A pre-tribulation, church only, resurrection-“rapture”: Not all pre-tribulation “rapture” theorists adhere to the same interpretations of various “proof texts” used to create an isogesis of scripture (i.e. reading meaning into scripture), and, although I would not have anyone believe that I am picking on Dr. Tim LaHaye in this commentary, he is the most famous and recognizable of those who hold to the various dispensational, pre-tribulation “rapture” theories. Therefore, I will address his specific conclusions, and “proofs” as my example. It should be noted that Dr. LaHaye and other supporters of dispensational doctrine and a pre-tribulation, church only “rapture” theory have founded a “Pre-Trib Research Center” to defend their beliefs from men like me. I naturally examined the research center’s teachings in detail (as should the reader), but it is not necessary to deal with all the error being defended by Dr. Tim LaHaye and others. An examination of the primary distinctives will collapse this gigantic balloon of hot air with an audible “whoosh” in the spirit and soul of any believer who wants to know the Truth (deliberate capital “T”). The complexity of the doctrine with all its twisted proof texts makes it difficult for most believers to thoroughly evaluate or refute, which is typical of all false teaching. But an evaluation of the key elements is all that is needed to unravel this complicated, erroneous theory derived from a deductive rather than inductive, Spirit-guided exegesis of scripture. For the sake of brevity I will not address every error and the isogetic proof texts being used by LaHaye and others. I have examined them, but I do not want to exhaust the reader with too much evidence. I trust that the Spirit of Truth will lead the disciple whose balloon of pre-trib “rapture” belief has been ruptured, to follow up in a noble Berean manner with the rest. An excerpt from his book, Charting the End Times, a modern version of Clarence Larkin’s Dispensational Truth (one of my favorite books in earlier years), will quickly demonstrate the weakness of the dispensational pre-tribulation rapture position and Dr. LaHaye’s numerous errors of interpretation. In Charting the End Times, LaHaye correctly explains that the message to the seven churches (Revelation 2 and 3) was to seven specific churches of that day, although there were at least ten actual churches in existence at that time, and that this message was also to seven types of churches that demonstrate the characteristics of the original seven churches to whom the Lord spoke through John. The order in which He addressed the churches, says LaHaye, seems to establish the order in which they would be predominant in church history. Some of these apparently do not exist as a type today, but, at the very least, the three of greatest interest are still present today in various places around the world. These are the Philadelphian church, whom the Lord promised to “keep from the hour of testing that will come on the whole world”, the Sardis church, and the Laodicean church. The Philadelphia type of church was predominant in Europe and America in the 1700’s and early 1800’s, and, according to LaHaye, the Laodicean church, the lukewarm church that makes the Lord want to spew, will be the final predominant type of church in this lineup. The following is a quote from page 48-49 of Charting the End Times by Dr. Tim LaHaye: “The apostles repeatedly warned believers to be on guard against doctrinal defection or apostasy. That we have so much defection today is a clear sign that we are in the end times. “Even though the New Testament doesn’t give specific prophecies concerning the church age, we have three sets of passages that paint a general picture of the course of this age. All three indicate that apostasy will characterize Christendom during the time that the rapture takes place.” His chart of the seven types of churches in historic order, immediately above the forementioned excerpt, points downward like a General Motors profit and loss statement prior to the Obama bailout, and the headline reads, “Continual Growth and Increasing Apostasy”. Most modern evangelical believers will nod their heads in agreement as they read the chart and the text, but pay attention to his primary assertions: 1.The New Testament doesn’t give any specific prophecies concerning the church age; 2.Apostasy will characterize Christendom during the time that the rapture takes place. It is extremely interesting that LaHaye can say the New Testament does not give any specific prophecies concerning the church age (from the day of Pentecost until the resurrection) and in another section of the text actually claim the prophecy of Paul, given in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-16 as a specific proof text for the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. The specific prophetic passages in the New Testament directly related to the church age are so numerous that an exhaustive list