Hello,
In my opinion, the concept of a pre- or mid-Tribulation Rapture is based on a misunderstanding of the use of the word thief in reference to the coming of the Lord in the New Testament. It is mistakenly assumed to refer to a silent Rapture of the faithful at an invisible, pre- or mid-Tribulation coming of the Lord. However, according to the objective text, it refers not to the Rapture of the faithful but to the destruction of the unfaithful at a single, visible, post-Tribulation coming of the Lord.
The Rapture interpretation does not fit Matthew 24:43, according to which Christ instructs us to watch (to stay alert/awake and to stay faithful) in order to PREVENT the thief from doing what he comes to do. If the word thief referred to the Rapture, this would mean that the Lord wanted us to watch in order to PREVENT ourselves from being Raptured by Him at His coming, which wouldnt make sense.
In John 10:10, Christ defines a thief as one who steals, kills and destroys. Thus, we dont have to guess what Christ means by the word thief, because He plainly states what He means. He means an enemy and a destroyer.
Therefore, when Christ instructs us in Matthew 24:43 to watch in order to PREVENT the thief from doing what he comes to do, we know, based on what is said in the objective text, that He wants us to watch in order to PREVENT ourselves from being destroyed by Him at His coming as one of those who do not watch but sleep. This interpretation of the word thief makes sense rather than the other.
Christ continues this thought in Matthew 24:45-51, where He describes His coming being experienced in two different ways depending on whether or not one faithfully watches. In verses 24:45-47, the good person who faithfully lives his life in expectation of the Lords judgment is rewarded by the Lord at His coming by being given ruling authority. In verses 24:48-51, the evil person who does not live his life in expectation of the Lords judgment because he wishes to do evil is punished by the Lord at His coming, the Lord coming in an hour when he knoweth not, and cutting him asunder. Thus, Matthew 24:45-51 describes a single coming of the Lord, but verses 24:45-47 describe the Lord coming to the faithful one as a Savior, whereas verses 24:48-51 describe Him coming on the unfaithful one as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer).
This is comparable to Revelation 3:3, where Christ says that if we do not watch, He will come as thief (as an enemy and a destroyer), and we shall not know what hour (He) will come upon (us). Thus, the Lord speaks of only one coming, but how we experience that coming depends on whether or not we faithfully watch. To sleep is to live our lives oblivious to the consequences of our actions, doing whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it as if we shall not one day stand before the Lord in judgment. To watch is to do the opposite of that. It is to live our lives responsibly in expectation of the Lords judgment. When the Lord comes, He will come as a Savior to those who watch, but He will come as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer) on those who sleep.
What Paul says regarding the coming of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 5:11 agrees with this. In verses 4:13-18, Paul describes the resurrection of the faithful that will occur at the coming of the Lord. Then, in verses 5:1-11, still discussing the same thing, he states that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer) in the night, bringing sudden destruction on the rest, who sleep in the night. He says that the unfaithful are of darkness and of the night and are appointed to wrath, whereas the faithful, who watch, are of light and of the day and are appointed to salvation. He says that this Day will NOT overtake the faithful as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer), as that aspect of the Lords coming is reserved for the unfaithful. Thus, the phrase as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer) does not in anyway apply to the faithful or to their Rapture at the coming of the Lord. Rather, it applies exclusively to the unfaithful and to their destruction by the Lord when He comes. Thus, this passage, like the others, describes a single coming of the Lord that is experienced two different ways depending on whether or not one is faithful to the Lord, the word thief referring not to the Rapture of the faithful but to the destruction of the unfaithful at the Lords coming.
Paul describes the same thing in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10, where he states that the Lord will give the faithful rest from their earthly afflictions but affliction to the unfaithful at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Again, a single coming of the Lord experienced two different ways.
In Philippians 1:9-10, Paul prays that the saints be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ. Since the saints will automatically be these things once they are made perfect in the Rapture, this shows that Paul did not expect the Rapture to occur until the day of Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 5:11, the Rapture does not occur until the day of the Lord. Thus, the day of Christ and the day of the Lord appear to be the same thing, prior to which the Rapture does not occur.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him, Paul states that the day of the Lord (in the Westcott-Hort) / the day of Christ (in the Textus Receptus) does not come until after the revealing of the man of sin / the lawless one, who will not be revealed until after the one that restraineth is no longer an obstacle, and whom the Lord will destroy at his coming. Thus, the order is this: (1) the restrainer ceases to be an obstacle, (2) the man of sin is revealed and (3) the day of the Lord / the day of Christ comes, in which two things occur at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ / his coming: (A) the faithful are gathered together to the Lord (the Rapture) and (B) the man of sin is destroyed. Thus, in the objective text of this passage, as in the objective text of the other passages, the coming of the Lord is described as a single event, at which both the resurrection of the righteous and the destruction of the wicked occur.
Paul makes no attempt to differentiate more than one future advent of the Lord. There is no evidence in the objective text that his coming in 1 Corinthians 15:23, the coming of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4:15, the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven in 2 Thessalonians 1:7, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 and his coming in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 refer to anything other than the same event.
In all of the passages discussed, the objective text is consistent with a single future coming of the Lord that is experienced in two different ways depending on whether or not one is faithful to the Lord, the word thief referring not to the Rapture of the faithful but exclusively to the destruction of the unfaithful at a single future coming of the Lord.
Sincerely,
Jim
PS: Unless otherwise stated, all scriptural references are taken from the old American Standard Version of the Bible.
