Rupturing the R.A.P.T.U.R.E Bubble By Premkumar Samuel

A viewers response to

“The Doctrine of Rapture (Pre-Tribulational)Put In R-A-P-T-U-R-E /

                       by Dr. Duke Jeyaraj https://youtu.be/Hn0KC-rC1cE

        Rupturing  the R.A.P.T.U.R.E  Bubble

                                                                                               

                             By Premkumar Samuel

Disclaimer :-

The reader is begged to compare everything I write with what is written in the Bible and, if at any point a conflict is found, always to rely upon the clear teaching of scripture.

Introduction

                  

          One of the interesting phrase that occurs over 400 times in the Bible is “Thus Says the LORD” , The late Rev.Dr.Billy Graham whenever he quotes from the scripture use the Phrase “ The Bible Says” and quotes verbatim the scripture.

The writer chanced to watch the above video and what triggered this response  was not only  to point out certain defects in the  exegesis by the Preacher but also to oppose his constant use of the Phrase The Bible says so and then saying something it never said explicitly ( A List of such statements is appended )which the writer feels the present Google Generation may Gulp  without searching the scripture like the bereans did in Acts 17.The writer also warns the viewers that there are many statements made by the preacher which has no biblical warrant ( A list of Such Statements is appended – Appendix B)

There is not a single clear statement in the New Testament which says that the Church will be taken away before the Great Tribultion or Pre – Tribulation Rapture as postulated by the Preacher with his repeated phrase “Pre Tribulation Rapture is Biblical”. The Writer feels that if it’s a truth found in the Bible then simply pointing out from the Bible will suffice rather than screaming it is Biblical , it is Biblical ,This effort is therefore  a case for Clear Scriptural Teaching versus Logical Deductions, The writer is of the opinion that the postulates of the preacher  has been built on a series of logical deductions from scripture by human reason.

          The Writer believes in RAPTURE as recorded in the Scripture1 Thessalonians 4, “We shall all be snatched up to meet him in the air.” The Latin verb for “snatched up” is rapto, from which we get the word “rapture” – when you are caught up in feelings. So the word “rapture” is Scriptural , however the logical deduction made by the preacher that it will happen before the tribulation is what is contested the issue is not about rapture but about the timing , for the LORD Jesus Christ is not coming back twice but once and that is when the rapture will take place and we shall be caught up to meet him. That is when we shall leave the situation we have been in and be taken up with him in the air.The preacher uses the word Rapture to quote many verses in the scripture which gives the listeners an impression that the word rapture is found in many verses of the Bible, which is not the case.

          The reader  is advised to listen to the Video of Dr.Duke Jeyaraj at this point in order to understand the counter views put by the writer. The Preacher postulates his doctrine of Rapture in the following acronym

R - Refuge from the Wrath of God promised in the Scripture

A - Apostasy followed by Antichrist.

P - Plagues affected only the Egyptians

T - Time of God's wrath Church is promised an exemption.
U - Stands for United not rapture and second coming
R - Revelation itself is enough

E - Exit of the body from the ground

          This is the writers response to the scripture pointed out by the preacher under each of the above heading

I         R – Refuge from the Wrath of God promised in the Scripture

          At the outset it seems to be a good case for the preacher’s hypothesis that the Church will escape the Great tribulations, he quotes a number of Scriptures to prove his point. He also admits there are different kinds of Wrath.

The point of contention however  is whether the verses quoted by the preacher actually refers to the Great tribulation as claimed by the preacher or it refers to other instances of God’s Wrath like the final Judgment. The writer wants to remind the readers that there  are about 50 instances in the New Testament where the Word ‘Tribulation’ is used and out of which only 3 refers to the great tribulation.

