Signs of the Times – Thoughts on the End Times, Part 5

Part 5: Why Some Believe the Earth Will Be
Renewed Instead of Destroyed

Click these links for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

(Happy thoughts, these, about the world being destroyed, eh?  O:-) )

In my last post I gave Scriptural reasons why I believe the Bible teaches that this world as we know it will eventually end and be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth (for my previous post, click on “Part 4” above).

Today I want to examine two alternative points of view to the one I proposed in my last post, not so much to refute them, as to share them and acknowledge that these other views could have some validity.  However, I will go on to point out some of the problems with these views and how I feel from a biblical standpoint the burden of proof is on those who hold them to demonstrate why they are viable possibilities.

Literal Or Symbolic?

In my last post I shared a number of Scripture texts which, if taken literally, I believe show conclusively that the Bible foretells the eventual end of our world.  I won’t repeat all these passages here, but will just share a couple of them, as examples.  (For those who read the last post, I know this is a bit of repetition, but please bear with me, for I’m going somewhere with this.)

Matt 24:29-31

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

2 Peter 3:3-13

3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

Notice the qualifier I gave above: I said, if these passages are taken literally, I believe they show conclusively that the Bible foretells the end of the world.  And there’s the rub.  For there are some Bible interpreters–perhaps many–who believe these passages should be understood symbolically rather than literally.

As far as I can understand it, the reasoning for this point of view goes that this imagery of the world ending in the New Testament is also found in the Old Testament.  Those who hold this view claim that the Old Testament passages about the world ending were never intended to be taken literally but instead refer to the collapse of earthly kingdoms.

For example, some who hold to this view believe Matthew 24 was largely fulfilled when the Roman empire besieged Jerusalem in 67 AD and destroyed the temple in 70 AD.  They interpret Matthew 24:29 as symbolic of the fall of Jerusalem rather than as intended to be a literal collapse of the heavenly bodies.  (I will address the view that Matthew 24 has already been fulfilled in a coming post.)

Those who interpret Matthew 24 in this way believe the passage from 2 Peter 3 should be understood symbolically as well.  They believe it refers to the fall of earthly powers, rather than the literal destruction of heaven and earth.

One of the things I learned in seminary was that often when people interpret the Bible, they find in the Bible what they started out expecting to see when they began.  For example, those who don’t believe in miracles usually approach the text with a bias against the miraculous.  Since they don’t believe in miracles, they conclude that anything in the Bible which claims to be miraculous needs to be explained another way, since they’ve already made up their mind that miracles are impossible.

Likewise, those who can’t abide the Bible’s prohibitions against homosexual activity look at the passages which speak against homosexuality and search for any reasons they can find to render those passages null and void.  If they can’t find a legitimate reason to do so, then they manufacture reasons, which is essentially what the pro-gay factions have done.  But I digress.

These are just a couple examples of how, if we’re not careful, what we want to find, or expect to find, in the Bible can dictate what we allow ourselves to see or accept in the text.

When we read the passages in the Bible that describe the end of the physical world as we know it, we have an interpretive decision to make: Will we accept what we find there at face value, or will we look for another way to interpret them?  My belief is the burden of proof is on those who choose not to interpret these passages literally.  Why shouldn’t we take them literally?  Whatever the answer is, it shouldn’t be because the idea of the world ending is distasteful or unlikely.  Neither of these considerations has any actual bearing on the truthfulness of the prediction.

Basically those who interpret these passages symbolically begin with an assumption that they are symbolic.  They assume the Old Testament passages were symbolic, and then move to the conclusion that therefore the New Testament passages are symbolic as well.  But it is equally likely (and I would say more so) that the Old Testament passages are describing a literal event which hasn’t happened yet.  There are quite a few Old Testament prophecies which remain unfulfilled, and these passages are among them.  I believe the simplest answer is that the Old Testament passages are describing the same events described in the New Testament, all of which still waits to be fulfilled.

The Restoration of All Things

There are a couple of New Testament passages which deal with future things, though, which I haven’t addressed yet, and these deserve to be mentioned.  The passages I have in mind would seem, at least on casual consideration, to contradict the ones I’ve already mentioned that talk about the end of the world.

The first of these is found in Acts 3:17-22

17 “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you — even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (emphasis added).

The second passage is Romans 8:18-25

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently (emphasis added).

Based on these passages there are some who believe that rather than the world ending, our present world will be restored and renewed, that it will become the “new earth.”  In particular this belief is becoming more prominent in charismatic circles, for whom the Romans passages holds special meaning.  (I will explore current charismatic beliefs about the end times in another post.)

I can understand why they see that in these passages.  Acts 3:21 implies that when Christ returns, he will “restore everything.”  Likewise, Romans 8:19-21 says that when the “sons of God” are finally “revealed,” creation “will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”  That certainly sounds like restoration and renewal, rather than destruction.

