Category Archives: Bible Study

Expository posts about specific bible passages.

The Rapture and the Nature of the Church — Conclusion

Pretribulationist J. Dwight Pentecost asserts of both posttribulationism and mid-tribulationism that they rest on “a denial of the distinctions between Israel and the church.”[1] Gundry writes an entire chapter attempting to rebut Pentecost’s statement.[2] He begins by arguing against a … Continue reading

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The Rapture Part 9 — The Saints in Revelation

Pretribulationists contend that the Church is never mentioned in the tribulation chapters of Revelation. It is never mentioned by name, so if the Church were there, it is at least peculiar. Gundry says: None of the “mysteries” distinctive of the … Continue reading

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The Rapture Part 8 — The Restrainer of 2 Thess. 2

Ecclesiology matters for the rapture debate beyond the argument given in Part 5. It is decisive for the interpretation of battleground passages like Matthew 24, the Thessalonian epistles, and parts of Revelation. This brief post will continue the series on … Continue reading

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The Rapture Part 7 — 1 Thess. 4:16

Ecclesiology matters for the rapture debate beyond the argument given in Part 5. It is decisive for the interpretation of battleground passages like Matthew 24, the Thessalonian epistles, and parts of Revelation. This brief post will continue the series on … Continue reading

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The Rapture Part 6 — Matthew 24:31

The nature of the Church matters for the rapture debate in more ways than just the argument given in Part 5. It is decisive for the interpretation of battleground passages like Matthew 24, the Thessalonian epistles, and parts of Revelation. … Continue reading

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The Rapture Part 5 — An Argument for a Pretribulation Rapture

The Gap in the Seventy Weeks The seventy weeks prophecy of Daniel 9 is hugely important for the rapture question. It establishes the timetable for the consummation of God’s plan for Israel, and it defines the tribulation period (Dan. 9:27). … Continue reading

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The Rapture and the Nature of the Church — Part 4

The Unity of the Church The Church is uniquely related to Christ and its members to each other. The NT speaks of the Church as a single organism, receiving life from Christ (John 14:19; John 15:1-8). Jesus referred to the … Continue reading

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The Rapture and the Nature of the Church — Part 3

The Mystery of the Church In the great Church epistles, Ephesians and Colossians, Paul explains what he means by the word mystery, saying, “by revelation He made known to me the mystery. . . which in other ages was not … Continue reading

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The Rapture and the Nature of the Church — Part 1

Ecclesiology is often neglected in debates over the rapture, but it makes all the difference. Readers will interpret a text differently depending on the assumptions they bring to it, and one weighty assumption for the rapture debate is the precise nature of the Church. Charles Ryrie in his classic work, Dispensationalism, calls the doctrine of the church the touchstone of pretribulationism. Continue reading

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Bad Objections to the Rapture, Part III

Klayton Carson (follow him @jarsofKlay) asked me to read and respond to this article by Erik Reed from Knowing Jesus Ministries, titled Is the Rapture Taught in the Bible? This is the right question. As we concluded the first “Bad … Continue reading

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