INTRODUCTION

      The rapture is an area of Christian theology which has
historically received little attention with regards to precise
formulation.  A brief survey of works detailing the development
of doctrine (such as Bromiley, 1978) reveals almost no
acknowledgment of the rapture.  This is perhaps explained by
Berkhof (1975, p. 259) who states,

    The doctrine of the last things never stood in the
    centre of attention, is one of the least developed
    doctrines, and therefore calls for no elaborate
    discussion.

     Further, the very notion of the rapture is much-derided by
critics who find fault due to the allegedly non-existence of such
a doctrine in the scriptures; the seemingly non-existence of the
very word "rapture" in the scriptures (though such an argument
would apply to the Trinity also); and the thought that the idea
of a "secret rapture" where the Church is transported safely from
a catastrophic time of tribulation is foreign to God's plans and
purposes as revealed in history - for indeed, "the blood of the
martyrs is the very seed of the Church" (Cairns, 1981, p.93).

      Such arguments are untenable.  The main basis for the
rapture doctrine is I Thessalonians 4:13-18 :

    Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about
    those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of
    men, who have no hope.  We believe that Jesus died
    and rose again and so we believe that God will bring
    with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
    According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we
    who are still alive, who are left till the coming of
    the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have
    fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down
    from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of
    the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and
    the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we
    who are still alive and are left will be caught up
    with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
    And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore
    encourage each other with these words.

      From this passage the notion of the rapture is clear; at
some future time all of the saints of God, both dead and alive,
shall be "caught up" into the air to be with their Lord!  The
Greek word for "caught up" is arpazo, which means to pluck away
(Zodhiates, 1992, p. 1270) and would be well translated "rapture"
in a Latin Bible (Willmington, n.d, p. 825), such as Jerome's
vulgate - so the word itself is scriptural (just not in an English
translation), as indeed is the notion.  The third objection listed
is specific to a particular theological framework and shall be
discussed later.  Indeed, many objections exist, not least that of
sincere Christian brethren who seek to know what must happen to
the defenceless family pet when its owners are suddenly raptured!
Such an argument is, of course, based on emotional issues rather than
the scriptures and detracts from the real issue at hand.

      Paul reveals more information in I Corinthians 15:51-52 :

    Listen, I tell you a mystery:  We will not all sleep,
    but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the
    twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the
    trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised
    imperishable, and we will be changed.

      Having established a preliminary scriptural basis for the
rapture, however, a new problem arises with regards to its
chronological location.  As Stern (1992, p. 623) points out, "Only
in relation to the premillenial position does the issue of when
the rapture takes place arise; for Post- and Amillenialists, the
Rapture is vaguely identified with the Messiah's one and only
return."  This means that the concept of the rapture is only
particularly defined in the pre-millenial system of theology.
However, this leaves three potential general times for the rapture
to occur, defined in terms of the coming "great tribulation" -
before the tribulation period (pre-tribulational), during the
tribulation period (mid-tribulational) or after the tribulation
period (post-tribulational).  Some humourously (and non-seriously)
suggest a fourth possibility of "pan-tribulationalism" - as God is
in control there is no need to worry about such matters; all will
eventually "pan" out according to His plans.  The former three
views however, are worthy of considerable discussion.


POST-TRIBULATION

      In essence, the post-tribulational system decrees that
the rapture occurs after the tribulation period - the natural
consequence being that the Church must endure it.
Willmington (n.d., p. 825) dismisses this view of the rapture
by appealing to I Thessalonians 5:9 ("For God did not appoint
us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ") and Revelation 3:10 ("Since you have kept my
command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the
hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to
test those who live on the earth").