would overwhelm the reader. Therefore, I will highlight just a few of the indisputable specific prophectic passages relating directly to the church in the end times: 1.Matthew 24:1-2 – Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple, which occurred in 70AD, during the church age (and, as will be demonstrated, the entirety of this chapter relates to the church) – repeated in Mark 13 and Luke 21; this prophecy also included the signs of the times at the end of the church age; Matthew 24:3-51; Mark 13:5-37; Luke 21:8-36, the very passages that confounded Darby, the popularizer of dispensational theology, and, that apparently still confounds Dr. Tim LaHaye; 2.Joel 2:28-29 – Peter quoted this prophetic passage as being partially fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, the beginning of the church age; 3.James 5:7,8 – James prophesies that there will be both an early and a latter rain on the church prior to the day of the Lord; 4.Revelation 2 and 3 – In contradiction of his own statement, LaHaye points out that this message to the seven churches was a specific prophetic revelation of the historic predominance of the seven types of churches as well as a specific prophetic revelation of judgment on those who do not repent; 5.Revelation 3:10 – the Lord specifically prophesies that the Philadelphian type of church will be protected from experiencing the wrath of God during the “time of Jacob’s trouble”, though not necessarily in absentia; 6.Matthew 25:1-13 – the parable of the ten virgins (which will be revealed as one of the most specific prophetic passages in the New Testament) supported by numerous Old Testament and New Testament passages; 7.Ephesians 4:11-15 – Paul prophesies the maturing and unity of the church, attaining to the “full measure” of Jesus Christ, which did not happen in his lifetime, nor has it happened, yet. But, because it is the purpose of the Lord to bring His church to maturity and fullness in the world, it will happen. In spite of LaHaye’s dis-acknowledgment of the existence of biblical prophecies specifically related to the church, he does claim that biblical prophecy reveals a pre-tribulation “rapture” of the church. In this he assumes that the Lord will come to rapture away a defeated, worldly, lukewarm church (the church that the Lord wants to spew out of His mouth), and this should, just by context, raise a spiritual red flag in the reader’s mind. And, if I believed it, my despair would be unconsolable. On page 106 of Charting End Times, LaHaye gives his succinct synopsis of the pre-trib “rapture” theory as follows: “1. The Pre-Tribulation View - Christ comes in fulfillment of His own promise in Revelation 3:10 to keep His church from ‘the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth (KJV).’ This is the prevailing view and the one held by the authors of this book.” It is interesting that he should pick this particular distinctive of the pre-trib “rapture” theory as his prima facie evidence. He has already stated that the Lord will be coming back for a defeated, worldly lukewarm church, the church that He wants to spew out of his mouth, the church from which there will be a massive apostasy too horrible to imagine, and the reason the Lord is coming back to carry this sorry excuse for a church back to His father’s house in glory is His promise to the Philadelphian church, the church that exemplified His unity, His glory, and His love. Is LaHaye serious? Of all the convoluted arguments for a pre-tribulation “rapture”, none is more absurd or erroneous than this one. LaHaye then follows up with an explanation that the literal Philadelphian church no longer exists and that this promise to a now non-existent church is, therefore, a promise to the “universal church”. (Although he claims elsewhere that this message is to seven “types” of the church thoughout the age) How do you see that claim flying in any court of law, including the High Court? Readers poring over LaHaye’s book in a stupor of reverential awe could not possibly miss this, but they do. The promise was made to a literal church at the time of John’s revelation, and it was given to them and no other church existing at the time, because of their extreme faithfulness. Not even the church at Smyrna, for whom the Lord had no criticisms, received this promise. It follows then that if the promise did not apply to any of the other six literal churches at the time, then it would not apply to any of the six other “types” of church present at the time of the tribulation much less to the “universal church” that primarily exhibits the characteristics of the Laodicean and Sardis churches . The fact that there were at least ten churches in existence at the time of this prophetic utterance by the Lord indicates that the weight of the message, though it did apply specifically to seven literal churches at that time, was made primarily and prophetically to seven characteristic “types” of the church throughout the ages just as LaHaye