hi dominic,
The rapture theorist's have three ideas about the "rapture". One is pre-tribulation, that the church will be taken out of the world before the 7 year tribulation begins: then mid-tribulation, that the church is taken out of the world at 3 1/2 years into the tribulation, and post tribulation, that the church goes through the whole 7 years. The idea that we won't suffer at all because we won't be here, pre-tribulation rapture, is false. There is so much scripture showing the church is here I don't see how anyone can believe pre-trib. I think shalom when he says "rapture" he's mostly banging pre-trib, and I agree with him. Mid-trib is the same problem, too much scripture shows us still here after the mid-way point. The truth is that we will be here to the bitter end, unless we are martyred before that as many will be. The church will suffer tribulation, that doesn't fill up church pews and offering plates. Pre-trib does. Pre-trib is nice and comy and more like, mom, apple pie, and the american dream. The poor Christians who believe it will suffer loss!! Mid-trib is sort of a compromise, suffer some, but not the worst. It all appeals to the comfy "flesh" that doesn't want to suffer!! At the end of the tribulation the last of the saints will be taken up "in the twinkling of an eye" from the earth, the ones still alive, and then God's wrath is poured out. The word says plainly that we will suffer tribulation but that we are not appointed to wrath. |
