In a nutshell, I believe the four underlying doctrines that support the rapture theory are flawed and incomplete doctrines. There are passages of Scripture that stand in opposition to the fundamentals on which these four doctrines are built. I am convinced the rapture doctrine, as wonderful as it sounds, is \"a fragile house of cards\" simply because it is not harmonious with the sum of all that the Bible has to say about these matters.

World Events

Putting theology aside for a moment, many Christians have begun to question whether there will be a pre-tribulation rapture. They are wondering if a pre-tribulation rapture is too good to be true. Why should the final generation escape the Great Tribulation when all other generations of Christians have suffered in the extreme for their faith? History says that nine of the twelve disciples became martyrs, Romans slaughtered tens of thousands of early Christians, and millions of Protestants suffered persecution and death during the Dark Ages.

Even more compelling is that today, everyone sees tribulation escalating in the world around us.

On the morning of December 26, 2004, approximately 275,000 people suddenly perished in southern Asia. A great earthquake under the Indian Ocean caused a huge tsunami to form a 40 foot wall of water, drowning a quarter million people. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated 90,000 square miles along the U.S. Gulf coast and more than a thousand people perished. A few weeks later, Hurricane Rita ripped up the coasts of eastern Texas and western Louisiana. Then, near the end of October, Hurricane Wilma, the most powerful hurricane ever recorded, devastated the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico before pounding Florida and putting six million people in the dark. On October 8, 2005, a great earthquake occurred in the region of Kashmir where the boundaries of India and Pakistan meet. This earthquake affected the lives of five million people, and approximately 80,000 died, 60,000 were seriously injured, and 800,000 people had no shelter from winter weather. If this is not enough, people continue to be concerned about a possible outbreak of viral bird flu because epidemiologists are very concerned that the whole world could be on the edge of a great pandemic of influenza. Scientists say that if the H5N1 avian virus mutates and becomes communicable between people, influenza could kill 100 million people within a mere twenty-one days! In 1915-1918, there was a global outbreak of influenza that killed approximately 40 million people worldwide and there are several factors indicating that Earth is primed for another devastating outbreak.

The intensity and frequency of natural disasters are making some pre-tribulation believers nervous because growing numbers of people are suffering hardship and tribulation now. Many rapture believing preachers say that recent hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes are judgments from God, but the problem with these horrible events is that the victims are both Christians and non-Christians alike. This is unsettling. If Christians are supposed to escape God’s wrath with a pre-tribulation rapture, the question begs to be asked, \"Why aren’t Christians escaping God’s wrath now?\" If we are honest, we must admit that Christians have been persecuted for the past 2,000 years. Will there really be a pre-tribulation rapture for the last generation of saints? In a word, the answer is \"no.\" The Bible repeatedly indicates there will be one gathering of the saints which occurs at the Second Coming. Notice Paul’s words:

\"According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we [the believers] who are still alive, who are left [on Earth] till the [second] coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those [we will not go to Heaven before those] who have fallen asleep [temporarily died]. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left [on Earth] will be caught up together with them [that is, the living will join the righteous who were resurrected from their graves] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we [the dead in Christ and the believers who were living on Earth at the time of the Second Coming] will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.\" (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, insertions mine)

Points to Ponder

I cannot begin to address the flaws with the four doctrines upon which a pre-tribulation rapture is based in this short article. However, I can make a few comments on each of the four doctrines. If you care to investigate my findings on various aspects of this matter, please look up the references provided.

Doctrine #1: Even though the Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah, they are still God’s chosen people. Therefore, God has to fulfill all of the promises that He made to ancient Israel because God always keeps His promises.

LW: The Bible teaches that God changed the definition of Israel by creating a new covenant. Galatians 3:29: \"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed [sperm], and heirs according to the promise.\" Ephesians 2:19: \"Consequently, you [Gentiles] are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.\" These two verses indicate that yes, the Jews are still God’s chosen people, but the \"Jews\" are no longer a race of people, but instead a group of people who have accepted Christ! All that God promised to Abraham will be given to those who believe in Jesus. For more information on this topic, please see: Chapter 11, A Study on the Seven Seals and the 144,000.

