Revelation 2:18-3:6
The apostle John next writes a few words to
the church at Thyatira, "I know your works, love, service, faith, and
your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first"
(2:19). From all initial appearances, this church received positive news
about their increase of good works as their faith in Jesus Christ grew.
However, everything was not as it appeared on the surface. Sending a
message through John, God condemns the church at Thyatira for allowing a
woman to "teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and
eat things sacrificed to idols" (2:20). This church had permitted sexual
immorality as well as idol worship to take place in their church
without removing the woman who was propagating it. God promised that she
would be held accountable for her deception and any who chose to follow
her would also experience divine judgment (2:21-23). It is a serious
thing to deceive God's people and John warns those who have kept
themselves pure from these sinful practices to "hold fast" until Jesus
Christ returns (2:25). The church must be careful to guard against those
who would enter in to deceive the people and strive to be faithful to
His commands. When a church is corrupt, such as Thyatira, it loses all
effectiveness and ultimately becomes useless.
Sardis is the fifth
church to whom John writes and they are often known as the dead church.
Like the church at Thyatira, Sardis appeared healthy on the outside,
but was actually dead on the inside. Their reputation in the community
was that they were "alive" but God exposes that they were really dead
(3:1). John gives them some advice, "Be watchful, and strengthen the
things which remain, that are ready to die....Remember therefore how you
have received and heard; hold fast and repent" (3:2-3). Repentance
seems to be a consistent message to many of the churches mostly because
it indicates a change in direction. They were to abandon their sinful
works and begin doing what was right. If the church at Sardis failed to
repent, God promised to "come upon you as a thief, and you will not know
what hour I will come upon you" (3:3). Swift judgment awaited Sardis if
they would not repent; however, there were a few people whom God
commends for their faithfulness to Him (3:4-5). No matter what people
are doing around you, be faithful. If you are living in disobedience to
God, repent and do the right thing. It's that simple.
Dear God,
help me not to tolerate sin in my life or in the life of my church. May
we quickly repent of any known sin so that we can be faithful witnesses
of Your message.
Revelation 2:8-17
Revelation 2:8-17
John has just written a vivid reminder to the church at Ephesus
to restore their passionate love for God or else they would be
judged (2:1-7). John then turns his attention to Smyrna
which is the second church to whom he writes and they are
often referred to as the persecuted church. From John's words
we can surmise that this body of believers was facing opposition
from the religious system called Judaism. Judaism was the Jewish
religion which elevated the Old Testament law while rejecting
Jesus Christ as the Messiah (the One promised by God). John
describes these Judaizers as "those who say they are Jews and are
not, but are the synagogue of Satan" (2:9). It appears that there
was ongoing persecution of the early church following the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and this continual
persecution often resulted from the so-called religious people
of that day. John wanted the church at Smyrna to be prepared for
what would soon take place. He writes, "Do not fear any of those
things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to
throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you
will have tribulation ten days" (2:10a). Then with a challenge
to endure this hardship John records what God has said, "Be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life"
(2:10b). Although their persecution would be brief (10 days),
God wanted them to be faithful to Him and look forward to the
hope of eternal life. Those who would die in this persecution
should remember that they would not "be hurt by the second
death" (2:11). Their body would die, but their soul would go
on to live forever in the presence of God. Even though believers
in the United States do not suffer extreme forms of persecution,
we must remember that people all over the world are experiencing
what the early church experienced. It is said that more people
are being persecuted for their faith today than at any other
time in history. Pray for the persecuted church - for their
strength to stand, for their families, and for God's comforting
hand upon them.
