The present age – the Church Age – will soon come to an end. As Christ “shuts” this door of grace, He returns to receive the saints “in the air”. This is the so-called “rapture”, the first resurrection and the good harvest of the earth. It is not Christ’s Second Coming to earth.
Rapture theology is built around the 70 Week prophecy of the prophet Daniel. As the Church Age draws to a close, Daniel’s people will be returning to their own land, Israel, and Daniel’s 70th Week (seven years) starts. This is the final seven years of this present age, prior to the Millennial reign of Christ.
It is a time of great tribulation as the world becomes progressively spiritually dark under a one-world government. It is also a time of God’s judgement on the rebellious nations. But, according to the widely accepted Pre-Tribulation view of the rapture, true believers will not be there; they will be with Christ.
“One is taken into God’s immediate protection: and one is left to share the common calamities” [John Wesley, preacher]
Key Events: from Today to the Millennium
It is helpful to have an overview of future key events associated with the concept of the rapture. The following is based upon the Pre-Tribulation view of the rapture:
Views of the Rapture
Daniel’s 70-Week Prophecy concerning Israel
The Futurist View of Week 70
End of the Church Age and Israel’s Regathering
Life just before the Rapture: the Watchers
A Supernatural Event – the Rapture and God’s protection
The End-time Harvest and the First Resurrection
Rewards in Heaven and the Marriage of the Bride
The Removal of the Restrainer and the Revealing of the Antichrist
Week 70: The Great Tribulation and God’s Judgement
The Tribulation Saints
The Millennial Kingdom
First: Is the word ‘Rapture’ in the Bible?
No. The word ‘rapture’ is not in the Bible. But major New Testament texts teach that true followers of Jesus are suddenly “takenaway“. They are supernaturally taken to meet Jesus “in the air”. In Mathew 24 and Luke 17 we read:
Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left
This is a friendly taking of the true church of Jesus Christ. The Greek word translated “taken” is ‘paralambano’. This means ‘to take into close association with oneself’, in a loving positive sense. This can be seen as a ‘secret coming’ of Christ since it is not visible to the world. It is not the Second Coming of Christ to earth.
This mysterious event is often referred to as the ‘rapture’. This term is derived from the Latin verb ‘Rapere,’ meaning ‘to snatch’ or ‘take away’, link. What about those left behind? A literal reading of the Bible implies that unbelievers – together with the false church – are left to suffer God’s wrath!
1. Views of the Rapture
Not surprisingly, such fundamentalist theology is rarely preached in institutionalised churches. Perhaps such a mysterious, literally ‘out of this world’ event takes the average believer out of their comfort zone. Whatever the reason, the topic tends to be suppressed. Some theological arguments against the teaching of the rapture are:
it is a fringe subject not essential to fundamental Christian beliefs
key rapture texts are ambiguous, especially in the timing of the rapture
Daniel’s 70 Weeks have all elapsed (Historicist view); the 70th Week is not future
Christ’s Second Coming will be clear to all; it does not first involve a “secret” return
The Fundamentalist View
In contrast to the suppression of the rapture in the institutionalised church, the rapture is widely taught in free-churches. These churches tend to hold a more fundamentalist view of the rapture. Some believe there will be a short time interval between ‘the taking’ and the actual return of Jesus to earth. In the so-called Pre-Tribulation view, the time interval corresponds to ‘Week 70’ (seven years) of Daniel’s prophecy.
The time interval corresponds to the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls of Revelation. It is a time of God’s wrath on a godless World Government under the two “beasts” of Revelation 13. The good news is that, from the Gospels to Revelation, there are promises of deliverance for today’s believers. Taking the widely accepted Pre-Tribulation view of the rapture, it seems they will simply not be there!
So many of those who trust their lives to Jesus today see hope in the mystery of the rapture. It provides a hope of miraculous, literally ‘out of this world’ deliverance (like Noah’s deliverance from the Flood). Today’s true church is promised deliverance from “the hour of trial” soon coming upon the world.
Let’s now examine the theology of such a fundamentalist view.
The Jewish Wedding is a Model for the Rapture
The traditional Jewish wedding at the time of Christ is a good model of the events surrounding the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. The wedding was in four steps:
1. The father of the groom made the marriage arrangements and paid the price. Sometimes this was many years before the actual marriage
2. The second step was the fetching of the bride. The bride groom would go to the home of his soon-to-be bride in order to bring her home. Before the groom left he must have a place for his bride. It was the father of the groom who set the timing of this fetching of the bride
3. The third step was the wedding ceremony itself. Only a few guests were usually invited. Prior to the wedding the bride went through a ritual immersion for ritual cleansing
4. The final and fourth step we as marriage feast, which could last as many as seven days, and many more people were invited to the feast
It is remarkable how closely the traditional Jewish wedding models the Pre-Tribulation rapture.
Step 1 models the Father’s historic plan for the bride of Christ (the true church). God paid the price of the ‘marriage’ through the sacrifice of His Son.
Step 2 models the rapture of the church as Christ comes for her at a time determined only by the Father. Prior to the rapture, Christ makes a home in heaven for the bride.
Step 3 models the judgement seat of Christ (a time of rewards for the saints), and then the wedding. Both occur in heaven after the rapture. The Jewish wedding could be several days long. Note: the time between the rapture and Christ’s actual return to earth after the wedding may be several years.
Step 4, the wedding feast occurs after the Second Coming of Christ to earth. Although the rapture and the wedding involves only the church, the guests at the marriage feast includes both Old Testament saints, and tribulation saints (see later).
