Thanks for joining us today on the Line of Fire. I'm going to make the case for the Pre-Trib Rapture. It's not my own belief, but it was my belief, my first years in the Lord.
It's believed by tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions around the world today. So I want to make a case for it and then I'll explain why I don't hold to it, but I want to make a case for it. This is Michael Brown. This is the Line of Fire. This is our series on the end times and Bible prophecy all this month. If you have a question you'd like to get to me and maybe I can even answer it on the air before the month is out, the sooner you're right the better. Go to thelineoffire.org, just click contact, thelineoffire.org. You always get an immediate generic response that I can't respond personally, etc. But either my team will answer it directly to you or if it's something we think, wow, this is great, we want to talk about this on the air, we'll actually answer your question on the air. While you're there at thelineoffire.org, if you're not getting the monthly equipping, upbuilding, faith building, inspirational, free digital frontline newsletter, take a moment, sign up, thelineoffire.org. Click subscribe and we will get you in our welcome tour, share more of my own testimony from LSD to PhD and let you know the thousands of free resources we have waiting for you. Thank you so much for joining us today.
We'll see you next time. Why do people believe in a pre-trib rapture? Well, let's look at some of the verses that are often used. Let's take a look, for example, in Luke chapter 21. Luke chapter 21, Jesus is talking about what's going to happen at the end of the age and some of the difficult times that are coming and he says this, because it's not just a time of discouragement and hopelessness, he says in Luke 21 that we should pray that we be found worthy to escape the things that are coming on the earth.
This is in Luke the 21st chapter. Pray that we would be found worthy to escape the things that are coming on the earth. So, if he's telling us to pray that we would be found worthy to escape it, that means there must be a way of escape.
If Jesus says pray that you'll be found worthy to escape these things and stand before the son of man, then there must be a way out, there must be a way of escape. And that's the words of Jesus himself. Then, people would point to the words of Jesus in Revelation, the third chapter. As he speaks to the church in Philadelphia, Revelation chapter 3, he says something very interesting there.
Now, again, you could say, well, that was just for the church of Philadelphia, but this still speaks to the church today. Revelation 3, 10, because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. So, Jesus says that because you've been faithful, there's an hour of trial that's going to come on the whole earth. So, beyond anything that happened in the days of the church in Philadelphia in the first century, it's going to come on the whole earth and because we're faithful, he'll keep us from that hour of trial, from that time of tribulation that comes on the whole earth.
So, that's another verse along with Luke 21 that would say there is a way of escape. These are some of the arguments for a pre-trib rapture. Then, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, Paul says you are not appointed to wrath but to salvation. You're not appointed to wrath but to salvation. Well, what is the tribulation or the great tribulation? It culminates with the outpouring of the wrath of God on the earth with vials of wrath being poured out with the whole world coming under judgment.
So, think about it for a moment. If we're not appointed to wrath and the tribulation or at least the great tribulation is the outpouring of wrath and Jesus has said you can escape all these things and I'm going to keep you from the hour of trial, that would point to us being taken out. And then if you think of Noah and the flood, what happened there? That God took him out with his family while destruction came on the earth and he wouldn't do it until the ark was ready so he could take them out. Or what about Lot and his daughters?
His wife turns back, turns into a pillar of salt. His sons-in-law, the ones betrothed to his daughters, they don't listen to the warning but Lot and his wife escape and God doesn't pour out his wrath on Sodom until he takes his people out. So God won't pour his wrath out on the earth until he takes his people out. This would be the biblical pattern. This is the argument for the pre-treat rapture.
I don't hold to this personally but I want to lay out why you might hold to it, why your pastor might hold to it, why your church might hold to it, why your denomination might hold to it based on verses like this. So we're promised escape, we're not appointed to wrath. The pattern is God takes his people out before he pours out his wrath. That is the biblical pattern. Another argument would be that when you read Matthew 24, it's speaking about two separate events.
When you read Matthew 24, you have two separate things going on. You have going on the coming of the Lord that is public, that you can time, that it's after the tribulation of those days. You know when it will be taking place. If there's a seven year tribulation, then you can know when the tribulation begins. You can count to seven years so you know when the second coming will be. However, Jesus says about that day and hour that no one can know it.
Well, what's he talking about? He's talking about the rapture. So the rapture is a secret event without any signs preceding it and it could happen at any moment. The second coming is something that has many signs preceding it and you can even time it to the day based on the seven year tribulation. So there are two different events and some verses speak of the Lord coming for his people and then some speak of him coming with his people. So obviously two separate events. The rapture and the second coming. And then there are even verses that would seem to separate the church from Jews and Gentiles. You say, what?
That's a strange idea. Look at what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 32. 1 Corinthians 10 32 give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God. So the Church of God is something separate that we we no longer hold to our Jewish or Gentile identity and Jesus is the Jew or Gentile.
So you have God's purposes for Israel on the earth. Those get stalled. They reject Jesus when he comes.
