chapter six Another Deception
Having looked at the ‘big picture’, having broadly seen God’s plan from Christ’s return unto the “new earth”, we need to take a step back into the present and apply this understanding to help further identify some of the counterfeits before us.
As I hope you have seen from our past discussion, Satan’s first lie has led to misunderstanding the state of the dead, which has resulted in misunderstanding the resurrection and, as we’ll discuss, has led to misunderstanding the manner of Christ’s second-coming.
One of these misunderstandings about the manner of Christ’s second advent is the false doctrine of a “pre-tribulation rapture”, whereby it is believed that Christ will rapture away His people to heaven prior to the time of “great tribulation” (Matt 24:21).
Originally propagated by John Nelson Darby, this pre-tribulation rapture theory quickly gained popularity among end-times-oriented Christians, thanks especially to its incorporation into the 1909 Scofield Reference Bible (Timothy Beal HUMANITIES, 2022), and has largely been embraced and prophesied from the pulpits of many evangelical churches across the United States.
Here in Australia this teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture is not so common, and rightly so. But sadly, this false doctrine has gained much acceptance across the ‘mega churches’ of North America and, whether it is accepted or rejected, the seeds of possibility have been sown into the minds of Christians the world over.
Within this false teaching, it is believed that God’s people will be taken to heaven (raptured), while those who remain will continue living here on earth, through a time of great tribulation, until the end of the world. But we needn’t look further than Jesus’ own words to understand that this is not so.
In Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the “wheat” and the “tares” to His disciples, stating that...
“He that soweth the good seed [wheat] is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels” Matthew 13:37-39
Within this parable, the servants of the “man which sowed good seed in his field” ask “Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?”, to which the man (who represents Jesus, the “Son of man”) replies...
“Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:30
Contrary to the pre-tribulation teaching that God’s children, the wheat, are taken out of the world prior to the “end of the world”, Jesus clearly teaches us that “both grow together until the harvest”, which is the “end of the world”, and then, at the harvest, “first the tares” are gathered, the “children of the wicked one” (Matt 13:38).
This teaching of Jesus, in itself, leaves us without excuse, despite what we may experience through our senses as the “wicked one” attempts to deceive. For God, through His Word, clearly teaches us that both the “wheat” (God’s children) and the “tares” (Satan’s children) will continue to “grow” and live here on earth until the “end of the world”, which is at Christ’s second coming.
The fundamental question regarding a pre-tribulation rapture is simple… does Jesus return before tribulation or after tribulation?
In Matthew 24:21 Jesus speaks of “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”, and He continues… “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.” Matthew 24:29-31
The very words of Jesus Himself declares that He will return “after the tribulation”, at which time His “chosen” are raised – this is the “first resurrection” – with this truth being clearly reflected in first Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Understanding that the time of the “first resurrection” occurs at Christ’s second coming…
“But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.” 1 Corinthians 15:23
… and understanding that Christ returns “after the tribulation” (Matt 24:29), helps us better understand Revelation 20:4-6.
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years.” v6
All of God’s redeemed will have a “part in the first resurrection”, with both the dead in Christ resurrected and the righteous living being “translated” at Christ’s second coming.
All of God’s redeemed, throughout the six thousand years of human history, will have gone through their own trials and tribulations, including being “beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God”, and for those of us living in these end-times, we will be recognised for not having… “…worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their [our] foreheads, or in their [our] hands” Revelation 20:4
Through the Apostle John, Jesus is clearly teaching us that, just as Noah and his family went through the tribulation of the flood, we will go through “great tribulation” before Christ comes – hence giving us the ability to, prayerfully through God’s Word, identify the “beast”, his “image” and his “mark” – of which we’ll do shortly.
For those deceased Christians that had embraced this false doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture, one might think that more “good” than “harm” may have resulted for the individual, as believers would have been mindfully prepared to meet the Lord at any given moment. However, the same cannot be said for those of us now living in these end-times… for this false doctrine leaves Christians unprepared for the “time of trouble” (Dan 12:1) that is soon upon us.
The false doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture not only distorts the “elementary teachings” of the “resurrection”, but it leaves Christians ignorant of scriptural truths that will guide them through the soon to come “great tribulation” (Mat 24:21). This aspect of preparedness, or lack thereof, clearly shows the deceptiveness of this false doctrine in these end times, as I’m sure most Christians who do not accept this teaching would recognise.
That being said, I would like to now ask...
How might we respond if a sudden rapture seemingly occurred?
Setting aside the “how”, I’d like for us to imagine in ourselves that if such a thing should seemingly occur, convincing in every way, would we be established enough in God’s Word to stand on what is written and refute the lie, or might we be swayed by such “lying wonders”?
For what a wicked tool of deception that would be unleashed upon God’s people that believe they had missed the “rapture”, leaving millions desperate for guidance and in need of reassurance for their eventual salvation.
It is Satan’s ultimate goal to acquire our worship, and God declares in His Word that Satan will show “himself that he is God” (2 Thess 2:4) before Christ comes back. In preparation for such great deception, I believe that it is plausibly likely (as we’ll discuss) that Satan, through mankind, will orchestrate a false-rapture, or significantly similar event, that will usher those fearful and remaining on earth to unite together with the church, seemingly following Christ... while knowing Him not.
For could it be possible that Jesus said the “Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Mat 24:44), because soon many will believe that He is already here?
Are we not warned of such deceptions? Did Jesus not say, “...many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many”? (Mat 24:5). The Apostle Paul made it abundantly clear that the “day of the Lord”, Christ’s second-coming, will not come until after the “man of sin be revealed.”
