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APPENDIX: DEFENDING PRETRIBULATIONISM

F YOU ARE A “prophecy nerd,” or spend any time on inter-net, eschatological-themed forums, or discussion boards, as I do, you have seen the comments: “It’s wishful thinking.” “The early church didn’t believe in it.” “It’s a satanic lie that lulls Christians into a state of compla-cency.” In certain quarters, the pretribulational rapture view is under

attack. The fire comes mostly from posttribulationists who fear that pretribulationism is setting the church up for disaster. The logic goes that when the Great Tribulation begins and those who expected to be raptured instead find themselves facing the Anti-christ they will, not having prepared for such intense persecution, “fall away” from the faith.

While I personally never considered the pretribulational rap-ture view to be a “satanic lie,” I did at one time regard it with some suspicion. There had to be something wrong, I reasoned, with a view so enthusiastically embraced by a generation of Chris-

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THE COMING DAYS OF AWE

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tians that the Bible says is “lukewarm” and “blind” (Rev. 3:16-18). My thinking has since changed, however. A comprehensive

study of the fall feasts and other foreshadowing types in Scripture has led me to conclude that the pretribulational view is, in fact, the most scripturally defensible of all the rapture views.*

As for the attacks against pretribulationism, we do not doubt the good intentions of the critics. They, like most followers of Christ, wish merely to see the church prepared for His coming. Assuming that preparedness for the Lord’s return is truly the con-cern, however, a fundamental question has to be asked: Which scenario serves the devil better—a church who believes that the Rapture can occur in any year, or a church convinced that a whole slew of other prophecies must be fulfilled first? The answer is ob-vious. The more vulnerable church is the one who believes that certain events, such as the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, must occur first. Until the Temple is set up in Jerusalem, some will as-sume that there is time to spare before the Lord returns. If the bride believes that there is time to spare, she is apt to put off pre-paring for the wedding. It is simple human nature.

This appendix is less about “proving” pretribulationism than it is about answering some of the questions and criticisms oppo-nents have of the view. In my own experience, I have found that many posttribulationists reject pretribulationism simply because no one has answered to their satisfaction a particular question or, equally, because no one has effectively pointed out to them the se-rious problems with their own view. Here we intend to do a little of both. In the following pages we will address, topic by topic, the most common criticisms of pretribulationism and also point out some of the difficulties with the opposite view, posttribulationism. Our hope is that the reservations some may have about pretribulationism will be addressed, freeing them up to consider * The midtribulational view will not be addressed in this appendix as it agrees with pretribulationism on the most critical points—namely that the Rapture and Second Coming are distinct events separated by a period of time during which the outpouring of God’s wrath occurs.

Appendix: Defending Pretribulationism

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the overall scenario posed in this book. The information in this appendix will also be helpful to pretribulationists in defending their view.

DEFINING THE VIEWS:

The pretribulational view portrays the Rapture and Second Coming as distinct events separated by a “great-tribulation” period.

The posttribulational view portrays the Rapture and Second Coming as essentially a single event occurring at the end of the Tribulation. Note: “Classic” posttribulationism holds that the “Tribulation” began in the first century AD and continues today, whereas “futurist” posttribulationists generally believe that there will be a separate, seven-year “great tribula-tion” that culminates in the Rapture/Second Coming. Nonetheless, all posttribulationists see the Rapture and Second Coming as essentially a single event occurring after the “tribulation.”


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Having stated our objective, let’s begin by addressing one of the most common arguments against the pretribulational rapture.

COMMON ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE PRETRIBULATIONAL VIEW:

MATTHEW 24:29-31

One of the most contentious passages in the rapture-timing debate is Matthew 24:29-31:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31) Posttribulationists cite the first line of this passage as proof

that the Rapture occurs after the tribulation. In response, a typical pretribulationist will argue that the passage is not, in fact, describ-ing the Rapture but rather a final gathering of the surviving rem-nant (Israel) just after the Great Tribulation.

What both sides typically fail to see, in our view, is that the passage is describing two events. On one hand it is telling us about the Rapture occurring after an historical period of “tribula-tion” that began in the first century, while on the other hand it is telling us about a gathering of “Israel” after a final, “great tribula-tion” period.


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As we recall from our earlier (chapter 2) discussion regarding dual or fractal-like prophecies in Matthew 24, there are essentiali-ty two “tribulations” being described in this pivotal chapter. The first tribulation is the ongoing period of trouble that the church has been experiencing since the time of Jesus (Rev. 1:9, John 16:33, 2 Cor. 1:4, 1 Thess. 3:4). The second, capital “T,” Tribulation is the final, relatively brief period of unequaled trouble, also known as the “Great Tribulation.” This is the period the Bible describes as “a time of distress unlike any before and never to be equaled again” (Jer. 30:7, Joel 2:2, Zeph. 1:15). It is also the period of which Jesus says, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive” (Matt. 24:22).

Once we acknowledge the dual nature of Matthew 24:29-31 rather than trying to limit it to a single event as both sides typical-ly do, it becomes easily reconcilable to all of the other rapture pas-sages, as well as the fall-feast “blueprint,” which clearly depicts a pretribulational rapture.

Matthew 24:29-31 does not disprove the pretribulational rapture—nor is it solely a description of a final gathering of Israel; it is essentially a dual prophecy, describing two gatherings of God’s people after two dif-ferent “tribulations.”


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THE GREAT TRIBULATION AND THE DAY OF THE LORD

To disprove the pretribulational view, posttribulationists point out how the “Day of the Lord” (which they believe begins with a combined, rapture/second-coming event) comes after the Great Tribulation. To make the case that the Day of the Lord follows the Tribulation, they cite the solar and lunar signs in Matthew (24:29) and Joel (2:31).

Posttribulationists believe that the solar and lunar signs of Matthew and Joel draw a sharp dividing line between the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, which in their view marks the rapture/second-coming event.