The church at Pergamos was the next to receive a
letter from John, who was writing on behalf of God. This church
is commended for their faithfulness to God in the midst of a very
wicked city. Pergamos was the center of many Gentile false
religions and where many false gods were worshiped (Zeus, Athena,
and Asklepios just to name a few). It seems that the pastor of
Pergamos, Antipas, had been killed for preaching the gospel but
the congregation stood firm during that time (2:13). Although there
was some praise given to them, John also writes "I have a few things
against you because you have there those who hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children
of Israel, to eat things sacrifices to idols, and to commit sexual
immorality" (2:14). John goes on to say that the church at Pergamos
was also harboring people who believed the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans. In his study Bible John MacArthur writes about the
story of Balaam, "Balaam tried unsuccessfully to prostitute his
prophetic gift and curse Israel for money offered him by Balak,
king of Moab. So he devised a plot to have Moabite women seduce
Israelite men into intermarriage. The result was a blasphemous
union of Israel with fornication and idolatrous feasts"
(MacArthur Study Bible, p.1995). John calls them to repentance and
warns of God's judgment if they continue to abuse the grace which
was provided through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Christians are called to a holy lifestyle following their faith in
Jesus Christ and to abstain from the sin which caused Jesus to have
to die in our place. The modern day church must also heed this
warning to the church at Pergamos. Holiness and sin cannot co-exist.
The church must cleanse itself from sin and live in purity before God
and others.
Dear God, hear my cries for those who are being persecuted for their
faith - give them strength. Purify Your church to make it holy and
once again become a witness for Your grace.
John has just written a vivid reminder to the church at Ephesus
to restore their passionate love for God or else they would be
judged (2:1-7). John then turns his attention to Smyrna
which is the second church to whom he writes and they are
often referred to as the persecuted church. From John's words
we can surmise that this body of believers was facing opposition
from the religious system called Judaism. Judaism was the Jewish
religion which elevated the Old Testament law while rejecting
Jesus Christ as the Messiah (the One promised by God). John
describes these Judaizers as "those who say they are Jews and are
not, but are the synagogue of Satan" (2:9). It appears that there
was ongoing persecution of the early church following the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and this continual
persecution often resulted from the so-called religious people
of that day. John wanted the church at Smyrna to be prepared for
what would soon take place. He writes, "Do not fear any of those
things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to
throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you
will have tribulation ten days" (2:10a). Then with a challenge
to endure this hardship John records what God has said, "Be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life"
(2:10b). Although their persecution would be brief (10 days),
God wanted them to be faithful to Him and look forward to the
hope of eternal life. Those who would die in this persecution
should remember that they would not "be hurt by the second
death" (2:11). Their body would die, but their soul would go
on to live forever in the presence of God. Even though believers
in the United States do not suffer extreme forms of persecution,
we must remember that people all over the world are experiencing
what the early church experienced. It is said that more people
are being persecuted for their faith today than at any other
time in history. Pray for the persecuted church - for their
strength to stand, for their families, and for God's comforting
hand upon them.
The church at Pergamos was the next to receive a
letter from John, who was writing on behalf of God. This church
is commended for their faithfulness to God in the midst of a very
wicked city. Pergamos was the center of many Gentile false
religions and where many false gods were worshiped (Zeus, Athena,
and Asklepios just to name a few). It seems that the pastor of
Pergamos, Antipas, had been killed for preaching the gospel but
the congregation stood firm during that time (2:13). Although there
was some praise given to them, John also writes "I have a few things
against you because you have there those who hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children
of Israel, to eat things sacrifices to idols, and to commit sexual
immorality" (2:14). John goes on to say that the church at Pergamos
was also harboring people who believed the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans. In his study Bible John MacArthur writes about the
story of Balaam, "Balaam tried unsuccessfully to prostitute his
prophetic gift and curse Israel for money offered him by Balak,
king of Moab. So he devised a plot to have Moabite women seduce
Israelite men into intermarriage. The result was a blasphemous
union of Israel with fornication and idolatrous feasts"
(MacArthur Study Bible, p.1995). John calls them to repentance and
warns of God's judgment if they continue to abuse the grace which
was provided through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Christians are called to a holy lifestyle following their faith in
Jesus Christ and to abstain from the sin which caused Jesus to have
to die in our place. The modern day church must also heed this
warning to the church at Pergamos. Holiness and sin cannot co-exist.
