The Pre-Tribulation Rapture, Part 2

Transcript

GR 1523
03-22-09
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture, Part 2
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

We're talking a little bit of a break between Revelation 5 and 6 because with chapter 6 we'll begin what is known as the 70th week of Daniel. And on this chart that was put together to lay out the resurrections you have the cross on the left hand part of the chart. That's for the death of Christ and His resurrection. That period of time from just after the cross, Acts 2, down to that first arrow going up, the first stage of the Second Coming is in the air. That's the rapture of the church that we are talking about, the pre-tribulation rapture, remember, because the seven years following that divided into two 3½ -year segments is the 70th week of Daniel, the seven-year tribulation. We believe the rapture will occur before that seven-year period. Others would say that it occurs in the middle, 3½ years in. Others would say it occurs at the end as part of the Second Coming of Christ to earth. So if you believe it comes before the seven years you are pre-tribulational; if you believe it comes in the middle you are mid-tribulational; if you believe it comes at the end you are post-tribulational, meaning it comes after the tribulation. All three of those views would be pre-millennial because the millennium is the thousand years. We are pre-millennial pre-tribulational, which is dispensational.

How do we get to that? We get to it with a literal interpretation of scripture. By literal we mean historical grammatical interpretation. We interpret it in its historical context according to the basic rules of grammar. We interpret prophecy the same way we interpret any other portions of the Word of God—historically grammatically. When it says Christ will return and establish His kingdom on the earth, we interpret that literally. When it says that people will not suffer pain or death, we take that literally. So that's how we come to our position. And we've been just walking through that and some of the reasons why we're pre-tribulational. We have seven reasons why and these are arbitrary because there are many more reasons that have been offered, but I've just selected seven as basic ones.

The first reason why I believe the rapture occurs before the 70th week of Daniel is the focus of all 70 weeks of Daniel. Now if you are not familiar with the 70 weeks of Daniel, we'll be talking more about that as we move along, but we looked back in Daniel 9 where 70 weeks or 70 sevens are determined for your people and for your holy city, referring to Jerusalem and the Jews, beginning with verse 24. Seventy times 7 is 490, 490 years will encompass God's program for Israel and bring them to the kingdom. Four hundred eighty-three years occurred and ended just prior to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. There is a gap between the 483rd year and then the last 7. So the first 69 weeks, 483 years, came to an end just before Christ was crucified. So on your chart that would be just before the cross, 483 years had occurred in Israel's history. Then we have a break and God will pick up His program with the nation Israel just following the rapture of the church, that first stage of the Second Coming which takes the church in the air. That's how you have the 70th seven-year period. That's why we call it the 70th week of Daniel, because he said 70 weeks or 70 sevens, total of 490 years will bring Israel to the start of the kingdom God has promised to Israel.

So the focus of the 70th week is on Jerusalem and the Jewish people. And the first 69 weeks end before the church begins, because the church doesn't begin until Acts 2, following the crucifixion and resurrection and ascension of Christ to heaven. And I think the indication is that the church will be removed then before God resumes His program. We've looked at that first point.

The second reason we gave was the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the church. We'll be talking more about this, this evening in a related point. But the Holy Spirit has come and has a unique ministry through the church and He is the restrainer of II Thessalonians 2:7-8. And when the restrainer is removed in His restraining influence, then the final seven years of God's program for Israel will unfold. What is holding it back? The work of the Holy Spirit through the church. When the church is removed, the Holy Spirit will no longer have His restraining influence. The Holy Spirit will still be present in the world, but He came in a unique and special way in Acts 2. But the Holy Spirit was present from the opening verses of Genesis where the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep at the original creation. But He came in Acts in a special way with the establishing of the church. With the removal of the church His special ministry of restraining sin will be over and we'll have the 70th week of Daniel.

All right, we'll pick up with the third reason for a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. And that's the absence of the church in Revelation 6-18, the absence of any mention of the church in Revelation 6-18, which deal with the 70th week of Daniel. The church is mentioned repeatedly in the first three chapters of Revelation. In fact the word church is used I believe 19 times in those three chapters. Then the church doesn't appear on earth. In chapters 1-3, the book of the Revelation is addressed to seven literal churches on the earth, local churches that we have looked at, particularly in chapters 2-3.

