I’ve shared in the past my position on a pre-tribulation rapture. I once held the position but I am no longer convinced that it is biblically necessary or even the most probable or helpful. It’s not something I necessarily fight about (as I’d be more than happy to be proved wrong) but it is a position that I hold which is somewhat unpopular. There are reasons I don’t hold the position and today I want to share about one major reason a pre-tribulation rapture position makes me uncomfortable.
Are They Believers?
Most who hold this position believe that Christians are removed from the earth because the great tribulation will be a time of the outpouring of God’s wrath and it would be inappropriate for Christians—covered by the blood of Jesus–to experience God’s wrath. And this is one of the main reasons why folks are bothered by my belief that Christians will in fact endure the great tribulation. They say, “How in the world would God allow believers to suffer such a thing? How would God allow His wrath to be poured out upon believers?”
But that leads me to ask a question. Will people be saved during the Great Tribulation? Are they not also Christians?
In my mind, what the pre-tribulation view is saying is that some believers will have to endure the wrath of God, but those who didn’t believe before the tribulation will not. Even if you say that these are Jewish believers who become Christians you have the same problem. It is creating two classes of Christians and I believe that is contrary to the biblical teaching. There are not some of whom Jesus drank the full cup of God’s wrath and others of whom he left a bit for them to swallow.
For me, I don’t believe the great tribulation is only pouring out of God’s wrath. And so I’m not faced with the same dilemma. Even now the Bible speaks of those who are under the wrath of God and experiencing the wrath of God—but we as believers are not experiencing His wrath. I agree with Wayne Grudem who says, “Of course all Christians (whether Gentile or Jewish believers) will avoid the wrath of God at all times, but this does not mean they will avoid all suffering, even in times of intense hardship.” (Grudem, 1132)
One could still hold a pre-tribulation position and embrace what I’ve said about suffering. In doing so you wouldn’t have this dilemma. But you are also conceding one of the major reasons why folks argue for a pre-tribulation rapture—so that believers don’t have to endure God’s wrath.
Conclusion:
What I believe this position inevitable does is split the body of Christ in ways which are not biblically warranted. I don’t agree with, but I certainly understand, positions which keep the church and ethnic Israel distinct. But I do not understand positions which end up completely undercutting texts like Romans 1:16. I do not see how you can ever say that the Bible teaches that some believers will endure God’s wrath, or that they will miss the marriage supper of the Lamb.
For these reasons I cannot personally hold a pre-tribulation position. I do believe there are some texts which could lead one to embrace that position. But I have yet to find one which means that I must embrace that position. I do not find it explicitly taught in the Bible and in fact I believe taken to it’s logical conclusion it could lead one to adopt a quite problematic position.
Can you really say that Jesus paid it all, if some have to endure God’s wrath because of the timing of their repentance?
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Photo source: here
There are so many other reasons to avoid the idea of a pre-trib rapture. Jesus does not have 4 comings (rapture, millennial, final), is there another example of God going back to the shadows after the substance has come, is there going to be another rebellion with the glorified Christ sitting on a throne, Joshua says not “one of the promises has failed”, not all Israel is Israel, Jesus is the true Israelite and all the promises are yes and amen in Him. Paul shows the promises have not failed by the very fact of his salvation (a Jew). God’s salvation plan includes the sinful hardening of the Jews (to bring in Gentiles) and the provocation to jealousy of the Gentiles to bring in Jews. I don’t see any problem with a large ingathering of Jews, but I don’t think it is mandated by the gospel. I think the Jews are beloved because of the fathers and will always be a distinct people group dispersed throughout the world and Jews and Gentiles will be saved throughout the whole church age. This is no way diminishes the value of the Jewish heritage, but it also gives no special standing before God to the Jew. Physical heritage doesn’t matter anymore and yet what a privilege to be both a physical and spiritual descendant of Abraham. In all cases, we are equal in Christ and in all cases we have equal need of salvation. I am not the most popular person around on end time discussions, but I came to this conclusion with an open Bible and the best authors on each position and a 2 yr study. That work does not make it true, but I did not come to position lightly or without fair consideration and had only hear of the dispensational position prior to my study being saved later in life. The Lamb is all the glory in Emmanuel’s land either way. And, loving the brethren is far more important than wrangling or separating over convictions —-even passionately held ones.