The church must cleanse itself from sin and live in purity before God
and others.
Dear God, hear my cries for those who are being persecuted for their
faith - give them strength. Purify Your church to make it holy and
once again become a witness for Your grace.
Revelation 2:1-7
Revelation 2:1-7
In Revelation 1, John writes about the things which were presently happening to him. He
was seeing a vision of the things which were to come and being given a glimpse of
Christ's future glory. Beginning in Revelation 4 John will begin exposing future events
but in chapters 2-3 he is recording a message given by God to the seven churches in
Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). These churches were historical, but are also
comparable to churches which exist in our day. It is important that we heed the
warnings given to these churches so that we do not fall into the same condemnation.
Ephesus is the first church written to (2:1-7) and John is careful to write that the
message he is delivering is not from him but God: "These things says He
[Jesus Christ] who holds the seven stars [leaders of the seven churches] in His
right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands [seven
churches]..." (2:1). The church at Ephesus was commended for their good "works,
labor, and patience." They had stood against those who were evil and had faithfully
discerned the truth about those who claimed they were teachers of the truth but
were not (2:2-3). John even mentions that they hated the "deeds of the Nicolaitans"
(2:6). The Nicolaitans were led by a man named Nicolas who deceived some in
the church into false teachings - mainly the mixing of immorality and loose living
with the church. Ultimately, the Nicolaitans believed that the forgiveness of sin
enabled them to live the way they wanted. So, it seems as if the church at Ephesus
worked very hard to keep their doctrine pure and continue in the things which they
knew they should do (2:3b).
Although their works were good, Jesus pointed out something which needed
changed. John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes, "Nevertheless I have
this against you, that you have left your first love" (2:4). The church at Ephesus was
doing all the right things outwardly, but they had lost their passionate love for
Christ inwardly. Every Christian needs to evaluate this concept in their life. We
are very good at going through all the right motions but still lacking the proper
love for God.
What was the solution to getting this passion back? "Remember therefore from
where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you
quickly and remove your lampstand from its place - unless you repent" (2:5).
Work for God does not equate or lead to a love for God. Work for God must be
driven by a love for God. We must continually examine our hearts to make sure
that our love for God has not diminished. How can this love for God be sustained?
I believe we must get back to "old school" basics of the faith -reading/meditating
on God's Word, prayer, Christian fellowship, reverence for God, and thankfulness
for His goodness. Without these simple elements, we cannot grow in our love for
God. It is imperative that every follower of Christ develop a personal relationship
with God and not allow their work for God to be the measurement of their love
for Him. May we all be challenged to love God first and then be motivated to work
for Him.
Dear God, forgive me for losing my passion for You. Although I do a lot of things
for You, I know I fail in moving my heart closer to You. Please remind me often
of Your love for me and may I respond by giving all my love to You.
Revelation 1:1-20
Revelation 1:1-20
In the introduction to this book, John writes that this is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants - things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw" (1:1-2). John immediately states that his purpose for writing is to uncover Jesus Christ's future glory as a result of perfectly following the will of God. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for sin therefore freeing all those who would believe in Him from the penalty of sin. God the Father wanted the servants of Jesus to have a glimpse into His future kingdom and also the eternal state which awaits believers. The visions given to John would assist all readers in understanding the end times. Revelation is a unique book because it is the only one which also comes with a blessing to all those "who read[s] and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it..." (1:3).
Moving from his introduction to his greeting, John identifies the recipients of Revelation as the seven churches of Asia Minor (1:4). Although these churches are historical, they also represent modern day churches. We'll explore this more in Revelation 2-3. John sends greeting to his readers from the Holy Spirit (1:4) and from Jesus Christ "who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood..." (1:5).