2. Daniel’s Week 70 Prophecy concerning Israel
Rapture theology involves several theological concepts:
the true end-time church (as opposed to a false end-time church)
the return of the nation Israel to their own land, as promised to Abraham
the arise of a spiritually dark and persecuting one world government under the Antichrist
a time frame set by Daniel’s “70 Week” prophecy: a time gap between Weeks 69 and 70
Daniel’s prophecy in chapter 9 sets the context of the mysterious rapture. How is it to be read? It is logical to adopt prophetic interpretations that agree closely with reality. That is, with what we observe in the world today. In this respect, the Futurist view of Bible prophecy (as opposed to the Historicist view) appears particularly relevant.
The Futurist view holds that majority of the end-time prophecies in the Old and New Testaments apply to the future. This view also sees Christ’s return as tied to what happens to Israel at the end of the age. Here’s Daniel’s key prophecy concerning his people, Israel:
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people [Israel] and your holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place
Daniel 9:24, 4, amplified
Here Daniel is using scripture’s ‘prophetic years‘, where each month has 30 days, each year has twelve months [360 days] and each “week” has seven 360-day years. Week 70 is the final seven (360-day) years of this age after which Christ returns to earth!
3. The Futurist View: A Time Gap
Futurists see a break between the end of Week 69 (the crucifixion of Christ) and the start of Week 70. There are sound theological reasons why such a time gap exists. After all, if Week 70 elapsed around the time of Christ (Historicist view) there is no framework within which to fit many end-time prophecies. For example, how would we interpret Jeremiah 30:4-7; Daniel 7:23-28; Daniel 11:11,21-45; Daniel 12:11-12; Matthew 24; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 7:3-8; Revelation 12:6 and Revelation 13? See Week 70 and End Time Pilgrim for detailed theological discussions of the Futurist view.
The duration of the time gap is undefined in scripture. In other words, the exact start of Week 70 is not defined. But we do know from prophecy that during this time gap the nation Israel essentially disappears off the world scene! As God had warned, Israel would be scattered throughout the nations if they persistently rebelled against Him (Deuteronomy 28:64). This happened. Around 750 BC we find the northern kingdom of Israel being warned of such scattering:
For the sons of Israel will live FOR MANY DAYS without a king or leader, without sacrifice or memorial stone, and without ephod or household idols. AFTERWARD the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in THE LAST DAYS.
Hosea 3:4-5, emphasis added
Here the prophet Hosea warns Israel that they will lose their identity for many days. This happened. In 722 BC Assyria swept out of the north, captured the northern kingdom of Israel, and took the ten tribes into captivity. The southern kingdom, Judah, ceased to exist around 586 BC after the final Babylonian invasion, and by 70 AD the Jews in Jerusalem were finally dispersed worldwide by Titus. At this point in time, the scattering of the twelve tribes of Israel was complete (James 1:1).
But note Hosea’s prophecy. He also says that Israel will return to God in the last days. So after an undisclosed period of time – a time gap – Israel will once more become visible on the world scene.
Put simply, when the nation Israel is once more on the world scene, it seems the world is near the end of the age and the start of week 70.
4. The Church Age and Israel’s Regathering
Israel’s time-limited absence from the world scene had a purpose. James, in his address at Jerusalem explained it like this:
Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people [ the Church ] for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: ‘AFTER THIS I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up …
Acts 15:14-16, amplified
Again this implies a timegap. At the start of the time gap a Gentile church would start to grow and mature. And near the end of the time gap the Lord will return and rebuild the throne of David. As Paul says, the scattering of Israel enabled salvation to come to the Gentiles:
. . . blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles [ at the end of the time gap ] has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob”
Romans 11:25,26, amplified
“The fullness of the Gentiles” speaks of the number of God’s elect being brought into the true church. Yet again this text implies a time gap during which Israel is off the world scene. But even though scattered Israel was out of worldview (at least before c1900 AD) she still influenced the church. Sadly, the church rarely recognises that she has strong Hebraic roots. See the fascinating connection between ten-tribed Israel and the Church.
So the gap between weeks 69 and 70 is essentially a period of grace – the so-called Church Age. This age started with the apostles and ends with the rapture. Israel is then centre stage on the world scene.
Comparing today’s world scenario with end-time prophecy suggests that the end of the Church Age and the start of Week 70 is relatively imminent. Then, at the end of Week 70, Jesus physically returns to earth to establish Himself as “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:11-21). According to Daniel chapter 9, He comes “to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place”.
“To anoint the most holy place” is mostly likely the Holy of Holies inside the future temple in Jerusalem, link. Christ then reigns from Jerusalem as “King over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:8-9). This so-called “Kingdom Age” lasts for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6).
5. Life just before the Rapture: the Watchers
House Church
What happens at the end of the time gap – just before Week 70? It seems that believers will still be able to meet (as in church groups or house churches) and preach the gospel, albeit with increasing persecution, (Matthew 24:9-14). (As of 2022 over 360 million Christians around the world faced persecution, often from militant Muslims [Open Doors]. And in recent years, banks have been targeting Christians by closing their bank accounts because the bank is signed up to a different ethical viewpoint to that held by the account holder).
Nevertheless, whilst there will be a falling away from faith (2 Thessalonians 2:3), some believers will still be “watching” the signs (Luke 21:34-36) whilst other believers, like foolish virgins (Matthew 25:8-13), will be ignoring the signs.
As Jesus puts it, life in the world will be like Noah’s day, with pleasure seeking, marrying, buying and selling, building, and so on. And, as in Noah’s day, people today will be oblivious to, or skeptical of, the impending judgement of God.
When it comes to work, both Matthew 24 and Luke 17 imply that believers are working within a normal social environment.They are alongside unbelievers up to the instant when they are suddenly “taken”. Jesus said:
Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left
Many Christians find this concept too hot to handle. It takes them out of their comfort zone, away from the cosy, non-challenging Sunday sermon. Yet, strangely, if they are happy to accept that Enoch walked with God – until God took him, then why not accept the words of Jesus?
