Subtitle: An Open Letter to Christ’s 21st Century Church

I. Introduction.

A Christian layman and believer for more than seventy years presents the following thoughts for your consideration. I do not claim to be a scholar of scripture or even a learned student, but one who loves our precious Savior and Lord and spends considerable time in His Word.

By way of introduction, I served some 13 years as executive vice-president and manager of all operations of one of the largest Christian print, television and radio ministries in America, as well as having served on its board. I was also a board member for some 11 years of one of today’s largest radio and tape ministries, which is directed by one of Americas’ finest Bible teachers. My reason for mentioning this is to say that through the years I have been exposed to a considerable amount of solid Bible teaching, and all of it included pre-tribulation teaching.

None of the above makes me an expert or authority in interpreting end time events, but I thoroughly believe His Word was written so the youngest to the oldest, all those who read the scripture with an open mind and with some ability to understand, can know what God, and through His Son Jesus, is teaching us in His inspired Word.

In the days of my youth, I was privileged to hear one of the most dynamic and brilliant Bible teachers of the 20th century practically every time there was a service at our church. Very often he preached from Revelation and I remember, even at a young age, it left me with many unanswered questions in my mind. But, as an obedient listener, I believed every word he taught, because it seemed he had great Biblical wisdom, and he was what I thought to be a super intelligent person. If he said pre-tribulation rapture was the correct and only way to believe, I had no reason or desire to challenge him, and thus believed it to be the truth for most of my life. This is the way most of us Christians were indoctrinated into scriptural teaching and beliefs.

It is very likely that everyone who reads this presentation will already have some concept of the meaning of pre-tribulation Rapture. But for those of you who do not, let me give you my brief definition. This teaching holds to a seven-year tribulation period (there is not one scripture passage that describes it that way), which is the “seventieth week of Daniel,” or seven years, as prophesied in Daniel 9:27. (Daniel 9:27 “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”) They teach that immediately prior to these seven years, the church will be caught up to meet Jesus in the clouds, or secretly Raptured. Thus the description is given, “pre-tribulation,” or, a pre-troublous times rapture. Pre-tribulation teaching claims there are no prophesied events or signs that must take place before the Rapture, making it imminent, or an “any moment” event (Jesus Himself emphatically prophesied just the opposite). The dead in Christ will be raised first, then together with the living will be caught up in the clouds to meet their Lord and Savior, all will be given glorified bodies, and taken to Heaven where the souls of the dead will be reunited with their glorified bodies. (I Thessalonians 4:16-17, 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.) They refer to this as the Second Coming. Most teach that the Day of the Lord, which includes the wrath of God, commences immediately after this pre-tribulation rapture and lasts for seven years. Many even teach the Day of the Lord lasts through the one thousand year earthly reign of Jesus, the Kingdom of God. At the end of the seven years, Jesus will return to earth which would be the Second, or actually the Third, Coming. Thus, this teaching incorporates two more comings of Jesus. This teaching claims that if you take prophetic scriptures literally, and accept the Bible literally, this must be your only choice of Rapture sequence, even though there is not one scripture reference that specifically backs this claim.

General Christendom today accepts the concept that if our finest seminaries, Bible institutes, esteemed Christian colleges and universities, together with present day preachers and teachers who have tremendous exposure in print, movies, television and radio, teach pre-tribulation Rapture, it must be correct.

Most, if not all, of our present day teachers were taught pre-tribulation Rapture by earlier scholars, and this teaching was passed on from generation to generation with some new embellishments over some 150 years. As the teaching became deeper entrenched, few, if any, were willing to “get out of step” and seriously challenge the scriptural correctness of the teaching. Many teachers have an entire lifetime committed to teaching pre-tribulation Rapture, by authoring books, recording messages on audiotapes, VHS tapes, and CDs, plus making movies, preaching at conferences, etc. These teachers are now so tethered to royalties and pride of teaching that change seems almost impossible. This, however, does not necessarily make the teaching correct.

As you read through this presentation, you are going to be made aware of some teaching you likely have never been exposed to before. It is not new, and has always been in scripture as Jesus taught it, but is presented in this study in a somewhat different format. Everything that you will read from the New Testament is based on the teaching of Jesus. Please take the time to carefully study every scripture reference to see just what is being taught and who is doing the teaching. The leading teachers of the pre-tribulation theory have formed a self-appointed protectorate group to make sure no one will contaminate their teaching, and for sure, they do not want you to read what is contained in this study. I admire their determination. In defending their position, many have written books that you might describe as not showing the love of Christian character.