The problem with the posttribulationists’ argument is that it is

based on a major misconception, namely that the Rapture and Se-cond Coming occur in close proximity or even on the same day and that this “day” represents the beginning of the “Day of the Lord.” We know that this is incorrect because (1) the feasts clearly teach that the Rapture and Second Coming are distinct events sep-arated by a period of time, and (2) Scripture teaches that the “Day of the Lord” does not follow the Great Tribulation but is the same as the Great Tribulation.

How do we know that the Day of the Lord is the same as the Great Tribulation? Simple: both are described as being a unique, or unequaled, time of trouble—a time like no other. Let’s look at some passages that prove this:


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“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21) Matthew tells us (in the italicized portion) that the “great trib-

ulation” is going to be a time unlike any before or any to come—a time unequaled in all of world history.

Now, let’s look at a passage from Joel: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness… there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many genera-tions.” (Joel 2:1, 2) Joel tells us (in the italicized portion) that the “Day of the

Lord” is going to be a time unlike any before or after it. Therefore, the Day of the Lord and the Great Tribulation are both a time un-like any other in history—a time without equal.

These are not the only two labels ascribed to this unequaled period of time. Scripture also refers to this period as the time of “Jacob’s Trouble”:

“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jeremiah 30:7) Note how Jeremiah says of Jacob’s Trouble that “none is

like it.” And so we have three periods—the Day of the Lord, the Great

Tribulation, and Jacob’s trouble—each described as a time unlike any other. What does this mean? Because there can only be one pe-riod of trouble that is unlike any other, or that is unequaled


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throughout all of history, it means that these terms are all refer-ring to the same period. In other words, it means that the Day of the Lord, the Great Tribulation, and Jacob’s trouble are all the same thing.

While we are on the subject, the term “wrath of God” refers to the same period as well. Note how Zephaniah equates the Day of the Lord to the wrath of God:

“The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of waste-ness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Zephaniah 1:14, 15) Here, the “Day of the Lord” is called a “day of wrath.” This is

because they are the same. Paul also equates the Day of the Lord to God’s “wrath” in 1

Thessalonians: “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night…But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2, 8, 9) To summarize, the three terms, “Great Tribulation,” “Day of

the Lord,” and “Jacob’s trouble,” are all designated as a time of trouble unequaled by any other, making them the same. The term “wrath” is then equated with the Day of the Lord, placing it in the same “unequaled” category as the other terms. Thus, all four terms, the Great Tribulation, the Day of the Lord, Jacob’s Trouble,


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and God’s wrath are shown to be simply different terms for the same unequaled period of trouble.

Despite the straightforward logic, posttribulationists, because their view hinges on it, maintain that the Day of the Lord and the Great Tribulation are not in fact the same. They will argue that just because two things are “like no other,” or “unequaled,” does not mean that those two things are necessarily the same. To prove the point, they may pose a comparison like the following:

“D-Day was a day like no other.” “2001 was a year like no other.” “The 1960’s were a decade like no other.” The idea here is that these “times” are all “like no other”—yet

they are not the same as each other. Therefore, it is argued that the Day of the Lord and Great Tribulation can both be a time “like no other” yet not be the same as each other. The analogy, however, is a poor one: the things being compared here are unrelated to each other and separated by a significant period of time, whereas in the case of our biblical terms (Great Tribulation vs. Day of the Lord) we are dealing with (according to posttribulationists) consecutive periods. The problem with consecutive periods both being desig-nated an “unequaled time of trouble” is apparent in the graphic below.


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Assuming, as posttribulationists do, that the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord are separate yet consecutive periods, it makes no sense for God to label them both “a time like no other,” or as “unequaled.” What does make sense, however, is that the Lord would designate the Great Tribulation, the Day of the Lord, Jacob’s Trouble, and God’s wrath all as a time of unequaled trou-ble, or a time like no other, so that the reader could “connect the dots” and understand that they are all the same. The graphic be-low illustrates what we believe God’s Word is actually saying.1, 2

In conclusion, comparing the solar and lunar signs of Mat-thew (24:29) to Joel (2:31) does not undermine the pretribulational rapture view. It actually supports it when we understand that the Rapture and Second Coming are not the combined event posttribulationists suppose them to be, and that the Day of the Lord is simply another term for the Great Tribulation, Jacob’s Trouble, or God’s Wrath.

THE PRETRIBULATIONAL RAPTURE IS A “NEW” TEACHING

Opponents of pretribulationism like to point out how it is a rela-tively “new,” thus insinuating dubious, teaching that began in the 1830’s with one J.N. Darby. Some additionally allege that Darby


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was influenced by the “demonic visions” of a young woman named Margaret MacDonald (see note for details).3

The truth, however, is that the teaching of the Rapture as an event distinct from the Second Coming did not begin with Darby or any other person of his generation. As early as 1687, Peter Jurieu, in his book, The Approaching Deliverance of the Church, taught that Jesus would come to rapture the saints and take them to heaven before the Battle of Armageddon (Second Coming). About fifty years later, Philip Doddridge and also John Gill’s commentaries on the New Testament used the term “Rapture” and spoke of it as being imminent; both clearly believed that this Rapture would precede Jesus’ coming to earth.4 A couple of other early pretribulational proponents are James Macknight (1763) and Thomas Scott (1792). Both taught that the righteous would be car-ried into heaven where they would remain secure until the time of judgment was over.5

Despite these and other examples of early pretribulational teachings, some criticize the theory because it was allegedly not clearly articulated by the church fathers. This claim is debatable. But allowing, for the sake of argument, that it is true, the im-portant and often overlooked fact is that none of the present-day rapture views (midtribulationism, posttribulationism, etc.) were “clearly articulated” by the church fathers. In a scholarly article, Dr. Elmer L. Towns, Dean of the School of Religion at Liberty University observes:

“It is questionable if anyone can demonstrate that there was a finely developed eschatological position taught by the early church…the early church was not clearly pre-tribulational nor post-tribulational….The early church believed in tribulation, the imminent coming of Christ, and a Millennium to follow. The early church was clearly premillennial but not clearly pre-tribulational, nor was it clearly post-tribulational when measured against today’s developed pre- or post-tribulation teachings.”6


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Towns points out how the early church viewed eschatological matters in general terms. They knew, for instance, that there would be a literal thousand year millennium and that Jesus was coming back before that time, but they were not obsessed with the details, namely the pretribulational vs. posttribulational timing of the Rapture, as believers today are.