In my opinion, the concept of a pre- or mid-Tribulation Rapture is based on a misunderstanding of the use of the word thief in reference to the coming of the Lord in the New Testament. It is mistakenly assumed to refer to a silent Rapture of the faithful at an invisible, pre- or mid-Tribulation coming of the Lord. However, according to the objective text, it refers not to the Rapture of the faithful but to the destruction of the unfaithful at a single, visible, post-Tribulation coming of the Lord.
The Rapture interpretation does not fit Matthew 24:43, according to which Christ instructs us to watch (to stay alert/awake and to stay faithful) in order to PREVENT the thief from doing what he comes to do. If the word thief referred to the Rapture, this would mean that the Lord wanted us to watch in order to PREVENT ourselves from being Raptured by Him at His coming, which wouldnt make sense.
In John 10:10, Christ defines a thief as one who steals, kills and destroys. Thus, we dont have to guess what Christ means by the word thief, because He plainly states what He means. He means an enemy and a destroyer.
Therefore, when Christ instructs us in Matthew 24:43 to watch in order to PREVENT the thief from doing what he comes to do, we know, based on what is said in the objective text, that He wants us to watch in order to PREVENT ourselves from being destroyed by Him at His coming as one of those who do not watch but sleep. This interpretation of the word thief makes sense rather than the other.
Christ continues this thought in Matthew 24:45-51, where He describes His coming being experienced in two different ways depending on whether or not one faithfully watches. In verses 24:45-47, the good person who faithfully lives his life in expectation of the Lords judgment is rewarded by the Lord at His coming by being given ruling authority. In verses 24:48-51, the evil person who does not live his life in expectation of the Lords judgment because he wishes to do evil is punished by the Lord at His coming, the Lord coming in an hour when he knoweth not, and cutting him asunder. Thus, Matthew 24:45-51 describes a single coming of the Lord, but verses 24:45-47 describe the Lord coming to the faithful one as a Savior, whereas verses 24:48-51 describe Him coming on the unfaithful one as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer).
This is comparable to Revelation 3:3, where Christ says that if we do not watch, He will come as thief (as an enemy and a destroyer), and we shall not know what hour (He) will come upon (us). Thus, the Lord speaks of only one coming, but how we experience that coming depends on whether or not we faithfully watch. To sleep is to live our lives oblivious to the consequences of our actions, doing whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it as if we shall not one day stand before the Lord in judgment. To watch is to do the opposite of that. It is to live our lives responsibly in expectation of the Lords judgment. When the Lord comes, He will come as a Savior to those who watch, but He will come as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer) on those who sleep.
What Paul says regarding the coming of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 5:11 agrees with this. In verses 4:13-18, Paul describes the resurrection of the faithful that will occur at the coming of the Lord. Then, in verses 5:1-11, still discussing the same thing, he states that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer) in the night, bringing sudden destruction on the rest, who sleep in the night. He says that the unfaithful are of darkness and of the night and are appointed to wrath, whereas the faithful, who watch, are of light and of the day and are appointed to salvation. He says that this Day will NOT overtake the faithful as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer), as that aspect of the Lords coming is reserved for the unfaithful. Thus, the phrase as a thief (as an enemy and a destroyer) does not in anyway apply to the faithful or to their Rapture at the coming of the Lord. Rather, it applies exclusively to the unfaithful and to their destruction by the Lord when He comes. Thus, this passage, like the others, describes a single coming of the Lord that is experienced two different ways depending on whether or not one is faithful to the Lord, the word thief referring not to the Rapture of the faithful but to the destruction of the unfaithful at the Lords coming.
Paul describes the same thing in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10, where he states that the Lord will give the faithful rest from their earthly afflictions but affliction to the unfaithful at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Again, a single coming of the Lord experienced two different ways.
In Philippians 1:9-10, Paul prays that the saints be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ. Since the saints will automatically be these things once they are made perfect in the Rapture, this shows that Paul did not expect the Rapture to occur until the day of Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 5:11, the Rapture does not occur until the day of the Lord. Thus, the day of Christ and the day of the Lord appear to be the same thing, prior to which the Rapture does not occur.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him, Paul states that the day of the Lord (in the Westcott-Hort) / the day of Christ (in the Textus Receptus) does not come until after the revealing of the man of sin / the lawless one, who will not be revealed until after the one that restraineth is no longer an obstacle, and whom the Lord will destroy at his coming. Thus, the order is this: (1) the restrainer ceases to be an obstacle, (2) the man of sin is revealed and (3) the day of the Lord / the day of Christ comes, in which two things occur at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ / his coming: (A) the faithful are gathered together to the Lord (the Rapture) and (B) the man of sin is destroyed. Thus, in the objective text of this passage, as in the objective text of the other passages, the coming of the Lord is described as a single event, at which both the resurrection of the righteous and the destruction of the wicked occur.
Paul makes no attempt to differentiate more than one future advent of the Lord. There is no evidence in the objective text that his coming in 1 Corinthians 15:23, the coming of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4:15, the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven in 2 Thessalonians 1:7, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 and his coming in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 refer to anything other than the same event.
In all of the passages discussed, the objective text is consistent with a single future coming of the Lord that is experienced in two different ways depending on whether or not one is faithful to the Lord, the word thief referring not to the Rapture of the faithful but exclusively to the destruction of the unfaithful at a single future coming of the Lord.
Sincerely,
Jim
PS: Unless otherwise stated, all scriptural references are taken from the old American Standard Version of the Bible.