WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT TODAY'S COMPETING RATURE THEORIES

I recently read a paperback entitled "The Prewrath Rapture Position Explained." I highlighted a lot of information, but find I'm rather confused by terms for Rapture positions such as Pretribulation, Midtribulation, Post tribulation, and Prewrath positions. Is there a simple way to explain these and how the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth fits in? Revelation sure is confusing!

You’ve certainly opened up a gigantic can of worms with this question. Although all of today’s competing Rapture theories claim to be based on the Bible, the word “Rapture” doesn’t appear in the Bible at all. It comes from the Latin Vulgate’s translation of the Greek word for “caught up” (rapere) in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Furthermore, all contemporary Rapture theories are predicated on a seven year period that Rapture theorists call “The Tribulation.” Yet, no such period is specifically mentioned anywhere in the Scripture. Although the Scripture certainly speaks of “tribulation” and even “great tribulation,” it never specifies either one as a particular period of time.

Added to all of the above is the additional fact that belief in a secret Rapture of the church only dates back to the 19th century, to the year 1830 to be exact. It originated with a Scottish lass by the name of Margaret Macdonald, who believed in a secret and partial rapture of the church. She taught that only those who have been baptized in the Holy Ghost, as evidenced by speaking in unknown tongues, will be raptured out of the world by Christ before the commencement of the biblically predicted tribulation of the last days. All other Christians, according to Miss Macdonald, will remain on the earth while the turbulent end times unfold.

Though I certainly believe, as all Bible believers do, in both the catching up of the church by the returning Christ and the predicted tribulation of the last days, I do not believe in much of what is taught by modern-day Rapture theorists. I felt bound by my conscience to confess this fact before proceeding to answer your question, which I believe is based on highly suspect and scripturally unsubstantiated speculation.

Today’s competing Rapture theories are based on a school of eschatology (study of the end times or last things) known as premillennial dispensationalism. This popular school was first systematized and propagated by a contemporary of Margaret Macdonald’s by the name of John Nelson Darby. According to premillennial dispensationalists, before Christ returns to set up His millennial kingdom on earth there will be a seven year period of unprecedented tribulation. It is either before, during or at the end of this period that Christ will “secretly” snatch His church out of the world.

In the vernacular of premillennial dispensationalism, this seven year period is called the Tribulation and Christ’s secret return to snatch His church out of the word is called the Rapture. Those who believe that Christ will rapture His church before the Tribulation begins are called Pretribulationists. Those who believe that Christ will rapture His church in the middle of the Tribulation are called Midtribulationists. Those who believe that Christ will rapture His church toward the end of the Tribulation, just prior to God’s pouring out of His wrath on a Christ-rejecting world, are called Prewrath Tribulationists. And finally, those who believe that Christ will rapture his church after the Tribulation are called Posttribulationists.

I can’t conclude my answer to your question without commenting on your closing remark, “Revelation sure is confusing.” Undoubtedly, the Book of Revelation is a difficult book to understand. It may well be the most difficult book in the Bible. It is, as it points out in its opening verse, a book of signs and symbols, all of which demand symbolic interpretations. Yet, it is not the actual text of Revelation that has you perplexed, but men’s various and confusing theories about it.

Getting to the bottom of the Bible’s most famous prophetic book is difficult enough, without the waters being muddied by a bunch of thrashing theorists wading around in it with tons of competing theories. Therefore, I suggest that you stick to the text of the Scripture and not concern yourself too much with the speculative theories of men.