Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The secret of the mystery. Part 192. The Rapture will be at the end of the age of no prophecy. Part 2.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The Age of No Prophecy, the Church-age as the dispensation of invisible heroes, and then the final form of mystery doctrine.
JOB 3:25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,
a. The baptism of the Holy Spirit that began the Church-age, prophesied by our Lord in JOH 14:20, ACT 1:5just before He ascended.
b. The Rapture of the Church, the next prophetical event. The Rapture is always called imminent because there is no intervening prophecy to be fulfilled.
The pre-tribulational view, and the post-tribulational view.
Amillennial and postmillennial theology does not believe in the rapture of the church - their position is basically promoted through the “kingdom now theology” which adheres to the notion that the church will usher in a world peace.
Amillennialism is the view that holds that the millennial reign spoken of in Revelation 20 is not a literal earthly reign but is in the process of being realized in the present Christian age with Christ reigning from heaven.
Postmillennialism is the view which holds that the millennial reign has already begun but is not a literal thousand year earthly reign but consists of the present age becoming more Christianized.
One school of post millennialism, the reconstructionists arm, teaches that we must impose the moral law of the Old Testament (interpreted by them!) on the unsaved social system.
JOH 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Post-tribulational theology believes that the church will go through the great tribulation, and then be raptured, and return with Jesus Christ to reign in the Millennial.
Pre-tribulational rapture theology believes that Christ will remove His church before the great tribulation, and then the church will return with Christ at the Second Coming to establish the Millennial reign of Christ.
There is a time coming on this earth called - “Satan’s time of desperation” “The day of wrath” “The hour of trial”
It is a great period of wrath on this earth, both from God and from Satan, ZEP 1:14-18.
It is a time of great judgment on the earth like never before, REV 6:16-17.
It is said to be a great time of indignation, ISA 26:20-21.
The hour of testing, REV 3:10.
Destruction, JOE 1:15.
Darkness, JOE 2:2.
Desolation, DAN 9:27.
Punishment, ISA 24:20-21.
It is a time that could take place on this earth tomorrow!
This is because of the imminency of the Rapture.
If the church is to endure the persecutions of the Tribulation, as some teach, it is hopeless to proclaim the coming of the Lord as an “imminent hope.”
If Christ will come for His church before the predicted time of trouble, Christians can regard His coming as an “imminent daily expectation.”
Because of a theological event known as the rapture, the church, the body of Christ will NOT go through this period.
The rapture is used in a technical theological sense for the resurrection of the Royal Family of God.
Since the church or Royal Family of God is the first spiritual building to be completed, it is resurrected after our Lord. It is the second phase of the first resurrection following the resurrection of Christ.
TIT 2:13 - calls the rapture or the appearing of TLJC, “our blessed hope (makarios elpis) or happy guarantee.”
All believers can have confidence, hope, and a guarantee with regard to the rapture.
1CO 15:57 “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
JOH 14:1-3; 1CO 15:51-52; 2TH 2:1; PHI 3:20-21; 1TH 4:13-18; 2CO 5:1-9; 1CO 1:8.
2TH 2:1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,
Because the Church and Israel are two distinct groups with whom God has a divine plan, one has to be taken away while the other is dealt with.
1TH 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
EPH 3:1-6; COL 1:25-27; ROM 16:25-26 - all make it crystal clear that the church was a mystery and was not known in the Old Testament.
REV 3:10; ISA 34:2; 24:1,4-5,16-21 and many other passages make it very clear as well.
JER 30:7 - this period is particularly called the time of Jacob’s trouble and Jacob refers to Israel.
In DAN 9:24, God says 70 weeks are determined upon “thy” people (Jews not the church).
DAN 9:24 Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression,
In GEN 29:26-27, and DAN 9:24, one week is equivalent to 7 years.
The Church has nothing to do with this prophecy since the Church did not have its existence until after the death of Christ, EPH 5:25-26, after the resurrection of Christ, ROM 4:25; COL 3:1-3, and after the ascension of Christ, EPH 1:19-20.
Since the church had no part in the first 69 weeks which are related only to God’s program for Israel, then it can have no part in the 70th week which is again related to God’s program for Israel.
It is another Jesus, 2CO 11:4.
Another spirit, 2CO 11:4.
Another Gospel, GAL 1:6.
Another doctrine, 1TI 4:1.
J. Dwight Pentecost, pg 200 “Things to Come” -
“Since the church is the body, of which Christ is the head, EPH 1:22; 5:23; COL 1:18, ...
the bride, of which He is the bridegroom, 1CO 11:2; EPH 5:23, the object of His love, EPH 5:25,
- the branch of which He is the root and stem, JOH 15:5, the building, of which He is the foundation and cornerstone, 1CO 3:9; EPH 2:19-22, there exists between the believer and the Lord a union and a unity. The believer is no longer separated from Him, but brought into the closest oneness with Him.
If the church is in the seventieth week or the tribulational period, she is subjected to the wrath, judgment, and indignation which characterizes the period, and because of her oneness with Christ, He, likewise, would be subjected to that same visitation. This is impossible according to 1JO 4:17, for He cannot be brought into judgment again. Inasmuch as the church has been perfected and delivered from all judgment, ROM 8:1; JOH 5:24; 1JO 4:17, if she is subjected to judgment again the promises of God would be of none effect and the death of Christ would be ineffectual.
Who would dare to assert that the death of Christ could fail to accomplish its purpose? While the members may be experientially imperfect and need experiential cleansing, yet the church, which is His body, has a perfect standing in Christ and could not need such cleansing. The nature of the testing in the seventieth week, REV 3:10, is not to bring the individual to cleansing, but to reveal the degradation and need of the unregenerate heart. The nature of the church prevents such a testing.
Rev 13 makes it clear that all who are in the 70th week or the Tribulation period are brought into subjection to the beast and through him to Satan who gives the beast power. If the church were in this period she would be subjected to Satan and Christ would either lose His place as head or because of His union with the Church, He would be also subjected to Satan’s authority.