End-time Work Restrictions
Personal ID: But what about a work permit – personal ID? In today’s hi-tech world it is becoming increasingly necessary for each worker to have a personal ID on some computer system. In China an 18 digit ID card is mandatory for all adults. If you work in Germany you need an 11 digit tax identification number (TIN). In Australia worker ID is via a person’s Tax File Number (TFN), and in the UK its via the National Insurance number and Government Gateway. In the last few years of this age no one will be able to work without the ultimate ID – the mark of Revelation 13:17.
The significant point is this: in Jesus’ example of workers in the field or at the mill, there is no suggestion of such a working restriction. The pre-rapture scenario is not compatible with severe persecution under the two beasts of Revelation 13 and their imposition of the mark for buying and selling.
So, as discussed, it seems the rapture must occur before the revealing of the two beasts of Revelation 13 and the ensuing tribulation. This is the Pre-Tribulation rapture.
6. The Rapture is a Supernatural Event
Let’s expand on the previous discussion. When referring to His return, Jesus said:
For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away.
So will the coming of the Son of Man be. At that time there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.
It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, and they were building; but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
(Matthew 24:37-41, Luke 17:28-30)
By referring to the days of Noah and Lot, Jesus implies that it is the believers who are “taken” out of a godless world, just as Noah and Lot were “taken” out of godless societies. In both cases God’s people are taken prior to God’s judgement on unbelievers. Here, the Greek word for ‘taken’ is ‘paralambano’, which means ‘to take into close association with oneself’, in a loving positive sense. The Greek word for ‘left’ is ‘aphiemi’ and means ‘to leave, forsake, omit or lay aside’.
So just as Noah was taken out of the world before the judgement of the Flood, and Lot was removed from Sodom before its destruction, so it seems the true church at that time will be taken to be with Christ. The preacher John Wesley summed it up like this:
One is taken into God’s immediate protection: and one is left to share the common calamities
The discourses in Matthew and Luke are perhaps the clearest and most direct reference to the sudden separation of living believers from unbelievers. Sadly, as mentioned, many Christians find this supernatural concept too hard to contemplate; it takes them out of their comfort zone!
But is it any different to the supernatural concept of the God of all creation being found in the form of a baby in Bethlehem? Or the spectacle of the risen Christ rising into the clouds in full view of His disciples?
7. The Harvest – Resurrection and Instantaneous Immortality
Believers meet Jesus in the clouds
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle … So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped
Revelation 14:14,16
This is a vision of Jesus reaping the good harvest of the earth – from a cloud. There is no mention of Jesus actually coming to stand on the earth at this point in time! Believers are separated from those who are about to suffer the wrath of God (Revelation 14:19) and taken to meet Christ in the clouds:
For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up [raptured] together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord!
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, AMP
It all happens instantaneously, and unexpectedly (Matthew 24:44):
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
This supernatural and mysterious event corresponds to the first resurrection, when those raptured take on immortality. Key points:
The Trumpet
Paul refers to “the last trumpet’ – a translation of the Greek ‘sálpigks‘ meaning a quavering or reverberating trumpet [Strong’s 4536]. The Orthodox Jewish Bible refers to “the last shofar blast”. The implication in both texts is that there is more than one trump of the trumpet.
Some see two trumps – the first calling the dead in Christ to immortality, the last calling those who are alive at His coming to immortality, link. It is incorrect to see ‘the last trumpet’ as the seventh (and final) trumpet in Revelation 11:15, link. In verse 52 it is God sounding the resurrection trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:16), whereas in Revelation it is the the seventh angel trumpeting the final judgements.
The Church Age Suddenly Ends
As already discussed, the Church Age (or Age of Grace) will soon end. Clearly, after true believers and followers of Christ are suddenly taken, the true church is suddenly absent from the earth! Today the key mission of the church is to spread the good news of salvation through Christ. The church is like a “door” to salvation.
But in the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus said that way or “door” will suddenly “shut” (Matthew 25:1-13, Luke 13:25). This suggests an urgent need to preach the Gospel. Time is short. There is a need to be ready for Christ’s return. In the parable, those who have heard the Gospel but have not responded (the unwise virgins) lose out. They don’t go on to “the marriage of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7). There will be much “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
8. Rewards in Heaven and the Marriage of the Bride
What happens to believers after they are gathered together in the air with Christ? Consider the following scriptures:
In My Father’s house are many mansions … I go to prepare a place for you … and I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also [the “taking” of the saints] (John 14:2-3)
Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labour (1 Corinthians 3:8)
Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves (Revelation 22:12)
Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself (Revelation 19:7, amplified)
And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end ofheaven to the other [the “gathering” of the resurrected saints] (Matthew 24:31, NKJV, amplified)
When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory [the “return” of the saints] (Colossians 3:4, amplified)
These texts suggest a period of rest with Christ for resurrected, immortal believers. It seems resurrected believers are rewarded in heaven and presented to Christ as His bride before they return to earth with Him. This time in heaven appears to correspond to the time spanned by Daniel’s Week 70.
9. Rapture Timing and the Removal of the Restrainer
Those who hold the Futurist view of prophecy see a future rapture. But is it before, in the middle, or at the end of the seven year tribulation period? Is it a Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation Rapture?
Post-Tribulation View
This sees a combined resurrection and gathering of the saints immediately after the Great Tribulation. These saints then immediately return to earth with Christ at the start of the Millennium. So there is only one coming of Christ and no “secret” coming.
