According to the Bible The Rapture is an event when people are
physically taken up by God and heaven. According to First Corinthians 1551, Paul explains
that there will be a group of people who don't die but will be changed
and transformed in a quick moment. And this rapture gives many Christians
hope because it means that some people will be able to escape death
and go straight to heaven. So for those of you who question whether
the concept of a rapture is biblical, it is in fact, there are two people of the Old Testament
who never died and went to be with God. Enoch from Genesis 524 and Elijah
in Second Kings Chapter two, verse 11. And on top of that, a rapture is taught
in the New Testament, verse Thessalonians chapter four, verses
16 to 17 for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with the shout,
with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God
And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. in this passage,
Jesus comes down from heaven and people will be caught up
to be with Him in the air. So as you can see here,
there will be a time when Jesus raptures and physically gathers his people and meets them in the air
while they're still alive. soul, the rapture is a heavily
debated topic in the church. The topic of discussion should not be
a matter of whether there is a rapture. Rather, it should be a question of
when it will happen. So in this video,
we're going to talk about some of the different positions
that many Christians believe concerning the rapture
and when it will happen. And in each position, we'll cover
what's believed. We'll give a timeline of the key events
that each position believes will happen. And the strengths of each position. And at the end of the video,
I'll share what I personally believe. So position number one dispensation. Pre millennial ism. People who hold this position believe
either in a pre or mid trib rapture. So here's the timeline
of what they believe. Jesus died and rose again
and shortly after the church age began. And what will mark the end of the church age is a rapture
where God's people are taken up. And then after this takes place,
a literal seven year tribulation will begin
where God judges the world. And once it ends, Jesus comes back
and establishes a thousand year reign. And once these thousand years are up,
Satan will have a final rebellion. He'll lose, and then God will have his final judgment
where he judges everyone that's unsaved. And then God will usher in a new heaven
and a new earth and really fast. Some dispensation pre millennial ists
believe in a midship rapture, so they believe that the rapture happens
here at the middle of the tribulation So let's dive into what all this means. People who hold this position believe that people today
are currently in the church age and that any time right now
Jesus can come back and rapture and take up his people
who are sealed with the Holy Spirit. And that will look like people
being physically gone from the world because God will take them
like He did with Enoch and Elijah. And the reason why he's going to take up
his people is so that they can escape the seven year tribulation where God will bring judgment upon the Earth
and for mid trip rapture people, they believe that the tribulation
is divided into two parts, three and a half years of peace and three
and a half years of God's judgment. And they believe that God's people
will be raptured before the three and a half year
Great tribulation Daniel Chapter nine
and the Book of Revelation Go into great detail
about the Tribulation. And in Revelation
we learned that during the Tribulation, God's judgment
will come in the form of seven seal judgments, seven trumpet judgments,
and seven bull judgments. And during this time, the Antichrist and the false prophet
will lead the final world government and they'll persecute
anyone that doesn't receive their mark. and then God will judge the world
by striking the trees, the vegetation, the waters, the sun. And all of this will cause billions
upon billions of people to die because dispensation pre millennial ists believe the tribulation
to be God's wrath upon the earth. They don't believe God's
children will be present during this time and they'll get to escape these events
because of the Rapture. The reasoning for this belief is found in First Thessalonians
chapter five, verse nine four God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. in this passage, Jesus tells His disciples that they will not know the day
or the hour that he'll be coming. And Matthew, chapter
24 versus 42 and 44 reinforces this idea that the hour of Jesus's return
will be unknown. So one reason why many Christians
believe in a pre or midrash rapture is because this passage states
that people won't know the day
or the hour that Jesus will be returning and the rapture would make Christ's coming
imminent or surprising. so that's the dispensation
pre millennial ism view in a nutshell. Next we're going to cover position
number two historic pre millennial ism. People who hold this view believe in a post trip rapture and here's
the timeline of what they believe. And it's incredibly similar to people
who believe in a preacher of rapture. they also believe in a seven year
tribulation where everything goes down with the Antichrist and the crazy
sealed trumpet and bull judgments. But instead of the rapture occurring
before the tribulation, they believe that it won't happen
until after the tribulation. And once Jesus comes back,
he'll rule for a thousand years. And again,
Satan will have this final rebellion. He'll lose. And then you have God's
final judgment again. And then the new heaven and the new Earth. One key difference between Preacher
Trib and post trip rapture people is that preacher of rapture. People believe that the Rapture
and the second coming of Christ are two separate events. Whereas post trip Rapture, people believe
that they are a single event where Jesus comes back and simultaneously
takes up his people to be with Him. and as Jesus steps into the world for a second time,
he will reign for 1000 literal years. One strong reason why people believe
in a post trip rapture is because of Matthew 24 versus 29 to 31 Immediately