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Within these God inspired words, we are taught of two main elements - the “falling away first” and that “man of sin be revealed”. These two elements, or events as we’ll discuss, play a pivotal role in Satan’s deceptive plans, and seek our understanding. ✞----------------------------
As I hope you have seen from our past discussion, Satan’s first lie has led to misunderstanding the state of the dead, which has resulted in misunderstanding the resurrection and, as we’ll discuss, has led to misunderstanding the manner of Christ’s second-coming.
One of these misunderstandings about the manner of Christ’s second advent is the false doctrine of a “pre-tribulation rapture”, whereby it is believed that Christ will rapture away His people to heaven prior to the time of “great tribulation” (Matt 24:21).
Originally propagated by John Nelson Darby, this pre-tribulation rapture theory quickly gained popularity among end-times-oriented Christians, thanks especially to its incorporation into the 1909 Scofield Reference Bible (Timothy Beal HUMANITIES, 2022), and has largely been embraced and prophesied from the pulpits of many evangelical churches across the United States.
Here in Australia this teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture is not so common, and rightly so. But sadly, this false doctrine has gained much acceptance across the ‘mega churches’ of North America and, whether it is accepted or rejected, the seeds of possibility have been sown into the minds of Christians the world over.
Within this false teaching, it is believed that God’s people will be taken to heaven (raptured), while those who remain will continue living here on earth, through a time of great tribulation, until the end of the world. But we needn’t look further than Jesus’ own words to understand that this is not so.
In Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the “wheat” and the “tares” to His disciples, stating that...
“He that soweth the good seed [wheat] is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels” Matthew 13:37-39
Within this parable, the servants of the “man which sowed good seed in his field” ask “Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?”, to which the man (who represents Jesus, the “Son of man”) replies...
“Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:30
Contrary to the pre-tribulation teaching that God’s children, the wheat, are taken out of the world prior to the “end of the world”, Jesus clearly teaches us that “both grow together until the harvest”, which is the “end of the world”, and then, at the harvest, “first the tares” are gathered, the “children of the wicked one” (Matt 13:38).
This teaching of Jesus, in itself, leaves us without excuse, despite what we may experience through our senses as the “wicked one” attempts to deceive. For God, through His Word, clearly teaches us that both the “wheat” (God’s children) and the “tares” (Satan’s children) will continue to “grow” and live here on earth until the “end of the world”, which is at Christ’s second coming.
The fundamental question regarding a pre-tribulation rapture is simple… does Jesus return before tribulation or after tribulation?
In Matthew 24:21 Jesus speaks of “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”, and He continues… “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.” Matthew 24:29-31
The very words of Jesus Himself declares that He will return “after the tribulation”, at which time His “chosen” are raised – this is the “first resurrection” – with this truth being clearly reflected in first Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Understanding that the time of the “first resurrection” occurs at Christ’s second coming…
“But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.” 1 Corinthians 15:23
… and understanding that Christ returns “after the tribulation” (Matt 24:29), helps us better understand Revelation 20:4-6.
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years.” v6
All of God’s redeemed will have a “part in the first resurrection”, with both the dead in Christ resurrected and the righteous living being “translated” at Christ’s second coming.
All of God’s redeemed, throughout the six thousand years of human history, will have gone through their own trials and tribulations, including being “beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God”, and for those of us living in these end-times, we will be recognised for not having… “…worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their [our] foreheads, or in their [our] hands” Revelation 20:4
Through the Apostle John, Jesus is clearly teaching us that, just as Noah and his family went through the tribulation of the flood, we will go through “great tribulation” before Christ comes – hence giving us the ability to, prayerfully through God’s Word, identify the “beast”, his “image” and his “mark” – of which we’ll do shortly.
For those deceased Christians that had embraced this false doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture, one might think that more “good” than “harm” may have resulted for the individual, as believers would have been mindfully prepared to meet the Lord at any given moment. However, the same cannot be said for those of us now living in these end-times… for this false doctrine leaves Christians unprepared for the “time of trouble” (Dan 12:1) that is soon upon us.
The false doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture not only distorts the “elementary teachings” of the “resurrection”, but it leaves Christians ignorant of scriptural truths that will guide them through the soon to come “great tribulation” (Mat 24:21). This aspect of preparedness, or lack thereof, clearly shows the deceptiveness of this false doctrine in these end times, as I’m sure most Christians who do not accept this teaching would recognise.
That being said, I would like to now ask...
How might we respond if a sudden rapture seemingly occurred?
Setting aside the “how”, I’d like for us to imagine in ourselves that if such a thing should seemingly occur, convincing in every way, would we be established enough in God’s Word to stand on what is written and refute the lie, or might we be swayed by such “lying wonders”?
For what a wicked tool of deception that would be unleashed upon God’s people that believe they had missed the “rapture”, leaving millions desperate for guidance and in need of reassurance for their eventual salvation.
It is Satan’s ultimate goal to acquire our worship, and God declares in His Word that Satan will show “himself that he is God” (2 Thess 2:4) before Christ comes back. In preparation for such great deception, I believe that it is plausibly likely (as we’ll discuss) that Satan, through mankind, will orchestrate a false-rapture, or significantly similar event, that will usher those fearful and remaining on earth to unite together with the church, seemingly following Christ... while knowing Him not.
For could it be possible that Jesus said the “Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Mat 24:44), because soon many will believe that He is already here?
Are we not warned of such deceptions? Did Jesus not say, “...many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many”? (Mat 24:5). The Apostle Paul made it abundantly clear that the “day of the Lord”, Christ’s second-coming, will not come until after the “man of sin be revealed.”
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Within these God inspired words, we are taught of two main elements - the “falling away first” and that “man of sin be revealed”. These two elements, or events as we’ll discuss, play a pivotal role in Satan’s deceptive plans, and seek our understanding. ✞----------------------------