He continues: “The time of the Rapture was not an issue with early church fathers. They knew Christ was coming imminent-ly. It was not until a hundred years ago that the Rapture became an issue. Someone has said that each generation fights its own theological battles. By this they mean that the church does not deal extensively with an issue until a need arises that demands their attention. Then the issue is debated until it becomes systematically formulated. It seems that at different periods in church history different doctrines have been the central issue. In the two centu-ries following Christ’s appearance on earth, the issue was Christology; during the Dark Ages the doctrine of justifi-cation was emphasized by Martin Luther; during the eighteenth century sanctification was emphasized by John Wesley. This past century the doctrine of eschatolo-gy has been the focal point of theological discussion, hence it is only natural that the timing of the events has been closely analyzed.”7 The point Town’s makes is that throughout the ages different

issues have been dealt with by the church as the need arose, in their own due season. It is only in relatively recent history, as the time of the Lord’s return nears, that the precise timing of the Rap-ture, i.e., pretribulational vs. posttribulational, has begun to be thoroughly deliberated and debated.

To sum up our response to the criticism of pretribulationism on the grounds that it is a “new” teaching, the pretribulational view is


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not as new as critics would have us believe. But even if we accept as fact that pretribulationism has only been fully articulated in the last century or so, it only confirms what Towns and others sug-gest—that the church deals with particular issues when they be-come issues. Obviously, as we approach the end of the sixth millennium (the appointed time of the Lord’s return) the issue of rapture-timing has become a focus, thus leading to a more precise discussion and increased understanding. This “increased under-standing” should be no surprise in view of Daniel’s prophecy that knowledge would increase in the last days: “In the time of the end…knowledge will increase” (Dan. 12:4 NLT).

PRETRIBULATIONISM PROMOTES AN “ESCAPIST” MENTALITY

A common criticism of the pretribulational rapture view is that it promotes an “escapist” mentality. How it is that Christians, critics ask, are entitled to escape the Tribulation when John (16:33) says that facing tribulation is part of being a Christian? The simple an-swer to this criticism is that the Rapture is not about escaping tribulation. It is about escaping God’s Wrath, also known as the “Great Tribulation.”

All true Christians are, of course, subject to tribulation. Some face worse than others. In prior generations believers have been stoned, burned, beheaded, devoured by lions, crucified, and boiled in hot oil. As you are reading this, Christians all over the world, particularly in Islamic countries, are experiencing horrible tribulation. They are being harassed; attacked; mutilated; behead-ed; having acid thrown in their faces; their homes and villages are being burned down and families murdered. Google “Christians tortured in 2013” and you will find countless results detailing hor-rific examples. No true Christian, however, is subject to the rela-tively brief but unequaled time of trouble we call the “Great Tribulation,” also known as God’s wrath. The Lord has promised that His people will escape this via the Rapture (1Thess. 5:1-9).


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TRIBULATION SAINTS RESURRECTED AND LIVING DURING THE MILLENNIUM

Posttribulationists cite Revelation 20:4-6 as proof that the Rap-ture/resurrection occurs after the reign of the Antichrist and there-fore after the Great Tribulation:

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judg-ment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were fin-ished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6) This passage depicts some saints who were beheaded under

the Antichrist being resurrected to live with Jesus during the mil-lennium. Because these individuals died under the Antichrist, who reigns during the Great Tribulation, we understand that they must be resurrected during or after the Great Tribulation. Thus, the following assumption is made by posttribulationists: Since some believers are resurrected after the Tribulation, every believer must be resurrected after the Tribulation. Therefore, the pretribulational view cannot be correct.

The assumption that all believers will be resurrected after the Antichrist and Great Tribulation, however, is merely that—an as-sumption. Another, more reasonable, explanation for the resur-rected martyrs in this passage is that the pretribulational rapture will be followed later by some additional resurrections. For those


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who would balk at this suggestion, we point out that not only is there nothing in Scripture that precludes a separate, special resur-rection of martyrs, but Revelation 14 seems to hint at just such a scenario, one in which those who die specifically for their “wit-ness of Jesus” during the Tribulation will be heir to a unique bless-ing, something seemingly apart from the main rapture event: In verses 9-10 (during the Tribulation and reign of the Antichrist) we see an angel warning the people of earth not to take the “mark of the beast” lest they become subject to God’s wrath. A couple of lines later, a voice from heaven announces, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on…they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them” (v. 13). Notice that the angel says “blessed” are those who die “in the Lord from now on” (during the Tribulation). How are those who die under the Antichrist, dur-ing the Tribulation, “blessed?” It sounds as if they are to receive the same blessing mentioned in Revelation 20, which is to enter in-to the Millennium in a resurrected body: “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection…they shall…reign with him [Jesus] a thousand years” (Rev. 20).8

A posttribulationist might counter argue that since this resur-rection is called the “first resurrection” (v.6) no additional resur-rections (as we are suggesting for some martyred saints) can occur apart from the main rapture event. What this argument fails to take into account, however, is the fact that the term “first resurrec-tion” is not a technical term (meaning it is to be applied in the strictest literal sense). We know this because the Bible records many prior resurrections. Lazarus is the first to come to mind (John 11:43-44), but there are numerous others as well (Matt. 9:25, 27:52, 53; Luke 7:13-15; 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:32-37, 13:21).9 If the term “first resurrection” were a technical term (to be taken lit-erally) it would have to be called the “tenth” or maybe the “hun-dredth” resurrection. But it is not a literal term (referring narrowly to a specific resurrection event occurring at a single moment in time), it is rather a general term that refers broadly to the bringing to life, regardless of the precise moment it occurs, of all those who


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will live and reign with the Lord during the millennium. In this way the term distinguishes those brought to life at this “blessed” time from those raised at the later resurrection, which occurs at the end of the millennium. There is a monumental difference be-tween these two resurrections. The first resurrection is about the raising and rewarding of God’s faithful at the Lord’s return: “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection” (Rev. 20:6). The later, end-of-the-millennium, resurrection, on the other hand, is about the raising and judging of the unsaved.

