Pre-Tribulation Rapture Most Christians Believe

Pre-Tribulation Rapture

Most Christians believe that Christ will return to earth to collect the faithful. They are to return to heaven with him to live eternally in bliss. This is generally agreed in Christian doctrine. However, some fundamental disputes exist regarding exactly when this "rapture" will occur. These disagreements are related not so much to the historicity and truth of biblical events as to the modern interpretation of these events and of Christian doctrine in general.

The author of the text to be discussed for example professes an initial belief in the "post-tribulation" theory of the rapture. This means that Christ only collects his faithful after the great tribulation is complete. In other words, Christians will not be spared the chaos and pain to be experienced during this time. However, the text provides biblical "evidence" to suggest that the pre-tribulation doctrine has more foundation in scripture than the other side.

Throughout the text, the author appears to interpret several biblical prophesies in quite a literal, and indeed fundamentalist, way. The most interesting part of the text is for example the author's claim to an ability to indicate the time of the rapture, great tribulation, and second coming of Christ. The author for example refutes interpretations of the Bible that holds the great tribulation to occur during AD 70, when Titus burned Jerusalem and the temple, or that the tribulation has been ongoing since the first century after Christ. Instead, the author claims that Matthew 24 and 25 provide "certainty" regarding the correct timing of the event.

Interestingly, no specific certainty is provided. The author simply claims an "increased intensity" of the signs that the great tribulation is approaching. Furthermore, utterances by Christ that are open to a variety of interpretations are used as "evidence" for the pre-tribulation doctrine. It is significant that Christ himself refuses to give a specific indication of time for the events, claiming that even he himself does not know the "day or the hour." According to Jesus, only the Father knows the time of both the second coming and great tribulation.

This however does not stop the author from attempting to come within at least decades or centuries of when the events will take place. In order to do this, various references to both the New and Old Testament prophesies are made. The most interesting of these is Daniel's prophecy of the seventy weeks. Most Christian interpretations agree that the first 69 weeks were fulfilled with the crucifixion of Christ. The last week does not occur immediately after the first 69, leading to much disagreement among Christians and theologians.

Some for example believe that the final week refers to 70 AD, with the burning of the temple. Others in turn believe that it is still to come. What is interesting about the text is the fact that it interprets the final week to quite literally refer to seven days, while the other 69 weeks of Daniel's prophesy were quite clearly not so. Most interpretations believe that the 70 weeks refer to periods of years. The author does not give any substance to the claim for such a literal interpretation of the final week.

Another potential difficulty with the text under discussion is also other instances of literal interpretation, such as the 144,000 and the reference to Jews rather than to the Church as a whole. The author appears to believe that the references to Israel and the people of God in the Bible texts used refer literally only to the Jews rather than to the church or "faithful" in general, as is more commonly believed.

The common replacement of Israel with the conception of any faithful today is referred to as "replacement theology." The author is strongly against such an interpretation, and believes that the literal one should hold.

Finally, the most interesting as well as difficult aspect of this quite fundamental interpretation of the Bible is the fact that the author believes that both the rapture, the great tribulation and the second coming will occur very soon. As mentioned above, the "signs" of increasing wars, famine, and other indications mentioned in the Bible are used as grounds for this interpretation. The problem here is one that has been a part of Christianity since the time of Jesus. The disciples themselves believed that the events described would occur within their lifetime. Throughout the centuries since, various theologians and indeed self-appointed "prophets" have believed and declared the same thing, only to be shamed by the lack of any significant event on the date they set apart for the events.

A further difficulty lies in the use of biblical doctrine itself. The author appears to be quite selective of which portions of the Bible should be interpreted literally. The Kingdom of God is for example assumed to be literal, as is the reference to Israel as the "people of God." However, assuming that all the utterances in the Bible should be taken to heart as literal would then also mean that the monsters, animals, and people described throughout Revelation should be interpreted in this way.