John MacArthur making rapture teaching clear and biblical...
John MacArthur has done some great expositions, this isn't his best work. He talks about how the church isn't mentioned after the fourth chapter, ok so who are these people?
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6:9-10)
They die for the word of God and for their testimony, no, they are not specifically called they church. But that's a pretty good description of what you would expect the church to be doing during the tribulation. He talks about how if the church isn't raptured who will inhabit the Millennial kingdom, there will be no one left alive after the rapture. So why won't there be anyone left alive, the antichrist and the false prophet are left alive. The other kings who are the heads of the beast are left alive. Not everyone in the world dies at the end of the tribulation just the armies of the antichrist and apparently the kings of the east.
And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were rolls of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them (Rev. 8:4-6)
This is just prior to the sounding of the trumpets, which is the half way mark, also the time when Israel repents. Personally I think it makes a lot of sense that the church and Israel are raptured together, because there is one body of Christ. In the time leading from the last trumpet to the pouring out of the vials of wrath the church is in heaven. This doesn't happen suddenly at the end, the wedding feast of the Lamb goes on perhaps for years prior to the return of Christ with his church.
In those days a wedding was just taking the vows and going on a honeymoon. It went on for days, everything had to be ready. The Song of Songs describes such a wedding, two young people being married in his court. It should be called a Wedding Song of Solomon but that's beside the point. They had responsibilities, she took care of the family garden and the groom had to make sure the house was finished. Then when everything was ready, they could take the final vows.
There is also a celebration going on on the earth, the beast rising up out of a sea of people. They are chanting who is like the beast, who can make war with the beast. They have survived the trumpet blasts, they are decapitating anyone who doesn't worship his image. Babylon is taking in his plunder and living in lavish luxury. And here is the thing, she is drunk with the blood of the saints, the antichrist is making war with the saints. After the rapture they are just having a big party, with most of the fighting actually ceased.
Grace and peace,
Mark
