Better Late than Never

Coming to Grips with the Doctrine of a Posttribulation Rapture

Introduction
The topic of the end times is one of the most fascinating and yet one of the most
divisive and hotly contested subjects in Christendom. This is especially true when it
comes to a discussion of when the rapture will take place. The rapture, of course,
refers to that day when Christ comes back in the air to resurrect all dead Christians
and snatch them away, along with all living Christians, so that his true followers can
be with him forever. The question is, does this rapture take place before the great
tribulation, midway into it, or at its climactic end? That is the bone of contention.

Most Baptists, Pentecostals, Charismatics, and offshoots thereof, adamantly believe

in a pretribulation rapture of the Church. Their evangelical and missionary zeal has
helped to spread the their doctrinal views worldwide - influencing countless others
over the years - even those of other denominations.

There are also a number of others, though much smaller in number, who believe that
Christ may well return to rapture his people at a midway point during the tribulation -
just prior to God pouring out his wrath upon an ungodly world. Because it is a
relatively new doctrine, not readily tied to any denomination, its size, spread and
influence is difficult to determine.

Lastly, there are those who believe Christ will return only one time, at the end of the
tribulation. It will be at this posttribulation return that Christ will appear in the clouds
of glory to reclaim his own via the resurrection and rapture, whereupon he shall
descend to the earth with his saints to judge the world and establish his reign upon a
redeemed earth amongst his redeemed people. This has been the predominant
teaching of the Church from the time of the Apostles until now – and for good reason,
as this presentation will demonstrate.

Ground Rules:
We must admit from the outset that it is very hard to change our views on anything,
especially views that we have grown up with; views that have been handed down to
us by people we know, love, and respect; views that are shared by our friends and
family alike – perhaps for generations. We must also acknowledge that the longer we
continue to believe in something, the harder it is for us to change, and harder still if
we have passed such teachings along to others. After all, who wants to run the risk of
losing someone's trust and respect by admitting we have transmitted a falsehood? On
the other hand, who among us wants to live with the knowledge that we have helped
perpetuate something which is not true?

As Christians we are called to love correction, steer clear of all deceptions, avoid the
errors and entrapments of pleasant lies, and give ear to God's words over the doctrines
of men. As the scriptures teach: "Beloved, don't believe every spirit, but test the
 spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the
world" (1 Jn. 4:1). "Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good." (1 Thess.
5:21)

This is easier said than done - especially so when the issues are so emotionally
charged. Pride and ego often get in the way. Sometimes it is a fear of being wrong, or
of having been misled. Occasionally it is a matter of feeling vulnerable – as if we are
not capable of defending ourselves very well, or that we are being ridiculed, attacked,
or looked down upon. As a result, many people feel deeply threatened or easily
offended when such a topic is broached.

All too often these discussions have needlessly degenerated into shouting matches
where scriptures and barbs are exchanged like bullets from machine guns. This kind
of behavior has often resulted in long lasting wounds, anger, distrust, and even
outright divisions in the body of Christ. This is something we must not permit.

In the pursuit of truth, understanding, unity of faith, and to avoid unnecessary

conflict, we must establish some guidelines for our investigation and discussion. If we
cannot agree upon these guidelines, then we might as well save ourselves both time
and effort. Let us therefore look at the guidelines, and if we can agree on them, let us
continue.

Hermeneutical Guidelines:

1. We will ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and ears, divest us of pride, correct
where we are wrong, encourage us, prepare us, and guide us.
2. We will strive to remain teachable, correctable, and humble.
3. We will work hard to hear afresh the teachings of the scriptures as if for the first
time by laying aside our personal preconceived notions as much as is humanly
possible.
4. We will prefer the sound doctrine of God's word to the doctrines of men.
5. We will be lovers of the truth and bow to the facts – no matter how much it hurts.
6. We will strive to stick as closely as possible to known and demonstrable facts.
7. We will try to steer clear of uninformed opinion or speculation, except for
purposes of discussion, and we will endeavor to remember to label such
statements as such.
8. We will use sound methods of biblical interpretation
a. Let the clear teachings of the Bible help us understand the unclear or
difficult passages.
b. Resist the urge to make obscure passages somehow fit into a pet theory or
doctrine – recognizing that we at present we know only in part.
c. Take nothing out of context, but let the surrounding text and
circumstances help us understand what is being said and why.
 d. Understand the language used - making reference to Greek and Hebrew
words and phrases and grammar and literary forms when these help us
understand more fully what the writer intended us to understand.
e. Utilize what we know of the culture customs and history of the people
involved.
9. We will follow the history of the Church's teaching to learn what, when, where,
how, and why doctrines have changed.
10. We will be patient, respectful, and courteous towards one another – always
exhibiting love towards one another in both word and deed and especially so
when honest disagreement lingers.
 Five Major Lines of Defense
This paper will demonstrate why the doctrine of a posttribulation rapture of the
Church is to be preferred above all other views. The evidence presented will follow
five main lines of defense:

1. The doctrine of a posttribulation rapture was the sole teaching of the Early Church
and the predominant view of the Church until the early 1800's. On the other hand,
the widespread notion of a pretribulation rapture can only be traced back as far as
the early 1800's. The two isolated exceptions to this can be easily dismissed since
neither instance reflects the beliefs of any sizable group within the Church and
since neither instance served as a model or as a catalyst for the nascent
pretribulation rapture doctrine that arose in the early 1800's.
2. Proponents of the pretribulation rapture believe in a secret second coming of
Christ to rapture the Church some seven years or so before He publicly returns at
the end of the tribulation. The writers of the Greek New Testament never once
used vocabulary that would suggest that Christ's coming to rapture the Church
would be secret or hidden from the general public. Instead, all of the New
Testament Greek words used to refer to Christ's coming are words that signify a
very open, public, and visible event.
3. The grammatical constructs used in the Greek New Testament make it quite clear
that Christ's visible second coming is linked to the rapture of the Church. These
events are not separated by a seven-year tribulation period nor by a 3 and one
half-year period, rather they are instances of a whole series of events that transpire
in rapid-fire sequence when Christ visibly returns at the end of the great
tribulation.
4. The simple and clear teaching New Testament text and the history of the
Apostolic Church make it quite clear that the Church must be prepared and ready
to recognize and endure the great end-time apostasy, the great tribulation, and the
many false prophets and messiahs that would arise – including the Antichrist
himself.
5. Lastly, the doctrine of a pretribulation rapture necessitates many an artificial
distinction and forces the reader to reinterpret the scriptures in a rather convoluted
manner so as to make their novel theory work. This does an injustice not only to
the scriptures, but also does a grave disservice to those so trained in this tradition.
A Church prepared to avoid the great tribulation will certainly not be prepared to
endure it.
 Why This Discussion is Necessary:
A well-known preacher in Texas recently screamed to his congregation and television
audience that they did not have to be worried about the upcoming trials and
persecutions of the great tribulation. No! They don't have to be prepared for any of it
because Jesus is coming to rapture them away before it all gets started.

This is tragic for several reasons.

1. First, the facts below demonstrate that we WILL indeed have to go through the
great tribulation.
2. Secondly, just as it is important for a prizefighter to be trained physically and
psychologically to fight his most powerful opponent, it is equally important for
the Church to be trained to face the coming end-time events of deception,
apostasy, hardship, and persecution.
3. Thirdly, those who are not prepared to withstand the deceptions and the coming
hardships and persecution will either be so deceived or become so disillusioned
discouraged disheartened or filled with doubts and confusion that their faith will
falter and many will suffer needless defeat.

The late author and missionary/speaker Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of the Nazi
holocaust, once noted that many Christians in China fell away from the faith when
persecutions hit. In a published letter she made the following comments:
There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the
Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus
was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge
of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the
saints are already suffering terrible persecution. In China, the Christians were
told, "Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated –
raptured." Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured
to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly, "We have failed. We
should have made the people strong for persecution rather than telling them
Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution,
how to stand when the tribulation comes – to stand and not faint."

We must not allow this to happen again. Instead, we must earnestly contend for the
faith of our fathers as it was handed down to us, strive to complete the great
commission with holiness compassion and humility, and prepare ourselves in every
way possible for the dark days ahead so that we may stand before Christ unashamed
on the day of His glorious return. Persecutions and deceptions are already beginning,
battle lines are already being drawn, and little daylight remains. Let us rise to the
serious task at hand.
 Historical Review of
the Pretribulation Rapture Doctrine
The History of the Pretribulation Rapture Doctrine
Proponents of the pretribulation rapture often act as if their doctrine has been the
predominant view of the Church from the earliest of times until the present. This is
simply NOT true at all.

For nearly ALL of the first 1800 years of its existence the Church has held the
singular belief that Christ will return for His own ONLY AT THE END of the great
tribulation. This is one of the few teachings about which there was virtually
COMPLETE agreement in the Church!

There have been only two known instances of someone mentioning a pretribulation
rapture during the first 18 centuries of the Church's existence. These two isolated
instances of a pretribulation idea are recorded in the writings of Pseudo-Ephraim (c.
400- 600 A.D.) and Morgan Edwards (c. 1742 A.D.). The pretribulation rapture ideas
expressed by these men did not reflect the beliefs of any sizable group within the
Church and those who developed the current teachings of a pretribulation rapture
never used their ideas as inspiration.

Pseudo-Ephraim:
The sermon by Pseudo-Ephraim (entitled: "On the Last Times, the Anti-Christ, and
the End of the World") is a pseudopigraphical work ascribed by its unknown author
to the famous preacher/poet Ephraim the Syrian (c. 373 A.D.). Most scholars believe
that this sermon was written perhaps as early as 400 A.D. to as late as 600 A.D, after
the death of the true Ephraim.

Author Grant Jeffrey found the sermon in Paul Alexander's 1985 book "The
Byzantine Apocalyptic Tradition". Grant Jeffrey refers to the following passage as
proof that the doctrine of a pretribulation rapture is nothing new, but is actually quite
old:
"Believe you me, dearest brother, because the coming of the Lord is nigh,
believe you me, because the end of the world is at hand, believe me, because it
is the very last time. Or do you not believe unless you see with your eyes? See to
it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares:
"Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!" For all the saints and elect
of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the
Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our
sins."

Although this may indeed be a reference to an early pretribulation rapture doctrine,

there is absolutely no proof that this sermon influenced any sizable group of people in
the Church. Throughout the ages the Church has had to counter many unorthodox
teachings. The fact that there is no record of the Church Fathers having to battle this
 aberrant idea shows how isolated and inconsequential its influence was. The whole
concept of a pretribulation rapture appears to have originated and perished with the
unknown author himself.

Anyone who has taken the time to read the many hymns and writings of the true
Ephraim of Syria (306-373) will not find ANY hint of a belief in a pretribulation
rapture. In fact, there are no known quotes from Ehpraim the Syrian which deal with
the timing of the tribulation or rapture. Nevertheless, given that his life and work
were so highly esteemed by his contemporaries, it may be assumed that his theology
reflected the orthodox teachings of the Church - teachings that do NOT include a
pretribulation rapture of the Church.

The following quote is taken from a work that may also be pseudopigraphical. It is
listed here to show that others who capitalized on the reputation of Ephraim had a
decidedly posttribulation theology:
Sermo Asceticus
Nothing remains then, except that the coming of our enemy, Antichrist, appear...

With all of the above in mind, the aberrant teachings of Pseudo-Ephraim can
therefore be dismissed as irrelevant. His words and views have nothing to do with the
rise of modern pretribulation teachings.

Morgan Edwards:
Apart from the work of Pseudo-Ephraim (c. 400-600 ? A.D.), an essay published by
Morgan Edwards stands as the earliest known reference to a pretribulation rapture
theory. It was written somewhere between 1742 and 1744 while Morgan Edwards
was a student at Bristol Baptist Seminary in England.

His tutor had given him the assignment to write an essay for his eschatology class on
the end times – using a literal method of interpretation. The resulting 56 page essay
was published much later on (in 1788) under the title: Two Academical Exercises on
Subjects Bearing the following Titles; Millennium, Last-Novelties.

As his personal notes indicate, the essay was merely an intellectual exercise and the
views expressed were never assumed to be Morgan Edwards true belief about the end
times. There is no record of him ever preaching this doctrine as a Baptist preacher and
no record of his influencing anyone by his hypothetical views, neither in England nor
in America.
Pages 5-6
And is it come to my lot to treat of the Millennium, or Christ's thousand years
reign on earth? Thousand pities, sir, that you had not allotted the task to one of
these older and abler students! But, since it is your pleasure, I will do my
possible: and in the attempt will work by a rule you have often recommended,
viz. "to take the scriptures in a literal sense, except when that leads to
contradiction or absurdity." I need say no more to inform you, sir, that I wish to
be understood as a minister of the letter only while I treat of the said
Millennium. Very able men have already handled the subject in a mystical, or
 allegorical, or spiritual way: and could I rest satisfied with their sentiments, and
deliver them perhaps with applause; as that would show my reading, - and at the
same time, free a novice from the affectation of singularity and taking too much
upon him, like another son of Levi

Page 7
II. The distance between the first and second resurrection will be somewhat
more than a thousand years.
I say, somewhat more --; because the dead saints will be raised, and the living
changed at Christ's "appearing in the air" (I Thes. iv. 17); and this will be about
three years and a half before the millennium, as we shall see hereafter: but will
he and they abide in the air all that time? No: they will ascend to paradise, or to
some one of those many "mansions in the father's house" (John xiv. 2), and so
disappear during the foresaid period of time. The design of this retreat and
disappearing will be to judge the risen and changed saints; for "now the time is
come that judgment must begin," and that will be "at the house of God" (I Pet.
iv. 17)...

Page 21
Another event previous to the millennium will be the appearing of the son of
man in the clouds, coming to raise the dead saints and change the living, and to
catch them up to himself, and then withdraw with them, as observed before. This
event will come to pass when Antichrist be arrived at Jerusalem in his conquest
of the world; and about three years and a half before his killing the witnesses
and assumption of godhead.

At the end of the original essay, Morgan wrote a few personal words to his professor
and his professor replied:
Morgan: "I wonder, Sir, if your patience be not exhausted with the length, and
perhaps, nonsense of my sermon?"

Professor: "You finished your discourse with a supposition that the length and
nonsense of it had tried my patience. If you used lightness you are to blame. But
as I hope you are always in earnest when you study the things of God, I have to
assure you that the novelty and ingenuity of your attempt have entertained me
not a little. And when you are more master of time than at present, I advise you
to study your subject closely, and you will see cause to alter some parts of your
plan, and correct errors of others. - You also dropped a hint or two touching the
New Heaven and the New Earth, which sounded a little strange. Let us hear
what you have to say on those subjects, when it comes your turn to appear in
that desk again."

Once again, we see that this exception to the rule has nothing to do with our modern
day pretribulation rapture theory. Morgan Edward's hypothetical venture into
theological novelty was little more than an intellectual exercise and nothing more. To
find the beginnings of this theory, we have to move ahead in time.

The Revivals of the Early 1800's:

The origin of the pretribulation rapture theory, as it is taught today, is less than 200
years old. It can be traced back to a period sometime between the late 1820's and the
 early 1830's in Scotland and England where revivals had broken out and a renewed
interest in the gifts of the Spirit had drawn considerable attention.

Edward Irving was an eloquent preacher in the Church of Scotland. In 1825 he began
to preach the futurist/dispensational views inspired by Father Manuel de Lacunza's
1790 book "The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty". Edward became so
fascinated by Father Lacunza's futurist and literal method of interpretation of the end-
time scriptures and his dispensational framework that by 1827 he had translated
Lacunza's book into English.

When Edward's published his translation of Lacunza's book, he appended a 194- page
"preliminary discourse" of his own eschatology and his own analysis of de Lacunza's
eschatology. By this time, Irving had already concluded that God had one plan for the
Church and a different plan for the Jews - an idea that would later lead Edward Irving
and others to erroneous conclusions about the end-times. There was, however, no hint
of a pretribulation rapture of the Church at this time.

In 1828, his open air meetings in Scotland Edwards drew crowds of 10,000 people
and his church in London, which seated one thousand people, was packed week after
week. Captivated by the prospect of living in the end times Edward began preaching
about a great Pentecostal outpouring that would occur before the return of Christ. He
claimed that this outpouring would include the restoration of Apostles and prophets to
the Church.

Among the many people who experienced such a revival was a 15-year-old Scottish
lass by the name of Margaret MacDonald. Gifts of healing, tongues, prophecies, and
other manifestations of the Spirit were reportedly occurring during the "prayer
meetings" in the MacDonald home. News of these supernatural manifestations of the
Spirit spread throughout Scotland, England and Ireland, drawing many of the curious.

Margaret MacDonald's Vision in Glasgow Scotland, c. 1830:

Some researchers have attempted to trace the rise of the pretribulation rapture
doctrine to Margaret MacDonald's end-time "revelation". Upon closer inspection of
her actual "revelation", however, this accusation simply does not hold up.

In her revelation (see below), Margaret stated that when Christ returned, he would
only rapture believing Christians. She said that the Church would go through the
tribulation and be terrorized by the Antichrist. True believers would be tried, purged
and purified by the ordeal. Those Christians who experience the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit will be in a better position to avoid the upcoming deceptions, dangers and
entanglements of the end-times.

When Margaret received this "revelation" (around 1830) she sent written copies of it
to a number of Christian leaders. Her vision was later published in 1840 by Robert
Norton in his book "Memoirs of James & George Macdonald, of Port Glasgow"
(London: John F. Shaw, 1840, pp. 171-176). Norton published it once more in 1861
 in "The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets; In the Catholic Apostolic Church" (pp.
15- 18). Below is an excerpt of Margaret's "vision":
"Only those who have the light of God within them will see the sign of his
appearance. No need to follow them who say, see here, or see there, for his day
shall be as the lightning to those in whom the living Christ is. 'Tis Christ in us
that will lift us up - he is the light - 'tis only those that are alive in him that will
be caught up to meet him in the air. … Oh none will be counted worthy of this
calling but his body, which is the church, and which must be a candlestick all of
gold. … I felt that those who were filled with the Spirit could see spiritual
things, and feel walking in the midst of them, while those who had not the Spirit
could see nothing - so that two shall be in one bed, the one taken and the other
left, because the one has the light of God within while the other cannot see the
Kingdom of Heaven. I saw the people of God in an awfully dangerous situation,
surrounded by nets and entanglements, about to be tried, and many about to be
deceived and fall. Now will THE WICKED be revealed, with all power and
signs and lying wonders, so that if it were possible the very elect will be
deceived - This is the fiery trial which is to try us. - It will be for the purging and
purifying of the real members of the body of Jesus; but Oh it will be a fiery trial.
… The Spirit must and will be poured out on the church, that she may be
purified and filled with God - and just in proportion as the Spirit of God works,
so will he when our Lord anoints men with power, so will he. This is
particularly the nature of the trial, through which those are to pass who will be
counted worthy to stand before the Son of man. There will be outward trial too,
but `tis principally temptation. It is brought on by the outpouring of the Spirit,
and will just increase in proportion as the Spirit is poured out. The trial of the
Church is from Antichrist. It is by being filled with the Spirit that we shall be
kept. I frequently said, Oh be filled with the Spirit - have the light of God in you,
that you may detect satan - be full of eyes within - be clay in the hands of the
potter - submit to be filled, filled with God This will build the temple. … Oh! it
is needed, much needed at present, a leading back to the cross. I saw that night,
and often since, that there will be an outpouring of the Spirit on the body, such
as has not been, a baptism of fire, that all the dross may be put away."

The only way anyone can get a pretribulation rapture doctrine out of this is to read
such a doctrine into it. Unfortunately, both sides of this argument have done this.

In later "revelations", however, it seems that Margaret went a bit too far by claiming
that Robert Owen was the Antichrist. Robert Owen (1771 - 1858), was an atheistic
anti- christian Welsh industrialist and liberal minded socialist reformer who believed
that human character would be greatly improved in a cooperative society rather than
in the traditional family. While he was certainly anti-christian in his many of his
views and practices, he was definitely not the long awaited Antichrist.

Edward Irving and John Nelson Darby

In about the year 1830 Irving received the letter from Margaret MacDonald relating
her vision. According to an 1865 book entitled "The Life of Edward Irving" by Mrs.
Oliphant (published by Hurst and Blackett, London) Edward Irving wrote a letter to a
"Mr. Chalmers." In this letter (dated June 2, 1830) Irving states that Mary Campbell's,
Margaret Macdonald's, and Mary Dunlop's visions or revelations gave him "a
spiritual conviction and a spiritual reproof which I cannot express." Within a year or
 so of this date we find the modern pretribulation rapture theory emerging for the first
time.

At the same time, John Nelson Darby (co-founder of the Plymouth Brethren) had also
read the dispensational work of Father Lacunza, and had been keeping abreast of the
goings on in Edward Irving's church via "The Morning Watch" publication. Attracted
by the revival, John Darby is said to have spent 3 days in 1830 with the MacDonald
family. Like Edward Irving, John Darby was much impressed by Margaret's visions
and prophesies.

In Ireland, the 1831 Powerscourt Conference gave Edward Irving and John Darby a
chance to meet many others and gave each an opportunity express their views and
experiences. According to R. Cameron's book "Scriptural Truth About the Lord's
Return" (pp. 70-72, as cited by Bob Gundry in his book "The Church and the
Tribulation - p. 187) it was during this Conference that:
"An ex-clergyman of the Church of Ireland by the name of Tweedy seems to
have played an important part in helping Darby and the Dublin group of
Brethren to skirt the posttribulational import of the Olivet Discourse [Matthew
24] by relegating it to a dispensationally Jewish application"

It seems then that the artificial distinctions of their hyper-dispensational beliefs soon
colored everything that these men read – whether it was the scriptures themselves or a
letter from Margaret MacDonald. This continues to be a problem in the Church to this
very day. In any case, it was only a few months after the 1831 Powerscourt
Conference that we find the doctrine of a pretribulation being taught and developed in
various assemblies.

The Spread of the Pretribulation Rapture Theory

Although there is much wrangling among researchers over the exact sequence of
events, it seems quite clear that the participants of this revival, its leaders, and their
ideas and experiences, all began to influence one another during this time. Irving
seems to have led the way initially, with a reluctant Darby finally becoming (after
nearly 10 years) one of the greatest advocates of the pretribulation rapture theory and
dispensationalism.

Controversy exists amongst researchers as to when and how Darby came to change
his beliefs so radically. Darby says he changed his mind when he adopted a literal
approach to passages such as 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-2 (see William E. Bell's 1967
doctoral dissertation for New York University, A Critical Evaluation of the
Pretribulation Rapture Doctrine in Christian Eschatology, pp. 60-61, 64-65).

While many Plymouth Brethren quickly accepted these new beliefs at a time when
revival and spiritual gifts seemed to be breaking out, a number of other Brethren
(such as: Samuel P. Tregelles, B. W. Newton, George Muller, William Booth, and
Charles Spurgeon) opposed these new doctrines as both unsound and unscriptural.
 Darby went on to found Plymouth Brethren churches as far away as Germany,
Switzerland, France and the United States - visiting the United States some six times
to help spread his views.

In 1861, Robert Norton authored the book "The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets;
In the Catholic Apostolic Church". Norton took a favorable view of the Irvingite
movement, writing in the preface that his book was offered "as proofs or illustrations
of its heavenly origin and character." In this book, Norton credited Margaret
MacDonald as the first to proclaim the "new doctrine" of a pretrib rapture, which was
picked up by Edward Irving.
Page 15
Marvellous light was shed upon Scripture, and especially on the doctrine of the
second Advent, by the revived spirit of prophecy. In the following account by
Miss M. M. -, of an evening during which the power of the Holy Ghost rested
upon her for several successive hours, in mingled prophecy and vision, we have
an instance; for here we first see the distinction between that final stage of the
Lord's coming, when every eye shall see Him, and His prior appearing in glory
to them that look for Him.

Cyrus Ingerson Scofield was greatly influenced by the writings of J. N. Darby. In

1882 Scofield (1843-1921) moved to Dallas, where he became the pastor of the First
Congregational Church. In 1902, he began work on the Scofield Reference Bible
which incorporated many of Darby's dispensational futurist views (including the
pretribulation rapture) in the copious reference notes. First published by Oxford
University Press in 1909, one million copies were printed by 1930.

The Scofield Reference Bible was instrumental in popularizing and firmly

establishing the Futurist/Dispensational views in Protestant Bible schools of the
United States in the 20th century. Scofield traveled widely and lectured in the United
States and Europe, and from 1895 to 1915 he was head over the Scofield Bible
Correspondence School.

As the years progressed, these doctrines have been further developed and
disseminated around the globe by very vocal and active elements in the Church today.
In the United States, one of the most influential proponents was the late John
Walvoord (see below). His hyper-dispensational pretribulation rapture views continue
to be spread by many modern day authors, teachers, preachers, evangelists and
missionaries. One would be hard-pressed to find someone in modern times whose
influence has been so far reaching.