In the heavenly scene we looked at in chapters 4-5 the church is represented there by the twenty-four elders. We're not going to go back and talk about reasons why the twenty-four elders represent the church, but you'll note in Revelation 4:4, around the throne were twenty-four thrones. Upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting clothed in white garments and golden crowns on their heads. And we noted these twenty-four elders represent the church. And the church as it has been resurrected, glorified, judged and rewarded. And they are clothed in white garments which we are told later in the book of Revelation is the righteousnesses or righteous acts of the saints. And they have the golden crown on their heads, the stephanos, the victor's crown. Those of you who were part of our study earlier today in II Timothy 4:8, we talked about the stephanos, the victor's crown. Here you have the church.

So you see now you have the church represented in heaven. In the first three chapters it was on earth but now you get to chapters 4-5 it is present. And at different times through the book of Revelation the twenty-four elders will appear, but they always appear in heaven before the throne of God. But during that seven-year period on the earth the church is not there. It's the subject of the first three chapters and when you get to the end of the book of Revelation, concluding remarks, then we will have the church addressed again.

When you come to Revelation 19:7, let us rejoice and be glad, here we have Christ returning to earth now at the end of the seven years so you have the second stage of the Second Coming at the end of the seven years, Christ returning to earth to establish His kingdom. Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him for the marriage of the Lamb has come, or has occurred, and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And He said, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We'll talk about this when we get there, but in the pattern of the oriental wedding the bridegroom has come and taken his bride to his father's home, the marriage has occurred. Then they come and have the wedding feast and the millennium will be the wedding feast, if you will. But the bride is there, the marriage has occurred, the church which is the bride of Christ has already been judged and rewarded and clothed in the fine linen which are the righteous acts of the saints. And rewarded for our righteousness in service, not just the positional righteousness, but here it's the practical righteousness, our righteous works, our acts, our deeds. So the church at this point as Christ returns at His Second Coming has already been judged and rewarded. Now it returns to earth with Christ for the wedding supper.

So you see we leave the church on earth, it's no longer on earth, in chapters 4-5 it's in heaven. And we see it returning with Christ in chapter 19. So that seems to me to point toward a pre-tribulation rapture. If the church is part of that 70th week of Daniel, you would expect clear references to the church. But they are not there.

A fourth reason for a pre-tribulation rapture. The 70th week of Daniel is a time of God's judgment and the church is promised deliverance from God's wrath. So the reason is the church is promised deliverance from God's wrath, and the 70th week of Daniel is a time of wrath, the entire time is a time of wrath. And some attempts to divide it up and say this part of it is man's wrath, Satan's wrath and then God's wrath. But God's wrath is manifested in a variety of ways. The Old Testament when God was angry with Israel, He would raise up an earthly nation to come and take them into captivity. It was God's wrath being displayed. So it is His wrath being poured out on the earth.

Look in Revelation 6. You see here we are in the opening series of judgments, the seal judgments. Verse 15, then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come and who is able to stand? The awesome time of God pouring out His wrath. And of course chapters 6-19, culminating in chapter 19 with Armageddon and the destruction of the enemies of the Lord in preparation for the establishing of the kingdom in chapter 20. So it is a time of terrible wrath.
We have to go back to the Old Testament, Isaiah 13, just take two passages from the Old Testament. We'll pick up with verse 6, wail, for the day of the Lord is near. The day of the Lord, the time of His judgment. It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp and every man's heart will melt. They will be terrified, pain and anguish will take hold of them. They will writhe like a woman in labor. Remember that analogy—they will writhe like a woman in labor. And this was written in the times when they didn't have modern medicine, drugs and so on to alleviate the labor pains somewhat. They just had to endure it. But here it comes on them like labor pains. That will be picked up in the New Testament. They will look at one another in astonishment, their faces aflame. Behold the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger to make the land a desolation. And He will exterminate its sinners from it. And you understand by the time we move into the beginning of the kingdom on earth there are no unredeemed people left alive on the face of the earth. He will exterminate its sinners from it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light, the sun will be dark when it rises, the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir. We'll be talking about these matters as we move through, beginning in chapter 6. Do you see how devastating the judgments? They are going to be so terrible through the earth, it's going to decimate the population by the time we get done.