The Apostolic Fathers (the early Christian leaders) were Post-Tribulational (whilst at the same time believing in the imminence of Christ’s return, link). Today the institutionalised church (Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Reformed) also leans to the Post-Tribulation view, link .
the rapture and simultaneous return of the saints with Christ leaves no time for the rewards of the saints and the marriage of the Lamb in heaven (Revelation 19:7). Neither does it give time for the wrath of God to be poured out upon the earth after the rapture. Recall that the saints donotexperience the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 5:9, Romans 5:9)
Given such “time-constraints”, it is hard to reconcile the Post-Tribulation view with clear biblical promises that the true church is miraculously kept from the time of coming judgement of godless nations (Revelation 3:10, Matthew 24:36-44, Luke 21:35-36)
If the true church is present when the “beast” of Revelation 13:1 makes a (false) seven-year peace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27), then the church will know that the Second Coming will come seven years later. But the time of the Second Coming is not revealed in scripture (Matthew 24:36)
Today’s true church (not to be confused with the Tribulation saints of Revelation 7) is not referred to in Revelation 4-20 . It appears to be absent from the earth (raptured) during this time
Post-Tribulationists tend to make Israel and the church the same spiritual entity, link. In other words, they see the church as having replaced national Israel as the covenant people of God. This considerably weakens their argument since Israel is a major player in rapture theology
Mid-Tribulation View
Some see the first half of Week 70 as increasing tribulation, and the second half as God’s wrath. So the Mid-Tribulation view claims that the true church is raptured mid-week i.e. before God’s wrath – which is scriptural. But this being the case, the true church must also see therise of the beast of Revelation 13:1 (see Revelation 6:2) and his signing of a seven-year peace treaty with Israel. This being the case, the true church could easily deduce the time of the Second Coming, which is unscriptural.
Either way, if the true church sees the rise of the beast of Revelation 13:1, many believers will suffer martyrdom under his rule (Revelation 6:9-11).
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture
A common Futurist view is that the true church – the Philadelphia-type church that Jesus loves in Revelation 3 – will simply not be on earth at the start of week 70. As in Luke 21, it seems Jesus promises to deliver this relatively small group of faithful believers from the horrors soon to come upon a rebellious, godless world:
Because you have kept My word of perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of the testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who live on the earth.
Revelation 3:10, emphasis added
Revelation 3:10 gives strong scriptural justification for placing the rapture at or near the start of Week 70, before earth’s “hour of testing”. This is the so-called Pre-Tribulation View (see also Nine Proofs of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture). The term “will keep” means “to guard from loss or injury” [Strong’s G5083]. So here the risen Jesus is promising the faithful end-time churches like the ancient Philadelphia church that He will protect them when the world’s hour of trial comes.
Jesus also promised protection from the end-time horrors in Luke’s Gospel . To those who are watching for His return, He said:
For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:35-36, amplified)
This is why many who have trusted their lives to Jesus see an assurance (or at least a ‘hope’) of miraculous protection from the end-time traumas. They may well not see the tribulation that happens during Week 70. Instead, they will be with Christ! They will have been “snatched up” from the earth and “taken away”, like Noah was taken away from a rebellious world.
So, today, a majority of evangelical Christians hold the Pre-Tribulation view. This maintains that the rapture occurs when Jesus comes secretly i.e. unseen, in the air to gather the true believers prior the seven-year Tribulation period.
Removal of The Restrainer
The prophecy in Daniel 9:27 also supports the Pre-Tribulation view. Here, the beast or “lawless one” (2 Thessalonians 2:8) or world dictator signs a seven year (one “prophetic week”) covenant with Israel. This is Week 70. But Israel’s rulers fail to see they are making a “covenant with Hell” (Isaiah 28:15), and the dictator breaks it “in the middle of the week” (Daniel 9:27).
Clearly, at some point just prior to the signing, this despicable person must be revealed to the world. But many believe that this revealing cannot happen until the Holy Spirit (and by implication the true church) has been “taken out of the way”:
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He [often read as the Holy Spirit] who now restrains will do so until He is removed [steps out of the way]. And then the lawless one [the beast of Revelation 13:1] will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming
2 Thessalonians 2:7-8, amplified
A common interpretation is that, at the rapture, God’s great restraining power over evil (the Holy Spirit) is suddenly removed. The omnipresent Holy Spirit will still be on earth to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement (as in the calling of the tribulation saints of Revelation 7), but His specific work of restraining evil, through the prayers and praises of Church Age saints will come to an end at the Rapture.
This permits the identity of “the lawless one” or world dictator (2 Thessalonians 2:8) to be revealed and a seven-year false treaty to be signed with Israel. Clearly, if the church experiences the appearance of “the lawless one” and the signing of the seven-year treaty with Israel, then she will know that Christ returns to earth seven years from that time. But the day or hour of Christ’s return to earth is not revealed (Matthew 24:36,44).
Concluding: it appears that the true church and the restraining power of the Holy Spirit is removed at the start of Week 70. As discussed, this view is also supported by considering earthly life just before Week 70.
10. Week 70: the Great Tribulation and God’s Judgement
The importance of a “pre-tribulation rapture” is underscored by what happens during Week 70. You would not want to be there !
The Book of Revelation clearly states that the last seven years of this age (Week 70) will be traumatic as God judges a rebellious, godless world that worships Satan (Revelation 13:4). It is a time of great tribulation on earth (Revelation 7). The horrific detail is described in the Seal, Trumpet and Bowl judgements of Revelation 6-16.