In summary, Revelation 20:4-6 does not disprove the pre-tribulation rapture. It is a sweeping, general statement about the holiness of the first resurrection and how it is a blessing to enter into the Millennium with the Lord. This blessing will evidently not only be enjoyed by those included in the pretribulational rap-ture but also by some saints who only become “saints” when they are martyred for their witness of Jesus during the Great Tribulation.

2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-4

Posttribulationists cite 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 as proof that the Rap-ture comes after, not before, the Great Tribulation. They arrive at this conclusion, however, based on a couple of erroneous assump-tions. The first erroneous assumption has to do, once again, with their misunderstanding of the term Day of the Lord. (Recall that posttribulationists believe that the Day of the Lord begins at the rapture/second-coming event.) Based on their misunderstanding of what the Day of the Lord refers to, posttribulationists read 2 Thessalonians 2 as follows:

“Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; 2 to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord [Rap-


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ture/Second Coming] is just at hand; 3 let no man beguile you in any wise: for it [Rapture/Second Coming] will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, 4 he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, ASV) Without doing a word-by-word dissection of the passage,

posttribulationists believe it is telling us about three things occur-ring in the following order:

1) A Spiritual “falling away.” 2) The “man of sin” (Antichrist) is revealed.

3) The Day of the Lord (Rapture/Second Coming). The chronology seems reasonable enough. But did you notice

something sounded “off” as you read the passage? Let’s take an-other look: Paul starts by revealing the topic he is about to speak to, which is “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (So far, so good.) He then, in verse 2, begins to speak in consoling terms to-ward the Thessalonians: “Be not quickly shaken…nor yet be trou-bled.” Paul is trying to calm the Thessalonians’ nerves. Apparently something has “shaken,” “troubled,” or, as one trans-lation puts it, “terrified” them.10 (Still, nothing necessarily off-sounding about that.) The part that sounds “off” comes in verse 2 where we learn what it is that has the Thessalonians so terrified:

“Be not quickly shaken…nor yet be troubled [shak-en/terrified]…that the day of the Lord [Rapture/Second Coming] is…at hand.” (2 Thessalonians. 2:2)


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According to the posttribulational view of this passage, the Thessalonians were “troubled,” or “terrified,” by the knowledge that the “Day of the Lord” (in their mind the Rapture/Second Coming) was at hand. This is the part that sounds “off.” Why would the Thessalonians be terrified at such magnificent news? If they truly believed that Jesus’ return was imminent, as the posttribulational interpretation of the passage suggests, common sense tells us they would have been ecstatic, jubilant, thrilled, and every other positive adjective one can think of. Instead, however, they are “shaken in mind,” “troubled,” “unsettled,” “alarmed,” or “terrified” (KJV; NIV; Douay-Rheims).

Clearly something is amiss with the posttribulationists’ inter-pretation of this passage. To understand what it is—to get to the real reason the Thessalonians were troubled and/or terrified, we have to apply the correct understanding of the term Day of The Lord.

THE DAY OF THE LORD = GOD’S WRATH

As we recall from our earlier study, the “Day of the Lord” is simp-ly another term for the Great Tribulation, or God’s wrath. The Thessalonians understood this—this is why they were so terrified! They believed that they had entered the period of judgment Paul had previously promised they would escape: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath” (1 Thess. 5:9).

Thus is revealed the first major problem with the posttribulationists’ interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2: Because they insist that the Day of the Lord begins with the Rapture and Second Coming, they are forced to place the blame for the terrified state of the Thessalonians on Jesus’ imminent return. This, again, makes no sense. Why would the Thessalonians, who longed for the Lord to come and rescue them from persecution, be troubled that this was about to occur?

One popular proponent of posttribulationism, Tim Warner,


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attempts to explain the Thessalonians troubled state by suggesting that it stemmed from an improper expectancy: “[They were trou-bled by] their thinking that Christ’s coming was about to occur, when in fact it was not.”11 With all due respect, we find this argu-ment unconvincing. How could the Thessalonians have been troubled by an improper expectancy based on a false teaching that they, at the time, had no way of knowing was false? In other words, for all the Thessalonians knew, the false teaching that Je-sus’ was about to return was actually true. They therefore should have been ecstatic, regardless.

And so the Thessalonians’ out-of-place response (alarm and terror) to Jesus’ presumed imminent return remains a major prob-lem for the posttribulational view of the passage.

ANOTHER ISSUE

Having seen how an incorrect understanding of the term Day of the Lord results in a quandary (the church being terrified at Jesus’ return) for posttribulationists, let’s get to the second erroneous as-sumption posttribulationists make about 2 Thessalonians 2. This one has to do with the popular understanding of the phrase, “fall-ing away,” translated from the Greek noun, apsostasia, in verse 3:

“Let no man beguile you in any wise: for it [Rap-ture/Second Coming] will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) Opinions vary as to what the “falling away” in this verse re-

fers to. Most, however, believe it refers to one of two things: (1) a deliberate revolt or spiritual rebellion against God and/or His people; or (2) a defection from or failure to embrace the Gospel. Opinions also vary as to who specifically is involved in this rebel-lion or falling away. Some say it is non-believers in general. Oth-


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ers believe that it refers to the Jews during the Great Tribulation. Still others suggest that it is the professing church doing the fall-ing away.

