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(Based on information presented in The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology ) For many years, there have been strong disagreements concerning the chronology of the end-times, even among fellow adherents to the interpretive camp known as Premillennial Dispensationalism. There are often variances in the way certain passages of scripture are interpreted, and often, those variances are embraced in an attempt to remain consistent with one’s own predetermined stance. At times, these views may result in awkward and “forced” conclusions that open the door for the attacks of our eschatological opponents who seem to salivate at the opportunity to attack the Dispensational belief in a pre-trib Rapture. But these vulnerabilities turn out to be unnecessary when we simply allow the Bible to plainly speak, and avoid superimposing our own terminological assumptions onto its teachings. When we simply allow the Bible to interpret itself, the apparently difficult issues we must answer turn out to be just that: only apparent and not actual.   The Pattern of the Parousia   Over the past decade, I’ve engaged in an ongoing study in which my primary goal was to do exactly that. Although I was absolutely convinced of the soundness of a pre-trib Rapture view, I was unsatisfied with some of the standard explanations of some of these “difficult” passages, such as a number of the “Second Coming (or Parousia) teachings” of Jesus in the gospels (Mt. 24; Mk. 13; Lk. 12, 17, 21, et al.). For example, concerning the Olivet Discourse, the typical explanations of whether Jesus is speaking of the Rapture or the Second Coming “proper” (at the end of the Tribulation) are often contextually illogical. I also found these explanations to be inconsistent with the later epistolary writings which often employ the same figures of speech and “imminence language” used by Jesus in those original teachings. A sound exegesis requires us to understand Jesus’s original “end-times” teachings in the same way that the later New Testament writers understood them. Since these writers used the same idioms and expressions originally introduced by Jesus, it’s clear that they actually got their understanding of eschatology from those original teachings of Jesus. We must then ensure our understanding is consistent with theirs.   Ultimately, I discovered that when the plain text is allowed to speak – free from my own suppositions or personal definitions – it turns out to be quite capable of interpreting itself! This basic dispensational hermeneutic result was my identification of a paradigm that at present is not widely recognized by students of eschatology, despite its pervasive and somewhat obvious presentation in the scriptures. While many excellent scholars have rightly acknowledged different aspects of this paradigm, few have acknowledged it in its fullness. And until now, it has never been systematically developed as a framework that can be consistently applied to the Bible’s eschatological content. My wholehearted conviction is that when consistently applied, this paradigm that I’ve identified solves all of these problems. It is the only way to consistently make sense of the many passages that have caused dispensational teachers to resort to awkward and inconsistent interpretations and explanations. I refer to this paradigm as the “missing key,” and it’s built upon three key claims (with one additional necessary insight).   Claim #1 – Scripture teaches that the Rapture and the broad period of the Day of the Lord are temporally connected (meaning connected in time or sequence; i.e. they don’t each occur randomly or independently of one another). Claim #2 – Scripture both explicitly and implicitly teaches that the Rapture and the beginning of the broad period of the Day of the Lord are simultaneous . Claim #3 – Scripture teaches that the Rapture and the broad period of the Day of the Lord are both imminent (a feature I refer to as “dual imminence”).   In addition to these three key claims, I also identified one other important puzzle piece that acts as a critical differentiator in support of this paradigm. This additional insight involves two elements: 1.) that the beginning of the broad period of the Day of the Lord is not biblically equivalent to the beginning of the Tribulation period, and 2.) that an intervening gap of time between these two points will almost assuredly exist. All of this however, falls within the broad Day of the Lord. The combination of all of these considerations yields the following visual representation: The three key claims, along with the additional insight noted above, in many ways overlap, undergird, and support one another, leading to the undeniable common-sense conclusion of the imminent and simultaneous occurrence of the Rapture and broad Day of the Lord. The righteous are removed and immediately a series of divine judgments begin to fall upon the wicked who are left behind. These judgments escalate progressively and culminate in the Second Coming “proper” at the end of the Tribulation.   It is astonishing to recognize the simplicity of this understanding and its pervasive nature throughout the scriptures. Once you grasp this template, it becomes impossible to ignore. We even find it established in the Old Testament in the form of prophetic typology – which is later interpreted for us by Jesus Himself in the gospels. He would explicitly define these “types” as teaching tools as He began to disclose prophetic revelation concerning His future Parousia (coming). We will only be able to briefly examine two such examples in this article.   The Flood of Noah’s Day   The first typological example of simultaneous judgment and deliverance is Noah’s Flood, which Jesus relies upon in His teachings on eschatology. When we look back at the original Genesis account, it is clear that the righteous (Noah and his family) entered the ark on the same day that the judgment began to fall on the wicked.   11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. … 13 On this very same day Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark. -Genesis 7:11, 13 (NASB)   The righteous (Noah and his family) were removed and physically relocated into an environment of safety (the ark) just as the judgment of the Flood was beginning to fall upon the wicked. The scriptures are clear that this was a same-day occurrence. In other words, the rescue and judgments aspects were simultaneous.   In the Gospels, Jesus then uses this Flood account as a typological template to teach His disciples about His future return (the beginning of the broad Day of the Lord, or Parousia). This is recorded in Matthew 24 in His Olivet Discourse.   37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. -Matthew 24:37-39   An essentially identical saying is also recorded in an earlier teaching in Luke 17, a chapter that includes similar content to the later Olivet Discourse.   26 And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man: 27 people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. -Luke 17:26-27 (NASB)   It is critical to note that the focus of Jesus’s typological comparison in both of these accounts is primarily on two specific aspects , which are both explicitly demanded by the text itself:   the suddenness of the Flood judgment upon the wicked world during a period of complete normalcy (think signless, unpredictable imminence) the simultaneous “same day” rescue of the righteous and judgment of the wicked   Jesus first conveys to us that in the times leading up to the Flood, people were absorbed in lifestyles of complete normalcy (eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage) and were entirely unaware of the sudden judgment that was about to befall them. Their obliviousness is explicit in Jesus’s statement that the wicked of Noah’s day “knew not until the flood came.” His adamant emphasis on the routine activities of life communicates the relative mundaneness of the time immediately prior to the outpouring of the judgment. There were no signs or precursors. Things were not falling apart. It was life as usual. (Notice the incompatibility of this description with an “end of the Tribulation” context!) Second, Jesus emphasizes that this normalcy continued until the day righteous Noah entered the ark, and then immediately (that same day), as the righteous were removed, the judgment fell suddenly on the unsuspecting, wicked world.   