Walvoord's Own Admission:

John Flipse Walvoord (1910-2002) was the Professor of Systematic Theology at
Dallas Theological Seminary for over fifty years, and served as the president of the
seminary from 1953 to 1986, then becoming its Chancellor and Chancellor emeritus.
As a writer, professor, and theologian Walvoord was a major force in defining and
promoting contemporary pretribulational premillenialism ideology.
Never-the-less, on page 148 of Dr. John F. Walvoord's book "The Rapture Question"
(Findlay, OH: n.d., 1957, first printing), he makes a frank admission:
"The fact is that neither posttribulationism or pretribulationism is an explicit
teaching of the Scriptures. The Bible does not, in so many words, state either."

As the remainder of this work will demonstrate, the New Testament teaching of a
posttribulation rapture is quite clear - despite Walvoord's words to the contrary. What
is striking here is Walvvord's admission that his OWN position is not an explicit
teaching of the scripture. Either he must have thought better of such an admission or
someone else must have drawn his attention to the matter. Either way, Walvoord's
1957 admission was deleted from all later printings of his book.

Walvoord not only admits that the pretribulation rapture is not explicitly taught in
scripture, he also admits it cannot be found in the teachings of the Church Fathers:
"... it may be conceded that ... [the] pretribulationalism [i.e. the Secret Rapture
theory] of today is not found in the early church Fathers ..." - quoted in Charles
Caldwell Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today. Chicago: Moody Press, 1965. p. 47

Furthermore, Walvoord admits that the doctrine of a pretribulation rapture is a

theological contrivance which dispensational thinking requires.
"All agree that saints will be found in the tribulation. Pretribulationism
necessarily requires a distinction between these saints and the saints of the
present age forming the church." [p. 148]

"If the church is to be judged, rewarded, and joined to Christ in the symbol of
marriage before the Second Advent, an interval of time is required." [p. 84]

Below are two pages photocopied from Walvoord's 1957 book:

 Photocopies were posted on a web page entitled: "For the Record: A Response"
January 2004 (?)
By Rev. Charles Cooper
at Sola Scriptura:
http://www.solagroup.org/articles/endtimes/et_0017.html

H.A. Ironside’s Own Admission:

Pretribulation rapture advocate H. A. Ironside (an influential home missionary,
evangelist, Bible teacher, and a member of the Plymouth Brethren, 1876 – 1951)
admitted the novelty of the pre-trib doctrine in his book "The Mysteries of God"
(New York, Loizeaux Brothers, 1908), pp. 50-51. [Cited in Daniel P. Fuller's book,
"Gospel and Law" (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdmans, 1980), p. 13.]
[U]ntil brought to the fore through the writings and the preaching and teaching
of a distinguished ex-clergyman, Mr. J. N. Darby, in the early part of the last
century [i.e., the nineteenth century], it is scarcely to be found in a single book
or sermon through the period of sixteen hundred years! If any doubt this
statement, let them search, as the writer has in measure done, the remarks of the
so-called Fathers, both pre- and post-Nicene; the theological treatises of the
scholastic divines; Roman Catholic writers of all shades of thought; the
literature of the Reformation; the sermons and expositions of the Puritans; and
 the general theological works of the day. He will find the "mystery" conspicuous
by its absence.

Thomas Ice’s Own Admission:

In an article entitled "The Origin of the Pretrib Rapture: Part II", that appeared in the
March/April 1989 edition of "Biblical Perspectives", vol. 5, Thomas Ice (a strong
proponent of the pre-trib rapture) echoes the statement made by Walvoord (see
above):
"neither pre nor posttribs have a proof text for the time of the Rapture." [The
doctrine, therefore,] "is the product of a deduction from one's overall system of
theology, both for pre and posttribbers."

My thanks to Gary DeMar (a nonmillenarian partial preterist) for the above quote.

John MacArthur's Own Admission:

In a transcript of a question and answer session with John MacArthur (renowned
Bible Commentator preacher author and teacher) at Grace Community Church (tape:
GC 70-16, entitled “Bible Questions and Answers"), John admits:
“I really believe that they [dispensationalists] got carried away and started
imposing on Scripture things that aren’t in Scripture. For example, traditionally,
Dispensationalism says, “The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) has nothing
to do with us, so we don’t need to worry about it.” When I went through the
Sermon on the Mount in writing my commentary, as well, I pointed out how
foolish that is.
...
So let me tell you, I have been accused through the years of being a “leaky
dispensationalist” and I suppose I am.”

That, in a nutshell, provides a basic understanding of how the idea of a pretribulation

rapture got started. To be sure, people will continue to argue about the specifics of
"who when where why and how", but one thing is for certain: the modern conception
of a pretribulation rapture simply cannot be traced back much further than the early
1800's.
Sound Doctrine Versus the Doctrinal Deceptions
of Human Tradition
As we shall see, those who promote a pretribulation rapture have been deceived and
have turned away from the sound doctrines of the faith as it has been handed down to
us by the Apostlic Fathers of the Church. The adherents of the hyper-dispensational
persuasion have a difficult time seeing this due to the layers and layers of
misconceptions and artificial distinctions that their traditions impose on the
scriptures. As I consider the future end-time events which will unfold over the
coming years I cannot help feel considerable sadness and frustration at my obstinant
brothers and sisters in Christ who refuse to give serious ear to sound doctrine.

As Paul warns Timothy:

(2 Tim. 4:3-4)
... the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having
itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts; (4) and
will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables.

Such a fable is the doctrine of a pretribulation rapture of the Church. Those who teach
such a doctrine are guilty of:
(Mk. 7:13)
making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down.
…

Paul gives further warning of this kind of doctrinal deceit:

(Col. 2:8)
Be careful that you don't let anyone rob you through his philosophy and vain
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after
Christ.

He exhorts us to:
(2 Thess. 2:15)
… stand firm, and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by
word, or by letter.

(Rom. 16:17-18)
Now I beg you, brothers, look out for those who are causing the divisions and
occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn
away from them. (18) For those who are such don't serve our Lord, Jesus Christ,
but their own belly; and by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the
hearts of the innocent.

Paul also proclaims:

(2 Cor. 4:2)
But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness,
 nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth,
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

In a similar vein, Paul gives a rather stern condemnation of those who spread false
gospels:
(Gal. 1:9-10)
As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any
gospel other than that which you received, let him be cursed. (10) For am I now
seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I
were still pleasing men, I wouldn't be a servant of Christ.

We are told to prefer sound doctrine:

(Tit. 1:9)
holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be
able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict ...

(1Ti 6:3-5)
If anyone teaches a different doctrine, and doesn't consent to sound words, the
words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to
godliness, (4) he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments,
disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil
suspicions, (5) constant friction of people of corrupt minds and destitute of the
truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from
such.

Jude also gives a similar exhortation:

(Jude 1:3)
Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I
was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints.

May we heed these warnings and exhortations and begin to prepare the Church for the
dark days ahead, no matter what the cost.

We will now examine the testimony of the Church on this most timely topic.
 The Testimony of the Church
from the Beginning to More Recent Times:
The following are statements supporting a posttribulation rapture made by notables
from the Early Church all the way up to respected scholars and clergymen of more
recent times.

In many places the quotations below are brief and to the point. In other instances,
however, I decided to include a number of relevant quotes. Some of the citations are
rather lengthy so as to provide the context needed for understanding (my apologies to
the casual reader). Then, to help clarify matters, I have also interspersed a few notes
when I felt it necessary.

I am indebted to a number of Internet sources for much of the content below. I took a
lot of time to verify most of them and to add a few extra when I ran across them in
my research.

You are now encouraged to lay aside your preconceived ideas, be teachable and
correctable, and to let the sound hermeneutical methods of context, culture, language
and history join hands with the Spirit of God in guiding you into all truth.

Ante-Nicene Fathers - 70 to 325 A.D.

The Didache (70-80/100)
Also known as the Teaching of the Twelve Aposles, the Didache dates from 60-100
to as late as possible 150 A.D. in its final form. Many scholars believe it to be closer
to 70 or 80 A.D. While few, if any, scholars attribute this document directly to the
Apostles themselves, many do tend to agree that its teaching reflect very early
teachings and practices that existed in the Early Church. A number of the church
fathers appear to be familiar with it: Hermas, Irenæus, Clement of Alexandria,
Origen, Optatus, Justin, Tatian, Theophilus, Cyprian, and Lactantius. It is classed by
Eusebius among the spurious works that were not to be included in the canon of
Scripture.

In the Didache we find the very clear teaching that the Antichrist comes first and then
the resurrection of the dead:
16:
3 For in the last days the false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and
the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate. 4 For as
lawlessness increases, they shall hate one another and shall persecute and betray.
And then the world- deceiver shall appear as a son of God; and shall work signs
and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands; and he shall do
unholy things, which have never been since the world began. 5 Then all created
mankind shall come to the fire of testing, and many shall be offended and
perish; but they that endure in their faith shall be saved by the Curse Himself. 6
 And then shall the signs of the truth appear; first a sign of a rift in the heaven,
then a sign of a voice of a trumpet, and thirdly a resurrection of the dead;

The Epistle of Barnabas (40-100)

Chapter 4:
The final stumbling-block (or source of danger) approaches, concerning which it
is written, as Enoch says, "For this end the Lord has cut short the times and the
days, that His Beloved may hasten; and He will come to the inheritance." And
the prophet also speaks thus: "Ten kingdoms shall reign upon the earth, and a
little king shall rise up after them, who shall subdue under one three of the
kings. In like manner Daniel says concerning the same, "And I beheld the fourth
beast, wicked and powerful, and more savage than all the beasts of the earth, and
how from it sprang up ten horns, and out of them a little budding horn, and how
it subdued under one three of the great horns." … Now, being desirous to write
many things to you, not as your teacher, but as becometh one who loves you, I
have taken care not to fail to write to you from what I myself possess, with a
view to your purification. We take earnest heed in these last days; for the whole
[past] time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked time
we also withstand coming sources of danger, as becometh the sons of God. That
the Black One [Antichrist] may find no means of entrance, let us flee from every
vanity, let us utterly hate the works of the way of wickedness. … Take heed, lest
resting at our ease, as those who are the called [of God], we should fall asleep in
our sins, and the wicked prince [Antichrist], acquiring power over us, should
thrust us away from the kingdom of the Lord. And all the more attend to this,
my brethren, when ye reflect and behold, that after so great signs and wonders
were wrought in Israel, they were thus [at length] abandoned. Let us beware lest
we be found [fulfilling that saying], as it is written, "Many are called, but few
are chosen."

The Pastor/Shepherd of Hermes (40-140)

In his 2nd vision he is given a little book with strange writing in it, which, when he is
allowed to understand its symbols discovers that the saints must repent and go
through the great tribulation:
Hermas 1[5]:
3 But after I had risen up from prayer, I behold before me the aged lady, whom
also I had seen last year, walking and reading a little book. And she saith to me,
"Canst thou report these things to the elect of God?" I say unto her, "Lady, I
cannot recollect so much; but give me the little book, that I may copy it." "Take
it," saith she, "and be sure and return it to me." 4 I took it, and retiring to a
certain spot in the country I copied it letter for letter: for I could not make out
the syllables. When then I had finished the letters of the book, suddenly the book
was snatched out of my hand; but by whom I did not see.

Hermas 2[6]:
1 Now after fifteen days, when I had fasted and entreated the Lord earnestly, the
knowledge of the writing was revealed to me. … 2 "Thy seed, Hermas, have
sinned against God … 3 … make these words known to all thy children, and to
thy wife … 4 … and to all the saints that have sinned unto this day … repent
with their whole heart, and remove double-mindedness from their heart. 7 Ye
therefore that work righteousness be steadfast, and be not double-minded, that
ye may have admission with the holy angels. Blessed are YE, as many as endure
patiently the great tribulation that cometh, and as many as shall not deny their
 life. 8 For the Lord swear concerning His Son, that those who denied their Lord
should be rejected from their life, even they that are now about to deny Him in
the coming days; but to those who denied Him aforetime, to them mercy was
given of His great loving kindness.

In his 4th vision he sees an enormous and terrifying beast. An angelic figure
interprets this vision by saying the beast symbolizes the coming great tribulation. The
angel tells him that the saints that are alive and have escaped from the world (ie from
its temptations lies deceptions and guilt) will be purified like gold by going through
the fiery ordeal of the great tribulation.
Hermas 1[22]:
1 The fourth vision which I saw, brethren, twenty days after the former vision
which came unto me, for a type of the impending tribulation. … 5 And I went on
a little, brethren, and behold, I see a cloud of dust rising as it were to heaven,
and I began to say within myself, "Can it be that cattle are coming, and raising a
cloud of dust?" for it was just about a stade from me. 6 As the cloud of dust
waxed greater and greater, I suspected that it was something supernatural. Then
the sun shone out a little, and behold, I see a huge beast like some sea-monster,
and from its mouth fiery locusts issued forth. And the beast was about a hundred
feet in length, and its head was as it were of pottery. 10 And the beast had on its
head four colors; black then fire and blood color, then gold, then white.

Hermas 2[23]:
1 Now after I had passed the beast, and had gone forward about thirty feet,
behold, there meeteth me a virgin arrayed as if she were going forth from a
bridal- chamber all in white and with white sandals, veiled up to her forehead,
and her head- covering consisted of a turban, and her hair was white. 2 I knew
from the former Visions that it was the Church, … 5 "Go therefore, and declare
to the elect of the Lord His mighty works, and tell them that this beast is a type
of the great tribulation which is to come. If therefore ye prepare yourselves
beforehand, and repent (and turn) unto the Lord with your whole heart, ye shall
be able to escape it, if your heart be made pure and without blemish, and if for
the remaining days of your life ye serve the Lord blamelessly. Cast your cares
upon the Lord and He will set them straight."

Hermas 3[24]:
1 I asked her concerning the four colors, which the beast had upon its head.
Then she answered me and said, "Again thou art curious about such matters."
"Yes, lady," said I, "make known unto me what these things are." 2 "Listen,"
said she; "the black is this world in which ye dwell; 3 and the fire and blood
color showeth that this world must perish by blood and fire; 4 and the golden
part are YE that has escaped from this world. For as the gold is tested by the fire
and is made useful, so YE ALSO [that dwell in it] are being tested in yourselves.
Ye then that abide and pass through the fire will be purified by it. For as the old
loses its dross. so Ye also shall cast away all sorrow and tribulation, and shall be
purified, and shall be useful for the building of the tower. 5 But the white
portion is the coming age, in which the elect of God shall dwell; because the
elect of God shall be without spot and pure unto life eternal. 6 Wherefore cease
not thou to speak in the ears of the saints. Ye have now the symbolism also of
the tribulation which is coming in power. But if ye be willing, it shall be nought.
Remember ye the things that are written beforehand." 7 With these words she
departed, and I saw not in what direction she departed; for a noise was made:
and I turned back in fear, thinking that the beast was coming.
Justin Martyr (100-168)
Justin, who lived near the time of the apostle John (who died c. 100 A.D.), wrote the
following
"Dialogue of Justin - Philosopher and Martyr - with Trypho, a Jew"
Chapter 110:
O unreasoning men! understanding not what has been proved by all these
passages, that two advents of Christ have been announced: the one, in which He
is set forth as suffering, inglorious, dishonored, and crucified; but the other, in
which He shall come from heaven with glory, WHEN the man of apostasy, who
speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful deeds
on the earth AGAINST US the Christians,

"The First Apology of Justin" – Christ's 2nd advent includes the resurrection
and judgment
Chapter 52:
For the prophets have proclaimed two advents of His [Christ]: the one, that
which is already past, when He came as a dishonored and suffering Man; but the
second, when, according to prophecy, He shall come from heaven with glory,
accompanied by His angelic host, when also He shall raise the bodies of all men
who have lived, and shall clothe those of the worthy with immortality, and shall
send those of the wicked, endued with eternal sensibility, into everlasting fire
with the wicked devils.

Melito (100-170)
Discourse on the Resurrection
i, 8
For with all his strength did the adversary assail us, even then giving a foretaste
of his activity among us [during the Great Tribulation] which is to be without
restraint...

Irenaeus (130-202 A.D.)

Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, as Polycarp had been a disciple of the Apostle
John.
Against Heresies
Book 3, Chapter 26
1. In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord's
disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who
shall then arise, among whom the empire which now rules [the earth] shall be
partitioned. He teaches us what the ten horns shall be which were seen by
Daniel, telling us that thus it had been said to him: "And the ten horns which
thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but shall
receive power as if kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and
give their strength and power to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb,
and the Lamb shall overcome them, because He is the Lord of lords and the
King of kings." It is manifest, therefore, that of these [potentates], he who is to
come shall slay three, and subject the remainder to his power, and that he shall
be himself the eighth among them. And they shall lay Babylon waste, and burn
her with fire, and shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the Church to
flight. After that they shall be destroyed by the coming of our Lord.
Chapter 27
For "He came to divide a man against his father, and the daughter against the
mother, and the daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law;" and when two are
in one bed, to take the one, and to leave the other; and of two women grinding at
the mill, to take one and leave the other: [also] at the time of the end, to order
the reapers to collect first the tares together, and bind them in bundles, and burn
them with unquenchable fire, but to gather up the wheat into the barn; and to call
the lambs into the kingdom prepared for them, but to send the goats into
everlasting fire, which has been prepared by His Father for the devil and his
angels. And why is this? Has the Word come for the ruin and for the resurrection
of many? For the ruin, certainly, of those who do not believe Him, to whom also
He has threatened a greater damnation in the judgment-day than that of Sodom
and Gomorrah; but for the resurrection of believers, and those who do the will of
His Father in heaven. If then the advent of the Son comes indeed alike to all, but
is for the purpose of judging, and separating the believing from the unbelieving,
…

Chapter 28
… tribulation is necessary for those who are saved, that having been after a
manner broken up, and rendered fine, and sprinkled over by the patience of the
Word of God, and set on fire [for purification], they may be fitted for the royal
banquet. As a certain man of ours said, when he was condemned to the wild
beasts because of his testimony with respect to God: "I am the wheat of Christ,
and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure
bread of God."

Chapter 29
2. And there is therefore in this beast [Antichrist], when he comes, a
recapitulation made of all sorts of iniquity and of every deceit, in order that all
apostate power, flowing into and being shut up in him, may be sent into the
furnace of fire. Fittingly, therefore, shall his name possess the number six
hundred and sixty-six, … [Antichrist] also sums up every error of devised idols
since the flood, …

Chapter 30
1. … some have erred … and have vitiated the middle number in the name,
deducting the amount of fifty from it, … Moreover, another danger, by no
means trifling, shall overtake those who falsely presume that they know the
name of Antichrist. For if these men assume one [number], when this
[Antichrist] shall come having another, they will be easily led away by him, as
supposing him not to be the expected one, who must be guarded against.
2. These men, therefore, ought to learn [what really is the state of the case], and
go back to the true number of the name, that they be not reckoned among false
prophets. But … let them await, in the first place, the division of the kingdom
into ten; then, in the next place, when these kings are reigning, and beginning to
set their affairs in order, and advance their kingdom, [let them learn] to
acknowledge that he who shall come claiming the kingdom for himself, and
shall terrify those men of whom we have been speaking, having a name
containing the aforesaid number, is truly the abomination of desolation.
…
4. But he indicates the number of the name now, that when this man comes WE
may avoid him, being aware who he is: … But when this Antichrist shall have
devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months,
and sit in the temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in
 the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow
him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the
kingdom, that is, the rest, the hallowed seventh day;

Chapter 35
1. If, however, any shall endeavor to allegorize [prophecies] of this kind, they
shall not be found consistent with themselves in all points, … "For, behold,"
says Isaiah, "the day of the LORD cometh past remedy, full of fury and wrath,
to lay waste the city of the earth, and to root sinners out of it." And again he
says, "Let him be taken away, that he behold not the glory of God." And when
these things are done, he says, "God will remove men far away, and those that
are left shall multiply in the earth." "And they shall build houses, and shall
inhabit them themselves: and plant vineyards, and eat of them themselves." For
all these and other words were unquestionably spoken in reference to the
resurrection of the just, which takes place after the coming of Antichrist, and the
destruction of all nations under his rule; … the righteous shall reign in the earth,
waxing stronger by the sight of the Lord: and through Him they shall become
accustomed to partake in the glory of God the Father, and shall enjoy in the
kingdom intercourse and communion with the holy angels, and union with
spiritual beings; and [with respect to] those whom the Lord shall find in the
flesh, awaiting Him from heaven, and who have suffered tribulation, as well as
escaped the hands of the Wicked one.

Tertullian (150-220/240 A.D.)

On the Resurrection of the Flesh
Chapter 22
I apprehend, previous to Christ's coming, our prayers are directed towards the
end of this world, to the passing away thereof at the great day of the Lord — of
His wrath and vengeance — the last day, … announced beforehand by signs and
wonders, and the dissolution of the elements, and the conflicts of nations. …
"there should be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, distress of
nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them
for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth."
"For," says He, "the powers of heaven shall be shaken; and then shall they see
the Son of man coming in the clouds, with power and great glory. And when
these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your
redemption draweth nigh." He spake of its "drawing nigh," not of its being
present already; and of "those things beginning to come to pass," not of their
having happened: because when they have come to pass, then our redemption
shall be at hand, which is said to be approaching up to that time, raising and
exciting our minds to what is then the proximate harvest of our hope. … "So
likewise ye," (He adds), "when ye shall see all these things come to pass, know
ye that the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand." "Watch ye, therefore, and pray
always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all those things, and to stand
before the Son of man;" that is, no doubt, at the resurrection, AFTER all these
things have been previously transacted.

Chapter 25
The souls of the martyrs are taught to wait [in Rev. 6]... that the beast Antichrist
with his false prophet may wage war on the Church of God; and that, after the
casting of the devil into the bottomless pit ...
Hippolytus of Rome, Bishop of Portus (160-240)
He was a disciple of Irenaeus, and he became the Bishop of Portus. After Irenaeus'
martyrdom, Hippolytus carried on Irenaeus' work of refuting heresies. Hippolytus'
eschatological work is even more extensive than Irenaeus'.
The interpretation by Hippolytus, (bishop) of Rome, of the visions of Daniel
and Nebuchadnezzar, taken in conjunction.
1. In speaking of a "lioness from the sea,"158 he meant the rising of the
kingdom of Babylon, and that this was the "golden head of the image." And in
speaking of its "eagle wings," be meant that king Nebuchadnezzar was exalted
and that his glory was lifted up against God. Then he says "its wings were
plucked off," i.e., that his glory was destroyed; for he was driven out of his
kingdom. And the words, "A man's heart was given it, and it was made stand
upon the feet of a man," mean that he came to himself again, and recognised that
he was but a man, and gave the glory to God. Then after the lioness he sees a
second beast, "like a bear," which signified the Persians. For after the
Babylonians the Persians obtained the power. And in saying that "it had three
ribs in its mouth," he pointed to the three nations, Persians, Medes, and
Babylonians, which were expressed in the image by the silver after the gold.
Then comes the third beast, "a leopard," which means the Greeks; for after the
Persians, Alexander of Macedon had the power, when Darius was overthrown,
which was also indicated by the brass in the image. And in saying that the beast
"had four wings of a fowl, and four heads," he showed most clearly how the
kingdom of Alexander was parted into four divisions. For in speaking of four
heads, he meant the four kings that arose out of it. For Alexander, when dying,
divided his kingdom into four parts. Then he says, "The fourth beast (was)
dreadful and terrible: it had iron teeth, and claws of brass." Who, then, are meant
by this but the Romans, whose kingdom, the kingdom that still stands, is
expressed by the iron? "for," says he, "its legs are of iron."
2. After this, then, what remains, beloved, but the toes of the feet of the image,
in which "part shall be of iron and part of clay mixed together? "By the toes of
the feet he meant, mystically, the ten kings that rise out of that kingdom. As
Daniel says, "I considered the beast; and, lo, (there were) ten horns behind,
among which shall come up another little horn springing from them; "by which
none other is meant than the antichrist that is to rise; and he shall set up the
kingdom of Judah. And in saying that "three horns" were "plucked up by the
roots" by this one, he indicates the three kings of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia,
whom this one will slay in the array of war. And when he has conquered all, he
will prove himself a terrible and savage tyrant, and will cause tribulation and
persecution to the saints, exalting himself against them. And after him, it
remains that "the stone" shall come from heaven which "smote the image" and
shivered it, and subverted all the kingdoms, and gave the kingdom to the saints
of the Most High. This "became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth."
3. As these things, then, are destined to come to pass, and as the toes of the
image turn out to be democracies,159 and the ten horns of the beast are
distributed among ten kings, let us look at what is before us more carefully, and
scan it, as it were, with open eye. The "golden head of the image" is identical
with the "lioness," by which the Babylonians were represented. "The golden
shoulders and the arms of silver" are the same with the "bear," by which the
Persians and Medes are meant. "The belly and thighs of brass" are the "leopard,"
by which the Greeks who ruled from Alexander onwards are intended. The "legs
of iron" are the "dreadful and terrible beast," by which the Romans who hold the
empire now are meant. The "toes of clay and iron" are the "ten horns" which are
to be. The "one other little horn springing up in their midst" is the "antichrist."
The stone that "smites the image and breaks it in pieces," and that filled the
whole earth, is Christ, who comes from heaven and brings judgment on the
world.
...
7. … When the times are fulfilled, and the ten horns spring from the beast in the
last (times), then Antichrist will appear among them. When he makes war
against the saints, and persecutes them, then may we expect the manifestation of
the Lord from heaven.
...
40. Daniel has spoken, therefore, of two abominations; the one of destruction,
and the other of desolation. What is that of destruction, but that which Antiochus
established there at the time? And what is that of desolation, but that which shall
be universal when Antichrist comes? "And there shall escape out of his hand,
Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon." For these are they
who ally themselves with him on account of their kinship, and first address him
as king. Those of Edom are the sons of Esau, who inhabit Mount Seir. And
Moab and Ammon are they who are descended from his two daughters, as Isaiah
also says: "And they shall fly (extend themselves) in the ships of strangers, and
they shall also plunder the sea; and those from the east, and from the west, and
the north, shall give them honour: and the children of Ammon shall first obey
them."He shall be proclaimed king by them, and shall be magnified by all, and
shall prove himself an abomination of desolation to the world, and shall reign
for a thousand two hundred and ninety days. "Blessed is he that waiteth, and
cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days; "for when the
abomination cometh and makes war upon the saints, whosoever shall survive his
days, and reach the forty-five days, while the other period of fifty days
advances, to him the kingdom of heaven comes. Antichrist, indeed, enters even
into part of the fifty days, but the saints shall inherit the kingdom along with
Christ.
...
43. By the stretching forth of His two hands He signified His passion; and by
mentioning "a time, and times, and an half, when the dispersion is
accomplished," He indicated the three years and a half of Antichrist. For by "a
time" He means a year, and by "times" two years, and by an "half time" half a
year. These are the thousand two hundred and ninety days of which Daniel
prophesied for the finishing of the passion, and the accomplishment of the
dispersion when Antichrist comes. In those days they shall know all these
things. And from the time of the removal of the continuous sacrifice there are
also reckoned one thousand two hundred and ninety days. (Then) iniquity shall
abound, as the Lord also says: "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold."
44. And that divisions will arise when the falling away takes place, is without
doubt. And when divisions arise, love is chilled. The words, "Blessed is he that
waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days,"
have also their value, as the Lord said: "But he that shall endure unto the end,
the same shall be saved." Wherefore let us by no means admit the falling away,
lest iniquity abound, and the abomination of desolation- that is, the adversary-
overtake us. And He said to him, "unto evening"-that is, unto the
consummation" and morning." What is "morning? "The day of resurrection. For
that is the beginning of another age, as the morning is the beginning of the day.
And the thousand and four hundred days are the light of the world. For on the
appearing of the light in the world (as He says, "I am the light of the world"), the
sanctuary shall be purged, as he said, (of) the adversary. For it cannot by any
means be purged but by his destruction.
...
50. But now we shall speak of what is before us. For such measures will he, too,
devise, seeking to afflict the saints in every way. For the prophet and apostle
 says: "Here is wisdom, Let him that hath understanding count the number of the
beast; for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred threescore
and six." With respect to his name, it is not in our power to explain it exactly, as
the blessed John understood it and was instructed about it, but only to give a
conjectural account of it; for when he appears, the blessed one will show us
what we seek to know. … Wherefore we ought neither to give it out as if this
were certainly his name, nor again ignore the fact that he may not be otherwise
designated. But having the mystery of God in our heart, we ought in fear to keep
faithfully what has been told us by the blessed prophets, in order that when those
things come to pass, we may be prepared for them, and not deceived. For when
the times advance, he too, of whom these thing are said, will be manifested.