As we can see, while there is general agreement regarding what is meant by the term “falling away,” as soon as we attempt to nail down the specifics we run into a divergence of opinion. The problem is that because the phrase is so ambiguous it can be reasonably interpreted to mean a number of things. While ambi-guity is not always a problem, it is for the posttribulational inter-pretation of this passage for one simple reason: The “falling away” is understood to be a sign, an identifiable, landmark event, that Paul is telling the church to watch for as a forewarning that other events, i.e., the “Day of the Lord,” are imminent. So the dif-ficult question for posttribulationists becomes, if no one can agree on what this falling away represents, how is one supposed to identify it?

Once again, the posttribulational view leaves us with unan-swered questions.

A PRETRIBULATIONAL SOLUTION

Having seen how the popular understanding of the phrase “fall-ing away” creates a problem for the posttribulational interpreta-tion of 2 Thessalonians 2, let’s get to what we believe is the simple solution.

Though one would never know it to read most Bibles today, the Greek noun, apostasia, translated “falling away” in this pas-sage, has an alternate translation: it can also be translated “depar-ture,” “departing,” or “disappearance.” This is significant because this particular translation, according to scholars, denotes the re-moval of something, as in the physical or spatial sense.12 Could it be that the Greek word, apostasia, rather than denoting a spiritual falling away or rebellion is actually referring to the removal of God’s people at the Rapture?


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The interesting thing is that “departure” used to be the pre-dominant translation of the Greek, apostasia; it was found in virtu-ally every early version of the English Bible.13 Even the Latin Vulgate from around 400 AD translates apostasia to discessio, mean-ing “departure.” So the “departure/removal” translation is by no means a stretch or an anomaly—it used to be the norm. For what-ever reason—no good one has ever been given—the translators of the King James Version (published in 1611) decided to render apostasia, “falling away.” Subsequently, most English versions fol-lowed suit.14

ANOTHER LOOK AT 2 THESSALONIANS 2

Having identified the problems with the posttribulationists’ inter-pretation of 2 Thessalonians 2, let’s take a second look at the pas-sage—this time as a pretribulationist might interpret it:

“Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; 2 to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord [the Great Tribulation] is just at hand; 3 let no man beguile you in any wise: for it [the Great Tribulation] will not be, except the falling away [departure/Rapture] come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, 4 he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.” (2 Thessa-lonians 2:1-4, ASV) In contrast to the posttribulational understanding of 2 Thessa-

lonians 2, the above reading, which, correctly, in our opinion, has apostasia denoting the Rapture and the “Day of the Lord” denoting


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the Great Tribulation, suggests three things occurring in the fol-lowing order:

1) A “departure” (Rapture). 2) The “man of sin” (Antichrist) is revealed.

3) The Day of the Lord (Great Tribulation/God’s Wrath). The chronology makes sense, but most importantly it explains

the Thessalonians’ troubled, shaken, or terrified state. They were terrified because they thought they had missed step number 1 in this sequence (the Rapture) and were facing the Great Tribulation!

False teachings that the rapture/resurrection had already oc-curred, causing people to believe they were in the Tribulation, were a common problem in the days of the early church. Paul al-ludes to this in 2 Timothy:

“Void godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.” (2 Timothy 2:16-19)

MORE VALIDATION Understanding that the Thessalonians were terrified because they thought they had missed the resurrection/rapture and entered into the Tribulation, the pretribulational view of 2 Thessalonians 2 makes perfect sense. Not only does it make sense of verses 1-4, it also—and this is important—harmonizes with what we read just a few lines later in verses 7 and 8:


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“For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7, 8) The “one that restraineth” here is understood to be the Holy

Spirit that indwells the church. The presence of the Holy Spirit within the body of believers acts as a restraining force on the earth, holding back the appearance of the “man of sin,” or “law-less one” (Antichrist), until it is finally taken away at the Rapture. To break it down, the passage is describing three things occurring in the following order:

1) The “one that restraineth” is taken out of the way

(Rapture).

2) The “lawless one” (Antichrist) is revealed. 3) Jesus slays the Antichrist with the breath of his mouth

(God’s Wrath). Notice how this sequence (vv. 7, 8) mirrors the former (v. 3)

sequence. In both cases we have the same things occurring in the same order: (1) the Rapture; (2) the revealing of the Antichrist; and (3) God’s wrath (Tribulation). Thus, verse 3 and subsequent verses 7 and 8 are telling the same story, or “repeating the narrative,” as Scripture is so apt to do. Consequently, the passage as a whole (2 Thess. 2:1-8) shows a unity and coherence that is characteristic of God’s Word. This unity and coherence goes away when we apply the posttribulationists’ interpretation of the passage.

Ironically, 2 Thessalonians 2 is one of the first passages posttribulationists will cite to prove their view. But as we have seen,


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a correct understanding of the term “Day of the Lord” and also an awareness of the alternate (once predominant) translation of the Greek word, apostasia, sheds an entirely different light on the pas-sage—a light that validates the pretribulational rapture view.15

Having answered the most common criticisms of pretribulationism, it is time to consider some of the difficulties as-sociated with the opposite view, posttribulationism.

QUESTIONS/DIFFICULTIES FOR THE POSTTRIBULATIONAL VIEW:

TIME REQUIRED FOR SIGNIFICANT EVENTS TO TRANSPIRE

As we have already noted, posttribulationists view the Rapture and Second Coming as essentially a single event occurring at the end of the Great Tribulation:

The problem with this scenario is that the Bible describes multiple, significant events occurring in between the Rapture and Second coming. These events require some interval of time, necessitating a separation between Jesus’ gathering of the church and His final return.

