The Rapture

There is an intense fascination with the timing of the Lord’s return that seems to tantalize every generation into attempting to set the date for it.

Perhaps the sense of intrigue is magnified when our sin nature becomes inflamed by the prohibition against doing so (see Matt. 24:36), such that the temptation can become almost overwhelming. This is evidenced by the number of people who have succumbed to the urge to try it.

We now wrap up our discussion about Revelation 3:10 (see Part 1). We’ve considered (a) what this “time of testing” is, and (b) who Jesus protects. Now, we turn to the burning question—what does the apostle John mean when he says believers will be “kept from” this time of testing?

Here is the passage—what kind of protection is Jesus promising? Physical removal from the scene, or protection from danger during the time of testing?

The “pre-tribulation rapture” is the belief that Jesus will remove the church (the living and the dead) from the earth before the great tribulation. Faithful Christians who believe this often cite Revelation 3:10 as a key proof for this doctrine. However, the preponderance of evidence does not support this claim.

We often hear the word “imminence” in reference to the rapture. But is the rapture really imminent?

The following is my opinion and may possibly come across as polemical at times. I don’t intend it to be. I’m sure some pretribulationists and non-pretribulationists will disagree with some of my observations.

Many American Christians have questions about something called “the rapture.” These questions are often tied to a particular flavor of premillennialism called “dispensationalism.” According to this framework, “the rapture” means “the idea that Christ will remove the church from the world prior to the great tribulation.”¹ They believe the rapture is before the Great Tribulation, so it is “pre-tribulational.” This teaching relies heavily on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, along with other supporting passages.

What is Jesus saying at John 14:2-3? What is “my Father’s house?” Where is it? When will Jesus take believers there? In the last article, we examined the theory that it refers to being “up there” in heaven, and that Jesus takes believers there at an event called the pre-tribulational rapture. We concluded this idea isn’t supported by the text and gave it a “D” rating for probability. That doesn’t mean the pre-tribulation rapture is false—it just means to “see” it in John 14:2-3 you must smuggle it in from elsewhere.

In Part 2 of this series, we presented four options for understanding what Jesus meant at John 14:1-3:

We also suggested a grading scale for evaluating these options:

See the rest of the series.

In the first article, we set out to study what Jesus meant at John 14:1-3. Some Christians believe this passage speaks about the pre-tribulational rapture of the church to heaven, clearing the way for the tribulation here on earth. Is that right?

Many American Christians have been raised in a church culture that stresses that Jesus will return to “rapture” or snatch away “the church” before the Great Tribulation. They believe “the church” is a different people than ethnic Israel, with a complementary but distinct future.¹ Because this great tribulation is “a time of trouble for Jacob” (Jer 30:7), it is not for “the church.” Therefore, the rapture is the point where “the church” slips out the door just before this tribulation begins.