There will be demonic activity, cosmic terrors (possibly asteroid impact), widespread water pollution, global famine, plagues, global war, crushing (controlling) world government, extreme heat, extreme drought, extreme hail, and great earthquakes. Gentile believers who have come to Christ after the rapture (Revelation 7), and Jews in Israel will be persecuted and martyred. As already mentioned, Jesus likened this time of tribulation to a “snare” – like a trap or a noose. To reiterate:
For it [the end of this age and the return of Christ] will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy toescape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man
Luke 21:35-36, emphasis added
Here, as in Revelation 3:10, Jesus offers hope to the believer. Hope of escape. After all, the Bible says believers are not destined for God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
11. The Tribulation Saints
The mysterious instantaneousremoval of millions of people prior to the great tribulation will be a shock to the world. According to Revelation, in the absence of the true church, God seals 144,000 of His servants to be His witness to the Gentile nations (Revelation 7:3-8, Isaiah 66:19).
This is the time of Daniel’s Week 70; a time between the Pre-Tribulation rapture and Christ’s physical return to earth. During this time multitudes from all nations come to salvation (the Holy Spirit is still present to convict of sin), but at great cost. Many will be martyred (Revelation 6:9) for their faith under the brief reign of the two beasts of Revelation 13. For this reason the brief period at the very end of this age is referred to as “the great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14, Matthew 24:15-22).
These martyred saints are the last of the earth’s ‘good harvest’ and so are included in the first resurrection (Revelation 7:9-10, 20:4). They are special in the sense that they are “before the throne of God, serving Him day and night in His temple”. The same applies to the martyred Jewish believers in Israel and the martyred 144,000 servants of God. The latter are found in heaven singing a new song before the throne of God (Revelation 14:1-5).
The Key Question
Does the resurrection, the meeting in the clouds, and the return of the saints with Christ to earth all happen in an instant as Christ returns to earth (the Post-Tribulation view)? If so, the true church must experience God’s time of wrath on the world. This is unscriptural since true believers do not experience the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Also this view is extremely “time compressed” leaving no time for rewards or the Marriage of the bride of Christ.
The Mid-tribulation view of the rapture seems to satisfy some key texts, but is unscriptural in the sense that believers will be able to date the time of the Second Coming. If the first half of Week 70 includes Revelation 6, then believers will also see the start of God’s wrath, which again is unscriptural.
Or do the resurrected saints rest for a while with Christ in heaven (as implied in John 14:3) and experience rewards and the marriage of the Lamb (the Pre-Tribulation view)? Taking this view, the time with Christ in heaven could correspond to Week 70, some seven years, and believers are raptured around the start of Week 70. This view agrees with the rapture picture painted by Christ in Matthew 24:36-44. Here the true church is suddenly removed even when life and work for many seems relatively normal – as today!
12. The Millennium
Comparing today’s world scenario with end-time prophecy suggests that the end of the Church Age, the Pre-tribulation rapture, and the start of Week 70 are relatively imminent. Then, at the end of Week 70, Jesus physically returns to earth to establish Himself as “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:11-21).
According to Daniel’s prophecy He comes to “bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place”. The latter probably refers to the Third Temple , probably described in Ezekiel 40-48, but not yet built. Thereafter, Christ reigns from Jerusalem as “King over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:8-9). This “Kingdom Age” lasts for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6) and is referred to as the Millennium.
The Return of the Saints to Earth
When Christ returns, He comes back with all His saints (1 Thessalonians 3:13). This refers to believers currently asleep in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:14), to those alive today, and to those who suffer in the tribulation during Week 70 (Revelation 7). These resurrected and rewarded saints – the “bride of Christ” – form the armies of heaven:
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses (Revelation 19:14)
It is intriguing to view these immortal beings dwelling on the same earth as those Gentiles who come through the tribulation!
It is claimed that about 4% of total (global) atmospheric CO2 is anthropogenic, arising for example from man’s combustion of coal, natural gas, oil, and waste materials. The rest comes from natural carbon reservoirs as volcanism and rock erosion release carbon from Earth’s interior. According to the International Energy Agency, in 2020 China accounted for 28% of the anthropogenic 4%, whilst the UK’s contribution was about 1%. Put another way, the UK’s contribution was some 0.04% of the total atmospheric CO2. This sounds small.
But CO2 statistics are not the complete story. Percentage concentrations must be changed to percentage contributions to the so-called greenhouse effect (GHE). The most important greenhouse gas is water vapour, which is responsible for about 95 percent of GHE. When water vapour is accounted for, the contribution to GHE of all anthropogenic CO2 is only about 0.14% [tgrule.com/carbon-attack/ch-4-co2-the-controversy/]. Which implies that the UK CO2 contribution to GHE is only about 0.0014%.
So, as long as the UK contribution to CO2 is relatively small, is it meaningful for the UK to commit to spending some £1tn [Financial Times, 2019], or some £50bn per year, in order to generate a carbon-neutral economy by 2050? Will it make any measurable difference to global warming?
2024 UPDATE
2023 was 1.48°C warmer than the 1850-1900 pre-industrial level, and was confirmed as the world’s hottest year on record [BBC]. Leaving aside CO2, there are other reasons for this. It was an El Niño year, it was a near-maximum sunspot year (reducing cloud cover and raising temperatures), and then we add on the usual 0.5°C warming per century as the world emerges from the ice age. The 1998 El Niño shot temperatures up, way above normal, and they returned to normal a year or so later!
Consider Genesis 6 verse 11:
“Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence” (NASB)
The Orthodox Jewish Bible gives:
“Ha’aretz also was corrupt before HaElohim, and ha’aretz was filled with chamas” (OJB)
Here, “chamas” is the transliteration of the Hebrew word ” חָמָס ” , formed by the three Hebrew letters “chet”,”mem”, and “samech” (reading right to left). The same three-letter Hebrew word, invariably translated as “violence” by English texts is found throughout the Old Testament, link. For Israel, chamas means violence – in its terrorist form, link.