Let’s take a look at some of the events that must occur after the Rapture but before the Second Coming.


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THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB

One major event that takes place between the Rapture and Second Coming is the “Marriage of the Lamb.” Revelation 19 depicts the joyous atmosphere in heaven as this event unfolds:

“And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God...Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” (Revelation 19: 5, 7)

It is important to point out that the Bridegroom and bride are

already married, not just preparing to get married, at this point: Note that in verse 7 she is called the Lord’s “wife.” In the next line, the wedding garment is described: “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Rev. 18:8).

So we know two things from Revelation 19: (1) the wedding has already taken place; and (2) as indicated by the phrase, “a voice came out of the throne,” it has taken place in heaven. Thus, it is established that the wedding happens after the Rapture.

Now for the second half of the puzzle: A few lines later, in verses 11-16, we see the Lord and His wife bursting forth from the heavens on white horses as He returns to earth as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” We know that it is the Lord’s wife accompa-nying Him and not merely a host of angels, as some suggest, be-cause in verse 14 she is wearing the same wedding garment, “fine linen, white and clean,” described in verse 8. Therefore, the wed-ding has taken place before the Second Coming.

And so we see that the “Marriage of the Lamb” occurs after the Rapture but before the Second Coming. This necessitates a sig-nificant interval of time between the two events.


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THE REDEMPTION OF ISRAEL

Another thing that must occur between the Rapture and Second Coming is the redemption of Israel. At the Rapture, Israel’s spir-itual blindness will be lifted. This does not mean that every Jew will instantly turn to Jesus, however. It merely means that they will be in a position to favorably respond to the truth. The process of the Jews coming to terms with the truth about Jesus as Messiah and accepting Him as Lord and Savior is going to require some time. This is the primary reason that the Great Tribulation is the length that it is (presumably seven years), to allow time for the vast numbers of Jews to come to faith in the Lord.

GOD’S WRATH

Yet another reason the Rapture and Second Coming must be sepa-rated by a significant interval is the time required for God’s wrath to be poured out. We know that the Lord’s wrath is to be poured out after the Rapture because the saints are “not appointed to wrath” (1 Thess. 5:9). We also know, however, as we learned in chapter 7, that the trumpet/bowl (wrath) judgments must be com-pleted before Jesus’ return.

When we consider the scope and scale of the seven trum-pet/bowl judgments, not to mention the fact that the fifth judg-ment alone is said to last for “five months” (Rev. 9:5), we understand that the Rapture and Second Coming cannot occur at the same time as posttribulationists suggest. The pretribulational view, on the other hand, which supposes a considerable interval between the Rapture and Second Coming, allows plenty of time for all of the events of the trumpet/bowl judgments to play out.


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Three major things must occur in-between the Rapture and Second Coming.

WHO WILL POPULATE THE MILLENNIUM?

The Bible teaches that the millennial period will be inhabited by both flesh-and-blood (mortal) human beings and glori-fied/resurrected saints. Scripture also teaches that the mortals (flesh and blood) who enter the kingdom will be believers only, as nonbelievers will be cast out beforehand (Matt. 13:47-50, 25:31-46). Therefore, all who enter the millennium, whether mortal (flesh and blood) or immortal (glorified/resurrected), are believers. This creates a problem for the posttribulational view. Remember, posttribulationists see the Rapture and Second Coming as essen-tially a single event occurring at the end of the Great Tribulation. At this time, they propose, every believer will be given his glori-fied, immortal body. But the transformation of every believer at this moment means that there would be no flesh-and-blood, mor-tal believers to enter into the millennial kingdom to produce the mortal offspring described in the prophetic passages about the millennium (Isa. 65:22; Amos 9:14).


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The pretribulational rapture view, on the other hand, does not have this problem because it proposes that millions will be saved after the Rapture, during the Great Tribulation. These “Tribulation survivors” represent the believing, flesh-and-blood mortals who will enter into the millennium.

THE GREAT TRIBULATION IS ABOUT ISRAEL, NOT THE CHURCH

Posttribulationists believe that the church will be on earth during the Great Tribulation. By placing the church on earth at this time, however, they make “Jacob’s Trouble” as much about the church as it is about Israel. This contradicts the apparent scriptural reality that God has up to now had separate programs for the church and Israel. Consider: The church began on Pentecost two thousand years ago and is made up of believing Jews and Gentiles. To them, God has given great and precious promises. The Nation of Israel, on the other hand, was promised many things via the eternal, un-conditional covenants of the Old Testament. The church did not take over these covenant promises made to Israel, nor has Israel yet become part of the church. It therefore stands to reason that God would conclude matters with each group separately.

That God is, for now, dealing with the church and Israel on separate terms is alluded to in Matthew:

“But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” (Matthew 19:30) “So the last shall be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:16) These verses have a dual message. On one hand, they convey

how one’s fortunes in the present world may be reversed in the Kingdom to come, e.g., many who are “poor” here will be “wealthy” there. On another hand, they underscore the current


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distinctness between the church and Israel by describing how be-lieving Gentiles will be entering the Kingdom ahead of unbeliev-ing Jews. Consider the reality: The descendants of Abraham were the “first” to enter into a covenant with God through Moses. When Jesus came to Israel, a new covenant was offered16—but the Jews rejected it. The Gospel was then preached to the Gentiles, who accepted it. And so those who received the Gospel “last,” the Gentiles, will be the “first” to receive the reward of the Kingdom (at the Rapture). Those who received the Gospel “first,” yet reject-ed it, will have to go through Jacob’s Trouble before entering into the kingdom. Thus, “The last shall be first, and the first last.”

When the Rapture occurs and the Great Tribulation (Jacob’s Trouble) begins, the Lord’s attention will once again turn primari-ly toward Israel. At this time, the spiritual blindness imposed up-on the Jews due to their rejection of Jesus will be removed. This was prophesied in Romans (11:25) where Paul notes that Israel’s blindness will last only until the “fullness of the Gentiles” is com-pleted. The fullness of the Gentiles is completed at the Rapture, just before Jacob’s Trouble begins.

