I am not a fan of systematic theologies. They are manmade and seem much like sheep, one follows another and they all go astray. When they do go astray those who formulated them and adhere to them will go to great lengths to defend their systematic, even when Scripture plainly dictates otherwise.
Those who adopt systematics usually invent a vocabulary to explain their systematics to others, rather than use the words of Scripture to explain what they believe. It is that way when discussing eschatology, the biblical prophecies regarding the last days before Christ’s return.
Some of the extrabiblical eschatological terms that the reader may be familiar with are pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation and there are other terms such as dispensational premillennialism, historic premillennialism, amillennialism and postmillennialism. None of the aforementioned terms are found in Scripture.
Denominations are much like systematics, in that, they are manmade. While I grew up in a denominational church and attend one at this writing, I am free from any denominational entanglement that would serve to skew my perspective of what the Scriptures teach.
I have a Master of Divinity degree but do not claim to hold a doctorate degree. I have read through the Bible at this writing 63 times and continue to read through it each year. What is written herein comes from a lifelong study and reading of the Scriptures.
I believe in the Bible, the Christian Scriptures, to be the authoritative word of God. I believe in the historical, grammatical interpretation of Scripture to convey its plain meaning of literal truth about the past, the present and the future. The reader can determine for themselves whether or not what is written here makes biblical sense.
The Bible is much like a giant jigsaw puzzle and the pieces of what the Scriptures say about the future are found scattered throughout the Old and New Testaments. What I hope to do here is to consolidate the various passages of Scripture to give a biblical perspective of what God says about the future regarding mass resurrections.
There are only two mass resurrections mentioned in Scripture, one of believers and one of unbelievers as we will see.
I simply ask the reader to keep an open mind to what the Scriptures have to say about what is ahead.
I have been told that when the communist revolution took hold in China there was a great falling away from the church. They had been taught that the rapture would take the church away before there was a time of tribulation. Times were very difficult for Christians during and after the communist revolution, and some believed they had been misled by the Scriptures regarding the tribulation and lost faith in the Bible’s message.
I tell people if things do not turn out like you think they should according to Scripture, the Scriptures are not wrong. Your understanding and interpretation were wrong.
What the future holds for those of us who will be here then I think is clearly shared in the Scriptures. God lets us know what the future holds so that we will not be misled and be prepared for what is to come, and so we can know He is aware and in control.
I agree with Solomon, “But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body,” Ecclesiastes 12:12. While this is not long enough to be considered a book it is something that is written and I think more has been written than is needed. I do not claim to be well read. I have probably read more than most but not as much as others. Having said that I do not recall ever reading a book about the subject matter contained here or heard a sermon preached on it, so, I thought I would write something about it.
What is written here is not meant to alarm anyone but to help us be prepared for what is coming. I am not writing to denigrate what others believe only trying to help us be prepared for what the Scriptures say is ahead.
May the Spirit of God give the reader understanding.
The Rapture
When discussing the rapture there are three views that are the most prominent: pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation and post-tribulation. Every one of these views currently are based entirely on subjective interpretations of Scripture.
The pre-tribulation position holds that the rapture will occur before the time of tribulation recorded in Revelation. Mid-tribulation teaches the rapture will happen in the middle of the tribulation period, and post-tribulation is the view the rapture will come at the end of the tribulation period.
Because there are believed to be sound interpretations for each of these views some have jokingly said they are pan-tribulation, they are willing to wait and see how things pan out. Obviously all three cannot be true. Christ will return at some specific point in time and by the end of this writing it will be clear which one is true.
The word Rapture is a word that refers to the saints rising to meet Christ in the air at His return as recorded in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians.
Paul writes, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord,” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
There are two things to notice about this text regarding what is commonly referred to as the Rapture.
First, there is no point given here as to when the rapture will occur on God’s prophetic timeline. That needs to be determined when considering other passages of Scripture. Based on this passage alone, one cannot say the Rapture occurs prior to the tribulation period mentioned in the book of Revelation and other prophetic passages about the end times as proponents of dispensationalism want to say.
Second, there is no escaping the fact that the Rapture is a mass resurrection of believers. This is why I dislike the term Rapture because this passage in First Thessalonians is referring to a resurrection of believers, “…the dead in Christ will rise first, 1 Thessalonians 4:16.” What is commonly referred to as the Rapture is actually referred to in the Bible as a resurrection.
When one refers to this passage as being about the Rapture one begins to think about it from a doctrinal perspective rather than a biblical perspective. The biblical perspective in this passage in First Thessalonians is a clear reference to a mass resurrection of believers from all previous times, both Old and New Testament saints. Rapture is a doctrinal perspective and resurrection is a biblical perspective.
Two Resurrections
When the Scriptures refer to mass resurrections there are only two mentioned in the Bible. Daniel 12:1-2, prophesies “and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt,” two resurrections.
Jesus also refers to two resurrections in John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment,” two resurrections.
Paul says there will be two resurrections. In Acts 24:15 he says there will be “a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked,” two resurrections.
In all of these accounts Daniel, Jesus and Paul use the same order regarding the two resurrections. The first resurrection is a resurrection of everlasting life and the righteous, the second resurrection is a resurrection of everlasting contempt, judgment and the wicked.
The apostle John in the book of Revelation agrees with this view of two resurrections and the order they occur in:
“Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years,” Revelation 20:4-6.
This is referred to by John as the “first resurrection,” Revelation 20:5. This first resurrection occurs at the end of the tribulation period in Revelation 19 and prior to the beginning of the millenial riegn of Christ in Revelation 20. The “first resurrection” is a resurrection of those believers who are righteous, and will inherit eternal life, and the second death will have no power over them.
The “rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed,” Revelation 20:5, this is a second resurrection. This according to John will be a resurrection unto judgment, “and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds,” Revelation 20:12. This is the “resurrection of judgment” Jesus spoke of in John 5:29. Those raised in the second resurrection will be cast into the lake of fire which is the second death, Revelation 20:12-15.
These two resurrections recorded by John correspond to the order of the future resurrections referred to by Daniel, Jesus, and Paul. This is not mere coincidence, all that has been written here is under the direction of the Holy Spirit and corresponds perfectly with Daniel, Jesus, and Paul.
To say there will be a pre-tribulation Rapture of the church is to say there will be a resurrection of believers before the “first resurrection” that occurs after the tribulation period and before the millennial reign of Christ. If that were true then the pre-tribulation rapture would be the first resurrection, but according to the Scriptures that is not the first resurrection.
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