Post Tribulation Rapture

In Christian eschatology, the Post Tribulation Rapture doctrine is the belief in a combined Resurrection and Rapture (eg., "Resurrection-Rapture") of all believers coming after the Great Tribulation.

Doctrine and implications

This doctrine holds that there is a Resurrection-Rapture of living believers in Jesus Christ at the end of the age (or the "End times"). Posttribulationists believe that Christians won't be taken up into (the 3rd) Heaven at the rapture, but will be gathered by the angels to meet Christ in the air, then return with him to enter the millennium on earth. This is usually understood as being in line with historic premillennialism.

For additional references, see also the parallel passages from Mark 13:24-27 and Luke 21:20-28. While the passages in Luke 21 parallels Matthew and Mark, it offers a couple of interesting clarifications. This passage in Luke offers interesting references to some of the major events which are greatly elaborated on in the Revelation. Reading all three Books of the Bible in parallel, it would appear that Luke elaborates on the "abomination of desolation" describing Jerusalem being surrounded by the armies of the world and of Jerusalem's imminent destruction (Luke 21:20).

Another account which lends support to the idea of a post-tribulation rapture is in 2 Peter 3:10-13 where the idea of a "thief in the night" comes from. In this passage, Christ's return is equated with the "elements being melted", and "the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up". Opposing views are not non-existent within the realm of Christian Eschatology. Two opposing views, pretribulationism and midtribulationism, see the rapture and the Second Coming (or Greek, "paraousia") of Christ as separate events; while in posttribulationism the two events are identical or simultaneous.

Another key difference between the pre-, mid-, and post-tribulation lines of theology is the number of times that Jesus Christ must return. Although it is not directly referenced, in both the pre- and mid-tribulation raptures, Christ must then return a third time, at the end of the Tribulation period.

The belief is that God's Elect from all ages will be translated from mortal bodies into immortal glorified bodies at the Second Coming of Christ and that this will be at the end of the age. This event, it is believed, will come at the conclusion of what is termed the 70th Week of Daniel, the final seven years of this present age. This view was held by the early Church Fathers and has been held by Christians since that time. The doctrine of the Post-Tribulation Rapture is today held by a growing number of evangelical Christians. For Post-Tribulationists concerned about the recent decline of Christian faith, doctrine, and morals in the western church, an important reason to advance the Post-Tribulation Rapture doctrine relates to the importance of preparation of believers for "witness under trial".

The "witness under trial" issue was of major concern to evangelist Corrie Ten Boom, whose family suffered in Nazi prison camps during World War II for the crime of protecting Jews. Corrie Ten Boom preached that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture would leave the Christian church ill-prepared for witness under persecution, just as it had in China when Mao Zedong rose to power, and warned that Pre-Tribulationism was the sort of false doctrine that Jesus warned about.] in order to calm them down that the day of Christ's reign on earth had not happened yet if they were not going to be there for it as maintained by the pre-tribulational position. He would be more comforting by reminding them that they wouldn't be present for it [Piper, John. Definition and Observations Concerning The Second Coming. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/1987/1493_Definitions_and_Observations_Concerning_the_Second_Coming_of_Christ/ August 30, 1987.] than to precisely detail his recognition and say "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction". [. By definition, there can be no trumpet call after the last one, and no resurrection before the first.

Linguistic support for a one-event 2nd Coming are in the words "meet" and "coming" in ] has the idea of a grand dignitary making his arrival to a certain location. The rest of the passage supports this grand arrival with His coming being heralded with trumpet, angels, and a surging 'city' of gathered believers going out to meet Him. Who more grand than the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming to reign on earth? This passage lends more weight to the post-tribulational position. [Piper, John. Definition and Observations Concerning The Second Coming. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/1987/1493_Definitions_and_Observations_Concerning_the_Second_Coming_of_Christ/ August 30, 1987.]

Another strength for this position is Paul saying when the church would receive rest for its suffering. [, ; and are the only places where the exact phrase "tereo ek" translated from Greek into "keep from" are found and that by the same author, the disciple John. [Gundry, Robert H. "The Church and the Tribulation". Zondervan Publishing House, p58, 1973.]