Verse 13, therefore I will make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of His burning anger. So you see what this period of time is, the time of God's wrath, of God's judgment, the destruction of His enemies, the day of His burning anger.

Turn over to Daniel 9, this goes back to what we were talking about, but I want you to see it. Verse 24, 70 weeks, literally 70 sevens, and that is 70 seven-year periods, have been decreed for your people and your holy city. You see all 70 weeks, 490 years pertain to Jerusalem and the Jews. Come over to chapter 12 verse 1, now at that time Michael the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, Michael the archangel has specific responsibility for the nation Israel, will arise. Now note this, and there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time. And at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book will be rescued. When we get to the end of that 70th week God's program for the salvation of the nation Israel will be accomplished. But you'll note, it's going to be a time like never has occurred in the world. You think of the worst disasters that have ever occurred anywhere in the world, and they aren't as bad as it is going to be during that time.

Turn in the New Testament to Matthew 24. This has to do with matters relating in verse 3, the disciples ask Him, tell us when will these things happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age. Their concern is the return of Christ to establish His kingdom and bring this age to an end. They are looking for the kingdom. So He goes on to address these matters.

Come down to verse 9, then they will deliver you to tribulation, will kill you, you will be hated by all nations because of My name. We'll talk about this particularly when we get into Revelation 12. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise, mislead many. And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come. That's not talking about this present period of time, we're talking about events that take place in the 70th week of Daniel. Therefore, verse 15, when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, let the reader understand. If we had gone on in Daniel 9, we read the first part of verse 24, if we had read through the rest of the chapter, at the end of the chapter you'll find the abomination of desolation. So here Christ picks up on that. When you see that standing in the holy place, the temple will be rebuilt because this abomination of desolation will be standing in the holy place. That's referring to the temple and the holy place in the temple.

Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house, if you're in the field don't go back. Woe to those who are pregnant, to those who are nursing babies in those days. Why? They're going to be terrible days of judgment, no time to have a little baby to have to take care of. Pray your flight will not be in the winter or on a Sabbath, for then there will be a great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor ever will be. That's where we're going, that's where the world is going. It is moving toward this seven-year period. We'll talk about the distinction between the two halves, the first 3½ and the last 3½ years. Now we're just giving the general description of this 70th week of Daniel. It's tribulation like nothing the world has ever seen. Unless those days have been cut short no life would be saved. Remember in Isaiah? I'll make mankind more scarce than pure gold. And if Christ didn't intervene with the Second Coming to earth at the end of that seven years, there wouldn't be anybody left on the earth. That's how devastating the judgments are and they grow in intensity as we'll see as we move through the seals, the trumpets and the bowls. It gets worse. You think it can't get any worse. I mean, we start with a quarter of the earth's population being destroyed and we've just gotten started with the less severe, if you can categorize it that way, of the judgments. So if Christ didn't intervene and those days cut short. Doesn't mean there will be less than seven years because God has already given the timeline, but it's the return of Christ that stops it at the end of the seven years. Otherwise if He didn't return it would just continue on until everybody was destroyed. But God intervenes because He plans to bring salvation, particularly to the nation Israel.

And don't get caught up, has Christ returned. There are always people, you know there for a while there were big full-page ads in the paper about He has returned, He is here. Well, all you had to do was go to Matthew 24 and know that guy was a liar because you don't believe it. Verse 26, if they say to you, behold He is in the wilderness, don't go out. Behold He is in the inner room, do not believe them. You know much confusion is resolved by just reading the scripture and letting it address the issue. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. We get down to verse 30, it's going to be a clear display. So at the second stage of the Second Coming to earth before the kingdom, the whole world will know Christ is returning. We get to Revelation 19 the heavens open and Christ comes out. So it's a time of wrath, a time of devastating judgment.