Jesus uses this Noahic judgment analogy to teach His disciples about the ultimate future judgment event – the broad Day of the Lord (of which the judgment phase in its entirety comprises His “coming” or Parousia). His entire point is to communicate that the broad Day will likewise come suddenly (without signs) during a time of complete normalcy, and that it will simultaneously bring salvation for the righteous and a period of judgment upon the wicked. He uses the Flood of Noah as a prophetic pattern for understanding the arrival of the broad Day. The two points identified are the two points of emphasis upon which Jesus built the comparison. We must limit our primary understanding of this comparison to the points Jesus emphasized since they are explicit in the text. His intended meaning is not vague or difficult to understand.   The Destruction of Sodom in the Days of Lot   The second Old Testament typological example of simultaneous deliverance and judgment is the destruction of Sodom in the days of Lot. Jesus also uses this as a parallel example to teach about His Parousia. The Genesis account of this judgment is clear that the righteous (Lot and part of his family) were removed from Sodom on the same day that the judgment began to fall on the wicked inhabitants of that city. We find this account in Genesis 19.   15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. So the men grasped his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, because the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out and put him outside the city. … 22 Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the town was named Zoar. 23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the surrounding area, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. -Genesis 19:15-25 (NASB)   Righteous Lot and his two daughters (remember, his wife was turned into a pillar of salt) were removed and physically relocated into an environment of safety away from Sodom immediately prior to the beginning of the city’s destruction. God would not allow the angels to begin the judgment until Lot had safely arrived in Zoar. Once the righteous were removed, the Lord immediately rained down sudden judgment on Sodom that same day . It all took place within a twenty-four-hour period.   This is confirmed in the New Testament, as Jesus then uses this example (directly following His allusion to Noah’s Flood in Luke 17) to further teach His disciples about His coming.   26 And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man: … 28 It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, and they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. -Luke 17:26, 28-30 (NASB)   Like the previous example of Noah’s Flood, we see that Jesus’s comparison focuses on both the suddenness of Sodom’s judgment during a period of apparent normalcy and the simultaneous “same day” rescue of the righteous and judgment of the wicked. First, He teaches that in the times leading up to the destruction of Sodom, the setting was of complete normality (the people were engaged in normal living – eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, etc.). They were completely unaware that any judgment was coming, and they were not yet experiencing the judgment. Life was as ordinary as ever and no warnings or signs were apparent. This continued until the day righteous Lot was removed from Sodom, and then immediately and suddenly the judgment fell on the unsuspecting, wicked inhabitants. (Like the Noah example, this is incompatible with an “end of the Tribulation” context.)   And like the Noah example, we once again see from the text itself, that these (sudden and simultaneous) are the two points of emphasis that we must note. We cannot insert our own ideas about why Jesus uses these two examples of Noah and Lot. The text clearly dictates His reasons, which are identical in each case. Jesus declares that it will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. He uses these judgment examples to teach His disciples of the similar aspects of the coming ultimate judgment event – the broad Day of the Lord, or the protracted period involving Christ’s Parousia, or coming. The onset of the broad Day will come suddenly (imminently), with no preconditions or preceding signs, and it will bring simultaneous salvation for the righteous and a period of judgment upon the wicked. It will come at a time of complete normalcy (not Tribulation) upon an unsuspecting world that will be experiencing “life as usual” and will usher in a broad period of eschatological signs and judgments, climaxing in the Second Coming proper of Christ at the end of the Great Tribulation.   The Rapture of the Church is that “salvation of the righteous” that will take place as the opening event, triggering this eschatological period. This is the only interpretive option possible, since the entire context of both examples is built upon imminence (suddenness, signlessness, and unpredictability). The only imminent rescue of a righteous group that coincides with an imminent beginning of judgment upon the wicked takes place at the absolute beginning of this broad period called the Day of the Lord (what we think of as the “end-times”).   As was stated several times already, this can in no way be referring to the Lord’s coming at the end of the Tribulation, which is a time incompatible with imminence and a setting of “routine normalcy.” It cannot be said that this final phase of His coming can suddenly take the world off-guard without signs. As J.F. Strombeck states, There can be no complacency nor unexpected destruction after the most terrible destruction of all time has begun. [1] To the contrary, it will conclude the most predictable and sign-filled time in history; a period in which scripture tells us that even the wicked recognize as the time of God’s wrath (Rev. 6:16-17) and will be expecting His return with such intensity that they are actually preparing to do battle with Him (Rev. 19:19).   Further, the context of both of these examples especially emphasize that the judgment began on the same day, directly after the righteous were removed. In other words, the righteous in both examples experienced none of the judgments. Once again, this was one of the two primary points of emphasis in the Lord’s comparison and is yet another reason the context cannot refer to the end of the Tribulation. Scripture is clear that the righteous of this period (Tribulation saints, both Jew and Gentile) will not be spared from experiencing its intense distress. It must of necessity then refer to the righteous of the Church Age being removed in the imminent Rapture, just as the also-imminent broad Day and its sequence of judgments begin to befall the wicked (our paradigm of dual imminence + simultaneous occurrence).   In addition, an examination of the subsequent epistles and book of Revelation reveals that this also is how writers like Paul, James, Peter, and John understood these teachings of Jesus, as they routinely apply the same idioms and expressions Jesus uses throughout these discourses to the Rapture of Church Age believers at the opening of the outpouring of judgment (Ja. 5:1-11; 1 Pet. 4:7; 2 Pet. 3:3-10; Rom. 13:11-12; 1 Thess. 1:9-10; 2:16; 4:15-5:11; 2 Thess. 1:6-10; 2:1-5; Rev. 1:1-3; 2:5, 16, 25; 3:3, 10-11, 15-16; 19-21; 16:15; 22:6, 7, 10, 12, 20, et al.). These observations galvanize this context, and the recognition of “imminence language” makes this simple. Imminence only can refer to the beginning of this extended eschatological period.   Conclusion While we cannot have expected Jesus’s original audience on the days He issued these discourses to have understood much, if anything, about the Church or especially the Rapture (as these concepts weren’t yet fully disclosed in all of their eventual fullness), His message was easily understandable: the righteous living during that hour will be immediately removed as sudden judgment simultaneously begins to fall upon the wicked. That was the simple message! But today, having the benefit of full New Testament revelation, we can look back upon these early teachings of Jesus and easily recognize that He was planting “seed form” doctrine that would later be expounded upon more fully in John 14 and the epistles of Paul.   So, from Jesus’s usage of the Noah and Lot examples, we recognize a clear typological pattern established by these Old Testament judgment events that provides support for the “missing key” paradigm. No other view satisfies all of the contextual criteria. The Church will not experience any part of this time of judgment. Both the rescue of the righteous and the judgment of the wicked will commence simultaneously and imminently, just as was established in both of these Old Testament types. This is the only pattern Jesus gives us for understanding the end-times! [1] J.F. Strombeck, First the Rapture , Moline, IL: Strombeck Agency, 1950, p. 69.

