READING TIME: 3-4 MINUTES
October 4, 2019
“David, I have heard that some people believe the Rapture will occur halfway through the future seven-year Tribulation. Is this valid?”
Great question. In my opinion, this viewpoint is not valid for many reasons. I think the Rapture will occur before the future seven-year Tribulation. In a later post, I will give seven reasons to support this.
Here are four well-known proponents of the Mid-Trib Rapture viewpoint: Gleason Archer, J. Oliver Buswell, Merrill Tenney, and Norman B. Harrison.
First, the trumpets in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and Revelation 11:15 should not be equated with each other. These two trumpets have notable differences.
Trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 Trumpet in Revelation 11:15
Subject Church Wicked World
Result Catching up of the church to be with the Lord and glorification. Unleashing of a judgment of a godless world
Character Trumpet of God’s grace
In the Thessalonian passage, there is no earthquake mentioned. There will be no believing remnant left behind at the rapture to experience the fear of Revelation 11: 13. Such a view would only be consistent with a partial rapture position. Trumpet of God’s judgment
The passage in Revelation depicts a great earthquake in which thousands are slain, and the believing remnant that worships God is stricken with fear.
Timing Signals the close of the life of the church on earth. It’s the last trumpet of the church age. Marks a climax in the progression of Tribulation judgments
Possession The trump of God An angel’s trumpet
This trumpet can’t be the last in a series since it’s singular
Duration In the Thessalonian passage, the trumpet sounds “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” These trumpets are sounded over a continued period of time probably for the duration of the judgments that fall under it, for John speaks of the angel that shall “begin to sound.”
Moreover, simply because the trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15 is called the “last” trumpet does not mean that it is the last trumpet in God’s whole prophetic program. As Paul Benware notes, “Those of us in school settings know that during the day there are several ‘last’ bells that ring. The last bell for the eight o’clock class rings but that is not the last bell of the day. ‘Last’ must be understood concerning the context in which it is found” (Understanding End Times Prophecy (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 219).
Furthermore, the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11 is not the last trumpet in the Tribulation. At the second coming of Christ, a trumpet is blown to gather God’s elect (Matthew 24:31). So, the last trumpet argument undermines their view. Charles Ryrie says it well, “This is a somewhat simplistic argument that assumes that all blowing of trumpets must indicate the same kind of event. In Jewish apocalyptic literature, trumpets signaled a variety of great eschatological events, including judgments, the gathering of the elect, and resurrection” (Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology (Chicago: Moody, 1999), p. 581. See also Ron Rhodes, Five Views of the Rapture: What You Need to Know (Eugene: Harvest House, 2011)).
Second, the mid-Trib position denies the doctrine of imminency. This doctrine says that Christ could return at any time and that no prophetic events must transpire ahead of the Rapture. But if the mid-Trib view is correct and Christ cannot return until the midpoint of the Tribulation, then some prophecies must be fulfilled first. This necessity opposes the doctrine of imminency. Assuming the Tribulation has not even begun, then Christ can’t come for at least another 3 ½ years. “When these theologians locate the rapture of the church in the middle of the seventieth week of Daniel, which is measured by years, months, and days, it is no longer true that believers may expect the coming of Christ for the church at any time. A certain period of time must pass and certain prophesied events must take place before Christ can come for the church” (Herman Hoyt, The End Times (Chicago: Moody Press, 1969), p. 83).
The New Testament, however, clearly teaches an imminent rapture (see Romans 13:11-12; 1 Corinthians 1:7; 16:22; Philippians 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-9; 1 Peter 1:13; Jude 21). The rapture is portrayed as a signless event that can occur at any moment.
Imminence makes sense only in pretribulationism. In midtribulationism, the rapture is at least three and a half years into the tribulation. In posttribulationism, the rapture follows the tribulation. Imminence is impossible in these two systems.
TO BE CONTINUED