Now come over to Revelation 3:10, the promise given to the church at Philadelphia. But we noted these promises to the churches are not limited to those local churches, but they are carried beyond those local churches to whomever has an ear to hear. They are to listen. Promises that have to do with ruling and reigning in the coming kingdom and so on. Verse 10, because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. That expression, those who dwell on the earth is a reference in the book of Revelation to unbelievers. They are identified with this earth. We are strangers and pilgrims here, this world is not our home. Our citizenship is in heaven. But the devastating judgments are directed toward unbelievers during that 70th week of Daniel, and bringing God's judgment on them. But the church is promised deliverance from that hour of testing. Well here we are in Revelation 3. In chapters 4-5 we have the heavenly scene and then in chapter 6 we have that hour of testing on the earth but promised deliverance to the church. Obviously it goes beyond the church at Philadelphia because the 70th week of Daniel hasn't occurred yet. So it is a promise to the church.

Come back to I Thessalonians 1. Paul is talking about the salvation of the Thessalonians and the testimony that they have. Verse 9, for they themselves report about us, what kind of reception we had with you, when Paul came to Thessalonica and preached the gospel. And how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus. Now note this, who rescues us from the wrath to come. Now in the context here he is primarily talking about hell, talking about the wrath to come.

Come to the end of this book, I Thessalonians 5. Look at verse 9, for God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us. So whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with Him. I want you to note the order of events here. Back in chapter 4 verse 13 we talk about the rapture, I do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, referring to believers who have died. Their bodies are temporarily inactive. This is not soul sleep, their bodies are asleep. They have departed their bodies, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Then the order. We say this to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. You see where this takes place, this is not the return of Christ to the earth. This is meeting Christ in the air and then going to be with Him.

Now you come to chapter 5, now as. This expression now as, but concerning, __________ denotes you've changed to a new subject. It's related to what you are talking about, but it's a new subject in this topic. As to the times and epochs, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. You know yourself full well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. So you see there is the order here. You have the rapture of the church at the end of chapter 4 and then you move right into what we have as chapter 5 and he starts talking about the day of the Lord coming like a thief in the night.

And how will it come upon them? Verse 3, while they are saying peace and safety then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains. Remember I told you to remember Isaiah 13? The picture of the day of the Lord, this time of His fierce wrath and it's like labor pains. So the day of the Lord comes on them like labor pains. They think peace and safety, things are good and destruction all of a sudden breaks out. They will not escape. But in this context we come down to verse 9 which we already read. God has not destined us for wrath. We're not looking toward the tribulation, we're looking for the coming of Christ to deliver us from coming wrath. That's the order of events.

Back in Matthew 24 we started with verse 9, but if we had read verse 8, all these things are the beginning of birth pangs. There is that picture again, labor pains. That's using the same word, labor pains. These are the beginning of the labor pains, it has to do with the first part of this 70th week of Daniel. It's going to get worse, these pains, the suffering, the tribulation. So the tribulation period is a time of wrath, but God has not destined us for wrath. Jesus Christ is going to deliver us from wrath to come.

And so you have the order of events in this section of Thessalonians that help establish that. The wrath of I Thessalonians 5:9, God has not destined us for wrath, is the same wrath of chapter 1 verse 10. And so I think the church is promised deliverance from wrath, and the 70th week of Daniel is a time of wrath, it's a time of God's anger being poured out on the world.

A fifth reason for believing in a pre-tribulation rapture of the church, that Christ will come to take the church to meet Him in the air, to remove us from the earth before the 70th week of Daniel is there must be a gap between the rapture and the Second Coming. If the rapture occurred as part of the Second Coming to earth so at the end of the 70th week of Daniel, the second stage of the Second Coming to the earth. If the rapture occurred then instead of seven years earlier we would all get caught up to meet Christ in the air and turn around and come back down with Him. Now there is a problem with that. If the rapture is post-tribulational every believer gets a glorified body. That would mean everyone going into the thousand years is in a glorified body. That can't be because you remember in the resurrection when we get glorified bodies we will neither marry nor be given in marriage. We won't be having children, we won't be having families. We'll be like the angels in that sense, we won't be procreating. But in the millennium there are going to be people born, there are going to be people who rebel against Christ.