        

  If we examine closely the context of the quoted verses we will see the difference

 Verse no 1 1 thes 1:10

 “10. and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
The preacher quotes this verse and says that the Wrath to come refers to the great tribulation.
The preacher has failed to highlight the immediate context of the verse wherein Paul says to the Church at Thessaloniki that he has heard good reports about them and how they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and how they eagerly wait for the return of Christ.
The preacher failed to notice that neither the word secret nor the word tribulation is mentioned in the passage and the wrath is about the coming of the LORD and the final judgment that will follow
Verse no 2 Romans 5:9
“9. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God’

Here again the context is about the final judgment and not about tribulation,The context is about Christ death on the Cross and Believers Justification by faith .

Verse no 3 Col 3:6
“6. On account of these the wrath of God is coming”
On account of what ? Paul says in the previous verse to the Church at Colosse
“5. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry and goes on to say that on account of this the wrath of God is coming.”
Verse 4 talks about glorification of our bodies at the time of Christ Second coming and therefore this passage has to be seen in the context of final judgement and not tribulation.
Verse no 4 Ephesians, Chapter 5 :6
“6. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
The wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience is a well established fact but the question is whether the wrath of God mentioned here refers to the tribulation period or the final judgment.The Context here is about the Kingdom of God established visibly at Christ Second coming and not tribulation period for the previous verse Ephesians, Chapter 5:5 “ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
II      A- Apostasy followed by Antichrist.
                   Scripture  is clear that Apostasy will be followed by Antichrist however what  is not clearly mentioned in the scripture is what  the Preacher postulates that Rapture will occur followed by Apostasy which will be followed by Antichrist.( Rapture followed by Apostasy followed by Antichrist  is the postulate of the preacher and it has no scriptural warrant
                       To substantiate his views  the preacher  quotes from Theselonians
Verse 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2
‘3. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,4. who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.’

          The writer wants to point out that nowhere in this passage it is mentioned ,that The secret coming will precede Apostasy which will be followed by Antichrist and in fact if we look at the entire passage it is the exact opposite, The Biblical order is Apostasy followed by Antichrist who will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ which is found a few verses later

2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2
“8. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”

So the Biblical order is Apostasy Antichrist and the Glorious coming of our Lord as narrated in the olivet discourse by the Lord himself.

The preacher then quotes Daniel, Chapter 9 verse27.
“And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator."
This verse talks about Antichrist and his seven year reign and his ultimate destruction and doesn't say that Jesus Christ will return secretly before the reign of antichrist.
In fact  Daniel chapter 7 gives the context and the order which  is conveniently ignored by the preacher.
Daniel, Chapter 7
21. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them,
22. until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.
The biblical order is  Christ comes after the reign of Anti Christ and not before as postulated by the preacher.
III    P- Plagues affected only the Egyptians

          The Preacher starts his case by pointing out the similarities between the Plagues of Egypt and the great tribulation, yes indeed there are similarities especially with reference to the disasters that follow the seven trumpets.

          The Point of contention is during the Egyptian plague ,Israel was in Egypt and did not vanish in thin air or raptured. God protected his people and He will do so even in the great tribulation if the imagery of the women protected for 32 months is an allusion to the Church during tribulation.

          The Egyptian plagues were against the gods of Egypt whereas it is not the case in revelation. The Christian is never assured a life free of trials and tribulations but God knows how to take his people through .

IV  T - Time of God's wrath Church is promised an exemption.


          The preacher says that  at the time of God’s wrath the Church is promised and exemption.

The writer wants to point out that a Christian is never assured a life free of trials and tribulations  . What happened  during the great flood during the days of Noah or what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah  during the days of Lot? The Righteous were protected while being in planet earth even when cataclysmal calamities struck they were not taken out of earth

         
          The Preacher uses a proof text from the book of revelation
Rev 3:10
Revelation, Chapter 3:10. ‘Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth’.

The Preacher says that in this verse The phrase ," The hour of trial that is coming on the whole world" refers to the great tribulation and keep you refers that the Church will escape tribulation, to substantiate his views He says that the word Church is absent from Chapter 4 onwards which describes the great tribulation.

