Pre-Trib belief antagonists are on the rise. Rapture critics, even among those who claim to believe in the eventuality of a Rapture, just not the pre-Tribulation view of that event, purport to present evidence on every side that our times trumpet the obvious: The world is about to enter the Tribulation. Christ’s call to believers, they say, just isn’t going to happen before Christians suffer at least part of the terrors of that beastly era.
They offer that anyone with knowledge of issues and events going on should recognize that the New World Order bunch is transforming America and the world into the kingdom of Antichrist. All is about to come together for the Gog-led invasion into the Middle East. As a matter of fact, many hold that World War III has already begun.
Advanced computer and other control technologies and instrumentalities are in place for locking everyone on the planet into fiscal bondage and physical slavery to the final empire as prophesied by Daniel.
Those of us who believe there is coming a supernatural Rapture-escape from these judgments on sinful mankind are just living in fantasy land is the collective message I infer from emails and articles that increasingly assault my senses. That I, and all of you, should begin prepping with food, water, gold, silver, and finding a good bunker in which to hunker down during these upcoming days seem to me to be the things these Rapture naysayers are presenting. Seldom do I hear coming from our opponents on the question of the Rapture the admonition to be trying to witness with all our might the gospel of Jesus Christ. I guess there will be plenty of time for that once the Antichrist regime is firmly in place.
While the Pre-Trib proponent holds at the heart of his effort winning as many souls to Christ as possible so those saved won’t go through that time of horrors, many of the anti-Rapture antagonists want to do things to make sure they are more comfortable while trying to survive that hellish time.
Coincidentally–or perhaps not–these just happen to, in some cases of TV and other ministries who openly disdain the thought of Rapture, offer for sale all of these things for survival. The packaged food items invariably are proclaimed to have shelf lives of three decades or longer. So, we can, if we survive, have these supplies to partake of well into the Millennium, I suppose. This, based upon the general theme that they believe the seven-year Tribulation, not the Rapture, is imminent. There have been over the past few years a number of debates taking place on whether there will be the Pre-Trib Rapture or not. The best I’ve heard was the one at the Pre-Trib study group meetings when Dr. Mark Hitchcock completely destroyed the anti-Rapture arguments of the Bible Answer Man.
There are some such debates scheduled for prophecy conferences in the near future. These will perhaps offer new food for thought, but I doubt whether they will change minds on either side of the controversy.
Personally, I believe the time for debate on this matter is past. It is time now to just offer the assurance of that soon to come exhilarating moment when Christ will say “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:1).
There are so many scriptural assurances of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture that we could fill many articles with them. As a matter of fact, we have done just that on the Rapture Ready website.
I wish to mention only one Rapture factor here, because I believe it is the most reassuring of all truth in God’s telling His children that they are not appointed to His wrath. Here we interject the question proposed in our title: Where’s the Comfort? By that we ask: What comfort is there in the argument that Christians will go through the Tribulation?
Paul the apostle first assures us of this fact: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). But, it is the next thought from the mind of God that should cause warm reassurance in the spiritual heart of every believer: “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Get it? We are to “comfort” ourselves, not wring our hands looking for these things to destroy us or to look for Antichrist. We are to be looking for our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13).
There is no comfort –nor is there directive in God’s Word–to be had in anticipating going through the time of God’s wrath and almost certain martyrdom (probably by beheading). There is no comfort in looking for the worst dictator in the planet’s history to hunt us down and lop off our heads.
Here is what God’s Word promises instead of the dreaded scenario proposed by the Rapture antagonists:
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
Terry James Prophecy Line 
Reblogged this on BibleProphecyWatch.
Yes, there are so many (fellow Christians) who will beat the snot out you for talking pre-trib. They really believe we will be here for all of at least part of the tribulation. ANYONE read the seal judgments or the FIRST SET of judgments? The death is going to be catastrophic and how do they think “we” (the church) will avoid that?
For them to believe we won’t be taken out of the way is to believe God will do something totally different with His children and God does not change. He rescued Noah and family and Lot and family and He will keep His promises and come rescue us! Thank you Brother Terry but like you I feel the time for debate is over and lets face it…….you can’t even have a calm debate with many who think they will go through the 7 year tribulation.
God bless and I believe our time is short and judgment is coming soon. Even so come Lord Jesus! MARANATHA
Thank you Pastor James for your steadfast defense of the Pre-Trib Rapture. I have days where I wonder if possibly there is no Rapture. Thanks to you, I wake up every morning wondering and hoping “maybe today is the day” Jesus takes his children from the chaos of this world to be with him for eternity. Thanks again for all you do Pastor James. Maranatha Lord Jesus.
What an encouragement to read your thoughts/truth concerning the calling out of the body of Christ. I completely agree with GWA’s comments. We are daily looking for the swift coming of the Lord—-in His perfect timing. We must continue to comfort one another with these words, because the days are evil! Praying that others would accept Christ’s great salvation before it’s to late. The Sprit and the Bride say come……Maranatha!