Those get stalled. So now we have this parenthetical age, this mystery age that Paul talks about. It's the church age and there's neither Jew nor Gentile. And then Jesus takes us out, takes the church out. It's the end of the church age and now it's back to God dealing with Israel on the earth and the final tribulation and the outpouring of wrath. Now there's much more that could be said, but these are some of the strong arguments for a pre-trib rapture. And like I said earlier in the week, some of the positive aspects of pre-trib rapture are that, number one, Christians who believe in it think a lot more about the second coming than most Christians who don't believe in it. And there's a sense of the reality of it and the nearness of it and living in light of his return, which can be very, very positive. And secondly, it argues against the complacency of saying, well, he's not coming back for 100 years or 500 years or 1000 years, which could then lead to complacency.
So there are positive aspects to these beliefs. And then along with that, the third point would be dispensationalist take the promises to Israel seriously. You know, there were books written by dispensationalist in the early 1900s talking about the rise of Russia as a world power based on their understanding of prophecy. I remember reading one book by a scholar back then, late 1800s and early 1900s saying, why pick on poor Russia? Who is Russia?
Why make Russia some big, ominous world power? And then dispensationalist were talking for decades about the return of the Jewish people back to the land. They were saying it's going to happen. People saying it's never going to happen. It can't happen. They were saying it's going to happen. So very, very interesting that they were anticipating and it did happen just as they expected. And dispensationalist are strongly pro Israel because they recognize it is God who brought the Jewish people back to the land and Satan who wants to wipe us out from the land. So why is it then that I don't believe in a preacher rapture?
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Call 1-800-771-5584, 1-800-771-5584 or online at TriVita.com. Welcome back friends to the Line of Fire. Michael Brown delighted to be with you. I hope you're enjoying it as we dig into the word of God together and look at these different beliefs about the end times. Please understand, the nature of a radio broadcast is that I'm speaking to many of you from many different denominations, from house church to mega church, from Protestant to Catholic to Orthodox, from dispensationalist pre-trib, to reformed amillennial, to all kinds of different beliefs. And I want to do this respectfully because I'm talking to someone and you go to a church where your pastor teaches something different.
Right? Or you've always been raised believing something different. So it's not like I'm just speaking at a Bible school where I teacher lead or to my own congregation as a pastor.
I don't pastor congregation, but if I did, I'm speaking to people at all different churches. So I want to be respectful of the fact that we have different beliefs here. And I do not want to present it that if you hold to a particular view, how could you be so stupid? It's one thing if you believe in some ridiculous cult-like, idiotic theory that is not supported by a verse in the Bible, that has never been taught in church history and I'm going to ridicule it for the folly that it is. But that's not the case with these different beliefs.
I could quote some of the greatest leaders in church history and this one was a historic premillennialist. And then centuries later, this one was postmill or this one was amill. You think, really? I didn't know that.
And you say, what's postmill, amill? Well, we got into that. I'm not going to recount all that earlier in the week, our vocabulary week. And we're going to break down some of those views in greater depth as well.
But let me tell you why I don't believe in a pre-trib rapture, even though I did the first four or five years in the Lord. Number one, I went through the vocabulary. I went through the vocabulary yesterday and looked at the words that are used for the rapture and the second coming. They're the same words. They're the same vocabulary.
They're not two separate words with two different meanings. That's number one. And number two, they are all public arrival events. The second coming is an actual coming to earth, not coming nearby and then leaving and turning around. He will appear.
He will be revealed. I also pointed out that we are caught up to meet the Lord and we are changed at the last trumpet. But then the New Testament explicitly says that after the tribulation, there will be the final trumpet when we're gathered to the Lord. Obviously, the final trumpet, the last trumpet is after the tribulation. You say, no, no, no, I've heard that's referring to on Rosh Hashanah, what's become Rosh Hashanah on the Jewish calendar, Yom Teruah on the Bible, the day of the trumpet blast, that on that trumpet blast, the last blast was called the last trumpet.
And that's all Jesus was referring to. No, I've searched that out in rabbinic literature. I've searched it out in books on the holidays. I've searched it out with learned rabbis who know rabbinic literature inside and out.
None of them have ever heard of it. It is a Christian myth that the last blast on Trumpets, the Feast of Trumpets, the first day of the seventh month, that that was actually called the last trumpet. Sorry, it's just an internet myth. So the last trumpet is the last trumpet and we're waiting for a public appearing of Jesus. You say, but what about the arguments like that God took Noah out and God took Lot out before he poured out his wrath? Well, number one, he didn't take Noah out. He protected him in the flood. They were there as the rain poured down, but they were just in an ark. They weren't taken out of the earth. They were on the earth in an ark, protected from the flood that came while they were there in it. They were in the flood, just protected from it because of the ark. So the end of Isaiah 26, God tells his people, come away, hide in the inner chambers until the wrath passes by.
So God can keep us in the midst of his wrath being poured out. You say, well, what about Lot? Well, they weren't taken out of the world. They were just brought to another area.