The pretribulational argument that there are 'two phases' to Christ's coming (a Rapture and a later Second Advent) [Anthony A. Hoekema, "The Bible and the Future." Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, p165, 1979.] runs into difficulties with can also be counter-balanced. In this eschatological scenario, ] Many take the fact that vultures hovering over a dead body is clearly visible from a great distance away to mean that the Second Coming will be clearly visible and will not be hidden. It seems that explains that the unsaved (tares) are destroyed "first" before the saved (wheat) are addressed. This parable [, notice the presence of angels] to destroy the tares while the wheat (believers) remain and shine forth as the sun in His Father's kingdom. This seems to fit better with the Rapture and the Second Coming being one event rather than a time gap of 7 years.

, we see all the living and dead Christians are gathered to Jesus at that time. Going back to ] This manner of expectancy is objected to on the grounds that it destroys the idea of Christ's rapture of the church being imminent, or able to occur at any moment. But imminent probably doesn't mean 'at any moment' in the New Testament. [Stanley N. Gundry and Gleason L. Archer Jr. "Three Views on the Rapture". Zondervan, p207, 1996.] Many New Testament passages implicitly rule out an "any second" imminency (Matthew 24:45-51…25:5,19;Luke 19:11-27;John 21:18-19...Acts 9:15…). [Carson, D.A. "The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke". Editor Frank E. Gaebelein. Regency Reference Library, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, volume 8, p. 490, 1984.] At the very least Apostles Peter and Paul could not have believed in this kind of imminency because Peter was told by Jesus what manner of death he was to die and that it would take place many years later. Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands [be crucified] , and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." [, seems to indicate moral watchfulness, waiting in expectancy, [, ] Therefore, Jesus seems to put the rapture just before his second coming or on his way to earth. The phrase "gathering together" describes the rapture in bibleverse|2|Thessalonians|2:1|31 using the noun form of the same Greek word. [Vincent, Marvin. http://www.godrules.net/library/vincent/vincent2the2.htm]

Paul says: "we who are alive and remain [on the earth] " until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep [died] ." [bibleverse|1|Thessalonians|4:15|31] Then he points out that the Lord's coming with angels and the trumpet call will invite those already dead in Christ to rise from the dead before the ones on earth participate in the event. Then Paul states: "Then "we who are alive and remain [on earth] " shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord." [bibleverse|1|Thessalonians|4:17|41] Some commentators [Harrison, Everett F. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Moody Press, p.819, 1971.] note that because Paul used the plural "we" when referring to those who "are alive and remain [on earth] " indicates that Paul believed that he and all believers on earth might witness and be a part of the Second Coming of Christ from earth. This would indicate that he would be on earth just prior to the coming of the Lord and the Rapture. This is also the usage when he speaks of the same event saying: "We shall not all sleep [die] ," but "we shall all be changed"-in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and "we" shall be changed." [bibleverse|1|Corinthians|15:51,52|41] This passage adds the fact that believers will receive glorified bodies which is missing from the Thessalonian passage. [Warner, Tim. http://www.geocities.com/lasttrumpet_2000/dbltlk.html] If believers were raptured before the tribulation then why would Paul use "we" and consider himself with all Christians to possibly be those who would be "alive and remaining [on earth] until the coming of the Lord?" They wouldn't be alive and remaining on the earth at His coming in a pre-tribulational scenario but would already be with Jesus in clouds along with the other believers who had died in Christ.

Opposing doctrines

Opposing doctrines include:

* "Midtribulationists" believe that the rapture of the faithful will occur halfway through the Tribulation, after it begins, and will endure the phase of the Tribulation which tests their faith, but that they will be removed before the last half occurs, because that three and one-half year period is manifestly dominated by the wrath of God falling on those who reject him, Supporters of this view often cite 1 Thessalonians 5.9, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

* "Pretribulationists" believe that all Christians then alive will be taken bodily up to Heaven (called the rapture) before the Tribulation begins. They often quote 2 Thessalonians 2.6,7 to support the idea that the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn as a stabilizing influence on secular society (Matt 5.13) through the removal of the Church. Those who become converts after the rapture will, like the Old Testament saints, not be indwelt by the Holy Spirit in the same sense as Christians are said to be today. They will live through (or perish during) the Tribulation. After the Tribulation, Christ will return.