Yes the word Church is absent but did that validate his teaching about Pre Tribulation rapture A big No

1. Though the word Church is absent the word elect and the word saints are used throughout the book of revelation. Both  ‘elect’ and saints are normal collective terms for Christians throughout the New Testament the word Elect is used 55 times and the word Saints is used 48 times

2. The word Church is absent from Apostle Paul's epistles to Timothy (2nd Timothy),Titus and Apostle Peters Epistles ( 1 and 2 Peter) Apostle John’s second Epistle (2nd John) and Apostle Jude's epistle.
Does that mean that they are not written to and for the Church?
Very direct passages on the second coming also  don’t have the word church (John 14,I cor 15, I thess 4-5)  So the argument regarding the absence of the word  ‘Church’ is the most trivial one put forth by the preacher.
V  U - stands for United not rapture and second coming

                The preacher goes on to say that  the Lord Jesus Christ is  returning to Planet Earth twice ( 2nd coming which is secret and 3rd coming which will be public)  a concept which is never mentioned not even once  in the 300 instances where Christ Second Coming is mentioned.

The early Church and the Church until the dispensationalism of  J.N.Darbey believed in the clear teaching of the Bible that there will be only one second coming of Christ which will be a grand spectacle to the whole world just like Jesus likened it a lightning streaking events.

To circumvent this the preacher says that the Rapture and Second coming are different distinct events and goes on to list the differences between the two

Rapture	Second Coming	Writers  Comments
Meeting in the air Lord is not coming to the ground he is coming to the air. Believers are going to the air.	Returning with Him revelation 19:7	Different words like Parousia,epiphaneia and apokalypisis are used to describe differenct aspects of his coming, there is nothing to indicate these are separate events they are clearly synonymous of the same event and the clue lies in the most popular word used to denote Christ second coming “ Parousia” which in Common Parlance is  used to denote the arrival of the King which will witness People going out to receive at the entrance of the city and coming back to the city behind the king.Going to recieve the VIP at the enerance and Coming back with the VIP is one and the same event and not a separate event.
going up	Returning with him
Rapture is about deliverance.	Second coming is about Judgement.	He is not only coming to Judge the quick and the dead but also to reign for a millennia before the Judgment. There is no scriptural warrant to indicate  his statement about  Rapture
Rapture is hidden	Second coming is visible Rev 1:7	There is no scriptural warrant to indicate  his statement about  Rapture
Rapture At any moment	Second coming After certain events

The Preacher  uses the term Bible Says very loosely  he says and I quote “Bible says Jesus can return any second’ “Jesus himself says he can come at any moment” ,you can’t find these statements in the Bible but the preacher has deduced the above from the verses he quotes. Let’s examine  the Scripture he quotes

1.   Thief in the night

It’s a fact that both Jesus and Paul used the imagery of  a thief in the night to denote the Glorious coming of our lord. However a Clear distinction is drawn between the unbelievers and the believers who watch for the sign of His return as instructed by the LORD . This can be clearly understood in Pauls letter to the Theselonians (1 thesolonians 5:4-7) 

4 “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.”

Jesus meant  if the house keeper is alert he will prevent the burglary
“But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.”

             The fact of the matter is for the unprepared  the Glorious coming of Christ will be a surprise and for others the Glorious coming will not be a surprise  though they don’t know the hour of
His coming as they would have understood and obeyed Jesus’s clear teachings in the Mount Olivet as recorded in Mathew 24 and 25

VI R - Revelation itself is enough

The Preacher cites the absence of  the Word ‘ Church’ as a clinching proof that the Church has been raptured before the Great tribulation.it hass already been explained  that the words Saints and elect are applied for the Believers in NT and many epistles addressed to the believers doesn’t have the Word Church.

The Preacher alludes the call of John the Apostle in revelation  4:1b “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”  to the sound of the Trumpet mentioned in  1 Thessalonians 4:16 which is nothing but a figment of imagination.

The fact of the matter is revelation is a clear proof that the great tribulation of Revelation 4-18 will precede the Glorious return of Christ in Chapter 19 and the defeat and destruction of the Anti Christ and the millennial reign in Chapter 20.

