This narrow way

There is an old adage which, depending on the attribution you subscribe to, is either an ancient Chinese curse or a line from a speech by British statesman Joseph Chamberlain in the 1830’s. May you live in interesting times. Usually, the quote is used ironically with interesting referring to times of difficulty, chaos, danger, uncertainty, and trouble. From the standpoint of the secular world this is certainly the case today. War in the Middle East, saber-rattling from Iran, Russia, and Turkey, never before seen geo-political alliances being formed, World War 3 looming.  

But for believers in Jesus Christ and students of eschatology these should be wonderful, exciting days. Days of peace and surety. Days of hope and joy. Not a time to be scared but instead a time to be prepared. We’re seeing Bible prophecy coming to life before our very eyes, played out every night on the evening news and all across social media.

There is much to be said on the subject, too much to fit into one post, so for now I’d like to particularly focus on the next event on God’s prophetic calendar-what is commonly referred to as the rapture of the church. Right off the top, I believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. Why? Because the Word of God says so. Jesus preached a pre-tribulation rapture during His earthly ministry, and the Apostle Paul wrote extensively about a pre-tribulation rapture. That’s good enough for me. But just for good measure John also pointed to a pre-tribulation rapture in the Book of Revelation.

That said, let’s get into it. First, for the benefit of naysayers and skeptics, I know the word “rapture” doesn’t appear in the Bible, not in the English translation anyway. The term rapture comes from the Latin translation of the New Testament. The word from the Greek is “HARPAZO” and is translated as catch away or snatch in most modern translations. This term is used over and over in the New Testament. In Acts 8:39 “the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away” and he was no longer seen by the Ethiopian eunuch. In 2 Corinthians 12:2 Paul was “caught up to the third heaven.” In John’s vision in Revelation 12:2 the male child was “caught up to God and to His throne.” In the parable of the soils in Matthew 13:19 Jesus said, “the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was sown in his heart.”  This is the same word that was used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 where Paul writes “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

Who will be raptured or caught up? Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians was concerning their question about saints who had died. They were living in anticipation that Jesus could come at any moment and were concerned that those who were already dead would miss it and somehow be disembodied spirits not united with a physical body. Paul made this very clear.

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” 2 Thessalonians 4:13-16.

Why do I believe in a pre-tribulation rapture? Immediately following Chapter 4, Paul opens Chapter 5 with these words.

“Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, peace and safety! Then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness.” 2 Thessalonians 5:1-5.

“Day of the Lord” time and time again in Bible prophecy refers to judgement. Destruction, or tribulation, will come upon them suddenly. They will not escape. Those in darkness, not in light.

In John Chapter 14 Jesus said:

“Do not let your heart be troubled; Believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am there you may be also. John 14:1-4.

Do not let your heart be troubled. I’m going to get your rooms ready and then I’ll come get you so you can be in Heaven with me. But first you have to go through seven of the most terrible, terrifying years the world has ever seen? But don’t let your heart be troubled? Makes no sense to me.

In Revelation Chapter 3, John writes to the church at Philadelphia:

“Because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:10.

In 1 Thessalonians 1:10 Paul admonishes the church:

“And to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

Wrath to come aka the tribulation. Finally, Paul closes his writing on the great “catching up” with “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” Where is the comfort if Paul believes the church will go through the tribulation? I can’t see it.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.

Even so, come Lord Jesus.