We have to go back to Isaiah 65. The context here is the time when there will be a new heaven, a new earth. It is kingdom time. In verse 18, I will be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. Do you know what I create Jerusalem for? Rejoicing, her people for gladness. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. We'll see that when we get to Revelation 21. Look at verse 20, no longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days. If everybody going into the kingdom is in a glorified body, how can you talk about an infant who lives a few days? Or an old man who does not live out his days. In our glorified bodies we will never get old. I mean, the deterioration, that part of it is over. For the youth will die at the age of 100. Wait a minute, now we have somebody dying in the kingdom. If everybody has a glorified body, who is that? And the one who does not reach the age of 100 will be thought accursed. He died at 100? It must have been the judgment of God on him. We'll talk about that. I believe the only reason for death during that thousand-year kingdom will be the judgment of God on those who intended to sin. So there will be enforced submission. Remember Psalm 2? Kiss the Son lest He be angry and you perish from the way. He will be ruling with a rod of iron. Remember in the message to the churches? We saw that, He promised that we will rule with Him with a rod of iron. It will be enforced submission. But who? If all believers got a glorified body and only believers go into the kingdom, how do we take these passages? So there has to be a time gap.

Verse 23, they will not labor in vain or bear children for calamity. They are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord and their descendants with them. Now some post-tribulationists believe the rapture occurs after the tribulation and before the millennium try to say there will be some believers that go into the millennium. But that is a serious problem with the judgments that are set out. So I don't think a post-trib rapture works, you need to have a gap here between the rapture of the church and the establishing of the kingdom.

Come over to Revelation 20. Now Revelation 20, pick up with verse 7, the thousand years are completed. You note on your chart the thousand years, that's the first phase of the eternal kingdom. Christ has been reigning on earth for a thousand years, we are there in glorified bodies, people have been living under the righteous rule and reign of Christ for a thousand years. When the thousand years are completed, verse 7, Satan will be released from his prison. Some people say, you can't take it literally because how could you put Satan in prison, he's a spirit being. Arguments like that I find, I don't even know what to say. You're telling me God doesn't know how to confine an angel because he's a spirit being? That gets to be silliness. Of course I don't know how to confine an angel. Do you think God would have a problem if He wants to confine Satan in prison? What am I going to do? Satan is a spirit being, he can get out of the prison. He can't get out of a prison God makes for spirit beings, can he?

What will Satan do when he comes out after a thousand years of being bound? He will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war. The number of them is like the sand of the seashore. They come up on the broad plain of the earth, surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city. They come up for an attempt to dethrone Christ, and the number of them you can't count. They are like the sand of the sea. At the end of 1000 years of perfect reign, perfect social conditions, perfect government, when fallen man is given a choice, he'd rather have the devil as his king than Christ. But who are these who rebel, if everyone going into the millennium is in a glorified body? Now people going into the millennium, there will be people going into the millennium who are believers who are in physical bodies. We'll be going in, in our glorified bodies. That will be a future study.

So there has to be a time period between the rapture and the Second Coming to earth to establish the kingdom so that these events can take place.

All right, a sixth reason for pre-trib rapture is found in II Thessalonians 2:3, the departure. Look at how this chapter starts out, now we request you brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him. I take it what he is talking about there is what he wrote in I Thessalonians 4:13-18. That's when the Lord comes and gathers us together with Christ, comes in the air and we are called to meet Christ in the air. So I'm writing with regard to the coming of the our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him. That you be not quickly shaken from your composure, disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. There is some confusion in the church at Thessalonica. They are under persecution, they are suffering greatly. Some of them thought they were in the tribulation. Paul says, no, I want to tell you with regard to the coming of our Lord and our gathering together to Him, I don't want you to be unsettled. You can't be in the tribulation. Why not? Certain things have to happen before the tribulation can take place.

Let no one deceive you, verse 3, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and then the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. Two events have to take place—the first is the apostasy and the second is the revelation of the man of lawlessness. So it will not come, what? The day of the Lord, the end of verse 2. Don't be disturbed thinking the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you, it will not come, referring to the day of the Lord, unless the apostasy comes first. This noun translated apostasy is used only one other time in the New Testament, it's used in Acts 21:21 and it refers to a departure from Moses. We get the word apostasy from this word, we just transliterate it over. In classical Greek it meant a departure, a disappearance. Now the verb form of this word, we have the noun here, departure, apostasy. And so we often think of apostasy as a departure from the truth, but it's coming back to the root idea. It's a departure. Now in Acts 21:21 where this noun is used it is modified. It's a departure from Moses. Here it's just the departure. In classical Greek you could refer to a departure, a disappearance.

