One time I observed that the view of a pre-tribulation rapture did not have any Biblical support and especially didn't have any support from non-North American Christians. A friend immediately got upset with me and informed me that I didn't have a high view of Scripture. That was a put down to make me be quiet but I don't think he is right.
In Revelation 7 we see a multitude that no man can number standing before the throne and we are told that these are the ones that came out of the great tribulation. They were saved, they had white robes, palm branches and were crying out that "salvation belongs to our God".
Now it doesn't seem that these people would be saved during the tribulation that takes place in the seven years following the rapture but rather as you go back to Revelation 6 you see that Christians have been suffering tribulation from the beginning.
I believe that I have a very high view of Scripture and that is why I cannot accept my friend's point of view.
2 comments:
Hi Joe,
Just to state that amongst the plethora of views regarding the tribulation, rapture, and millennial kingdom ... the C&MA (Canada) Statement of Faith does not espouse any specific timeline, but rather states, "The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be personal and visible. As the believer‘s blessed hope, this vital truth is an incentive for holy living and sacrificial service toward the completion of Christ's commission."
I think 'the jury is out' on the definitive, and while many may differ in regard to the timeline, the Statement of Faith encapsulates what is essentially and practically true for all believers.
Gord
There's a story that I can't verify, but a leading dispensational teacher (I'll leave unnamed since I can't verify it) was asked why pre-tribulational premillenialism was held as an essential point of fellowship. This teacher's reply was simple: have you ever met a liberal pre-trib pre-millenialist?
The reasoning is off (that pre-trib pre-mill is orthodoxy because no liberal believes it), but that thinking still lives on.
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