Why I Don’t Typically Argue About the Rapture

Last week I wrote an article on why I oppose a pre-tribulational rapture. Today I will explain what I mean by “oppose a pre-tribulational rapture” as well as share why I seldom argue about a rapture.

There are times when I will speak up and there are times when I am mostly indifferent.

When I Speak Up

Rarely will I challenge a persons belief in a pre-tribulational rapture. But there are at least four times when I will speak up:

1. When their belief makes them swallow other silly things.
2. When their belief is giving them a dangerously wrong view of suffering.
3. When their belief is negatively impacting the way they follow Jesus.
4. When they are obsessed/distracted to the detriment of themselves or others. Usually in the form of being divisive and argumentative.

I’ve found only a handful of instances in which one of these is present that would necessitate my speaking up. For the most part there isn’t much benefit in arguing about the timing of certain eschatological events—this includes the rapture.

Why I Don’t Typically Argue About the Rapture

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is a proof passage for those that believe in a pre-tribulational rapture. There we see that believers are “caught up” into the clouds to meet the Lord and so be with him always.

Those who believe in a pre-tribulational rapture believe that here Christ is calling believers to himself and back into heaven where they will wait together for the tribulation period to end. After this Christ will return with believers to reign with them for a millennium.

For me, as a historic premilliennialist (who would really like to be amillennial), I believe that 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is the second coming of Christ.

What we both have in common is that we believe 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is going to happen. The difference is that I don’t believe there is a second second coming. (That isn’t a typo). I believe this “catching up” and the second coming are the same event.

But at the end of the day this isn’t a point worth arguing over. I say that because we both believe that Christ is going to return—and do so in the fashion of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. When this event happens I will believe that it is the second coming of Christ. Those that believe in a pre-tribulational rapture will believe it is the rapture of the church.

At that point we’ll be with Christ and the next step after this return of Christ will be settled. If we hang out with Jesus for seven years in the heavens then I’ll gladly become a pre-trib guy. But if we meet the Lord in the air and come back with him to the earth at that point I’m sure all my pre-trib brothers and sisters will happily admit they were wrong on their rapture charts.

Either way we are both looking for Jesus to return. And because of that I don’t see that it ought to have much of a practical difference on the way that we wait for Jesus to return. For that reason I don’t typically argue with people about the rapture.