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POST- TRIBULATION RAPTURE: Are we prepared?
A devotional/exhortational essay on our
- By Dr. Gavin Finley |
Big Lagoon, N.W. Florida - photo by the author. |
A PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE? OR A POST-TRIBULATION RAPTURE?
Within the family of evangelical Christian believers there is a solid belief that this world system or this 'age' will come to a terminus at some point in the future. Throughout the past 2,000 years devoted saints have known that Christ would return as this age comes to a climactic end. He will judge the wicked, gather His chosen/elect people and establish His Millennial Kingdom. Even illiterate peasants living in the middle ages who often were fortunate to just know the Apostle's Creed understood that at the last day of this age Christ would return from heaven one day"to judge the quick and the dead". They knew that at His return He would gather His elect people, both the living, (the quick), and the dead. The medieval peasants knew that the Resurrection and the Rapture would be a single combined event. And this is certainly true. Our Apostle Paul has laid this out quite clearly for us in the holy scriptures.
1 THESSALONIANS 4How about today. Unfortunately most of the Christian family is not interested. They glibly receive the "two comings" doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture without thinking about what their Apostle Paul has said on the matter. They don't check what their teachers say against the Bible. What is wrong with us? Are we asleep? Are we half hypnotized? Isn't it time we woke up and smelled the coffee?
15. "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord
will by no means precede those who are asleep.16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
And the dead in Christ will rise first.17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together
- 1Thes.4:15-17.
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
It seems we are too busy and pre-occupied with the things of this present world. Sincere evangelical students of the scriptures who seek the face of God and read their Bibles carefully and faithfully will conclude that there is to be a showdown at the end of this age. The contest will be intense and climactic. Humanistic man allied with evil angelic powers of this world will set themselves against YHVH, 'the God who is there', even our Lord Jesus Christ. This great spiritual war and its accompanying tribulation period will definitely involve God's elect people. The opening of the 5th seal in the 70th week will put many saints on the cutting edge of this epic and unfolding history.
How are Christian believers involved in this, you ask? The courts of heaven will be opened and the Ancient of Days will sit in judgement. (Dan.7:9-14) As The Sovereign Ruler of the Universe prepares to act and to intervene in human history on planet earth He will be calling forth witnesses. That, dear saints, is what the 5th seal is all about!
Oh yes, we are not passive in the covenant as we have been told. The Bride always signs the marriage covenant on the dotted line alongside her Beloved. This is what makes her a true bride and not just a passive purchased concubine. The Bride of Christ will sign the covenant like true brides always do. In effect the Bride of Christ will be saying as the hymn writer has it,
"Here is my heart, Lord,The "final witness" of the true remnant Church will then be sealed for the courts above. Then the Ancient of days will act. The Day of judgement will have arrived. The evil angels will judge the wicked. And Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamashich will re-enter the cosmos to deliver His Elect.
Take and seal it.
Seal it for thy courts above."
So it is at the 5th seal that the saints will collectively bring forth their "final witness". -Rev.6:9-11 This will be it. Our final witness will be curtains for the four horsemen and all the earthly rulers that have gone before. This, you will recall, was Nebuchadnezzar's nightmare. The smiting Stone will strike. And the image of all human rule will come crashing down.
This is so important for Christians to understand. The 'final witness' of the saints will open the way for God's sovereign actions into this cosmos at the 6th seal. Only after the Church has brought her final corporate and climactic witness will the 6th seal be opened to reveal the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens. The Day of the Lord will have arrived. And His wrath has come to be poured out upon the wicked. The evil angels will gather up the tares. And the wicked will be carried off kicking and screaming against their will to be burned. (Mat.13) Judgement Day will have arrived.
The Day of the Lord is the Day of His wrath. It opens up with the judgement of the wicked. The gathering of the tares, (or weeds) comes first. -Mat.13:30 This in turn will be followed by the Resurrection of the righteous dead and then the Rapture or "catching up" of the Elect Congregation of God. This is most correctly stated as the Post-Tribulation Resurrection-Rapture of the church. - 1Thes.4:15-17 All this occurs in combination with the deliverance of God's Royal Jewish saints at Jerusalem and the deliverance of His incarcerated and exiled people across the world at a spiritual place called Bozrah. (Mic.2:12-13, Isa.63)
The very words of Jesus on the matter are in the Bible for us to read. Jesus Himself gave His trusted disciples details concerning this in the Olivet Discourse. From this scripture we see that our Savior clearly and specifically tells us in no uncertain terms that this end-time gathering of His entire elect company will be 'after the tribulation of those days'. We also see Him gathering His people in the days of the sixth seal cosmic disturbances of a darkened sun and moon. This is the time frame in which Jesus told His four trusted and inquiring disciples that he would give 'The Sign' of His imminent coming.