Hippolytus, (bishop) of Rome, Scholia on Daniel

Chapter 7
17. "Which shall arise." For when the three beasts have finished their course,
and been removed, and the one still stands in vigour,-if this one, too, is removed,
then finally earthly things (shall) end, and heavenly things begin; that the
indissoluble and everlasting kingdom of the saints may be brought to view, and
the heavenly King manifested to all, no longer in figure, like one seen in vision,
or revealed in a pillar of cloud upon the top of a mountain, but amid the powers
and armies of angels, as God incarnate and man, Son of God and Son of man-
coming from heaven as the world's Judge.
...
19. "And I inquired about the fourth beast." It is to the fourth kingdom, of which
we have already spoken, that he here refers: that kingdom, than which no greater
kingdom of like nature has arisen upon the earth; from which also ten horns are
to spring, and to be apportioned among ten crowns. And amid these another
little horn shall rise, which is that of Antichrist. And it shall pluck by the roots
the three others before it; that is to say, he shall subvert the three kings of Egypt,
Libya, and Ethiopia, with the view of acquiring for himself universal dominion.
And after conquering the remaining seven horns, he will at last begin, inflated
by a strange and wicked spirit, to stir up war against the saints, and to persecute
all everywhere, with the aim of being glorified by all, and being worshipped as
God.
...
22. "Until the Ancient of days come." That is, when at length the Judge of
judges and the King of kings comes from heaven, who shall subvert the whole
dominion and power of the adversary, and shall consume all with the eternal fire
of punishment. But to His servants, and prophets, and martyrs, and to all who
fear Him, He will give an everlasting kingdom; that is, they shall possess the
endless enjoyment of good.
25. "Until a time, and times, and the dividing of time." This denotes three years
and a half.

Chapter 12
1. "There shall be a time of trouble." For at that time there shall be great trouble,
such as has not been from the foundation of the world, when some in one way,
and others in another, shall be sent through every city and country to destroy the
faithful; and the saints shall travel froth the west to the east, and shall be driven
in persecution from the east to the south, while others shall conceal themselves
in the mountains and caves; and the abomination shall war against them
everywhere, and shall cut them off by sea and by land by his decree, and shall
endeavour by every means to destroy them out of the world; and they shall not
be able any longer to sell their own property, nor to buy from strangers, unless
 one keeps and carries with him the name of the beast, or bears its mark upon his
forehead. For then they shall all be driven out from every place, and dragged
from their own homes and haled into prison, and punished with all manner of
punishment, and cast out from the whole world.
2. "These shall awake to everlasting life." That is, those who have believed in
the true life, and who have their names written in the book of life. "And these to
shame." That is, those who are attached to Antichrist, and who are cast with him
into everlasting punishment.
3. "And they that be wise shall shine." And the Lord has said the same thing in
the Gospel: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun."

Hippolytus, (bishop) of Rome, Dogmatical and Historical Treatise on Christ

and Antichrist
Section 61
And the dragon," he [John the Revelator] says [Rev. 12:14], "saw and
persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. And to the woman
were given two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness,
where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of
the serpent." That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days
(the half of the week) during which the tyrant [Antichrist] is to reign and
persecute the Church, which flees from city to city, and seeks concealment in
the wilderness among the mountains, possessed of no other defense than the two
wings of the great eagle, that is to say, the faith of Jesus Christ, who, in
stretching forth His holy hands on the holy tree, unfolded two wings, the right
and the left, and called to Him all who believed upon Him, and covered them as
a hen her chickens.

Hippolytus uses a series of scripture to illustrate the doctrine that there is a single
resurrection and a single co-joined judgment:
Section 65
Moreover, concerning the resurrection and the kingdom of the saints, Daniel
says, "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall arise, some to
everlasting life, (and some to shame and everlasting contempt)." Esaias says,
"The dead men shall arise, and they that are in their tombs shall awake; for the
dew from thee is healing to them." The Lord says, "Many in that day shall hear
the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live." And the prophet says,
"Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee
light." And John says, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power." For the second death is
the lake of fire that burneth. And again the Lord says, "Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun shineth in his glory." And to the saints He will say,
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world." But what saith He to the wicked? "Depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, which my
Father hath prepared."

Cyprian (200 to 258)

Epistle 54 - To the People of Thibaris, Exhorting to Martyrdom
Section 19
For even Antichrist, when he shall begin to come, shall not enter into the Church
because he threatens; neither shall we yield to his arms and violence, because he
declares that he will destroy us if we resist. Heretics arm us when they think that
 we are terrified by their threatenings; nor do they cast us down on our face, but
rather they lift us up and inflame us, when they make peace itself worse to the
brethren than persecution.

Epistle 55 - To the People of Thibaris, Exhorting to Martyrdom

Section 1
For as, by the condescension of the Lord instructing me, I am very often
instigated and warned, I ought to bring unto your conscience also the anxiety of
my warning. For you ought to know and to believe, and hold it for certain, that
the day of affliction has begun to hang over our heads, and the end of the world
and the time of Antichrist to draw near, so that we must all stand prepared for
the battle; nor consider anything but the glory of life eternal, and the crown of
the confession of the Lord; and not regard those things which are coming as
being such as were those which have passed away. A severer and a fiercer fight
is now threatening, for which the soldiers of Christ ought to prepare themselves
with uncorrupted faith and robust courage, considering that they drink the cup of
Christ's blood daily, for the reason that they themselves also may be able to shed
their blood for Christ.

Section 7
Nor let any one of you, beloved brethren, be so terrified by the fear of future
persecution, or the coming of the threatening Antichrist, as not to be found
armed for all things by the evangelical exhortations and precepts, and by the
heavenly warnings. Antichrist is coming, but above him comes Christ also. The
enemy goeth about and rageth, but immediately the Lord follows to avenge our
sufferings and our wounds.

Treatise 11- Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus

Section 1
You have desired, beloved Fortunatus that, since the burden of persecutions and
afflictions is lying heavy upon us, and in the ending and completion of the world
the hateful time of Antichrist is already beginning to draw near, I would collect
from the sacred Scriptures some exhortations for preparing and strengthening
the minds of the brethren, whereby I might animate the soldiers of Christ for the
heavenly and spiritual contest.

Section 13
The blessed Apostle Paul … says: "The sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the coming glory which shall be revealed in us."
Who, then, does not with all his powers labor to attain to such a glory that he
may become the friend of God, that he may at once rejoice with Christ, that after
earthly tortures and punishments he may receive divine rewards? If to soldiers of
this world it is glorious to return in triumph to their country when the foe is
vanquished, how much more excellent and greater is the glory, when the devil is
overcome, to return in triumph to paradise … to offer to God the most
acceptable gift — an uncorrupted faith, and an unyielding virtue of mind, an
illustrious praise of devotion; to accompany Him when He shall come to receive
vengeance from His enemies, to stand at His side when He shall sit to judge, to
become co-heir of Christ, to be made equal to the angels; with the patriarchs,
with the apostles. with the prophets, to rejoice in the possession of the heavenly
kingdom! Such thoughts as these, what persecution can conquer, what tortures
can overcome?
 The brave and steadfast mind, founded in religious meditations, endures; and the
spirit abides unmoved against all the terrors of the devil and the threats of the
world, when it is strengthened by the sure and solid faith of things to come. In
persecutions, earth is shut up, but heaven is opened; Antichrist is threatening,
but Christ is protecting; death is brought in, but immortality follows; the world
is taken away from him that is slain, but paradise is set forth to him restored; the
life of time is extinguished, but the life of eternity is realized. What a dignity it
is, and what a security, to go gladly from hence, to depart gloriously in the midst
of afflictions and tribulations; in a moment to close the eyes with which men and
the world are looked upon, and at once to open them to look upon God and
Christ! Of such a blessed departure how great is the swiftness! … meditate on
these things day and night. If persecution should fall upon such a soldier of God,
his virtue, prompt for battle, will not be able to be overcome. Or if his call
should come to him before, his faith shall not be without reward, seeing it was
prepared for martyrdom; without loss of time, the reward is rendered by the
judgment of God. In persecution, the warfare, — in peace, the purity of
conscience, is crowned.

Victorinus (240-303)
Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John
Chapter 6 of Revelation, and verses 5, 12, 13.
5. "And when He had opened the third seal. I heard the third living creature
saying, Come and see. And, lo, a black horse; and he who sate upon it had a
balance in his hand." - The black horse signifies famine, for the Lord says,
"There shall be famines in divers places;" but the word is specially extended to
the times of Antichrist, when there shall be a great famine, and when all shall be
injured.
...
12. "And I saw, when he had opened the sixth seal, there was a great
earthquake." - In the sixth seal, then, was a great earthquake: this is that very last
persecution. … "And the entire moon became as blood." - By the moon of blood
is set forth the Church of the saints as pouring out her blood for Christ.
13. "And the stars fell to the earth." - The falling of the stars are the faithful who
are troubled for Christ's sake. "Even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs." -
The fig-tree, when shaken, loses its untimely figs — when men are separated
from the Church by persecution.

Chapter 7 of Revelation, and verse 2.

"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living
God" He speaks of Elias the prophet, who is the precursor of the times of
Antichrist, for the restoration and establishment of the churches from the great
and intolerable persecution. We read that these things are predicted in the
opening of the Old and New Testament; …

Lactantius (240-330)
Divine Institutes, Book 7 – Of a Happy Life
Section 17
… another king shall arise out of Syria, born from an evil spirit, the overthrower
and destroyer of the human race, who shall destroy that which is left by the
former evil, together with himself. He shall fight against the prophet of God, and
shall overcome, and slay him, and shall suffer him to lie unburied; but after the
third day he shall come to life again; and while all look on and wonder, he shall
 be caught up into heaven. But that king will not only be most disgraceful in
himself, but he will also be a prophet of lies; and he will constitute and call
himself God, and will order himself to be worshipped as the Son of God; and
power will be given him to do signs and wonders, by the sight of which he may
entice men to adore him. He will command fire to come down from heaven, and
the sun to stand and leave his course, and an image to speak; and these things
shall be done at his word, — by which miracles many even of the wise shall be
enticed by him. Then he will attempt to destroy the temple of God, and
persecute the righteous people; and there will be distress and tribulation? such as
there never has been from the beginning of the world.
As many as shall believe him and unite themselves to him, shall be marked by
him as sheep; but they who shall refuse his mark will either flee to the
mountains, or, being seized, will be slain with studied tortures. He will also
enwrap righteous men with the books of the prophets, and thus burn them; and
power will be given him to desolate the whole earth for forty-two months. That
will be the time in which righteousness shall be cast out, and innocence be
hated; in which the wicked shall prey upon the good as enemies; neither law, nor
order, nor military discipline shall be preserved; no one shall reverence hoary
locks, nor recognize the duty of piety, nor pity sex or infancy; all things shall be
confounded and mixed together against right, and against the laws of nature.
Thus the earth shall be laid waste, as though by one common robbery. When
these things shall so happen, then the righteous and the followers of truth shall
separate themselves from the wicked, and flee into solitudes. And when he hears
of this, the impious king, inflamed with anger, will come with a great army, and
bringing up all his forces, will surround all the mountain in which the righteous
shall be situated, that he may seize them. But they, when they shall see
themselves to be shut in on all sides and besieged, will call upon God with a
loud voice, and implore the aid of heaven; and God shall hear them, and send
from heaven a great king to rescue and free them, and destroy all the wicked
with fire and sword.

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers - 325 to 589 A.D.

Athanasius (293-373)
Athanasius accuses Constantine to be a type or precursor of the Antichrist. He sees
Constantine (and the Antichrist) as an enemy of the Church which is (and will be)
very much present to be persecuted by him.
History of the Arians, Part 8
Section 74
And does not the vision of Daniel thus describe Antichrist; that he shall make
war with the saints, and prevail against them, and exceed all that have been
before him in evil deeds and shall humble three kings, and speak words against
the Most High, and shall think to change times and laws? Now what other
person besides Constantius has ever attempted to do these things? He is surely
such a one as Antichrist would be. He speaks words against the Most High by
supporting this impious heresy: he makes war against the saints by banishing the
Bishops; although indeed he exercises this power but for a little while to his own
destruction. Moreover he has surpassed those before him in wickedness, having
devised a new mode of persecution; and after he had overthrown three kings,
namely Vetranio, Magnentius, and Gallus, he straightway undertook the
patronage of impiety; and like a giant he has dared in his pride to set himself up
against the Most High. He has thought to change laws, by transgressing the
 ordinance of the Lord given us through His Apostles, by altering the customs of
the Church, and inventing a new kind of appointments. …

Section 76
Now what is yet wanting to make him Antichrist? or what more could Antichrist
do at his coming than this man has done? Will he not find when he comes that
the way has been already prepared for him by this man easily to deceive the
people? …
Section 77
Terrible indeed, and worse than terrible are such proceedings; yet conduct
suitable to him who assumes the character of Antichrist Who that beheld him
taking the lead of his pretended Bishops, and presiding in Ecclesiastical causes,
would not justly exclaim that this was `the abomination of desolation ' spoken of
by Daniel? For having put on the profession of Christianity, and entering into
the holy places, and standing therein, he lays waste the Churches, transgressing
their Canons, and enforcing the observance of his own decrees. Will any one
now venture to say that this is a peaceful time with Christians, and not a time of
persecution? A persecution indeed, such as never arose before, and such as no
one perhaps will again stir up, except `the son of lawlessness ,' do these enemies
of Christ exhibit, who already present a picture of him in their own persons.
Wherefore it especially behooves us to be sober, lest this heresy which has
reached such a height of impudence, and has diffused itself abroad like the
`poison of an adder ,' as it is written in the Proverbs, and which teaches doctrines
contrary to the Saviour; lest, I say, this be that `falling away ,' after which He
shall be revealed, of whom Constantius is surely the forerunner. …

Section 79
… For behold, `they have not spared Thy servants, but are preparing the way for
Antichrist.'

Ephraim the Syrian (306-373)

Ephraim the Syrian was a major theologian of the early Byzantine Eastern Church.
He was born near Nisbis in the Roman province of Syria, near present day Edessa,
Turkey. He was a man of great faith, with a love of scripture, who made use of poetry
to express both.

Some people would love to ascribe to Ephraim a work entitled "On the Last Times,
the Antichrist and the End of the World" (see above), but most scholars recognize that
this was the later work of someone else (c. 400-600 A.D.) who used Ephraim's name
and reputation to promote his own ideas (i.e., it was a pseudopigraphical work).

Although there are no known quotes from Ephraim the Syrian that deal with the
timing of the tribulation or rapture, given that his life and work were so highly
esteemed by his contemporaries, it may be rightly assumed that his theology reflected
the orthodox teachings of the Church - teachings that do NOT include a pretribulation
rapture of the Church.

While the following quote is taken from a work that MAY also be pseudopigraphical,
it is listed here to show that others who capitalized on the reputation of Ephraim had a
decidedly posttribulation theology:
 Sermo Asceticus
Nothing remains then, except that the coming of our enemy, Antichrist, appear...

Cyril (315-386)
Archbishop of Jerusalem, writing in "The Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril", Lecture
15:
On the Clause, and Shall Come in Glory to Judge the Quick and the Dead; Of
Whose Kingdom There Shall Be No End, - Daniel 7:9-14.
Section 4
But since it was needful for us to know the signs of the end, and since we are
looking for Christ, therefore, that we may not die deceived and be led astray by
that false Antichrist, the Apostles, moved by the divine will, address themselves
by a providential arrangement to the True Teacher, and say, Tell us, when shall
these things be, and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the
world? We look for Thee to come again, but Satan transforms himself into an
Angel of light; put us therefore on our guard, that we may not worship another
instead of Thee. And He, opening His divine and blessed mouth, says, Take
heed that no man mislead you. Do you also, my hearers, as seeing Him now with
the eyes of your mind, hear Him saying the same things to you; Take heed that
no man mislead you. And this word exhorts you all to give heed to what is
spoken; for it is not a history of things gone by, but a prophecy of things future,
and which will surely come. Not that we prophesy, for we are unworthy; but that
the things which are written will be set before you, and the signs declared.
Observe thou, which of them have already come to pass, and which yet remain;
and make thyself safe.

Section 8
Thou hast this sign also: And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all
the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come. And as we
see, nearly the whole world is now filled with the doctrine of Christ.

Section 9
And what comes to pass after this? He says next, When therefore ye see the
abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing
in the Holy Place, let him that readeth understand. … Most have departed from
right words, and rather choose the evil, than desire the good. This therefore is
the falling away, and the enemy is soon to be looked for: and meanwhile he has
in part begun to send forth his own forerunners, that he may then come prepared
upon the prey. Look therefore to thyself, O man, and make safe thy soul. The
Church now charges thee before the Living God; she declares to thee the things
concerning Antichrist before they arrive. Whether they will happen in thy time
we know not, or whether they will happen after thee we know not; but it is well
that, knowing these things, thou shouldest make thyself secure beforehand.

Jerome (340-420)
Epistle
21
I told you that Christ would not come unless Antichrist had come before.
Chrysostom (345-407)
Homilies on First Thessalonians
9
... the time of Antichrist ... will be a sign of the coming of Christ ...

Augustine (354-430)
The City of God
XX, 23
But he who reads this passage [Daniel 12], even half asleep, cannot fail to see
that the kingdom of Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the
Church ...

Medieval Period - 590 to 1517 A.D.

Venerable Bede (673-735)
The Explanation of the Apocalypse
II, 8
[The Church's triumph will] follow the reign of Antichrist.

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Sermons on the Song of Songs
33, 16
There remains only one thing - that the demon of noonday [Antichrist] should
appear, to seduce those who remain still in Christ ...

Roger Bacon (1214-1274)

Opus Majus
II, p. 634
... because of future perils [for the Church] in the times of Antichrist ...

Reformation Period - 1517 to 1689 A.D.

Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Works of Martin Luther
VI, p. 481
[The book of Revelation] is intended as a revelation of things that are to happen
in the future, and especially of tribulations and disasters for the Church ...

Menno Simons (1496-1561)

Complete Writings...
p. 622
... He will appear as a triumphant prince and a victorious king to bring judgment.
Then will those who persecute us look upon Him ...
John Calvin (1509-1564)
Institutes
Vol. 2, p. 411
... we ought to follow in our inquiries after Antichrist, especially where such
pride proceeds to a public desolation of the church.

John Knox (1515-1572)

The History of the Reformation...,
I, p. 76
... the great love of God towards his Church, whom he pleased to forewarn of
dangers to come, so many years before they come to pass...to wit, The man of
sin, The Antichrist, The Whore of Babylon.

John Fox (1516-1587)

Acts and Monuments
I
...that second beast prophesied to come in the later time of the Church...to
disturb the whole Church of Christ ...

Roger Williams (1603-1683)

The Bloody Tenent, of Persecution
p. 153
Antichrist...hath his prisons, to keep Christ Jesus and his members fast ...

Post-Reformation Period - 1689 to 1820 A.D.

Daniel Whitby (1638-1726)
A Paraphrase and Commentary
p. 696
... after the Fall of Antichrist, there shall be such a glorious State of the
Church...so shall this be the Church of Martyrs, and of those who had not
received the Mark of the Beast ...

Increase Mather (1639-1723)

Ichabod
p. 64
That part of the world [Europe] was to be principally the Seat of the Church of
Christ during the Reign of Antichrist.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

Commentary on 2 Thess. 2:1-4
A reason why they should not expect the coming of Christ, as at hand, is given.
There would be a general falling away first, such as would occasion the rise of
antichrist, that man of sin. There have been great disputes who or what is
intended by this man of sin and son of perdition. The man of sin not only
 practises wickedness, but also promotes and commands sin and wickedness in
others; and is the son of perdition, because he is devoted to certain destruction,
and is the instrument to destroy many others, both in soul and body. As God was
in the temple of old, and worshipped there, and is in and with his church now; so
the antichrist here mentioned, is a usurper of God's authority in the Christian
church, who claims Divine honours.

Commentary on Rev. 3:10 ("I also will keep thee from the hour of trial")
Christ promises preserving grace in the most trying times, as the reward of past
faithfulness; To him that hath shall be given. Those who keep the gospel in a
time of peace, shall be kept by Christ in an hour of temptation; and the same
Divine grace that has made them fruitful in times of peace, will make them
faithful in times of persecution. Christ promises a glorious reward to the
victorious believer.

George Whitefield (1714-1770)

Gillies' Memoirs of Rev. George Whitefield
p. 471
... 'while the bridegroom tarried,' in the space of time which passeth between our
Lord's ascension and his coming again to judgment ...

John Newton (1725-1807)

The Works of the Rev. John Newton
Vol. II, p. 152
"Fear not temptation's fiery day, for I will be thy strength and stay. Thou hast
my promise, hold it fast, the trying hour [Revelation 3:10] will soon be past".

Modern Period - 1820 A.D. to Present

Adam Clarke (1762-1832)
Commentary
Vol. VI, p. 550
We which are alive, and remain ... he [Paul] is speaking of the genuine
Christians which shall be found on earth when Christ comes to judgment.

Charles Hodge (1797-1878)

Systematic Theology
Vol. III, p. 827
... the fate of his Church here on earth ... is the burden of the Apocalypse.

Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

Notes on the New Testament
p. 94
... he will keep them in the future trials that shall come upon the world
[Revelation 3:10].
George Mueller (1805-1898)
Mrs. Mueller's Missionary Tours and Labours
p. 148
The Scripture declares plainly that the Lord Jesus will not come until the
Apostacy shall have taken place, and the man of sin...shall have been revealed ...

Benjamin W. Newton (1805-1898)

Unpublished Fry MS. and F. Roy Coad's Prophetic Developments
p. 29
The Secret Rapture was bad enough, but this [John Darby's equally novel idea
that the book of Matthew is on 'Jewish' ground instead of 'Church' ground] was
worse.

R. C. Trench (1807-1886)
Seven Churches of Asia
pp. 183-184
... the Philadelphian church ... to be kept in temptation, not to be exempted from
temptation ...

