What the Rapture is and why it is important to understand correctly.
A subject of particular interest at this point in time of the Church Age is the Rapture. Many believe, rightly so, we are living in the last days with the Rapture imminent.
There are numerous Rapture doctrines. This not because the Bible is not clear on the subject when read literally. It is because of all the issues discussed in Interpreting the Bible.
There are many ways to approach demonstrating that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture belief is the correct one. But it does not require a book of proofs to show it is true. Even though books have and can be written on the subject. All that is required is a single clear-cut verse that literally states the fact. After all, the Bible does not contradict itself, so if true in one place that truth stands in all places and you will not find a contradiction.
For the purposes here, we will begin with Revelation 3: (NIV) 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
This verse is so grammatically and semantically clear. Yet, it is one of the most argued verses in the Bible.
Those who reject rules of grammar and semantics, the very tools we use to read everything in life from newspapers to novels, attempt to change the literal meaning. Again, issues of interpretation.
It clearly says those addressed have kept God’s commandments. Not, as some attempt to add, if they keep and if they endure to the end. So, all the prerequisites are met. No conditional statements are to be found here.
Then it says they will be kept from the hour of trial. Here we need to clearly define the words so it is clearly shown there is no vagueness or non-clarity in the statement.
KEPT Strong's Number: 5083 Original Word: threw Transliterated Word: Tereo Phonetic Spelling: tay-reh'-o Parts of Speech : Verb Definition:
to attend to carefully, take care of
to guard
metaph. to keep, one in the state in which he is
to observe
to reserve: to undergo something
FROM Strong's Number: 1537 Word Origin: a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause) Original Word: ek Transliterated Word: Ek Phonetic Spelling: ek Parts of Speech : Preposition Definition:
out of, from, by, away from
HOUR Strong's Number: 5610 Original Word: wra Transliterated Word: Hora Phonetic Spelling: ho'-rah Parts of Speech : Noun Feminine Definition:
a certain definite time or season fixed by natural law and returning with the revolving year
of the seasons of the year, spring, summer, autumn, winter
the daytime (bounded by the rising and setting of the sun), a day
a twelfth part of the day-time, an hour, (the twelve hours of the day are reckoned from the rising to the setting of the sun)
any definite time, point of time, moment
TRIAL Strong's Number: 3986 Original Word: peirasmo Transliterated Word: Peirasmos Phonetic Spelling: pi-ras-mos' Parts of Speech : Noun Masculine Definition:
an experiment, attempt, trial, proving
trial, proving: the trial made of you by my bodily condition, since condition served as to test the love of the Galatians toward Paul (Gal. 4:
the trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy
an enticement to sin, temptation, whether arising from the desires or from the outward circumstances
an internal temptation to sin 1b
of the temptation by which the devil sought to divert Jesus the Messiah from his divine errand
of the condition of things, or a mental state, by which we are enticed to sin, or to a lapse from the faith and holiness
adversity, affliction, trouble: sent by God and serving to test or prove one's character, faith, holiness
temptation (i.e. trial) of God by men
rebellion against God, by which his power and justice are, as it were, put to the proof and challenged to show themselves
Kept from as a part of speech is an adverbial phrase. That means the words together are the action verb of the sentence.
So kept from means quite clearly and literally from the definition to protect by removal from the issue. It does not mean to protect in and through the issue as some claim.
Note those attempting such claims do not base their claim on the word meanings. They base them on doctrinal positions using other non-related circumstances in the Bible as proof.
Where they fail is the examples they use actually prove the case. In all cases the persons are physically removed from the place of the issue. Never left in the place and protected.
Look at Noah. He was removed. The mistake here is the defining of earth as meaning the planet. It does not. It means the dry soil. And the dry soil with the life upon it was what God said he would destroy and did destroy. Not the water or water life.
Same with Lot. He was physically removed from the plains before the destruction occurred.
So here what is the issue the Church is removed from? Clearly stated it is The Hour of Trial.
Note Hour does not just mean 24 hour days. It can mean periods of many years.
And the Trial is God testing all of Man on the whole earth. Not just testing in one geographical area. Nor just the dry land either. Note God’s wrath in the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls strike both dry land and bodies of water, and the life on and in both.