It is the admonition in Titus 2:13 that keeps me sane in this increasingly crazy world. Come Lord Jesus! Thanks for the encouragement that others like me out there.
Excellent commentary!
The pre wrath group or those that presuppose we will go through the tribulation are generally works minded. Its up to them to survive the tribulation. It’s their job to make themselves worthy for Christ’s rescue of the church by being good enough for heaven.
They are usually believers in a partial rapture.
Most will scare Christian’s, if you believe in pre trib you will take the mark of the beast.
We are in the age of Grace! We rely on God in all areas and the Holy spirit keeps us through our faith. We can do nothing to earn salvation or the rapture.
Blessings to all.
Luke {21:35-36} For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Jesus gives a detailed description of the great turmoil that will envelop the Earth at the end of this age in the verses preceding this one. But right here he also reveals that those who are “accounted worthy” will escape “all these things.” Not just some of them – ALL of them.
The thing is, much of the modern church as it exists today does a Bible grab-bag – pulling out only the passages that suit themselves, ignoring those that don;t. The Pre-Trib Rapture opponents are apparently doing the very same thing.
Oh, one more thing. How does one become “worthy?”
I think the answer for that is also clear:
John {6:28-29} Then said they* unto him**, What shall we do, that we
might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. ( *The group of people. ** Jesus)
Seems pretty straightforward to me!
I think the greatest failure of the church is to see that our Lord is waiting patiently as we are to take us all out of this dark world. We see so much escalation of hate in it, it comes from the people from the government, people killing each other because one doesn’t believe in a certain religion, it is the blessed Hope of all true believers in Christ to be taken out before the worst happens, I see it as a row of dominoes, each piece gets put down waiting for the last piece to be laid and then the one thing to make it all fall (The Rapture) hits and hits hard. Many who “thought” they were true followers of Christ will be shocked! Those who are Christ’s will leave the madness and be taken to be with our Father and His Christ and serve honor and worship! I’m excited!!! I think about it everyday we are still here, and it joy’s me to see others excited and looking forward to that departure!!
Hallelujah to the King!!!
I am looking forward to the Rapture and I have been since the 6 Day War in 1967. You know how you can remember exactly where you were when certain events happen in your life? That is one of my “events”. I was in the process of moving with my 6-month daughter and my husband from Texas to Pennsylvania. From that point on, God enlarged my scope. He began to grow me. (I had been a Christian since I was 7, another “event”. I was in the backyard swinging under the mulberry tree.) Anyway, lots of mileage between that day and today and lots of “events”.
Now I am a 73-year old and I grieve for Christ’s church. Where has it gone? My husband and I retired and moved from Oklahoma to Virginia. We were in a Bible teaching church and one that taught prophecy. There are many ministries in OKC area that teach prophecy. We went to the local Southern Baptist Church and I was teaching Bible prophecy to an adult class. When I talked with others in the church about prophecy one of the “preachers” that was a member of the church and “supplies” to other churches in the area told me that prophecy scared him to death. WOW!!! It has always comforted me. Then one of the “elders” told me he did not think it was right to scare people with prophecy to get them to “become a Christian”. Prophecy scarey?? Then at a church council meeting I was told that I would teach Rick Warren’s book on the Purpose Driven Life and I refused to participate. They wanted the whole church to participate so I gave my class the option to go to a PDL class. My class chose to do that. I took a sabbatical from Sunday School but when I went to worship the pastor preached from the Purpose Driven Life. I went back when it was all over and they were into Thomas Merton’s Contemplative Prayers. I walked away.
Every church we have visited has had an element or the whole teachings of Rick Warren. I don’t believe there is a Bible believing, prophecy teaching church within 30 miles of us. There are a lot of Christians in the same boat. We cannot find a church with a pastor who preaches from the Bible. They use the books of other men. I feast on your teachings and I also have read and listened to Pastor Hitchcock. I weep for the church. Most seem to have become progressive and New Age.
Well put sister Dawn. Thank you so much for taking a stand against the poison of Rick Warren’s cult religion. One good part of the internet is the ability to find ministers who teach the whole truth of God’s Word. People who are scared of prophecy need to reexamine their personal relationship with the Lord. Maranatha Lord Jesus.
Dawn, that’s one of the best reply’s I have read in a long time! I am 55 and my mother raised me knowing this would be THE GENERATION that saw Jesus’s return and I was taught bible prophecy. Like many of my precious brothers and sisters I find myself doing “online church” or sermons. I am grateful to Rapture Ready and Terry and Todd and anyone that feeds us “real meat” as it were. I am not scared but so ready for those eastern skies to bust open and to hear those promised words…..COME UP HERE! I am expecting it any day now as I believe we are totally in THE season. At this time we must contend for “the faith” and sadly, many don’t want to hear the truth as it sounds too harsh, judgmental to their ears and hell? Don’t EVEN talk about that!
So……thank you and I loved your comment! GOD BLESS YOU!