Some prefer to omit the guttural “ch” sound in the Hebrew chamas and simply pronounce it as Hamas with a hard H. So the terms Hamas and chamas refer to the same Hebrew word and invariably mean the same thing (it’s simply a matter of pronunciation).
So, to Israel Hamas means violence in terrorist form, as demonstrated by the massacre of Israeli’s on October 7, 2023. To the Palestinians, Hamas is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, which follows the terrorist objectives of the Hamas Charter.
The biblical consensus is that Adam and Eve were real people, link. The New Testament writers traced genealogies back to an actual person, Adam, and Old Testament genealogies suggest he lived some 6,000 years ago. The biblical claim that Adam died 930 years old can be scientifically explained.
The Bible claims that, like Christ, Adam was not the son of human parents; he was the son of God (Luke 3:38). This claim replaces evolutionary theory with a deep theological concept: The first man Adam was created a perfect living being. The last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45).
In general there is increasing support for legal abortion in all circumstances (pro-choice), despite the claims that abortion gives an elevated risk of medical and emotional problems.
The key question is: “when does life begin?“. Medical science claims “After fertilization has taken place a new human being has come into being“. The Bible agrees, stating that the unborn is known to God as a person, link. So we might ask “When, if ever, is it right to take the life of a human being in the womb?” Exceptions can be when a mother’s life is in danger, or when there is foetal abnormality.
The Arab claim to Palestine (the land called Canaan and promised to Abraham and his descendants) comes from their misunderstanding of the Abrahamic Covenant. They believe that Ishmael, not Isaac, was the son of promise. But this view contradicts Genesis 17:19-21. God promised this land to the descendants of Isaac and Jacob (the tribes of Israel).
Historically there has never been a “Land of Palestine”, and so there can be no legitimate Arab claim to a land spanning large parts of modern Israel. Even Arab leaders admit to this, link. The good news is that, in the future, Israel will readily embrace “the ‘stranger” in the land, Leviticus 19:33-34.
Jesus told His followers to watch out for signs of the end of the age (Luke 21:34-36). These include some very obvious signs like the return of the Jews to their own land (as promised to the descendants of Abraham), the restoration of the land itself, and the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.
Contrary to what many think, we should not eat certain animals, mammals, insects and birds. They have a God-given purpose (such as scavenging to clean the land), and they are not fit for human consumption. For example, buzzards, ravens, vultures and seagulls are all scavengers and should not be eaten.
The same goes for eating bats (as in China). A 2021 WHO report claims COVID-19 probably came from bats. The biblical food laws are given in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.
The view that Jesus was a perfect man (nothing more, nothing less), is incompatible with many scriptures. Jesus demonstrated His deity through many miracles and in fact claimed deity in many texts in the Gospel of John.
If we see Jesus as purely man, we also have to accept the unrealistic concept of a “perfect and sinless man”. No such person is known in history. Moreover, we remove the ultimate act of love for mankind – God dying for mankind to reconcile us to Himself.
Some faiths say this. But what ‘god’ are they referring to? The Bible clearly states that there is really only one God – the God of Israel (Exodus 5:1) – and that God has the attributes of a ‘person’ i.e. God is knowable (Jeremiah 9:24). Isn’t it amazing that, when the apostles asked Jesus to “show God to us”, Jesus replied that they were actually looking at God (John 14:8,9) – a mystery beyond our understanding. Today, God’s intimate knowledge of each one of us is described in Psalm 139.
This is the theology of Pluralism and “multifaith”. It is attractive in that it attempts to promote harmony between faiths, but in reality it is deceptive. Whilst it claims that some “truth” exists in all faiths, it notably omits the only transcendent source of truth – Jesus Christ and His word – the Bible. Jesus said “No one comes to God except through Me” (John 14:6)
This seems fair comment: why would a loving God allow suffering? But our Creator is also holy and righteous and cannot accept sin. Genesis says man rebelled against God from the beginning, and so suffering entered the world. But then God entered the world as a child, (Jesus, Isaiah 9:6), and offered Himself on the cross for mankind (John 3:16). That was God suffering to reconcile us to Himself – surely the ultimate act of love?
Whilst on earth Jesus showed the love of God by healing those who came to Him, and today some are miraculously healed and released from suffering. This is an example of God’s coming Kingdom on Earth. But not all are released; we say “the Kingdom is now, but not yet“. One day God will wipe away all suffering for those who love Him (Revelation 21:4).
Some may use this concept as an escape from the idea of judgement after death (as stated in Hebrews 9:27). So, they argue, life can be lived as they wish. But biblical theology says man is a triune being (a reflection of his Creator) having body, soul and spirit.
After physical death the soul and spirit go back to our Creator; they do not cease to exist. The Christian’s model in death is that of Christ. When Jesus died He said “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46).
Ironically, the claim that absolute truth does not exist conflicts with the world’s claim that evolution is absolutely true! In reality, science only claims “tentative truth” since it is continuously discovering new ‘facts’. In contrast, Jesus claimed to speak absolute and timeless truth (John 14:6) which we ignore at our peril. In fact, the whole Bible is understood to be inspired by God and so speaks absolute truth.
This is the realm of “majority ethics” – the sexual morality of the majority. If the majority deem it’s OK, then its OK. This ethic changes with time and today same-sex physical relationships are widely accepted.
But the Bible provides mankind with an absolute ethic on sexual relations, including those acts within same-sex marriage, and says such actions are always wrong in the site of God. How can unnatural sexual activity be holy in the sight of a holy God? Sadly, the institutionalised church fails to see this and is moving away from biblical ethics.