They fled outside into another area and they saw the fire and brimstone come down. So what happened to the children of Israel? They were in the land of Goshen and as the plagues were poured out on Egypt, they didn't touch Israel. Right after the first few plagues, they were untouched. And the Egyptians said, wait a second, we've got pitch dark this year and you've got light.
We've got boils and locusts and you don't have anything. So they were right there, side by side with the Egyptians living in Egypt, but protected. So we both believe that we'd be protected from the wrath. I say that we'd be protected while here in this world. And there are other scriptures that are precedents for that.
You say, well, but hang on. What about Revelation 3.10 where Jesus says, I will keep you from the hour of trial coming on the whole earth. Well, even if we apply it to the end of the age and don't say, well, what does it mean to the church in Philadelphia?
Because that's what we spoke to 2000 years ago. The Greek verb and preposition keep from, they're found one other time in the entire New Testament. Only one other time in the entire New Testament. It's in the prayer of Jesus to his father in John chapter 17. John chapter 17, verse 15.
Jesus is praying for his apostles. You know what he says? Father, I do not pray that you take them out of the world. I do not pray that you take them out of the world.
That's what he says. But that you keep them, same words in Greek, keep them from the evil one. The exact same phraseology, the exact same verb and preposition found in Revelation 3.10.
I will keep you from the hour of trial is the exact same phraseology, Greek verb and preposition. Lord, I'm not praying. Father, I am not asking you to take them out of the world. No, don't take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil one.
So he can keep us from the hour of trial while we are right here by preserving us in the midst of it. Now think also of Luke 21 where Jesus says, pray that you'll be counted worthy to escape all these things. Or that you'll have the strength to escape all these things. You don't need strength to escape, meaning take it out. But what if it's the strength to escape by being put somewhere else?
What if it's the strength to escape by fleeing somewhere else? Doesn't Jesus give warnings in Matthew, in the Olivet Discourse? Doesn't he say when you see certain things happen, flee? So he will protect us. He will give us the strength to escape by bringing us to safe places. And he is God and he can do that. And he can protect us. He can put his hand of shelter over us while he pours out wrath on others.
You say, no, but hang on. In the Book of Revelation, the term ekklesia, church, occurs in the first two chapters. Revelation 2 and 3, excuse me. And then in chapter 4, John hears a voice saying, come up here. And he's taken up to heaven. That's a picture of the church being raptured. That's a picture of the church being taken up. Well, actually it's a description of John being taken up to heaven.
That's all it is. But if you say, yeah, but after that, the rest of the Book of Revelation, the ekklesia, the church, is nowhere found on the earth. Yeah, but they're not found in heaven either. The word ekklesia isn't used because he's giving a message to each different ekklesia, each congregation in each city of the seven cities in Asia Minor, right? And then now he's not talking to the ekklesia anymore in terms of these messages to the seven churches. So that's why it doesn't mention ekklesia. But if you say, well, they're not on earth, it doesn't mention them in heaven either.
The term just doesn't occur. Even though there are all these visions in heaven, why does it talk about the ekklesia in heaven? Because the ekklesia was just writing to the different congregations, that's all.
And let me take it a step further. When you read through the Book of Revelation, the seventh chapter, the ninth chapter, you'll see different places where God puts a seal on his people who are here on the earth so that when judgment comes, it doesn't come on them. Look at Ezekiel 9, where God puts like X marks the spot, the Hebrew letter Tav, which in the ancient writing was like an X, put that on the head of those who mourn and grieve.
So when the angel of destruction comes through, he won't smite those who have the mark. So this is how God preserves us in the midst of wrath. And as we taught last week, the good news is, in Jesus, you're an overcomer. In Jesus, you're an overcomer. In Jesus, you're an overcomer. We're not going under by his grace, we're going over. And nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, not even tribulation.
That's the first on Paul's list. No, tribulation can't do it. Persecution can't do it.
As for his wrath, we'll be sheltered from his wrath. Now, again, we could go into greater depth, making the case for the pre-trib rapture. There are many verses people use in support of it. I would just ask you, did you get that, without ever hearing of it, reading the Bible on your own, or did you get it because you were taught? And if you were taught, re-examine what scripture says. And listen, I served in a church for years, during the Brownsboro Revival, with their church passionately believed in and preached a pre-trib rapture.
I didn't believe in that, but I served with joy, I honored the church, and in the ministry school, which I led, when they would ask Dr. Brown, what does the Bible say? I would tell them, they said, Dr. Brown, what's your view? I said, well, here are the different views. Here are the different views of what the Bible says. And the students say, Dr. Brown, what's your view? I'd say, here are the different views. Why?
Because I wasn't going to divide over it. I was in that church, I was going to honor the leadership there, and that's how we function. All right, this is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks so much for tuning in. Just a reminder that we are listener supported. If we have been a blessing to you, if you're being enriched in the word, in prayer, in your own walk with God through this broadcast, then stand with us so that we can reach many, many more and bless many, many more. Together, friends, we're making a difference. So go to thelineoffire.org, thelineoffire.org, and click donate.