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology ) In addition to the two-fold nature of the future Day of the Lord that we examined in the previous article , an equally important awareness is that it also has a “double sense” – it is both broad and narrow in terms of its duration. The broad sense refers to an extended time period that begins with the Rapture (a key insight that lies outside of the scope of this article series), and then covers the post-Rapture/pre-Tribulation gap period, the Tribulation period, and the Millennium. The narrow sense refers to one specific and climactic day of ultimate significance – the day that involves Christ’s actual physical return to the earth at His Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation. We’ve also provided the following chart in order to present a visual aid of both the Day of the Lord’s two-fold nature (darkness/judgment + light/blessing) and double sense (broad + narrow). This key and fundamental insight of a “double sense” is often ignored, misunderstood, or overlooked by many Biblical commentators. However, we should point out that for the present context of our study, it will be an essential concept to understand correctly. So, let’s begin to carefully examine this issue. First, we must recognize that just as we today often use single words in a variety of ways in common language, single words in scripture are also used in a variety of ways. For example, consider all of the ways the word “apple” may be used in English. You may be referring to an actual fruit. You may be referring to a computer (the brand Apple, Inc.). You may be referring to New York City (nicknamed the “Big Apple”). Or, you may be using the term figuratively (the “apple” of your eye). You may even be referring to the laryngeal prominence on the front of the human neck (called the “Adam’s apple”). Word usage in the Bible is no different. We understand how a word is being used by the context. Furthermore, a basic hermeneutical (interpretive) guideline is that the Bible is the best interpreter of itself. We can often rely on scripture itself to define the parameters of how a given term is used, and therefore, how we are to understand it. This is especially true of the term “day,” and therefore, by extension, “the Day of the Lord.” Concerning this issue, Walvoord writes: The word “day” is used in the Bible in various ways. Sometimes it is used to refer to daylight; for instance, the hours between dawn and sunset. Sometimes it is used to refer to a twenty-four-hour day. The Jewish day began at sunset and continued to the next day at sunset. That also is referred to as a day. Sometimes the word day is used in the Bible as a period of time, just as we use it in English. We speak of the day of our youth; what do we mean by that? We do not mean that we were young only one day, but we mean the extended period of time in which we were young. [1] So, we should recognize that the word “day” in scripture has both a narrow sense (meaning an actual twenty-four-hour day, or sometimes even just the daylight period of it) and a broad sense (meaning an epoch or extended period of time). Genesis 1:5 is a clear example of the narrow sense of the word “day.” And God called the light Day , and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day . -Genesis 1:5 This verse speaks of the daylight period of a literal twenty-four-hour day, and also the evening and morning, or darkness and light segments of a literal twenty-four-hour day. If you continue reading Genesis Chapter 1, the verses to follow tell us about the next six days of creation in which God brought His work to completion. But then in Genesis 2:4, we read the following summary. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made . -Genesis 1:5 As we clearly see in the verses between Genesis 1:5 and 2:3, the text informs us that God performed the creation in seven literal twenty-four-hour days. Yet, Genesis 2:4 sums up these “narrow-sense” creation days as a “broad day” period. In other words, it refers to the whole creation week period figuratively, as a “day.” Psalm 59:16 is another example of “day” being used in a more unconstrained, figurative sense, as to mean “a period of time.” But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble . -Psalm 59:16 Here, the Psalmist was not trying to convey that his trouble was confined to a literal twenty-four-hour period, but rather that God has been his defense and refuge during any and all periods of trouble in his life. The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary confirms this understanding, providing the following definition of the Biblical word day (the Hebrew word yom ). Day, used both in the particular sense of a natural day, and in the general sense of a set time or period of time. … Day is often used by sacred writers, in a general sense, for a definite period of time – an era or season, when something remarkable has taken place or is destined to do so. [2] Many modern prophecy commentators are quick to recognize the narrow sense of the Day of the Lord, understanding the obvious scriptural emphasis on the climactic, literal twenty-four-hour day that will involve Christ’s return. On this culminating day of the judgment phase, He will return to the earth with His bride the Church, defeat His enemies, and rescue the righteous remnant of Israel. However, these commentators often miss the broad sense of the Day of the Lord, not recognizing that scripture clearly uses this term to describe a wider period of time that encompasses all of the major eschatological events the Bible foretells (from the Rapture to the end of the Millennial Kingdom). This usage is similar to the way we might use the term “Christmas” in our modern culture. Christmas has both a broad sense and a narrow sense. When referring to Christmas, we often mean the entire Christmas season. But yet, there is also that one, specific, climaxing day – Christmas Day, December 25th. A somewhat similar Biblical example is the Passover. According to Leviticus 23:5, the specific day of Passover is to be the 14th day of the first month. However, we also learn that the Passover season as a whole involves a broader period that involves the selection of a Passover lamb on the 10th, the Passover Seder that takes place on the 15th (which begins the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread), and the Feast of First Fruits that takes place on the first Sunday following Passover. These can all connotatively be referred to as the Passover season – and yet, there is that one denotative, specific day of Passover, which is the 14th, when the lambs are killed. In fact, a study of the Passion Week chronology in the gospels reveals that the Bible also uses the term “Unleavened Bread” in this way also. Sometimes it denotatively refers to the actual day when the feast or Seder took place (the 15th), but other times it is used more connotatively to refer to this entire festival week. Many commentators have ended up in error by not maintaining a precise understanding of the connotative and denotative usages of Biblical terms – and as a result, the Bible will appear contradictory. Like the two-fold nature of the Day of the Lord, this understanding of the double sense of the Day of the Lord is also a concept well-recognized by scholars of all eschatological persuasions. For example, John Walvoord recognized the broad period of the Day of the Lord as beginning with the Rapture and extending until the end of the Millennium. When the rapture occurs, this work of God [the Church] will be brought to its close and the Day of the Lord will begin. … the period in general would extend from the rapture until the end of the millennium. [3] Renald Showers also noted the broad and narrow sense of the Day of the Lord. We should note that the biblical expression “the Day of the Lord” has a double sense (broad and narrow) in relationship to the future. The broad sense refers to an extended period of time involving divine interventions related to at least the 70th week of Daniel and the thousand-year Millennium. … The narrow sense refers to one specific day – the day on which Christ will return to earth from heaven with His angels. [4] In similar fashion, A.B. Davidson stated: Though the “Day of the Lord,” as the expression implies, was at first conceived as a definite and brief period of time, being an era of judgment and salvation, it many times broadened out to be an extended period. From being a day it became an epoch. [5] So, again, we should recognize that the Day of the Lord’s double sense is not some new or deviant belief. Rather, it has been long recognized by careful Bible interpreters. In the previous article of this series, we examined a number of prophetic passages from the Old Testament prophets that demonstrated the reality of the Day of the Lord as a prolonged period consisting of a darkness/judgment phase and a light/blessing phase. That understanding also substantiates the claims of this article, in which the double sense is our current topic. In that article, we showed scriptural evidence that the Day of the Lord in one sense is broad in its duration. But we will now focus our attention on the scriptural support for the other sense – a narrow period of one specific day of culmination. The existence of a specific climaxing day is clear in light of a careful examination of the prophetic body of scripture. Many scriptures can be presented that focus on this day that we call the Second Coming, the climax of the darkness/judgment phase, in which the Lord returns to destroy His enemies. Let’s examine several. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh , and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. -Zechariah 14:1-4 This excerpt seems to clearly focus its identification of the Day of the Lord on the events of the narrow sense (the literal twenty-four-hour day in which the Second Coming proper occurs and the Lord defeats the enemies of Israel). A similar example is found in Joel 3. In this chapter, it is obvious that Verses 12-16 focus on the narrow period of the Day of the Lord (the actual twenty-four-hour day of Christ’s return). It reads: Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: -Joel 3:12-16 We also find a prime example in Amos 5:18-20 (which we also noted in the previous article), in which the text explicitly denies that there is any light found for the wicked during the Day of the Lord. Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? -Amos 5:18-20 Clearly, this refers most specifically to the narrow sense of the Day of the Lord, as it focuses on darkness and judgment. We’ve just spent time showing the many Biblical mentions of the light/blessing phase of the broad period. Either the Bible is contradictory, or this passage in Amos must be understood to be focusing specifically on the wicked who experience the narrow sense of that Day. This turns out to be a potent confirmation that scripture uses two senses to describe the Day of the Lord. Clearly, this context of darkness is addressed to a specific audience, which Verse 1 of this chapter demands to be the unbelieving nation of Israel on earth during this time of judgment. We can also note that the Old Testament has a special term used to describe this narrow period. We find this term in Joel 2:31, as Joel foretells the darkening of the heavenly bodies prior to the coming of the “great and terrible Day of the Lord.” The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come . -Joel 2:31 This also is a potent confirmation that the Bible speaks of two senses when it describes the Day of the Lord. A reading of Revelation and other prophetic passages foretell the celestial phenomena (such as that which is mentioned in this verse) that will take place during the Day of the Lord. Since Joel here described the Day of the Lord as following these celestial events, are we to then believe that they, as well as the other judgments are not part of that Day? Without recognizing the double senses of the Day of the Lord, one would be forced to adopt such a conclusion. It is clear that the “great and terrible Day of the Lord” is a special term the Old Testament uses to specifically describe this narrow period – the climaxing day of the Second Coming. We find a similar expression in Malachi 4:5. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord : -Malachi 4:5 Similarly, when Malachi writes that God will send Elijah before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord, it should be understood to mean that Elijah would return prior to the narrow Day – not prior to the broad Day. Elijah will likely return as one of the Two Witnesses in Revelation (11:3-12, et al.), which takes place during the Tribulation period (part of the broad Day). The understanding that this term (“the great and terrible/dreadful Day of the Lord”) is a reference to the culminating day when Christ returns to earth in power and glory goes all the way back to the interpretation of the ancient Jewish rabbis, as preserved in The Babylonian Talmud . Tractate Shabbath, Folio 118a tells us plainly: This is understood to refer to the advent of the Messiah. [6] Referring to the Joel 2:31 passage, Bible scholar E.W. Bullinger rightly observes that this “great and terrible” day is the narrow day, or the culminating day of a broader period. It is called “the great and terrible day of the Lord,” as though it were the climax of the whole period known as “the day of the Lord.” [7] Similarly, Renald Showers wrote: We should note that the Scriptures apply the expression “the great and terrible day of the Lord” to the narrow Day, not the broad Day. The implication is that the narrow Day will differ from the rest of the broad Day, not only in duration, but also in significance. Although the earlier part of the judgment phase of the broad Day will involve a great outpouring of divine wrath upon the domain of Satan and mankind, the narrow Day will be the grand climax of that judgment phase. [8] And so, we should understand that the narrow period of the Day of the Lord (the great and terrible Day of the Lord) is the grand day of climax of the judgment phase of the wider broad Day period. Conclusion Throughout our three-part review of the Biblical presentation of the Day of the Lord, we have noted several important aspects that will be critical for us to understand this subject. First, we noted that the Day of the Lord refers to the times of God’s divine interventions into the course of human history in order to judge sin, judge His enemies, accomplish His purposes for mankind, and display His sovereignty as the God of the universe. Second, we recognized that the Day of the Lord is applicable to past historical events in which God intervened in history, but even more notably to a future grand climax of human history in which this final and ultimate Day of the Lord is anticipated. Unlike the past events where God primarily intervened by using human instruments, this final eschatological Day of the Lord will climax in the actual, physical return of Jesus Christ to earth to judge and defeat His enemies. Third, we noted that the future Day of the Lord has a two-fold nature. First, there will be a phase characterized by darkness and judgment. This phase will involve the time period beginning with the Rapture, the post-Rapture gap period that follows it, the Tribulation period, and will culminate with the Second Coming. A significant recognition is the fact that the Rapture is the opening event of the broad Day of the Lord (which is outside the scope of this article series). While the saints are being raptured in glory, the darkness/ judgment phase of the broad Day immediately falls on the wicked inhabitants of the earth. Following this darkness/judgment phase, there will be a second phase characterized by light and blessing. This phase will involve the Millennial reign of Christ on earth. Figuratively, this compares to an actual twenty-four-hour day in the sense that it involves a period of darkness followed by a period of light. Fourth, we then noted that the future Day of the Lord has a double sense in terms of duration. In its broad sense, it refers to a prolonged period beginning with the Rapture, the post-Rapture gap period that follows it, the Tribulation period, and the Millennial Kingdom. But in its narrow sense, it refers to a specific day of culmination in which Christ returns in glory to judge His enemies. This narrow period is sometimes called “the great and terrible Day of the Lord,” referring to the time immediately surrounding the Second Coming. It is the climactic day that separates the darkness phase from the light phase. At the root of most misunderstandings of eschatology is a deficient understanding of how the Bible self-defines its own terms. Since the Day of the Lord by definition describes God's program for the end times, then understanding all of these aspects is invaluable for equipping us with a sound understanding of the chronology of Biblical eschatology. It will help us avoid the common pitfalls that so frequently hinder a sound understanding of the end times. [1] John Walvoord, “The Day of the Lord,” Jan. 1, 2008, Bible.org . ( https://bible.org/seriespage/5-day-lord - Retrieved 3/27/22) [2] Merrill F. Unger, The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary , ed. R.K. Harrison, Chicago: Moody Publishers, rev. 1988, pp. 1283, 1286. [3] John Walvoord, The Nations, Israel, and the Church in Prophecy , Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1988, p. 86. [4] Renald Showers, Maranatha: Our Lord Come! Bellmawr, NJ: Friends of Israel, 1995, p. 35. [5] A.B. Davidson, “The Theology of the Old Testament,” in International Theological Library , New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1936, p. 381. [6] The Babylonian Talmud , London: Soncino Press, 1938, “Shabbath,” 118a, in footnote, p. 580. [7] E.W. Bullinger, The Apocalypse or “The Day of the Lord, ” London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1935, p. 248. [8] Showers, pp. 36-37.

(From the study "Understanding The Distinction Between Israel And The Church" ) In previous articles on the Rapture , we have defined the Rapture, alluded to the different views regarding the Rapture’s timing, and discussed the Rapture’s imminence. In all of these articles, we've advocated that scripture describes the timing of the Rapture as pretribulational (meaning it takes place prior to the Tribulation, or the final seven years that are characterized by God’s eschatological wrath). In this article, we will seek to go deeper into the numerous Biblical reasons that suggest the certainty of this doctrine. We believe that there is more than enough evidence in scripture to form a strong opinion on this issue and to rest in complete assurance that this is a Biblical truth. We will offer seven convincing proofs of the pre-tribulational timing of the Rapture. 1 – The Mutual Exclusivity of Israel and the Church When a literal or plain interpretation of scripture is consistently applied, a downstream result is the understanding that national Israel and the Church are distinct entities in God’s prophetic program. We can also then understand that God deals with them mutually exclusively. Our outline for this perspective is given in Daniel 9. This chapter records how in the mid-500s BC, the prophet Daniel was given the seventy-weeks prophecy, which declared seventy weeks or heptads of years that would take place for national Israel and Jerusalem. It is critical that we recognize that according the text, these seventy weeks are specifically designated for the Jews and Jerusalem – not the Gentiles or the Church (Verse 24 – “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city ”). These seventy weeks amount to a total of 490 years (70 x 7). This acts as the framework for all future Bible prophecy. A beginning point and ending point are provided for marking the first through the sixty-ninth weeks of years. The sixty-ninth week of years ended with the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in 33 AD, just days prior to His crucifixion. According to the prophecy, it is clear that this prophetic time-clock for national Israel stopped with the completion of the sixty-ninth week, leaving one future week – the seventieth week – to still be completed. But after the sixty-ninth week, something “unexpected” happened. After Israel killed her Messiah, rejecting His offer of the Messianic Kingdom (which had been promised and prophesied of throughout the Old Testament), this prophetic seventy-week program of God for Israel was paused, and God instead introduced an interim program called the Church, as the Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost of that same year – 33 AD (Acts 2). Subsequently, the gospel was to be spread to all nations, as God’s focus temporarily shifted from that of national Israel to His new work called the Church, which focused on all nations. And so, at the Triumphal Entry, the time-clock for Israel’s seventy-week countdown was paused and a gap period we call the Church Age was inserted. In 70 AD, the final harbinger of this shift took place as Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were eventually scattered to the uttermost parts of the earth in what is termed the