The language in the Romans passage is end-times language.  It speaks of the sons of God being revealed, the creation finally being liberated from its bondage to decay, “our adoption as sons,” and the “redemption of our bodies.”  This is all eschatological language–that is, the kind of language the Bible uses when it speaks of heaven and the return of Christ.  These are things we expect to happen when Christ appears, when we are in his presence eternally.  So we can safely assume that Romans 8:18-25 is referring to events that will take place at the return of Christ.

So How Do We Reconcile This?

Now, the question is, how do we reconcile these passages which speak of the restoration and renewal of the present creation with those that speak of its destruction?

We can go one of two ways: Either we can assume that Acts and Paul give us the true picture of what will happen, and Matthew and Peter (along with several passages from the Old Testament) need to be harmonized with them in some way; or else we can take the other approach, that Matthew and Peter and the Old Testament passages give us the most accurate picture, and Acts and Romans are to be interpreted in light of these.

If we assume Acts and Paul, with their picture of the restoration and renewal of the present world, show us the true picture of what’s going to happen when Christ returns, then we have to make sense of the all the passages which seem to say clearly that the stars will fall from the sky and the heavens and the earth will be destroyed by fire when Jesus comes back.

Now, in 2 Peter 3 it is clear that the fire of destruction is for the wicked (see verses 7, 9).  The implication is that the righteous will be preserved and taken to the new heaven and the new earth (see verse 13).  The words “destroyed” and “destruction” appear four times in verses 3-13.  However, in verse 6, Peter speaks of the earth having been “destroyed” by the flood of Noah’s day.  We know the world wasn’t literally destroyed at the time of the flood; only humanity and civilization were destroyed, so clearly Peter was using hyperbole.  Therefore it’s possible he is also exaggerating in the rest of the passage when he speaks of the world being destroyed by fire.

It’s clear that the fire of destruction he mentions is intended only for the wicked, and so it is a fire of judgment; the righteous (those who know Christ) will be preserved from it.

So if we follow the restoration theme in Acts 3 and Romans 8, then we would have to interpret 2 Peter 3 as being more of a fire of purification in which the world is purged of evil and sin, but not destroyed.  However, the language in 2 Peter 3:10 pretty clearly speaks of annihilation: we’re told “the heavens will disappear,” “the elements will be destroyed,” and the earth will be “laid bare” (emphasis added).  So if we say the world is simply going to be renewed, then 2 Peter 3:10 has to be taken symbolically and not literally.

Yet Revelation 21:1 speaks of the present heavens and the earth having passed away and being replaced with a new heaven and a new earth.  This, along with multiple passages in the Old Testament (see Part 4 of this series for these) as well as the passages in Matthew 24 and their parallels, and 2 Peter 3, all seem to point to the world ending and being replaced by a new heaven and a new earth.

In that case then we would interpret the language in Acts 3:21 and Romans 8:21-22 about creation being restored as something that will happen through the destruction of the present world and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.  In other words, it is through the destruction of the present world and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth that God restores everything and sets the creation free from its bondage to decay.

I Wouldn’t Mind Being Wrong

I wouldn’t mind being wrong about the destruction of the present world; though unless it is something that happens in my lifetime, it won’t affect me personally either way.  But I wouldn’t mind being wrong.  I wouldn’t mind it if God chooses to renew and restore the present world rather than remove it.

However, I think those who hold the restoration viewpoint are faced with some questions that must be answered.  The current world is fallen, under sin, and–as Romans 8:21 says–in bondage to decay.  If the world is going to be restored, how does the process of deterioration get reversed?  How does this present world in which death and decay are an everyday reality get transformed into an eternal paradise where there is no longer any decay and the righteous live forever?

Moreover, the Bible seems to speak of our eternal future with God as a spiritual reality.  Yes, it says one day our bodies will be resurrected, but in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says our resurrected body will be a “spiritual” body (see 1 Corinthians 15:44 and the following verses).  Revelation 21-22 describes the new Jerusalem in physical terms, but if we’re going to have spiritual bodies, then the reality John describes in Revelation 21-22 may well be a spiritual reality as well (though a substantial one), just described in physical terms.  If that’s the case, how does our present material world get transformed into the kind of spiritual reality that will be the New Jerusalem?

If the present creation is transformed and “liberated from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21) then Romans 8 makes it pretty clear this only happens at the return of Christ, and not before.  Yet there are some who seem to believe that this transformation will be brought about by Christians before Christ returns, or even in order that Christ may return.  However, I don’t think that is what we see in Romans 8 (we’ll look at that view, and the problems with it, in a future post).

