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There is a name for the doctrine displayed here, its called Dispensationalism. Its main feature is a pretribulation rapture. I once was a pretrib dispensationalist, I heard arguments against it, so I determined to get to the bottom of the issue.

I did a really in depth search of what the Bible says about the resurrection, second coming, and rapture, it took me almost a year, following people like Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHay (left behind), I realized they had ripped me off.

I discovered that the Bible teaches no such thing as two second comings, one before the tribulation, and one after it. It is something that has to be read into the Bible, it is not there.

Once I saw the pretrib rapture was false, the entire Dispensationalist system came unwound. Dispensationalism requires a pretrib rapture for the system to work.

I might add, I didn’t say that I found the “rapture” to be false, I found the PRETRIBULATION rapture to be false. The rapture, meaning the gathering together, or “catching up” of the saints in the air at Christ’s second coming, is truth. The Bible teaches the rapture, but not a “pretrib” one.

The second coming is not two separate events, one before the tribulation, one after it some seven years later. The resurrection, second coming, and rapture are simply different aspects of the same singular event...taking place at end of the tribulation, at the last day of this age.

Hey sasportas - thank you for post #25. I had always believed the Dispensational view since that is what all the Christians around me all my life believed (so I assumed it was Biblical). During the election last year, my adult Sunday school class would chatter about Obama and the antichrist and so forth, so I suggested we actually do an in-depth study of Revelation and End Times prophecy - just to ensure that we really do know what we're talking about when we talk like this.

Upon thinking about it, I realized that while I knew-of such things, from a technical perspective, I really didn't know anything. So to be thorough for my students, I spent the last year reading many authors and studying that aspect of the Bible diligently.

Oh wow...I had no idea the same era that gave us Evolution,Eugenics and Marxism gave us Dispensationalism. That disturbed me. I read more. In the end, I came to the same conclusion as you. I just hinted to my seminary trained DH what I had found and he went all Quix on me (I dropped it quickly and didn't bring it up again - sigh).

As I begin to teach this class, I'm going to present all views and all facts - get them in the Bible and let them draw their own conclusion without revealing my experience until the very end of the study.

I love to read these threads now because I actually know what all sides are talking about and for the most part, it amuses the heck out of me. I didn't go into my study with a desire to tear down my own beliefs. It's just that when presented with facts, I cannot continue to believe a fallacy, no matter how painful it is to admit it.

Keep the faith :)
-meow2