Diaspora. The Church Age has been in effect since 33 AD, and will last until the closing event of this age – the Rapture, or supernatural catching away of the Church to heaven described in scripture (Romans 11:25; I Thessalonians 4:14-18; et al.). We understand that God’s time clock for the Church will stop with the Rapture, and either immediately or soon after, His time clock for national Israel will again begin, as there remains one final week of years – the seventieth week – to be completed. During this time, Israel will once again become the primary focus of God’s plan during this final seven-year “week” of time often called the Tribulation, or Daniel’s seventieth week. This final week for Israel, the Tribulation (Revelation 6-19), will be a time of great trouble for the world as God’s wrath is poured out – but will be especially focused upon Israel, especially the second half of this seven-year period. One primary purpose of the Tribulation is to drive the nation of Israel to repentance through great affliction. Sometimes God has to knock us down in order to get us to look up at Him – and that’s what’s happening to Israel during the Tribulation. Through this experience of unimaginable distress, Israel will finally be brought to faith (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25). When Christ does return to the earth at the end of the Tribulation, Israel will be ready to receive Him as their Messiah. This now-righteous remnant of Israel will be rescued from the nations that have gathered to destroy her, and Christ will set up His Millennial or Messianic Kingdom on earth (Zechariah 12:2-3; Chapter 14). How does all of this inform our perspectives of the timing of the Rapture? We see that when the first sixty-nine weeks for Israel were active, the Church was not on the scene. But the same year the sixty-nine weeks ended – 33 AD – the Church then began almost immediately after on Pentecost. Israel’s clock stopped and the Church’s clock began. The Church was God’s interim program that He inaugurated after national Israel rejected her Messiah. This is the time we are living in presently – which we call the Church Age. Again, the Rapture of the Church will be the event that stops the Church’s clock - permanently. But as we’ve discussed here, when the seventieth week begins, Israel’s clock will resume until its completion at the Second Coming – which will take place at the end of the seventieth week. So, the first sixty-nine weeks and the seventieth week (in other words, all seventy weeks ) are designated specifically for Israel, and have nothing at all to do with the Church. In fact, the Church and the seventieth week are completely incompatible. They are mutually exclusive according to this prophetic calendar. This itself is one of the reasons that necessitate the pretribulational removal of the Church from earth in order for God to begin Israel’s final week. God will not reinitiate His program for Israel until His program for the Church has been concluded (at the pretribulational Rapture). No other Rapture view makes a clear distinction between Israel and the Church. 2 – The Church is Exempt From Eschatological Wrath The Tribulation is the culminating subset within the judgment phase of the broad Day of the Lord. The idea of this whole period being the wrath of God is shown most plainly in Revelation 6, as the Sixth Seal opens and even the wicked earth dwellers finally recognize that they’ve been experiencing God’s wrath. The people of earth cry out in fear. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? -Revelation 6:16-17 The wrath (the judgment phase of the broad Day of the Lord – which includes the Tribulation) didn’t just begin with the opening of the Sixth Seal - it began with the opening of the First Seal. Why? Because Jesus is the one in heaven opening the seals and releasing these wrathful judgments (Revelation 6 and following)! They are all part of the “wrath of the Lamb.” But here is what we’re really getting at: the Bible clearly teaches that believers escape before the time of God’s wrath. They don’t experience any of the judgments of this period. In other words, the Church is caught up in the Rapture prior to any of the judgments of God’s wrath that get poured out upon the earth. Consider the following points. In 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, Paul tells the Church that Jesus delivered us from the wrath to come. And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. -1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 Notice that this says Jesus deliver ed us (past tense) from the wrath to come (future tense). When we were saved and we entered into the body of Christ or the Church, that salvation brought with it an exemption from the coming time of wrath. It doesn’t say God will bring us through the wrath in the future – it says He has already saved us from it altogether. Then, in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Paul says: For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, -1 Thessalonians 5:9 So, we again find it clearly taught that we are not appointed to wrath. The Tribulation is the culmination of God’s time of wrath for those that dwell on the earth (as we will see even more clearly in the following passage). If we are not appointed to wrath, then our being on earth during the coming time of wrath is irreconcilable. And most convincing yet, in Revelation 3:10, the Lord Himself promised to keep us from the time of the Tribulation altogether. Jesus, speaking to the Church at Philadelphia says: 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. -Revelation 3:10 There’s simply no way to interpret this to mean God will preserve us through the Tribulation. It specifically says God will keep us from even the time of the Tribulation. We won’t be here to experience it. Notice also that it says the hour of trial is coming on the whole world and will affect all those who dwell on the earth. The only way then for the Church to be untouched by this hour of trial is for them to be removed from the earth prior to it. Of course, the Church – like anyone else – will endure normal tribulations of life (lowercase “t”), but the Church is exempt from the Tribulation (uppercase “T”) – and the entire judgment phase of the broad Day. We will experience none of it. 3 – The Rapture is a Comfort In 1 Thessalonians 4:18, after giving us the promise of the Rapture in the previous several verses, Paul then follows this up by saying: Wherefore comfort one another with these words. -1 Thessalonians 4:18 We find that the Rapture is intended to be a comfort to us. Only a pre-tribulational Rapture is truly a comfort, since it is the only view that includes a rescue of the Church out of this world prior to the outpouring of God’s wrath during the broad Day of the Lord. This will be a time of unparalleled distress on earth. If the Rapture doesn’t take place until sometime during this period of Tribulation, or especially until the end of the Tribulation, how could it provide us with any comfort? It would be like saying, “Be comforted that those of you who endure through the worst distress in all of earth’s history, who do not get decapitated by the Antichrist, will get raptured at the end of it.” Obviously, that’s not a comforting promise at all - nor does it make any sense. And so, this description of the Rapture as a comfort supports the earlier passages that detail our exemption from this coming time of wrath altogether – all requiring a pretribulational Rapture. When we study the Tribulation in the broad Day of the Lord, we can all be comforted by the teaching that we will be rescued prior to it. We will experience none of its judgments. All other Rapture views require Christians to participate in at least part of this time period. 4 – The Church is Not Mentioned in Revelation Chapters 5-19 The Church is conspicuously absent from the portion of the book of Revelation that discusses the eschatological judgments taking place on the earth during the broad Day of the Lord (Chapters 5-19). However, before this, the word “Church” is prominently mentioned (twenty-two times in Chapters 1-3). It’s not mentioned again (in the context of being on earth during God’s wrath) for the remainder of the book. Revelation 1 provides for us an outline of the book as a whole. John is told to: Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; -Revelation 1:19 This allows us to recognize the three divisions of the book. It is divided into the “things which thou hast seen,” the “things which are,” and the “things which shall be hereafter.” David Hocking writes: In Revelation 1:19 we have an outline of the book given to us: "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter." This threefold outline includes the vision of our resurrected Lord in chapter 1 as "the things which thou hast seen"; the messages to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3 as "the things which are" (meaning – existing in John’s day); and from chapter 4, verse 1, to the end of the book – "the things which shall be hereafter." The word "hereafter" (Greek: meta tauta) or "after these things" (following the "things which thou hast seen" and the "things which are") is an important clue to the order of things in this book. We read in Revelation 4:1: "After this" (Greek: meta tauta) and at the end of the verse the word "hereafter" (Greek: meta tauta). It would appear, therefore, that the third part of the outline of the Book of Revelation begins with Revelation 4:1 and continues to the end of the book. These events follow the "things which are" or the messages to the seven churches existing in John’s day. [1] Revelation 4:1, where the apostle John is “caught up” to heaven at the sound of a trumpet, seems to be a type or shadow of the Rapture. John, as a representative of the Church at large, was brought up into heaven to see what would take place meta tauta , or “after these things.” After what things? After the “things which are,” or the Church Age. In other words, he’s shown what takes place after the Rapture. What happens after this in Revelation is the beginning of the broad Day of the Lord, and that’s what John records. From heaven, John and the elders are able to witness the judgments of this period occurring “below” on earth. Chapters 6-19 describe the judgments of the Day of the Lord, and the Church is completely absent of mention. Further, the Twenty-Four Elders, which many Biblical scholars conclude can only be a picture of the glorified Church, is already in heaven in Chapter 4 before the seven-sealed scroll is opened, producing the Day of the Lord judgments that begin on earth. [2] So, we continue to find that the concept of the Church on earth is incompatible with the broad Day of the Lord and Tribulation period. Some have mistakenly concluded that the various mentions of “Tribulation saints” in these chapters of Revelation are equivalent to the Church. This is not the case. There will be saints present during the Tribulation in the same way that there were Old Testament saints present before the Church existed. This does not refer in any way to the Church. Again, the Church is nowhere mentioned by name after Chapter 3, yet is mentioned many times by name in the first three chapters. One point that helps clarify this distinction is that Jesus told us the gates of hell would not prevail over the Church (Matthew 16:16-17). Yet, in the Tribulation, Satan’s man of the hour – the Antichrist – is said to prevail over the saints on the earth at that time and conquer them (Daniel 7:21; Revelation 13:7). Clearly, either the Bible is contradictory or the believers being discussed in these two passages are different. There will be many who come to faith in Jesus during the Tribulation, but they should not be confused with the Church, and Revelation never refers to them as the Church. The explicit mentions of the Church abruptly stop at Chapter 3. 