Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Accessible Eschatology: Why I Do Not Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture

I have this vivid memory of being a little kid, sitting in a gym watching a movie about the rapture, accompanied by Larry Norman’s “I wish we’d all been ready.” Later in middle school youth group, I watched the entire series: A Thief in the Night (1972), Distant Thunder (1977), Image of the Beast (1980), and The Prodigal Planet (1980). I was terrified. Terrorized. I remember having several conversations with my dad, asking him if he really thought we’d have to choose between Jesus and the guillotine.

Years have passed. My interest in the “weird” things in the Bible has somewhat decreased. The bizarre imagery of Revelation and accounts like the Gerasenes demoniac don’t interest me nearly as much as they once did. However, that does not mean that the Bible doesn’t interest me. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I began studying the Bible in a new way, inspiring me to continue at Denver Seminary.

So what is the purpose of this blog post today? It isn’t to show off all that I’ve learned in Seminary. It isn’t to say that if you don’t agree with me, you’re ignorant or just plain set in your ways. The topic of Revelation is always controversial because the book is extremely mysterious. Sometimes the best answer to a question about Revelation is simply “I don’t know.”

However, I have learned quite a bit that certainly challenges what I learned as a child and adolescent on the topic of Christ’s return. I share that with you, readers, not to puff up, but to build up. How we think about Revelation does affect how we think about the present, not just the future. I humbly ask you to read this (well…you should probably go back and read all of Ben’s posts on this topic, too) without your guard up. We can agree that in the end, God is in control and he alone determines the manner and timing of Christ’s return.

What does the term pre-tribulation rapture mean? Well, if you’ve read Ben’s posts, he explains it in his most recent post, under the heading Dispensational Premillennialism (that’s a mouthful). Basically, this is what the movies I watched as a kid portrayed. One day, the Christians of the world will all disappear. Have you ever seen that bumper sticker: “In the event of the rapture, this car will be unmanned”? The tribulation is thought of as a time of intense suffering on earth – probably lots of war, famine, death. You get the picture. The pre-trib rapture advocates say that we as God’s people will escape this because it is God’s wrath being poured out, and we as Christians do not face God’s wrath. Remember that important point; it will come up later. (For more on the role of Jewish people in this time, see Ben’s previous post.)

At first glance, this sounds pretty awesome, right? I mean, seriously, who wants to live on earth through the terrors of extreme war, famine, natural catastrophes like hail mixed with fire falling from the sky, insane dictators, genocide, psychopath murderers, let alone any sort of spiritual horrors that we could imagine (if you can’t imagine, check out Revelation 9 which describes some really creepy, satanic scorpion creatures that sting people until they want to die, but they’re not allowed to die)? No one wants to suffer. No one invites suffering into their lives.

But, I cannot uphold the pre-trib rapture view. I’ll tell you why.

1. The nature of Apocalyptic Literature
This is Revelation’s genre of literature. We do not read a novel the same way that we read a newspaper. We do not read poetry the same way we read the sports column. In order to understand a text, we need to understand the genre. Apocalyptic literature was very common, especially in the time in between the Old and New Testaments. The purpose of Apocalyptic literature was to give hope in the midst of difficult circumstances and show that God was totally in control, no matter the situation. To talk of escaping the troubles was simply not normal in this genre.

2. The repetitive nature of troubles on earth
Ignoring the satanic scorpions for a moment (okay, and the hail mixed with fire), all those other things like war, famine, and natural catastrophes should sound pretty familiar unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last 2,000 years! That doesn’t mean we’re not in the end times. We are. But, we’ve been in the end times since Jesus’ resurrection.

This has two implications.

A. First, don’t believe all this sensational stuff about how this or that current event NOW REALLY tells us that we’re at the end.

Jesus is very clear in Matthew 24 when he talks about the end of the age. The disciples, just like us, were curious about the future. Remember that they thought Jesus was coming to overthrow Rome and establish Israel again. That was their definition of a Messiah. So, they ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus talks about all kinds of terrible things that will precede his coming: false christs, wars, famines, earthquakes, martyrdom, family division etc. But, he calls these the beginnings of the birth pains (24:8). This isn’t the birth yet. These are the first contractions that must occur, but the end is not yet! If there is really one clear message in Matt. 24, it’s that no one knows the hour except the Father (24:36), so keep watch. Keeping watch doesn’t mean tracking international events in order to crack a code. That’s the first point.

B. The second point is that many Christians have been experiencing all these horrors all over the world during these past 2,000 years. Where was their pre-trib rapture? While a rapture is very appealing to us as Christians in America, we cannot forget that there are millions of Christians throughout history who have not been exempt from suffering.

3. Theology of Suffering
This stems from B. above. As I already mentioned, no one likes to suffer. But, suffering is inseparable from our walk as Christians. We are to follow and imitate Christ, the suffering servant (see Isaiah 52-3).

