DAY 10 - The Presupposition
Many of the false ideas about the end-times come from the presupposition that “The Tribulation” is a fact.
People who have this presupposition come to the table with this belief already a part of their theological foundation. Listed within other doctrinal truths, their belief system would look something like this: The Bible is the true word of God; Jesus died and rose again; “The Tribulation” is a seven year period of God’s end-time wrath; Jesus was born to Mary when she was still a virgin; Jesus never sinned. Perhaps those beliefs are even all part of the foundation of your faith.
Here is where the problem comes in.
When discussing possibilities about the timing of the rapture (when Jesus returns for His believers) three options are usually given.
The choices consist of “pre-tribulational”, “mid-tribulational”, or “post-tribulational”.
The problem with this is that the existence of “The Tribulation” is never allowed to be doubted in those options.
“The Tribulation” is considered to be a fact upon which other concepts must be built.
If “The Tribulation” is not allowed to be doubted, then every view besides the pretribulational view becomes irrational. Since we are “not appointed… to wrath” (1 Thessalonians 5:9) then we cannot be present for God’s worldwide end-time wrath.
If “The Tribulation” is believed to be God’s end-time wrath, and if we are not appointed to God’s wrath, then we cannot be here during “The Tribulation”.
This is the foundational argument that pretribulationists will use to dismiss and discredit any view that challenges theirs. Since their minds are already locked into believing in the existence of “The Tribulation”, they cannot comprehend how anyone else could conclude that the rapture will not occur prior to the “Seventieth Week of Daniel”.
When a person challenges this presupposition, they are presented with the three options of “pre-tribulational”, “mid-tribulational”, or “post-tribulational”.
To translate this, the question posed to the one doubting the pretribulational view is, “If you don’t believe that the rapture occurs before God’s end-time wrath, then do you believe that it occurs in the middle of God’s end-time wrath or after God’s end-time wrath?”
As soon as the person answers this question as if it were valid, the conversation is effectually over.
After all, we are not appointed to God’s wrath. Because of this presupposition, every other view is irrational.
If we are to speak more Biblically and accurately, we must substitute the “Day of the Lord” for “The Tribulation” when we are referring to God’s end-time wrath and substitute the “Seventieth Week of Daniel” for “The Tribulation” when we are referring to the seven year period mentioned in the Bible.
One must view the rapture as occurring prior to God’s end-time wrath, so, Biblically speaking, the rapture will occur prior to the “Day of the Lord”.
Since the “Seventieth Week of Daniel” is not synonymous with the “Day of the Lord”, we are then free to determine whether the rapture will occur prior, during, or after the “Seventieth Week of Daniel”. Though it is possible for some to speculate that all true believers will be raptured prior to the “Seventieth Week of Daniel”, there is nothing in Scripture to necessitate this, and I believe that Scripture actually prevents this belief from being valid.
In fact, since God’s wrath is what believers are spared from, and God’s end-time wrath begins during the “Day of the Lord” which is a time when the Lord alone shall be exalted, and since the Antichrist will exalt himself at the halfway point of the “Seventieth Week of Daniel”, then to avoid God’s end-time wrath believers will not need to be raptured until sometime after the “Abomination of Desolation”.
Once the presuppositions are removed and Scripture is taken into consideration, this appears to be what the Bible testifies to.
Though this may come as a frightening possibility, it is not a Biblically illegitimate possibility.
Point: The existence of “The Tribulation” is a false presupposition that many already have.
2+2=4
Thanks, @narrowminded
In case you missed them,
Introduction
Back Cover
1 : The Foundation
2 : The Tribulation
BONUS : A Biblical, New Testament Understanding of Tribulation
3 : The Seventieth Week of Daniel
4 : Not Appointed to Wrath
5 : Wrath vs. Tribulation
6 : The Day of the Lord
7 : The Lord Alone
8 : The Exaltation of the Antichrist
9 : Promises