This relatively new doctrine has become the most widely accepted eschatological doctrine in the United States during the past century. It is commonly taught in the vast majority of evangelical churches to the exclusion of all others. (See Dispensationalism for additional information about the origins and development of Pre-Tribulation Rapture theology.)

ee also

"Events and ideas"
* Apologetics: field of study concerned with the systematic defense of a position.
* Bible prophecy: concept that many Bible verses contain prophecies.
* Exegesis: extensive and critical interpretation of a text, especially of a holy scripture.
* Internal consistency and the Bible and Biblical inerrancy
* Futurism: interpretation of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation and the Book of Daniel generally in the future as literal, physical, apocalyptic and global.
* Premillennialism: the belief that Christ will literally reign on the earth for 1,000 years at his second coming.
* Rapture: event in certain systems of Christian eschatology (the study of the end times) whereby it is believed that all Christians will be taken from Earth by Jesus Christ into Heaven.

"People"ref|Arnold0
* Augustine of Hippo, "The City of God", Chapter 23.
* Barnabas, "The Epistle of Barnabas", chapter 4
* Caecilius Cyprianus (Bishop of Carthage; Post-Tribulationist) [Treatise 7.2]
* Didache (speaks of Jesus gathering the elect after the Tribulation)
* Ephrem the Syrian (Post-Tribulationist)
* Hermas, The Shepherd of Hermas
* Hippolytus (Writer of the early Christian Church; Speaks of the Antichrist's reign and persecution of the Church )
* Irenaeus (Post-Tribulationist; Disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of John the apostle)
* Justin Martyr (Christian apologist and Post-Tribulationist)
* Tertullian (Father of the Latin Church; Post-Tribulationist)
* Victorinus (third or fourth century; Book of Revelation first commentary writer)
* John Gill (Held the view that the Church was not raptured out in any event prior the tribulation)
* John Charles Ryle (19th Century Anglican bishop and theologian)
* Benjamin Wills Newton (19th Century Post-Tribulationist. Clashed with John Nelson Darby over eschatology)
* Samuel Prideaux Tregelles (19th Century Bible scholar)
* George Müller (19th Century Christian evangelist and orphanage coordinator)
* Archibald T. Robertson (20th Century highly respected Greek scholar)
* Walter Ralston Martin (20th Century American Apologist, Minister, Author, and Founder of Christian Research Institute)
* Wayne Grudem (well known Christian theologian, author, and professor)
* Greg Koukl (Evangelical Radio Host, Apologist, Author and Speaker for Stand to Reason)
* John Piper (Evangelical Calvinist, Pastor, Author) Article listed below.