5 – The Imminence of the Rapture The Rapture is continuously described in the Bible as an imminent event – meaning it can occur at any moment, with no preconditions. There are no signs or warnings – it takes place suddenly. This logically requires that nothing has to happen before the Rapture can take place. If there were necessary preconditions or events, it couldn’t be truly imminent. This is why scripture constantly tells us to wait and watch for the Rapture, and gives us the impression that it can happen at any moment. It is always to be seen as the “next event” on the prophetic horizon concerning God’s end-times program. Renald Showers gives an excellent overview of the English term “imminence.” The English word "imminent" comes from the Latin verb "immineo, imminere," which means to "overhand" or "project." In light of this, the English word "imminent" means "hanging over one’s head, ready to befall or overtake one; close at hand in its incidence." Thus, an imminent event is one that is always hanging overhead, and is constantly ready to befall or overtake a person. Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing must take place before it happens. If something else must take place before an event can happen, that event is not imminent. The necessity of something else taking place first destroys the concept of imminency. [3] This characteristic of imminency demands that the Rapture take place prior to the broad Day of the Lord (which the Tribulation is a subset of). If on the other hand, the Rapture couldn’t occur until the middle or end of the Tribulation, then that would contradict this characteristic of imminence since other predicted events must take place first. Wayne A. Brindle writes: The term "imminence" (or imminency) as applied to the Rapture of the Church means that Christ may return at any moment for His Church, and no biblically predicted event must necessarily precede it. Those who believe that Christ will return for His Church before the Tribulation normally hold that the Rapture is imminent – that it may occur at any time and that it is the next predicted event in God’s prophetic timetable. [4] Just a few of the many “imminency passages” in the New Testament include the following. The Bible says that Jesus’ return is at hand , and we are to wait eagerly for it (Romans 8:19-25; 1 Corinthians 1:7; Philippians 4:5; Jude 21). “At hand” conveys the idea of imminence. If other events (such as the Tribulation and the arrival of the Antichrist) had to occur first before the Rapture could take place, then imminence language such as “at hand” could not be used to describe it. James encourages us to “be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near ” (James 5:8). Revelation 1:3 and 22:10 also say that “the time is near.” Again, “near” is another example of imminence language. If the Rapture could not take place until the end of the Tribulation, for example, then it could not be described as being “near,” or able to befall at any moment. Other prophetic events would have to precede it chronologically. Much more can be said on this issue of imminence, which is taught all throughout the New Testament. (We addressed this subject of imminence more deeply in our previous article .) The pretribulational Rapture is the only view that allows for the Rapture to be imminent in its timing. All the other views require a number of prophetic events to take place first before the Rapture can occur. To be looking for the imminent return of Christ on an “any day” basis (as the New Testament teaches), you have to believe in a pretribulational Rapture. Think about that for a moment. No other Rapture view believes that Jesus can come back today. 6 – The Many Scriptural Differences Between the Rapture and the Second Coming Many unreconcilable distinctions exist between the Bible’s description of the Rapture and its description of the Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation. These distinctions indicate that the two are different events happening at different times, which would specifically contradict the idea of a posttribulational Rapture. The central passages dealing with the Rapture are John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. The central passages dealing with the Second Coming to earth are Zechariah 14:1-21, Matthew 24:29-31, Mark 13:24-27, Luke 21:25-27, and Revelation 19. A careful examination of these texts will show that there is enough reason to conclude that the Rapture and the Second Coming to earth are not the same event. Let’s examine a brief list of some of the major points of contrast. Meeting Christ in the air versus returning with Christ The Rapture verses say that when Jesus comes, He comes in the air. Believers are caught up from the ground into the air to be with Christ, and are taken to the Father’s house in heaven. But in the Second Coming verses, the opposite order occurs, with Jesus coming down to the earth while bringing His saints with Him, and His feet will touch down on the Mount of Olives. Furthermore, let’s look at the location of believers during these events. In the Rapture verses, the believers are brought up from the earth to heaven to be with Jesus. But in the Second Coming verses, when Jesus comes back to earth from heaven with the believers with him, there are believers (Tribulation saints) still on the earth. If the Rapture and the Second Coming are the same event, then if Jesus brought all the believers up at the Rapture, how could there be believers still on the Earth at the Second Coming? A significant time lapse would’ve had to occur between the Rapture and Second Coming for so many people to come to belief in Jesus as Savior. So, again, these contradictory descriptions force us to understand these to be two separate and distinct events. A mystery event versus an event known and expected throughout Old Testament Prophecy In the Rapture verses, the catching away or gathering of the saints to Christ is described as a mystery that Paul was revealing. In John 14 (the “Upper Room Discourse”) and possibly even in a vaguer sense in His Olivet Discourse, Jesus had introduced the basic concept of the Rapture in “seed form.” He expressed it as a rescue of the righteous, who would be brought to the Father’s house in heaven prior to a time of imminent distress. But it was Paul who later expounded upon this promise, revealing it as a doctrine that we can now more fully understand. Paul described the full unveiling of this Rapture doctrine as a “mystery” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). A mystery in the Greek Biblical sense means a concept that was previously unknown, but now revealed (Strong’s # G3466 – mustérion ). [5] Post-tribulationists suggest that Jesus's description of a future “gathering of His elect” at His Second Coming (in Matthew 24) refers to the Rapture. Many people confuse this gathering of the elect with the Rapture, as the language sounds similar. But if Paul, who wrote much later on, was the first to reveal in detail this mystery doctrine of the gathering of the Church at the Rapture, than the gathering described by Jesus at the Second Coming would seem to be referring to something else. Paul couldn’t have revealed it as a mystery if it was already described in detail by Jesus long before. It turns out that this gathering of the elect described by Christ in Matthew 24 is a familiar prophetic event to anyone who knows their Old Testament well – it refers to the re-gathering of Israel in faith in preparation for blessing after the Tribulation as the Millennial Kingdom is about to be established (cf. Isaiah 27:12-13; 43:5-7; et al.). And so, the mystery nature of the Rapture of the Church contradicts the well-known nature of the prophetic gathering of Israel at the Second Coming, helping us recognize their distinction as separate events. These are just a few of the many Biblical differentiators between the Rapture and the Second Coming, helping us recognize that they are two different events happening at two different times. 