correctly claims. The promise, then, is to the Philadelphian “type” of church. The Laodicean church (LaHaye’s “universal church”), though, is in deep trouble. (Don’t do a knee jerk here. I’m not going to claim a partial rapture.) If we are going to use the term, “universal church”, then we should adopt the Lord’s own categorization into seven types of “universal church”, and He only made the promise of Revelation 3:10 to the Philadelphian type of “universal church”. Since you …(the literal church at Philadelphia)…have kept my command to endure…(persecution by the synagogue of Satan)… 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. Revelation 3:10 NIV (inserts and emphasis are the author’s) LaHaye couples this promise (which he erroneously claims as a “universal” promise) with the promise that we, the church, are not “appointed” or “destined” for wrath. (1 Thessalonians 5:9) However, LaHaye, like many pre-trib “rapture” theorists use this passage inappropriately. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 1 Thessalonians 5:9,10 KJV As a writer I am acutely aware of sentence structure. The specific wrath spoken of here in this sentance is the wrath of eternal judgment, not the retributive wrath of God’s judgment on a fallen, unbelieving world. And those who are not “appointed” or “destined” for eternal wrath are those who have received Jesus Christ by faith, regardless of which type of church they participated in. In addition, pre-tribulation “rapture” theorists use the words “tribulation” and “wrath” interchangeably. However, tribulation and wrath are not synonymous, and they are not the same word in scripture. We are subject to tribulation in this world, but we are not subject to wrath. Even the literal Philadelphian church was subject to tribulation, and the Philadelphian “type” of church is subject to tribulation, too. Wrath translated from the Greek word "orge" (Strong’s #3709) connotes retributive wrath and is only used to indicate events after the 7th seal is broken, and the scroll of God’s wrath is opened (Revelation 8:1). Therefore, 1 Thessalonians 5:9 – “For God has not destined us for wrath…” could only apply to that part of the tribulation after the opening of the seventh seal. (But, as we will demonstrate, He did not say that the Philadelphian church would not “witness” this wrath, only that they would be kept from being harmed by it.) Tribulation translated from the Greek word "thilipsis" (Strong’s #2568) denotes the results of being squeezed or put into a narrow place. Hence “trouble”, “affliction”, and “distress”. After Jesus described the “tribulation” during the “end of the age” in Mathew 24:13 He states: "He that endures to the end will be saved" (KJV). In verses 11 and 12, Philadelphian believers are then encouraged by the Lord to continue to endure trials and tribulations in order to “overcome” such trials, “holding fast”, “firmly fixed” to become a “victor” and receive the “crown” of eternal life. But he who stands firm…(through tribulation)… to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:13 NIV (insert is the author’s) In context, “until the end” in this passage means until the very end, not merely the end of tribulation and beginning of wrath. The Philadelphian church is the only type of church to receive a promise of special protection during the tribulation, and that promise only relates to God’s wrath (“the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world”) The assumption that they will not be present during some part of the tribulation is, therefore, totally incorrect. Likewise, the “hour” of trial in this passage may or may not apply to the “week” of tribulation as it is described elsewhere. It could apply to the “great tribulation” after the opening of the seventh seal, but it could also apply only to judgment portion of the great and terrible day of the Lord, and, in that case, the Philadelphian church would not be present. It will be argued in another commentary, “Parable of the Ten Virgins Unveiled”, that the wise virgins are the Philadelphian church and the foolish virgins are the apostate church (primarily from the Laodicean and Sardis types of the church). If my interpretation is correct, then the only type of true, born again church still alive on the last day, the day the living church meets Him in the air will be the Philadelphian church. The “universal” church, apart from the Philadelphian church, will have long since become apostate. Are you thinking, then, that the Lord cannot thus transform the church in a few short years? Re-examine what He did in the first 3 ½ years of the church. (Examined thoroughly in “The Parable of the Ten Virgins Unveiled”) And imagine, if you will, what kind of wake up call the entire believing church will have when an obscure political figure who is not even a head of state, yet, negotiates a peace treaty in Jerusalem between Israel and many nations after Israel has triumphed in a nuclear exchange with Islamic terrorist regimes.