Doctrine #2: Salvation has occurred in different ways at different times (the doctrine of dispensationalism); therefore, Christians are saved today in a different way than Jews and other people were before the cross.

LW: The Bible teaches that salvation has always come through faith. There are no dispensations with respect to salvation. According to Hebrews 11, the first man to die (Abel) was saved by faith! Paul clearly says that salvation did not come to the Jews through the slaughter of animals \"for it is impossible for the blood of animals to take away the guilt of sin.\" (Hebrews 10:4) For more information on this topic, please see: Chapters 7 and 8, Jesus: The Alpha and The Omega. Web addresses: http://www.wake-up.org/Alpha/Chapter7.htm andhttp://www.wake-up.org/Alpha/Chapter8.htm

Doctrine #3: The seventieth week of Daniel 9 points forward to a period of seven years during which the Great Tribulation will take place.

LW: The Bible teaches that the seventieth week immediately followed the sixty-ninth week. The seventieth week began in A.D. 27 and ended in A.D. 33. As predicted, Jesus died on time, in the middle of the seventieth week (A.D. 30). Furthermore, the Bible teaches the Great Tribulation will last 1,335 days (3 ½ years, not 7 years). (Daniel 12:12) For more information on this topic, please see: Chapter 6, Daniel, Unlocked for the Final Generation.

Doctrine #4: God will not allow the church to be on Earth when His wrath against unbelievers is poured out.

LW: The Bible teaches that believers in Jesus will not suffer the penalty for sin (the wrath of the law) which is eternal death. The Bible also teaches that the disciples of Jesus will be persecuted and many will be martyrs. Jesus said, \"They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.\" (John 16:2) Millions have died for Jesus in ages past, and millions of Christians will soon die for Him! \"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.\" (Revelation 6:9) For more information on this topic, please see: Chapter 10, pages 111-114,A Study on the Seven Seals and the 144,000 (Search for \"Three types of Wrath\") and Chapter 14, Jesus: The Alpha and The Omega.

There are three more items that need to be addressed in this examination of a pre-tribulation rapture:

Item #1: The Bible teaches that God will judge the living during the Great Tribulation. (Revelation 3:10; 14:7) A pre-tribulation rapture presupposes a pre-tribulation judgment of the living to determine who will be raptured. Once God’s judgment of the living is conducted, there will be no second chance for salvation. For more information on this topic, please see:Chapter 13, Jesus: The Alpha and The Omega.

Item #2: Apocalyptic prophecy lays out a very concise sequence of coming events. There is no mention or description of a pre-tribulation rapture in Revelation. Claiming that John’s trip to Heaven in Revelation 4 symbolizes the rapture is a distortion of Scripture. Paul was also taken to Heaven to see marvelous things! (2 Corinthians 12:4) We cannot overlook the fact that Revelation clearly predicts that the saints will be persecuted during the Great Tribulation. \"He [the beast] was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.\" (Revelation 13:7) \"I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.\" (Revelation 17:6) For more information on this topic, please see: Chapter 9, A Study on the Seven Seals and The 144,000.

Item #3: Earlier, we read from 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. The Bible teaches that Jesus will resurrect the righteous dead at the Second Coming and after they are called up into the air to meet Jesus, the living will then follow. In other words, there is one gathering of the saints, both dead and living, and this occurs at the Second Coming. At that time, all of the wicked who are alive on Earth will be slain. (Revelation 19:19-21) For more information on this topic, please see: Chapter 14, Jesus: The Alpha and The Omega.

Item #4: After reading this article, many people call the office with questions on topics related to the pre-tribulation rapture and the state of man after death. The story of the rich man and Lazarus is often used as support to prove that man is conscious after death. A very interesting study on this parable is available to read, please see: The Rich Man and Lazarus.

When these issues are harmoniously synthesized, there is only one conclusion possible for me: I am convinced the doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture is fiction. Of course, time will tell.

Prophecy