The Watchman’s Call

Guest (Male): Standing at the intersection of the word and the world, there is a clear sound for uncertain times. Welcome to the Watchman’s Call. Join us as we stand on the ramparts of Scripture to examine the intersection of biblical prophecy and modern culture. The headlines are changing, but the blueprint has already been written. Listen as Pastor Andy Woods uncovers the prophetic significance of the world we live in. The Watchman’s Call starts now.

Andy Woods: I want to welcome you back to the Watchman’s Call broadcast. We're dealing in this miniseries with the subject of when is the rapture. We're not assigning a date for the rapture, but when does the rapture take place relative to the coming seven-year tribulation period? As I've been trying to explain in this miniseries, I'm of the persuasion that the rapture will take place before the tribulation period even begins. That would make me a pre-tribulationist.

Why do I believe this? Is it just wishful thinking? No, I think the evidence in the Bible points in this direction. There are seven reasons why I think this. Number one, the tribulation period concerns Israel and not the church. Number two, there is no biblical reference to the church being on the earth at all in the futuristic section of the book of Revelation. If the church is referred to at all during that time period, she's always in heaven, like the 24 elders of Revelation 4:4.

Wait a minute, I thought those 24 elders were angels. No, they couldn't be angels because they're seated. Revelation chapter 4 and verse 4 talks about them in the sitting position. Angels do not sit in the presence of the Lord. I believe it's one of the angels mentioned, Gabriel, in Luke chapter 1 and verse 19; he is standing in the presence of the Lord. These 24 elders can't be angels. These 24 elders must be some kind of reference to the church, as we tried to develop in prior shows. If the church is mentioned in that section at all, it's always in heaven, never on the earth.

There's a third reason why I am a pre-tribulationist, and it has to do with the fact that the church is given a promise many times in Scripture that she will be exempted from divine wrath. What is the tribulation period? It is an expression of divine wrath. Since it is an expression of divine wrath, how can the church be on the earth during that time period? That would be akin to getting engaged to someone, and then you take your bride as the groom and beat her up before the wedding day. That's the kind of mentality that a lot of people have by putting the church in their theology into God's wrath prior to the rapture. The church is going to be here for part of that wrath, and I'm here to tell you that's not true. The church has been promised an exemption from divine wrath.

Now, what is causing this wrath? Jesus is causing it. It's not man causing it; it's not Satan causing it. Certainly, the Lord could use them as His indirect instruments, but it's Jesus producing this wrath. Notice Revelation 5:5-6. It says, "One of the elders said to me, 'Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so He is able to open the book and its seven seals.' And I saw between the throne with four living creatures and the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth."

Jesus here is portrayed as taking a seven-sealed scroll, which I think represents the title deed to the earth, and opening it. If you look at Revelation 6:1, it says, "Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a loud voice of thunder, 'Come.'" Here is Jesus opening this seven-sealed scroll. As the scroll is rolled out, He's reclaiming the title deed to the earth. Every time He peels back one of the seals on the scroll, a judgment hits the earth. Then the seventh seal launches the trumpet judgments, and the seventh trumpet launches the bowl judgments.

Make no mistake about it, as this wrath is being poured out on planet Earth every time a seal is opened, a judgment hits; it's Jesus causing it. How can the church be in this time period when we're told over and over again that we, as members of the church, are going to be spared from the wrath of God? It would be like Jesus not keeping His promise. A lot of people play this game where they say the first few seals really don't represent the wrath of God.

Let me review with you those initial judgments. The Antichrist comes forward in Revelation 6:1-2. World war breaks out in Revelation 6:3-4. There's massive famine in Revelation 6:5-6. Death occurs in Revelation 6:7-8. Martyrdoms occur in Revelation 6:9-11. Then there are cosmic disturbances in Revelation 6:12-17. Are you telling me that's not God's wrath? Of course it's God's wrath. In fact, when you look at the death toll, one-quarter of the world's population is wiped out in those initial judgments. That's a very large number. Later on, we're going to be told that a third of the earth's population is destroyed. That would take the population count down 50% in those initial judgments. There are people telling me that really isn't God's wrath.

Of course it's God's wrath, and Jesus is causing it by opening this seven-sealed scroll. That's why this time period is called the wrath of the Lamb. Revelation 6:16-17 is a description of that horrific time period. It says, "And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'"

Dr. Robert Thomas, a Greek scholar, says this about those verses: "Mankind in his rebellion correctly analyzes the cosmic and terrestrial disturbances as part of the great end-time day of wrath from the one sitting on the throne and from the Lamb. The verb elelthe, 'has come', is an aorist indicative referring to a previous arrival of wrath, not something that is about to take place. Men see the arrival of this day at least as early as the cosmic upheaval that characterized the sixth seal, but upon reflection, they probably recognize that it was already in effect with the death of one-quarter of the population, the worldwide famine, and global warfare. The rapid sequence of all of these events could not escape notice, but the light of their true explanation does not dawn upon human consciousness until the severe phenomena of the sixth seal arrive."

