Biblical Forensics©


“The Problems with the Post-Tribulation Rapture”

Part 1


I have written over 300 articles on behalf of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture over the past couple decades and routinely taken to task or attacked on my view. That comes with the turf as they say, “If you can’t take the heat, then stay out of the kitchen.”


About fifteen years ago, one of the things that stood out which I mentally tucked away, and informally tracked and studied as an interesting phenomenon found to be the case of folks who came out of Roman Catholicism. Apparently most, if not all, advocates for the Post-Tribulation Rapture position are former Roman Catholics. Not a single Post-Tribber that I have corresponded with came from a Protestant background. In communication with those posting comments to my book reviews on Amazon, I began to inquire about their religious background or upbringing. What I soon discovered was that 100% of those holding the Post-Tribulation Rapture view identified themselves either as currently, or were formerly, and had come out of the Catholic Church. I note this informal study was never intended to be a scientific study with fixed criteria and that it was simply an informal observation over a period of eighteen years.


In beginning this series, it seemed to be an excellent and appropriate starting point of identifying the problems with the Post-Tribulation Rapture Theory. A common expression that has been around all of my life goes like this: “Give me a child until he/she is seven years old and I will give you a Catholic for life.” This expression is associated with the Jesuits, who are at the forefront of Catholic education. Although it may be a phrase associated with the Jesuits, it did not originate with the Jesuits. It can be found in the writings of “The Philosophy of Aristotle” – “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man”. The Jesuits likely borrowed it from Aristotle. Some of you may have seen or heard of the documentary film “Up Series” produced by Granada Television that has since 1964 followed the lives of fourteen British children, starting when they were seven years old. So far the documentary has done eight episodes spanning 49 years (one episode every seven years).


The children were selected to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the explicit assumption that each child’s social class predetermines their future. What is my purpose here in sharing this information? Well, my ongoing informal study about the religious background of those holding to the Post-Tribulation Rapture theory becomes predictive in ways not often thought of in terms of religious background. Consider the following teachings of the Roman Catholic Church which are 180-degrees opposite of Biblical Truth:












These are some of the more blatant blasphemies of the Roman Catholic Institution. I did not mention sacred images, icons, the confessional, holy orders, priesthood celibacy, last rites, and many other offenses of the Word of God. The RCC is not Christian, it merely pretends to be so, masquerading as the Church of Jesus Christ.


The first reformer Martin Luther himself, once said: “We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist. Personally, I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist.”


John Calvin said of the pope: “I deny him to be the vicar of Christ, who, in furiously persecuting the gospel, demonstrates by his conduct that he is Antichrist.”


John Knox said: “As for your Roman Church… I no more doubt that it is the synagogue of Satan.”


John Wycliffe much earlier said: “Of the pope, he said: “Why is it necessary in unbelief to look for another Antichrist.”


William Tyndale wrote: “I defy the pope, and all his laws. If God spare my life, are many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scriptures than he does.”


Geofrey Grider of “NTEB” (Now the End Begins) points out that, Here at “NTEB”, we receive emails from all over the globe on a daily basis, and we love to hear from our loyal readers. Often however, people who hate the Biblical doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture send us various links and articles in an attempt to prove the Pre-Tribulation will not take place. One of the things that people point to as a means of proof is a spurious writing that dates back to the time in the late 300's just after the founding of Rome's Catholic "church" in 325 A.D. This writing, known as the “Constitution of The Holy Apostles”, is what they use to show as their evidence of a Post Tribulation rapture of the Church.

A major pro-Catholic apologetics site has this to say about it: "It purports to be the work of the Apostles, whose instructions, whether given by them as individuals or as a body, are supposed to be gathered and handed down by the pretended compiler, St. Clement of Rome, the authority of whose name gave fictitious weight to more than one such piece of early Christian literature. The early Church seems never to have regarded this work as of undoubted Apostolic authority. The Trullo Council in 692 A.D. rejected the work on account of the interpolations of heretics. Only that portion of it to which has been given the name "Apostolic Canons" was received; but even the fifty of these canons which had then been accepted by the Western Church were not regarded as of certain or absolute Apostolic origin."


Yet even though it was mostly rejected as authentic teachings by the early Catholic Church, in our day it is still promoted by the Vatican as well as Laodicean "Christians" bent on trying to destroy faith in what the apostle Paul called our "Blessed Hope", the doctrine that Jesus will return to remove His Church in the days before the start of the time of Jacob's trouble.