References

* William Arnold III, Post-Tribulation Rapture, 7. History of Pre- and Post-Tribulationism
* Koukl, Greg. " [http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5522 The Rap on the Rapture] ": 1996.
* Martin, D. Michael. The New American Commentary; 1,2 Thessalonians, p.154,155. Broadman and Holman Publishers, vol. 33, 2002. ISBN 978-08054-0199-2
* Gundry, Bob. First the Antichrist. Baker Books, 1997.ISBN 0-8010-5764-7
*Osborne, Grant R. Baker Evangelical Commentary of the New Testament: Revelation. Baker Academics, 2002. ISBN 0-8010-2299-1
* Piper, John. " [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/1987/1493_Definitions_and_Observations_Concerning_the_Second_Coming_of_Christ/ Definition and Observations Concerning The Second Coming] " August 30, 1987.
*MacArthur Jr., John F. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Revelation. Moody Press, Chicago, 1999. ISBN 0-8024-0773-0
*MacArthur Jr., John F. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: James. Moody Press, Chicago, 1998. ISBN 0-8024-0900-8
*Thomas, Robert L. An Exegetical Commentary: Revelation 1-7, Moody Press, Chicago, 1992. ISBN 0-8024-9265-7
*Johnson, Alan F. The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Editor Frank E. Gaebelein. The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, volume 12, 1981.
*Ladd, George E. The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture. Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1956.
*Harrison, Everett F. The New Testament and Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Moody Press, 1971. ISBN 0-8024-5920-X
*Gundry, Robert H. The Church and the Tribulation. Zondervan Publishing House, p54, 1973. ISBN 0-310-25401-9
*Stanley N. Gundry and Gleason L. Archer Jr. Three Views on the Rapture. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996. ISBN 0-310-21298-7
*G.J. Wenham, J.A. Motyer, D.A. Carson, and R.T. France. New Bible Commentary. 21st century Edition. Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England, 2004. ISBN 0-8308-1442-6
*Anthony A. Hoekema, "The Bible and the Future." "Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1979. ISBN 0-8028-0851-4
*MacArthur Jr., John F. The MacArthur Study Bible. Word Bibles, Nashville, London, Vancouver, Melbourne, 1997. ISBN 0-8499-1222-9
*Carson, D.A. The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Editor Frank E. Gaebelein. Regency Reference Library, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, volume 8, 1984. ISBN 0-310-36500-7
*MacArthur Jr., John F. " [http://biblebb.com/files/MAC/90-334.htm Why Every Calvinist Should be a Premillennialist - Part 1] ", 2007.
*Vincent, Marvin. " [http://www.godrules.net/library/vincent/vincent2the2.htm VINCENT'S WORD STUDIES - 2THESSALONIANS 2] "
* Warner, Tim. " [http://www.geocities.com/lasttrumpet_2000/dbltlk.html How Many Second Comings?] "

Relevant verses

* 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 (Resurrection of the righteous dead in connection with the Rapture)
* Matthew 24:29-31 (Jesus about the Resurrection-Rapture)
* Ezekiel 34:12 (Prophet Ezekiel about the Resurrection-Rapture)
* Revelation 20:4-5 ("First Resurrection" taking place after the Tribulation)
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Other Biblical sources

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Books

* Gundry, Robert, "First the Antichrist". Baker Books, May 1997. ISBN 0-8010-5764-7
* Gundry, Robert, "The Church and the Tribulation"Zondervan Publishing House, 1973. ISBN 0-310-25401-9
* Perry, Richard H., "Of the Last Days: Listen, I Tell You a Mystery". Essence Publishing (Canada), Jul 2003. ISBN 1-55306-595-6
* Moesta, Louis, "The Crucible and the Crown". WordFire Press, October 1999. ISBN 0-9673548-0-3
* Woods, Dennis James, "Unlocking the Door: A Key to Biblical Prophecy". Vital Issues Press, June 1994. ISBN 1-56384-039-1
* Dave MacPherson, "The Incredible Cover Up". June, 1975. ISBN 0-931608-06-6
*George Eldon Ladd, "The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of The Second Advent and the Rapture." "Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1956."
*Anthony A. Hoekema, "The Bible and the Future." "Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979. ISBN 0-8028-0851-4

External links

*Tim Warner, [http://www.geocities.com/~lasttrumpet/ The Last Trumpet]
* [http://www.theologue.org/ApproachingAdvent1-Reese.htm The Approaching Advent Of Christ (A critical, post-tribulational examination of the teachings of J.N. Darby) by Alexander Reese ]
*William Arnold III, [http://www.apostolic.net/biblicalstudies/post/ Post-Tribulation Rapture]
* [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1987/604_What_Must_Happen_Before_the_Day_of_the_Lord/ "What Must Happen Before the Day of the Lord] "
* " [http://www.bprc.org/mapchart/posttrib.html The Post-Tribulation Rapture Chart] ". BPRC Ministries, 2005.
* " [http://christiankonnections.com/html/biblical_time_lines.html#Post-Tribulation%20Rapture Post-Tribulation Rapture Timeline] ". Christian Konnections, 2005.
*Gavin Finley MD, [http://endtimepilgrim.org/posttribrap.htm The Post-Tribulation Resurrection-Rapture]