The Third Rapture Foundation: Futurism By Thomas Ice The third biblical foundation for a systematic understanding of the pretribulation rapture is futurism. An important, but seemingly little-recognized aspect of proper interpretation of Bible prophecy is the role of timing. When will a prophecy be fulfilled in history? There are four…
The Second Rapture Foundation: Premillennialism By Thomas Ice The second foundation stone supporting the pretribulational rapture of the church is the biblical doctrine known as premillennialism. Premillennialism teaches that the second advent will occur before Christ's thousand-year reign from Jerusalem upon earth. In the early church, premillennialism was called chiliasm,…
The First Rapture Foundation: Consistent Literal Interpretation By Thomas Ice Consistent literal interpretation is essential to properly understanding what God is saying in the Bible. Yet some believe that consistent literal interpretation is either impossible or impractical. One critic believes it to be a "presumption" that "is unreasonable" and "an…
The Rapture and the Second Coming: An Important Distinction By Thomas Ice In previous issues we have given a biblical basis or foundation for pretribulationism. In this issues I will begin by laying out specific biblical evidence for the pre-trib rapture. The first place to start is with the biblical…
Has Bible Prophecy Already Been Fulfilled? By Thomas Ice "The Olivet Discourse is not about the Second Coming of Christ. It is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70." -David Chilton (Preterist) "The Book of Revelation is not about the Second Coming of Christ. It is about…
Thou, Thee, The World, and Them By Mike Mickey Is the timing of the Rapture of the Church as debatable as some suggest or is it as plain as the nose on your face? Some people believe the event will take place during the middle of the Tribulation Period. Others…
The 'Great Escape' Misunderstanding By Jack Kinsella One of the principle misunderstandings concerning the Rapture revolves around its purpose. Critics of a pre-Tribulation Rapture deride it as some pie-in-the-sky 'Great Escape' for Christians living in the last days. There is no such promise of 'escape' from tribulation, they argue, and…
16 Proofs of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture By Kent Crockett Proof #1: Revelation 19:11-21 doesn't mention a resurrection. The rapture is a resurrection of those "in Christ" (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Isn't it a little bit odd that in Rev. 19:11-21, which is the clearest picture of the second coming of Christ,…
The Rapture - Answering the Critics By Terry James This generation is full of scoffers, mocking the prophesied return of Jesus Christ to Planet Earth. This is as the great Apostle Peter foretold it would be at the end of the age of grace (Church Age): "Knowing this first, that…
The Rapture vs. The Glorious Appearing By Mike Mickey There are many questions asked concerning the difference between the Rapture and the Glorious Appearing of Jesus Christ. To demonstrate the differences between the two, I've prepared the following questions with scriptural references to each. Where is the Church found in…