      Nevertheless, post-tribulationists dismiss Willmington's
views, appealing to John 16:33, "in this world you will have
tribulation".  To the post-tribulationist, it is unthinkable
that God would offer a remarkable transport to the Church as
an escape route in the face of global disaster, eluded to
earlier (although such was the case with Noah).  Truly
throughout history the Church has suffered persecution -
indeed under such persecution the Church has historically
thrived - not materially, but in a spiritual harvest, as faith
is refined and tested and the gospel is propagated to further
regions.  This was the case in Jerusalem - "Those who had been
scattered preached the word wherever they went" (Acts 8:4).
This was the case under Roman persecution (Cairns, 1981, p.
91-93).  Persecution kept the Church pure - it kept
hypocritical, dishonest and insincere people from the Church.
"No light decisions were made for Christ in those times,
especially when acceptance of Christ meant possible loss of
citizenship; imprisonment with daily starvation and torture
until death; crucifixion, and sometimes burning while still
alive and hanging on the cross. . . ." (Hamon, 1981, p. 80-81).
Such is the essence of the Puritan classic, Foxe's Christian
Martyrs of the World.

      The flaw in this logic, however, is that the tribulation
period is not a time of persecution.  Rather, it is a time of
God's wrath being outpoured on the earth.  During this time
people shall cry to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us
and hide us from the face 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 can stand?"  (Revelation 6:16-17).  When
Christ returns, "He treads the winepress of the fury of the
wrath of God Almighty" (Revelation 19:15).  Willmington's
verses above apply most certainly - for God has appointed His
Church to salvation and not to wrath.  Surely the day of the
Lord will be terrible (Malachi 4:5) !

      Messianic Jewish scholar David Stern offers a different
and original reason for his holding to the post-tribulation
view - it is unthinkable "that Messianic Jews are to be faced
with the decision of whether to identify with their own
people the Jews and stay to suffer or with their own people
the believers (the Messianic Community, the Church) and
escape"  (Stern, 1992, p. 623).  Stern develops this idea
further :

    But if Sha'ul [Paul] and other Jewish believers are
    members both of Israel and of the Messianic
    Community, Pre-Tribulationists must answer this
    question:  when the rapture takes place, do Jewish
    believers in Yeshua [Jesus] stay behind with the rest
    of physical Israel, or do they join the rest of the
    Messianic Community with Yeshua in the air?  They
    can't be in both places at once.  Is it a matter of
    our personal choice?  Do we have to choose whether to
    be more loyal to the Jewish people or to our brothers
    in the Messiah?  This is an absurd question, absurd
    because the situation proposed will never arise
    (Stern, 1992, p. 804).

      Stern's objections, however, are based heavily on his
emphasis that Jewish people remain Jewish once becoming
Christians; indeed, they are "fulfilled" Jews.  This is, of
course, true, but Stern's emphasis is so great that he
(unintentionally, but effectively) divides the body of Christ
in two - those who are Jewish and those who are Gentiles,
despite Paul's admonition that "there is neither Jew nor
Greek. . . . for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians
3:28).  Stern continues, ". . . . This is not what they
[Messianic Jews] bought into when they came to faith.  They
were told, 'Now you're a Jew who has accepted his Messiah.'
They were not told, 'Now you have abandoned your Jewish
people and will spend eternity without them'" (Stern, 1992,
p. 804).  Certainly the Gentile Christian is distinct from
the Gentile non-Christian (who will unquestionably remain
after the rapture).  The deciding factor is not whether one
is Jewish or otherwise, but whether one is a disciple of
the Lord Jesus Christ or not.

      Finally, the rapture is quite distinct from the Second
Coming in which Jesus returns to the earth, to the Mount of
Olives (Zechariah 14).  At the rapture, Jesus draws the
Saints to Himself in the clouds (I Thessalonians 4:15-17).
At the Second Coming, He returns with the Saints (Revelation
19:11-16).  The post-tribulational view virtually has the
Saints of God acting like a yo-yo - arising into the air,
only to return immediately to the earth.  This further gives
no time for the Bema seat of Christ or the marriage supper
of the Lamb.


MID-TRIBULATION

      The mid-tribulation view of the rapture is that it will
take place midway through the tribulation period.

      Such a view is a curious exposition of scripture, for the
Antichrist makes a covenant with the Jewish people and then
breaks it three and a half years into the tribulation (Daniel
9:27).  Even if the mid-tribulation rapture occurs earlier than
this time, it still must take place after the Antichrist has
been revealed, which can only happen after the "restrainer" is
removed (II Thessalonians 2:7-8).