From the greeting, John immediately reveals the event which produced the things about
which he was getting ready to write. John, on the island of Patmos, was taken from the present world and caught up into a vision of the things which would transpire in the future. This was not a dream, but a literal vision which John supernaturally experienced through the power of God. A voice said to John, What you see, write it a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia" (1:11). John turned to see who was speaking to him and saw seven golden lampstands as well as One who was walking in the midst of the lampstands (1:12-20). As we read these verses, we discover that the seven lampstands are the seven churches and Jesus Christ is the One walking amongst them. This represents His personal involvement in the church body as well as His knowledge of what is happening in them. When John caught a glimpse of Jesus, he "fell at His feet as dead. But he laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore'" (1:17-18). Jesus Christ then speaks specifically to John about what He wants him to do with what he is about to experience:
"Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this" (1:19).
Using this outline given by Jesus, we will proceed as follows:
"The things which you have seen" represent what John is currently experiencing (Revelation 1)
"The things which are" represent the current state of the churches (Revelation 2-3)
"The things which will take place after this" represent those events at the end of history (Revelation 4-22)
Dear God, thank You for giving these words to John so we can know the things which will take place in the future. Bless me for reading this book of Revelation.
In the introduction to this book, John writes that this is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants - things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw" (1:1-2). John immediately states that his purpose for writing is to uncover Jesus Christ's future glory as a result of perfectly following the will of God. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for sin therefore freeing all those who would believe in Him from the penalty of sin. God the Father wanted the servants of Jesus to have a glimpse into His future kingdom and also the eternal state which awaits believers. The visions given to John would assist all readers in understanding the end times. Revelation is a unique book because it is the only one which also comes with a blessing to all those "who read[s] and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it..." (1:3).
Moving from his introduction to his greeting, John identifies the recipients of Revelation as the seven churches of Asia Minor (1:4). Although these churches are historical, they also represent modern day churches. We'll explore this more in Revelation 2-3. John sends greeting to his readers from the Holy Spirit (1:4) and from Jesus Christ "who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood..." (1:5).
From the greeting, John immediately reveals the event which produced the things about
which he was getting ready to write. John, on the island of Patmos, was taken from the present world and caught up into a vision of the things which would transpire in the future. This was not a dream, but a literal vision which John supernaturally experienced through the power of God. A voice said to John, What you see, write it a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia" (1:11). John turned to see who was speaking to him and saw seven golden lampstands as well as One who was walking in the midst of the lampstands (1:12-20). As we read these verses, we discover that the seven lampstands are the seven churches and Jesus Christ is the One walking amongst them. This represents His personal involvement in the church body as well as His knowledge of what is happening in them. When John caught a glimpse of Jesus, he "fell at His feet as dead. But he laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore'" (1:17-18). Jesus Christ then speaks specifically to John about what He wants him to do with what he is about to experience:
"Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this" (1:19).
Using this outline given by Jesus, we will proceed as follows:
"The things which you have seen" represent what John is currently experiencing (Revelation 1)
"The things which are" represent the current state of the churches (Revelation 2-3)
"The things which will take place after this" represent those events at the end of history (Revelation 4-22)
Dear God, thank You for giving these words to John so we can know the things which will take place in the future. Bless me for reading this book of Revelation.
Posttribulation
In the previous blog entry I focused on the pretribulation view
of Rapture. In this entry I will focus on the postribulation view
of the Rapture. Those holding to the posttribulation view of the
Rapture find support for their view in the following points:
1. Followers of Jesus Christ are found throughout the tribulation
period (Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9, 14; 9:4; 12:17; 13:7; 14:9,
12; 17:6; 18:4), and there is no direct teaching in Revelation
that a rapture occurred before the marriage of the Lamb described
in Revelation 19.
2. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus told His followers, "Immediately
after the tribulation of those days . . . 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; cf. Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28). There are no
Scriptures that explicitly place the Rapture before the Tribulation.
There is much similarity between the event Jesus described here and
the one Paul described to the Thessalonians. This gathering together
of the elect is the gathering together of the church since the term
elect is used to describe the church (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12;
II Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1). The Matthew 24 passage, which gives a
"time" relation between the Rapture and Tribulation, places the
Rapture after the Tribulation.