Carl F. Keil (1807-1888)

Biblical Commentary
Vol. XXXIV, p. 503
... the persecution of the last enemy Antichrist against the church of the Lord ...

John Lillie (1812-1867)

Second Thessalonians
pp. 537-538
In his [Antichrist's] days was to be the great - the last - tribulation of the Church.

Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1842)

Bonar's Memoirs of McCheyne
p. 26
Christians must have 'great tribulation'; but they come out of it.

S. P. Tregelles (1813-1875)
Samuel P. Tregelles was an eminent Plymouth Brethren scholar who openly opposed
Darby's pretribulation rapture stance. In an 1855 article in The Christian Annotator,
Tregelles wrote that the true Christian's hope is the final "advent" and "not some
secret advent, or secret rapture to the Lord, as Judaizers supposed might be the
case..." [Tregelles, Samuel P., Premillennial Advent, The Christian Annotator, June
16, 1855, p. 190].

Nine years later, in 1864,Tregelles published "The Hope of Christ's Second Coming"
where he identified who the "Judaizers" were: "The theory of a secret coming...first
 brought forward...an utterance in Mr. Irving's Church...about the year 1832"
[Tregelles, Samuel P., The Hope of Christ's Second Coming, Ambassadors for Christ,
n.d. 1864, pp. 34-35].

A later Plymouth Brethren writer, William Kelly, also identified the Irvingites as
"Judaizers." He defined "Judaizing" as Christians adopting "Jewish elements." Kelly
added, "nowhere is this so patent as in Irvingism" [Kelly, William, The Catholic
Apostolic Body, or Irvingites (The Bible Treasury, Dec. 1890), p. 191].

The Hope of Christ's Second Coming

I am not aware that there was any definite teaching that there should be a Secret
Rapture of the Church at a secret coming until this was given forth as an
`utterance' in Mr. Irving's church from what was then received as being the
voice of the Spirit. But whether anyone ever asserted such a thing or not it was
from that supposed revelation that the modern doctrine and the modern
phraseology respecting it arose. It came, not from the Holy Scriptures, but from
that which falsely pretended to be the Spirit of Elohim.

The Hope of Christ's Second Coming

p. 71
The Scripture teaches the Church to wait for the manifestation of Christ. The
secret theory bids us to expect a coming before any such manifestation.

Nathaniel West (1826-1906)

The Apostle Paul and the "Any Moment" Theory
p. 30
[The pretribulation rapture doctrine] is built on a postulate, vicious in logic,
violent in exegesis, contrary to experience, repudiated by the early Church,
contradicted by the testimony of eighteen hundred years ... and condemned by
all the standard scholars of every age.

M. R. Vincent (1834-1922)
Word Studies...
p. 466
The preposition ['from' in Revelation 3:10] implies, not a keeping from
temptation, but a keeping in temptation ...

William J. Erdman (1834-1923)

Notes on the Book of Revelation
p. 47
... by the 'saints' seen as future by Daniel and by John are meant 'the Church' ...

H. Grattan Guinness (1835-1910)

The Approaching End of the Age
p. 136
... the Church is on earth during the action of the Apocalypse ...
H. B. Swete (1835-1917)
The Apocalypse of St. John
p. 56
The promise [of Revelation 3:10], as Bede says, is 'not indeed of your being
immune from adversity, but of not being overcome by it'.

William G. Moorehead (1836-1914)

Outline Studies in the New Testament
p. 123
... the last days of the Church's deepest humiliation when Antichrist is practicing
and prospering (Dan. viii:12) ...

A. H. Strong (1836-1921)
Systematic Theology
p. 567
The final coming of Christ is referred to in: Mat. 24:30 ... [and] I Thess. 4:16 ...

Theodor Zahn (1838-1933)

Zahn-Kommentar
I, p. 305
... He will preserve ... at the time of the great temptation [Revelation 3:10] ...

I. T. Beckwith (1843-1936)
The Apocalypse of John
p. 484
The Philadelphians ... are promised that they shall be carried in safety through
the great trial [Revelation 3:10], they shall not fall.

Robert Cameron (1845-1922)

Scriptural Truth About the Lord's Return
p. 16
The Coming for, and the Coming with, the saints, still persists [among
dispensationalists as being separate events], although it involves a manifest
contradiction, viz., two Second Comings which is an absurdity.

Philip Mauro (1859-1952)

The Gospel of the Kingdom
p. 8
... 'dispensational teaching' is modernistic in the strictest sense ... it first came
into existence within the memory of persons now living ...

A. T. Robertson (1863-1934)
Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament
 vol 6, 2 Thess. 2:3:
"For it will not be (οτι)". … The meaning is clear. ... The second coming not
only is not 'imminent,' but will not take place before certain important things
take place, a definite rebuff to the false enthusiasts of verse 2nd Thessalonians
2:2.
[1. Now we ask you, brothers, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our gathering together to him, 2. not to be so quickly upset or alarmed when
someone claims that we said either by some spirit, conversation, or letter that the
Day of the Lord has already come.]
"first" (πρωτον) before Christ comes again.

A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research

p. 596
In Rev. 3:10...we seem to have the picture of general temptation with the
preservation of the saints.

William E. Biederwolf (1867-1939)

The Second Coming Bible
p. 385
Godet, like most pre-millennial expositors, makes no provision for any period
between the Lord's coming for His saints and His coming with them ...

Alexander Reese (1881-1969)

The Approaching Advent of Christ
p. 293
... we quite deliberately reject the dispensational theories, propounded first about
1830 ....

Norman S. MacPherson (1899-1980)

Triumph Through Tribulation
p. 5
... the view that the Church will not pass into or through the Great Tribulation is
based largely upon arbitrary interpretations of obscure passages.

Outstanding Bible Teachers throughout Church history have taught that the Church
would encounter the persecution of the Antichrist here on earth before the Second
Coming. The following is a list (in alphabetical order) of others not quoted above
who have upheld the doctrine of a posttribulation rapture:

Henry Alford, J.Sidlow Baxter, Bengel, Brooks, F.F. Bruce, John Bunyan, Thomas
Chalmers, Delitzsch, Derstine, DeWette, Ellicott, Jim Elliott, Ewald, Frost, Godet,
Godwin, Robert Gundry, Carl F. Henry, John Huss, Orson Jones, Joyner, Kellogg,
C.S. Lovett, J.Gresham Machen, Peter Marshall, Walter Martin, Gary Matsdorf,
G.Campbell Morgan, Leon Morris, Ian Murray, Isaac Newton, H.J. Ockenga, Orelli,
Bernard Ramm, Pat Robertson, Rothe, Ryle, A. Saphir, Demos Shakarian, A.B.
Simpson, Oswald J. Smith, Jim Spillman, Spener, R.C. Sproul, Charles Spurgeon,
Stier, Corrie TenBoom, William Tyndale, Van Ostersee, Volck, B.B. Warfield,
Charles Wesley, Whiston, R.F. Youngblood

This is (of course) only a partial list. There are many more.

To be sure, the cumulative testimony of Church history is weighty evidence, but if the
faith of our fathers is not rooted firmly in a sound interpretation of the scriptures then
it is in error. We must therefore turn to the scriptures to confirm the validity of our
faith.
 Key Words Used:
Before launching into the scriptures themselves, let's look at some key words used by
the Greek New Testament. These key words are used to describe Christ's coming
back to the earth. They help us understand how and when Christ comes to: resurrect
the dead, destroy the Antichrist, bring judgment upon the ungodly, issue rewards to
his followers, and reign over his redeemed people in a redeemed world. When we
couple an understanding of these key words with the constraints of Greek syntax and
grammar then we will begin to see more clearly why the Church has historically
believed in a posttribulation rapture and return of Christ.

The words we will look at are as follows: Parousia, Apantesis, Epiphania, Phaino,
Phaneroo, Optanomai, Erchomai, Apokalupsis/Apokalupto

Parousia:
The word parousia "means arrival, someone's coming in order to be present.
Technically the noun is used for the arrival of a ruler a king, emperor, ruler, or even
troops from the Ptolemaic period to the 2nd century A.D." (G. Braumann, in The
New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 2, article: "Present",
p. 898, editor: Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975)

When the word parousia is used concerning Christ, it is also used as a specialized or
"technical term," since it speaks "nearly always of his Messianic advent in glory to
judge the world at the end of the age" (Greek-English Lexicon by Bauer, Arndt and
Gingrich, p.635);

Apantesis:
"When a dignitary paid an official visit or parousia to a city in Hellenistic times, the
action of the leading citizens in going out to meet him and escorting him on the final
stage of his journey was called the apantesis ..." (F.F. Bruce, in New Bible
Commentary, © 1970, p.1159).

"The use of apantesis in 1 Thess. 4:17 is noteworthy. The ancient expression for the
civic welcome of an important visitor or the triumphal entry of a new ruler into the
capital city and thus to his reign is applied to Christ. 'Then we who are alive, who are
left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord (εις
απαντησιν του κυριου) in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord.' …
The same thoughts occur in the parable of the ten virgins. The virgins leave to meet
the bridegroom (εις απαντησιν του νυμφιου) i.e. the Lord, to whom they wish
to give a festive reception (Matt. 25:1)." (W. Mundle, in The New International
Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 1, article: "Come", p. 325, editor: Colin
Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975)
Epiphania:
The root of this word is from the primary particle epi: upon; and from the verb
phaino: to shine or to make manifest, to illuminate, to shine, to be seen, to appear.

In Greek texts "… at the time of Jesus, the word had almost become a technical term
for the succouring appearance of an otherwise hidden deity" (B. Gartner, in The New
International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3, article: "Revelation", p.
317, editor: Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975). It is "used to describe
the powerful intervention of the gods" (Ibid, p.318).

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint, LXX), the word is
always used of "Yahweh's marvelous rescuing and redemptive vindication of his
people in the sense of the OT theophany …" (Ibid). When used in an eschatological
sense it refers to his end-time intervention into history that is at once terrible for Gods
enemies who will be punished and glorious for his faithful followers who will be
redeemed and rewarded (Ibid).

This same concept is carried over into the New Testament, and always refers to "the
visible appearance of Jesus Christ on earth" (Ibid). Apart from speaking of Christ's
redemptive intervention into human history at his first coming (ex. 1 Tim 1:10), it is
also used in the eschatological sense for his redemptive intervention at his second
coming "the appearance of the Lord on earth at the end of history" (ex. 2 Thess. 2:8,
Ibid, p.319).

The word "epiphany" means "a visible manifestation of a hidden divinity," and in the
literature of NT times, the word speaks "only of Christ's appearing on earth." (Greek-
English Lexicon of the New Testament, by Bauer, Arndt & Gingrich, 1957, p.304)

Phaino:
The root of the word phaino is derived from a prolongation of the base word phos: to
shine or make manifest, especially by rays of light as from a fire, torch, lamp, star, or
God as as a source of light and illumination (spiritual or physical). Accordingly,
phaino means shine, appear, become manifest, come into view (as in a visible
outward appearance).

"It is used of the 'appearance' of Christ to the disciples, Mark 16:9; of His future
'appearing' in glory as the Son of Man, spoken of as a sign to the world, Matt. 24:30;
there the genitive is subjective, the sign being the 'appearing' of Christ Himself"
(Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, article:
"Appear, Appearing", W. E. Vine, 1939/1984, Thomas Nelson Publishers, p. 31)

Phaneroo:
To "reveal, make known, show, manifest", the adverb of which means "'openly',
'publically', so that people can see", which is "the opposite of en krypto, 'in secret'"
(C. Brown, in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3,
article: "Revelation", p. 320, editor: Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House,
 1975). Used in John and by Paul as a synonym for apokalypto, having the sense of
'make visible'" (Ibid, p.321).

New Testament writers also use the word "phaneroo" (to make manifest and visible)
to describe the public visibility of the rapture. It is connected to the day of judgment
when the righteous are rewarded:
(1 Jn. 3:2)
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed [phaneroo] what
we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed [phaneroo], we will be like
him; for we will see [optanomai] him just as he is.

(Col. 3:4)
When Christ, our life, is revealed [phaneroo – "make manifest or visible what
had been hidden"], then you will also be revealed [phaneroo] with him in glory.

(1 Pet. 5:4)
When the chief Shepherd is revealed [phaneroo], you will receive the crown of
glory that doesn't fade away.

Optanomai:
This is the middle voice of optomai: to be seen, to appear, to be looked at. It
"signifies to allow oneself to be seen" (Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old
and New Testament Words, article: "Appear, Appearing", W. E. Vine, 1939/1984,
Thomas Nelson Publishers, p. 32). An English derivative is the word "optometrist",
an eye doctor.

Erchomai:
Is the most frequent (common) verb meaning "to come". It is sometimes used as a
synonym for the Greek word heko that emphasizes the arrival aspect of having come.
Erchomai is often in conjuction with prepositions indicating the direction of the
coming. Of persons it means: "to come from one place to another, and used both of
persons arriving to appear, make one's appearance, come before the public."
(Englishman- Strong's Concordance, Greek number 2064, electronic version,
copyright 1993 by Online Bible, Winterbourne, ONT)

Apokalupsis/Apokalupto:
"The verb apokalypto, unveil, formed from kalypto, cover up, conceal, and apo, from
…" denotes "the disclosure of previously hidden things; the noun apokalypsis,
disclosure, revelation, is … used from the 1st century B.C. onwards, and then
predominantly in a religious sense." Even though it is sometimes used as a synonym
for phaneroo, apokalypto "refers to the removal of a covering" while phaneroo
implies bringing something into the light (W. Mundle, in The New International
Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3, article: "Revelation", pp. 310, 312,
editor: Colin Brown, Zondervan Publishing House, 1975). Both describe a means of
revealing something so that it can be known.
All of the above words are used by the New Testament to describe Christ's second
coming, which includes (as we shall shortly discover) the rapture of the Church. Far
from being a secret event, the above words demonstrate that the second coming of
Christ and the resurrection and rapture of the Church will be a very public and open
event – visible to all and by all.

The connotation of these words argues heavily against the baseless opinion that the
rapture will be a secret event whereby non-believers will suddenly and inexplicably
be found alone in unmanned cars and planes and buses that suddenly careen out of
control when their Christian operators mysteriously vanish at the rapture. This fairly
recent and popular notion has absolutely no foundation in the scriptures themselves
but is instead a theological construct that has been injuriously imposed upon God's
holy word.

Key Words NOT Used:

If, on the other hand, the writers of the New Testament had wanted to describe any
aspect of Christ's second coming (including the resurrection and the rapture of the
Church) as something secret or hidden, then they would most certainly would have
used one or more of the following words:

1. Aoratos - invisible
2. Apokrupto - to hide, conceal, keep secret
3. Kalupto - to hide, veil, to hinder the knowledge of a thing
4. Kruptos (English derivative: cryptic) - hidden, concealed, secret
5. Krypto - to hide, conceal, to be hid, escape notice, to conceal (that it may not
become known)
6. Lathra - secretly
7. Musterion (English derivative: mystery) - hidden thing, secret, mystery,
generally mysteries, religious secrets, confided only to the initiated and not to
ordinary mortals; or a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding; or
a hidden purpose or counsel of either men or God to keep something hidden from
enemies while disclosing it to allies.
8. Parakalupto - to cover over, cover up, hide, conceal
9. Perikrupto - to conceal on all sides or entirely, to hide, seclude

… but the fact is that the New Testament writers did not use ANY of these words to
describe the coming of Christ to resurrect and rapture his church. Why? Because there
is nothing secret or hidden about the coming of Christ to rapture the Church! Instead,
Christ's coming to rapture the Church will be a very visible and public event.
 Is The Rapture Separate From The Second
Coming?
Those who teach a pretribulation rapture of the Church believe that this rapture is
separated from the visible public second coming of Christ by as much as seven years.
The image they paint is one of a U-turn whereby Christ first comes "for" his Church:
resurrecting and snatching them up to be with him "in the air", and returning to
heaven with them for the duration of the great tribulation. Later on, after the
tribulation, Christ returns again but this time "with" his saints and descends with them
all the way to the earth.

Although pretribulationists often describe this as one event divided into two stages
(separated by the great tribulation), their theory requires two separate "comings".

Unfortunately for them, this is neither what the Church has historically taught, nor
what the scriptures themselves proclaim. Let's look at some specific verses.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17
(1 Thess. 4:13)
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep;
that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. (14) For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so those who have fallen asleep in Jesus will
God bring with him. (15) For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we
who are alive, who are left to the coming [parousia] of the Lord, will in no way
precede those who have fallen asleep. (16) For the Lord himself will descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God's
trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, (17) then we who are alive, who are
left, will be caught up [harpazo] together with them in the clouds, to meet
[apantesis] the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

In verse 15 Paul using the technical word parousia to stress that Christ's coming to
rapture the Church will be like the coming of a dignitary, a ruler, a king, and perhaps
that person's troops as well. The word parousia also implies that Christ is coming
towards a specific destination. In this same passage, so as to complete this picture of
Christ coming to his destination, Paul uses the word apantesis to define how Christian
believers would "meet" their "Lord in the air". The word apantesis (meeting)
expresses the idea that when Christians are resurrected and caught up [harpazo =
rapture] to meet Christ, it will be for the purpose of welcoming, escorting, and joining
Christ on the last leg of His journey to his destination. Since the parousia is Christ's
second coming it can only mean that Christ's destination is once again planet earth.

This passage helps explain how Christ can come "for" his saints and also "with" them
(verse 14). He comes "for" his people to resurrect and rapture them, and then
continues on "with" them to his destination – which, as the very words used suggest,
will be a very visible event.
 As this and other scriptures below will demonstrate, the Scriptures speak of only one
"parousia" (coming) of Christ. It is a coming that includes (as we have just seen) the
resurrection and the rapture, as well as the destruction of the Antichrist, the judgment
of all the living and the dead, the transforming of the earth, and the establishing of
God's direct rule over his redeemed people upon a redeemed earth. There is not the
slightest hint that this parousia is in two stages, but rather that it is all one event.

In the next verse we will see that the parousia includes the resurrection, the abolition
of death, the end, and the delivering the kingdom to God the Father.

1st Corinthians 15:21

(1 Cor. 15:21-26)
For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.
(22) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (23) But
each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ's, at his
coming [parousia]. (24) Then the end [telos] comes, when he will deliver up the
Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have abolished all rule and all
authority and power. (25) For he must reign until he has put all his enemies
under his feet. (26) The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

The resurrection of "those who are Christ's" (and their unspoken but implied
gathering together unto Him) is said to be at Christ's royal 2nd coming [parousia].
Christ's parousia not only involves the abolition of death and the resurrection, it also
initiates the end [telos] of this world order and begins the rule of God on earth.

Although the next verse (Titus 2:13) is not all that critical to establishing when the
rapture takes place, it is often referred to by pretribulationists as a verse which might
suggest that the secret rapture is separate from the public appearing of Christ at his
second coming. However, when we know enough about the koine Greek used in this
passage, we find that this simply is not true.

The Greek language used in Titus 2:13 makes it clear that the blessed hope of the
church is not the rapture, but rather the glorious and very public appearing of Jesus
Christ. Here is the verse with the Greek below it in interlinear fashion:

Titus 2:13
looking for the blessed hope and appearing
την μακαριαν
προσδεξομενοι και επιφανειαν
ελπιδα
of the glory of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ
ου μεγαλου σωτηρος Ιησου
της δοχη και
θεου ημων Ξριστου

"looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our
saviour Jesus Christ;"
προσδεξομενοι την μακαριαν ελπιδα και επιφανειαν της δοχη του
μεγαλου θεου και σωτηρος ημων Ιησου Ξριστου

Students familiar enough with the Greek New Testament, and with
standard grammars, have probably heard of the "Granville Sharp"
rule that deals with nouns connected by the word "and" (και).

Here is the Granville Sharp rule, as it appears in "Remarks on the

Uses of the Definitive Article in the Greek Text of the New
Testament: Containing Many New Proofs of the Divinity of Christ,
From Passages Which are Wrongly Translated in the Common
English Version" (Philadelphia: B. B. Hopkins and Co., 1807), on
page 3:
"When the copulative και connects two nouns of the same case
[viz. nouns (either substantive or adjective, or participles) of
personal description, respecting office, dignity, affinity, or
connexion, and attributes, properties, or qualities, good or ill,] if
the article `ο, or any of its cases, precedes the first of the said
nouns or participles, and is not repeated before the second
noun or participle, the latter always relates to the same person
that is expressed or described by the first noun or participle:
i.e., it denotes a farther description of the first named person."

As one can see from the above, Titus 2:13 has two such instances of
the Granville Sharp rule:

1. "the blessed hope" (την μακαριαν ελπιδα [accusative, singular,

feminine]) is joined by the word "and" (και) to the word
"gathering together" (επιφανειαν [accusative, singular,
feminine]). This means that the blessed hope IS the very visible
and illuminated appearing of Christ. The blessed hope cannot,
therefore, be some hidden pretribulation rapture of the Church.
2. "of the great God" (ου μεγαλου θεου [genitive, singular,
masculine]) as joined by the word "and" (και) to the word
"saviour" (σωτηρος [genitive, singular, masculine]). This part of
the verse makes it equally as clear that Jesus Christ is BOTH our
great God AND our saviour.

The word επιφανειαν (from epiphaino, "appearing") is from the root

word phaino (see above). This implies that the blessed hope, which
is the appearing of Christ, will be a very radiant shining visible
event. A.T. Robertson (Robertson's Word Pictures in the New
Testament) says that this word was used by the Greeks of the
appearance of gods, and that it is used in the New Testament
exclusively of Christ's appearance in this world.
One last important point on this topic: The Granville Sharp rule has
never been shown to be wrong.
 Does the Word "Escape" in Luke
21:36
Refer to the Rapture?
We will now take a look at the word "escape" as it relates to the end
times. The following passage has often been used by
pretribulationists to suggest that the Church will "escape" the
judgments of the great tribulation by way of the rapture
beforehand.

Luke 21:36
Therefore be watchful all the time, asking that you may be
counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and
to stand before the Son of Man."

Let's examine the context of this "escape clause" (i.e. verse):

(Lk. 21:26-36)
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven
shall be shaken.
(27) Then they will see [optanomai] the Son of Man coming
[erchomai] in a cloud with power and great glory. (28) But when
these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is near."
(29) He told them a parable. "See the fig tree, and all the trees.
(30) When they are already budding, you see it and know by
your own selves that the summer is already near. (31) Even so
you also, when you see these things happening, know that the
Kingdom of God is near. (32) Most assuredly I tell you, this
generation will not pass away until all things are accomplished.
(33) Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no
means pass away.
(34) "So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with
carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will
come on you suddenly. (35) For it will come like a snare on all
those who dwell on the surface of all the earth. (36) Therefore
be watchful all the time, asking that you may be counted
worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand
before the Son of Man."

When the word "see" [optanomai] is used in verse 27 ("Then they

[referring to the fearful "men" of verse 26] will see the Son of Man
coming") it signifies that the coming of the Son of Man will be a
visible event. The Greek word translated as "coming" [erchomai]
further implies that the Son of Man will be visibly coming from one
place so as to arrive at another place. The expression "Son of Man"
is a familiar Jewish apocalyptic term that refers to a heavenly figure
who receives an earthly kingdom over which he will rule in
righteousness (cf., Dan 7:13-14 and 1 Enoch 37-71). Verse 27,
therefore, refers to the very visible 2nd coming of Christ from
heaven to earth for the purpose of reigning over his kingdom.

Verse 34 tells us to beware of getting caught up in sin and the cares

of this life so that "that day" (a Jewish reference to the judgment
day) does not suddenly come upon you. Otherwise, as verse 35
says, these sins and worldly concerns will come upon people "like a
snare" to entrap and enslave them. Lastly, verse 36 implores us to
be sleeplessly vigilant so that we can "escape" being ensnared by
such things so that we can look forward to standing before Christ at
His 2nd coming (rather than fear his righteous judgments upon his
return).

The following 3 verses demonstrate a similar meaning/use of the

word "snare":
(1 Tim. 3:7)
Moreover he [the bishop/overseer] must have good testimony
from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and
the snare of the devil.

(1 Tim. 6:9)
But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation
and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown
men in ruin and destruction.

(2 Tim. 2:24-26)
The Lord's servant must not quarrel, but be gentle towards all,
able to teach, patient, (25) in gentleness correcting those who
oppose him: perhaps God may give them repentance leading to
a full knowledge of the truth, (26) and they may recover
themselves out of the devil's snare, having been taken captive
by him to his will.

Here are a few more verses that use the word "escape" in the sense
of avoiding being overtaken entrapped or enslaved by sin and
worldly concerns or temptations:
(1 Cor. 10:13)
No temptation has taken you but such as man can bear. God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you
are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of
escape, that you may be able to endure it.

(2 Pet. 1:4)
by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly
great promises; that through these you may become partakers
 of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is
in the world by lust.

(2 Pet. 2:18, 20)

For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in
the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed
escaping from those who live in error; … [escape is defined in
verse 20] (20) For if, after they have escaped the defilement of
the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last
state has become worse with them than the first.

Below are a few more verses that use the word "escape" in the
sense of avoiding God's condemnation:
(Mt. 23:33) You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you
escape the judgment of Gehenna?

(Rom 2:3)
Do you think this, O man who judges those who practice such
things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgment of
God?

