Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Debunking Objections to the Pre-Trib Rapture

The "other tribbers" have a multi faceted problem in their attempt to prove the Pre-trib rapture of the church wrong. They have to overcome:

1. The preponderance of scriptural evidence
2. The purpose of the tribulation
3. The nature of our God

The purpose of the tribulation was covered in the previous post. The bottom line there is-there is no reason whatsover for the church to be involved in the Daniel's 70th week. We weren't here in the first 69 weeks, we won't be here for the 70th week.

The purpose of this post is to address item 3 in the list above that we hear little to nothing about: the nature of our God.

Somewhere along the line, someone began to sell people on the idea that we have some kind of sourpuss, cosmic killjoy kind of God in the sky that enjoys seeing His people suffer. If that were true, that we did serve that kind of God, then perhaps the "other tribbers" might have a better argument.

As I read the bible, and I look back at my own life's testimony, here's what I see of the God of the bible:

1. He is longsuffering, putting up with my waywardness well beyond what I deserve to bring me around to His way through kindness and grace.

2. He is kind, tender, merciful and generous. Indeed He never puts on our shoulders any burden that is more than we can handle, though at times He has tested my strength and faith to the very last ounce.

3. He means what He says. Read the bible like a little child and I assure you that you will be much better off than any of the so called christian scholars of our day. If the Lord said it, He meant it. There is no need to write a 200 page book to explain simple lines of scripture. For example, if the Lord said there would be an escape from all, there will be an escape from all. No need for long lectures or 3day long debates or 200+ page books to explain or clarify what the Lord meant. It means what it would mean to a child.

4. He wants the very best for His children. Read Isaiah 54 for a glimpse into the character and nature of our God. He wants the very best for His children.

Think of our Lord's nature like a little child. If you were a child in a house with an older brother, and that older brother was always constantly getting into trouble with your father, would you expect your Father to punish you for the transgressions of your older brother? No, no reasonable child would expect that. We are the younger child (the church) and Israel is our older brother who to this day rejects Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Our God is a loving God, but He is also just. A righteous judge does not punish the innocent. The bible defines innocence differently than the world does. Innocence is being free from sin, which means covered by the blood that Jesus shed for us. The church by definition is a blood bought prize. Our sins have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103). Nobody who is on the narrow path that leads to life, who is covered by the blood of Jesus "needs" to go through any part of Daniel's 70th week.

The story of Noah shows us the Lord's character and His coming for us will be exactly like the story of Noah. If Noah escaped all of the flood, so will we. If Lot escaped all of the fire that fell on Sodom, so will we escape all the judgement coming to the world soon.

grace and peace