The book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ is obviously packed with eschatological prophecy. And in no uncertain terms it is certainly fair enough there is confusion concerning the text. The struggle between Amillennialism, Postmillennialism, Premillennialism, and division within each interpretive structure, notwithstanding our own postmodern concept which “justifies” my truth as my truth and your truth as your truth, and the unfortunate series of failed prediction-dates, it should not be surprising many persons within the Church either ignore the subject altogether, or dismiss eschatological relevance as a fun study which has little relevance toward the life and actions of the Church. Lucky for us, in isolating the pretribulation rapture theory, only a few verses are necessary to look at. The purpose of this essay is not an overview of the book of Revelation, rather, it is to focus on those Scriptures dealing directly with the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
REVELATION 1:7-9
Verses 1:7-9 read,
“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos on the account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (ESV).
I do not think it a mistake of John to open up his testimony of the vision of Jesus Christ in its relationship with the final hour of human history and the Day of the Lord in stating, “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus…” John is speaking on behalf of the One who is the supreme power and authority of the cosmos, this Jesus who is before the foundation of the world, who is the beginning and the end, the one in whom the whole earth will look upon and wail at the sight of him. Notice the familiar language here as with Jesus and Paul’s language: “Behold, he is coming in the clouds.” It becomes increasingly evident John is using this language foremost as an encouragement of hope. Meaning, John points to the glorious blessed hope, which is the second coming of Jesus Christ, in relationship with, “your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus.” It is no shock to find that the first Church believed they were living in the final hour of human history. Scholars believe the apostle John died between 96-100 AD. This means John lived long enough to see the destruction of the second Jewish temple by the hands of Rome in 70 AD. John also lived long enough to not only experience initial persecution from the Jews, he lived long enough to see several of the apostles martyred (including Peter and Paul), he lived long enough for the rise of Roman persecution under Domitian. John, and the first Church had more reason to believe they were living in the last days than any other time in history up until now. It was not absurd for them to believe the Day of the Lord was at hand. John makes no mention of the Lord coming on the clouds with an inference of a pretribulation rapture theory, rather, he speaks to those who would read this letter as those already experiencing the tribulation with patient endurance that are in Jesus.
REVELATION 2:18-28: TO THE CHURCH IN THYATIRA
In this section of Scripture, contextual to the text, the Lord reveals the secret sins of the Church, namely, “that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols” (vs. 2:20). John offers up a scenario concerning those who follow the seduction of Jezebel, either repent, or the personal judgment of tribulation will come upon them. Of course, the underlining factor is a refusal to repent. John speaks to those who have not been seduced writing, “But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come” (vs. 24-25). Verses 26-28 are declarative promises to rule and reign over the nations alongside Jesus, for those who hold fast. John has already admitted he thinks they are living in the days of tribulation. Therefore, it would seem the Satanic indulgence of sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols is in correlation with intense pressures of and end of the age scenario. The Church of Thyatira is outwardly with love and faith (vs. 18), however, many within the Church are burning with lust on the inside, due these immense pressures. Subsequently, John is speaking on behalf of Jesus, and Jesus is giving a final warning, a call to repentance, a call to resists the “deep things of Satan,” a call to “Only hold fast what you have until I come.” Thyatira is an example of personal and corporate pressures which exists in an end of the age scenario, of which all heaven and hell is waring. There is no allusion to the comfort of a secret pretribulation rapture-rather, the message is “Only hold fast what you have until I come.” This is not a message of escapism, it is a message to depend on the deep things of God, in grace, until the Day of the Lord comes.
DOES THE RAPTURE HAPPENS BETWEEN REVELATION CHAPTERS 3-4?
Pretribulationists typically assert the timing of their rapture theory in-between chapters 3-4. Verse 4:1 reads, “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’” The pretribulation rapture theory suggests, “a door standing open in heaven” is a key phrase for their pretribulation rapture. The problem with this is a contextual problem with the text itself. While the imagery of the throne room is full of similar language as other text concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing about this portion of Scripture relates or indicates Jesus collects anyone other than John. Therefore, even if there is some secret pretribulation rapture to occur, there is nothing definitive to prove this happening includes anyone other than John.