(1 Thess. 5:3)
For when they are saying, "Peace and safety," then sudden
destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant
woman; and they will in no way escape.

(Heb. 2:2-3, 18-25)

For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and
every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense; (3) how will we escape if we neglect so great a
salvation -- which at the first having been spoken through the
Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard … (18) For you
have not come to a mountain that might be touched, and that
burned with fire, and to blackness, darkness, tempest, (19) the
sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which those who
heard it begged that not one more word should be spoken to
them, (20) for they could not stand that which was commanded,
"If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned;"
(21) and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, "I am
terrified and trembling."
(22) But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of
angels, (23) to the general assembly and assembly of the
firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to
the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) to Jesus, the mediator
of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks
better than that of Abel. (25) See that you don't refuse him who
speaks. For if they didn't escape when they refused him who
warned on the Earth, how much more will we not escape who
turn away from him who warns from heaven,
The word "escape" of verse Luke21:36 does not refer to being
raptured out of this world but rather it refers to escaping the snares
and entrapments of sin and worldly concerns so that we can also
escape the righteous judgment of God.
 At What Time Is The Trumpet
Blown At The Resurrection?
1st Thessalonians 4:16-17
(16) For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God's trumpet.
The dead in Christ will rise first, (17) then we who are alive, who
are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet [apantesis] the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord
forever.

The shout of our Messiah, the voice of the archangel, and the
trumpet of God herald the Lord's rather noisy return to resurrect his
own and snatch up [rapture] all of his followers so as to meet him
while he is still in the air.

As we have learned earlier, the word "to meet" [apantesis] implies

that a group of people [in this case all Christians] will leave their
place of habitation [the earth] to meet and accompany a dignitary
who is coming to visit them where they live. This means that
Christ's destination is earth and that we as Christians will be taken
to Jesus so as to accompany him on the last leg of his descent from
heaven to earth as part of his heavenly host.

The question at the moment, however, is the timing of when this

resurrection trumpet is blown. Is it before the tribulation, mid-way
into the tribulation, or at the end of the great tribulation?

Matthew 24: 30-31

Matthew 24: 30-31 mentions a trumpet as well which is said to
announce the Lord's return and the resurrection of the elect.
(Mt. 24:30-31)
and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then
all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son
of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great
glory. (31) He will send out his angels with a great sound of a
trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four
winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Notice that Christ's return to resurrect "his elect" is a very visible

event that "all the tribes of the earth" "will see". Also notice that the
resurrection mentioned by Matthew is also announced by a trumpet
– just as it is in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17.
 When the broader context of Matthew 24 is examined, we see that
the trumpet, the coming, and the resurrection all occur after the
revealing of the Antichrist (verse 15), and after the "great
tribulation" itself (verse 21, 29-31).
(Mt. 24:15-22)
"When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which
was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy
place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in
Judea flee to the mountains. (17) Let him who is on the
housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house.
(18) Let him who is in the field not return back to get his
clothes. (19) But woe to those who are with child and to nursing
mothers in those days! (20) Pray that your flight will not be in
the winter, nor on a Sabbath, (21) for then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the
world until now, no, nor ever will be. (22) Unless those days had
been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the
elect's sake, those days will be shortened.

(Mt. 24:29-31)
But immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days, the sun
will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will
fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;
(30) and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky.
Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and
great glory. (31) He will send out his angels with a great sound
of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the
four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

1 Corinthians 15:52
In 1 Corinthians 15:52, Paul refers to this resurrection trumpet as
"the last trumpet" when "we" (all believers, including Paul) will be
resurrected.
(1 Cor. 15:51-52)
Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all
be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
LAST TRUMPET. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be
raised incorruptible, and WE will be changed.

Revelation 11:15
Revelation 11:15 also mentions what happens at the very last of the
seven end-time trumpets:

1. Christ publicly returns to take control of and reign over the world
after God's wrath has been poured out
2. A time of judgment follows his public return:
a. The rewarding of the God's people occurs
b. as does the destruction of the ungodly.
 (Rev. 11:15-18)
The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven
followed, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the
Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and
ever!" (16) The twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones
before God's throne, fell on their faces and worshiped God, (17)
saying:
"We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is
and who was; because you have taken your great power, and
reigned. (18) The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as
did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your
bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the
saints, and those who fear your name, to the small and the
great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

These passages all refer the same event and the same last trumpet.

Revelation 20:4-6
The following passage from Revelation 20:4-6 clearly answers the
question of when the 1st resurrection of believers takes place.
(Rev. 20:4-6)
I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given
to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for
the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as
didn't worship the beast nor his image, and didn't receive the
mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived, and
reigned with Christ for the thousand years. (5) The rest of the
dead didn't live until the thousand years were finished. This is
the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is he who has part in
the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no
power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will
reign with him one thousand years.

Unless one is willing to spiritualize the "first resurrection" and the

millennial reign of Christ, this passage teaches that the "first
resurrection occurs" only after the persecutions of the Antichrist
and subsequent martyrdom of the saints.

The Alphabet Midrash of Rabbi Akiva

According to the "Alphabet Midrash" of Rabbi Akiva (50-135 C.E.),
there will be seven shofars blown that will announce the successive
steps of the resurrection process. "At the seventh trumpet all were
made alive and stood up on their feet." Zechariah 9:14 is quoted as
a proof text:
(Zec. 9:14)
Yahweh will be seen over them; and his arrow will go flash like
lightning; and the Lord Yahweh will blow the trumpet [shofar],
and will go with whirlwinds of the south.
 Commentary on 1 Cor. 15:52, by David H. Stern, "Jewish New
Testament Commentary" p. 489-490

Although Rabbi Akiva's "proof text" is not at all convincing, it does

illustrate that a major voice in early Judaism identifies the seventh
and final trumpet blast with the resurrection.
 2nd Thessalonians
We will now examine a few selections from Second Thessalonians:

2nd Thessalonians - Chapter 1

In what may be his 4th letter to the church at Thessalonica, the
apostle Paul attempts to comfort, correct, and instruct the believers
there who are already suffering persecution. He begins by saying
that their patient faithful endurance will one day be rewarded and
that divine vengeance will be meted out to their persecutors.
(2 Thess. 1:6-10)
Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those
who afflict you, (7) and to give relief to you that are afflicted
with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed [apokalypto] from
heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, (8) giving
vengeance to those who don't know God, and to those who
don't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, (9) who will pay the
penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from
the glory of his might, (10) when he comes [erchomai] to be
glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who
have believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in
that day.

Note that Paul declares that "that day" is a time when believers who
have been "afflicted with us" are given relief – implying that they all
have endured tribulation of some sort. On the other hand, following
the Old Testament pattern of teaching, "that day" will also be a day
when God will "repay affliction" to the afflicters, as day of
"vengeance" and "eternal destruction" "to those who don't obey the
gospel of our Lord Jesus". So, it is a day of both rewards/relief and
punishment/vengeance.

And when does this all occur? It is on "that day" "when the Lord
Jesus is revealed [visibly revealing what previously was hidden -
apokalypse] from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire",
"when he comes [publicly from one place to another - erchomai] to
be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who
have believed." This all occurs at the 2nd coming of Christ.

Paul continues his instruction on this same topic in chapter two.

2nd Thessalonians - Chapter 2

The dilemma of the Thessalonian church was, however, more than
just having to endure persecution. Somehow the idea had began to
circulate among the believers that "the day of the Lord" had already
come, causing some believers to fear they had missed Christ's
 second coming. This undoubtedly caused confusion, doubts about
their faith, and perhaps even fear.
(2 Thess. 2:1-2)
Now, brothers, concerning the coming [parousia] of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to him, we ask you (2)
not to be quickly shaken in your mind, nor yet be troubled,
either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, saying that
the day of Christ had come.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1, Paul links "the coming [the royal and public
coming - parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ" with "our gathering
together to him", which is the publicly visible rapture of the Church.

2nd Thessalonians 2:1

της του ημω Ιησου κα ημων
παρουσιας κυριου ν Ξριστου ι επισυναγωγης
the coming of the Lord our Jesus Christ and our gathering together

Here the words "the coming" (της παρουσιας [the parousia: the
public coming of Christ]) are joined by the word "and" (και) to the
noun "gathering together" (επισυναγωγης - rapture) which is
without an article of its own. Both nouns have the same case ending
(genitive, singular, feminine). Here again we see the Granville Sharp
rule in action. Paul, then, is saying that our "gathering together"
(i.e. the rapture) unto Christ is at the very public "coming"
[parousia] of Christ - NOT at some secret pretribulation rapture
hidden from public view.

2nd Thessalonians 2:2

In verse 2, Paul refers to all of these events collectively as "the day
of Christ". Contextually it is the same as "that day" mentioned
earlier by Paul in chapter 1 verses 9- 10, which is the day of
rewards/judgment.

Paul makes no distinction between the two terms "that day" nor
"the day of the Lord". An analysis of the events mentioned in
scripture connected to expressions like: "that day", "the day", "the
day of Christ", "the day of the Lord", "the day of God", etc.,
demonstrate that the activities associated with them not only
overlap but simply describe elements of the same event.

"The day of Christ" mentioned in chapter 2 verse 2 is contextually

the same "day" as the one mentioned by Paul in 1:10 as "that day".
A distinction between the two is neither implied nor intended.
2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4
Paul seeks to correct and comfort the Thessalonians by telling them
that "that day" (i.e. "the day of Christ" - which is the parousia that
includes Christ's revelation- apokalypse-2nd coming-rapture and His
judgment of rewards and punishments) has not yet happened and
that it cannot happen until the apostasy occurs and the man of sin
is first revealed.
(2 Thess. 2:3-4)
Let no one deceive you in any way. For it [the day of Christ] will
not be, unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is
revealed [apokalypto], the son of destruction, (4) he who
opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that
is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God,
setting himself up as God.

These are two of the three major events that must transpire before
the Lord Jesus Christ returns. The third is the preaching of the
gospel:
(Mt. 24:14)
This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world
for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

In addition to these 3 major events, the scriptures also add a

number of other events which must also transpire before Christ
returns. These future events negate the theory of Christ's coming
"at any moment":

1. A long period between Christ's ascension and return (Mt 25:5,

19)
2. The destruction of the Temple mount (Mt. 24:2)
3. The occupation of Jerusalem by Gentile forces (Lk 21:20-24)
4. The return of diaspora Jews to their homeland (Is 43:5-6; Ez 36:8-
12)
5. The Jewish control of Israel and Jerusalem (Lk 21:24b)

A number of other events might be listed above as well, but these

are sufficient to dispel the doctrine of Christ's "imminent" return to
rapture his Church.

Many pretribulation rapture teachers have accused posttribulation

rapture believers of looking for the antichrist instead of looking for
the return of Christ. This is utter nonsense.

As a child I remember riding in the car to go visit my Grandmother

who lived in the country. There were no street signs in that area,
only dusty gravel roads that twisted through the hills and valleys to
 out of the way places. The only way you could direct people to such
places was by referring to landmarks along the way. "Go past the
river, past the cone shaped hill, to the small country store, and take
the dirt road to the left about two miles." That was the way to
Grandma's house. We weren't focused on the river or the hill or on
the store. Our hearts and minds were focused on Grandma's house
and passing the landmarks only increased our desire to see her
again.

In the same manner, Christ gave us similar signs by which we could

know that we were closing in on the home stretch - close to seeing
his face once more in a joyous reunion that will never end.

2nd Thessalonians 2:6-8, The Restrainer:

We will now take a brief look at the restrainer and who or what it
might be.
(2 Thess. 2:6)
Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may
be revealed in his own season.
(2 Thess. 2:6)
και νυν το κατεχον οιδατε εις το αποκαλυφψηναι αυτον εν τω
αυτου καιρω

(2 Thess. 2:7)
For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one
who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.
(2 Thess. 2:7)
το γαρ μυστηριον ηδη ενεργειται της ανομιας μονον ο κατεχων
αρτι εως εκ μεσου γενηται

(2 Thess. 2:8)
Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill
with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nothing by the
brightness of his coming;
(2 Thess. 2:8)
και τοτε αποκαλυφψησεται ο ανομος ον ο κυριος [ιησους]
ανελει τω πνευματι του στοματος αυτου και καταργησει τη
επιφανεια της παρουσιας αυτου

In order for the lawless one to be restrained until the proper time for
his parousia (the Antichrist's open arrival upon the stage of history -
see vs. 8), such a restraining force must be powerful enough, have
a sufficient continuous worldwide presence, and be knowledgeable
enough to be able to do so until that restraining force is moved out
of the way.

The question is: What, or who, is this restraining force? This

restrainer is first mentioned in the Greek text as a neuter noun.
Then, one verse later, the restrainer is referred to as being
masculine. How can this be? Any solution to the identity of the
restrainer must take this into account.

Many of those who adhere to the doctrine a pretribulation rapture

suggest that the restraining influence is to be understood as the
Church itself. They believe that the removal of the restrainer who is
blocking the way of "the lawless one" is to be equated with the
rapture of the Church. Once the Church is raptured then the
Antichrist has no obstacle blocking his way and is free to make his
appearance.

The Church as the Restrainer theory fails on many points:

1. First, the Greek word for "church", εκκλησια, is always a feminine

noun. It is never neuter.
2. Secondly, the Church has never been everywhere in the world at
all times to restrain the satanic powers from producing the
Antichrist.
3. Thirdly, it is doubtful that there are those in the Church who are
knowledgeable enough and powerful enough to ascertain the
particulars of who how when and where of the antichrists rise to
power in order to be able to thwart block and assail the enemy.
4. Fourthly, even where the Church has existed, it has often been
without much real restraining force over the potent deceptive
forces of evil that have existed in the world.

Taken together, these objections make it seem extremely unlikely

that the Church has been actively restraining the most powerful of
evil forces that will one day give rise to the Antichrist.

Some suggest that the presence of Roman or civil law have been
sufficient to hinder the rise of lawlessness and the emergence of the
Antichrist. This theory also fails the same tests given above for the
Church:

1. First, the Greek word for "law", νομος, is a masculine noun and is
never neuter.
2. Secondly, the forces of law and order have never existed
everywhere in the world at all times to restrain the satanic
powers from producing the Antichrist.
3. Thirdly, it is doubtful that there are those in the civil law who are
knowledgeable enough and powerful enough to ascertain the
particulars of who how when and where of the antichrists rise to
power in order to be able to thwart block and assail the enemy.
 4. Fourthly, even where civil law and order has existed, it has often
been without much real restraining force over the potent
deceptive forces of evil which have existed in the world - acting
instead mainly as a punitive force.

On the other hand, if it is by the power of God's Spirit that the

"mystery of lawlessness" is restrained, then all problems disappear:

1. First, the word Greek word for "spirit", πνευμα, is neuter. Since it
is God (θεος, masculine) who is at work via His Holy Spirit, then
the restrainer may rightfully be spoken of using the masculine
gender.
2. Secondly, God (via His Holy Spirit) has always existed
everywhere in the world at all times to restrain the satanic
powers from producing the Antichrist.
3. Thirdly, God is omniscient - knowing fully all of the particulars of
who how when and where the antichrist is to rise to power. He
alone knows when the time is right to step out of the way and
unleash the satanic pseudo-messiah - the man of lawlessness.
4. Fourthly, only God has sufficient restraining force, via His Holy
Spirit, over the potent deceptive forces of evil that have existed
in the world.

The removal of the Holy Spirit is not a removal of the Holy Spirit
from the world, but rather a removal of his restraint. He will no
longer block the way or hinder the antichrist's appearance. As the
Greek construction εκ μεσου (out of the middle, or way) implies, the
Holy Spirit simply moves out of the way, ceases to block the powers
of evil, and allows the forces behind the antichrist to bring the man
of lawlessness onto the stage of world history - but only when the
time is right.

Certainly variations of these theories exist, as do other conjectures.

Our purpose here is not to give an exhaustive analysis and
refutation of every speculative hypothesis. Our goal here is simply
to demonstrate that the restraining influence is not the Church, nor
the Law or the Roman Empire. We do this to demonstrate that these
verses do not give any support to the notion of a pretribulation
rapture.

2nd Thessalonians 2:8 - The Timing of the Epiphany and

Parousia
From the rest of the New Testament we know that the epiphany of
Christ includes the parousia of Christ, the destruction of the
antichrist, and the judgment – all which must be at the end of the
tribulation.
(2 Thess. 2:8)
Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill
with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nothing by the
brightness [epiphania] of his coming [parousia];

In the above passage we see that the epiphany of Christ is also

Christ's parousia – which is when the Antichrist is destroyed – an
event that only occurs at the end of the great tribulation. It marks
the beginning of Christ's righteous judgment:
(2 Tim. 4:1-2)
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing
[epiphania] and His kingdom: (2) preach the word; be urgent in
season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all
patience and teaching.
 Who are the Elect?
"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we
practice to deceive."
- Sir Walter Scott
To avoid the idea that Christians must endure the great tribulation,
proponents of the pretribulation rapture make an arbitrary and
artificial distinction between "the Church" as Christians and "the
Elect" as the Jews. They believe that since Jesus was speaking to
Jews only in Matthew 24 that the words "the elect" must refer only
to Jews. For the same reason, they believe that the word "church"
does not appear after Revelation 3:22 because the "church has
been raptured away before the great tribulation begins in earnest.

The question then is: "Does the term "elect" [eklektos] refer just to
the Jews, or does this term include all Christian believers?"

According to an article in the Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical

Theology called "Elect, Election" (1996, pp. 199-201, by Dr. Walter
A. Elwell - professor of Bible and Theology at the University of
Edinburgh):
Those who are saved, the believers in Jesus Christ, are called
"the elect (chosen)" (Matt. 24:22; Rom. 8:33; Col. 3:12; Titus
1:1; Rev. 17:14). This is based on Old Testament usage, where
Israel is God's elect community. In the New Testament, the
believers are God's elect. They are called the elect because God
chose them to be saved (Matt. 22:14; John 6:37, 39; 15:16, 19;
Acts 13:48; Rom. 11:5; 1 Thess. 1:4). This election is
understood to be an eternal act in accordance with God's
foreknowledge and predetermination (Eph. 1:4; 1 Peter 1:1-2).

As one can see from the verses immediately below, believers in

Christ are called the "elect" [eklektos]:
(Rom 8:32-34)
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all,
how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (33)
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect [eklektos]?
It is God that justifieth. (34) Who is he that condemneth? It is
Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

(Col. 3:9-13)
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man
with his deeds; (10) And have put on the new man, which is
renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
(11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor
uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is
 all, and in all. (12) Put on therefore, as the elect [eklektos] of
God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness,
humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; (13) Forbearing
one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a
quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

(2 Tim. 2:10-11)
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's [eklektos] sakes,
that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus
with eternal glory. (11) It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead
with him, we shall also live with him:

(Tit 1:1-4)
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according
to the faith of God's elect [eklektos], and the acknowledging of
the truth which is after godliness; … (4) To Titus, mine own son
after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

From the above, one can see that there is scant reason to think that
the word "elect" [eklektos] refers only to Jews as some
pretribulationists suppose. The same then must also be true in the
eschatological passages of Matthew 24:22 and Revelation 17:14.
(Mt. 24:20-22)
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the
sabbath day: (21) For then shall be great tribulation, such as
was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor
ever shall be. (22) And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's [eklektos]
sake those days shall be shortened.

(Rev. 17:12-14)
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one
hour with the beast. (13) These have one mind, and shall give
their power and strength unto the beast. (14) These shall make
war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he
is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him
are called, and chosen [eklektos], and faithful.

(Mat 24:31)
He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one
end of the sky to the other.

The resurrected/raptured "elect" mentioned in Matthew 24 verse 31

are not just Jewish believers, as dispensationalists teach. Instead
the elect includes ALL of God's chosen people. Believers of any
group are considered part of God's chosen covenant people.
 (Gal. 3:26-29)
For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.
(27) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put
on Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither
slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you
are all one in Christ Jesus. (29) If you are Christ's, then you are
Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise.

(Rom. 2:28-29)
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that
circumcision which is outward in the flesh; (29) but he is a Jew
who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the
spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from
God.

To believe that those of the elect are somehow different from those
of the Church is to make an arbitrary distinction based wholly upon
a strained theological presupposition. Such reasoning is inconsistent
with good hermeneutical practices and the teaching of the Church.
 What about God's Tribulational
Wrath?
Those who believe in a pretribulational rapture often quote the
following verse as evidence that the Church will not go through the
great tribulation:
(1 Thess. 5:9-10)
For God didn't appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (10) who died for us,
that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with
him.

They reason that since the great tribulation is a time when God
pours out His wrath upon the earth (Rev. 16:2-19) the Church must
not be on the earth lest it too be the recipient of God's wrath.

Those who believe that the Church must go through the great
tribulation also believe that true believers will be protected from
God's wrath much as the Israelites were protected from God's wrath
during the time of the plagues poured out on the Egyptians before
the exodus. We catch a glimpse of how this is accomplished for one
group of believes in the following passage:
(Rev. 7:2-4)
I saw another angel ascend from the sunrise, having the seal of
the living God. He cried with a loud voice to the four angels to
whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, (3) saying,
"Don't harm the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until we
have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads!"
(4) I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred
forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of
Israel:

(Rev. 9:3-4)
Then out of the smoke came forth locusts on the earth, and
power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have
power. (4) They were told that they should not hurt the grass of
the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only
those people who don't have God's seal on their foreheads.

All true believers have been "sealed" by God (same Greek word
used as in Revelation):
(2 Cor. 1:22)
who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit
in our hearts.

(Eph. 1:13)
in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the
 gospel of your salvation, -- in whom, having also believed, you
were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

(Eph. 4:30)
Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for
the day of redemption.

True believers already have the blood of the Lamb applied to the
lintels and door posts of our hearts, and can fully expect that God's
wrath will pass over them much as in the following passage from
Exodus below:
(1 Pet. 1:18-19)
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold … (19) But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot:

(1 Cor. 5:7)
… Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

(1 Thess. 1:10)
… wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

(Ex. 12:22-23)
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that
is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with
the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at
the door of his house until the morning. (23) For the LORD will
pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the
blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will
pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in
unto your houses to smite you.

In another instance we find that the people of God are told to leave
the city of "Babylon the great" before it is utterly destroyed:
(Rev. 18:4, 10)
I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her,
my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that
you don't receive of her plagues, … (8) Therefore in one day her
plagues will come: death, mourning, and famine; and she will
be utterly burned with fire; for the Lord God who has judged her
is strong.

When the city is destroyed, a loud voice (in Rev. 19:3) proclaims
"Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever." This is
reminiscent of when Abraham saw the aftermath of Sodom and
Gomorrah's destruction when "the smoke of the land went up as the
smoke of a furnace" (Gen 19:28).

Although all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2
Tim. 3:12), true and faithful believers who endure unto the end
must never fear being the recipient of God's wrath. Instead, we are
told in 2nd Timothy 4:5 to
… "be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an
evangelist, and fulfill your ministry."
 More Pro Posttribulation Rapture
Arguments
Acts 1:11
When Christ bodily ascended into heaven in front of his disciples,
two men [angels] said that Christ would return (i.e. back to the
earth) the same way he left – bodily and visibly. The angels did not
say that Christ's coming would be a something secret or that he
would only come back part way and then return to heaven. No! The
angels used the word "erchomai" which refers to a public coming
from one place so as to arrive at a different destination.
(Acts 1:9-11)
When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was
taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. (10) While
they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold,
two men stood by them in white clothing, (11) who also said,
"You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?
This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come
[erchomai, publicly coming from one place to another] back [i.e.
back to the earth] in the same way as you saw him going into
the sky."

Acts 3:19-21
Peter, speaking in the temple, says that Christ will remain in heaven
until it is time to restore "all things". Since Christ does not restore
all things to the way they are supposed to be until after the great
tribulation then Christ cannot leave heaven before the tribulation so
as to rapture his church.
Act 3:19-21
"Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be
blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from
the presence of the Lord, (20) and that he may send Christ
Jesus, who was ordained for you before, (21) whom heaven
must receive until the times of restoration [apokatastasis] of all
things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy
prophets."

The Greek word "apokatastasis" refers to the restoration of all

things to their former state, which in this case implies that period
before "the fall".

1 Timothy 6:14
Paul implores Timothy to keep the commandment "all the way up
to" the very visible bright and shining epiphany of Christ.
 (1 Tim. 6:14)
that you keep the commandment without spot, blameless, until
[mechri] the appearing [epiphania] of our Lord Jesus Christ;

The Greek word "mechri" means "all the way up to a certain

terminal point"; which in this case is the very visible epiphany of
Christ.