We hear a lot about 'signs of the times'. They are vague and not specific for a time. And Jesus said these signs of the times would precede the real deal. And here it is.
Jesus's four disciples asked Him to give them 'the sign' of His coming and tell them when this would come to signal the end of the age. Jesus answered them specifically and directly. He answered their two part question very cle privately on the Mount of Olives. It is still private information. Only the ones who are meant to know will receive the message. Others will just say, "This information is for the Jews".
Here we go with the two part question they asked Jesus.
'Tell us when these things will be?Jesus answered their request for a sign. (singular) That sign, He said, would be the 'Sign of the Son of Man' in the heavens. The sign of His imminent coming will appear in the heavens. It will be seen during the sixth seal days of a darkened sun and a bloody moon.
And what will be the sign of your coming,
And of the end of the age.' - Mat.24:3 NKJV
This final gathering of Christ's elect will be all inclusive. No one will be left out. The entire elect congregation of God will be there. The Jewish nation will be saved by that time. -Zech.12:7-13:1. The saints from both sides of Calvary will all be there. -1Thes.4:15-17 It will include those saints who have gone on before us. They will come into the glory via the Resurrection. At the same time, and immediately after this Resurrection will come those who enter into the glory via the the Rapture. Jesus tells us quite clearly here in this scripture below that it will be a Post-Tribulation gathering of His elect.(singular), It will be a Post-Tribulation Resurrection-Rapture. Here are His exact words. Let us pay close attention to what Jesus is telling us.
Matthew 24
29. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31. And He will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
ARE WE PREPARED FOR A LATE POST-TRIBULATION RAPTURE?
AND IF NOT, THEN HOW CAN WE PREPARE?
Most of us say we are ready for an early
(pre-tribulation) rapture.
But what if we actually end up with
a late (post-tribulation) resurrection-rapture?
Such a scenario would see us on the stage of history
before a world that no longer honors our Savior.
Here is the critical question. Are we prepared to bring a gracious and faithful witness to our Lord Jesus before a hostile world? If we are not and we are concerned about our spiritual weakness then we need not fear. This need not be a grievous thing at all. It just means we need to re-order our priorities in Christ Jesus so that we can be prepared. Our admission of spiritual need just means that we are being honest. In our lack we cry out to God. Things need to change inside our hearts. Our mindset needs to change such that God comes first in our lives. And in that deeper relationship our will to go on with God, come what may, will be bolstered as well.
Fortunately Jesus knows all about our troubles. If we are on the verge of spiritual burnout then this can actually be a blessed state, - if we handle it right. In their condition of need God's people always cry out to Him and seek His face. Since our God is the God of mercy and provision he hears our prayers. And even as He answered when Joseph cried out from the pit of death, our God answers from heaven. There is an eternal principle involved here. Jesus taught it on the Mount of the Beatitudes. He said,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,We serve a God who will never desert His people nor leave them desolate. He will guide and strengthen us until the job is done. He is a sure and trustworthy Friend. We can depend on Him to see to this personally on our behalf. This is faith at work under fire.
For there's is the Kingdom of Heaven."
Most of us, this author included, would have to admit that we are not ready for this level of witness. We have never had to face it before. And even if we had faced deadly trials before each new situation calls for a new covering and a fresh empowerment for witness by the Holy Spirit.
How will help come to us in the coming trials? God will answer the cries of His covenant people, just as He has always done. He will send us the Holy Spirit, just as He promised. - John 14:26-27, 15:26-27. This is how we are prepared. Everything else stems from this. Our essential preparation is in our relationship with Jesus Christ and in the infilling of the Holy Spirit. He sends the Holy Spirit to us to be our Comforter and Guide. - John 16:7-9. When we step out onto the pathway, even if we are discouraged, He will be there with us, walking alongside us. - Luke 24:13-32
ARE WE PREPARED TO FACE THE TRIALS OF OUR FAITH?
