If you are anything like me, there are times when you have to "preach to yourself" in calling to mind the scriptural basis upon which our hope for a Pre-Tribulation rapture is solidly founded. The drum beat of anti-pre-tribulation sentiment can wear a soul down, whether it comes from sincere (and imho undiscerning) brethren, unregenerate rapture haters who insist on dragging the Bride of Christ through the wrath of the 70th week, or anyone in between. So, here is a list of some of the primary reasons I am convinced we will go to the Father’s house to be with our Bridegroom Jesus before the first seal is ever broken: 1) Dispensational Necessity: the 70th week is about Israel, not the Church. That’s why the Church moves from earth to heaven in the Book of Revelation from Chapter 3 to Chapter 4. People who come to faith in Christ after the rapture will not be indwelt by the Holy Spirit like we are today in the age of grace. Like I've heard JD say on more than one occasion, "The purpose of the tribulation is for the salvation of the Jewish nation." When the first seal opens, God is turning His attention back to Israel as the Church is removed. 2) The Overall Structure and Content of the Book of Revelation: the following verses all support a Pre-Trib view of the harpazo. Rev. 3:10 (kept from the time of testing upon the whole earth), 4:1 (door standing open in heaven with a trumpet saying “Come up here”), 4:4 (24 elders on thrones with crowns and white garments, representing the royal priesthood of all Church-age believers already in heaven before the first seal is even opened), 5:9 (made US to be a kingdom and priests to our God), Rev 6-19 has no mention of the Church while judgment is being poured--because we are not on earth. 3) Not Destined for Wrath: from the first seal to the last bowl, it is the wrath of God being released directly by our Lord Jesus upon the earth. We are explicitly told we are not destined for wrath. Jesus breaks the seals. Jesus looses the Antichrist as the first seal of judgment on a Christ-hating, unbelieving world. The AC is God's wrath, and so is everything else that comes behind that man of lawlessness. 4) God’s Pattern in Type and Shadow: How our Lord rescues the righteous (our righteousness is in Him, not our own) before pouring out wrath. Lot comes to mind at the top of my list before Sodom and Gomorrah were completely destroyed. Far be it from our God to destroy the righteous with the wicked, even if He can only find 10 righteous in the city. Many other examples could be cited. Rescuing the righteous is God's modus operandi. 5) 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2: I know not everyone agrees on this, but I think an intelligent, compelling argument can be made for the word “apostasia” being translated as departure, as in physical departure, as in referring to rapture. With that definition, any debate over the timing of the rapture is eliminated. I would not recommend building one’s entire eschatological foundation solely on this one point, but it is, in my opinion, another piece of evidence that can be reasonably and credibly argued. 6) The Model of the Jewish Wedding Tradition: it is amazing how every aspect of the traditional Jewish wedding is embedded with the scriptures in reflecting the relationship between Christ and the Church. You don't have to force them to fit the model. There are just there. A hidden jewel. This includes the Bridegroom coming at an unannounced time to “snatch away” his bride, return to his father’s house, and spend a shabua (period of 7) hidden away in the bridal chamber. If that doesn’t sound like John 14:1-3 and the rapture, then I don't know what does. I am sure others could include additional thoughts and insights, but this is the list I recently came up with when I found my mind slipping a bit in its ability to clearly formulate and express to myself why it is that I believe scripture teaches a pre-tribulation rapture. Hope this encourages others. Feel free to add to the list if you have something else that strengthens your conviction we are “harpazoed” before the first seal is opened. I have heard it said that the word "rapture" is not in the Bible. Well, the English word "rapture" isn't and the Greek Harpazo doesn't translate to "rapture" per se, though it means the same thing, but the Latin word is much closer to our English "rapture". See the following Latin Vulgate and the ensuing English translation of 1 Thess 4:17 17 deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air: and so shall we be always with the Lord. :flyup: Paul gave us the order of resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. The Order of Resurrection 1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. There are three stages of resurrection. First stage: Christ the firstfruits. It took place on the first fruit in 32 AD. Second stage: afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. "they that are Christ's" is the church since first century to present. We call this event rapture. Third stage: Then cometh the end. This event takes place after Christ returns at the end of tribulation, when he delivers the kingdom to his Father. This resurrection shall include the martyred saints from tribulation ( Revelation 20:4 ). As Paul has indicated, he believes in pre-tribulation rapture. Excellent addition 2nd Coming. I will add that one to my own list when I am in need of preaching to myself! WM35 thanks for the encouraging reminders!! What a blessing to know He will help us through whatever tribulations we must endure while in this life on Earth, but that we will not be here for THE Tribulation- thank the Lord for His mercy and grace for all who will receive it- there is NO condemnation for us in Christ- we WILL NOT face our Heavenly Father's righteous wrath because His Son took it for us!!! :yahoo: The first reason is that Jesus was very specific in what was going to happen and what we were to do in response. He