after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven and
the powers of the heavens will be shaken. then the sign of the son of man
will appear in heaven. And then all the tribes of the earth
will mourn. And they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory. And he will send his angels
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together
his elect from the four wins from one end of heaven
to the other In this passage, Jesus speaks to His disciples
about the signs of His second coming. And He says that after the tribulation, Jesus himself will send His angels
to gather His people around the world. and people who hold a post-trade rapture
position would argue that the only mention of a rapture in this passage occurs
after the tribulation is complete. And during Christ's second coming. so when it comes to enduring the judgments
of God during the tribulation post trip rapture, people would place
great emphasis on Christians living faithfully until death
so that more people can come to salvation while the mark of the beast
is being distributed. And regarding God's children
going through the wrath of God post-Arab rapture, people can believe that God's people can be in the midst
of God's judgment, but still be spared. for example,
Noah's family during the flood lot in his daughters
amidst Sodom and Gomorrah is destruction. And the Israelites in Egypt during
the plagues were all divinely protected
during God's supernatural judgment. so it is possible that God can do the same
thing during the Great Tribulation. and I should note what both pre and post
Arab rapture people have in common is that they both believe that Jesus has a thousand year reign
as a literal thousand years. And that leads us to the next position. Position number three, a millennial ism. this position says that the thousand year
reign of Jesus isn't a literal thousand years, but is symbolic of the fact
that Christ is living within his people right now, which means Christ's kingdom
is currently here on Earth. This position says that the thousand year
reign of Jesus is not a literal thousand years, but is symbolic of the fact
that Christ is living within his people right now, which means Christ's kingdom
is currently here on Earth. So here's their timeline. A millennial. It's believed that
we are currently living in the church age and it overlaps with the thousand year
reign and the tribulation. So the specific judgments that were
mentioned in the Book of Revelation either happened in the past
or will happen later in the future. And they believe that the next key event that's going to happen next is the second
coming of Christ who will immediately bring the final judgment
and then the new heaven and new earth. all millennial lists would hold to a similar rapture position
as post trip Rapture people were. Both groups
believe that the Rapture will happen at the same time
as the second Coming of Christ. one argument for a millennial ism comes
from Revelation Chapter 20, verses 1 to 3. Then I saw an angel coming down
from heaven, holding the key to the bottomless pit
and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon,
that serpent of old who is the devil and Satan,
and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit
and shut him up and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations
no more. Till the thousand years were finished. But after these things,
he must be released for a little while. in this passage. John witnesses An angel having a key
and a chain that takes hold of this dragon and binds him for a thousand years
so that he won't be able to deceive the nations
until the thousand years were finished. And all millennium lists would argue that
this passage, as well as a huge portion of the Book of Revelation,
is full of imagery and symbolism. And so it should not be read literally. So when we read this passage
about a dragon and an angel with the great chain,
the dragon is representative of the devil, and the chain probably symbolizes
the dragon's restriction. So in the same way that there isn't
a literal dragon or a literal beast in the sea or beast in the Earth,
the thousand years that was mentioned here probably wasn't meant to be taken
literally as well. Another reason
why all millennial ists believe that the thousand year
reign is not literal is because of second Peter three eight where it talks about
how 1000 years is like a date to the Lord. So when it comes to the rapture, like pre
tribe, rapture people are millennial lists believe that Jesus can come
at any time like a thief in the night. Except the main difference
is that all millennial lists believe that when he comes, he will immediately
give the final judgment of the earth, and then he'll usher in the new heaven,
in the new Earth. And going back to the timeline
were the church age tribulation in the thousand year
reign overlap. People who hold this
view would argue that the reason why we're in that thousand year
reign right now is because the millennium symbolizes
Christ's reign and our hearts, and that the Kingdom of God is something
that we can experience right here. And we see this in Luke
chapter 17 versus 2221, where Jesus says that the Kingdom of God
is within people. And now to our final position. Position number four post Millennial ism. These people believe that
Jesus, the second coming will occur after the millennium. So here's their timeline. They believe that while there's
some tribulation right now, our society will slowly get better and that one day
we will reach the millennium. And during this time, peace, justice and
Christianity will rule the entire world. And once this millennium
has been established for a time, it is then that Jesus will come back
and then he'll have his final judgment and then bring in the new heaven
and the new Earth. supposed millennial lists, see the tribulation and hardship
that's happening right now as a temporary thing
that will eventually end. And there will be a time when God's people
will continue to preach across the world and that the church
will eventually influence our politics, our educational systems and our economies
