Some people have a lot of trouble
accepting the idea that God would rapture the church out but leave everyone
else to go through the tribulation. They
think it is heartless and cruel of Him.
I, however, think that a pre-trib rapture is the most merciful thing God
could do.
In the movie Left Behind (with Nicolas Cage), a young woman who missed the
rapture looks around at all the pain and heartbreak and devastation . . . and
she screams out about how the loving God her mother worshipped would never
cause something as tragic as that to happen.
He would never take people away and let others be left behind to face
the troubles of the tribulation.
Or would He?
The thing is, I think a pre-trib
rapture shows just how loving and merciful and patient He is, how much He wants
everyone to come to Him.
Yes, the tribulation will be a
terrible time, unlike any other on earth.
But it is also the best thing He could do.
To take out all believers before the
tribulation (and to take out the newest believers before each new set of
judgments is unleashed) shows great love and mercy for those who have chosen
Him as Lord and Savior.
But it also shows great concern for
those “left behind,” because the tribulation will be a “final call” when God
clearly shows Himself and proves the Bible to be true, giving people a last
chance to call Him Lord and Savior. (And
let’s not forget how many calls and warnings God has graciously given over
time, even putting it all in print in the Bible. No one will be able to say that God didn’t
warn them. It’s all there, in His
Word.)
I believe the pre-trib rapture will
be the greatest “wake-up call” the world receives. There will be no ambiguity about Jesus and
Satan, heaven and hell, anymore. And it
gives people time during the beginning of the tribulation to see the truth and
to choose Him before He releases the divine judgments – His wrath – on the
staunch unbelievers.
If the rapture is mid-trib or
post-trib (which is possible, if the theologians who believe this are correct)
then the believers of the church age will face terrible persecution at the
hands of man and Satan. But if this were
true, what incentive would there be for the unbelievers to turn to God during
this time? They would have no real
reason to think that the Bible was true all along or to desire to turn to
Christ in the face of such persecution.
But if the rapture is pre-trib and
before the massive martyrdom starts, then the world would have the biggest
wake-up call ever and the greatest proof that the Bible is true, causing many
people to turn to God despite the fact that they know the persecution is
coming. The proof of God would be so
shockingly clear that they would know that they have no other option than to
choose God or choose eternal death.
And so, if the rapture will be the
greatest wake-up call and the event that forces people to choose – if it brings
many people to Christ – then it is indeed the most merciful thing God can do.
If there’s one thing that I know
about our God (especially as I read Jeremiah right now) it’s that our God is
the God of many chances. He is always
calling and calling to the people. And
He constantly warns them about upcoming judgment, over and over again, in the
hopes that they turn to Him and repent and that He won’t have to unleash judgment
on them.
And in so many places, He shields or
spares the righteous people when He releases His judgment or punishment. He pulls out Lot and his family before
destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. He spares
Noah and his family from the flood. In Jeremiah 5:1, He says He will spare a
whole city for one righteous person.
The way I see it, to spare believers
from the tribulation and to send a huge wake-up call (and warning) at the same
time to unbelievers - giving more people a chance to come to Him - fits very
neatly with God’s character.
There are some theologians who claim
that the next event on the “end times” schedule is not the rapture, but the
final coming of Christ to rule. They
claim that we believers are waiting for Christ to come back and to pronounce
final judgment and begin His final reign.
While this would be fine for the
believers, it would be awful for unbelievers.
If Jesus came back again right now – if there was no rapture and no
tribulation – then there would be no second chance for unbelievers. When He returns, there is no chance to change
your mind. Your decision has been
made. Your final answer given.
While this sounds fine for
believers, I think a rapture and tribulation are more merciful for unbelievers
because it gives them another opportunity to choose God. As terrible as the tribulation will be, it
would be eternally tragic if they never had this last chance, if they never had
this final proof that the Bible is true and the opportunity to get their souls
and their allegiance in order.
The tribulation is not just meant to
be a time of God’s judgment being unleashed, but it is also meant to be a time
when people will clearly and knowingly decide who they will worship. There will be no “I just didn’t realize that
God was real and the Bible was true.”
Everything will be made crystal clear to force people to decide, to pick
a side. And as I said earlier in the “My
Understanding of the End Times” post, since the believers of the church-age
have already decided, there is no reason for them to go into this “deciding
time.”
All of these things put together
(which I looked at in that “End Times” post) – the timing of the events, the
explanation of the groups of people and how they are taken out of the earth,
the descriptions of the elders, and the knowledge of God’s mercy and love and
how He gives many chances and always spares the righteous – point clearly to a
pre-trib rapture. At least for me.
That being said, I know I could be
wrong. And if so, then at least I know
what to expect during the trib. And I
know that even if we have to face persecution or martyrdom (as many people
around the world are currently facing), my eternal soul is secure. Satan may be able to destroy our bodies, but
he can never destroy the souls of the saved.
Are you ready?
Studying and understanding the end
times has only created in me a burning desire to live for eternity and to help
as many people as possible find their way out of the fire. (Not that I always succeed at that, but it is
my passion.) Maybe this is the
“blessing” spoken of earlier for those who read Revelation and take it to
heart.
Understanding the horrible events of
the tribulation – and knowing that I would not want to go through them myself –
makes me concerned for the unbelievers I know.
Yes, I know it says that there will be many that come to faith during
the tribulation, but do we want our loved ones, neighbors, and friends to be
left behind to experience that?
Believing in a pre-trib rapture
shouldn’t make us lazy and comfortable, like “Oh, at least we’ll be out of here
and don’t have to worry about going through that.” It should make us go, “Hey, friends, this is
what will happen if you are left behind.
Take the way out that God provides, not only the way out of the
tribulation but also the only way out of hell.”
2
Peter 3:11-14: “Since
everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to
be? You ought to live holy and godly
lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed it’s coming. . . . So
then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to
be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”
Do you live in a holy, godly
life? In a way that draw others to
Christ? Are you at peace with God? Are you living in a way that you can have
confidence when you stand before Him?
Are you doing all that He is asking you to do? Are you ready to die or for Christ to come
back again, in the twinkling of an eye?
If that were to happen today, would there be any important task left
undone? Would He say, “Well done, good
and faithful servant”? Are there any
unreached loved ones that don’t know about your faith and the reason for the
hope you have? Do they see anything
different about you that would make them want to know our God? Do you long for the coming of the Lord or
have you made this earth your home? Are
you fighting for souls and God’s Kingdom in prayer, if not in action and
word? This will be all that remains when
everything else burns up.
Where are your treasures? What is your faith in? What are you betting your soul on?
