QUESTION 7 Is the Idea That Jesus Is Coming for Believers to Take Them to Heaven, Rather

QUESTION 7Is the idea that Jesus is coming for believers to take them to Heaven, rather than letting them face a time of testing on earth, not just a form of wishful escapism?

This is a common question from Post-Tribulationists, who firmly believe that the Church will go through the entire Tribulation period. Some seem to regard Pre-Tribulationists as being afraid to undergo this ‘time of testing’; and can be quite scathing, mistaking faith for cowardice. It is certainly not true of all of them. I have met Post-Tribulationists who admit that they would like to believe that Pre-Tribulationist are right in being able to look forward to meeting their Saviour and being taken ‘home’ before Satan’s Man of Sin appears on earth: “To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb 9:28 NKJV). The Greek word for ‘wait’ has a sense of eagerness, expectancy or anticipation, as is reflected in several translations.

Robert Cameron (no known relation of mine!) once wrote: “This secret Rapture fly-away-from-tribulation theory is only a trick of the Devil to fool God’s people so that they will not be on the firing line for God.” (Scripture Truth About the Lord’s Return, Revell Co).Applying the same dangerous logic, one might say that Noah was a coward for building the Ark to escape the Flood. Or, by the same token, we might consider Jesus’ warning of Matthew 24:16 to “flee to the mountains” discouraging people from remaining “on the firing line for God”.What folly!

What an underhand way of evading the truth that Jesus promised to come for us rather than to us! To accuse fellow Pre-Millennialists of being tricked by the Devil is an utterly unworthy accusation except where blasphemy or another gospel is involved.While I respect them as fellow-believers, I profoundly disagree with Post-Tribulationists regarding the Rapture timing; but would not dare to accuse them of being duped by the Devil. Do not change your eschatology because of cheap jibes. Post-Tribulationism is not only hope deferred; it is also hope diminished. What merit is there in the Post-Tribulationist stiff-upper-lip, backs-to-the-wall attitude if this means doubting Jesus’ upper room promise: ”I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3)?

Of course multitudes will be saved after the Rapture, and many new converts, both Jews and Gentiles, will have to take a courageous stand and face the wrath of Satan. But for anyone to put off accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour now, in order perhaps to ‘experience courageously’ the Great Tribulation, is to dice with eternal death.So convincing will be the deception for those who have consciously rejected the Gospel before the Rapture, that they will have put themselves beyond redemption: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie”: (IIThessalonians 2:8-11).