7 – Confirmation in Typology While we do not use Biblical typology to determine doctrine, it can be a powerful voice of confirmation when it aligns with and supports a clear Biblical teaching. This is certainly the case concerning the prominence of pre-tribulational Rapture typology in scripture. One of the most powerful examples is found in the ancient Hebrew wedding, whose rituals God instituted . All throughout the Gospels, Jesus relied on the ancient Jewish wedding pattern for many of His parables, climaxing in His "Bridegroom's promise" in the Upper Room in John 14 (as reviewed in our previous four-part article series on this topic ). We will provide a brief synopsis of the relevant points that align solely with a pre-tribulational Rapture timing. First, when the prospective bridegroom was of age, he would begin the process of finding a bride. Once he found a young woman of interest, the young man would leave his home and travel to the home of the prospective bride’s father. There, he would work on the details of the proposal and agreement. When the agreement was reached, and the father consented, the prospective bride would be offered a cup of wine by the prospective bridegroom. If she drank from the cup, she was accepting his marriage proposal. If she refused it, she was refusing him. After drinking from the cup, a legal contract between the two would be in place (the ketubah ). At this time, they were called husband and wife, although it was only yet the betrothal period and the actual wedding ceremony and consummation had not yet taken place. Their official status was “betrothed,” and not yet fully married. After this was done, the bridegroom made the statement to his bride-to-be that he would leave her to go back to his father’s house and prepare a place for her. This addition onto the father’s house was referred to as the cheder , meaning the bridechamber, but could also be called the chuppah , a bridal canopy. His promise was that he would one day return to receive her. During this period of betrothal, the bride was considered sanctified, consecrated, and set apart for her future husband, as she had been bought with a great price. This price to the Jews did not signify that the bride was purchased as an item like a piece of furniture or a servant, but rather that by the exchanging of something of value, a change of status was conferred upon her. In other words, she goes from single to betrothed-to-be-married. During this time of betrothal separation, which typically lasted about one to two years, the bride spent her time preparing for her wedding and awaiting her bridegroom’s promised imminent return. She would faithfully keep watch, lest he returned while she was unaware and unready. Meanwhile, the bridegroom returned to his father’s house and began construction of the bridechamber, which was typically a room added onto his father’s house. The construction is examined and approved only by the father. When the father was satisfied with the construction, he would give his son permission to go and receive his bride. When it was time for the bridegroom to go and receive his bride, there was great celebration and rejoicing. The groom would select several of his trusted friends to act as the “friends of the bridegroom,” or what we today would call the “best man.” They would act as the witnesses required for the marriage to be legal. The bridegroom and his friends would form a wedding party to travel to the home of the bride, along with virgin bridesmaids that would run ahead. In the form of a torchlit procession, typically at night, they would approach the home of the bride. Although the bride was expecting her groom to come for her, she did not know the exact time of his coming. To maintain her readiness, she may keep an oil lamp lit throughout the night. As the procession approached the home of the bride, at a distance, a shofar (a ram's horn trumpet) would be blown, and there would be shouts to alert the bride that “the bridegroom cometh!” She would be prepared and ready, and would use these last moments to gather her belongings and be ready to immediately leave with her bridegroom. The arrival of the groom at the bride’s house signaled his intention of “taking her to wife.” This act of “taking” or in a sense romantically abducting the bride was referred to as nesuin , which literally means “taking.” She would be lifted up, placed onto a bridal litter, and carried off to the bridegroom’s fathers house with great joy and celebration. Once back at the father’s house, the ceremony was performed. Many guests would be assembled for the week-long wedding celebration. On this day, the bridegroom and the bride would be treated like a king and queen at their coronation. Every expense was taken to ensure their joy. Following the ceremony, the bridegroom and his bride would retire in seclusion to the bridechamber, where they would consummate the marriage through sexual intimacy. When the marriage was consummated, the friend of the bridegroom would joyfully deliver the news to the guests outside, and the week-long wedding celebration would begin. The new couple would emerge at the end of the seven-day celebration feast and the bride would be unveiled for all to see, as she is introduced to the community. Throughout the scriptures, the terminology and themes of the ancient Jewish wedding ritual are consistently applied to the relationship between the Messiah and His bride the Church. We can say that the ancient Hebrew wedding is a type of the ultimate wedding – the one between Jesus Christ and the Church. Let’s explore these similarities in parallel to what we just went through. Jesus, like the prospective bridegroom, left His Father’s house (in heaven) and travelled to the home of His prospective bride (He came to earth in the form of a man – the Incarnation). And just like the bride did not initially choose the groom, we did not choose Christ (John 15:16). At the Last Supper meal, Jesus presented a cup of wine, and assuming the position of a Bridegroom, He told His bride-to-be that by the drinking of the cup, she is agreeing to His marriage proposal (1 Corinthians 11:25-26). He established this tradition of the Lord’s Supper to commemorate and celebrate the marriage covenant. And just as the earthly bridegroom would leave after the bride’s agreement, in order to go prepare a place for her, and then later return, our heavenly Bridegroom instructed us to do this in remembrance of Him until He returns for us. Then, Jesus, before His crucifixion, made the promise of a bridegroom to His disciples who would soon become the foundation of His future Church. He had been warning the disciples of His coming departure and death, and gave them a comforting promise. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. -John 14:1-3 This was Jesus’ first explicit promise of what the disciples would later learn to recognize as the Rapture , or the nesuin – the romantic abduction or snatching away of the bride – and He presented it using the phraseology of a Bridegroom. The word “mansion” here in Greek refers to a lodging, a dwelling-place, or a room, as in the room that would be added onto the father’s house. When asked about the timing of His return, like any Jewish bridegroom, Jesus said: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. -Matthew 24:36 In other words, like the bridegroom, Jesus promised to go back to His Father's house, prepare a bride-chamber, and then return at an unknown time to receive His bride. She must be ready on an ongoing basis, as His return remains imminent. Like the Hebrew brides who would await their bridegrooms during the betrothal period (typically one to two years), the Church has been eagerly awaiting the return of her Bridegroom for about two thousand years. Just as the bridegroom would come for the bride at any time, often at night, and with a shout and sound of a trumpet, in like manner, the Lord will return as a Bridegroom for the Church. Jesus’s parable in Matthew 25 emphasizes the practice of the Hebrew bridegrooms often approaching at night, with a cry or a shout alerting the bride of His arrival. And at midnight there was a cry [or a shout] made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. -Matthew 25:6 Many of these same idioms are included by Paul in his description of the Rapture in the following passage. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. -1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 Like the ancient Hebrew brides who would remain hidden away in the bride-chamber for the marriage week, scripture describes a bridal week for the Church in which we will be in the wedding chamber with our Bridegroom, Christ. As we described earlier, there remains a final seven-year period of time (the Tribulation) that is connected with the Jewish people specifically (Daniel 9). As we know, the doctrine of the pre-tribulational Rapture advocates that the catching away of the Church will happen prior to this seven-year period. So, according to that pattern, while the Jewish people’s final “week” is taking place on earth, we (Jesus and His bride, the Church), will celebrate our marriage “week” in our heavenly chuppah (or cheder ), hidden away from view! Of course, only a pretribulational Rapture would align with this pattern! Though the Church was unknown to the Old Testament audience, we find some interesting prophetic allusions that may refer to the heavenly chuppah or cheder . The theme of the Lord returning in power and glory to visit judgment on the earth is spoken of in Joel 2, referring prophetically to the “Day of the Lord.” It then speaks of a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and a bride from her chuppah . And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? … Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet [chuppah]. -Joel 2:11, 15-16 And just as every Hebrew wedding celebrated with a great wedding feast, in like manner, following the seven years in our heavenly chuppah while the Tribulation was taking place on earth, Jesus Christ will return to earth (at the Second Coming) with His unveiled bride – the Church – to also celebrate with a marriage supper. At this time, the angels will gather the scattered remnant from all over the earth who had survived the Tribulation, and they will enter the Kingdom and celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Christ, and His bride (Revelation 19:9, 11-14). It is astonishing to recognize that everything that God has said about His marriage to His bride, the Church, was anticipated thousands of years earlier in the institution of these customs. As you can see, only a pretribulational Rapture can fit in with this prophetic patterning. Conclusion These were only seven of the many proofs that can be offered in favor of a pretribulational view of the Rapture's timing. Many more can can be presented, but time and space limit our ability to fully explore them here. This understanding arises from the consistent application of a literal, plain interpretation of the Bible. All other views end up compromising a consistent literal interpretive method at some point. As the eminent theologian John Walvoord said: The only view that interprets prophecy literally and consistently is that of the pretribulational, premillennial position. [6] Maranatha! [1] David Hocking, “The Rapture In Revelation,” Pre-Trib.org . ( https://www.pre-trib.org/pretribfiles/pdfs/Hocking-TheRaptureinRevelati.pdf - Retrieved 8/20/19) [2] Ibid. [3] Renald Showers, Maranatha: Our Lord Come! Bellmawr, NJ: Friends of Israel, 1995, p. 127. [4] Wayne A. Brindle, “Imminence” in The Popular Encyclopedia Of Bible Prophecy , eds. Tim Lahaye and Ed Hindson, Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2004, p. 144. [5] Strong’s Concordance , entry “3466, mustérion,” BibleHub.com . ( https://www.biblehub.com/greek/3466.htm - Retrieved 7/12/19) [6] John F. Walvoord, Prophecy in the New Millennium , Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2001, p. 122.