The verb form of this word is used 15 times in the New Testament. Go to Acts 12:10. Now keep in mind we're looking at the verb form of this word. Just pick up the last part of verse 10, and they went out and went along one street and immediately the angel departed from him. That's our word, that's the verb form of this noun. The angel departed from him, just left, he's gone. Go to II Corinthians 12:8, concerning this I fully implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. That word translated leave is this verb. Might depart from me. So you see something to leave, go away. In Luke 4:13 it is he left him, he departed from him.

So you come back to II Thessalonians 2 and you note what he says here. Let no one deceive you, verse 3, for the day of the Lord will not come unless the departure comes first. Well what departure has he talked about in this context? We go back to verse 1, now we request you brethren with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him. Now the departure, that departure, the one I wrote you about in my first letter, chapter 4 verses 13-17, where we will be caught up from the earth to meet the Lord in the air. We will depart from the earth and meet the Lord in the air. That's when we will be gathered to Him, as He says in II Thessalonians 2:1. So when he says, let no one deceive you, it will not come unless the departure comes first. I take it he is referring to the rapture. That's the only departure in the context and in the context of these letters.

Then the two things mentioned in verse 3, the day of the Lord will not come unless the departure comes first, and secondly the man of lawlessness is revealed. He is also called the son of destruction. Look down in verse 7, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, only he who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. That refers to the Holy Spirit's ministry in restraining lawlessness, holding back events until God's time. When will the Holy Spirit be removed? When did He come in this special ministry? With the establishing of the church in Acts 2. I take it with the departure the restrainer is removed in His restraining influence and we can continue and complete the 70 weeks of Daniel. And then verse 8, then that lawless one will be revealed. That parallels the second the part of verse 3, the man of lawlessness is revealed. So verse 3 says the same thing as verses 7-8, the departure refers to when the church and the Holy Spirit who indwells the church in that unique ministry is removed. And the second thing that will happen is the man of lawlessness is revealed. And as we'll see as we move along, the 70th week of Daniel begins with the man of lawlessness signing an agreement with Israel for one week, one seven-year period. That will reveal Him.

So these two things, the rapture and the manifestation of the man of lawlessness, have to occur. We're not in the tribulation today. How do I know? The rapture hasn't occurred, the man of lawlessness hasn't been revealed. How can we guess who, we look around and say, we see events; I wonder if so-and-so is the anti-christ. Forget it, he won't be revealed while you are here, if you are a believer. The rapture will occur, so he won't be revealed yet.

Seventh, the last reason we'll look at for a pre-tribulation rapture. The imminent return of Christ. The indication of the New Testament is that Christ can return at any time, but He cannot return at the Second Coming for at least seven years, cannot return to establish His kingdom for at least seven years. We have the 70th week of Daniel to go, if you interpret the Bible literally. But the New Testament talks about Christ coming at any time and that's the anticipation of the church. The church is not looking and preparing for a time of terrible wrath and judgment on the earth. Israel received instructions of when they ought to flee and hide, but the church doesn't receive those instructions because the church won't be here. So the imminent return. Now note, imminency does not mean soon, it may be soon. Imminency means it can happen at any time because you see with the break we have at the cross with the establishing of the church, just after the cross on your chart, and the rapture there are no prophecies that have to be fulfilled before the rapture. All the prophecies we look at that we talk about need to be fulfilled and we see things happening in the world, all have to do with events related to the 70th week of Daniel. And so we look and see, well we see Israel back in the land. Well we know that Israel will be in the land during the first 3½ years of the tribulation. Well we see the western world joining together, seems to be the revived Roman Empire. Well that's what is talked about is going to happen in the 70th week of Daniel. That doesn't have to happen before the rapture. So that's why we say an imminent return, nothing has to take place. The next event for the church is the rapture. That has been true down through the centuries. But the more things seem to be coming together that are talked about as going to take place in the 70th week, the more we may think that the rapture indeed may be close. But we have no way to know, because there is nothing that has to take place before the rapture. So that's the imminency.