The unsaved people hiding under the rocks have figured out that the wrath of God has come, and in fact, according to the Greek, it started as early as the first seal judgment. Jesus is producing these things through the opening of a seven-sealed scroll. This is the wrath of the Lamb. How could the church be present for any of this, particularly these very, very early judgments?

A lot of people will say, "You're describing an easy life for the Christian. You keep saying the church is not a candidate for God's wrath. That must be an American idea because Christians all over the world are suffering." I'm not here to deny that Christians all over the world are suffering. What I'm here to explain is that is not the wrath of the Lamb. As bad as it is, it's not the wrath of God. The truth of the matter is as Christians living this side of the rapture, we are candidates for a lot of different things.

We're candidates for trials. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we are candidates for trials. We're candidates for man's wrath. Second Timothy 3:12 says all who seek to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. We're candidates for Satan's wrath. That's why we're to put on the full armor of God, as Ephesians 6:11-12 says. We're candidates for the world's wrath. Jesus explained in John 15:18-19, "Marvel not that the world hates you. Long before it hated you, it hated Me. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own, but because I've called you out of the world, this is why the world hates you."

I'm not explaining an easy life. I'm explaining that there is a form of wrath that we are exempted from, and that's divine wrath. Are we exempted from the world's wrath, Satan's wrath, man's wrath, or ordinary trials? No, but we are exempted from divine wrath. One way to put it is we're exempted from trials with a capital 'T', but not trials with a little 't'. We're exempted from temptation with a capital 'T', but not temptations with a little 't'.

Life can be difficult in the nasty now-and-now, sometimes even resulting in death for the Christian, but we are exempted from divine wrath. The tribulation period is an expression of divine wrath, so how could we possibly be in that time period? There's a fourth reason why I am a committed pre-tribulationist, and it has to do with the doctrine of imminency. The rapture is an imminent event, meaning the way it's described in the Bible is it could happen at any moment. It could happen in the next split second.

It's not just something that is near; it's something that is next. There is no prophetic sign that must first materialize before the rapture can occur. In our prior shows together, you might remember that we shared a few verses on that. Notice that in all of these verses, as the rapture is described, there is no sign that has to precede it. You might recall James chapter 5, verse 8: "You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near." First Thessalonians 1:10 says to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

You might recall 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 7, which says, "So that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ." You might recall Philippians chapter 3, verse 20, which says, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." You'll notice that in none of these passages is there any sign—the Antichrist comes first, the temple desecration comes first, the trials or the wrath of God come first, or the mark of the beast comes first. None of those verses say that. They indicate that the rapture is something that will not be preceded by a sign. The rapture is what we would call signless. It could happen in the next split second. It could happen before this broadcast is even over.

First Thessalonians 4:15, Paul believed it could happen in his lifetime. He says, "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." When Paul was describing the rapture in 1 Corinthians 15:51, he said, "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will be changed." Paul anticipated that this could happen in his own lifetime. This is what we call the doctrine of imminency—the any-moment appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus, when He first unfolded the doctrine of the rapture in John 14:2-3, said, "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also." He doesn't say, "I'm coming for you, but first three things are going to happen." He doesn't say anything like that. He says, "I'm coming for you at any moment. Expect Me at any moment."

If you're a mid-tribulationist, can Jesus come back today? I've asked mid-tribulationists this, and they all tell me no. 42 months of the tribulation period has to elapse first. If you ask a post-tribulationist, can Jesus come back today, or can He come back in the next split second? The answer is no. Seven years of hell on earth must elapse first. If you ask what is called a pre-wrath rapturist—someone that believes the rapture takes place somewhere in the middle of the second half of the tribulation period—can Jesus come back today? Their answer is no. Roughly three-quarters of the tribulation period must elapse first.

If you ask me, a pre-tribulationist, can Jesus come back today? My answer is yes. In fact, John Walvoord, the great defender of pre-tribulationism, had a plaque in his office, and the plaque read: "Perhaps Today." Jesus can come back today. If you're mid-trib, post-trib, or a three-quarters rapturist, that plaque doesn't work. It has to say, "Perhaps in 42 months" or "Perhaps in seven years." The pre-tribulationist can say He could come back today. Pre-tribulationism is the only view on the table that honestly handles these imminency passages.