Are today's western Christians prepared to take the stage for the "final witness" of history? Unfortunately the answer is no. The warning is not even going out to evangelicals to prepare for any trials or tribulations at all. The only spiritual preparation being talked about is to get saved and pocket that ticket to heaven against the possibility of an untimely death or an imminent rapture. The eschatology we do have is inadequate. It clearly stands in contradiction to the holy scriptures. If this situation is allowed to continue many believers will be demoralized when the trials come upon them. Unprepared to witness under persecution many will "fall away" in those days.-2Thes.2:3 Corrie Ten Boom gave a warning of this very thing.Dear saints, we must discard our religious presuppositions and our pet theories and look to the Bible alone. If we put aside our Bible commentaries, turn off the popular prophecy programs on TV, set aside the disinformation in the 'Left behind' novels and let the scriptures speak on their own merit we shall come out of the religious fog and see clearly. There is to be a Post-Tribulation Resurrection-Rapture. So we know that we shall face trials and tribulations. But God will not leave us without the covering of His Holy Spirit. If we submit to the Way of the cross and are led by the Holy Spirit His abiding Presence will be with us. And He will give us grace for the trials.
FACING THE FACTS OF THE COMING TRIALS OF OUR FAITH.
AND LOOKING TO GOD FOR HIS PROVIDENCE.
OK. Here it is. We are looking at the clear possibility
of a post-tribulation rapture.
Now it seems we that we are staring the Dragon in the face.
And yet we are called upon to maintain a steady and faithful
testimony of Jesus Christ.
It may cost us dearly.
In that witness we may be called upon to surrender up our flesh life.
How do we deal with that? It seems rather severe.
How do we handle that?
Well the fact is, we cannot handle it. At least not without some outside help. Somebody is going to have to help us. Some outside Power is going to have to preserve us and keep our witness in the integrity of our lives even in the midst of trials.
This is an important discovery concerning the limits of our self-life. Some Christian believers will come to this realization. Some will not. This is precisely what made the five wise virgins different from the five foolish virgins. The wise ones knew they didn't have it within themselves (or in their lamps), to get through the long night. So they sought an extra supply of oil. They took it upon themselves to prepare for the coming night. They knew that darkness was approaching. They knew that they would be facing the drama of the midnight hour. And so they made it their business to go out and seek that extra jar of oil, lest they suffer 'burnout' in the darkness after midnight.
Yes, if we are in Christ then He will be our supply. When the trials come the Holy Spirit will be all over us. He will cover us just as He covered those saints who have gone before us. When they came to their hour of trial they were not in despair. Similarly, we shall need His covering and His empowering Presence as we enter into our hour of trial.
God will honor His people as they bring His testimony and witness before men. He always has. The Holy Scriptures testify to this as well as Foxes Book of Martyrs. The saints who are called to witness on behalf of the God they serve find themselves strangely energized in God in a way that they have never experienced before. They are taken out of their ordinary lives to find themselves caught up into extraordinary times with an extraordinary God. He is Yehoveh, the God who is, was, and evermore shall be. He is 'The God Who Is There.'
It is the honorable and a glorious pathway we are called to take. But it does not start out that way. It begins in a dark valley of decision. So as we come to that critical fork in the road up ahead we need to answer this question. The trumpets will be sounding and the Highway of Holiness will beckon us on. But we are are obviously still in the valley of decision. In the dark night of our soul we are going to have to decide. Are we going to go out to meet the Bridegroom, the returning Prince of Peace? Or shall we continue to go down the river to deal and compromise in a harlot church system, consorting with the princes of this world?
This is an sobering moment of decision. We must make a choice. What if we just don't want to go on? What if we are confused. What if we are afraid?
A ROAD-MAP INTO THE 70TH WEEK OF DANIEL.
Well here any military man will tell us that an army that is confused and not prepared has a reason to be afraid. If he does not have a map of the battlefield and has not received clear orders as to what to do he is in bad shape. Under those circumstances he is quickly demoralized and defeated. It is no different in the spiritual battle. Our orders are progressively unsealed as we move forward toward our objective. Our coming spiritual battles occur within the landscape of our own hearts and as we bring our witness into this world. So it helps to have a spiritual road map. Here then is a thumbnail sketch of that road map from the prophetic and poetic imagery of the Holy Scriptures.Two roads lie before us. One is the highway of holiness, a strait and narrow road leading upwards. -Isa.35:8 It is the road to glory, the Paradise Road. The road is not easy. it is a strait gate and a narrow way. - Mat.7:13-14 It leads up the mountain toward the City of God.
And what about the low road? Well it seems that the other road hooks around and goes back into the valley of decision. This lower road then splits into two as it takes the discouraged traveler back into the world of men.