Whether the present earth is restored or destroyed and replaced with a new earth, either way the most important part of the message is that those who don’t know and follow Jesus Christ will experience the wrath of God, while those who know Christ will be saved from His wrath.  God Himself has provided an escape from the judgment that is coming on the world because of its sin and evil.  That way of escape is by receiving His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and trusting in him for forgiveness, salvation, and life.  If you have never trusted in Christ as your Lord and Savior, I implore you to do so, for the Bible is clear that all who do not turn to Christ will not spend eternity with Him.

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Up next: A response to the idea that Matthew 24 and its parallel passages in Mark and Luke have already been fulfilled.  Stay tuned!

Signs of the Times – Thoughts on the End Times, Part 4

Part 4 – Will the World End or Be Renewed?

Click on the following links for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Another question that comes up when we consider the end times is: Will the world as we know it end, or will it be renewed?  Those who are my age or older will remember the days of the Cold War, when the fear and realization that the world could end due to nuclear warfare seemed pretty widespread.  Since the fall of the USSR and communism in Eastern Europe, though, fears of nuclear annihilation have mostly subsided, the attempts of North Korea and Iran to develop nuclear weapons not withstanding.

Along with this a new optimism seems to have arisen about the longevity of our world.  Christian books published in recent years teach that the old pessimism about the world ending is misguided and that we can expect our earth to be here for, well…eternity…or at least a very long time.  A few examples are The Sacred Romance and The Journey of Desire (now simply Desire) by John Eldredge and Heaven by Randy Alcorn, all of which teach that God is not going to destroy the world, but instead will renew and restore it.

The question, though, is: What does the Bible say?  None of the books I mentioned really give a biblical rationale for their view, or deal with passages which seem to give a different picture.  This is unfortunate. We can’t just engage in wishful thinking.  We need to investigate God’s Word in order to see what He has to say about this.  In today’s post I will share several passages and then comment on their significance toward the end.

As we’ve said previously, one good place to start is with the words of Jesus himself, who is the very Word of God in flesh.  What did Jesus have to say about this topic?

In Matthew 24:35 Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (see also Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33).  We’ve also already looked at a verse just before that, Matthew 24:29, in which Jesus says that  “Immediately after the distress of those days” (that is, after the great tribulation),

“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'”

The next verses, Matthew 24:30-31, tell us that

30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

So if taken literally verse 29, especially with its language about stars falling from the sky, seems to describe at the very least a cataclysm in the heavens at the time of Jesus’ second coming, which is described in verses 30-31 (for more on these verses, see Parts 1 and 2 of this series, linked above).

Another New Testament passage that seems to speak very clearly on this subject–probably the most clearly of all–is 2 Peter 3:3-13.  I’ve placed the most pertinent verses below in bold type.

3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

These verses would seem to settle the issue.  Consider the things they say:

1. The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly. This is a fire of judgment (verse 7).
2. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, so that the earth and everything in it will be laid bare (verse 10).
3. Everything will be destroyed (verse 11).  The words “destroyed” and “destruction” appear four times in these 11 verses.
4. The heavens will be destroyed, the elements will melt in the heat, and they will be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth (verses 12-13)

Now, 2 Peter is one of the more obscure books of the Bible.  I would wager that many people have never read it, or even if they have, it may not be the first Bible book that comes to mind when they think of passages they’ve memorized (though 2 Peter 1:3-9 is an awesome passage about our inheritance in Christ–you should learn it if you haven’t already!).

2 Peter may also seem obscure because it was one of the last books to be accepted into the Bible, and there have always been questions, even in the early church, about whether or not it was really written by the apostle Peter.  However, there’s no conclusive evidence Peter wasn’t the author.  Moreover, since the Holy Spirit led the early church to include 2 Peter in the canon of Scripture, we can rest assured it is no less inspired and authoritative than the rest of the Bible.

Nevertheless, perhaps because of 2 Peter’s obscurity, its testimony has not always been taken into account by those considering this topic.  None of the books I mentioned above by John Eldredge and Randy Alcorn even mention these verses or engage the challenges they raise to these authors’ view that the world will not end.  Yet since these verses are part of Scripture, they need to be considered.

Another passage which seems to speak clearly about the question at hand is Revelation 21:1-4 (again with pertinent parts in bold):

21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The language of a new heaven and a new earth here mirrors one of the statements we read in 2 Peter 3: “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (verse 13).  So we see a common thread between 2 Peter and Revelation.

These are about the only New Testament passages which talk about the world ending.  However, there are some in the Old Testament, too.  Consider these verses:

Isaiah 13:9-13
9 See, the day of the Lord is coming
— a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger —
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.
11 I will punish the world for its evil,
the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
12 I will make man scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the Lord Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.

Isaiah 24:1-6
24 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants —  2 it will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor.  3 The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word.