The Bible claims that the earth is the Lord’s (Psalm 24:1). Man does not own or indeed control the earth, and that includes earth’s climate. So if man proudly tries to solve the global warming issue without his Creator God he will fail. In fact, prophecy implies that, because man has proudly moved away from God’s ways, “a curse devours the earth” and the earth will become hot and dry at the end of the age (Isaiah 24:4-6).
When the astronomer and Lutheran Johannes Kepler remarked “I was merely thinking God’s thoughts after him”, he was merely reminding humanity that science discovers and follows the amazing designs of a Creator God. Read for example Job 38. Yes, science can help solve the world’s problems (as in vaccines), but man will fail if he proudly tries to solve the world’s problems without his Creator God (Psalm 2:1-5).
The evolution of one species to another (“Macro-Evolution”) assumes transitional species exist. But even Darwin stressed that the lack of transitional fossils was the most formidable obstacle to his theory. Even today many claim that the fossil record for evolution is weak, link.
In fact, there is a relatively sudden appearance of a variety of fully formed complex creatures (the “Cambrian Explosion”). Is that surprising when the Bible says each creature is made “according to its kind” i.e. there is no hint of transitions between species (Genesis 1:24-25)? So, at best, evolution is only an unproved theory; it is not fact.
An old earth is required to accommodate the theory of evolution, and Theistic Evolutionists try to align the concept of an old earth with the Bible by using a re-interpretation of scripture.
But conventional earth dating itself is based upon certain assumptions, such as a constant radiometric decay rate. In fact, there is strong scientific evidence to suggest the earth is much younger. And this is in agreement with verified chronological information in the Bible, link.
Historically this is not true. Under the 1917 Balfour Declaration, Britain supported the creation of a Jewish home in Palestine, without violating the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities. This theme of Arab protection continued after the Jews declared the State of Israel in May 1948. The Israel Declaration of Independence called upon the Arab inhabitants “to play their part in the development of the State, with full and equal citizenship and due representation in its bodies and institutions”, link.
Instead, five Arab armies invaded Israel with the aim of destroying the State. So many Palestinians evacuated their homes, partly through fear, but alsounder direction from Arab armiesand leaders, hoping to return soon after the “inevitable” Arab victory, link. Over 700,000 Palestinians fled to neighbouring Arab countries and effectively became refugees, link. So, historically, it was the invading Arab armies who created the Palestinian refugees.
From a security point of view, cashless trading using a personal ID is clearly attractive. But this hi-technology will be used by a godless world government to control mankind and persecute those who refuse to take the mark (Revelation 13:15).
Financial control will probably be via Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC’s), where national currencies are replaced by a government-controlled cryptocurrency. Digital Identity and Global Governance are programmed into the World Economic Forum’s “Great Reset“.
A world government is indeed coming; the Bible says so. But what sort of world government? Prophecy says it will cruelly control the nations – much like the historic Roman Empire (some see the European Union as a key-player here). It will be pagan (being led by a godless ruler), and rage against God (Psalm 2:1-3, Daniel 11:36, Revelation 19::17-21). But it will be short-lived and is destroyed by the Second Coming of Christ (Daniel 2:34).
According to prophecy, the true world government will be a theocracy led by Christ from Jerusalem.
Yes, the Bible was “scribed” by men, but what they wrote was inspired by the God of Israel (2 Timothy 3:16). If you doubt this, look at prophecy. The prophets received transcendent knowledge about Jesus (His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection) hundreds of years before He came. In fact, Jesus fulfilled more than 100 prophecies.
As for the future, few could doubt that the Book of Revelation is inspired. It claims Jesus told a Christian called “John” to write about events some 2,000 years in the future. So today we see the cashless society described in Revelation 13:16-17, link, and today’s apostate church described in Revelation 17, link.
Yes, and No! Yes, it doesn’t go into scientific depth. But the Bible DOES make scientific statements which science supports. For example, the Bible describes Earth as a spherical (not flat) object that appears to “hang on nothing” (Isaiah 40:22, Job 26:7). And, medically, the 8th day is the optimum time for circumcision (Gen 17:12).
When it comes to astronomy, the Bible’s succinct terminology regarding “the cluster of the Pleiades” and “the belt of Orion” (Job 38:31) is amazingly accurate. The Bible can also be ahead of science. There is a geological fault running E-W through the Mt. Olives opposite Jerusalem. Is this the cause of a future massive earthquake affecting the mountain (Zech 14:4).
Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for millennia, but it has never been the capital of any Arab entity (even today there is no Palestinian State to “own” Jerusalem). The city is mentioned more than 700 times in the Bible, but not once in the Quran! So to Jews the entire city is sacred, whilst to Arabs only “the Dome of the Rock” is sacred. In the future, Gentile nations will go up to Jerusalem to worship Christ – the King of the Jews (Zech 14:9-21).
This is ‘Replacement Theology’ and is based upon the assumption that, since rebellious Israel was scattered throughout the nations, the church has taken over as God’s witness. Many institutionalised churches hold this view. But they ignore the fact that God did not destroy national Israel – He simply gave her a ‘writ of divorce’ – and one day soon the nation will return to Him (Romans 11:22-27) and again be God’s witness in the world (Zechariah 8:23).
Hindus and Buddhists believe in ‘Samsara’, or the reincarnation cycle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth. This belief has gained ground in western society as people move away from biblical teaching, and truth. But reincarnation is not mentioned in the Bible. Instead the Bible says we have just one life and after death the judgement (Hebrews 9:27).
Speech in Support of Israel
Historian Andrew Roberts, British House of Commons, 29 November 2010
I would like to speak to you today as an historian, because it seems to me that the State of Israel has packed more history into her 62 years on the planet than many other nations have in six hundred. There are many surprising things about this tiny, feisty, brave nation the size of Wales, but the most astonishing is that she has survived at all. The very day after the UN declared Israel a country in 1948, five Arab countries attacked, and she has been struggling for her right to life ever since. And that is what we are here for today, to reiterate Israel’s right to self-defence, inherent in all legitimate countries.
