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The Kingdom of Israel
John Shepard
April 8, 2002
Problems with the Pre-tribulation Rapture
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The pre-tribulation rapture of the church is the most popular rapture viewpoint but it has problems. This page describes some of these problems in summary form.
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The Kingdom of Israel
Summary
The problems with the pre-tribulation (pre-trib) rapture fall into the following general category:
- Reading too much into Biblical passages.
- The Bible doesn't really support the rapture in its clearest sense.
- The rapture is a part of premillennialism which also has problems. Read problems with premillennialism
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Problems with the Pre-tribulation Rapture
The pre-tribulational (pre-trib) rapture scenario is within the premillennial end-time viewpoint.
- One common reason theologians give for preferring a pre-tribulational rapture over a mid-tribulational or post-tribulational rapture is based on the Biblical passages saying that God will spare the church from wrath. They interpret these passages to refer to the rapture. However, interpreting these passages in that way strains the obvious context which is the wrath of God as He judges all unbelievers in the final judgment. Believers are, of course, spared from that wrath.
- The rapture is viewed by some as the way in which God allows the antichrist to come on the scene at the beginning of the great tribulation. The Holy Spirit who resides in the body of Christ is taken out of the way allowing the antichrist to proceed with his plans. Not every one agrees that this passage should be interpreted this way and it is very unobvious from the passage itself. While it certainly is a possible interpretation it doesn't follow directly from the Biblical passage.
- The rapture only makes sense in the context of premillennialism. There are problems with the premillennial scenario which invalidate all rapture scenarios.
- The Biblical passages that are presented as evidence for the rapture are better interpreted as referring to the general resurrection immediately before the white throne judgment.
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© Copyright 2007 by John Shepard
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