3. "But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of
the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until
the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:37-39; cf. Luke 17:26-30). Noah
was not saved until the day God's wrath went forth (Genesis 6:5-8;
7:6-23). In the last day the righteous in Christ will not be saved
until God's judgment comes on the wicked.
4. In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the separation of the
"children of the kingdom" and "the children of the wicked one" did
not occur until "the end of this world" (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
5. The resurrection of the saints is "at the last day" (John 6:37-44).
6. Three times John places the "first resurrection" after the
Tribulation in Revelation (20:4-6). There can be but one "first";
thus no resurrection or rapture can occur before this time.
7. The marriage of the Lamb occurs after the Tribulation. The words
"the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself
ready" (Revelation 19:7) occur at the end of the tribulation period
when at His second coming Christ defeats the wicked and establishes
His kingdom.
8. Jesus will "bring with him" those who died, to meet those living
as they are "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the
Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord"
(I Thessalonians 4:17). As in the parable of the ten virgins, the
time came when "the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him"
(Matthew 25:6), so the five saved virgins went out to meet him and
"went in with him to the marriage" (v. 10). Similarly, as the brethren
heard of Paul's coming, they "came to meet" him and returned with him
(Acts 28:15). So too those living in the last day will "meet the Lord
in the air" and return with Him.
The preceding two entries represent the major and stronger arguments for
the two views of the time of the Rapture. When one attempts to answer
the question of the "when," one should avoid coming to a hard and
inflexible position. It would be sad if one missed the benefit these
prophecies can have for those living in the last days. Those holding
to a pretribulation view should be especially careful. If the Rapture
is posttribulational, they may face additional hardships during the
Tribulation if they fail to realize what lies ahead. These hardships
are not the result of God's wrath but of Satan's turning against Christians.
God would never turn His wrath against His children.
Whichever view one holds, one must be careful that it is based solely
on Scripture and not the result of superimposing a view on the Scriptures.
Too many fall into this danger, especially when it comes to prophecy.
It may sometimes be difficult to be objective, but it must be our goal.
As mentioned at the beginning of second post in this section, the question
of when the Rapture will occur will affect our understanding of a time-frame
for the visions presented by john in the book of Revelation.
The following blog post will look at the book of Revelation from my
personal understanding and studying of the passages from the book.
The overarching theme should not be left out within these post. I
hold to a pretribulation interpretation of the events mentioned in
the book of Revelation. I have no problems with another person holding
to a different view of the time-frame for the rapture. The point
is that Jesus is coming back and that we should be prepared either way.
We are called to do God's will while we are here on earth. We need
to focus on the life we live NOW. I hope this study will provide
an extra dose of excitement in our daily bible studies.
God, we pray that you will provide wisdom and insight into our study.
of Rapture. In this entry I will focus on the postribulation view
of the Rapture. Those holding to the posttribulation view of the
Rapture find support for their view in the following points:
1. Followers of Jesus Christ are found throughout the tribulation
period (Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9, 14; 9:4; 12:17; 13:7; 14:9,
12; 17:6; 18:4), and there is no direct teaching in Revelation
that a rapture occurred before the marriage of the Lamb described
in Revelation 19.
2. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus told His followers, "Immediately
after the tribulation of those days . . . 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; cf. Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28). There are no
Scriptures that explicitly place the Rapture before the Tribulation.
There is much similarity between the event Jesus described here and
the one Paul described to the Thessalonians. This gathering together
of the elect is the gathering together of the church since the term
elect is used to describe the church (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12;
II Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1). The Matthew 24 passage, which gives a
"time" relation between the Rapture and Tribulation, places the
Rapture after the Tribulation.
3. "But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of
the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until
the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:37-39; cf. Luke 17:26-30). Noah
was not saved until the day God's wrath went forth (Genesis 6:5-8;
7:6-23). In the last day the righteous in Christ will not be saved
until God's judgment comes on the wicked.