From Morocco to Afghanistan, from the Caspian Sea to Aden, the 5.25 million square miles of territory belonging to members of the Arab League is home to over 330 million people, whereas Israel covers only eight thousand square miles, and is home to seven million citizens, one-fifth of whom are Arabs. The Jews of the Holy Land are thus surrounded by hostile states 650 times their size in territory and sixty times their population, yet their last, best hope of ending two millennia of international persecution, the State of Israel has somehow survived.
When during the Second World War, the island of Malta came through three terrible years of bombardment and destruction, it was rightly awarded the George Medal for bravery; today Israel should be awarded a similar decoration for defending democracy, tolerance and Western values against a murderous onslaught that has lasted twenty times as long.
Jerusalem is the site of the Temple of Solomon and Herod. The stones of a palace erected by King David himself are even now being unearthed just outside the walls of Jerusalem. Everything that makes a nation state legitimate– bloodshed, soil tilled, two millennia of continuous residence, international agreements ,argues for Israel’s right to exist, yet that is still denied by the Arab League. For many of their governments, which are rich enough to have economically solved the Palestinian refugee problem decades ago, it is useful to have Israel as a scapegoat to divert attention from the tyranny, failure and corruption of their own regimes.
The tragic truth is that it suits Arab states very well to have the Palestinians endure permanent refugee status, and whenever Israel puts forward workable solutions they have been stymied by those whose interests put the destruction of Israel before the genuine well being of the Palestinians. Both King Abdullah I of Jordan and Anwar Sadat of Egypt were assassinated when they attempted to come to some kind of accommodation with a country that most sane people now accept is not going away.
“We owe to the Jews,” wrote Winston Churchill in 1920, “a system of ethics which, even if it were entirely separated from the supernatural, would be incomparably the most precious possession of mankind, worth in fact the fruits of all wisdom and learning put together. The Jewish contribution to finance, science, the arts, academia, commerce and industry, literature, philanthropy and politics has been astonishing relative to their tiny numbers. Although they make up less than half of one percent of the world population, between 1901 and 1950 Jews won 14% of all the Nobel Prizes awarded for Literature and Science, and between 1951 and 2000 Jews won 32% of the Nobel Prizes for Medicine, 32% for Physics, 39% for Economics and 29% for Science. This, despite so many of their greatest intellects dying in the gas chambers.”
Civilisation owes Judaism a debt it can never repay, and support for the right of a Jewish homeland to exist is the bare minimum we can provide. Yet we tend to treat Israel like a leper on the international scene, merely for defending herself, and threatening her with academic boycotts if she builds a separation wall that has so far reduced suicide bombings by 95% over three years.
It is a disgrace that no senior member of the Royal Family has ever undertaken an official visit to Israel, as though the country is still in quarantine after more than six decades. Her Majesty the Queen has been on the throne for 57 years and in that time has undertaken 250 official visits to 129 countries, yet has not yet set foot in Israel. She has visited 14 Arab countries, so it cannot have been that she wasn’t in the region. Although Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice, is buried on the Mount of Olives because of her status as Righteous Among Gentiles, the Foreign Office ordained that his visit to his mother’s grave in 1994 had to be in a private capacity only.
Royal visits are one of the ways legitimacy is conferred on nations, and the Coalition Government should end the Foreign Office’s defacto boycott. After the Holocaust, the Jewish people recognised that they must have their own state, a homeland where they could forever be safe from a repetition of such horrors. Putting their trust in Western Civilisation was never again going to be enough. Since then, Israel has had to fight no fewer than five major wars for her very existence.
She has been on the front line in the War against Terror and has been fighting the West’s battles for it, decades before 9/11 or 7/7 ever happened. Radical Islam is never going to accept the concept of an Israeli State, so the struggle is likely to continue for another sixty years, but the Jews know that that is less dangerous than entrusting their security to anyone else.
Very often in Britain, especially when faced with the overwhelmingly anti-Israeli bias that is endemic in our liberal media and the BBC, we fail to ask ourselves what we would have done placed in their position? The population of the United Kingdom of 63 million is nine times that of Israel. In July 2006, to take one example at random, Hezbollah crossed the border of Lebanon into Israel and killed eight patrolmen and kidnapped two others, and that summer fired four thousand Katyusha rockets into Israel which killed a further forty-three civilians.
Now, if we multiply those numbers by nine to get the British equivalent, just imagine what we would do if a terrorist organisation based as close as Calais were to fire thirty-six thousand rockets into Sussex and Kent, killing 87 British civilians, after killing seventy-two British servicemen in an ambush and capturing eighteen. There is absolutely no lengths to which our Government would not go to protect British subjects under those circumstances, and quite right too. Why should Israel be expected to behave any differently?
In the course of researching my latest book on the Second World War, I recently visited Auschwitz-Birkenau. Walking along a line of huts and the railway siding where their forebears had been worked and starved and beaten and frozen and gassed to death, were a group of Jewish schoolchildren, one of whom was carrying over his shoulder the Israeli flag, a blue star of David on white background. It was a profoundly moving sight, for it was the sovereign independence represented by that flag which guarantees that the obscenity of genocide which killed six million people in Auschwitz and camps like it — will never again befall the Jewish people, to whom the rest of civilisation owes so much.
I said at the start that I was speaking to you as an historian, and so I say: No people in History have needed the right to self-defence and legitimacy more than the Jews of Israel, and that is what we in the Friends of Israel Initiative demand here today.
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