The Catholic Church has always taught a Post Tribulation theology: So the next time you meet someone who tries to talk you out of your faith in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church, by using suspect Catholic writings to prove their point, just remind them that the Vatican is the Whore of Babylon mentioned in Revelation 17 and 18, and will be destroyed during the Tribulation. Know that we are: "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;" –(Titus 2:13).


You cannot debate Bible doctrine with non-biblical or unbiblical material. The “Constitution of The Holy Apostles” is an interesting read, but it is not Scripture and is not able to speak to or interpret Scripture. The Bible states that "private interpretations" so loved by the Catholic Church are unbiblical, and that only the Bible can interpret the Bible. I remember that the 1,400-year time period of the rule and reign of the Catholic Church used to be taught in schools as the Dark Ages. Think about that.


"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." –(2nd Timothy 2:15).


“ We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. Knowing this first that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came knot in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” -(2nd Peter 1:19-21).


Mr. Grider makes an important point that validates or supports my observation of Catholics and ex-Catholics who continue in their effort to refute the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Because all of the Roman Catholic doctrines are based upon the Roman Catholic Catechism, the statement: “The Catholic Church has always taught a Post-Tribulation Theology”, since the time of Bishop Augustine of Hippo, North Africa. The fact is ALL Catholic doctrine rests on the canons of the RCC Catechism. Their consistency absolutely depends on a Post-Tribulation doctrine. It is the equivalent of being “check-mate” in the game of chess.


One of the most obvious matters is a period after death for Catholics who are confronted with their doctrine of purgatory, which teaches the need to get cleaned up for eternity. Paul pointed out that death for the believer is to be instantly with the Lord in Heaven. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” -(2nd 5:6, 8).


According to the RCC Catechism, the death of a Catholic requires an intermediary stage of an unspecified period of time, and necessitates prayers for the dead by family who may also incur the costs for special masses said for the deceased, etc. Roman Catholicism is a satanically inspired counterfeit of Christianity that has deceived billions into worshipping a false Christ. If you really love Catholics, you will gently show them the truth so that they can decide who they will believe: The Vatican’s Catechism, or the Holy Bible. There is an excellent book by Rick Jones, ‘Understanding Roman Catholicism: 37 Roman Catholic Doctrines Explained’ and published in 1995 by Chick Publications. It offers an excellent education opening the eyes of Catholics about their own Catechism and the Holy Bible. It is sold here: http://www.chick.com/catalog/books/0160.asp and on Amazon.


Unfortunately, few Roman Catholics have ever read the Bible, they are told that they need a priest to interpret it to them. They are dependent upon missals and little booklets printed by Catholic publishing houses. Furthermore, many Catholics are strongly counseled to read only ‘approved materials’ published by recommended Catholic publishers lest they be led astray by ‘false teachings’. Many folks want to quote the “Writings of the Early Church Fathers.” I seriously doubt whether many have consulted the 38-volume work. It is made up of three sets: Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-Nicene era. One thing any researcher discovers at the start is the early Church Fathers are not very reliable as a resource judging by the nature of heresies taught therein. The first ecumenical council was held in Nicaea (now Iznik, Turkey) in 325 A.D. by Constantine.


My point in this initial segment is Roman Catholics and former Roman Catholics are so brain-washed in Catholic theology and so ingrained with Catholic doctrine that is contrary to the Bible itself that it becomes virtually impossible for them to differentiate between the Rapture and the Second Coming. They are not trained to “rightly divide the Word” or to even be able to make the distinction between the Rapture and the Second Coming. In my many archived articles, I wrote one titled: “Compare and Contrast the Differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming”. It included 28 specific areas that explicitly establish the two as unique and separate events. This is the largest list of Biblical distinctions anywhere on the Internet. Below that article is an article “Compare and Contrast the Differences between Israel and the Church”. My articles on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture can be accessed at www. Jesusisthewaythetruththelife.com.


