes (conspiracies) of men. You conceal them in Your shelter from accusing tongues. 21Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His loving devotion in a city under siege. - Psalm 31:20,21

13to grant him relief from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14For the LORD will not forsake His people; He will never abandon His heritage. - Psalm 94:13, 14

Then cry out: "Save us, O God of our salvation; gather and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise." 1 Chronicles 16:35 (King David is instructing his subjects to ask for this.)

Because you have kept My command to endure with patience, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. - Revelation 3:10

Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him! - Romans 5:9

...devout men are swept away, with none considering that the righteous are guided from the presence of evil (the righteous is taken away from the evil to come KJV). 2Those who walk uprightly enter into peace... - Isaiah 57:1, 2a  (in it's literal context, 'swept away' is death)

"They will be Mine," says the LORD of Hosts, "on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." - Malachi 3:17


••• Precedents in Scripture that have Patterns Consistent with a Pre-tribulation Rapture or a removal prior to judgmental wrath:



Noah's Flood - Genesis 6-8 - Noah had to build his own ark (speaks to individual preparedness), and then God providentially floated him above the destruction. After Noah's miraculous escape, a new era began.


Lot's Flight from Sodom - Genesis 18, 19 and Luke 17 -   Abraham's counter-argument to God's pronouncement of the destruction of Sodom is to appeal to God's character of justice: Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” - Genesis 18:25 I'm not sure that I would have seen this as a pattern of the righteous being removed before the wrath falls, except that Jesus pointed it out in the Gospel of Luke. Then in hindsight, the curious statement of the Angel stands out about the righteous MUST be removed first. "Hurry! Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you arrive." - Genesis 19:22

29But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30It will be just like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:29. 30. Certainly our tendency is to focus on the rain of fire and sulfur being "just like" the destruction, but if it is fully just the same, then the "Lots" must also leave first.


Ruth at the Threshing Floor - Ruth 2, 3 - This example is more about the imagery than about escape from impending judgment, but the typology is worth consideration because it kicks this story to another level. Ruth works at gleaning during both barley and the wheat harvests. Barley is a hard grain that must be ground to release the nutrients in the digestive tract, but wheat is a softer kernel. It can be ground, but in Old Testament times, it was more commonly threshed because it stored better that way.  Here's the typology: During the threshing season following the second harvest, Ruth spent the dark night safely under the covering of her kinsman, Boaz. He redeems her and a marriage covenant is struck. Boaz did not normally spend his night sleeping on the threshing floor, only at teh end of the wheat harvest. Only the generation alive during threshing season would experience that covering.


Absences -  Isaac and Daniel - I found these two examples in materials from Manna-fest, the Perry Stone ministry. Absence does not prove anything, but I got'ta admit it's a pretty cool line of thought in an out-side-the-box way.  Isaac is a Christ-figure in this example, but instead of the groom going to get his bride, she the Rebekah/Church comes to him. It's an odd reversal, and I'm not sure what to make of it, but I added it to my list.  I find the Daniel example to be the stronger of the two, but the typology here has 3/4 of the church missing the rapture and overcoming by going through the tribulation. Daniel is conspicuously absent while Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are left behind to go through trial by fire. Like I said, it's out-of-the-box thinking. Take it or leave it. At the very least, it doesn't hurt to look at old structures with new eyes.


The Lampstands of Revelation -  For this example to count as evidence supporting a pre-trib rapture you have to accept the premise that the Book of Revelation is more-or-less in chronological order. Personally I think it mostly is, especially where the seals, trumpets, and vials/bowls are deliberately numbered. I don't think you can put #5 before #3 to make your pet theory match up better.  But while I think it runs mostly in order, it's also apparent that John's visions were switching points of view, so some things he saw from Earth and other he saw from Heaven. I also think it's probable that at least one scene was a flashback in time so that we'd be able to make more fully informed connections. But enough of that—on to the support for a pre-trib rapture.

In the first chapter, John sees seven menorahs or lampstands, which Jesus identifies as seven churches that re physically and geographically on Earth in present time, first-century.  Progressing to Chapter 11:
  17"We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was; You have taken Your great power and begun to reign. 18The nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come. The time has come to judge the dead, and to reward Your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear Your name, both small and great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." 19Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and rolls of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.…
In verse 19 the temple of God in heaven is opened. It is fully furnished; the ark of the covenant has appeared. The lampstands, the church,  must be there; otherwise God has a temple with furniture missing.  Besides, it's the time to judge the dead and to reward His servants. Can we assume the rewards are given out in person and not in absentia? Or is this all metaphorical children of God, who are the Temple of God?  Should the translators have used 'a shaking' or 'a tempest' or even invented the word 'heaven-quake' instead of  'an earthquake' to translate seismós? It's possible to translate that way, but they didn't because this happens at the 7th Trumpet judgment when life on Earth is very shaky indeed.  

   The point is, this passage indicates that the "servants" are in heaven ready to receive their reward while judgment is still occurring on the Earth. Or are these just the servants so far, and the ones who aren't dead yet will have to catch up later?  Are you holding out to be "His child" instead of His servant? Without proof, it is a point of debate.



••• Imagery - Not about the rapture per se,  these verses have imagery that is compatible with it. 

His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. - Matthew 3:12

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock. - Psalm 27:5

You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in
distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. - Isaiah 25:4



•••  God's Character - My notes go on, but this last batch approach the evidence more as "Is it the Lord's character to rapture the Church before the Tribulation or to allow his Bride to go through horrible times?" Most of what follows has little or no direct connection to a rapture, but rather are general evidences of protection and ways of escape. Many of the verses that promise deliverance have requirements where it's not automatic just because we exist. These requirements are highlighted below.

So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man. - Luke 21:36   Why would Jesus instruct people to be alert to and pray for something if escape were not possible?

9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not abandoned those who seek You. - Psalm 9:9, 10 

 The LORD helps and delivers them; He rescues and saves them from the wicked, because they take refuge in Him. - Psalm 37:40

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me. - Psalm 50:15


Perhaps you noticed...
   or maybe you didn't, but some of the 'There's Gonna Be A Rapture!' Biggies are not on the above listing. That is most likely because I haven't found any timing reference in them. If you were looking for those, here you go:
Matthew 24:31 - gathered at the trumpet call
Philippians 3:21 - transform bodies
1 Corinthians 15:52 - twinkling of an eye
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 - caught up in clouds
Mark 13:27 - elect gathered from four winds

Conclusion
   My conclusion is inconclusive. That's sort of disappointing considering that this list took decades to compile— five minutes here, an hour's study there, a stray comment from a cassette-taped preaching...   I don't see very much in scripture that looks like the scenario of millions of people suddenly Poof! Gone! In fact, if I had not been prejudiced by outside teaching and relied only on what I have dug out for myself, I'd have concluded that during the Great Tribulation, believers would be removed on a case-by-case basis, when peril came to them.
  And I like that idea better. It loses the big-screen drama of fleets of airplanes falling out of the sky, but it gains a very personalized situation of demonized zealots going after individuals who are then caught up right before their eyes.  Now, that's a cool escape that allows us to occupy until the last minute! 

It you can find mass-exodus-rapture scripture, PLEASE list it in the comments below.

What I do know is this:
 The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul. - Psalm 121:7

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