(Author’s Comment: Dear Readers, We have received some negative feedback on our article series on the Rapture. Yes, we do get feedback from time to time and greatly benefit from it. However, the apparent doctrinal import of these responses caused concern.
Our article series on the Rapture endorses the Pre-tribulation view. In fact, our presentation makes the case that a pre-tribulational Rapture is the only possible doctrinal scenario. We make an ironclad case for this position.
Why should this concern us? Sadly, over the past 75 years or so, many evangelicals have abandoned their belief in the Rapture, and particularly the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. As such, it is surprising to us why the broader Dispensationalist community would not be jubilant to endorse our arguments in favor of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture view.
We end with the 3rd and final sequel on the Rapture case. Please note that an earlier version of the series was accepted by Terry James for one of the chapters in his most recent book compilation Tracking Toward Tribulation. We welcome your feedback.)
Rapture Missed — Part 3: Ironclad Proof of a Pre-Trib Snatching Away
At the call of the 6th trumpet, one third of the world’s population is wiped out; two-thirds remain, who then ALL curse God. Says Revelation 9:20-21: “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons and idols […] Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
Could Christians be counted in this number of survivors? Not if all of the survivors are said to “curse God,” “refuse to repent,” and kept “worshipping demons and idols.” Clearly, then, there can be no Christian survivors at this point upon Earth. After all, salvation is impossible without repentance. At this time, we note that no one is repenting. Rather, they are condemning God. Therefore, this number could not include Christians.
Conclusion? Either no Christians are upon Earth at the time of this woe, or God expressly made sure that while 1/3rd of the earth’s population dies, this would mean that ALL Christians would die at this time. But, again, it would be absurd to believe that God in His wrath would wipe out ALL remaining Christians at this juncture, favoring instead other godless earth dwellers.
We can reasonably deduce that no Christians exist upon Earth at the time of the 5th and 6th trumpet judgments.
No Christians to be Found
Further buttressing our case, we next review the period of the bowl judgments.
Bowl #1 mentioned in Revelation 16:2 reads: “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.” Specifically, this only can apply to non-Christians … namely those “who had the mark.” Christians are not mentioned because they are not there. To consider that they might be still on Earth, one would need to assume that some land was not affected by this judgment … or that the festering sores are non-communicable. There is no basis for such positions.
Next, we review bowl #4 described in Revelation 16:8-9. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.”
Given the nature of this judgment, scorching and searing sun will affect all earthdwellers. But no repentance occurs … not at all. In fact, ALL do not repent, and they curse God. Were Christians still on Earth or people still being converted into saints, there would be instances of repentance. But this is not indicated at all. This provides uncontroversial proof that there are no Christians on Earth at that time.
During the #5 bowl judgment (Revelation 16:10-11), similarly, there is no repentance. “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.”
Turning to bowl #7, we read: “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’ Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. […] Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible” (Revelation 16:4-21).
Obviously, it would be impossible to segment Christians from non-believers given the scale of pandemics and destruction during this period. More than anything, sealing our conviction here is that for the third time, earthdwellers curse God. Again, we conclude that these cannot include Christians.
Ironclad Time of the Rapture
We conclude that the above arguments (as well as others made earlier in this chapter) prove that no Christians will survive the Tribulation period … all becoming martyrs (by its mid-point). This fact leads to several additional perspectives and findings that are very crucial.
Above all, pre-Tribulation is the resultant case for the timing of the Rapture. This now becomes clear.
Put simply, since there are no Christians alive on Earth as of the middle of the Tribulation, there can be no mid-Tribulation Rapture nor end-Tribulation Rapture. Why? No one would remain to be raptured.
The only time point that Scripture allows is a Pre-Tribulational Rapture.
That makes for great urgency! The Rapture can happen at any time … it is imminent … yes, at the very door front. Missing the Rapture would be horrible.
Thoughts to Ponder
The Lord is faithful and true (Psalms 33:4). What He says that He will do, He will do. He has said that he will bring his reward (Revelation 22:12) and that He will spare us from the Tribulation that will come (Revelation 3:10). His wrath will not fall upon the true Church (1 Thessalonians 5:9). He will take us up individually to be with him. Our bodies will be transformed into the incorruptible.
Make no mistake. If the reader has not acknowledged that Jesus Christ is Lord and that he is the Son of God, having redeemed his children from sin through his death on the cross, their future is grim and dire. They will not be raptured. They also face eternal damnation and the Tribulation — a terrible period like never before experienced in human history.
