by Jack Kelley
Tuesday, October 7th, 2014
Q. Why is a large segment of the Christian community so vehemently opposed to the idea of the Rapture? No matter how many times the Scriptures that support a Pre-Trib Rapture are pointed out to them, they deny that’s what they are saying and say the Rapture is a relatively new concept. It seems amazing to me that so many feel that Christians will have to suffer God’s Wrath in order to be saved. It is very frustrating to have any type of meaningful discussion on the subject as they are so entrenched in their belief, to the point of anger and attack.
A. I think one problem comes from not understanding what happened at the cross. People look around them and see Christians sinning and fail to understand that Jesus paid for every sin of mankind at the cross. Instead they think the church doesn’t deserve to escape the end times judgments but needs to endure them to be purified. But because of our faith, Jesus has made us purer than any judgment could make us (Romans 3:21-24, 2 Cor. 5:21, Hebrews 10:12-14).
Pre-Trib deniers point to the first generations of the Church, which were undeniably holier than we are and say, “They had to suffer. What makes us think we won’t.” Again they don’t understand that the Lord never promised that every generation of the Church would be kept from times of persecution. He only promised the last one. To the first generations, He said. “Be faithful to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).
Also He never promised any generation freedom from trials and trouble (John 16:33). He only promised that we would not have to endure the time of His wrath, that seven year period of judgment just prior to the Second Coming (1 Thes. 1:10),
And finally, throughout the Church Age the suffering of God’s people has come at the hand of His enemy. But with the end times judgments the suffering of the enemy’s people will come at the hand of God (Rev. 6:16-17). That makes the end times unique and means we can’t compare it to any other period of Church history.
A. I think one problem comes from not understanding what happened at the cross. People look around them and see Christians sinning and fail to understand that Jesus paid for every sin of mankind at the cross. Instead they think the church doesn’t deserve to escape the end times judgments but needs to endure them to be purified. But because of our faith, Jesus has made us purer than any judgment could make us (Romans 3:21-24, 2 Cor. 5:21, Hebrews 10:12-14).
Pre-Trib deniers point to the first generations of the Church, which were undeniably holier than we are and say, “They had to suffer. What makes us think we won’t.” Again they don’t understand that the Lord never promised that every generation of the Church would be kept from times of persecution. He only promised the last one. To the first generations, He said. “Be faithful to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).
Also He never promised any generation freedom from trials and trouble (John 16:33). He only promised that we would not have to endure the time of His wrath, that seven year period of judgment just prior to the Second Coming (1 Thes. 1:10),
And finally, throughout the Church Age the suffering of God’s people has come at the hand of His enemy. But with the end times judgments the suffering of the enemy’s people will come at the hand of God (Rev. 6:16-17). That makes the end times unique and means we can’t compare it to any other period of Church history.
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