      Some have suggested that the identity of the "restrainer"
is the Antichrist himself - a non-sensical notion indeed,
particularly in light of Paul's teaching that "the secret
power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now
holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of
the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed" (II
Thessalonians 2:7-8).  Others suggest the "restrainer" is the
Holy Spirit (Dake, 1963, p. 230).  However, John sees those who
have become Christians during the tribulation, and martyred for
their faith (Revelation 7:14).  It is only by the work of the
Holy Spirit that one can be brought to Christ (John 16:8), not
by man, and so the Holy Spirit can not be the "restrainer"
removed from the earth.  The "restrainer" is in fact none
other than the Church - the "salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13)
and the "light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).  Hence, the Church
must be raptured before the Antichrist may be revealed and so
the mid-tribulation view of the Antichrist being revealed
before the rapture is not possible.

      Furthermore, the mid-tribulation position requires the
tribulation to be broken into two unrelated halves, which has
the potential for requiring many Biblical passages to have an
allegorical interpretation in order to be consistent.  For one,
the seventieth "week" of years of Daniel's remarkable prophecy
(Daniel 9:24-27) could not be for "his" (Daniel's) people - the
Jews (Daniel 9:24) - it would also of necessity pertain to the
Church.

      One possible basis for the mid-tribulation rapture is
the inability to distinguish between the rapture of the Church
and the rapture of the two witnesses which does take place
midway through the tribulation period (Revelation 11:3, 7, 11).
However, the two witnesses are hardly representative of the
entire Church and it must be concluded that they are quite
separate.

      Some scholars identify the "last trump" of I Corinthians
15:52 with the blowing of the "seventh trumpet" in the middle
of the tribulation (Revelation 11:15-18).  Rosenthal (1995,
p. 5) states, "One of the major fallacies which has led to so
much confusion in prophetic interpretation has been the
tendency to identify Paul's 'last trump' with 'the seventh
trumpet' of the Book of Revelation".

      Due to the fact that I Corinthians was written about
55 A.D. and Revelation was written about 96 A.D. (some would
say 70 A.D., but nevertheless, it was written after
I Corinthians and Paul's martyrdom).  Explicitly John states
that the contents of the book of Revelation were given by
God the Father to the Lord Jesus, who in turn used an
angelic messenger to convey the message to John
(Revelation 1:1-2).  The very word "revelation" means an
unveiling of that which was hitherto unknown or concealed.
Rosenthal (1995, p. 5) continues,

    Therefore, when Paul wrote of one generation of
    believers experiencing rapture (being "changed") at
    "the last trump," neither he nor the Corinthians knew
    anything concerning the seven seals, seven trumpets,
    and seven bowls of the Book of Revelation.  Paul's
    "last trump" and the Book of Revelation's "seventh
    trumpet" are not synonymous.

     The true meaning of "the last trump" requires an
understanding of the Jewish notion of the "Day of the Lord"
used nineteen times by eight Old Testament prophets.  This
was the future time when God would go to war (Rosenthal,
1995, p. 5).  Associated with this would be the blowing of
a trumpet - the Jewish shofar (Joel 1:15; 2:1; Zephaniah
1:14-16).  Indeed, the phrase "the last trump" hardly
shows a mid-tribulation rapture because it instead refers
to the commencement of the very last time of battle in this
age - the very start of the dreadful Day of the Lord - the
tribulation period itself.


PRE-TRIBULATION

      The pre-tribulation view may be summarised thus,

    It was held that the return of Christ would take
    place in two stages.  First there would be a quiet
    appearance of Christ when all true Christians would
    be taken from the earth - the 'rapture' of the
    saints.  After this, Antichrist's reign would
    continue but be brought to an end by the appearing of
    Christ in glory and the introduction of a 1,000 year
    reign of Christ on earth from Jerusalem (Humphreys
    & Ward, 1995, p. 128-9).

      If the book of Revelation is to be taken as a
chronological work, which most futurists would agree, there
is great significance in the similarities between
I Thessalonians 4:16-17 above and Revelation 4:1-2 - again a
voice like a trumpet is heard and John is transported
instantly through a door in heaven to the very throne-room
of God.