4 The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. 5 The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.

Isaiah 24:18-23
The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. 19 The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. 20 The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls — never to rise again.
21 In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. 22 They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days. 23 The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously.

Isaiah 65:17-19
17 “Behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.

Zephaniah 1:14-18
14 “The great day of the Lord is near — near and coming quickly.  Listen! The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. 15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, 16 a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. 17 I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth.”

Isaiah 34:1-4
34 Come near, you nations, and listen;
pay attention, you peoples!
Let the earth hear, and all that is in it,
the world, and all that comes out of it!
2 The Lord is angry with all nations;
his wrath is upon all their armies.
He will totally destroy them,
he will give them over to slaughter.
3 Their slain will be thrown out,
their dead bodies will send up a stench;
the mountains will be soaked with their blood.
4 All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved
and the sky rolled up like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall
like withered leaves from the vine,
like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

Joel 2:1-11
2 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand —   2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come.

3 Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them,  a desert waste — nothing escapes them. 4 They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. 5 With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. 7 They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course. 8 They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks. 9 They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows.

10 Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. 11 The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?

All these passages from the Old Testament contain imagery that speaks of judgment coming on the earth in the form of signs in the heavens–the sun and moon being darkened, and stars falling or going out (similar to that in Matthew 24:29), as well as destruction coming on the earth similar to what we see in 1 Peter.  In this regard Isaiah 24 is the most striking.  I quoted some of its verses above but the entire chapter is worth reading to get the full impact.

Likewise in Isaiah 65:17-19 we find language about a new heaven and a new earth identical to that which we see in 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1.  No doubt Peter, and John (who wrote Revelation), were guided by these words from Isaiah (John of course, was also speaking about a personal revelation he had from Christ himself).

A theme we observe in many of these verses is that of the “day of the Lord,” a day on which God finally comes to judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous (i.e., those who have remained faithful to God).  We see this theme also in 2 Peter 3 and in other passages we’ve already examined like 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.  It is a day of judgment but also a day on which God’s people are vindicated and rescued from evil once and for all.

From these verses and the consistency we see between them, it would appear that Scripture does indeed teach that the world will end one day; that God will finally intervene in history, bring evil to a close, and rescue his righteous ones and carry them to a new place.  The heavens and the earth we know will be destroyed, and a new heaven and a new earth will be created to take their place.  Unlike this fallen world, the new heaven and the new earth will be untainted by sin or evil.  It will be the abode of the righteous and of God himself, as we see in Revelation 21:3-4 ~ “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series we saw that Matthew 24:29-31 speaks of the return of Christ, which occurs after the tribulation:

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

The signs in the heavens in verse 29 refer, then, to the end of the world.  Judgment comes on the nations of the earth, while the people of God are gathered from the four winds to meet Jesus in the air and be taken to the new earth.  This is the event commonly known as the rapture (for evidence of this claim, see Parts 1-3 of this series).

I’ve made it clear in this series that I hold to a post-tribulation rapture view.  Now, there are many post-tribulationists who believe that following verse 31, after the angels gather God’s people from the ends of the earth to meet Jesus in the air, Jesus brings them right back down again to inaugurate the millennium, his 1000-year reign on the earth, spoken of in Revelation 20.

Now, this could be the case.  However, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me that, following signs of destruction in the heavens, Jesus would rescue his people in the rapture, only to turn around again and bring them back to the earth for the millennium.

In Matthew 24:29 the heavens seem to be breaking up (stars falling, the sun and moon no longer giving their light).  A cataclysm is coming on the world.  In verses 30-31 Jesus comes on the clouds of heaven to take his people away.  And that appears to be the end of the story.  The rest of Matthew 24 is explanatory material giving more information and admonitions about certain aspects of what he’s already said, but the narrative of end-time events ends with the rapture in verse 31.  The same is true in the Mark and Luke versions of the passage.

We see this same thing in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, which we’ve already shown to be describing the same events as Matt. 24:30-31 (see Part 2 for more on this):

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (emphasis added).

Just as in Matt. 24:31, this is the end of the story.  And it says “so we will be with the Lord forever,” not “and so we will reign with the Lord for 1000 years.”

I will deal with the millennium in another post.  Suffice to say for the moment that, while I do hold to a post-tribulation rapture position, I don’t believe the rapture will be followed by the millennium.  Instead, as I’ve already said, I believe it will occur as this world is meeting its end and the new heaven and new earth spoken of in Isaiah 65:17, 2 Peter 3:13, and Revelation 21:1 is being created.

Let me add parenthetically: I don’t believe the end of the world will come as the result of something like a nuclear holocaust.  For one thing, a cataclysm like that could possibly destroy the world, or at least render it uninhabitable; but it wouldn’t be able to destroy “the heavens”.  I believe the destruction of the world described in the Bible will come about as a sovereign act of God intervening in history and the affairs of the world, not as the result of anything humanity does.