The Rapture can come at any time. It most certainly occurs before (or coincident with) the Tribulation. There are no final warnings … other than perhaps a general recognition of the season and times to those who are watching. This is an irreversible and binary event: Either you are in … or not. What occurs then is unchangeable.
Yet, true to his nature, the Lord provides one more chance for his Creation to attain salvation. He does not wish that anyone might perish (2 Peter 3:9). He is compassionate. For a period of 42 months, He will allow earthdwellers an opportunity to reject the mark of the beast; to repulse the Beast’s demand to worship him…to stay steadfast and true to the testimony of Christ.
While this is wonderful, the persecution of Tribulational Christians by the Beast, the Dragon, and the False Prophet — the Trinity of Doom — escalates ferociously. All who have come to salvation will be martyred … All.
What should we make of the Rapture naysayers who maintain that there is no Rapture to be expected at all? To take this position means that all mankind (including Church Age Christians) will go into the Tribulation period. More Christians would then be added to their number through conversions during the earlier stages of the Tribulation. The question then arises: Why would God allow that also ALL Church Age Christians in the world be killed during the Tribulation?
1 Thessalonians 5:9 states that “[…] God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, if ALL Christians (from the time before and during the Tribulation will be annihilated on Earth, this is a “wrath” of a different gospel. This is not congruous with the character of what God has said.
Conclusively, a naysayer’s view must endorse a very nonsensical sequence of events. They must maintain that ALL Church Age Christians go into the Tribulation; so that ALL be slain; so that they ALL can be given a resurrected physical body at the First Resurrection; so, ALL to come back to life in the Millennium.
This sequence of events seems unnecessarily cruel … and inefficient. What about the Saints that have died before the Tribulation period? The Rapture naysayer must take the position that these saints need to wait another thousand years for the Second Resurrection, as they will not be eligible for the First Resurrection. Scripture doesn’t support these confused perspectives (more could be presented). Rather, it expressly says that “the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Glorious is the fact that raptured Christians are spared the First Death and Second Death and are also spared “the hour of trial” (Revelation 3:10) and will be in heaven with the Lord while the Tribulation takes place upon Earth.
Raptured Saints “[…] will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) in their translated resurrected incorruptible bodies. Whether on Earth or in heaven, wherever Jesus will be, that is where the raptured Christians will be. They “[…] will be with the Lord forever.”
Surely the Tribulation is a terrible period … as none ever before in mankind’s history. Nevertheless, there is good news to celebrate: For ALL Christians, there will be no Second Death. Whether a Tribulational or Raptured Christian, we will all be given eternal life (no Second Death).
Wonderfully, after the Tribulation, the Lord, “[…] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
The Pre-tribulation Rapture view, as we have shown, is consistent with Scripture.
Consider that there is no incentive to attempt to survive the Tribulation for Christians since all will be killed anyway, and all are then resurrected at the start of the Millennium. Why prolong physical suffering if one can look forward to the First Resurrection after the Tribulation?
Therefore, whether amongst those that will be raptured or those saved during the Tribulation, there are no physical preparations to be made … nothing to buy … or escape getaways. There is no need to pay for survival supplies or to build an underground bunker.
For now, given that the Rapture still lies ahead, we remain part of the generation that “[…] continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).
It cannot be emphasized enough: A horrible time awaits all tribulational Christians … then, graciously leading to the First Resurrection.
Pray that anyone you know will not miss the Rapture!
“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done” (Revelation 22:12).
God proves himself faithful. He wants all to come to him. As such, we must see events of the first half of the Tribulation as one more — but last — opportunity to repent.
Maranatha
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Wilfred J. Hahn is a global economist/strategist. Formerly a top-ranked global analyst, research director for a major Wall Street investment bank, and head of Canada’s largest global investment operation, his writings focus on the endtime roles of money, economics and globalization. He has been quoted around the world and his writings reproduced in numerous other publications and languages. His 2002 book The Endtime Money Snare: How to live free accurately anticipated and prepared its readers for the Global Financial Crisis. A following book, Global Financial Apocalypse Prophesied: Preserving true riches in an age of deception and trouble, looks further into the prophetic future.
Do you have questions or other perspectives? You can contact Wilfred at: staff@eternalvalue.com.