Let me take you to a fifth reason why I am a pre-tribulationist, and it has to do with the whole concept of comfort. The rapture is a comfort. Jesus in John chapter 14 and verse 1, when He introduced the concept of the rapture for the very first time, said, "Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me." Paul in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 18, after explaining the rapture, says, "Therefore, comfort one another with these words." Titus chapter 2, verse 13 describes the rapture of the church as the blessed hope. Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The rapture is designed for the Christian to be a hope. It wasn't long ago that I was in a used bookstore and I had found a bunch of interesting books on prophecy, and I was taking them to the checkout counter. The person behind the counter kept looking at all these titles about prophecy and she goes, "You know, this stuff really scares the daylights out of me." At that moment, I felt some sadness for her. I tried to give some explanation to her because she really didn't understand that prophecy is not given to scare the Christian. Prophecy is given to prepare the Christian. Prophecy is meant to be hope in a hopeless age.

When man's systems can't give us hope anymore, we have the hope of the any-moment return of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why when the rapture is taught, it's always taught as some sort of encouragement, some sort of comfort, some sort of hope. With all of that being said, which of the rapture views gives you encouragement and hope? "Hey, you're going to be here for three and a half years, and assuming your head is not cut off by the Antichrist, you have the hope of being raptured. Comfort one another with these words." Doesn't really fit, does it? "Hey, you're going to be here for seven years of hell on earth, and assuming you're not martyred, you have the hope of being raptured. Comfort one another with these words." "Hey, you're going to be here for roughly three-quarters of the tribulation period, and assuming you're not martyred and dead by then, you have the hope of being raptured. Comfort one another with these words." There is no comfort in those other systems. There's no hope.

How different pre-tribulationism is with the promise that we will be taken to heaven in the rapture before the seven-year tribulation period even elapses. That certainly gives us hope. Only the pre-tribulation rapture position harmonizes well with imminency and harmonizes well with hope. Let me take you to a sixth reason why I am a pre-tribulationist. This is a little longer to explain, so I'll only be able to introduce it in this segment. The Antichrist cannot come to power, he can't even come onto the world stage, until the restrainer is removed.

We know from Daniel chapter 9 and verse 27 that there's coming upon the earth a seven-year tribulation period. We know what will start that seven-year tribulation period. It says in Daniel 9, verse 27, "He," that's the Antichrist, "will make a firm covenant with the many," that's Israel, "for one week," which is a seven-year period of time. The whole thing can't even start until the Antichrist comes forward on the world stage and enters into this treaty with Israel. Then the seven-year countdown begins.

What Paul is explaining to us in 2 Thessalonians 2, as he describes the coming Antichrist in verse 3—the coming lawless one—is he says that individual can't even show up today because there is something holding him back, something restraining him. That restrainer is described in 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 6 and 7. It says of the lawless one, "And you know what restrains him, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way."

The Antichrist can't even come upon the scene until the restrainer is removed. Only after the restrainer is removed can the Antichrist come forward and enter into this treaty of some sort with the nation of Israel, which will start the final seven years on Daniel's clock. The big, big question here is what in the world is this restrainer? Some people think the restrainer is Rome, but Rome is gone and the restraint is still here. Some people think that the restrainer is the devil. Why would the devil restrain the devil? The Antichrist will be a perfect expression of the devil; he will perform even counterfeit signs and wonders.

Some people, reading Romans 13, say the restrainer is human government. Tell that to somebody that's suffering under a tyrannical or a totalitarian form of government somewhere in the world. Government doesn't many times restrain evil; it causes evil. Many people teach the restrainer is Michael the archangel, but cross-reference that with Jude verse 9, where we learn that Michael doesn't like to come out and fight Satan. There was a dispute about the body of Moses, and Michael just had to say to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you." So Michael doesn't like to contest Satan. Who is this restrainer? After we identify who the restrainer is, how does this relate to the pre-tribulation rapture of the church? Lord willing, we're going to pick those up in our next show together right here on the Watchman’s Call broadcast. Thank you for listening, and we will see you next time.

Guest (Male): You’ve been listening to the Watchman’s Call, exploring the intersection of prophecy and culture. This program is a ministry of Sugar Land Bible Church, a place where the Bible is taught and the times are discerned. Visit this Sunday in person or connect with them anytime at slbc.org. That’s slbc.org. Until next time, may the Lord give you a spirit of discernment in the week ahead. Everyone, take care. Peace out.