MidnightWatcher's Blogspot

Yes, born and raised in an Evangelical church in the West I was taught the pre-trib view for much of my early life, even in seminary, but was forced to switch to post-trib after really digging into the Word of God for myself. My official view is now post-trib and aligns much more closely with historic premillennialism.

Here are a few study notes I’ve put together. After each point the question I needed to ask myself was, “What does this tell us?”

— According to Revelation 20:4-5, the “First Resurrection” of the dead in Christ to eternal life only happens after tribulation, not before. If this resurrection is not before the tribulation then a rapture of the Church before the tribulation is impossible (1 Thess 4:16). What does this tell us?

— The Church is explicitly told to expect tribulation right up until Christ’s glory is revealed (1 Pet 4:12-13). He does not reveal His glory until “immediately after the tribulation” (Matt 24:29-31). What does this tell us?

— The “Blessed Hope” of the Church is eternal life that is actualized at Christ’s appearance. (Titus 1:2, 2:13, 3:7, “In HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began … Looking for THAT BLESSED HOPE [eternal life], and the glorious appearing [epiphaneia] of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ… That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE.”) The “epiphaneia” only happens when “the lawless one” is destroyed by Christ “with the brightness [epiphaneia] of His coming” (2 Thess 2:8). What does this tell us?

— Revelation is written Semitically, not chronologically. There is recapitulation throughout the book where John writes about the Second Coming of Christ more than once (eg. Rev 6-7, Rev 10-11, Rev 14, Rev 19-20) and the “rapture” of the Church is clearly outlined in Revelation 10 at the seventh and last trumpet, which is post-tribulational (cf. 1 Cor 15:52; Rev 10:7). What does this tell us?

— The “wrath” that the Church is not appointed unto is the “orge” wrath only per the original Greek. The word “wrath” is mentioned 13 times in Revelation in English translations but the “orge” wrath is only mentioned 6 times and is always in a post-trib context (cf. 1 Thess. 5:9; Rev 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:10; 16:19; 19:15). What does this tell us?

— The marriage supper of the Lamb and the Church only takes place AFTER the Lord judges the “great whore” and avenges “the blood of his servants at her hand.” (cf. Rev 19:2). This is His “orge” wrath per above. What does this tell us?

— In the Galilean wedding parable of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins in Matt 25, once the bridegroom comes the door is shut to the wedding feast. PERMANENTLY. No one can enter (Matt. 25:10-12) but the pre-trib view contradicts this because we see a great multitude in Rev 7 “who come out of the great tribulation” that “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” What does this tell us?

— Jesus tells us in Luke 17:26-30 that as it was in the days of Noah and Lot, it will be the SAME when the Son of Man is revealed. When Noah entered the ark and God shut the door, the flood began on the SAME DAY and the destruction of those upon whom His wrath came began immediately (Luke 17:27), not 7 years later. On the SAME DAY that Lot departed Sodom, God rained down fire and brimstone from heaven and “destroyed them all.” Their destruction began immediately, not 7 years later. Likewise, once the rapture happens, the “orge” wrath of God begins on the SAME DAY and none can later be saved to take part in the marriage supper of the Lamb (which only happens AFTER the Lord judges the “great whore” and avenges “the blood of his servants at her hand” per Rev 19:2) — but the pre-trib view again contradicts this because we see a great multitude in Rev 7 “who come out of the great tribulation” that “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” What does this tell us?

— In Matt 13:30-43, Jesus says the “wheat” (the righteous) and the “weeds” (the wicked) would “grow together until the harvest.” When the harvest is ready, the “weeds” are FIRST gathered to be prepared in bundles and burned, and the “wheat” is gathered into the barn. (cf. Joel 3:2-17, “I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat … Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe … For the day of the LORD is near … The sun and moon have become dark, and the stars have lost their brightness …”; cf. Matt 24:29-31). All opportunity for the “weeds” is PERMANENTLY lost (13:42), but a pre-trib harvest contradicts this because we see a “great multitude” in Rev 7 “who come out of the great tribulation” that “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” What does this tell us?

— According to Acts 3:21, Christ must remain in heaven “until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets.” According to OT prophets, this restoration does not come until the Lord Himself physically returns to destroy Israel’s enemies (cf. Ezek 39:7,25; Zech 14:4; Hab 3:3-13; Joel 3:1-2) and set up His Millennial Kingdom. 1 Thess 4:16 says that Christ will descend (“katabaino” –> to come down from another place) from (apo –> separation) heaven but the pre-trib view contradicts Acts 3:21, requiring Christ to leave Heaven before He restores all things. Christ cannot physically “descend from heaven” per 1 Thess 4:16 yet still “remain in heaven” per Acts 3:21. What does this tell us?

— Before the rapture, which Paul says happens on the Day of the Lord, we will see Antichrist revealed (2 Thess. 2:3, “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [the Day of the Lord and our gathering to Him] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed …”). According to Joel 2:31, Matt 24:29 and Zech 14:1,7, the Day of the Lord is immediately after the tribulation. What does this tell us?

— We are told by Christ in Luke 21:25-28 to watch for the post-trib “cosmic signs” and to be ready in Him so that we can escape all these things in “that Day.” Which day was Christ referring to? The Day of the Lord — His return “immediately after the tribulation” in power and glory to destroy Antichrist (cf. Luke 21:25-36; Matt 24:29). What does this tell us?

— When speaking about the rapture in 2 Thess 2:1, Paul uses the word “episynagōgē” (G1997), which is from the word “episynagō” (G1996) — the exact word that Christ used in Matt 24:31 regarding the gathering of the elect immediately after the tribulation. Paul is referring directly to Christ’s own teaching in the Olivet Discourse and connects the “watching” for the rapture with Jesus’ instructions for His disciples to be watching for His coming “immediately after the tribulation.” What does this tell us?

For me, the evidence for a post-trib rapture was overwhelming, straightforward, and it doesn’t require that I first superimpose a pre-supposed doctrine into the text in order to get that pre-supposed doctrine out of it. It speaks for itself.

Proverbs 10:30, “The righteous will never be removed, But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.”

LikeLiked by 1 person