Both of these lower pathways are political. The one forking to the right leads to nationalism and a raging of nations. -Ps.2 This pathway will carry the 'mighty men' to those epic gatherings of the 'last crusade'. The road then takes these masses on down to the Valley of Megiddo, and to a place called Armageddon.
The other road forks to the left. It seems much nicer at first. This is the road which leads to ecumenical compromise. The trumpets will be sounding and calling God's people to assembly. Those who heed the call will be heading out onto the Highway of Holiness. -Isa.35:8-10. Yet in spite of this many will ignore the call. They will continue to make deals with the powers of this world.
This low road leads down the river to the sophisticated city of Babylon, a city of politics, religion, and material trinkets. God has called His people to come out of her. Since ancient Babylon is no more the reference here must be a Mystery Babylon, and John states that plainly in Revelation 17 and 18.
So this should not be surprising to us. We serve a holy God. He says "Be ye holy as I am holy. That does not mean we shall be perfect but "set apart" to God. Under the blood of Israel's promised Sacrifice Lamb we are reckoned by God as perfect, righteous, and justified in Him. So this call to holiness and the High Calling is not impossible. Jesus calls us to walk with Him right up to His second Coming at the end of the age.
Unfortunately many who hear God's call will ignore it. They will continue on with their committee meetings and roundtables of man centered secular and religious humanism. Here the leaders of the political and religious hierarchies will attempt to set the agenda for the masses as they wheel and deal in the ways of this world. What could be finer? It seems like a good thing to do. But the Word of God is very clear,
'There is a way which seems right to a man,We have also heard the saying,
But its end is the way of death.' - Prov.14:12
'The road to hell is strewn with good intentions'.
While it may seem to be a nice pathway to a nice Christian gathering this congregation or assembly is not so nice in God's eyes. It has been seen in history before. Such people invariably end up persecuting those saints who have chosen to travel on the Highway of Holiness. Uncompromising Christians are persecuted first and foremost not by secularists or pagans. They are persecuted by their own compromised Christian brethren!
This is an important fact of life. Joseph discovered this when he was under deadly peril at the hands of his own brethren. 500 years ago a person found with a Bible or reciting the Lord's prayer in English could find themselves burned at the stake. This happened to the faithful Bible translator William Tyndale.
So here we are on the pathway of 'church unity'. This is a wide broad way and it leads to the gatherings of the harlot congregation and a generic humanistic world religion. The road leads into a wilderness.
 Art used by permission of Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992. Visit her 'Revelation Illustrated' website. |
And a there, right in front of us we see something that shocks us to our very being. We respond this way because what we see is all so unexpected. John saw this strange and mysterious sight and wondered greatly. He saw the harlot dressed out in her jewels and finery. She was riding a red beast with ten horns. As John sees her she is carrying a cup which she has profaned. And it is filled with blood. John saw the harlot drunk with the blood of the saints. - Rev.17:6 What an awful thing. Just what does all this mean?
Well we are going to have to seek the face of God on this one. He will reveal the message to those who desire the truth. Few dare to speak of it publicly. Click on the image to go to a limited scriptural discussion of 'Mystery Babylon' and where it may even today be assuming a more discernible form.
These then are the three main roads. Many individuals, however, will not take these major roads. There are a myriad of possible responses to the information given concerning the post-tribulation rapture. Christian survivalists will be all over the landscape doing their own thing. Many will be scurrying hither and yon to hide themselves in the caves and among the rocks and fortified places that they have fashioned for themselves. What sort of witness can a saint bring in a hideout? Ask those Anabaptists of 16th century central Europe who decided to hide out in the forests of Germany and in the Swiss Alps. They were all tracked down eventually. And this was centuries before electronic surveillance.
Ask the Taliban in Afghanistan. Many of them are trapped with their food and water running short. They have been sealed up in their caves. Some well placed ordinances just arrived out of thin air. They came in without any warning. And now they are trapped in their troglodite hideouts, crying out in the darkness. And so they await the judgement.
Dear saints. Do we really want to take these low roads?
A FAITHFUL RESPONSE IS CALLED FOR TO THE FACTS
CONCERNING THE POST-TRIBULATION RESURRECTION-RAPTURE.
So Here we are. How shall we respond in that day?
Shall we answer His trumpet call to assembly?
Shall we take the high road and join His 'ekklesia',
His "called out" congregation?
Shall we take the pilgrim pathway and draw near to Him?
His Holy Spirit will fill us and empower us on the way.
We shall enter into that end-time witness with joy unspeakable
and full of glory.
Through all this Jesus brings us this instruction.Matthew 10Our Apostle Peter exhorts us to faithful and godly witness by following after our Lord Jesus in the power of His resurrection.