Now, someone reading this may feel I’ve made an awfully dire prediction for the world.  And you’re right: I have.  I believe it is based on what is taught in the Bible.  A message of judgment it not popular these days.  Everyone wants to hear only comforting messages about God.  People want to hear about God’s love, not his wrath.

God is a loving God, but he is serious about dealing with sin and evil and evildoers.  The Bible is clear that the wrath of God is coming on the world (see John 3:36, Romans 1:18, Romans 2:5-8, Ephesians 5:5-6, Colossians 3:5-6, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9).

However, in his love, God has provided a way of escape from his wrath.  That way of escape comes through giving our lives to Jesus Christ.  Just as Noah built the ark to save his family from the flood, so God has given his Son as a way of escape from the judgment coming on the world.  I implore you to place your faith in Christ so you can know that you will be able to go with him when he returns.

Regarding the passages I’ve cited which speak of the destruction of the heavens and the earth, there are some who interpret them symbolically rather than literally.  I will share that point of view and respond to it in my next post.  In that post I will also share a couple other passages of Scripture which are interpreted to reveal a different outcome for the world when Jesus returns than the one I have professed here.  So I hope you will stay tuned.

Up next: “Part 5 – Will the World End or Be Renewed?–A Different Take”

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Signs of the Times – Thoughts on the End Times, Part 3

Part 3 – Final Thoughts on Why I Don’t Believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture

Click these links for Part 1 and Part 2

In the first two parts of this series I’ve explained in detail from Scripture why I don’t believe the rapture will occur before the tribulation.  There’s so much material to cover I’ve had to break it up into three posts. Even so they’re long posts.

Today I want to conclude my thoughts on the rapture and then in future installments I’ll move on to consider other aspects and views of the end times.

Slim Support From Scripture

There’s only one verse of Scripture I’ve ever heard quoted specifically to support the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture.  There may be others, but I’m not aware of them, and would be happy for someone to bring them to my attention.  The only verse I’ve ever heard used to buttress to the idea is Revelation 3:10 ~

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

Pre-tribulationists interpret the words “the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth” as referring to the great tribulation, and they see this verse as a promise that the modern church will be kept from having to endure it.  However, when we look at the context of this verse, we find several problems with interpreting it as support for a pre-tribulation rapture.  Let’s consider that context.

Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation contain letters Jesus instructs John to write to seven churches in the region of Asia Minor, as pictured at left (this is modern Turkey).  Revelation 3:10 is part of a letter to the church at Philadelphia (not to be confused with the American city by that name 🙂 ).  The entire passage pertaining to this letter reads as follows (with verse 10 highlighted):

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars — I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. – Revelation 3:7-13

As I said above, Jesus told John to write letters to seven churches.  In most of these letters Jesus has a word of commendation as well as a warning word of rebuke.  The letter to the church at Laodicea contains no commendation.  The letter to Philadelphia is the only one without a rebuke.

Note that the promise in Revelation 3:10 is only for the church at Philadelphia, and not for any of the other seven churches.  Jesus is promising to keep that one church from the hour of trial.  He doesn’t make this promise to any of the others.

Do you see where I’m going with this?  If the promise in Revelation 3:10 was only given to one of seven churches, then logically, that promise would only apply to one seventh of Christians today.  So at best this would mean only a small portion of today’s church would be raptured out, not the church as a whole.  Those who believe in a pre-trib rapture have taken Jesus’s words to one church in the ancient world and have applied them to the entire church in the modern world.

Revelation 3:10 says Jesus gave this promise to the church at Philadelphia because they endured patiently.  We might do well to ask what they endured? Most likely persecution and trial.  So even the promise doesn’t mean they won’t suffer.  It sounds as if Jesus gave it to them because he felt they had suffered enough already.

The fact that Jesus had a rebuke for each of the other six churches implies they had not endured to the same extent as the church at Philadelphia.  To these other churches Jesus basically says “You better shape up or else you’re going to come under judgment.”

So it is with the modern church. If there was a pre-trib rapture, Jesus words to the modern-day church would no doubt be the same: Unless you repent, you will face the tribulation.

Another question to consider about Rev. 3:10 is exactly what Jesus means when he says “I will also keep you from the hour of trial.”  Does keeping them from the hour of trial automatically equate to a rapture?  If that were the case we might expect to see the word “deliver” instead of “keep”–“I will deliver you from the hour of trial.”  But instead he says “keep.” This could mean “preserve” or “protect” rather than deliver.  Some today believe that rather than taking Christians out of the tribulation, God will protect and preserve them in the midst of it.  This is very likely what Jesus means for the Philadelphians in Revelation 3:10.