However, remember that above I mentioned that proponents of the pre-trib rapture argue that we must be raptured so as not to suffer the wrath of God? I absolutely agree that we do not suffer God’s wrath. Jesus suffered that for us. But, when I say that I think we will and are experiencing the tribulation already, that is not experiencing God’s wrath.

Revelation is very clear about drawing strong lines of allegiance. Everyone’s heard of the mark of the beast, 666. Without getting into what I think that actually means, that isn’t the only mark, or seal, present in Revelation. The people of God are sealed as well (Revelation 7). It is that seal that exempts them from suffering the effects of the trumpets and bowls of wrath. The evil scorpions? They are ordered not to harm those with God’s seal (Rev. 9:4). The earth suffers, those without God’s seal suffer. And make no mistake, God’s people suffer, too. The Two Witnesses are killed because of their stand for God. But, that is not God’s wrath. That is oppression from Satan and his followers.

Suffering is a part of our walk with Christ on this earth. We have the promise of eternity (see Ben’s post on life after life after death) without suffering. We were never promised life on earth without suffering. Is a pre-trib rapture theology just an attempt for us to escape suffering?

4. 1 Thess. 4:17 – a weak argument for the rapture.
This is the primary place in scripture to which proponents of a pre-trib rapture argument point. It isn’t a good argument. Paul is writing to people who are worried about what will happen to people who have died. Remember, they were expecting Jesus’ return any day. So, what about those who died in the meantime? Paul assures them that those who are dead as well as those who are alive will meet Christ in the air. The word for caught up in the air actually describes a welcoming party. Sort of like, a movie star is coming to your town and you are assigned to pick them up at the airport and escort them to the town’s celebration for them. So, in the historic premillennial view (see Ben’s posts and diagrams), this is Christians welcoming Jesus in the air as he descends to set up his kingdom, where in some way, we will reign with him.

5. Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer
In John 17, Jesus is praying for himself and for his disciples, as well as all future believers. He says “My prayer is not that you [God] take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (17:15). This reinforces what we’ve already said about suffering not being equated to God’s wrath.

6. Redemption of Creation
Care of the Earth as God’s creation is really important. If we see the world merely as something we’ll escape, why should we care for it? However, if we see Earth as God’s creation that he called good and will come and restore and renew in his millennial kingdom, that’s a whole different story. I realize this post is more about arguments against a pre-trib rapture, but I do believe in a millennial kingdom on earth. That understanding reveals again God’s nature as one who keeps his promises, even to creation.

Next post (back to Ben): support for Israel?

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Accessible Eschatology: two types of premillennialism

If you're reading along from post-to-post (which, regrettably, is probably the only way this is gonna make sense), you'll recall premillennialism as it was introduced in the last post. Let's look at it again, shall we?Remember, the cloud stands for Christ's return, and the throne stands for Judgment Day. So at the end of this age, premillennialists believe that Jesus will return to establish his global rule over all things. It will be a spiritual, social, economic, and political rule, known as the "millennium" (whether or not that period will last exactly 1,000 years). Those who have died in Christ will be resurrected when he returns to live and reign with him in the millennium. At the end of the millennium, the ungodly who have died will be resurrected, Christ will judge all people, and then the "new heavens and new earth" will come.

There are two major versions of premillennialism, and they differ in their expectations of what will happen during the period of intense tribulation immediately before the millennium...

Dispensational premillennialism. This view has been widely popularized by such books as the Left Behind series. There is an emphasis on a pre-tribulation rapture: Jesus' return is expected to come in two stages. There will be an unseen return, when he takes all those who are already Christians off the earth. This will be followed by seven years of intense tribulation on earth. After that seven years will come Jesus' public return, and he will bring all the Christians back with him. Dispensationalists believe that God is doing two separate things in history (different "dispensations"), one with the Jewish people and one with the Church, and the seven years of tribulation will be a time when God is primarily dealing with the Jewish people. There is an emphasis in many dispensational churches on the importance of saving people's souls because of the view that the Church needs to help people get out of the way of the coming tribulation. Many dispensationalists are staunchly pro-Israel in their political views.

Historic premillennialism. This view expects Jesus' return to be a single event. There will be no unseen return to take Christians away from a period of tribulation - we will still be on earth for that time. The "rapture" will be concurrent with Jesus' public return, and it will not be a matter of Christians being taken away from earth. Rather, Christians will be caught up into the air as Jesus descends to serve as his "royal welcoming party" to earth, and we will immediately descend back to earth with him to rule in his kingdom. (This is often called a post-tribulation rapture.) Historic premillennialists emphasize the unity of God's work in history concerning the Jewish people and the Church. Because they believe Christians will live through the tribulation, there can be a stronger emphasis in historic premillennial churches on holistic ministry, desiring to meet people's spiritual, physical, and even political needs. (To give a random example, a "dispensational soup kitchen" might view feeding people as a fringe benefit to gaining a captive audience to hear the gospel; a "historic premillennial soup kitchen" might view the act of feeding people as integral to what it means to share the gospel with them.) Finally, historic premillennialists may or may not be politically pro-Israel.