The reason today there are so many attacking the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and pushing the Post-Tribulation position is Biblical literacy or more specifically the absence there of. Few are literate when it comes to understanding the Biblical message. Most Catholics I knew growing up as a teenager were drilled with the fear of God, and the major reason for this was and is to control folks. Former Catholics have been brainwashed with a preponderance of the fear of God rather than the love of God. I grew up in an era where the preacher was not worth his salt unless he preached a message of hell, fire, and brimstone. Millions of Catholics today have left the RCC and live in a sense of stark fear because of how they were raised in Catholic schools by strict Jesuit priests and strict nuns. Perception of God is often biased by child-experiences.


Geofrey Grider hit the nail on the head when he noted that the Roman Catholic Church has always built its theological and doctrinal positions based on a Post-Tribulation Rapture. All of its doctrines and teachings are diametrically opposed to the Gospel of Grace taught by the Apostle Paul. Therefore, we should expect nothing but attacks upon the Gospel of Grace and Paul’s teaching on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture from current and former Roman Catholics.


For example, the “Day of Christ” and the “Day of the Lord” is not the same “Day”. The first is identified in Scripture as the “Day of our Rapture”. The second is referred in Scripture as the ‘Day of God’s righteous wrath and indignation’ or called the “Day of the Lord”. I will do a study on how these two are easily confused. I mention this because there is explicit instruction in the Word of God to: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” -(2nd Timothy 2:15).

There is an old adage that: “things that are different are not the same”. As Christians, we have a nasty tendency to read everything from Matthew to Revelation and try to apply it all to the Church. This will not work, because not all the New Testament is written to the Christian Church. The Church is only one part of it. Much of the New Testament is written to the Jews of that time, and to the Jews that will be living during the time of Jacob’s Trouble, otherwise known as the Great Tribulation. And some of it is written to the unbelieving Gentiles. This is why Paul commands Timothy to teach people how to “rightly divide” their Bibles to know which of the three groups God is speaking to at any given time.


So we see many Christian churches today, who do not rightly divide their Bibles. Most of these are the Laodicean element spoken of in Revelation 3. They are teaching their people that there is no difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming. They insist that these are one and the same event. But we will show you conclusively in this segment that, because of the manifold differences between the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ Jesus, that it is impossible for them to be the same event.


#1: The Rapture is the ‘Blessed Hope’ while the Second Coming is a Day to be greatly feared.

We start with this one first because it is the one difference most overlooked in a study of the differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming. In Titus 2:13, talking about the Rapture, Paul called it “the Blessed Hope”, a day of great comfort and joy. But in Amos 5:18, talking about the Day of the Lord, which is in fact the Second Coming of Christ Jesus, God told us that it is a day of “great woe”, and to be greatly feared! Now, how can the Rapture and the Second Coming possibly be the same? Read Joel 3 for more on the Second Coming. Paul calls the Rapture of the Church the “Day of Christ”. The Second Coming is called “the Day of the Lord”. The day of Christ is to be looked forward to, the Day of the Lord is to be feared. If you are someone who believes the Bible, then I could stop this article right here and now since I have established my case well beyond the shadow of any doubt, reasonable or otherwise. But for you who are “fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken”, we have added another 9 rock-solid reasons why the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ Jesus cannot be the same event.






#2: In the Rapture, Jesus comes for His Church, at His Second Coming He brings the Church with Him.

Paul teaches over and over again that at the Rapture, the Church is taken up and out from off the face of the Earth. But at the Second Coming, Jesus returns with His saints. This is another discrepancy when trying to reconcile the two events as one. The first difference it’s a “going up” event, and in the second it’s a “coming down” event.




#3: In the Rapture, the Church is taken to Heaven, at the Second Coming Jesus sets up Earthly rule.

In both John and Paul’s writings, the promise of a “heavenly home” awaits for the born again Christian. We call this the Kingdom of God. But in the Second Coming, a thousand year kingdom is established on Earth, known as the Kingdom of Heaven. Christians are never promised an earthly home, but a heavenly one. The Jews and Tribulation saints were never promised that. Instead they get a home on the Earth.




#4: The Rapture occurs before the Antichrist appears and before the Tribulation begins, while the Second Coming takes place after both events.

Paul stresses repeatedly that one of the incredible benefits of being taken out in the Rapture is that believers miss the entire wrath of the Great Tribulation. But Matthew tells us that the Second Coming is “after the Tribulation of those days.” Well, which is it? If the Rapture and the Second Coming are the same event, then these verses represent an irreconcilable difference. But there is not a conflict because they are two separate and distinct events.