Another Passage of Scripture

Now let’s consider a second passage of Scripture.  In response to my first post in this series someone quoted 1 Corinthians 15:51-56 as if it were proof of a pre-trib rapture.  The passage does mention the rapture, but once more there’s nothing in it that says the rapture will happen before the tribulation:

51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The key verses pertaining to the rapture are 51-52: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

This language is reminiscent of that in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, which we looked at in my last post:

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Both passages describe a trumpet blowing followed by the raising of the dead.  They appear to be describing the same event, and they are.

Now, there’s nothing in either of these passages to signify exactly when they will occur, except we can presume at the end of the age because they refer to the resurrection.  Yet as I noted in my last post, this event is the same one as described in Matthew 24:30-31, which we know it occurs after the tribulation.

So those who interpret 1 Corinthians 15:51-56 as referring to a pre-trib rapture are viewing it out of their pre-trib grid.  There is nothing in the passage itself that calls for a pre-trib rapture.  They are reading the passage through the lens of their theology.

Jesus Returns Twice??

The pre-tribulation view of the rapture requires Jesus to come back twice: first, secretly, before the tribulation to rapture out the Christians, and then again openly at the end of the tribulation to establish his millennial kingdom on earth.  This idea of Jesus coming back twice is not based on sound biblical interpretation.  It wrongly assumes that 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and Matthew 24:30-31 are separate events, with no scriptural basis for separating the two.

Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theology is a Recent Invention

The pre-trib view of the end times is a relatively recent development in church history.  While there is some evidence that this view may have had a few adherents in the early church, it was not generally accepted.  In fact, it didn’t come to prominence until the 19th century.  John Nelson Darby, a leader in the Plymouth Brethren movement, is considered the father of Dispensational theology and also the idea of the pre-tribulation rapture, which he began to teach around 1830.  This view became very popular both in Great Britain and also in America and was disseminated widely in the succeeding decades. It contributed greatly to British Zionism which was very influential in the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.  Dispensationalists in particular believe Israel becoming a nation again is significant in hastening the last days and the return of Christ.

The pre-tribulation view of the end times was very popular among a lot of evangelical and pentecostal groups back in the 1970s and ’80s but seems to be giving way to some other views nowadays.  In future posts we’ll look at some of these other views that are growing in popularity.

In my next post, however, we’ll examine a question that’s important for understanding God’s purposes in the last days: Is the world coming to and end, or will it be renewed?  Stay tuned.

Feel free to share your thoughts on the end times and the rapture by adding a comment of your own.

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Signs of the Times – Thoughts on the End Times, Part 2

Part 2 – More On Why I Don’t Believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture

(You can read Part 1 here.)

Following the response to my last post I thought it would be worthwhile to share a few more reasons why I don’t believe the rapture will come before the tribulation.  In the process we will examine some Scripture from Paul’s letters to see what they have to say on this question.

Here now, are more reasons I don’t believe the rapture will occur before the tribulation:

1) There is no statement anywhere in the Bible that the rapture will take place before the tribulation.  Likewise, in biblical descriptions of the end times, there is no mention of a rapture before the tribulation.

Take Matthew 24 (and its parallels in Mark 13, Luke 17:20-37 and Luke 21:5-36), for example.  These passages describe the period leading up to the tribulation, the tribulation itself, and the time right after the tribulation.  Nowhere in the description of events prior to the tribulation do we see anything resembling a rapture.  The only place in Matthew 24 that sounds anything like the kind of in-gathering of Christians we think of as the rapture is at the end of the passage, in  verses 30-31 (see also Mark 13:26-27).

In these verses we’re told that after the tribulation “he [that is, Jesus] will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt 24:31).

Those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture will say these verses are not about Christians because they refer to the “elect.” Pre-tribulationists say the word “elect” here refers to Jews who converted to Christianity after the (pre-trib) rapture.  However, this interpretation is a function of their theology and not based on the text itself.  Outside of these Gospel passages, every other occurrence of “elect” in the New Testament refers to Christian believers.  And so it must in these passages as well, for there is nothing linguistically or contextually that calls for any other interpretation.

Those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture also claim that everything in Matthew 24 takes place after the rapture, but there’s nothing in the context to suggest that.  The disciples ask in verse 3 what will be the sign of Jesus’ return and of the end of the age, and the rest of the chapter is his answer.  Nowhere does he tell them “but you don’t have to worry about any of this because you will be raptured out.”  He is speaking to his disciples, after all.  If anybody deserved to be raptured before the tribulation, it was the twelve.  If, as the pre-tribulationists argue, modern-day believers should be saved from the tribulation, then how much more did Jesus’ twelve apostles deserve it?

