In “What If They’re wrong?” Tony Puccio looks at why pre-Tribulation Rapture claims may be mistaken. In actual fact, 20th Century history disproves pre-Tribbers’ ideas!
In his post linked below, R.J Dawson recounts his personal interest in those ideas and demonstrates why they were wrong. Esssentially, those theories failed to grasp not only scripture but also political events believed to have been of direct relevance. I’d heard of the best-seller R.J refers to, but being a New Ager in those days I thought ‘archaic’(!) Christians were jumping on the bandwagon of cataclysm/conspiracy theories. (The Lord had a non-Christian give me a businessman’s Biblical analysis of modern geopolitics, ‘The Invisible Hand’.) I understand those theories arose out of Reformed Theology’s deep disdain for the Roman Catholic church.
Here’s R.J Dawson’s account:
There are Christians in America old enough to remember all the prophecy teacher hype from decades past, and the incredible influence of a single book: The Late, Great Planet Earth. . As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will […]
Continue reading at THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: HIDDEN PROPHECY AND THE SIGN OF JONAH — Real Christianity
Richard's Watch 
My attention was drawn to an interesting passage of scripture relevant to your post. In the 18th chapter of Luke verses 1 – 8 Jesus tells a parable of an unjust judge with a message conveyed to His followers not to loose heart but to persevere in prayer. It is the latter part of verse 8 that caught my attention where Jesus says the following:
“Luke 18:8 (NKJV Strong’s,)
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Why would the Lord be looking for faith if the only people left on the earth are those who took the mark, the beast, and the false prophet and Christians were safely in heaven?
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Very good point my friend. I’d been looking at the preceding chapter (plus Luke 21, Mark 13 & Matt 24) prior to sharing RJ’s post. Luke 17’s refc to Noah and Lot and separation of unbelievers from those In Christ is used to support pre-trib claims and once again noted that, ‘after’ a necessarily shortened Great Tribulation, Jesus Himself will come and His people will be gathered from all over the earth; ie NOT pre-Trib Rapture! (Mark 13:24-27)
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1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NKJV Strong’s,)
For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
I’ve heard many use the above verse to support the pre-trib rapture teaching. Wrath is a key word here to look at. Up through Revelation 13 it speaks of judgement of which the goal is repentance which is stated by angels in chapter 14 which also speaks of the Son coming on a cloud and reaping the earth’s harvest, i.e., the rapture. Afterwards an angel speaks about the winepress of God’s wrath and afterwards the 7 bowls of God’s wrath are mentioned. Again I call your attention to the verse I quoted above stating that the chosen were not appointed to suffer God’s wrath.
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Yep, and so what we’re starting to consider is a pre-Wrath Rapture (bearing in mind my study bible refers to about 8 different theological opinions on End-times). Concurrent with yours and RJ’s on this topic is Nelson Walters’ current theme on watching – his preference is pre-Wrath.
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The notion is, that the antichrist will seek to deceive all on the face of the earth ….including the church …if it’s still there … but if we presume the church has gone, he will look to israel firstly to see if they accept Himself, as Yahweh or the antichrist …who will believe in messiah, where , with whom, will He find faith in Himself ..as the level of deception in those times, is advanced along with the working of lying wonders … but He never leaves himself without witnesses…he has chosen for himself the 144000 and the other 2 witnesses …to present truth to those who will or will not come to faith ..the gentiles lady veg r open to these same opportunities … after all, of the church has gone, the baton is now passed back to Jewish hands.
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Thank you Richard.
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This reminds me of the thing that always makes me very careful of “the end is now!” writing. I was on holiday and was in a National Trust-type house (not actually the NT, it was abroad). You were allowed to read the books on the shelf, and I found one describing in the most convincing manner imaginable how Jesus will be surely coming again within the next ten years – detailing with remarkable precision how all the prophecies, even quite minor and meteorological ones, have been fulfilled.
The only problem was that it was written in 1891..!
Isn’t it instructive to look back at what has wrongly convinced other people in the past. Hopefully it will help us not to repeat old mistakes.
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It sure is Jonathan, and I try keeping that in mind!
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