George Eldon Ladd elaborates further, writing, “The “Rapture” of John in Revelation 4:1, if we may call it that, is his way of indicating that he entered into an ecstatic experience when, “in the Spirit,” he was given visions of the last things. Paul speaks of a similar experience when he was “caught up into the third heaven” (II Cor. 12:2)…The open door and the voice from heaven in Revelation 4:1 have nothing to do with the Church but only with the experience of the Apostle” (Ladd. 76). And furthermore, “The argument that the Church must be in heaven after 4:1 because the view-point of the book thereafter is heavenly does not reckon with the fact that John’s heavenly view-point is not sustained throughout the book” (p. 76). Ladd continues his point by pointing the reader to verses 10:1, chapter 11, 13:1, 14:1 and 18:1 show us that John is led back and forth between heaven and earth throughout the book of Revelation. The scenario becomes quite clear, John is experiencing a personal heavenly vision which includes what he sees and what is being shown to him. The text fails to mention anyone other than John, and therefore, a rapture, as assumed by a pretribulation rapture theory holds little to no weight here. It is for John to see and learn the nature of the last things as a testimony of Jesus, namely, to begin a heavenly instruction to report back to the Church concerning the last things. If this were to indicate a timing of the rapture, the text would not fail to demonstrate it as so.
THE SEVENTH TRUMPET
The Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls, of course, are highly contested concerning their meaning. If at the end of this series I am highly motivated, I will spend some time on the finer points of these texts. To the point of the rapture there are only two clear examples necessary. (1) The seal of God on believers for protection, and (2) the second coming of Christ.
In the first, between the lines of God’s wrath and the tribulation of those final days, the fifth trumpet is opened (9:1). Regardless of interpreting the judgment at this time, it is key to understand the description of this judgement as isolated toward non-believers. Verse-four says of this judgement, “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do NOT have the seal of God on their foreheads.” Verse-six goes on to explain the unimaginable suffering for those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads, which reads, “And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.” Verse-five indicates this judgement, or fifth trumpet will last five-months, so as not to be confused with the similar nature of eternal damnation. The point of this is crucial, as will be argued later in the series, God’s wrathful judgement poured out on those who do not believe, and the experiential suffering of the Church during the tribulation are not the same thing. This is seen clearly throughout the earth today, as many global Christians are suffering unimaginable persecution and martyrdom already. Our religious freedoms cannot be mistaken as an experience which assumes the Biblical doctrine of suffering, as though suffering were akin to God’s wrath. As an encouragement, the seal of God is a demonstration which portrays God’s protection, not escapism, for the Church during the days of Great Tribulation.
Secondly, the seventh trumpet. Revelation 11:15-19 is similar to Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11. Namely, “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever…’ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightening, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail” (vs. 11:15, 19). This text aims to identify the seventh trumpet as the trumpet which Jesus and Paul mention in Matthew and Thessalonians. And furthermore, it is clear from Revelation chapter-fifteen, the transition from the seventh trumpet into the seven bowls of God’s wrath, the rapture has indeed taken place at the sound of this trumpet. Verse 15:2 reads, “And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire-and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.” Verses 15:3-4 is the song they sing! This is not to be mistaken with a midtribulation rapture concept which supposes a length of time to pass from the seventh trumpet to the seventh bowl. Other Scriptures not specifically mentioned here make it appear as though the seven bowls of God’s wrath are a quick dissension of judgments poured out in the procession of the saints meeting Jesus in the sky as He comes to finish the job and set up His’ eternal reign on earth. Thus, the trumpet, the trumpet to which Jesus and Paul mention is synonymous with the second coming of Christ. And this second coming is placed at the end of the seven trumpets, and before the outpouring of God’s seven bowls of wrath.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, I agree with Ladd, who concludes, “There is no pretribulation Rapture in this prophecy” (p. 75). As far as the book of Revelation is concerned, pretribulationists have to apply an inference to assert a secret rapture upon the texts. Ladd summarizes, writing, “Our survey of these great passages which set forth the coming of Antichrist and the Great Tribulation shows clearly that none of them asserts that the Church is to be raptured at the beginning of the Tribulation. When such a doctrine is attributed to these Scriptures, it is an inference and not the assertion of the Word of God” (p. 77). The whole concept of the coming of Jesus, in the book of revelation is plumb-lined by preparation to live through the tribulation, assurance of God’s salvation by acts such as the “seal of God” throughout the tribulation, and hope of eternal presence with the Lord at the seconding coming. The texts highlighted above are contextual to the same references taught by Jesus and the apostle Paul. And while there are other signs of this coming tribulation, one of the clearest signs of the coming of Jesus is the revealing of the “Man of Lawlessness,” a person called “Anti-Christ,” who will wreak havoc upon the Church, and demand the worship of all peoples globally. The pretribulation rapture theory teaches the Church to not worry about the Satanic ministry of Anti-Christ, rather, it asserts an escapism from the tribulation to come.
Works Cited
ESV. English Standard Version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2001. Print.
Ladd, George Eldon. The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture.
Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1956. Print.