Are you beginning to see how these different theological views inform practical choices in life and ministry? I hope so!

In the next post, you get to hear from Meggan!!! Her topic: Why I Do Not Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Accessible Eschatology: the millennium

So, what happens after the "signs" we talked about in our last post? The Bible is clear about one thing: At the end of time, Jesus will return to earth. It will be a glorious return! In his first coming, he came as a baby, lived as a servant, and suffered on our behalf. When he comes for the second time, it will be in power, honor, and glory. He will take his rightful place as ruler of all things and all people. He will right all wrongs. He will establish true justice and peace. Those who have died will be resurrected, and he will judge all people. This coming should inspire awe, hope, and fear - hope for victims of injustice, fear for those who take pleasure in their wrongdoing. All Christians can agree on this - Jesus is coming, and it will be a great day indeed! (Some scriptures about this: Isaiah 11; Jeremiah 23; Ezekiel 37; Joel 3; Matthew 24:30-51; John 5:27-30; Acts 1:6-11; 1 Corinthians 15, especially vv. 20-26; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:4; 2 Peter 3; Revelation 19-22.)

However, there are some significant details about Christ's return where many Bible-believing Christians disagree. These peripheral items may seem unimportant, but they actually have a practical impact on some important questions:
--What is the destination of the physical elements of this world?
--->In light of that, should I care about the environment?
--->Also, does my job have significance as more than just a paycheck?
--Does God have a special plan at the end of time for the land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, or the Jewish people?
--->In light of that, should I support politically the modern-day state of Israel?

So, let's consider the three main options. These options can be most clearly distinguished by how they interpret the following passage:
"And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:1-6, emphasis added)

Notice that repeated phrase, "thousand years"? That's the millennium. The three main options for interpreting this language are as follows:

Amillennialism. This view holds that the millennium described above should be understood as a metaphor for God's kingdom rule in history (either after the cross or after Christ's return, depending on the theologian). We should not expect a literal millennium of Christ's rule on earth between his return and Judgment Day. Instead, we should expect that Christ will return, followed immediately by the resurrection of all people and Christ's judgment of all people, followed by the "new heavens and new earth" (spoken of in Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21). (This has been the majority view in the church since the fourth century. The name "amillennial" signifies "not millennial" - as in, there will be no literal millennium.)

Here's a "timeline" of amillennialism in picture form. The cloud represents Jesus' return, and the throne represents Judgment Day. (Giving credit where it's due - these three pictures come from our friend Craig Blomberg. I think he has similar diagrams in his book, From Pentecost to Patmos.)
Premillennialism. This view sees the millennium as a literal period of Christ's rule on this earth. Christ will return, God's people who have died will be resurrected, and Jesus set up the rule of his kingdom (spiritual, social, economic, and political) on this earth. After a long period of time (the "millennium," whether or not it will literally last for one thousand years), the ungodly who have died will be resurrected, Christ will judge all people, and then the "new heavens and new earth" will come. (This was the majority view in the first three centuries of the church, and it has experienced a resurgence in popularity over the past 200 years. The name "premillennial" signifies that Christ will return before the millennium.)

Another "timeline" picture - again, the cloud is Christ's return and the throne is Judgment Day.
Postmillennialism. This view expects the church to usher in the millennium. The Holy Spirit will work through the church to usher in a golden era of the reign of godliness over the whole earth in all areas of life (spiritual, social, economic, and political). After a long period of time (again, the "millennium"), Christ will return, all people will be resurrected, Christ will judge, and then the "new heavens and new earth" will come. (This view has been most popular during times when Christians had high confidence in progress, such as during the Enlightenment or significant missionary movements. Very few Christians today espouse this view. The name "postmillennial" signifies that Christ will return after the millennium.)

Here's "timeline" picture #3.
Clear as mud? Don't care? If you have to reread this section about the three main views on the millennium to understand it, go ahead and do that. It will serve as our foundation as we continue our conversation, and I promise this conversation will eventually have some practical bearing on your life (see the questions above).

But let's just get one thing out of the way - postmillennialism is not the way to go. There is no strong biblical support for this view, and experience tells us the church is not about to usher in a utopian global society. As alluded to above, postmillennialism is a perspective that has had its heyday in Christian communities that have been a little too optimistic about the church without being realistic about the world. It's darn near impossible to believe in postmillennialism in those places in the world that have been wrecked by genocide; ditto in places where the church has eroded significantly. Also, remember my last post about the signs of the end? There were positive and negative signs, an increase of both good and evil on earth. The postmillennial view has to ignore the growth of evil in the world.

So, moving forward, we'll be restricting our conversation to different forms of amillennialism and premillennialism.

Next post: two types of premillennialism.