throughout the entire world. And this will bring a kind of golden age. And during this time, nearly
everyone will be Christian and there will be no more wars. so this era of peace is what post
millennium lists called the millennium and they believe that once this golden age
stands for a time, Jesus will return. So like all millennial lists, post
millennial lists believe that the thousand years
is symbolic of something else. And for them
they believe that the millennium is not a literal thousand years,
but is an extended period of time. one of the reasons why they believe that
one day almost everyone will be Christians is due to Matthew 2414, which says,
and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world
as a witness to all the nations. And then the end will come. and during this time when the gospel
is preached to the entire world, an age of peace will come. And it's described in Isaiah chapter
two, verses 2 to 4. and it reads. Many people shall come and say,
Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways
and we shall walk in his paths for Out of Zion shall go forth The law
and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge between the nations
and rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords
into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. nations shall not lift up
sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. so as you can see here, the air that will come will be one
that is devoid of war and weapons. And post millennials believe that it is God's people
that will help usher in this world. Another one of their arguments
is found in Matthew 1331 to 32 when it talks about how
the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard. And it grew up to be the greatest
of all the herbs and became a tree here. Post millennial lists would say that this illustrates the idea
of a gradual spread of Christianity. And in the same way that a mustard
seed, a small but grew into a huge tree, Christianity also started small
and its kingdom will soon grow to be huge and influential, leading
to most of the world becoming Christian. so that's all of them in a concise
nutshell dispensation of pre millennial ism
or the belief in a pre or midrash rapture historic pre millennial ism
or the belief in a post trip rapture, all millennial ism, the belief
that we are currently in the millennium and that Jesus can come back in any moment
and millennial ism the belief that Jesus will come after the millennium
is established by His people. Now, there is one of these beliefs
that I lean towards to most, but before I tell you my opinion, let me first say that I believe
that the timing of the rapture is a side issue and should not cause
division in the church. I tend to place greater focus on preaching
God's Word and making disciples, as opposed to debating in my mind
when the Rapture will happen. and on top of that, there are Christians
that I respect from all four positions. And I also have two mentors
that helped raise me. And they don't hold my position. So please understand that my heart
when covering these positions is not to persuade you where convince you
which one is right or wrong. Rather, I did my best to be fair and cover
all of them equally. and while I do think that one of
these positions is more likely to happen, I do want to say that
there are things that all four agree on and all four agree
that Christ is physically coming back and that believers
should be ready for Jesus. His return. okay, so back to the positions
out of all four positions. Eileen most towards historic pre
millennial ism or the post rapture view. And the reason why is because I feel that
this position reads the Bible literally the most for Matthew 24,
I feel that a rapture needs to be inserted and passages that mention a rapture
also allude to Christ. Second, Coming. So from what I read in Scripture,
I find that the second Coming and the Rapture are single events
as opposed to two. However, I have a big problem
with historic pre millennial ism, and it's the imminence of Christ coming. Jesus says
he'll come like a thief in the night. And I feel like Jesus can't come in a way
that's surprising. If there's a post trip rapture. And the reason
why is because the Antichrist isn't revealed yet
and the mark is not being distributed. So Christians could technically, each time
Christ coming and say these things and Revelation hasn't happened yet,
so Jesus isn't coming back yet. And that's a big problem. so I really do like all millennial
ism and dispositional pre millennial ism for the fact that Jesus will come
and it will surprise everyone Of those two, I would probably
lean towards all millennial ism because they also see the rapture
and the second coming as single events. But the problem that I have with all millennial ism is that
I see the millennium as being literal. So I really like dispensation
of pre millennial because it handles the imminence of Christ
well with a literal millennium. But I don't see the Rapture and the second
coming of Christ as separate events from what I read in Matthew 24
and first Thessalonians. So that's why I say I lean towards
historic pre millennial ism. And the reason
why is because I think it's closest to being correct when it comes
to reading the Bible literally. But I hold that opinion
with a very open hand and I like hearing what other people have to say
and I apologize to my post millennial best friends. I think that the arguments for this
position is the weakest. But I do respect Jonathan Edwards,
who held this view, and I'd like to learn more on it. So closing I hope for a pre trip rapture. But mentally prepare for a post trip
rapture just in case. And I do all of this while trusting
that God will take care of everything. And should you talk to a believer
that holds a different position than you? Don't fight and divide over it? Our hope is not in the timing
of the Rapture. It's in Jesus. so regardless of our different beliefs,
may we all preach God's word so more people can be saved and may we all stay united so that we can
stand against the attacks of the enemy. and while you may or may not be completely
sure when the rapture will happen, there is one thing that you can
be sure of. Jesus loves you.