4. In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the separation of the
"children of the kingdom" and "the children of the wicked one" did
not occur until "the end of this world" (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
5. The resurrection of the saints is "at the last day" (John 6:37-44).
6. Three times John places the "first resurrection" after the
Tribulation in Revelation (20:4-6). There can be but one "first";
thus no resurrection or rapture can occur before this time.
7. The marriage of the Lamb occurs after the Tribulation. The words
"the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself
ready" (Revelation 19:7) occur at the end of the tribulation period
when at His second coming Christ defeats the wicked and establishes
His kingdom.
8. Jesus will "bring with him" those who died, to meet those living
as they are "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the
Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord"
(I Thessalonians 4:17). As in the parable of the ten virgins, the
time came when "the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him"
(Matthew 25:6), so the five saved virgins went out to meet him and
"went in with him to the marriage" (v. 10). Similarly, as the brethren
heard of Paul's coming, they "came to meet" him and returned with him
(Acts 28:15). So too those living in the last day will "meet the Lord
in the air" and return with Him.
The preceding two entries represent the major and stronger arguments for
the two views of the time of the Rapture. When one attempts to answer
the question of the "when," one should avoid coming to a hard and
inflexible position. It would be sad if one missed the benefit these
prophecies can have for those living in the last days. Those holding
to a pretribulation view should be especially careful. If the Rapture
is posttribulational, they may face additional hardships during the
Tribulation if they fail to realize what lies ahead. These hardships
are not the result of God's wrath but of Satan's turning against Christians.
God would never turn His wrath against His children.
Whichever view one holds, one must be careful that it is based solely
on Scripture and not the result of superimposing a view on the Scriptures.
Too many fall into this danger, especially when it comes to prophecy.
It may sometimes be difficult to be objective, but it must be our goal.
As mentioned at the beginning of second post in this section, the question
of when the Rapture will occur will affect our understanding of a time-frame
for the visions presented by john in the book of Revelation.
The following blog post will look at the book of Revelation from my
personal understanding and studying of the passages from the book.
The overarching theme should not be left out within these post. I
hold to a pretribulation interpretation of the events mentioned in
the book of Revelation. I have no problems with another person holding
to a different view of the time-frame for the rapture. The point
is that Jesus is coming back and that we should be prepared either way.
We are called to do God's will while we are here on earth. We need
to focus on the life we live NOW. I hope this study will provide
an extra dose of excitement in our daily bible studies.
God, we pray that you will provide wisdom and insight into our study.
Pre-Tribulation
Much of the concern over the end times comes from uncertainty
about what exactly will happen to Christians at the end of this
world. Will Christians go through the Tribulation? Will Jesus
Christ come and remove them before it begins? The answer to
these questions is important since it will affect our
understanding of the book of Revelation.
Before we can answer this issue, we must consider when the
Rapture occurs. The term rapture is not found in the Bible
but is a Latin word meaning "to be caught up." The rapture
idea is biblical. In I Thessalonians, Paul wrote
concerning those Christians who had died:
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
I Thessalonians 4:14-17
This act of being caught up at Jesus' coming is what the word rapture
refers to. The words caught up are used only in this passage, but this
does not mean this event has not received emphasis elsewhere. Jesus
promised, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself" (John 14:3; cf. vv. 23, 27, 28;
I Thessalonians 4:14-17; et al.).
Christians are divided as to when the Rapture will occur. There are
two major views concerning the timing of the Rapture of the saints.
The identification of the saints John wrote about in Revelation depends
on which view one holds. The two views are a pretribulation and a
posttribulation Rapture. The pretribulation view holds that the Rapture
will occur before the Tribulation John wrote about in Revelation. The posttribulation view holds that it will occur after it. I will give
the stronger arguments for both positions. Those holding to the
pretribulation view of the Rapture believe the following points
support their view:
1. The term church or churches is not found in Revelation from
chapters 4 through 21, a sharp contrast to its being found 18 times
in the first three chapters. Something must have happened between
chapters 3 and 4 to account for this difference. This change plus
the fact that the vision of heaven found in chapters 4 and 5 tells
of elders being present in heaven means that the Rapture of the
church must have occurred between chapters 3 and 4, and thus before
the tribulation period.