Matthew 24:24-31
Matthew 24:24-31 (esp. vss. 30-31, and its parallel in Mark 13:21-
27) clearly teaches a posttribulation rapture. Only pretribulationists
who believe there are two or more comings and two resurrections
and two raptures have difficulty seeing this. As we have already
demonstrated, the Church has (for over 1800 years) taught this. It is
nothing new at all. The burden of proof rests not on historical
posttribulationists but on pretribulationists to provide a clear proof-
text for a secret pretribulation rapture.
(Mat. 24:24-31)
For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they
will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if
possible, even the elect. (25) "Behold, I have told you
beforehand. (26) If therefore they tell you, 'Behold, he is in the
wilderness,' don't go out; 'Behold, he is in the inner chambers,'
don't believe it. (27) For as the lightning comes forth from the
east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the
Son of Man. (28) For wherever the carcass is, there will the
vultures be gathered together. (29) But immediately AFTER THE
OPPRESSIVE TRIBULATION [thlipsis] of those days, the sun will
be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall
from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;
(30) AND THEN the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the
sky. THEN all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will
see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power
and great glory. (31) HE WILL SEND OUT HIS ANGELS with a
great sound of a trumpet, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER
HIS ELECT from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the
other.
 Only One Resurrection
This section demonstrates why I reject the belief in the two
resurrections and the two judgments espoused by
dispensationalists. I begin with a look at two of the Early Church
creeds handed down to us. Note that they mention only one final
judgment: a judgment that includes those living and dead, the
righteous and the unrighteous alike. Such a judgment requires only
one resurrection.

Apostle's Creed (after 200 A.D.)

"He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the
Father Almighty, From whence He shall come to judge the living
and the dead."

Nicene Creed (325 A.D.)

"… He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended
into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and He
shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end."

Scriptural References:
Since the focus of God's redemptive work in the Old Testament was
his chosen people, its references to a resurrection center mainly on
the resurrection of the righteous rather than on a general
resurrection. Probable references may be found in Psa 17:15; Psa
16:11; Psa 49:15; Psa 73:24, and in Job 14:13-15; Job 19:25-29. Two
certain passages are Isa 26:19 margin and Dan 12:2. Isaiah
mentions only the resurrection of the righteous dead of Israel, but
Daniel includes the unrighteous as well (see: Dan 12:2; . Dan 10:7,
Dan 10:8).

The struggles against foreign domination during the

intertestamental period often resulted in the focus being placed on
the resurrection of Jewish martyrs (see: Enoch 90:33, and 2 Macc
7:9, 11, 23; 14:46). But even in this period, the literature also
contains many references to the resurrection of the righteous in
general (see: Enoch 91:10, theTestament of the Twelve Patriarchs,
and the Testament of Judah), and the resurrection of the
unrighteous as well (see: Enoch 22:11; Testament of the Twelve
Patriarchs, and the Testament of Benjamin). In one case, Enoch
25:6, the resurrection results in the increased longevity of the risen
saints rather than in immortality. This view seems to mirror the
thoughts expressed in Isaiah 65:17-25 which many Christians view
as belonging to the millenial reign of Christ - before the general
resurrection and the final judgment.

The idea of a general resurrection and final judgment in

intertestamental literature is not very common (see: the Testament
of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Testament of Benjamin 10:7, 8 (the
Greek text seems to mention two resurrections); Baruch 50:2;
Enoch 51:1; Sibiline Oracles 4:178-90; Life of Adam (Greek) 10, and
2 Esdras 5:45; 7:32; 14:35).

During the New Testament period Jewish thought seems to be

mixed. The idea of a resurrection was held primarily by the
Pharisees although the earliest part of the Talmud does not mention
a belief in a general resurrection. On the other hand, the Sadducees
denied any resurrection at all (see: Mat 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27,
Luke 20:27-38, and Acts 23:8).

In the New Testament the resurrection of all men is taught. The

men of Sodom, Tyre, and Nineveh appear for judgment (Mat 11:22,
Mat 11:24; Mat 12:41, Mat 12:42 parallel Luk 10:14; Luk 11:32), and
those cast into Gehenna are represented as having a body (Mar
9:43-47; Mat 5:29, Mat 5:30; Mat 10:28; Mat 18:8, Mat 18:9). It is at
this final judgment that all men appear (Mt 25:31-46). The same
distinction is made in John's gospel (see: Joh 5:28-29, Joh 6:39, Joh
6:40, Joh 6:44, Joh 6:54; and Joh 11:25).

The apostles refer quite often to the resurrection (see: Acts 4:2;
17:18, 32; 23:6; 24:15, 21; Rom 4:17; 5:17; 6:5, 8, 11; 11:15; 1st
Cor 6:14 and chapter 15; 2nd Cor 1:9; 4:14; 5:1-10; Phi 3:10, 11, 21;
Col 1:18; 1st Thess 4:13-18; 2nd Tim 2:18; Heb 6:2; 11:19, 35; Rev
20:4, 5 (only martyrs are mentioned); and Rev 20:12, 13. Of these
passages, only Act 24:15 and Rev 20:12-13 refer to a general
resurrection with absolutely no ambiguity, but the doctrine is
certainly contained in others passages as well, such as in 2nd Tim
4:1, et. al..

Although some of these passages are understood by many as

referring to two resurrections, I believe that such passages simply
center on two aspects of one resurrection and one final judgment,
contrasting the fate of the righteous and the unrighteous. The New
Testament contrasts the resurrection to life with resurrection to
judgment in both John 5:29 and in Acts 24:15. A similar contrast
may lie behind the statements in Revelation 20 about “the first
resurrection” (20:5) and “the second death” (20:13-14). It appears
that these references are using figurative language – not intended
to be taken literally.
The following passages will hopefully demonstrate why I believe in
just one resurrection and judgment:
(Dan. 12:1-2)
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which
standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a
time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation
even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be
delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (2)
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall
awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt.

(Mt. 3:12)
"His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly
cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the
barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."

(Mt. 13:27-30, 37-43)

"The servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir,
didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did this darnel
[false wheat] come from?' (28) "He said to them, 'An enemy has
done this.' "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and
gather them up?' (29) "But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while you
gather up the darnel, you root up the wheat with them. (30) Let
both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I
will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the darnel, and bind them
in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
…
(37) He answered them, "He who sows the good seed is the Son
of Man, (38) the field is the world; and the good seed, these are
the children of the kingdom; and the darnel are the children of
the evil one. (39) The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The
harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. (40)
As therefore the darnel is gathered up and burned with fire; so
will it be at the end of this age. (41) The Son of Man will send
out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things
that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, (42) and will
cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the
gnashing of teeth. (43) Then the righteous will shine forth like
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear,
let him hear.

(Mt. 25:31-33,46)
"But when the Son of Man comes [erchomai] in his glory, and all
the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his
glory. (32) Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he
will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats. (33) He will set the sheep on his right
hand, but the goats on the left. … (46) These will go away into
eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
 (Jn. 5:25-29)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is,
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they
that hear shall live. (26) For as the Father hath life in himself; so
hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; (27) And hath
given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the
Son of man. (28) Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in
the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, (29)
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.

(Heb. 9:27-28)
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment: (28) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of
many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the
second time without sin unto salvation.

(Acts 24:15)
And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow,
that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just
and unjust.

(Acts 17:30-31)
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commands all men every where to repent: (31) Because he
hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he
hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him
from the dead.

(2 Cor. 5:10)
For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ;
that each one may receive the things in the body, according to
what he has done, whether good or bad.

(2 Tim. 4:1)
… the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead
at His appearing [epiphaneia] and His kingdom:

(1 Cor. 4:5)
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes
[erchomai], who will both bring to light the hidden things of
darkness, and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man
will get his praise from God.

Revelation 20:5, 13-14

The “first resurrection” mentioned by John in Revelation 20:5 is the
assurance that believers and martyrs for the faith have of being
with the Lord in the spirit after death/martyrdom but before life
everlasting with the Lord after the resurrection. This language is
similar to that used in the Gospels and by Paul in 2nd Corinthians,
Colossians, and in Ephesians:
(2 Cor 5:6)
while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord

(2 Cor 5:8)
We … are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
at home with the Lord.

(Col 2:12)
you were also raised with him [Christ] through faith

(Col 3:1)
you were raised together with Christ

(Eph 2:1)
You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and
sins

(Eph 2:5-6)
we were … made us alive together with Christ … (6) and raised
us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus

In his Gospel, John records Jesus using similar figurative language

about faithful believers not being dead but very much alive after the
death of their bodies:
(Joh 8:51)
“Most assuredly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will
never see death."

In Matthew 22:32 Jesus tells his listeners:

(Mat 22:32)
“'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob?' God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

The “second death” mentioned by John in Revelation 20:13-14 and

in 21:8 refers to the eternal consignment to hell itself of the ungodly
following the judgment. When the ungodly die they do not enjoy a
blissful spiritual union with Christ in the heavenlies but are
separated from God and all that is good [see Jesus parable in Luke
16:19-31]. That spiritual separation may seem bad enough, but
Jesus says that the final condemnation of the ungodly at the
judgment will see them all consigned to the “lake of fire” where
they “will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” This, it is
said, “is the second death”:
(Mat 16:28)
"Most assuredly I tell you, there are some standing here who
will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man
coming in his kingdom." [see parallel passages in Mark 9:1 and
in Luke 9:27]

(Rev 19:20)
The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who
worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who
had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped
his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that
burns with sulfur.

(Rev 20:10)
The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire
and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They
will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

(Rev 20:14)
Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, the lake of fire.

(Rev 20:15)
If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast
into the lake of fire.

(Rev 21:8)
… the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers,
sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is
in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second
death.

There is only one literal physical resurrection and one judgment

when Christ returns to the earth. The last enemy (death) will be
destroyed and the eternal reign of God in Christ Jesus will be
enjoyed on this earth forever - "World without end. Amen." ... Even
so, come Lord Jesus!
 An Overview of Pretribulation Views
vs. Posttribulation Views
The following table was taken from Dan Dudley's website (The
Posttribulation Rapture) at:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6476/index.html. It presents a
comparison of the pretribulation and posttribulation views and
graphically shows the "dubious duplication" of end-time events
proposed by those of the pretribulational persuasion:

Pretribulation Posttribulation
Event Bible Reference
Rapture Rapture
The sun is darkened, the moon is
turned to blood (or darkened), the Joel 2.30-31
stars fall from the sky, and the Joel 3.14-16
three times 1, 2
once
powers of heaven are shaken Rev. 6.12
(wonders in the sky or stars lose Mt. 24.29
their brightness).
1Thess. 4.17
Christ coming in the clouds twice once
Mt. 24.30
1Thess. 4.16
Angelic involvement at His coming twice once
Mt. 24.31
Twice, with the
second one 1 Cor. 15.52
Resurrection of believers once
called the "first Rev. 20.4-5
resurrection"
1 Cor. 15.52
Last trumpet sounds twice once
Rev. 11.15
Rev. 22.12
Saints are rewarded twice once
Rev. 11.18
Believers are told to expectantly Titus 2.13
twice once
await His coming Mt. 24.42
Christ's advent to initiate the day of
1Thess. 5.2
the Lord is illustrated as being like twice 1
once
Rev. 16.15
the coming of a thief
1
Most pretribs also believe the day of the Lord includes the entire 70th week of Daniel.
2
Before the 70th week, during the 70th week, and then after the 70th week.

In the remaining section we examine the testimonies of men who

have renounced pretribulation rapture teachings, and we look at the
teachings of the Catholic church and the Orthodox church.
 Tribulation or Rapture - Which?
By
Oswald J. Smith, D.D., Litt D., LL. D.
http://www.pbministries.org/Eschatology/smith_01.htm

Why did the Lord Jesus conceal the Secret Rapture in Matthew
twenty-four? How are we to explain the silence of the Church for
centuries concerning it? What about the passages that have been
used to support it? Have we been lulling the Church into a false
security? Are there any outstanding Christian leaders who believe
that the Church will go through the Great Tribulation?

In my first book on Prophecy I asked the questions: "Will the Church

pass through the Tribulation or be raptured out of it?" In answering I
made this statement: "I have always held the view that the Rapture
precedes the Revelation by some seven years, and that the Church,
therefore, will not go through the Tribulation, but I do not want to be
dogmatic about it and, if God should reveal the contrary to me, I will
gladly accept it". Hence, you see, I did not approach the subject
with my mind closed to new light and my heart already prejudiced. I
was open to whatever God might reveal.

Now, after years of study and prayer, I am absolutely convinced

that there will be no rapture before the Tribulation, but that the
Church will undoubtedly be called upon to face the Antichrist, and
that Christ will come at the close and not at the beginning of that
awful period. I believed the other theory simply because I was
taught it by W. E. Blackstone in his book "Jesus is Coming," the
Scofield Reference Bible and Prophetic Conferences and Bible
Schools; but when I began to search the Scriptures for myself I
discovered that there is not a single verse in the Bible that upholds
the pretribulation theory, but that the uniform teaching of the Word
of God is of a posttribulation Rapture: pre-millennial always.
everywhere pre-millennial, but posttribulation.

My First Awakening
My first awakening to this important truth came one day in 1925,
when I was spending a few days in a cottage at Stoney Lake,
Ontario. One of my neighbors, Frank Edmonds by name, simply
made the suggestion to me. I opposed it at once. "Why," I
exclaimed, "however could that be? What about the Scriptures? The
teaching of a pretribulation Rapture is clear and indisputable." But
he quietly affirmed that I was wrong and emphasized the truth
concerning the Last Trump. Of course, I was not convinced. I almost
 ridiculed the very idea of such a possibility. And there the matter
rested.

One day, in the early twenties, I began preaching on Prophecy. I had

taken my people through Daniel without difficulty. Then came Mark
13. Luke 21, and Matthew 24 and 25. But. lo and behold, no sooner
had I started on Matthew 24 than I got into trouble. I had announced
that I would deal with Matthew 24 at the next service. Hundreds had
gathered. I was in a maze, for I was perplexed. So I took a verse
here and there through the chapter and thus satisfied the people for
that hour at least. But now the next meeting was coming. What was
I to say?

I need not point out that there is no pretribulation Rapture in

Matthew 24. The Second Coming is unmistakably placed
"immediately after the Tribulation" (verse 29), and I was forced to
the conclusion that if the Rapture was to be 'before" the Tribulation,
the Lord Jesus Christ would certainly have given some hint of it at
least. He was dealing with the End-Time of the Age. It is unthinkable
that He would have spoken so minutely of the Tribulation without
stating that the Church would escape. Instead, He purposely led His
hearers to the belief that His followers would be in it. Hence, I was
staggered, nor could I honestly defend my previous position.

So, when I again faced the people, I said sufficient to let them know
that I questioned my former stand and saw evidence of a
posttribulation Rapture. For, as I read Matthew 24 and 25, I saw that
many things, as prophesied by the Lord Jesus Christ, simply had to
take place before Jesus could come, namely: "All these things"
(verse 33), especially the prediction regarding the preaching of the
Gospel. See Mark 13:10, and note the significance of the word
"first". Thus, since God's future program could not be set aside,
there could be no "any moment expectation" of Christ's Return. We
are to watch, watch as prophecy after prophecy is fulfilled, ever
looking forward to His Appearing; and, in the End-Time, to watch as
never before, and to always be ready, for none can ever know how
quickly the events predicted might come to pass and Christ return.

My "Any Moment" Theory

Then followed the next step. There came into my hands a copy of a
book by Dr. Henry W. Frost, then the Home Director of the China
Inland Mission. It was entitled "Matthew 24 and the Revelation," a
volume of over 300 pages. I fairly devoured it. Portions of it I read
through twice. It was most conclusive in its arguments for a
posttribulation Rapture. About the same time I got hold of a book by
James H. McConkey, called "The Book of Revelation," and another—
perhaps the best of all—by Edmund Shackleton (England), entitled
"Will the Church Escape the Great Tribulation?" Before I had read
them through I was firmly convinced that there would be no Rapture
before the Tribulation, and that I had done wrong in promising the
Church an escape instead of preparing her for the terrible ordeal
that must most surely be awaited. My "any moment" theory could
not be sustained. In fact, the very first statement in the latter book,
which was written about 1890, amazed me beyond measure and I
was fairly staggered as I grasped its significance. Let me quote it
verbatim:
All who held the pre-millennial Coming of Christ were, till about
sixty years ago, of one mind on the subject. About that time a
new view was promulgated that the Coming of Christ was not
one event, but that it was divided into stages, in fact, that
Christ comes twice from heaven to earth, but the first time only
as far as the air. This first descent, it is said, will be for the
purpose of removing the Church from the world, and will occur
before the Great Tribulation under Antichrist. This they call "The
coming for His saints" or "Secret Rapture." The second part of
the Coming is said to take place when Christ appears in glory
and destroys the Antichrist. This they call "The coming with His
saints."

Apart from the test of the Word, which is the only final one,
there are certain reasons why this doctrine should be viewed
with suspicion. It appears to be little more than sixty years old;
and it seems highly improbable that. if scriptural it could have
escaped the scrutiny of the many devoted Bible students whose
writings have been preserved to us from the past. More
especially in the writings of the early Christian fathers would we
expect to find some notice of this doctrine, if it had been taught
by the Apostles; but those who have their works declare that
they betray no knowledge of a theory that the Church would
escape the Tribulation under Antichrist, or that there would be
any "coming" except that spoken of in Matthew 24, as occurring
in manifest glory "after the Tribulation." This is all the more
significant, because these writers bestowed much attention
upon the subject of the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation.
Augustine, referring to Daniel 7, wrote: "But he who reads this
passage even half asleep cannot fail to see that the kingdom of
Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the
Church."

Then when I remembered that the death of Peter, his prediction of

corruption and apostasy after his decease, the death of Paul, and
many other events had to occur before the Rapture—especially the
evangelization of the world (Mark 13:10 and Matt. 24:14)— my "any
moment" theory took wings and fled.
 Last of all, I ran across "The Great Tribulation—The Church's
Supreme Test" by John B. Scruby, the most convincing; the most
unanswerable of all. It deals with every point minutely and proves
conclusively that the Tribulation precedes the Rapture.
Recently I got hold of that remarkable book "Tribulation to Glory" by
H. A. Baker. in which he wrote:
"For eighteen centuries the fundamental principle of tribulation
to glory was the universal belief of the truly born-again
members of the Church"

and then he goes on to show that the new pretribulation rapture

teaching was first proclaimed as a direct revelation by a woman in
Edward Irving's church, and then taken up by John Nelson Darby
(and the Scofield Reference Bible) in direct contradiction to the
teaching of the Church for eighteen hundred years.
"Beginning with the Irvingite woman, then propagated by John
N. Darby about 1830, this new 'spirit-inspired' doctrine during
the last century has come down to us until it has become
popular. George Muller opposed it; so did Benjamin Wills
Newton; so did Dr. S. P. Tregelles and other Brethren, but all in
vain."

But now, thank God, large numbers of our leading Bible Teachers
are coming back to the original position.

God's Word
I discovered that no time element is ever mentioned so far as the
Rapture is concerned, except as it is related to the Resurrection.
And that the Resurrection is always placed at the time of the
sounding of the Last Trump (1 Cor. 15:51-54). This Trump, without
doubt, closes the Tribulation. There is no eighth. The saints are
rewarded (Rev. 11:18). The "mystery of God", is then finished, there
is time (delay) no longer (Rev. 10:6 and 7), and the Resurrection, of
course, immediately precedes the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:16).

Naturally, I thought of 2 Thessalonians 2:7: "he who now letteth will

let, until he be taken out of the way". But then I learned from the
Greek that the second "he" is the Antichrist, and that the Greek
does not say "taken out of the way," but "revealed in the midst," or,
"born out of the midst." In other words, lawlessness will be
restrained until the appointed time for the lawless one, the
Antichrist, to appear. There is no mention of the Holy Spirit at all.
That is a Scofield Bible assumption. The Holy Spirit and the Church
remain to the end of the Age.
Then, too. I thought of Luke 21:36 and of Revelation 3:10. But Noah,
I remembered, "escaped" by preservation. Daniel "was kept" and
protected in the lion's den. The three Hebrew children were "kept"
though in a burning fiery furnace. None of them were taken out.
Rather they were kept, preserved, protected while in, and thus they
escaped. Why not the Church? Note that 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
finds the saints in trouble, in tribulation, and resting only at the
close. In fact the first two chapters of 2 Thessalonians cannot be
interpreted in any other way. Chapter two, verse one, is most
explicit. "Now we beseech you, brethren", writes Paul, "by the
coming (Revelation) of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering
together (the Rapture) unto Him". There is here no separation
between the Rapture and the Revelation. The Coming is the one and
only Coming spoken of throughout the two chapters, the Coming
described in chapter one, verses seven and eight.

I learned, too, that the word for "meet" in 1 Thessalonians 4: was

only used in two other places, and, in both cases, it meant
"returning with" and not "remaining at" the place of meeting. When
the brethren from Rome met Paul, they immediately returned to the
city with him. When the Virgins met the Bridegroom they
accompanied Him back to the wedding. When the saints meet Christ
in the Air, as He comes to judge the nations and establish His
Kingdom on earth, they will return with Him. There is no Scripture
that says they will remain for some seven years in the Air.

In 1 Thessalonians each chapter closes with a reference to the

Second Coming, but no distinction is made. As Christ descends with
His angels after the Tribulation, the saints ascend, and, meeting
Him in the Air, turn and continue with Him back to the earth. How
long He remains in the Air, following the meeting with the Church is
nowhere revealed. "The Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His
saints" (1 Thess. 3:13), is unquestionably the Revelation, after the
Tribulation, simply because the words, "with all His saints" are
added. But why infer another, a previous Coming, in 1
Thessalonians 4:17 and 1:10, or 5:23? It is all one and the same.
There is no Secret Rapture. That theory must be deliberately read
into the passage. There is no Rapture in Revelation until chapter
nineteen is reached.

I had been taught that the Greek word "parousia" always referred to
the Rapture and that other words were used for the Coming of
Christ in glory after the Tribulation. But I found that this is not true.
Parousia is used for the latter, too. See 2 Thessalonians 2:1.
 While it is clear that the Church must endure the wrath of the
Antichrist, it is certain that the Church will not have to endure the
wrath of God. When His judgments are poured out on the Antichrist
and his followers, the Church will be divinely protected by God even
as the Israelites were protected when His wrath was poured upon
the Egyptians—not by being raptured, but by being kept.

We might go through all the writers of the New Testament, and we

would fail to discover any indication of the so-called "two-stages" of
our Lord's Coming. Peter, James and John tell the same story. There
is no Scripture for a pretribulation rapture. That theory had to be
invented by man. Search and see. There is no verse in the Bible that
even mentions it.

I discovered that nearly all evangelical missionary leaders believe

that there must be representatives in the Church of Christ from
every tribe, kindred, tongue and nation, and not just from the so-
called civilized world, and that, therefore, the only way to hasten
the Coming of Christ is by evangelizing the remaining unreached
peoples of earth. Jesus made it perfectly clear when He said, "the
gospel must first be published among all nations" (Mark 13:10) "and
then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14). Hence, the greatest
incentive to missionary work is the Second Coming of Christ.

Spiritual Preparedness
I am sure that with the true child of God it is not a question of
preference but of truth. Does God's Word say so? Why then rebel? Is
not His plan best? Besides, what difference does it make so long as
we are ready? "Spiritual Preparedness" is the only important factor
after all.

I wonder if we have been lulling the Church into a false security?

Can it be that we have been preaching an easy escape? Ought we
to prepare the Church for the greatest of all ordeals? Should not our
teaching harden her for the fires of the Tribulation? What kind of
soldiers are we training? I am afraid that we have been very guilty
and that God will certainly hold us responsible for the type of
Christian our preaching is producing. We need men and women
today of the martyr spirit. The test of the Inquisition is coming again
and woe betide the pre-millennialists who are not ready. The Church
must be purified in the fires of persecution.

Voices of Others
Now if I were to go into the subject in detail and attempt to deal
with the numerous passages, both for and against, I would simply
be overlapping. Others have already done this most ably, far better
than I can, and so, if you are really interested, I would suggest that
you secure the books that have been written on the subject and
study them prayerfully and with an open mind before taking sides.
A great many have been written by men on both sides of the
Atlantic. The following are among the best that have been published
in Great Britain and you may procure most of them from THE
SOVEREIGN GRACE ADVENT TESTIMONY, I DONALD WAY,
CHELMSFORD, ESSEX, CM2 9JB, the organization that publishes the
posttribulation magazine Watching and Waiting, edited by James
Payne.

Here are the books:

Will the Church Escape the Great Tribulation? (by Edmund
Shackleton); Christ's Second Coming (by S. P. Tregelles) [these two
are scarce]; Our Lord Cometh (by W. J. Rowlands); The Coming of
the Son of Man (by Rev. E. J. Poole-Connor); The Second Advent of
our Lord, Not Secret, but in Manifested Glory (by B. W. Newton);
One Second Coming of Christ (by W. J. Rowlands); The First
Resurrection (by S. P. Tregelles); Touching the Coming of the Lord
(by Dan Crawford); The Saints' Rest and Rapture (by Frank H.
White); The Second Coming of Christ (by George Muller). Send for
their catalogue.

The following have been published in North America: "The Blessed

Hope" (by Professor George E. Ladd). Dr. Ladd teaches in Fuller
Theological Seminary, Pasadena. It is a masterly volume and it goes
into both the history and doctrine of both the Pretribulation and the
Posttribulation Advent. "Will Christ's Coming he in two stages?"
(by Norman F. Douty).