So, how can the Church be kept from the Hour of Trial if it is still on the earth? It cannot because that would not, by definition, be kept from, but it would be kept in and through.
That should be enough by itself to prove the case. But we will go farther than that in showing proof.
The Book of Revelation prophecies begin with addressing seven then existing churches. Those churches also represent the Ages of the Church. Each reflects the dominate attributes of each period of time within the Church Age. They also show the attributes that will be present at the time of the Rapture.
And here it is noteworthy the fact that John wrote the Book of Revelation in the 90s AD totally invalidates the Preterist doctrine. That is because they claim all the prophecies were fulfilled by 70 AD. And that is based on the writing of the book prior to 70 AD.
Isn’t it interesting the first five churches have declarations to both the saved and unsaved within them? Those who are saved and unsaved are mixed together in each church and time.
But the sixth church only speaks of the saved. There is no mention of the unsaved. And the seventh only speaks of the unsaved. There is no mention of the saved.
So the sixth and seventh churches coexist as the condition of the Church at the end of the Church Age. But they are not treated as one church but two. And that is because at the Rapture they are truly two distinct bodies and treated as such.
Now note it says the sixth church is promised to be kept from the Hour of Trial. Which is the Tribulation Period. But the seventh church is threatened to be spit out. As in spit out into the Tribulation Period.
So why is it interesting about five churches having mixed declarations? That is because this ties to a parable on the same subject. That parable is The Ten Virgins of Matthew 24.
The Rapture events are in keeping with the Jewish Wedding Custom, which the New Testament uses as the model of Christ’s relationship with the Church. The Groom, Christ, comes for his Bride, the Church, as a Thief in the Night, sent by the Father at a time only the Jewish Father knew and revealed. All are surprised but the bride was to be ready to go at any time.
Five of the Virgins, the Wise Ones, will be ready to go. Five of the Virgins, the Foolish Ones, will not be ready to go. The Wise Virgins are with the Groom and enter the Father’s House. They are kept from the darkness outside the door. The Foolish do not are not and their pleas for entry are spit out into that darkness.
The darkness is the Tribulation Period.
These are clear parallels of the same event. And I add here the Ten Virgins comes after the declaration at the end of Matthew 24 the Rapture will be at a totally unexpected time when life is going on as normal, as it was in the days of Noah and Lot. Plus only when the Father knows.
Hardly can one say life could ever be considered normal after the Tribulation Period begins and God’s wrath begins striking the earth. Such a claim is totally illogical. Plus the simple fact once it begins there will be those who know the Bible and can compute the Second Coming from clearly laid out time frames in the Bible, which nullifies only the Father knows the day and the hour.
Further, to say the Seals and Trumpets are not wrath is also illogical. Nor do they come from Satan or the Anti-Christ. They are sent by God and are in his Seals, his Trumpets, and his commands.
Continuing on, after the Rapture church, we do not see any mention of the Church again until the Second Coming. Saint and elect are not terms reserved for the Church alone. We do immediately see a new group in Heaven never mentioned as being there before. They are the 24 Elders and they are present at the opening of the First Seal.
The only persons called elders in the Bible are human males. And that occurs over 900 times in the Bible. Never are angels called elders.
On top of that only humans receive crowns and thrones in the Bible. They are rewards. No angels ever are spoken of as having such.
Plus there is only one group of 24 elders in the Bible. They were the 24 elders who were the heads of the 24 divisions of Israel in the Old Testament. And they served in the Temple before the High Priest just as the 24 do in the Book of Revelation.
So the 24 Elders are resurrected Old Testament Israel covenant Jews. They are not angels nor are they Church.
The Church is the Bride and in seclusion for seven years in keeping with the Jewish Marriage Custom of seven days. Old Testament Israel is the guests of the Wedding Supper, and are dressed in their wedding gowns.
There is much more that can be added. But the literalness of just these points should not make it necessary to say more. And others who disagree must be able to explain them away. Not just proclaim doctrinal interpretations of other verses to the exclusion of these issues. Or use Replacement Theology based claims to demand these verses do not literally what they say.
It is Biblically clear the Rapture will occur and will be Pre-Tribulation.