And yet Jesus speaks to them about the events to come as if they will be there.  Notice he uses the word “you” throughout the passage.  “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.”  “You will be…persecuted and put to death.” “When you see…’the abomination that causes desolation….”  “Pray that your flight will not take place in winter.”  “…if anyone says to you ‘Look, here is the Christ!’…do not believe it.”  Jesus spoke to his disciples as if these events were going to happen to them.  (Now this presents another problem with the interpretation of this passage, but I won’t deal with that here.  Instead, I’ll save it for a future installment in this series.)

If anyone deserved to be saved from the tribulation, it would be the apostles.  If Jesus didn’t tell them they’d be raptured out before then, why should we expect it?

There is simply no statement anywhere in the Bible that the rapture will take place before the tribulation.  Not in the New Testament, and not in Old Testament prophecy.

2) “But,” someone will reply,” what about the words of Paul?  He described a pre-tribulation rapture didn’t he?”  This is a fallacy of the pre-trib interpretation as well.  Let’s take a look at a couple passages.

We’ll begin with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Those who believe in a pre-trib rapture assume this passage describes the rapture as it will occur before the tribulation.  However, I assert that the events described in this passage are the exact same ones we see in Matthew 24:30-31 and Mark 13: 26-27.

Pre-tribulationists make much of the fact that this passage appears to say “the Lord himself” will come back for Christians, while the in-gathering described in Matthew 24:31 is carried out by angels.  For this reason they believe these passages describe two separate events.  However, this is a mis-reading of the texts.  Let’s look at them more closely:

Matthew 24:30-31 says: “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (emphasis added).

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 states: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

Matthew 24:30 describes the Son of Man (Jesus) coming on the clouds of the sky.  1 Thessalonians 4:16 describes the Lord (Jesus) coming from heaven.  Sounds mighty similar.

Matthew 24:30-31 describes Jesus coming with his angels and a loud trumpet call.  1 Thessalonians 4:16 describes Jesus coming with an archangel (indicating the presence of angels) and a trumpet call.  Again, note the similarities.

Matthew 24:30-31 describes Jesus coming on the clouds and his angels gathering his elect (that is, Christian believers, as we already established above) from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 describes Jesus and an archangel (and presumably other angels) coming, and believers (both those who have died and those who are still alive) being caught up and meeting him in the air.

Matthew 24:31 says Christians will be gathered from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Jesus is there in the sky.  Christians are gathered to the heavens, and presumably they are gathered to Jesus.  The angels gather believers and bring them to Jesus.  This sure sounds a lot like being “caught up together…to meet the Lord in the air,” which is the language we find in 1 Thessalonians 4.

The two passages are describing the exact same event–the rapture–and Matthew 24:30-31 makes it clear this happens after the tribulation.

Even if someone wants to make a big deal about the apparent differences in detail between the two passages, here’s something else to consider: There are many places in the four Gospels where the details of certain events are described slightly differently from one Gospel to the next.  (If this comes as a shock to anyone, pick up a Gospel parallel book [or you may even be able to find a parallel on the internet], and you will see what I mean.  A Gospel parallel takes all the passages that are similar in each of the four Gospels and places them side by side so you can compare them.)

Likewise, if you compare the stories of the kings of Judah in the Old Testament books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles you’ll see some differences in details there, too.  (Again, if this comes as a shock to anyone, stay tuned, because I will be doing a blog post on that in the future.)

Since the four Gospels sometimes differ with each other in details, and Kings and Chronicles also differ from one another in places, it shouldn’t surprise us if the Gospels and Paul seem to describe the rapture slightly different, too. Maybe it is true the Gospel writers believed the angels were going to gather Christians, while Paul’s understanding was that Jesus himself would do it.  Nevertheless, both accounts speak of believers meeting Jesus in the air.  They are still describing the same event, maybe in slightly different ways.  I myself don’t see the descriptions as being substantially different.

3) Now let’s look at another passage from Paul’s letters that speaks of the rapture: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 ~

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

Paul says here he is writing “concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him.”  This is clearly language describing the rapture.  And notice what Paul says about it: “that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (emphasis added).

Paul states clearly that the rapture will not occur until “the man of lawlessness is revealed” (some versions have “man of sin,” and for simplicity this is the term I will use from here on)  From the description given, we know that the “man of sin” is the Antichrist, a prominent leader who will rise up in the last days.  Paul says in verses 9-10 “the coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing.”

This man will be a prominent leader, probably a world leader, who will impress many people with signs and wonders; but Paul makes it clear these signs and wonders will not be from God, but from Satan.  Paul calls them “counterfeit miracles.”  This could mean one of two things: Either the miracles will be faked, or else they’ll be real miracles, but “counterfeit” in the sense that they come from Satan and not from God.  Either way, many people will be deceived.

