2 Thess 2. When is the Rapture?

Class Outline:

Wednesday August 2, 2023

 

Rapture Facts:

 

The rapture (caught up of 1TH 4:17) is a certain truth.

The rapture is imminent (MAT 24:44, 50; 25:13; MAR 13:33; LUK 12:40; etc.).

 

It is for the church (JOH 14:1-3; 1TH 4:16-17; 1CO 15:50-53).

We meet the Lord in the air and He receives us into heaven (JOH 14:1-3).

 

The dead in Christ rise first and then the living meet them in the air (1TH 4:16-17).

Our bodies are changed (1CO 15:52).

It happens in a moment (1CO 15:52).

 

If Scripture is inspired by God, and it is, then these are facts about our Lord’s coming that should give us joy, make us sit-light in this world, and keep of alert and watchful every day - praying, “Your kingdom come.”

 

The reason that there is good debate as to the timing of the rapture is that God does not state the matter explicitly.

 

“That the Scriptures teach that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation is clear from several lines of evidence.” [Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah, p. 149]

 

All positions use Scripture as evidence, which tells us that the issue is not explicitly stated.

 

When the rapture actually happens there will be some things that only then will we comprehend - the perfect plan of God concerning when it will happen will become plain to all of us.

 

In his chapter on Divine Decrees, L.S. Chafer writes:

“When standing on the border between the finite and the infinite, between time and eternity, between the perfect, irresistible will of God and the important, perverted will of man, between sovereign grace and hell-deserving sin, who among men is too proud to exclaim, There are some things which I do not understand? [Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 1, p. 233]

 

1CO 13:9-10

For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

 

The interpretation of “when the perfect” comes is not completely clear (completed Bible, second coming, eternal state?), but it seems most likely that Paul is referring to the second coming of Christ.

 

Pretribulation position:

The church will be raptured at any time before the start of the Great Tribulation.

 

This is the clearest and strongest view in reference to the literal interpretation of biblical data.

 

1. There is never a mention of the church in passages that discuss the Tribulation.

 

This is not in itself proof. It is an argument from silence.

 

The church began at Pentecost with the baptizing ministry of the Holy Spirit.

 

In the Book of Revelation, the church figures prominently in chapters 1-3, dealing with events prior to the Tribulation, and again later in chapters 19-22. But in chapters 6-18, which deal with the events of the Tribulation itself, the church is not mentioned once. Again, not conclusive, but enlightening.

 

2. The Tribulation will come upon all who are on the earth, but some will escape it (not on the earth), LUK 21:34-37.

 

LUK 21:34-38

“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

 

37 Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet. 38 And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

 

Mat 24-25; Mar 13; Luk 21 are all accounts of Christ’s response to the disciple’s questions about the manner and timing of the destruction of the temple and His coming.

 

The means of escaping the Tribulation is to not be on the earth and to stand before the Son of Man. As we have seen in JOH 14:1-3 and 1TH 4:15-17, this properly describes the “caught up” or rapture of the church.

 

3. The church is promised to be delivered “from the wrath to come” (1TH 1:10).

 

1TH 1:9-10

For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

 

This also is not explicit, however, the context is also “wait for His Son from heaven.” The most likely reference of “wrath” here is not sin or final judgment, but the Tribulation.

 

4. The church has not been appointed to wrath of the Day of the Lord, 1TH 5:1-10.

 

1TH 5:1-10

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

 

The clear antecedent to “wrath” (vs. 9) is the Day of the Lord, a phrase that includes the Tribulation.

 

1TH 5:1 is in contrast to 4:15-18, which is comfort from knowing we will be “caught up” (rapture) to Christ in the air.

 

We have not been appointed to wrath but for obtaining salvation. Salvation here would be meant by the apostle Paul as deliverance from that wrath. In vs. 8, our helmet is the hope of salvation, which in light of deliverance from the wrath to come, takes on a special nuance in addition to knowing we are eternally saved.

 

The helmet, which is the hope of salvation, is the peace and comfort that accompanies the confidence that we will not experience wrath.

 

Paul is also careful to bring out the contrast between the Day of the Lord that overtakes those in darkness with believers who are sons of light and sons of day.

 

The Day of the Lord is referred to as a period of darkness and night (ZEP 1:14-18; JOE 2:1-2, 10-11).

Church age believers are sons of light and day.

[click to fly in words and click to fly in picture]

 

ZEP 1:14-18

Near is the great day of the Lord,

Near and coming very quickly;

Listen, the day of the Lord!

In it the warrior cries out bitterly.

15 A day of wrath is that day,

A day of trouble and distress,

A day of destruction and desolation,

A day of darkness and gloom,

A day of clouds and thick darkness,

16 A day of trumpet and battle cry

Against the fortified cities

And the high corner towers.

17 I will bring distress on men

So that they will walk like the blind,

Because they have sinned against the Lord;

And their blood will be poured out like dust

And their flesh like dung.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold

Will be able to deliver them

On the day of the Lord's wrath;

And all the earth will be devoured

In the fire of His jealousy,

For He will make a complete end,

Indeed a terrifying one,

Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

 

JOE 2:1-2

Blow a trumpet in Zion,

And sound an alarm on My holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

For the day of the Lord is coming;

Surely it is near,

2 A day of darkness and gloom,

A day of clouds and thick darkness.

As the dawn is spread over the mountains,

So there is a great and mighty people;

There has never been anything like it,

Nor will there be again after it

To the years of many generations.

 

JOE 2:10-11

Before them the earth quakes,

The heavens tremble,

The sun and the moon grow dark

And the stars lose their brightness.

11 The Lord utters His voice before His army;

Surely His camp is very great,

For strong is he who carries out His word.

The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome,

And who can endure it?

 

Is the pretribulation position 100% conclusive? Not exactly. God does not come right out and say that the church will be removed from the earth by the coming of the Lord prior to the Great Tribulation. We do not know why He does not explicitly say it in His word, but we trust Him that He knows best to tell us what we need to know. God is for us. If He leaves certain explicit information out of His Scripture, that is best for us.

 

I have ideas as to why He leaves out certain things, but they are only conjectured theories.

 

I do know that we are to be ready, watchful, looking for our Master to return. He has only gone away for a short time.