I have a list of nearly seventy Bible Teachers who have proclaimed

this view of the Return of Christ. Among them, in addition to those
who have written the above books, there are such names as W. J.
Erdman, Charles R. Erdman. Dr. Campbell Morgan, Bishop Frank
Houghton, Dr. A. B. Simpson, Dr. J. W. Thirtle, Dr. Charles T. Cook,
Alexander Reese, Dr. Horatius Bonar, Dr. Adolph Saphir, Henry
Varley, Dr. Nathaniel West, David Baron, H. W. Soltau, Dr. Bergin,
Dr. Harold J. Ockenga, and many others. To ignore the convictions
of such spiritual leaders is impossible. Deference must be given to
their views.

These views I would sum up by quoting from "Watching and

Waiting"
"We believe that this was the teaching of our Lord and His
Apostles. We believe it was held by the Early Church and by all
 in the Middle Ages who had any light on the Second Advent. We
believe, too, that it was the teaching of the Early Brethren and
that no other view was generally accepted among them until
the Any Moment. Secret Rapture, Pretribulation, or Two-Stage
Coming theory was taught by Edward Irving, as a result of a
vision received by a woman in his church. Thus Any Moment
teaching is a 'novel' doctrine".

My Final Appeal
Beloved, the shadows are darkening. The day is drawing to a close.
It is now Saturday night in the history of the Church. The times of
the Gentiles have almost run their course. Events are fast shaping
for the end. The Antichrist will soon be here.
One fact and one only is important—Christ is coming. Of that there
can be no doubt. One question and one only is vital—Are we ready?

We may differ on minor details of prophecy. We may disagree as to

the time of His Appearing. We may not see eye to eye regarding the
order of prophetic events. But one thing is certain—He is coming.
We will be with Him. The Millennium is at hand and soon now we
shall know all. Therefore, let us love one another sincerely and
labour together "till He Come".

If I am mistaken I will know it then. Hence, let us agree to disagree

agreeably. God knows our hearts. He knows that we love Him and
that is all that really matters. If I love Him and you love Him, we will
love each other. Soon the day will break and all the shadows flee
away. Meanwhile I am "looking for that blessed hope and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ"
(Titus 2 :13).
 Why I Left Scofieldism
By
William E. Cox
Taken from the website at:
http://www.gracegospel.org.uk/scofieldism.htm

Breaking away from the fascinating teachings of The Scofield

Reference Bible was one of the most difficult decisions of my entire
life. Even after doubts arose in my mind, it took some seven or eight
years to relinquish the ready-made theological clothing I had worn
since the day of my conversion. For I was saved, at the age of
sixteen, in a Baptist church where almost everyone carried a
Scofield Bible. My spiritual tutors knew the footnotes and headings
placed in the Bible by C. I. Scofield as well as they knew the Bible
itself. Indeed, the two had become almost synonymous in their
minds even as they were destined to become in my own mind. Even
today it is difficult at times to clear my mind of some of Scofield's
presuppositions when I study God's Word.

It was while I was serving in Europe as a member of a medium tank

crew that God called me into the ministry of his dear Son. Even
before the beginning of World War II - in fact, from the time of my
conversion, I had been active as a Sunday School teacher and had
taken other active interests in the local church. However, acting on
the advice of Scofield himself, I had distrusted the outstanding Bible
commentaries and had felt that all I needed for a thorough
understanding of the Bible was supplied by the notes of my favorite
"Bible."

With my call to the ministry came the jolting realization that I would
be called upon to say to members of my congregation, "This is why
we believe thus and so about the Bible; here is the verse and
chapter for our belief on a given subject." With this thought in mind
I deliberately took my theology apart to see whether or not I could
put it together again, based on the Bible. My thinking was that if I
could not convince myself, then certainly I could not convince
others. In other words, I asked myself, concerning each and every
major doctrine in which I believed, "What saith the scripture?"
(Romans 4:3).

This was a helpful experience in my life and ministry. I heartily

recommend it to every preacher and teacher. Let me caution you,
however, that there are risks involved in such a procedure. You
might have to burn some favorite sermons or lessons! I did. Still, it
was a rewarding experience, too. To me it was like walking out of a
dimly lighted room into one flooded with light. My God and his Book
appeared larger than ever before.

Getting back to the dissecting of my beliefs, it was disconcerting, to

say the least, to find that some of my most cherished beliefs simply
would not stand up under a close scriptural scrutiny. I got most of
Humpty-Dumpty back together with relative ease. I could show,
from the Bible, why I believed in such great doctrines as the Virgin
Birth, deity of Christ, his literal Second Coming, the inspiration and
infallibility of the Scriptures, believers' immersion, eternal security,
perseverance of the saints, the bodily resurrection of all, the
judgment, eternal heaven, an equally eternal hell, and many other
cardinal doctrines.

But, try as I would, certain beliefs kept embarrassing me. For I could
not find the verse and chapter to support my beliefs concerning
national Israel. I had been taught that the Jews would go back to
Palestine, rebuild the Temple, reinstitute the blood sacrifices, serve
as Christ's missionaries during an earthly millennium, and be
involved in many other related events. I was so determined to find
scriptural support for these teachings that oftentimes I became
angry with myself for being so lacking in Bible knowledge.

Finally, after some seven or eight years of searching in vain, God

jolted me into reality. It finally dawned upon me that what I
sincerely thought were verses of the Bible actually were footnotes
put inside the covers of the Bible by a man. I acknowledged, too,
that C. I. Scofield was a man. like ourselves and that he did not
belong in the same authoritative category as Peter, James, and
John.

I broke with Scofieldism grudgingly. He had been such a help in

preparing a Sunday School lesson and, later, in "getting up a
sermon." All one needed to do was to turn to the passage in mind.
In most cases the headings and footnotes presented a ready
outline, requiring very little study. Also, just about every Christian in
my peer group seemed to agree that here was profound teaching.

Perhaps one of my greatest surprises came with the realization that

followers of Scofield actually represented a comparatively small
minority among Christians. It was only their dogmatism, plus the
fact that they were so vocal, which made them appear to be in the
majority. It was a comfort to learn that Scofield's "rediscovered
truths," which he had learned at the feet of John Nelson Darby, a
Plymouth Brethren, differed not only from most known
commentaries, but from the great majority of the church fathers,
 and the reformers as well. I learned, too, that most of the critics of
Scofieldism had, as I had, been devoted followers at one time.

Having come out of Scofieldism, I passed through at least three

stages to arrive at my present position. My first feeling was that,
although many things my former hero taught were not so, the good
points (and he has many of these) in his system outweighed the
bad. From this stage continued study led me to believe that I must
leave The Scofield Reference Bible alone completely, but that I
should not make an issue of it with equally sincere Christians.
Further study led me to the position which I now hold. That position
is that Scofieldism is heresy, and that, since God has given me this
light, I must seek in love to warn others of the household of faith
against this subtle, intriguing heresy.

It has been some 14 years since my final break with Scofieldism. Let
me share with you some of the objections to this teaching as they
are now formulated in my mind.

1. Scofield Downgrades the Church and Her Role in

God's Plan.
Historic Christian teaching always has been that the church was the
antitype of national Israel. This teaching goes on to say that the
church succeeded Israel at the first advent, and that all unfulfilled
promises to Abraham will be fulfilled in and through the church.

Scofield admits that this is the historic Christian teaching, then

proceeds to teach that it is erroneous. He says: "Especially is it
necessary to exclude the notion - a legacy in Protestant thought
from post-apostolic and Roman Catholic theology - that the Church
is the true Israel, and that the Old Testament foreview of the
kingdom is fulfilled in the Church" (p. 989, S.R.B.).

He begins early in his footnotes to lay the groundwork for his

teaching that the church will end in failure and be replaced by
national Israel, who will succeed where the church failed. On page
8, in footnote I, he states that Eve is a type of the church! Like most
of Scofield's "types," this one is arbitrary, artificial, and forced. Any
interested reader may turn to the passages given as "proof" that
Eve is a type of the church, and he will see that there is no mention
whatsoever of this fact. He lists John 3:28,29; 2 Corinthians 11:2;
Ephesians 5:25-32; and Revelation 19:7,8. This is typical of
Scofield's scriptural references; they rarely say what he says they
do. He apparently counted on the fact that his readers would not
turn to the passages given. Either that, or he slighted the
intelligence of his readers.

On page 9, footnote I, Scofield says: "The Adamic Covenant

conditions the life of fallen man - conditions which must remain till,
in the kingdom age, 'the creation also shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God'
(Rom. 8:21)." Here again the reader will find that the passage given
does not even refer to people, but to the creation.

One might ask just what harm could come from fixing in people's
minds that Eve and Adamic conditions represent the church. The
subtle danger is that when Scofield's disciples think of the church
they just automatically think of sinful, fallen, unfaithful children of
Satan, and Adam and Eve! Then it is a simple step to teach, without
scriptural proof, that the church is destined to end in failure
(apostasy).

Coming to the Tower of Babel (p. 18) Scofield continues his slander-
by-association. He says that the history of Babel strikingly parallels
that of the professing church. He then refers his readers to his
footnote on Isaiah 13:1. There he says that Babylon means
confusion and is used symbolically to refer ahead to the church.
Babylon, he says on page 725, refers to apostate Christianity,
destroyed by the nations headed up under the Beast and false
prophet (Rev. 17:16).

One could go on piling footnotes on top of each other, showing that

Scofield teaches that the church will end in failure, and also showing
the type of "reasoning" he uses in arriving at such a conclusion. Let
us give one last statement to this effect. "Each of the Dispensations
may be regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends
in judgment - marking his utter failure" (C. 1. Scofield, Rightly
Dividing the Word of Truth, p. 13).

In this teaching, as in many others, Scofield unveils his weak

Christology. For he admits elsewhere that this church, which he
says will end in failure, is the Body and the Bride of Christ! Paul says
that the church is destined to glorious victory: "And hath put all
things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to
the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all"
(Eph. 1:22,23). Should one believe Scofield or the apostle Paul? And
what should one do with the statement of our Lord (Matt. 16:18)
that not even the gates of hell should prevail against his church?
2. Scofield Teaches that God has Two Bodies - Israel and
the Church.
Let us first get before us the age-old Christian teaching on this
subject: God always has had but one people. In the Old Testament
this people (the type) was called Israel. In the New Testament the
antitype was known as the church, or "the Israel of God." The elect
number from Israel plus the elect number of Gentiles constitute one
and the same olive tree (Rom. 11: 17,24).

Here, again, Scofield begs to differ from the New Testament writers,
the church fathers, the reformers, and the outstanding
commentators. He chooses rather to accept another of John Nelson
Darby's "rediscovered truths" instead of the historic Christian
teaching. He teaches that Israel is an earthly people while the
church is a heavenly people; that God has two separate plans for
these two distinct peoples; and that Israel and the church have
separate destinies. Israel, he says, will spend eternity on earth while
the church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, will spend eternity in
heaven.

Facing one of the many quandaries to which this teaching naturally

leads, Scofield says (p. 922, S.R.B.) that one must make a
distinction between the wife of God and the bride of Christ (the
church). He says that a wife and a bride are two different things!
Here again, Scofield betrays his weak Christology. Does God the
Father have attributes which God the Son does not have? Or, to
pose the question another way, does God the Son have possessions
to which God the Father may not lay claim? Jesus said, "I and the
Father are one."

Scofield flies in the face of many scriptures when he teaches that

God has two separate bodies. Let a few such passages suffice.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must
bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and
one shepherd (John 10:16, italics mine).

For if thou were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and
were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much
more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into
their own olive tree (Rom. 11:24)?

In this verse Paul teaches two things pointing to one body, which is
made up of Jews and Gentiles:
 (1) Gentiles were grafted into the faithful remnant of national Israel
(not into a separate olive tree), and (2) the believing part of Israel
will be grafted into the same olive tree. In other words, Paul
explicitly teaches (by way of analogy) that God is grafting Jew and
Gentile into one and the same olive tree. If God had two bodies,
Paul's logic would break down and he would need two separate
olive trees.

Let us continue with other scriptures which show conclusively that

God has, not two bodies, but one.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there
is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if
ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to
the promise (Gal. 3:28,29, italics mine.)

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made
nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made
both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition
between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law
of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself
of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might
reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the
enmity thereby (Eph. 2:13-16, italics mine).

Whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the

mystery of Christ, Which in other ages was not made known unto
the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and
prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and
of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the
gospel (Eph. 3:4-6, italics mine).

It would be difficult to find language any plainer than that used by

Paul in the above- quoted scriptures. Paul states emphatically that
God took two peoples and made them into one people. He says that
God, in effect, took two men (Jew and Gentile) and made the two of
them become one man.

Truly Scofield contradicts the apostle Paul by teaching that God has
two bodies.

3. Scofield Teaches that God's Promises to National

Israel Await Future Fulfillment.
What is the historic Christian teaching on this subject? All such
promises have been either fulfilled or invalidated through unbelief.
Those on which Scofield rests most of his case have been literally
fulfilled, and these fulfillments are clearly recorded in the Bible.

Scofield, on the other hand, teaches that God has future plans to
regather national Israel to Palestine, rebuild the Temple, and
reinstitute the Old Testament economy (including the blood
sacrifices). The reader might find it interesting to look at some of
the typical scriptures on which Scofield builds this argument. On
page 157, note 2, one reads: "The feast of Trumpets, vs. 23-25. This
feast is a prophetical type and refers to the future regathering of
long-dispersed Israel." This footnote goes on to state that trumpets
are always symbols of testimony and that they are connected with
the regathering and repentance of Israel after the church, or
pentecostal, period is ended.

Remember now, that this conclusion is based on Leviticus 23:23-25.

Let us quote these verses word for word in order that one might see
more clearly Scofield's handling of the Scriptures.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. Speak unto the children of
Israel, saying, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath,
a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do
no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire
unto God.

You expected more? Honestly now, that is all the passage says!
Check it in your own Bible. And on this passage, and others equally
unrelated, Scofield bases a doctrine of the regathering of Israel to
Palestine.

Realizing that the Bible records two regatherings of Israel to

Palestine in fulfillment of prophecies (see note on p. 25, S.R.B.),
Scofield says that three such regatherings are predicted in
Scripture. His only proofs for this alleged return are scriptures such
as Leviticus 23:23-25, which we have quoted above. Actually, no
third regathering to the land is mentioned anywhere in the Bible.
Scofield lists a number of scriptures on page 25, purporting to show
by these that a third such regathering is promised. However, each
of these passages clearly refers either to the first or second
regathering to the land (already fulfilled, as attested to in the Old
Testament), or to the first advent of Christ.

It is not necessary here to refute all of Scofield's claims for national

Israel. His argument actually rests on whether or not they have ever
occupied all the land promised them through Abraham. Scofield
argues thus: (1) Israel has never received all the land promised in
the Abrahamic Covenant (p. 250, S.R.B.); (2) therefore, she must
some day return to the land; (3) associated with the land are the
Temple, blood sacrifices, etc.; therefore, since they will return to the
land, it stands to reason that they will rebuild the Temple and all
that goes with the land.

So, if Scofield is wrong concerning the land, his entire plan for
national Israel goes begging. Let us examine the Bible itself to see
whether or not God has kept his promise that Israel would inherit all
the land of Palestine.

Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land
which the Lord sware fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to them
and to their seed after them (Deut. 1:8, italics mine).

Please note which land it is into which God says Joshua will lead the
Israelites. It is the same land promised to Abraham.

And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to

give us the land which he sware unto our fathers (Deut. 6:23).

Moses stated explicitly that God's purpose in the Exodus from Egypt
was to fulfill his promise to Abraham to give the land to Abraham's
seed.

Be strong and of a good courage; for unto this people shalt thou
divide the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them
(Joshua 1:6).

Here God but reaffirms to Joshua the promise given through Moses,
i.e., that God was now about to fulfill his promise to Abraham with
reference to the land. Did God keep this promise through Joshua?
What saith the scripture?

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said
unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel
according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from
war (Joshua 11:23).

And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give
unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the
Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware
unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies
before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.
There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken
 unto the house of Israel; all came to pass (Joshua 21:43-45, italics
mine).

Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and

broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst
promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it
(Nehemiah (9:23).

The above scriptures record the first regathering of Israel to the

land. Scofield devotes not a single footnote to either of these
verses! The prophets later predicted a second such return. This
second return literally came to pass under the leadership of
Zerubbabel, and its fulfillment is recorded in such books of the Bible
as Ezra and Nehemiah (whose books, incidentally, were written
after those of all the prophets with the possible exception of
Malachi). Following this second return and the literal rebuilding of
Solomon's temple, in 516 B.C., there is not a single scripture
reference, either in the Old Testament or the New, regarding a
return to the land. What saith the scripture?

4. Scofield Mishandles Many Clear Verses of Scripture.

In 2 Corinthians 4:2 Paul prided himself on walking without
craftiness and on not handling the Word of God deceitfully.
Unfortunately, this claim could not be made for Dr. Scofield. For he
posits his teachings on craftily manufactured premises, then
handles the Word deceitfully in order, to support these premises.
Lest this statement seem too harsh, let us look at only a few of the
plain scriptures on which he places interpretations altogether
contrary to their obvious meaning.

Let us begin with Acts 15:16, since this verse is said by leading
dispensationalists to be the most important verse of scripture in
their entire school of thought (p. 1169, S.R.B.). Scofield interprets
James as saying that, after the time that James was speaking, God
would return and rebuild the tabernacle of David. Actually, Acts
15:16 is a quotation from Amos 9:11, and the words are those of
Amos, not those of James. So that the "after this" refers to a time
following Amos's time, not to a time subsequent to James. In fact,
James says (read the entire context) that Amos's prophecy was
fulfilled when Cornelius' household (Gentiles) were added to the
church.

If this be spiritualizing then the blame must be placed on James,

who spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And James
definitely disagrees with Scofield on this interpretation.
On page 1015, note 2, Scofield says:
"The parable of the wheat and tares is not a description of the
world, . . ."

Verse 38 of this passage which the footnote is interpreting says,

"The field is the world." Here we have the words of Jesus versus the
words of C. I. Scofield!

On page 1036, note 1, one reads that the judgment of Matthew is to

be distinguished from the judgment of the great white throne. One
of the "proofs" of this is that
"three classes are present, sheep, goats, brethren. . .. These
'brethren' are the Jewish Remnant who will have preached the
Gospel of the kingdom to all nations during the tribulation."

What saith the scripture? In Matthew 12:48-50 our Lord asked a

question and also gave the answer to it.
"... and who are my brethren? . . . whosoever shall do the will of
my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and
sister, and mother."

Jesus' own words would make the brethren of Matthew synonymous

with the sheep of that same passage. This would give, not three,
but two groups of people at the judgment of Matthew 25 - the same
two groups present in Revelation 20:11-15. Acts 1:15 and Hebrews
2:11,12 also refer to Christians as the brethren of Christ.

On page 1023, note 1, Scofield says:

"Christ confirms the specific and still unfulfilled prophecy of Mal.
4:5,6: 'Elias shall truly first come and restore all things.'"

He goes on to speak of "that yet to be fulfilled in Elijah." Here again,

Scofield is daring to contradict the words of Christ himself. Jesus
said: "But I say unto you. That Elias is indeed come, and they have
done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him" (Mark
9:13, italics mine). Is any further comment necessary here?

Scofield assigns Zechariah 12:10 ("they shall look on him whom

they have pierced") to a time following the tribulation and says it
teaches that national Israelites will accept Christ at a future date.
John says explicitly that this prophecy was fulfilled when the spear
pierced Jesus' side on the cross at Calvary (John 19:34-37).

On page 1115, note 2, these words appear:

 "As a dispensation, grace begins with the death and
resurrection of Christ (Rom. 3:24-26; 4:24,25). The point of
testing is no longer legal obedience as the condition of
salvation, but acceptance or rejection of Christ, with good works
as a fruit of salvation. . . ."

And on page 1011, note 2, he speaks on this same subject.

"The new message of Jesus. The rejected King now turns from
the rejecting nation and offers, not the kingdom, but rest and
service to such in the nation as are conscious of need. It is a
pivotal point in the ministry of Jesus."

Here Scofield lays himself open to the charge leveled against him,
i.e., that he has more than one plan of salvation in his system. Note
his words, "no longer legal obedience as the condition of salvation."
He plainly implies that:
(1) before Christ came, people were saved by good works (legal
obedience);
(2) now that Jesus has come, they are saved through Christ; and
(3) good works now are a fruit of salvation, whereas before they
were the means of salvation. And if Jesus offered people one
thing in his "old" message while offering something else in his
"new" message, what other conclusion can be drawn except that
he offered two plans of righteousness?

That thinking people have taken dispensationalism to present

various means of salvation is evident in the report adopted by the
Southern Presbyterian Church in the United States. That report,
adopted by this assembly in May, 1944, was in part as follows:

It is the unanimous opinion of your Committee that

Dispensationalism is out of accord with the system of doctrines set
forth in the Confession of Faith, not primarily or simply in the field of
eschatology, but because it attacks the very heart of the theology of
our Church. Dispensationalism rejects the doctrine that God has,
since the Fall, but one plan of salvation for all mankind and affirms
that God has been through the ages administering various and
diverse plans of salvation for various groups. . . .

Conclusion.
Many other discrepancies could be pointed to in Scofieldism.
However, to discredit any of the points dealt with above is to bring
his entire system into serious question, since these are pivotal
dogmas.
It has not been the intention of this writer to discredit a person, but
to challenge unscriptural teachings put forth by a person. This
pamphlet is sent forth in Christian love for all the household of faith,
and with the prayer that it might lead many to a "more excellent
way" of handling the Word of God.

Published Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.Co. Box 817.

Phillipsburg. New Jersey 08865 ISBN:0-87552-154-1 as a small
booklet. No Date. No Copyright claim.
 Prosperity and the Coming
Apocalypse
By
Jim Bakker
Taken from Tim Warner's website "The Last Trumpet":
http://www.geocities.com/lasttrumpet_2000/bakker.html

PTL founder, and former president, Jim Bakker, while in prison after
his fall from grace, was forced to reevaluate his beliefs. He had
nothing to lose at this point in his life. Perhaps, the loss of his
ministry and his family gave him a unique perspective. At any rate,
while in prison, he had a lot of time to think, to study the Word, and
to seek after God. During this time, he slowly came to certain
disturbing conclusions.

First, that the prosperity theology he was known for, and which is
still widely promoted in Charismatic circles, was a lie. And, this
teaching was leading Christians away from the true gospel of Jesus
Christ, setting them up for the last days apostasy predicted in the
Bible. He personally had been responsible for untold damage to the
body of Christ.

Secondly, he became convinced that the pretrib rapture doctrine,

that he had promoted throughout his entire ministry, was also false.
He concluded that belief in a pretrib rapture was born out of the
same mentality as the "prosperity" teaching -- that God wanted His
children to be wealthy, healthy, and comfortable, and that God was
there to service our needs and desires. The "God" of "prosperity
theology" certainly wouldn't allow His children to suffer intense
persecution in the tribulation. Jim discovered that this "God" is not
the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible expects us to serve Him,
to take up our cross daily, and walk in the footsteps of Jesus, a "man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." And, if necessary, even to
our own "crucifixion." Jim began to understand what Paul meant.
Phil 3:10
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and
the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto
his death;
(KJV)

Now, Jim spends much of his energy trying to undo the damage he
has done, warning Christians of the coming Apocalypse, and the
danger of this materialistic / escapist mentality. His new book,
"Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse", describes his
journey, and his new- found beliefs, which motivate his now very
humble lifestyle, and new ministry for Christ. I have included a few
excerpts from Jim's book below. I highly recommend this book. Jim's
insight comes from a perspective that few Christians have, and is
born out of experiences that few Christians can fathom. Jim has
truly "been to the woodshed," and has come out a better man, and
now serves the Master with a clear understanding, and singleness of
purpose.

Jim's book is not a deep theological treatise on eschatology. He

speaks from the heart. I believe God will use him and this book to
get the attention of pastors who are not easily swayed by
theological arguments
Pg. 27 "The more I studied the Bible, the more I had to face the
awful truth: I had been preaching false doctrine for years and
hadn't even known it. Tragically, too late, I recognized that at
PTL I had done just the opposite of Jesus' words by teaching
people to fall in love with money. Jesus never equated His
blessings with material things, but I had. I laid so much
emphasis on materialism, I subtly encouraged people to put
their hearts into things, rather than into Jesus. I should have
taught them to fall in love with Jesus. He is the only One who
will never leave us nor forsake us when the money and
possessions are gone."

"When I realized the truth, I was deeply grieved and repented

over my error. How could I have been so wrong? How could I
have missed Christ's true message so completely? His
statements about material possessions in general, and money
in particular, were clear. How could I have had the audacity to
twist Jesus' statements into the opposite of what He taught?"

"I am now convinced that I did the body of Christ a great

disservice. God can take care of His people. He promises to
supply all our needs, and He has all the riches of heaven at His
disposal. He can and does bless us, but our main focus should
never be on material blessings. Our focus must be on Jesus and
our total love for Him."

"By preaching "another gospel," with its emphasis on ease of

living, material wealth, and sensational miracles, prosperity
preachers and teachers have unwittingly set the Christian
community up for the arrival of the Antichrist."