said, Lk.21 28 Now when these things BEGIN to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Now that only makes sense when you understand we do not yet have full possession of our redemption because it is kept in heaven awaiting our appearing before the Father. Rom.8 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. So we have redemption in part as a guarantee or promise that this work of God in us will be completed in a specific Day of Redemption... Eph.4 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. So in Part 1 of redemption while here on earth, we have a taster of what is to come... Eph.1 In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Thanks be to God that Jesus secured this for us and is waiting on us to join Him... Heb.9 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Our redemption is part of our inheritance in Christ and we have to go to heaven to receive it... 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4 It is important that we get the timing correct because there is no excuse for getting confused about what Jesus said. When the signs all begin to appear together, that's when we are to get excited and lift up our heads. If we were going into the tribulation then Jesus would not have emphasized the signs beginning to appear but rather He would have said, When the great tribulation comes upon you, then lift up your heads. God's work of adoption and redemption of the church in Christ has to be completed in heaven and we have to appear there before the Father to be acknowledged before the angels by Jesus Himself and witnessed by the Holy Spirit. So how should we be living seeing the headlines are starting to tick the prophetic boxes? Phil.3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.Phil.3:21 Paul is not speaking figuratively here: he wrote of our being called up to meet Jesus in the air. He wrote of our being transformed in the twinkling of the eye. He wrote of how we should be waiting and watching. This is a real upward call of God to meet Jesus. Look what happened the two witnesses... Rev.11:12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. Look what happened to John... Rev.4:1 [ The Throne in Heaven ] After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” If the rapture was to happen at the end of the GT it would break Jesus promise regarding the timing of the Day of Redemption. If the rapture was to happen in the middle of the GT likewise it would break Jesus prophesy. It is only the beginning of the signs that relate to the Day of Redemption and no other order meets that demand. Now I must point out that I believe many of the signs are only getting warmed up at the moment and we have a ways to go but the heat is definitely turned up in an amazing way. The next 10 years will be colossal and the next 6 years may finish the timeline for the church because, among other things, the trees are dying. Who understands the relevance of the trees to the rapture? I agree with you, Huge, on everything .... but that last paragraph. LOL So that is why I can’t press the like. I strongly believe the church leaves in 2019. :whistle: Yeah I understand Geri. My position is that the signs Jesus gave are not general i.e. they have to be substantially different to what has happened over the centuries so we know that we know as opposed to thinking that we knew and nothing happened. For example, there are fewer famines now than there were about 10 yrs plus back but it is one of the signs that must be in our faces. The biggest sign I am looking for is something in the heavens that shocks the world and I believe we are seeing increasing evidence of that hidden event every year in the form of the exponential increase in fireballs and major quakes. There is great debate about something in the heavens tilting our solar system while on earth we hear skyquakes, see sinkholes and great cracks in the earth. Something is coming our way to fulfill Jesus words. So until I see the beginning of all these things, I have to keep waiting and watching for them. Watchman35: As to your point number 5, I believe the word "apostasia" is more appropriately "falling away" because in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Paul begins the discourse with the rapture notation. He says: "and by our gathering together unto him". That is certainly the Resurrection/Rapture event. It is likened to the Pentecostal pilgrimage feast gathering. In fact, Paul's three orders of the first resurrection follow the three pilgrimage feasts of Israel: Christ at First Fruits during the Feast of Unleavened bread, then Christ's own at his Pentecostal appearance, and then the end at Tabernacles as we see in Revelation 20:4, as correctly noted above by 2ndcoming. Hugh: He did give a very time specific sign to Israel. It is the fig tree parable of Luke 21:29. In this parable the Fig Tree is the nation of Israel when it returns from the Diaspora exile circa 1948/49. This generation which witnesses this event is the audience to whom the parable was intended to speak. It is our generation. We are speculating that a 70-year period may well be associated with Daniel's 70th week. Israel is the "fig tree" and the United Nations is "all the trees". The fig tree parable of Luke 13:6-9 explains the nature of the fig tree parable. God saw Israel's fathers as "the first ripe in the fig tree at her first time". (Hosea 9:10) Fig trees in Israel flower and fruit twice in a year. Once in the Spring and again later in Summer. So, in Hosea we see God using the fruit of the Spring fig to represent Israel's fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now, we can extend the imagery to know that "remnant Israel" (Romans 9:27; Isaiah 10:20-22) will be saved during Daniel's 70th week. Remnant Israel will be viewed as the fathers' children bearing fruit at its "second time". Beautiful metaphor spanning 4,000 years of history.
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