Examining an Ancient Pre-Trib Rapture Statement By Thomas Ice All the saints and elect of God are gathered together before the tribulation, which is to come, and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of…
Literal Interpretation of Bible Prophecy: Help or Hinderance? By Thomas Ice About the time of the End, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation in the midst of much clamor and opposition. -Sir Isaac Newton…
The Fourth Rapture Foundation: Israel / Church Distinction By Thomas Ice The fourth biblical foundation upon which the pre-trib rapture is built is the fact that God has two peoples-Israel and the church. What do we mean by this distinction and how does it impact pretribulationism? The Distinction Between Israel…
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…