#5: In the Rapture, only the born-again church sees the Lord come for them, at the Second Coming the whole world witnesses it.

Mockers of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine like to call it a “secret” Rapture, this is somehow an insult to the people who believe it. The Holy Spirit used the apostle Paul to write the doctrine, also viewed it as a secret as Paul called it a “mystery”. In the Rapture, only the redeemed hear the shout of the Lord when He calls us up to be with Him in the air. At the Second Coming, Jesus appears in JUDGMENT to the whole world.




#6: In the Rapture, there are no angels sent to gather the Church. At the Second Coming angels do all the gathering for judgment.

Paul says that it is Jesus Himself who comes to gather His Church up and “Harpazo” out of here. We hear His shout, and “in the twinkling of an eye” we are gone. No angels are mentioned anywhere. Compare this with His Second Coming where only angels are sent to gather God’s elect, the Jewish remnant who made it through the Tribulation. Again, major differences exist between the two.




#7: The Judgment Seat of Christ follows the Rapture while the Judgment of nations follows the Second Coming.

Immediately after the Rapture of the Church, Paul says that we will be appearing before the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is not a judgment on sin, which was settled at Calvary. It is a judgment on the works we did or did not do for Jesus Christ after we got saved. But immediately after the Second Coming, the judgment that is a public judgment, not of individuals, but of the unbelieving and disobedient nations.




#8: Famine, War and Pestilence follow the Rapture while 1,000 years of world peace follows the Second Coming.

Again, the differences here could not be more apparent. After the Rapture, a time of unbelievable suffering, referred to in Scripture as the time of “Jacob’s Trouble” is ushered in, –(Jeremiah 30:7). But after the Second Coming, a 1,000 year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem brings a world peace so amazing that even poisonous or deadly animals are no longer dangerous. The verse in Matthew 24 where the apostles ask Jesus about the “sign of thy coming” is a direct reference to the Second Coming. The doctrine of the Rapture was unknown to them at the time of Matthew’s writing and would not be revealed unto Paul, some 30 years hence.



#9: No one in the Bible knew of the doctrine of the Rapture of the Church until it was revealed by the Lord to Paul.

This is one of the greatest proof-texts for why the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming cannot be the same event. 1st Corinthians 15 is the very first epistle Paul tells us of the Rapture of the Church, and lets us know that it is a “mystery” revealed by God to him alone which he then was charged with teaching the Church. Nearly every Bible chronology places the date of the writing of Matthew at around 35 A.D., and the writings of Corinthians at around 66 A.D.


Why is this important? If no one heard of the doctrine of the Rapture of the Church until Paul, then Matthew 24 and 25 cannot, under any circumstances be referring to the Church and the Rapture because no one knew of any Rapture. In fact, the historical timeframe element Matthew covers, the Church itself was not even formed. If Matthew knew and wrote about the Rapture of the Church, then Paul was lying when he said it was a MYSTERY that he was revealing for the first time in Corinthians.



#10: At the Rapture, believers are given a glorified body, at the Second Coming they remain in earthly bodies as they enter the Millennial Kingdom.

At the Rapture of the Church, great personal and physical change takes place for the believer. The Bible says that the born-again believer receives a new body that is fashioned just like the “glorious body” that the Lord Christ Jesus Himself was given at His Resurrection. Wow, imagine that! How exciting for the believer to be able to look forward to that day. But at the Second Coming, as Jesus sets up His earthly government from Jerusalem, the people who make it through the Tribulation have no special bodies, and it is possible for them to die. Christians who get glorified bodies can never die.




If you are not only a Bible believer but also intellectually honest, then you must admit that we have proved completely that the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ are two very different events with two very different results. In this first of a number of articles showing the problems of the Post-Tribulation Rapture view and the differences between the two events, the reader using simple logic can see the things that are different cannot be the same.


Be mindful of Geofrey Grider’s comments: “The Catholic Church has always taught a Post-Tribulation Theology”, and because all of their doctrines are based upon the Roman Catholic Catechism, it does not matter which of many doctrines, they all depend totally on a Post-Trib. theology. For Rome to teach anything other than a Post-Tribulation Rapture would admit the entire Satanic system is a fake, a fraud, and phony. The entire Roman Catholic Church requires adherence to a Post-Tribulation belief system.

Pastor Bob

EvanTeachr@aol.com

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