Look in Philippians 3, these are some passages we looked at if you were part of our study earlier today. Verse 20, our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform the body of our humble estate into conformity with the body of His glory by the exertion of the power that He has, even to subject all things to Himself. What are we looking for? The coming of Christ in the air and our being gathered together to Him, meet Him in the air, and having our body glorified. I don't look forward to preparing for the time of devastating judgment, that is prophesied for Israel through the Old Testament. We just looked at a couple of passages before the kingdom can be established. For us, we're just looking for the return of the Lord to gather us to Himself, to transform these bodies. If the 70th week of Daniel has to occur before that happens, we have some terrible things to anticipate. I have a lot of things to prepare for. I have to get a cave ready, get it stocked with food. I mean, the tribulation is coming before the glorified body. I have things to do, places to hide. I don't think living in the city where everybody knows who we are is a good idea. Then you periodically hear of these people who have failed to understand the scripture accurately and they want you to stockpile food in remote areas and get ready and get your guns ready.

Look at Philippians 4:5, let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. You note that, the Lord is near. You see constantly the church is reminded that the Lord is near, now our salvation is nearer than we first began. Or looking for the blessed hope, even the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Titus 2:13. That's what we're looking for. We have a Savior who will spare us from the wrath to come, the time when God's anger and fury are poured out on this world. And we will escape it. We saw I Thessalonians 1:10, sparing from wrath.

So these are some of the reasons why I believe that the Lord will return before the tribulation. There are many others, but this at least gives you an idea why we are approaching scripture from the standpoint the church will be removed. We see distinction between God's program with the nation Israel at the center of His work and His plan of redemption in the world, and His work in the church and His work in and through the church in accomplishing His plan of redemption. And He worked through the nation Israel until He put them under judgment after 483 years, 69 weeks, then the Messiah was crucified. The church was established, then before He resumes His program with Israel because He never leaves it unfinished, there is one seven-year period to go. It has to be carried out. The church is removed and you have the seven years. Then we return, the bride of Christ dressed in white for the wedding feast. And Old Testament saints will be part of that wedding feast. Friends of the bridegroom. Remember John the Baptist said he wasn't the bridegroom, he was the friend of the bridegroom. We are the bride of Christ.

This is to shape our conduct, the way we live. One more passage, I Corinthians 15 great rapture passage. Talking about the church where the perishable cannot inherit the imperishable, no church saint is going into the kingdom in a physical body. There will be people going into the kingdom in a physical body, no church saint will. We will have been raptured and glorified. Verse 51, I tell you a mystery, so you see this is information that was not revealed in the Old Testament. We will not all sleep but we will all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed. This perishable must put on imperishable, the mortal must put on immortality. That's when death is swallowed up in victory. And so we come to verse 58, therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

That's our focus, that shapes the way we live this week. The turmoil, where is the market going, where is business going, what about catastrophes, natural catastrophes or other kinds. All within the plan of God. Where exactly we are I don't know, but I can tell you we are on our way to the worst. So we oughtn't to be wringing our hands in surprise. The world is going to the tribulation but praise the Lord we as the church are not going to the tribulation. But the world is. And so I'm not surprised at the turmoil and the confusion and the “bad things” that happen because it is only going to get worse. Praise God for a salvation that delivers us from wrath to come.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace, thank you for your sovereign plan. Lord, even as we move on should Christ not come in the days before us, I pray that the unfolding of the truths in the book of Revelation will stir our hearts and minds as we are privileged to see what you are going to do to a world that has rejected you, what you are going to do in judgment to turn your people Israel from their sin and bring them to the salvation that was provided in their Messiah and His death and resurrection. We praise you that the Messiah of Israel is not only the Savior of Israel but He is the Savior of the Gentiles who by your grace have been privileged to believe in Him as well. May our lives this week reflect the fact that we are a people looking for the return of the Savior who will call us into your presence. We pray in Christ's name, amen.