I don’t think anyone has THE RAPTURE nor some other key END TIMES events
close to precisely or some even remotely all figured out.
However, some things are more absurd than others.
Well, I think Paul, John, and Peter had it pretty much dead-on, and they wrote enough about it in plain enough language, that it shouldn’t take a Master Jigsaw Puzzler to fit the passages together into a cohesive narrative.
The Cuisinart approach to eschatological scripture just makes no sense to me.
In thirty years I’ve gone from “The Late, Great Planet Earth” to more the historic reformed view. I’m convinced we’re in it for the duration to be salt, light, and a witness in the Earth up to the very threshold of The Winepress of The Wrath of YHVH. I believe that, while the Tribulation will truly be Great, those times will also be The Church’s finest hour.
Having The Church leave the stage before the climax of the play just makes no sense to me.
I have come to an understanding that The Great Tribulation is the ultimate method by which YHVH will manifest the extent of His love and mercy in that out of it will come the salvation of the most, and the destruction of the fewest. There is GREAT redemptive purpose in The Tribulation, and since we — The Church — have been given the ministry of Reconciliation, how could we NOT be present?
That wouldn’t make sense to me.
Also, I consider that The Great Tribulation is the only crucible sufficient to the adequate refinement, and purification of Christendom into a Bride worthy of The Son of God; glorious, and without spot or stain. Yeah, it’s “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith The LORD,” but He’s got a bunch of work to do before this present, disheveled, unfaithful, scatterbrained, and argumentative lady is ready for her wedding to His Son. Reviewing scripture, I don’t see anything besides The Tribulation that could be the forge in which such a miraculously radical, and complete transformation takes place.
It just makes sense to me.
So, there you have it; that’s what I think. It’s not what I’ve always thought, and I can’t say it’ll be exactly what I think tomorrow (I’m still keen to nail down whether The Church is on the Earth right through the Bowls of Wrath, or not), but I’m striving for betterment, and what I think right now is an improvement in scriptural “fit” versus what I used to think.
Lastly, if anyone would be contentious, know that I’m a “pan-millennialist” at heart: I believe it’ll all pan out, in the end. ;-)