Another proof text quoted by the preacher is Revelation 3:10

“10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”

The Letters to the Seven Churches are to be seen in the context of the original historical setting and how the original readers could have understood and responded. The Verse quoted by the Preacher is from the letter addressed to the Church at Philadelphia Jesus didn’t say anything bad about this Church.There is a phrase which occurs in all the seven letters ‘to the one who overcomes’

Ephesus	I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Smyrna	will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Pergamum	I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
Thyatria	I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.
Sardis	be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels
Philadelphia	I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
Laodecia	I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

          The above table consists of Promises to the Churches which will be fulfilled when Christ Comes, Many bible scholars apply these promises beyond time and Space to any believer who overcomes/endures/ The one who is victorious.

          The Table below indicates the status of affairs that existed in each historical Church.

Ephesus	I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Smyrna	I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Pergamum	I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
Thyatria	I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
Sardis	I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead
Philadelphia	I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
Laodecia	I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.

The Warnings to Each Church is also specific to the seven historical churches

Ephesus	You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
Smyrna	No warnings
Pergamum	There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Thyatria	You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead.
Sardis	Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Philadelphia	No Warnings
Laodecia	I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

                   Apart from the above  Jesus Christ reveals his different attributes to the different Churches

Ephesus	Him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands
Smyrna	Him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again
Pergamum	Him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
Thyatria	The Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
Sardis	Him who holds the seven spirits[b] of God and the seven stars.
Philadelphia	Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David.
Laodecia	The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.

          The  Letter to the seven historical churches has one underlying theme Endurance.The Churches are exhorted by the LORD to endure, persevere, and thereby overcome.  The Preacher picks up one verse addressed to the Church and applies to the universal Church and claims it to be a proof text that the Church universal will escape great tribulation. He fails to note that even  in the same verse Jesus says ‘ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently’ the Church has endured and not escaped  , It has been promised protection during the hour of trial and Jesus never said you will not see the hour of trial. This is nothing new The Israelites were protected from the Severe Plagues while they were still in Egypt. The women in Chapter 12 was protected from the beast while still in the wilderness.

          The preacher also says that in the seven letters to the Churches  Jesus says Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches and in chapter 13 Jesus says  ‘9 Whoever has ears, let them hear’ and the word Church is missing. However it is pathetic the Preacher does not read the verse in context  the very next verse says it is addressed to Gods people “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people”.

VII E - Exit of the body from the ground.

          The preacher  quotes      1 Thessalonians 4 and says the dead in Christ will rise first  in rapture and then he quotes revelation 20 :12 & 13    “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books”. and says this will happen during the second coming.

          The Preacher goes on to say that the dead in Christ like Graham Staines will be resurrected during rapture and the unbelievers like osama bin laden will be resurrected during the second coming .

          The Preacher confuses the First and Second resurrection with his proposed rapture and the Glorious coming of the LORD.

Conclusion :-

The reader is advised to listen to the video of the preacher and the views expressed by the writer and carefully compare them with the scripture and draw their own conclusion.

The Writer believes in Jesus's Clear teaching on the subject as recorded in  Mathew 24 and 25 he also wants to caution the readers that “There is not a single verse in the whole bible that teaches that the church will not go through the great tribulation”. Dispensationalism  is not based on the clear teaching of the scripture but based on logical deductions.



Appendix  A
          List of Bible Says Statement used by the Preacher which can’t be found in the Bible

1. Bible says Jesus can return any second
2. Jesus himself says he can return any moment
3. Bible says he has not appointed any human beings for wrath.
4. Bible says (II thesolonians 2:3 says ) before the man of lawlessness appear the Church            will be raptured .
5. Bible Says  when he comes back it will be a secret coming

Appendix B

List of statements used by the preacher for which there is no scriptural warrant

1.   Anti Christ Appearing can be only after Rapture

2.   If you miss out the rapture you can’t get saved even as a Martyr

3.   After rapture Holy Spirit will be removed

4.   Secret coming and Second Coming are Separate events

5.   Unborn children will  be raised to heaven