Pg. 122 "For me, belief in the Rapture played right into
prosperity theology. It made for a perfect package: people could
get saved by saying a few words, they could live in luxury and
excess throughout this lifetime, and then Jesus would return to
take them out of the tough times that others were to
experience during the end-time tribulation. It was pure
escapism."
Pg. 125 "The more I studied the Scriptures, the more I became
convinced that we are living in the last days, and that we will
soon begin seeing the fulfillment of the predictions in the
prophetic books of the Bible, including the cataclysmic
conditions on earth, which will precipitate the rise of the
Antichrist."

"I also saw a connection between the escapist Rapture and

those who espouse a materialistic gospel. I became convinced
that we are wasting so much time and energy teaching people
how to get rich and how to become self-fulfilled, we have not
adequately prepared them for what is to come. Instead of the
Church presenting a false hope by preaching the
pretribulational Rapture, we should be spending this time
informing believers that they will have to go through the
Tribulation, or at least some part of it. We should be teaching
people to fall in love with Jesus. We should be spending our
time, energy, and resources getting spiritually ready for a
severe period of persecution and a time of unparalleled
upheaval."

Pg. 127 "When I speak on this subject nowadays, I facetiously

tell audiences, 'I tried my best to keep us out of the Tribulation.
For years I preached that we would escape it. In my studies
while in prison, I searched for hours on end, trying to find some
way that believers would escape the difficult times about to
come on the earth, but I couldn't do it. I am convinced now that
we are going through. Hold on tightly to Jesus. It's going to be a
wild ride!'"
 Catechism of the Catholic Church
An Image Book
Doubleday – a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing
Group, Inc., New York, New York, 1995
Part One: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
Section Two: The Profession of the Christian Faith: The
Creeds
Chapter Two: I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God
Article 7: "FROM THENCE HE WILL COME AGAIN TO JUDGE
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD"
I. He Will Come Again in Glory
The Church's ultimate trial [pages 193-194]
675. Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass
through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers
[cf. Lk. 18:8; Mt. 24:12]. The persecution that accompanies her
pilgrimage on earth [cf. Lk. 21:12; Jn. 15:19-20] will unveil the
"mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception
offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price
of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is
that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man
glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the
flesh [cf. 2 Thess. 2:4-12; 1 Thess. 5:2-3; 2 Jn. 7; 1 Jn. 2:18, 22].

Part Four: CHRISTIAN PRAYER

Section One: Prayer in the Christian Life. What is Prayer?
Chapter One: The Revelation of Prayer
THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER
Prayer in the Christian Life
Article 3: IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
V. Prayer of Praise [page 697]
2642. The Revelation of "what must soon take place," the
Apocalypse, is borne along by the songs of the heavenly liturgy
[cf. Rev. 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-12] but also by the intercession of
the "witnesses" (martyrs) [Rev. 6:10]. The prophets and the
saints, all those who were slain on earth for their witness to
Jesus, the vast throng of those who, having come through the
great tribulation, have gone before us into the Kingdom, all sing
the praise and glory of him who sits on the throne, and of the
Lamb [cf. Rev 18:24; 19:1- 8]. In communion with them, the
Church on earth also sings these songs with faith in the midst of
trial. By means of petition and intercession, faith hopes against
all hope and gives thanks to the "Father of lights," from whom
"every perfect gift" comes down [Jam. 1:17]. Thus faith is pure
praise.
Eastern Orthodox View of the Rapture
What is 'The Rapture?'
By
Fr. Dimitri Cozby - Archbishop of the Orthodox Church of Dallas
and the South
Originally published in The Dawn, the official publication of the
Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the South
http://www.stgabrielokc.org/Glossary_Items/rapture.htm
This material is included with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
www.oca.org

Some of our evangelical or Pentecostal neighbors occasionally

speak about "the Rapture" as one of the events leading up to
Christ's Second Coming. By this they mean the physical removal
from earth of the true believers in Christ in preparation for the
"Great Tribulation," a seven-year period of unparalleled calamity
which will herald the end. (A few advocates say that the Rapture will
follow the Tribulation. Most who believe in it, however, contend that
it precedes the Tribulation.) The Rapture's purpose, according to its
advocates, is to safeguard the righteous during that horrible time.
Its most familiar champions are Hal Lindsey (author of The Late,
Great Planet Earth and other books), John T. Walvoord (of Dallas
Theological Seminary), and the late Cyrus Scofield (author of The
Scofield Reference Bible).

These ideas are popular with groups who are enchanted, even
obsessed, with speculation about the Second Coming and who have
convinced themselves that they see in current events signs that His
return is near. These speculations form part of a broader ideology
called "dispensational-ism." Dispensationalists come in all shapes
and sizes and what we say about one may not apply to all. Still we
can list some general characteristics which virtually all
dispensationalists share. The name comes from their division of
history into eras or "dispensations." They believe that the Bible
outlines the whole course of mankind's religious history. Each stage
in God's program is a dispensation, and in each dispensation God
relates to the world and His chosen peoples in a different way.
Some dispensationalist schemes encompass all human history;
others include only Christian history since the time of Christ. Most
often these systems are based on a symbolic interpretation of the
"letters to the seven churches" of Revelation 2 and 3, with each
church standing for the Christianity of a particular period. (Since
dispensationalism is Protestant in origin its "Church history" is
strictly Western. The dispensations take into account almost
nothing of Orthodox history after the period of the early councils
that we share with the West.) The dispensational system includes
the future as well as the past. Thus dispensationalism presents a
detailed program of events leading up to the Second Coming. Two
of the events in this master plan are the Rapture and the Great
Tribulation.

Such opinions seem odd to Orthodox Christians. Still, strange as

they are, we cannot turn our backs on them or their advocates.
After all, the Orthodox Church too affirms that Christ "will come
again in glory to judge the living and the dead" (as we say in the
Creed). The Rapture's advocates claim to base their notions on the
same Bible that we read, and they can sometimes be very
persuasive, particularly since too many Orthodox are woefully
ignorant of what the Bible really says. As a result, some Orthodox
have been led astray by this doctrine. The Church's teachings about
the end of time (called "eschatology" by theologians) are important,
though neglected. Referring to eschatology, St. Athanasius wrote,
"When one knows properly these points, his understanding of the
Faith is right and healthy; but if he mistakes any such points,
forthwith he falls into heresy" (Against the Arians I 12,50). We need
to examine it, sift the true from the false, and put what is true into
its proper place within the framework of the Orthodox Faith. We
must explain the true meaning of the Bible passages in question as
interpreted by the Fathers, the great Orthodox teachers of past
ages. And we must put this doctrine in perspective and accord it its
true importance. Our purpose in this article is to examine the
Rapture doctrine and the Scripture passages on which it relies to
determine the proper Orthodox approach and interpretation.

Proponents of the doctrine of a pretribulation Rapture claim that it

rests on Scripture and has always been a part of Christian teaching.
The truth is that it dates from about 1830 and was largely the
creation of John Nelson Darby, a one-time Anglican priest and
founder of a sect called the Plymouth Brethren. He contributed
much to the dispensationalist scheme, and in particular he was the
first to include the Rapture among the catalogue of phenomena of
the last times. The Rapture's recent origin is one of the things that
should make us skeptical. Neither the Apostles nor the Fathers
expounded any such teaching (nor, for that matter, did any of the
notorious heretics of the past). Even Darby's circle, although they
claimed to find support for their teaching in the Bible, did not
maintain that they had arrived at this doctrine through study of the
Scriptures, but that they had received it through a revelation.
According to its supporters the pretribulation Rapture is an
extremely important part of the Christian message. Yet it was
unknown before 1830.
The Rapture's supporters derive their opinions ultimately from a
single Scripture verse, I Thessalonians 4:17, "Then we who are left
alive will be carried off together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord." Less
popular but often cited is Matthew 24:40-42, "Then there will be two
in the field. One will be taken and the other left. Two will be grinding
at the mill. One will be taken and the other left. Therefore, be
vigilant, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come."
Other passages are frequently quoted in connection with these (for
example, I Corinthians 15:23-28), but even believers in a
pretribulation Rapture will admit that the other verses can be taken
to refer to that doctrine only if interpreted in the light of the I
Thessalonians passage, their principal support.

The paragraph which contains the first verse quoted above, I

Thessalonians 4:17, forms the Epistle reading for funerals in
Orthodox worship. The passage begins with 4:13. In preceding
verses St. Paul has spoken of the necessity for holiness of life and
for brotherly love among Christians (4:1-12). With verse 13 he turns
to another topic, the fate of Christians after death.
Misunderstandings on this issue had apparently caused needless
distress and apprehension in the church at Thessalonika. It seems
that some people believed that Christians who died before Christ's
return would somehow miss out on that glorious event. St. Paul
seeks to calm their fears (vs. 13). He points out that as Christ
returned from the dead at His Resurrection, so also, at the end of
time, His followers who have died in the interim will be restored
through resurrection (vs. 14). At the Second Coming, the Christian
dead will be raised (vs. 16). Then they and the faithful who are still
alive will be caught up into the clouds to welcome Christ as He
descends (verses 15,17). Paul then discusses other matters relating
to the Second Coming, beginning with the date it will occur.

When we look at verse 17 in context, it is easy to see that is does

not really support the doctrine of the Rapture. There is no reference
to a Great Tribulation or to any other events preceding Christ's
Return. The verse refers to something that will happen as part of
the Lord's Coming. The course of events St. Paul presents is simple
and straightforward. At the time of the Second Coming, the dead
will be raised, and all the faithful (the dead now restored and those
still alive now transfigured) will ascend to be with Him as He comes
down. This is the universal interpretation of the Fathers who see the
verse as referring to the last days.
Why does St. Paul speak of an ascension of the righteous? The
Fathers suggest at least three answers to this question. St. Gregory
of Nyssa says that the ascension is a natural consequence of the
purity of the transfigured resurrection body: "...this change which
takes place...when the resurrection trumpet sounds which awakens
the dead in an instant transforms those who are left alive to
incorruptibility according to the likeness of those who have
undergone the resurrection change, so that the bulk of the flesh is
no longer heavy nor does its weight hold them down to earth, but
they rise up through the air..." ("On the Making of Man" 22,6).

St. John Chrysostom and others say that it is to provide Christ with a
proper escort for His appearance on earth and to demonstrate His
favor toward the faithful. "If He is about to descend, why shall we be
taken up? It is for the sake of honor. When a king enters a city,
those who are in his favor go out to meet him, but the condemned
await their judge inside. Or, when a loving father comes, his
children, and also those worthy of being his children, are taken out
in a chariot to see and kiss him, but the servants who have offended
him remain indoors. So we are carried out upon a chariot to our
Father...See how great our honor is? As He descends we go out to
meet Him, and what is more blessed, we shall be with Him always"
(Homily 8 on Thessalonians).

The third opinion is that St. Paul's words should be taken

symbolically. St. Ambrose and St. Jerome, for example, suggest that
the verse does not speak of a real physical ascent at all, nor does it
even refer to the Second Coming. What the Apostle means is that
the righteous, even when living in the body, are already with Christ
in heaven. St. Methodius of Olympus presents a more acceptable
symbolic interpretation. He agrees that the passage refers to the
Second Coming, but he contends that "the dead" and "the living" do
not mean different types of people. The dead, in his view, are our
bodies; "those who are alive" are our souls. These will be reunited
at the resurrection and then carried up to meet Christ.

Let us summarize what we have found so far. St. Paul does speak of
a sort of rapture, in the sense of a carrying up into the sky of the
righteous at the time of the Second Coming. The Fathers generally
agree on that. But St. Paul and the Fathers see this as an event that
accompanies Christ's return and immediately precedes the
Judgment and the establishment of the Kingdom. The Rapture which
Darby and Scofield taught and which Lindsey, Walvoord, and others
still teach, is different from that. They talk about it as a separate
happening, part of a decades long program of events leading up to
Christ's Coming. The dispensationalists see the Rapture as the
disappearance of the faithful from the earth before the Great
Tribulation and many years before the Judgment. This is foreign to
the Apostle and to the Tradition. St. Paul mentions no period of
affliction and persecution following the Rapture.

So let us summarize what we have found so far. St. Paul does speak
of a sort of rapture, in the sense of a carrying up into the sky of the
righteous at the time of the Second Coming. The Fathers generally
agree on that point. But St. Paul and the Fathers see this as an
event that accompanies Christ's return and immediately precedes
the Judgment and the establishment of the Kingdom. The Rapture
which Darby and Scofield taught and which Lindsey, Walvoord, and
others still teach is different from that. They talk about it as a
separate happening, part of a decades long program of events
leading up to Christ's Coming. The dispensationalists see the
Rapture as the disappearance of the faithful from the earth before
the Great Tribulation and many years before the Judgment. This is
foreign to the Apostle and to the Tradition. St. Paul mentions no
period of affliction and persecution following the Rapture.

In an effort to forge a link between the Rapture and the Tribulation,

supporters turn to Matthew 24:40-42, quoted above (in part 1,
September's Dawn). Certainly we have here references to a time of
horror and suffering, and 24:21 even speaks of "great tribulation"
(but not "the Great Tribulation"). Matthew 24 and 25 comprise a
long discourse by Jesus. The occasion for this teaching is the first
days of Holy Week, when Christ and His disciples were in Jerusalem
on that last visit which ended in His death and resurrection. The
Lord and His entourage have been in the Temple. As they leave,
one of the company remarks on the structure's splendor and
grandeur (24:1-2). Jesus replies by prophesying its coming
destruction, which took place some 40 years later (70 AD). The
group proceeds to the Mount of Olives, across the Kedron Valley
from the city. They halt at a place, which even today offers an
admirable panorama of the Old City and the Temple site. The
disciples, perhaps alarmed by Christ's words, ask when "these
things," meaning the Temple's destruction, will happen and what
will be the signs of Christ's return.

Christ's sermon is His response to these questions. In order to

understand it properly we must remember that there were two
questions, one about disasters, which would befall Jerusalem during
the Roman-Jewish War of 66-72, the other about the end of time.
Parts of the speech address one concern, some the other. Much of
what Christ says is intended to keep His followers from confusing
the two events, taking the horror of the Jewish War as a sign of the
 Second Coming. We see this in the warnings He gives: that the
Gospel must be preached in the whole world before the end comes
(vs. 8), that many deceivers will arise claiming to be Him (verses
23-26), that no one knows "the day or the hour" except the Father
(vs. 36), and many more. Christ is concerned that His followers not
confuse the impending disasters in Judea with the cataclysms of the
end. To make His point clear He emphasizes the suddenness and
unpredictability of His return.

We must interpret 24:40-42 in light of Christ's insistence that He will

return "at an hour you do not expect" (24:44). It would seem
strange if Christ were to make this point over and over in the early
verses of chapter 24, then in verses 40-42 describe an occurrence
which would certainly tip everyone off that something was about to
happen, and all the more peculiar if that tip-off were to happen
seven years before His appearance, as the dispensationalists assert.
The key to understanding the passage is the Greek word normally
translated "taken." The word ("paralambano") has two meanings.
The first we might render "to take," but not in the sense of "to lift
up," the meaning which the dispensationalists give it. It means
instead "to bring along," as in English we might say that someone
takes a friend to the movies. That does not seem to fit the use of
the word in Matthew 24, so we turn to the second meaning, "to
accept" or "to choose." Either of these words would be better in
these verses than the imprecise "take." This second meaning fits
with what the Lord has been saying in the passage in question, that
His followers must be ready for His coming lest they be caught off-
guard like the world, unprepared for the Judgment. Some will have
heeded His commandments, will face the Judgment in confidence,
and will be "accepted" into the Kingdom. Others, though living and
working with the first group, day by day, will not have lived the life
of the Gospel and will not be chosen or accepted by Christ when He
returns. These verses form part of Christ's exhortation to all who
hear Him to respond to His message and thereby avoid
condemnation at the End. The verses do not supply the idea of the
Rapture.

Conclusion:
What conclusions can we draw from our discussion? As we have
seen, neither of the two passages upon which advocates of the
Rapture rely means what they say they do. Both refer to Christ's
final return. Those who support this doctrine neglect the context of
the verses they use, distort the meanings of words and verses, and,
in one case, take advantage of a loose translation. We must
approach the Bible with more reverence. We must avoid pulling
verses out of context. Instead, look at the surrounding verses to see
what the Biblical writer is talking about and how that may affect
your interpretation of a problem verse.

Beware, also, of interpretations, which disagree with or attack the

Tradition of the Church. As we saw in our discussion of 1
Thessalonians 4:17, the Fathers of the Church pointed the way to
the proper understanding of the verse. We must investigate the
origin of ideas, which other groups advocate, especially when they
seem to contradict Orthodoxy. The concept of the pretribulation
Rapture only appeared in England about 150 years ago. Orthodox
Christians of great piety and learning have been reading the
Scriptures for 2000 years. Would an important doctrine have
escaped their notice? Very often these new doctrines do not really
come from a careful reading of the Bible but from "special
revelations"; their adherents have then ransacked the Scriptures for
difficult or obscure verses which they can use to support them.
Sometimes they arise when a reader tries to make sense out of
hard-to-understand passages and does not succeed. Orthodox
Christians have the living witness of the Holy Spirit who, as Christ
said, will guide us to all truth (John 16:13), and we also have the
tradition of the Fathers to help us in our search. These are not two
different sources but one and the same thing. The Fathers knew and
listened to the voice of the Spirit; they affirm that the Spirit lives in
the Church even up to the present day; they are one of the ways
the Spirit has chosen to continue His work of teaching and guiding.
Trying to make the Bible support one's own preconceived notions or
insisting on one's own limited understanding without seeking the
guidance of Holy Tradition will not lead us to a true appreciation of
what the Bible says or of what God says to us through it.

Sometimes too, the groups that support these new teachings are
anti-Church. In their view the Church, and the Christian's life in it,
plays no part in preparation for the Second Coming and the
Judgment. In fact, membership in most religious groups is a
hindrance, since they have abandoned the Gospel. The
dispensationalists emphasize the individual independent
congregation, "where the Bible is believed and preached," as they
often say. They advise the Christian to shop around until he finds a
congregation that, in his personal opinion, fills this criterion. The
Rapture doctrine reflects this; it will reveal those who have been the
true "Bible - believing" Christians (their people), because these will
be the ones to disappear, leaving the rest to face the Tribulation.
The dispensationalist view of the Church entraps us in circulation
reasoning. Following it means you must look for a congregation
where you can learn their "true Gospel," yet you must know that
Gospel in order to judge whether it is taught in that congregation or
not. The individual, weak and ignorant and sinful as he or she is,
becomes the final judge of truth. Doesn't it seem more logical to
turn instead to the institution that Christ founded to preserve and to
propagate His Gospel and to cleanse and strengthen its members
through His sacraments? As the Ethiopian said to St. Philip, "How
can I understand if no one guides me?" (Acts 8:31) We have a
guide, the Church, where we can still learn the Gospel that Christ
taught, the Apostles proclaimed, the Fathers defined, and the
Martyrs confessed with their last breath.

Finally, we must keep our perspective and not give less significant
doctrines an importance they do not deserve. Even if the
dispensationalist understanding of the Rapture were true, should we
give it the emphasis that they do? Dispensationalism generally
places the greatest importance on the timetable of the Second
Coming and on determining the order of events leading up to it.

This is not what is important to the New Testament authors or to

Christ Himself, as His own words testify. Recall the passage
discussed above from Matthew 24 and 25. Christ stressed that no
one could predict when He would return. His primary concern was to
exhort His followers (us) to be ready for His return. What we must
know about the Second Coming and the Judgment is not when it will
be or what occurrences will precede it, but whether we are ready to
face it. Have we committed our lives to Christ's Gospel? Are you
living lives of repentance and faith? Have we drawn near to Him in
fervent prayer, diligent reading of the Scriptures and frequent and
sincere reception of the Sacraments? Are we using the grace of the
Spirit imparted to us by Christ to grow in the Father's image and
likeness? The answers to these questions are more important than
whether the Rapture immediately precedes the Judgment or occurs
seven years earlier. We must resist anything such as speculation
about the end that distracts us from our salvation. Christ spoke
often of the last days, but always with one purpose: to incite us to
repentance and to encourage us to grow in His Gospel and to
persevere in the Faith. If we respond to His exhortation, then, when
He returns, we will go to meet Him in the clouds, escort Him to His
Judgment Seat, and stand at His Right Hand with the prophets, the
apostles, the martyrs and all the saints, ready to enter the glory of
His Kingdom.
 The Dogmatic Tradition of the
Orthodox Church
Rt. Rev. Maximos Aghiorgoussis, Th.D., Bishop of Pittsburgh
The following information is from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America site:
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8038.asp

V. ORTHODOX ESCHATOLOGY
The Holy Spirit of God, working through the Church and its
sacramental life, leads the plan of salvation in Christ to completion
and final fulfillment. The final battle with evil that operates in the
world will occur just before the coming again of the Lord. In the
meantime, the struggle against evil and dark forces in the world
continues, with some victories on behalf of the Church, and with
some failures on behalf of some of its members. This is the normal
condition of the life of the Church, which is the inaugurated
Kingdom of God, and which, however, has not yet come fully. Two
distinct stages are to be recognized, in terms of Christian Orthodox
eschatology: that of a "partial judgment," of a "partial" or "realized"
eschatology, and that of a "final judgment," at the coming again of
the Lord, which will come at the end of time.

a. Partial judgment - the hour of our death

Our physical death, a consequence of the first man's sin that we
still suffer, can be seen in two ways:
1. negatively, as a kind of catastrophe, especially for those
who do not believe in Christ and life everlasting in Him;
and
2. positively, as the end of a maturation process, which leads
us to the encounter with our Maker. Christ has destroyed
the power of the "last enemy," death (1 Cor. 18:26).

A Christian worthy of the name is not afraid of this physical

death insofar as it is not accompanied by a spiritual or eternal
(eschatological) death.
A partial judgment is instituted immediately after our physical
death, which places us in an intermediate condition of partial
blessedness (for the righteous), or partial suffering (for the
unrighteous).
Disavowing a belief in the Western "Purgatory," our Church
believes that a change is possible during this intermediate
state and stage. The Church, militant and triumphant, is still
one, which means that we can still influence one another with
our prayers and our saintly (or ungodly) life. This is the reason
why we pray for our dead. Also, almsgiving on behalf of the
 dead may be of some help to them, without implying, of
course, that those who provide the alms are in some fashion
"buying" anybody's salvation.

b. General Judgment - the Coming Again of Christ

The early Church lived in expectation of the "day of the Lord,"
the day of His coming again. The Church later realized that its
time is known but to God; still, some signs of Christ's second
coming were expected:
1. The Gospel will be preached everywhere in the world (Matt.
24: 14; Luke 18:8; John 10: 16);
2. The Jews will be converted to Christ (Rom. 11:25-26; cf.
Hosea 3:5);
3. Elijah, or even Enoch, will return (Mark 9:11);
4. The Antichrist will appear with numerous false prophets
accompanying him (1 John 2:10; 2 Thes. 2:3; Matt. 24:5);
5. Physical phenomena, upheavals, wars, sufferings will occur
(Matt. 24:6; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:25); and,
6. The world will be destroyed by fire (ekpyrosis; see 2 Peter
3:5).

All these signs are expected to be given in due time; without them,
the end-time will not come.

The resurrection of the dead is a miracle that will happen at the

second coming of the Lord. According to the Creed: "I await the
resurrection of the dead." This resurrection will be a new creation.
However, our physical bodies as we know them now will be
restored, in a spiritualized existence like that of the Lord after His
Resurrection.

The final judgment will follow the resurrection of all. Some will rise
to the resurrection of life, and some to the resurrection of judgment
and condemnation. Christ will be our Judge on the basis of our
deeds, our works of love or our acts of wickedness.

The end-time will follow, with a permanent separation between

good and evil, between those who will be awarded etemal life of
happiness and bliss in heaven, and those who will be condemned to
the fire of eternal damnation, to the eternal remorse of their
conscience for having rejected God and authentic life in Him and
having joined the inauthentic life invented by the devil and his
servants.
A new heaven and new earth will be established, inhabited by
righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). The Kingdom of God will be fully
established; the Church will cease to exist. Finally, the Son of God
will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, "that God may be
everything to everyone" (1 Cor. 15:28).
 Concluding Remarks
You have now seen compelling evidence that the Church's long-held
belief in a posttribulation rapture is to be preferred above all other
views. Instead of attempting to discuss every contested verse and
concept, I have chosen to center on a few of the major points and
verses. Not every question or issue can be addressed in this
manner, but it is preferable to the mind-numbing tedium of trying to
cover everything.

Those who wish to delve deeper into the matters discussed above
are heartily encouraged to do so. If you should find I have made a
legitimate error, or you have a sincere question, a helpful
suggestion, or a constructive criticism, then please feel free to
email me. I don't have a lot of free time, but I will try my best to
respond as quickly as possible to genuine concerns.

If you have read all of this and are left wondering how close to the
end we really are then you might want to look at the web page
entitled "So How Close are We?" Or, if you are already convinced
you need to get prepared to face the darker days ahead, please
take a moment to review the web page "How Can I Get Ready?".
Both pages will give a brief overview and will point you to yet other
pages for greater depth.

I wish to thank the reader for bearing with me through this lengthy
study, and I pray that God richly blesses you as study his word and
allow him to lead you, transform you, and use you.
" ...press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:14).

- Clark Hay for DC Ministries, 12/27/2003