At the end of June, John and I had the opportunity to attend a prophecy conference hosted by 412 Church in San Jacinto, California, and led by senior pastor Tom Hughes. This was a first for us. Since I’m a Bible believing Christian and have always been interested in eschatology (the study of the end times), I thought it would be quite interesting.
People today say that Christians can be “So Heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good.” Wrong!! We need to be more Heavenly minded! If we are raised with Christ, then our lifestyle should be to constantly seek Jesus. In fact, our whole life should be about seeking Jesus. One can’t do that unless we are all in—Heavenly minded.
One of the speakers at the conference was our own local Jack Hibbs who is the pastor of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, California. A church very close to our home-town. Jack’s topic was the rapture. He had great insight about it that I’d like to share with you. I have summarized his points below in eight points. But first let’s define the rapture and the tribulation period.
What Is The Rapture?
The rapture is a Biblical doctrine and event in which the dead in Christ (dead Christians) will be resurrected, and living Christians will be instantly transformed into their glorified (perfect) bodies. Both groups will meet Jesus in the air and be taken to Heaven (John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
Why Does The Rapture Occur?
Jesus promises in Revelation 3:10 to keep the church (His believers) safe from the tribulation period.
What Is The Tribulation Period?
The tribulation period is where the earth will undergo a time of trial like the world has never seen before, or ever will again. A false religious system will globally rise to power, and the antichrist (the bodily indwelling of Satan himself) will rule the earth. When the church is removed, the Holy Spirit will also be removed from the earth, clearing the way for this new global religious movement to rise to power.[1]
Three Views About The Rapture:
Since Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:36 that “No one knows the day or the hour…,” for centuries people have tried to guess when the rapture may occur. There are three views about the timing of the rapture. The first is the Pre-Tribulation view, which says that the church will be raptured before the seven-year tribulation period begins. The second view is the Post-Tribulation view, which holds the view that the church will be raptured at the same time as the second coming. So, we would be here for the tribulation. We would be caught up with Jesus, then come right back down to reign with Him in the millennium (one-thousand year reign, while Satan is bound). The third view is the Pre-Wrath view. In Revelation 6, the fifth seal that is broken is the martyrdom of Christians who would not recant their faith in Jesus in the face of the ultimate test. The Pre-Wrath view contends that martyrdom is not the wrath of God. Martyrdom is the wrath of Satan and of man. At this point, the wrath of God has not yet began because the world has seen tribulation in the form of persecution. There is a difference between God’s wrath, and the persecution at the hands of man and Satan. So at this point, the rapture has not happened either. Of course, we don’t know for sure when this will happen, but my personal belief is that it will occur before the wrath of God, since God’s people are not appointed to wrath. But they will face persecution. Again, there’s a big difference between persecution and God’s wrath.
Keep in mind that these ideas are secondary issues. One’s view on the rapture does not affect one’s salvation. What’s important to know is that Jesus is coming and we need to trust Him whatever happens.
It’s important for all of us to have humility about the return of Christ. Sometimes because there seems to be an over-emphasis on eschatology, we get sick of it and say, “Oh forget it,” because we don’t know what to believe about it, and we throw the baby out with the bathwater. This is sad. Don’t write off eschatology as unimportant. We just have to keep it in check to know how to handle it. But remember that when Jesus died on the cross for us, he took our wrath forus, in our place.We are not appointed to wrath.
Are The Rapture, The Second Coming, And The Day Of The Lord The Same Event?
Most people maintain the view that the rapture and the second coming of Christ, and the Day of the Lord are one in the same event. I used to think this too. It puzzled me because I would hear people say, “The rapture can happen at any time.” But then I would read that there were prophesies that had to be fulfilled before the second coming. I thought, “Which is it?” So, when I was a graduate student at Biola, I asked my New Testament professor, John Hutchison, to settle this for me. Here’s what he said:
- The rapture will occur first. The Day of the Lord (DOL) refers to a broader period of time—to the events surrounding the second coming of Christ including, the tribulation period, the millennial age, and creation of the new heavens and the new earth. There are seventy-five references in the Old Testament regarding the DOL. They are from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Malachi. When you look at the DOL passages you’ll see two elements happening on earth.