      Indeed, the very "door" is significant to those who
see a secondary meaning in the seven Churches of Revelation
chapters 1-3, being the historical development of the Church
over history, from the early Church to that at the time of
the Second Coming.  With this view the door of Revelation
3:10, opened to the Philadelphian Church, is equated with
that of Revelation 4:1 (Cartledge, n.d., p. 119).  This view
then equates the lukewarm Laodecian Church as the false
religious system that arises during the tribulation.  Such a
view however is counter-productive as the Philadelphian
Church is still part of the Church and so requires the Church
to be divided - the lukewarm left behind, which implies a
Protestant purgatory.

      Nevertheless, there is great significance in the fact
that John is told to "Come up hither" (Revelation 4:1) - the
very same words spoken to the two witnesses before they too
are raptured (Revelation 11:12).  Further, the Church is
remarkably absent from any of the proceedings from Revelation
4:1 to 19:11 when Christ returns - indeed, the Church surely
has no part in the tribulation.

      Not only so, but the tribulation period is the final
"week" of years in Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27),
specifically designated for the Jewish people.  The times
of the Gentiles are complete, and God again turns His hand
to His ancient peoples, the end result that at His Second
Coming the Jews will look on Him whom they have pierced
(Zechariah 12:10) and all Israel will be saved (Romans
11:26) - the Messiah they expected at Jesus' first coming
will finally arive (Edersheim, 1993, p. 113) !


CONCLUSION

      The honest Christian theologian can do nothing less
than assimilate the data of revelation provided in the
scriptures and draw from this one's theology and framework
of belief.  To do otherwise is wrong, and one must not be
persuaded by purely emotional arguments, or seek to
manipulate scripture to conform to a preconceived
world-view.

      When one examines the conflicting views of the rapture
in the pre-millenial framework, it becomes apparent that the
only one which consistently fits the facts of Biblical data
is the pre-tribulation view.  Certainly as Christians we look
not for tribulation, but for "His Son from heaven who has
delivered us from the wrath to come" (I Thessalonians 1:10).
The early Church expected the coming of the Lord imminently
and did not expect any intervening events, especially the
Thessalonians (Matthew 24:44; I Thessalonians 5:2).

      Just as Noah and his family were saved from God's wrath
(Genesis 7:6-7), as was Lot and his daughters (Genesis 19:14),
and indeed the Children of Israel were saved from the plagues
on Pharaoh (Exodus 7:18; 8:3, 21-22; 9:3-4; 10:22-23; 11:6-7),
so too the Church shall be saved from the coming great
tribulation by the rapture.

      The Christian is commanded to look up - for their
redemption draws near (Luke 21:28)!  What can be said but
"Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20).


WORKS CITED

Berkhof, L. 1975 (1937). The History of Christian
     Doctrines, Baker Book House, Michigan.

Bromiley, G. 1978. Historical Theology: An Introduction,
     T & T Clark, Ltd., Edinburgh.

Cairns, E. 1981. Christianity Through the Centuries,
     Acadamie Books, Michigan.

Cartledge, D. n.d. Eschatology, Rhema Bible College,
     Townsville.

Dake, F. 1963. Dake's Annotated Reference Bible, Dake
     Bible Sales, Inc., Georgia.

Edersheim, A. 1993. The Life and Times of Jesus the
     Messiah. Hendrickson Publishers, Massachusetts.

Foxe, J. 1989. Foxe's Christian Martyrs of the World,
     Barbour and Company, Inc., Ohio.

Hamon, B. 1981. The Eternal Church, Christian
     International, Florida.

Humphreys, R. and Ward, R. 1995. Religious Bodies in
     Australia, 3d. ed., New Melbourne Press, Victoria.

Rosenthal, M. 1995. 'Israel's Fall Feasts.', Zion's Fire,
     vol. 6, no. 4.

Stern, D. 1992. Jewish New Testament Commentary, Jewish
     New Testament Publications, Inc., Maryland.

Willmington. n.d. Willmington's Guide to the Bible,
     Pacific College Study Series, Melbourne.

Zodhiates, S. 1992. The Complete Word Study New
     Testament, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga.

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