16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.
Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.
18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake,
as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. - Mat.10:16-18
1Peter 1Shall we draw near to Him?
3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5. who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
7. that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
8. whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9. receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls. - 1Pet.1:3-9,
True Christian believers, the saints, will need to know the program. Fortunately our sovereign God is the One who will be calling the shots here. - Dan.7:9 He determines the bounds of the raging seas. -Job. 38:11 If, as would seem to be the case from the scriptures, we are looking at the prospect of a Post-Tribulation Resurrection-Rapture then we are facing some interesting times. And at some point in the future, and before that final glorification, the elect of God will be coming onto the stage of holy history. There they will bring a resounding witness to Messiah and to His coming Kingdom. This is apparently what the 5th seal is all about. It is a showdown. The nations will be raging, all of them, except Israel. It is the final witness of the Church.
But some will ask,"do we really need to be there?" Well here we need to read our commissioning papers carefully. When we were saved we signed on with Messiah. It is His Kingdom agenda, not the agenda that comes out of the masonry of the established church. Our Great Commission is not written out in legalese. Nor is it in fine print. Jesus tells us the deal quite clearly. He tells us that He will be covering us right through to the very end of this age.
For those lawyers of obfuscation amongst us that would not mean seven years before the end of the age.
ON RUNNING AND NOT BEING WEARY.
Here is the burden of this writer. If the saints are not properly warned and properly informed and properly challenged to give themselves to the Redeemer in a time of peace then what will happen when they find themselves suddenly thrust into the events of the end-time drama? The scriptures warn us about this very thing.Jer 12:5Yes this is an awesome question to have to deal with. The swelling of the Jordan is a reference to the final harvest at the end of the age. It was also this time when Israel crossed over the Jordan to enter into the Promised Land. - Josh.3:15
"If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the swelling of Jordan?"
But in spite of these challenges we serve a mighty God. He is the Holy One of Israel, He is YHVH, 'The God Who Is There'. He is there for his people when they need Him. If they will just stay close to him, and stick to Him like glue then he will carry His Elect, even His Bride, across the threshold. The scriptures answer our concerns in this wonderful inspirational poetry.
ISA.40:31True shepherds know that sheep will only drink from still waters. This is a time to leave our pursuit of pleasure and material things and to allow ourselves to be led in quietness deeper into the heart of the Shepherd. Let us get to know His voice. -John 10:3-4 A dark and stormy day is coming. True believers will need to stay very close to Him. -Ezek.34:12
'But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint'. - Isa.40:31 NKJV
OUR PREPARATION IS IN THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
The scriptures declare that we belong to God. "The spirit of man is the candle or lamp of the Lord.." -Prov.20: Do we have the extra jar of oil beyond our own spiritual supply? Have we procured the oil for our lamps against the coming night? Have we sought and found the fullness of the Holy Spirit?Only His fullness will guard us against 'burnout' when the midnight hour approaches? -Mat.25:1-15 Like the five wise virgins have we sought and found the 'midnight oil'? And have we taken the opportunity this time of peace allows. Do we know our God in a personal way. Have we drawn aside to invite His Presence? Have we been filled with His Holy Spirit?
What if we have not?
Where do we find the oil of the Holy Spirit?
This can be a difficult endeavor as many will attest.
But if we ask ourselves where the oil is then we know it will be
at the oil-press.
Since Gethsemane means "oil press" then we know that we have found the
place of our oil supply. It is an awesome place.
It was right there at Gethsemane where Jesus
faced His greatest trial. It was at Gethsemane that Jesus
cried out to God in His need, even as He faced the prospect
of His coming trials and His atoning sacrifice for us.
And it was at Gethsemane that the victory was won.
Here is the place. Here the oil of anointing and the oil
for our lamps can be found.
But few want to go there right now.
It is the first stop on the way of the cross.
It just doesn't seem, to be the place
for a 'victory minded' Christian to want to visit.
Surely this is not the place to find the oil is it?
But it is.
And dear reader, here is the most important question of all.
Have you been born again? -John 3:3-7
God has been waiting for you to come to Him.
You belong to Him. He loves you with an everlasting love.
He purchased your salvation with His own body and blood.
And he will come into your life and change you from the inside out.
He will do the job. But you are the one that must invite Him in.
No one else can do this for you.
"Now is the day of salvation;
- 2Cor.6:2 GWFAMPV
Behold! Look here! Pay attention!
Now is the accepted time".