When the Jews see Christians caught up into the clouds on their very own Feast of Trumpets, they will be driven to jealousy: “I want…to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them” (Rom. 11:14 NLT). From that moment forward, millions of Abraham’s seed will begin poring over the New Testament and coming to terms with what others have known for two thousand years—that Jesus is Lord.

THE UNPREPARED CHURCH

The Bible is clear that not only the wicked and non-believers will be caught off guard at the Rapture but many Christians as well (1 Thess. 5:2; Matt. 25:1-13). A posttribulational rapture, however, would not seem to allow for large numbers of believers to be sur-prised. Consider the following: According to posttribulationists,


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all Christians will be on earth during the entire Great Tribulation. During this time, they will presumably be witnessing the most dramatic fulfillment of Bible prophecy in all of history, including those prophecies pertaining to the Bible’s infamous villain, the Antichrist; they will witness his rise to power over a ten-nation coalition (Rev. 17:12); his placing of the “abomination that causes desolation” at the temple site in Jerusalem (Dan 9:27); the imple-mentation of the “mark of the beast” (Rev. 13:16); and, of course, the mass beheadings and persecution of Christians and Jews for their witness of Jesus (Rev. 20:4). Common sense tells us that, wit-nessing all of this firsthand, even the most nominal Christians would understand that Jesus’ return is near and, as a result, begin to “look upward” (Luke 21:28). Yet Scripture relates that at the gathering of the bride as many as half of world’s believers will be completely unprepared, not having bothered to “fill their lamps with oil” (Matt. 25:1-13).

The notion of an unprepared church simply does not make sense in the context of a posttribulational rapture. An unprepared church makes perfect sense, however, in the context of pretribulationism, which places the Rapture as essentially the in-augural event of the Great Tribulation.

PEACE AND SAFETY AT THE RAPTURE

According to the Bible, people will be saying “peace and safety” when the Rapture occurs (1 Thess. 5:3). An air of “peace and safe-ty,” however, is difficult to reconcile with the posttribulational rapture view: How is it possible that toward the end of the Great Tribulation, as armies of 200,000,000 are marching from the East, that people will be saying, “peace and safety?” The Bible does not describe a peaceful lull just before Armageddon (Rev. 16).

Conversely, the notion of “peace and safety” is easily recon-cilable with the pretribulational view: Considering the present turmoil, namely the Islamic revolts and revolutions in the Middle


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East, it seems plausible that there may indeed come a temporary lull, or a short-lived air of “peace and safety,” in the days preced-ing the Rapture. Israel and the Palestinians may reach an unex-pected accord. Or an Islamic leader, under the guise of quelling unrest and ensuring safety in the region, may put forth a proposal involving increased cooperation and unity among Muslim na-tions.

RAPTURE DREAMS AND VISIONS

In the Book of Joel the Lord declares, “In the last days…I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophe-sy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Joel 2:28).

At the time of this writing, a YouTube search on “rapture dreams and visions” will yield roughly 200,000 results. Most of these results are video testimonies recorded by, as far as one can tell, spirit-filled Christians who are having dreams and/or visions about the Rapture. While this author has not viewed every one of these 200,000 videos, virtually every one of the dozens I have viewed is similar in one significant respect: The individual relat-ing the dream or vision describes what amounts to a pretribulational rapture scenario. They explain how when the Rapture occurs the world is in a seemingly ordinary state: people are walking in the park, shopping, or hanging out—doing normal things—when all of a sudden something like a bright light ap-pears in the sky or a trumpet blast is heard. We have yet to see a testimony in which the world is described as being in chaos or in flames (the type of thing one would expect in a posttribulational scenario) at the time of the Rapture.

As a significant aside, a second prominent theme in these rap-ture-dream/vision videos is that far fewer people than expected were caught up into the clouds. In fact, in many cases, the dream-er recalls feeling apprehension as to whether they themselves


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would be taken up. This corresponds to what the parable of the ten virgins teaches—that one must be ready, their lamp burning, when the Lord returns, or risk being left behind.

Of course, some would dismiss these video testimonies as not bolstering the validity of the pretribulational view in any legiti-mate way, but if the dreams and visions being recorded on YouTube by Christians today are not at least a partial fulfillment of Joel 2:28, one has to wonder what the Lord was referring to when He said, “In the last days…Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

INTIMATIONS FROM THE SPIRIT REALM

For decades, various “ET” groups have been warning, via their human contacts or “channels,” that the world is about to enter in-to an unprecedented time of trouble. This time of trouble, accord-ing to the ETs, is to be heralded by a marked increase in natural disasters (such as we are seeing now) that will culminate in a cata-clysmic tilting of the globe. This tilting of the globe, we are told, will be so sudden and destructive that it will necessitate an “emergency evacuation.”

One of the more well-known ET groups promoting this mes-sage is represented by a being known as “Ashtar,” a self-proclaimed “Commander from the Etheric Realms.” Ashtar is a well-known name in UFO contactee circles.17 Beginning with fa-mous contactee George Van Tassel in the late forties and early fif-ties, his messages have been channeled through a number of individuals. A typical message, published in a 1989 book entitled, From Here to Armageddon: I Am Ashtar, elaborates on the coming disaster:

“Your planet is in imminent crisis of cataclysmic up-heavals because of disruptions in the magnetic field…there is already a slow slippage of your poles and


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it will continue to tilt further on its axis. This will cause massive changes and destruction to the surface of your planet through resulting earthquakes, tidal waves, vol-canoes and windstorms of unprecedented velocities.”18 Ashtar advises that the cataclysms will begin abruptly and

without warning: “Everything will happen so fast you will not have any time to think.”19 No need to panic, however, a massive evacuation team is ap-

parently already in place, ready to snatch us out of harm’s way at a moment’s notice:

“We have millions of ships stationed in the skies above your planet, ready to instantly lift you off at the first warning of your planet’s beginning to tilt on its axis. When this occurs, we have only a very short time seg-ment in which we can lift you from the surface before great tidal waves will lash your coastlines. These waves can be as deep as five miles or more.”20 Because of the imminent danger posed by great tidal waves,

Ashstar says that at the first signs of the tilt people will be instant-ly lifted up and ferried to giant ships hovering overhead.