Please understand that I love each of these men dearly as true brothers in Christ. I only challenge the validity of what they teach about the Rapture timing, and the reason for my challenge will become very clear as we proceed. I still listen to many of them weekly on radio or television. I consider most, if not all, to be teachers with great integrity, many with Doctorates and several other degrees behind their names, and all having good intentions. I have full expectations that we, because we are His elect, will spend eternity together worshipping our Lord and Savior, regardless of when the Rapture occurs. However, each of them, as well as myself, will face our God and Savior someday and give an account of what we said and why, and what we wrote, and why, and defend our teaching. What did we write, was it biblically correct, and did it totally comply with the teaching of Jesus? From whom did we receive our teaching? Did we check the authenticity of it as to whether or not it was taught by Jesus Himself in scripture? I will be the first to say the Church does not need any more confusion and disagreements in teaching on this or any other subject. But I have a concerned heart that a generation, living now or which will appear at some later date, will face a terrible time in history, totally unprepared for the testing they will face, because they were not given the truth as to the sequence and timing of the events which will happen in the near future. (see Matthew 24:34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.)

Recently, a very dear and close friend and I were discussing the contents of this presentation, and he sternly advised me that, “how do I dare challenge the teaching of his dear evangelical pastor (of a very large and well known congregation), Dr. _________, because he had some forty years of intense training and studying the Bible, taught in Universities, had several degrees behind his name, had always taught pre-tribulation Rapture during all of his ministry, and because of this, had much more credibility and knowledge than I.” This friend is now middle aged, and still has very minimal understanding of end time events. He then challenged me that I “could not claim more knowledge than his pastor, that my presentation is something brand new, and that I should be ashamed to claim this presentation to be correct and all other teaching to be wrong.” Friends, “I” am not claiming to be smarter than anyone, nor that I am the only one that is correct. I will readily admit that most pastors and Bible teachers have a great deal more knowledge of scripture than I. But what I am claiming with boldness is that this presentation is what Jesus taught, and I claim this teaching to be correct for that reason alone. It seems to make no difference whether you are a nominal Christian or a committed believer who knows the scriptures well and can back up your standing in Christ, the above is a very typical response. Perhaps this is the response even you would make.

As was mentioned before, some of the main tenets of the pre-tribulation teaching are that there are to be no signs (signless), there are no prophesied events that need to take place before the Rapture, and the Rapture is imminent and can take place at any moment. We will address these, and other teachings, later in this presentation. You will read on the following pages where Jesus Himself is quoted, or scripture references are given where Jesus is quoted, over and over again. Either Jesus is wrong, and didn’t know what He was teaching as being correct, or the pre-tribulation teaching of today is incorrect. Both teachings cannot be correct. This paper is written as a defense of the teaching of Jesus and not as an argument, and is a positive study of just what Jesus said and taught about His return and what He and God the Father prophesied would happen before, during, and after Daniels’s seventieth week. I humbly pray to our Heavenly Father that, after reading this, you too will have the courage, and be brave enough, without fear of retribution and intimidation, to take a stand and defend the teaching of Jesus, if He would so lead you.

Supporting a given Rapture view by naming, and claiming, that the best teachers support their view is without merit. For all of the elect who have died before the present moment, it will not matter one iota as to just when Jesus returns to gather His loved ones, or what they believed before their death. But for all those living today or in the future who could live through the 70th week of Daniel, it matters tremendously. Whatever the basis for the beliefs of today’s generation, whether it is what is contained herein or what the Church generally teaches today as pre-tribulation, it is unconscionable that any believer be deceived. Think of the millions of Christians who have been and are presently being martyred for claiming the name of Jesus, how Christians were thrown to the lions in the Coliseum, and how Christians, because of their testimony, were put alive on a stake and set on fire to give light for the Romans’ parties. Paul told the Thessalonians that we, all of us who claim Jesus’ name, are appointed to suffer tribulation. (I Thessalonians 3:3-4, 3 That no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. 4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.) And now, present day teachers want us to believe that Jesus loves us to a greater degree than He loved the millions who have suffered and were martyred before us. And because we are His Bride, as were all the elect before us, we are a favored group, and He does not want to see us face these testings and Satan’s wrath for the name of Jesus we claim.

Believe me, I did believe for some 65+ years in pre-tribulation Rapture. We would all be excused from the terrible end time testing and the wrath of Satan, or seven years of the Lord’s wrath (which most pre-tribulation teachers proclaim), and nothing could be better than that. The problem is, there is not one shred of unquestionable evidence that can be used to prove that this is taught anywhere in scripture, or that this is what Jesus taught. Well, my Dear Friends, years of studying have taught me you can believe most of the teachers of today and still be wrong. Or you have the option of believing the true prophesies and teachings of God himself as revealed through His Son Jesus, or from Jesus through an angel, as your sole authority of what you believe. Personally, after much time spent searching the scriptures, and searching my heart and my conscience, I had no choice but to believe our precious Savior and teacher, Jesus our Lord.

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