let us reason Jeremiah's 70 years prophecy Description Contents Download In this study, Jeremiah's 70 Years Prophecy: The Babylonian Captivity , we will explore this often misunderstood prophecy in depth and try to determine if what we know from history aligns with what the Bible says about these prophetic seventy years. Jeremiah’s prophecy about the impending Babylonian invasion and the captivity of the Jews is undoubtedly his most well-known prophecy – and is linked with a duration of seventy years. But a historical seventy-year period has been problematic for some commentators to identify precisely. Can we identify this period with any confidence? Some have concluded that these seventy-year prophecies are only approximate at best, and wildly inaccurate at worst. Is this true? Or were these prophecies fulfilled accurately? And if so, can it be proven using our understanding of ancient history? Download this free study and find out for yourself! Introduction Setting The Stage 70 Years of Babylonian Domination 70 Years of Captivity for The Nation 70 Years of Desolation for the Land Conclusion Bibliography Download ePub/iBook Format Download PDF Format Back to Home Home Studies The Daniel 9:25 Prophecy A Refutation Of Alternative Chronologies The Basis Of Our Epistemology Prophecy - The Various Forms... The Nature Of Time How Sure Can We Be That Jesus Was The... The Psalm 22 Prophecy Establishing The Prophetic Validity... The Daniel 11 Prophecy The Isaiah 53 Prophecy The Luke 19:43-44 Prophecy Typology Of The Moedim Understanding The Distinction Between... Jeremiah's 70 Years Prophecy... The Identity Of The Nephilim Should Christians Support Israel? Nimrod - Was He An Actual Historical Fig Videos Articles Charts Contact

Description Contents Download Many of the most incredible prophecies in the entire Bible are found in the Old Testament book written by Daniel the Prophet. Because of the importance of these prophecies, and because we examine a number of them in our studies, we believe it is essential to take a short excursion into an examination of the validity of Daniel as a prophetic source. Due to the remarkable prophetic accuracy and specificity in this book, Daniel has come under attack by critics who deliberately seek to undermine its validity in order to avoid acknowledging its prophetic nature. But in recent years, there have been a number of discoveries – archeological, linguistic and others – that help provide important substantiation of the accuracy, early dating, and historicity of Daniel, confirming it as a valid prophetic source. In this study, Establishing The Prophetic Validity Of The Book Of Daniel , we will examine this evidence and determine how confident we can be in this incredible prophetic book. Download this free study and find out for yourself! Introduction Daniel's Time of Composition Predated its Prophetic Fulfillments Daniel Was Written When it Claims to Have Been Written Conclusion Bibliography Download ePub/iBook Format Download PDF Format let us reason prophetic validity book of daniel Back to Home Home Studies The Daniel 9:25 Prophecy A Refutation Of Alternative Chronologies The Basis Of Our Epistemology Prophecy - The Various Forms... The Nature Of Time How Sure Can We Be That Jesus Was The... The Psalm 22 Prophecy Establishing The Prophetic Validity... The Daniel 11 Prophecy The Isaiah 53 Prophecy The Luke 19:43-44 Prophecy Typology Of The Moedim Understanding The Distinction Between... Jeremiah's 70 Years Prophecy... The Identity Of The Nephilim Should Christians Support Israel? Nimrod - Was He An Actual Historical Fig Videos Articles Charts Contact

Description Contents Download Today, there exists much confusion surrounding the dating and chronology of events taking place during the Passion Week of Christ. There are those who now are advocating for a Wednesday or a Thursday crucifixion and a Saturday resurrection. To the casual onlooker unschooled in the original languages, their points may initially appear to have some validity. But because this issue is so important – in that it affects so many other date-sensitive prophetic timelines in the Bible – it is imperative that we go into some further depth in order to examine these points. In this study, A Refutation Of Alternative Chronologies Of The Passion Week , we will touch on some of the major objections put forward by those who reject the traditional viewpoint of a Friday crucifixion and a Sunday resurrection – and we will explore their validity. Download this free study to learn more! Introduction The Traditional Christian View – Friday Crucifixion and Sunday Resurrection Introduction to the Alternative Chronologies Objection #1: “Scripture indicates there were two separate Sabbaths in between the time Jesus died and resurrected, making the crucifixion Wednesday or Thursday rather than Friday” Objection #2: “Certain passages of Scripture indicate that the resurrection took place on a Saturday rather than a Sunday” Objection #3: “The women bought spices after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1) and prepared spices before they rested on the Sabbath (Luke 23:55-56)” Objection #4: “A Friday crucifixion with a Sunday resurrection would violate the 'three days, three nights ‘sign of Jonah’ prophecy' in Matthew 12:40” Further Considerations Conclusion Appendix Bibliography Download ePub/iBook Format Download PDF Format let us reason refutation chronologies passion week Back to Home Home Studies The Daniel 9:25 Prophecy A Refutation Of Alternative Chronologies The Basis Of Our Epistemology Prophecy - The Various Forms... The Nature Of Time How Sure Can We Be That Jesus Was The... The Psalm 22 Prophecy Establishing The Prophetic Validity... The Daniel 11 Prophecy The Isaiah 53 Prophecy The Luke 19:43-44 Prophecy Typology Of The Moedim Understanding The Distinction Between... Jeremiah's 70 Years Prophecy... The Identity Of The Nephilim Should Christians Support Israel? Nimrod - Was He An Actual Historical Fig Videos Articles Charts Contact