So Paul clearly states the rapture will not occur until after the Antichrist has been revealed.  To understand the timing of what Paul is saying here, it will help us to look again at Matthew 24.

As we saw in my last post, there’s a definite sequence of events in Matthew 24 that spells out what the world’s final days will be like.  A quick summary is as follows:

a) First there is an uptick in wars and natural disasters (verses 4-8).

b) This will be accompanied by an increase in the persecution of Christians and a general increase in lawlessness.  Many will fall away, but some will remain faithful and continue proclaiming the gospel to all nations (verses 9-14).

c) Through this entire time, spiritual deception will grow and grow (verses 4-5, 11).

d) It is after this period that Jesus says “the end will come” (verse 14).

e) This is when the “abomination of desolation” will occur (verse15 and following), and Jesus tells us that this time will be a time of “great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now” (verse 21; see verses 15-22).

f) During the tribulation deception will be at an all-time high.  Jesus tells of many “false Christs and false prophets” during this time who will “perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible” (verses 23-24–and remember, “elect” here refers to Christians, just as it does everywhere else in the New Testament.)

Now, when we compare these events with 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, which part sounds the most like it?  I think Matthew 24:15-24 most closely resembles 2 Thessalonians 2.

It stands to reason that the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15) will be carried out by the man of sin or Antichrist, and in fact this may be the very thing that “reveals” him (2 Thess 2:3).

2 Thessalonians 2:3 also says the rapture will not take place before “the rebellion” occurs (the King James version says “falling away” instead of rebellion).  The Greek word is apostasia, from which we get the English word “apostasy.”  Webster’s dictionary defines “apostasy” as a “renunciation of religious faith” or an “abandonment of a previous loyalty.”  Apostasia can be translated either “falling away” or “rebellion,” in the sense of a rebellion against the faith one previously held.  So 2 Thessalonians 2:3 refers to a rebellion against or a falling away from Christian faith.

These words “falling away” and “rebellion” call to mind Matthew 24: 10-12, which says  “many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold” (ESV, emphasis added).  Lawlessness is pretty much the same as rebellion, so it sounds like the “rebellion” or “falling away” referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 matches the time described in Matthew 24:10-12.  This is further supported by the way in which 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 talks about lawlessness being released when the Antichrist is revealed (see more on these verses below).

To sum up: 2 Thessalonians 2:3 tells us the rapture will not occur until after a falling away occurs and the man of sin is revealed.  So following our comparison with Matthew 24, this means the rapture will not occur until at least the events described in Matthew 24:10-12 and 15-24 have occurred.

There are some who believe the rapture will take place mid-way through the tribulation, and it may very well be based on this passage in 2 Thessalonians 2.  From a biblical standpoint I find that explanation a lot more accurate than a pre-trib view.  However, in light of Matthew 24:29-31 I still believe a post-tribulation rapture fits the biblical evidence the best.  Nevertheless, I can accept a mid-trib rapture much more easily than a pre-trib one.

Those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture also focus on some rather vague wording in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 ~

6 And now you know what is holding him [i.e., the man of sin] back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming (explanatory note added by me).

Notice the phrases “what is holding him back” in verse 6 and “the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way” in verse 7.  The “him” in verse 6 refers to the man of sin, and the “it” in verse 7 is lawlessness.  Those who espouse a pre-trib rapture believe this refers to the Holy Spirit who resides in believers, and they think the phrase “until he is taken out of the way” is a reference to the rapture.  They believe the church will be raptured before the Antichrist appears, and as a result, the Holy Spirit will no longer be in the world.  In their mind these verses prove the rapture will happen before the tribulation.

However, there are several big problems with this view.  The most obvious one is that Paul himself already contradicted it in verses 1-3.  He specifically–and clearly–says: “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him…don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed….” (verses 1, 3).

Therefore, whoever or whatever it is that’s referred to as restraining lawlessness and the man of sin in verses 6-8, it can’t be the Holy Spirit, for that would require the rapture to occur before the man of sin is revealed, and Paul has made it clear in verses 1-3 that the rapture won’t take place until after he’s revealed.

Besides, the idea of the Spirit being removed from the world is just bad theology.  The Holy Spirit has been working in the world since the creation (see Genesis 1:2 where the Spirit of God hovered over the waters).  The Holy Spirit didn’t just enter the world on the day of Pentecost.  He entered the church on that day, but not the world, for in some sense the Holy Spirit is always working in the world to bring people to Christ.

Not only that, the pre-tribulationists claim that after the rapture all the Jews are going to repent and turn to Christ.  Only the Holy Spirit can lead someone to repentance and faith in Christ.  How is this going to happen if the Holy Spirit has already been taken out of the world??

I have more to say about why I don’t believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, but I will save it till my next post.

What do you think about my explanation of these passages and the rapture and tribulation?

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