Those who have young children will want to pay extra close attention to this next part:

“After the souls of light have been evacuated, then the children will ALL be lifted off. The children are consid-ered to be non-accountable, so they will be evacuated to special ships to be cared for until they can be reunited with their parents or placed for indefinite care and tend-ing”21


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Because they are too young to be considered accountable (ac-countable for what we are not told), “ALL” children will be leav-ing the planet. This, evidently, is not the case with adults. According to Ashtar, some will not be lifted up because of the panic or fear they will experience at the time of the shift. “Fear,” as it turns out, renders one incompatible with the “levitation beams”:*

“Any response of fear at this time lowers you frequency of vibration, thus making you less compatible with the levitation beam.”22 Messages like Ashtar’s, centering on the coming cataclysm

and “evacuation,” virtually flood the internet today. In books and on blogs, on new-age discussion boards and in radio interviews, alien contactees and channels impart the warnings and advice given them by extraterrestrials. In a recent COAST to COAST AM radio interview, for instance, life-long Alien contactee, author and speaker, George Kavassilas, claims that, “All the ETs are talking about…and preparing for ‘the great shift.’” When the great shift comes, Kavassilas says, “Many will be leaving the planet to board alien ships.” He advises against leaving, however, as he is suspi-cious of those behind the evacuation. Kavassilas is convinced that many of these ETs, despite their “beautiful, angelic appearance,”† are malevolent and that their concerted effort to “lure people off world” is some type of “great deception.” He therefore, personal- * This is a perfect example of how the “ETs” conform their counterfeit narrative to Scripture to disguise the truth: Those who will be experiencing “fear” at the Rapture will indeed be “incompatible with the levitation beams,” i.e., left be-hind—not because of fear, however, but because they do not know God. † Kavassilas refers to a commonly reported alien race called the “Nordics,” also known as “space brothers.” Nordics are said to look like exceptionally attractive and physically fit human beings: six to seven feet tall; fair skin; long, blond hair; and blue eyes.


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ly, plans to stay behind rather than taking part in “the ascension.” For those who stay behind, Kavassilas reassures, there will be “other opportunities,” i.e. “openings into the higher dimensions,” that will open up here on earth.23 THE AFTERMATH ACCORDING TO ET

The emergency evacuation of earth is only a part of the ET narra-tive. The other part of the message centers on the post-evacuation period and the chaos and disruption that will be experienced by those who were not “beamed up.” One ET, who claims to right now be orbiting our planet aboard a star craft (in anticipation of the evacuation), advises: “Some families will be torn asunder be-cause some will decide to stay, while others leave. Some houses will be occupied, some will not. There will be dislocations in the first days. That is why we have advised you to store water and food, and to secure shelter.”24

Ashtar is more succinct, summing up the post-evacuation pe-riod in two words: “Untold hardship.”25

Still other clues about the post-evacuation period can be gleaned from the work of alien-abduction researchers like David Jacobs. In his many interviews and writings on the topic of abduc-tion, Jacobs talks about how the ETs have for years been telling human contactees that they (the aliens) will soon be here with us, “sharing the planet.” This alien “drop in,” Jacob’s says, will, ac-cording to the ETs, be preceded by some type of major disaster:

“There’s the Disaster Scenario that abductees keep talk-ing about over and over again. We’ve had this for years and years…[it’s] a scenario where they [aliens] just sort of naturally and nicely integrate into this society and we never even know it’s happening…We don’t really know how what the aliens and abductees call ‘the change,’ is going to take place [but people are shown]….All sorts of


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disaster scenarios, which includes atomic war. It includes asteroids hitting the earth. It includes floods, plagues, famine, whatever. It’s sort of a generalized disaster and you just fill in the blanks as to what kind of disaster it will be…I don’t think the specifics are all that important, but the idea of a disaster is the most important thing...However it’s worked out, they will be integrating into this society and that’s what this is leading to.”26

THE PRETRIBULATIONAL RAPTURE ACCORDING TO ET

Assuming that the ETs we speak of are not in reality the helpful space beings they portray themselves to be but are instead, as es-tablished earlier, the demons and fallen angels of the Bible, we are not surprised to see them laying the deceptive groundwork to portray the Rapture as an alien-assisted “evacuation” and the sub-sequent demonic invasion as a “sharing” of the planet. What makes all of this relevant to our discussion of rapture timing (pretribulational vs. posttribulational), however, is the fact that their counterfeit narrative is based on a pretribulational rapture scenario. This is significant because the only way it makes sense for the ETs to base their counterfeit on a pretribulational scenario is if they understand the Rapture to be a pretribulational event.

Does the fact that the demonic realm is seemingly anticipating a pretribulational rapture necessarily prove pretribulationism? It does not. Demons and/or fallen angels, while intelligent and versed in Scripture, are not omniscient, which means they cannot tell the future any more than we can. They are also, needless to say, skilled deceivers, which means we have to be extremely care-ful about basing assumptions on anything they do or say. Howev-er, in a case like this, where there is already a mass of evidence pointing in a particular direction (toward a pretribulational rap-ture), it is fair to consider, assuming we keep things in perspec-tive, secondary or corroborating clues like the above ET messages.


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They seem to be yet another indicator that the Rapture is going to

be a pretribulational event.

appendix: defending pretribulationism · 2018-09-21 · appendix: defending pretribulationism 263...

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