A. An awesome time of tribulation and wrath of God’s judgment being poured out.
B. Great Blessings of God.
So, you have judgment followed by blessings. That’s why you see the tribulation followed by the millennial age, and beyond that, the new heavens and new earth.
Why Our View Of The Rapture Matters
1.The Rapture is a Biblical doctrinal event that will happen. Sometimes when people claim or teach that there is no rapture, this makes believers angry. But we shouldn’t be surprised by this because the naysayers are actually fulfilling prophecy that says there will be people who will say that it won’t happen (2 Pet. 3:3-5)! But in John 14:1-3, Jesus tells us that He is preparing a place for us, and that He will come and get us.
2.The rapture answers the doctrine of expectancy—Jesus could come at any second. In Revelation, we see that when Jesus returns, His foot is going to touch the Mount of Olives. He will enter through the east gate of the old city of Jerusalem and establish His throne. There are hundreds of prophecies required to be fulfilled before this happens. But not one prophecy is required to be fulfilled before the rapture can happen. It can happen any time. This should cause us to want to tell people what we believe. It should give us a sense of urgency.
3.The rapture is our hope. Titus 2:3 tells us to look for the blessed hope. Jesus is our great God and savior. Satan has made today’s news so ugly and negative. All we hear on the news is bad news. It’s easy to lose hope in what the future will look like for us, our children, and our grandchildren. But Jesus’ promises are true. Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason, claims that he doesn’t watch the news because it just makes him angry. So, he reads a reliable news source, where he can choose what he wants to know. Maybe we need to turn off the news, and get off of Face Book for a while, and focus on the only one that matters—Christ.
4.The rapture is our great motivator. A motivator can be a great way to have active discipline to become more like Christ. 1 John 3:2-3 teaches us that when we see Jesus, we shall be like Him, and that everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. What makes us like Him? The rapture!! The rapture is the only escape from death. When it happens, whether we have been alive or dead, we will be changed, and be like Him. Ask the Lord to make you ready.
John 9:4 and Matt. 28 tell us how to be ready. Jesus could come at any time. Should we sit around and wait for the rapture doing nothing? No! We should get busy about our Father’s business! Get out there and be bold! Our job is to give the gospel to everyone. What they do with it is their business.
5.The rapture promotes holy living. Hebrews 9:28 tells us that Christ will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin (italics mine), to those who eagerly await Him. What’s more, the Holy Spirit will make sure we abide in Him so that we will be ready with confidence and not be afraid of His coming (1 John 2:26-28).
6.The rapture is the great separator of the wheat from the chaff. It sifts out the false from the true. Violence, pride, drugs, porn, selfishness, etc. will be gone. 1 Thess. 5:3 says, 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. He’s coming “like a thief in the night” to those who aren’t ready! For believers, this shouldn’t be something to fear, but something to joyfully anticipate. Don’t ever let a Christian tell you that we don’t need to talk about this.
7.The rapture delivers us from wrath. Isaiah 26:19 says you who dwell in the dust, awake and shout for joy. Corpses will rise and the earth will give birth to departed spirits. The Lord will punish the wicked for their iniquity. However, we will never be punished. Jesus took that punishment for us. Luke 12:35-40 tells us to be ready, and those will be blessed who are found alert when He comes. The Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.
8. The rapture belongs to the church (those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior and Lord God). 1 Thess. 4:14-18 says God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, and also, those believers who remain alive. In Revelation 4:1-11, a trumpet says to John, “Come up here,” and shows him all that will happen to the church. The church is not seen again until Revelation 19 when the church in Heaven worships and praises God.
My friends, Luke 21:34-36 says to always be on watch and pray that you may escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand. May you be found without blame at the coming of our Lord.
In light of the coming of the Lord, we should live as though He is coming back tonight, but plan our lives as though He were coming back in a thousand years.
[1]Ron Rhodes, New Babylon Rising: the Emerging End Times World Order (Eugene, Oregon, Harvest House, 2019) 23