2. God promised the Philadelphia church that He would "keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Revelation 3:10). This suggests
the church is raptured before the tribulation begins.
3. Daniel's seventieth week, the seven-year tribulation period,
follows the church age, which occurs between the sixty-ninth and
seventieth week. This is the time of "Jacob's trouble" and not
the church's troubles.
4. The Jews are seen as doing evangelization work in the tribulation
period (Revelation 7:1-4). Evangelism was the responsibility given
to the church in the Great Commission; thus a change must have occurred.
5. First Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Revelation 19:11-21 stand in
sharp contrast to each other. Their wording and overall messages
are different, and therefore must describe different events.
6. Jesus said, "Pray . . . that ye may . . . escape all these things" (Luke 21:36). Paul later adds concerning the time when "sudden destruction cometh" that Christians have "for an helmet, the hope of salvation [future]" because "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:3, 9). These promises mean the Christian will be raptured before the Tribulation.
Our next blog entry will focus on the Post Tribulation view of Rapture.
about what exactly will happen to Christians at the end of this
world. Will Christians go through the Tribulation? Will Jesus
Christ come and remove them before it begins? The answer to
these questions is important since it will affect our
understanding of the book of Revelation.
Before we can answer this issue, we must consider when the
Rapture occurs. The term rapture is not found in the Bible
but is a Latin word meaning "to be caught up." The rapture
idea is biblical. In I Thessalonians, Paul wrote
concerning those Christians who had died:
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
I Thessalonians 4:14-17
This act of being caught up at Jesus' coming is what the word rapture
refers to. The words caught up are used only in this passage, but this
does not mean this event has not received emphasis elsewhere. Jesus
promised, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself" (John 14:3; cf. vv. 23, 27, 28;
I Thessalonians 4:14-17; et al.).
Christians are divided as to when the Rapture will occur. There are
two major views concerning the timing of the Rapture of the saints.
The identification of the saints John wrote about in Revelation depends
on which view one holds. The two views are a pretribulation and a
posttribulation Rapture. The pretribulation view holds that the Rapture
will occur before the Tribulation John wrote about in Revelation. The posttribulation view holds that it will occur after it. I will give
the stronger arguments for both positions. Those holding to the
pretribulation view of the Rapture believe the following points
support their view:
1. The term church or churches is not found in Revelation from
chapters 4 through 21, a sharp contrast to its being found 18 times
in the first three chapters. Something must have happened between
chapters 3 and 4 to account for this difference. This change plus
the fact that the vision of heaven found in chapters 4 and 5 tells
of elders being present in heaven means that the Rapture of the
church must have occurred between chapters 3 and 4, and thus before
the tribulation period.
2. God promised the Philadelphia church that He would "keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Revelation 3:10). This suggests
the church is raptured before the tribulation begins.
3. Daniel's seventieth week, the seven-year tribulation period,
follows the church age, which occurs between the sixty-ninth and
seventieth week. This is the time of "Jacob's trouble" and not
the church's troubles.
4. The Jews are seen as doing evangelization work in the tribulation
period (Revelation 7:1-4). Evangelism was the responsibility given
to the church in the Great Commission; thus a change must have occurred.
5. First Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Revelation 19:11-21 stand in
sharp contrast to each other. Their wording and overall messages
are different, and therefore must describe different events.
6. Jesus said, "Pray . . . that ye may . . . escape all these things" (Luke 21:36). Paul later adds concerning the time when "sudden destruction cometh" that Christians have "for an helmet, the hope of salvation [future]" because "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:3, 9). These promises mean the Christian will be raptured before the Tribulation.
Our next blog entry will focus on the Post Tribulation view of Rapture.
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