Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!
This is the attitude I’ve found for most “pre trib rapture” fans. When shown countless examples of how pre-trib rapture promoters have falsely predicted the 2nd coming of Christ in the past, they will shrug their shoulders and say at least one, if not more than one of the following:
1. Doesn’t matter. I’m not beholden to a “man”, I’m beholden to the Bible and Christ.
2. No where does the Bible say that it’s forbidden to predict a time FRAME of when Christ will return. We’re just not allowed to predict an exact hour and day. Sure this guy was wrong about HIS time frame, but who’s to say Pastor X (insert name of favorite “prophet” here) is wrong?
3. Scripture tells us of certain signs that will precede His Return! Don’t you believe in following all of Scripture, and “being ready” for His return? (here of course the fan is falsely equating “being ready for His Return” with assigning current events to Biblical prophecies, esp from Rev and Dan, even though throughout much of Church history, exegetically speaking this was a no-no, not only because for most of Church history, the Church was quite a-millenial in her eschatological concerns, but also because to “be ready” for His Return simply meant keeping in a state of grace (friendship with God), NOT keeping up on current events)
Of course, what all 3 of these reactions give the person saying them is a virtual “carte-blanche” to continue to believe in any prophet that may come down the road, asking one simply to “buy the book to find out more”. There’s no “falsification” of the entire concept of “pre-tribulation rapture” possible; it’s impossible to disprove the very notion, given the excuses above. This alone should give one pause, for this is a dangerous blank check, not only for one’s finances but for one’s spiritual health. It’s a vicious cycle that feeds on itself.
Typically, with all due respect to such believers, those who cling to a “pre-trib rapture” eschatology have a life that is full of hardship, be it mental, physical or spiritual. This then becomes their “last hope”, and also becomes something to look forward to for their entire life. A glorious “snatching away” where all their pain will be gone in an instant.
However, if I may be so bold, this is not traditional Christianity. In Christianity, we *are* expected to suffer, as we not only walk toward God, but work toward a better world here. Our faith isn’t to be some kind of magic pill that, if not “today”, “someday” will make all our pain go away. Our faith is to sustain us, until our death in Christ, OR until He returns again, for THE final judgement, not multiple judgements.
For the last 2,000 years, there have been plenty who have suffered greatly in the Body of Christ. I submit it would be “favoritism” on God’s part to suddenly snatch away one generation from its suffering, while others “ran the race to the end” in times past. As we know however, “God is not a respecter of persons”.
Just something to think about. If points 1-3 don’t give the pre-tribber reading this cause for pause.
For the last 2,000 years, there have been plenty who have suffered greatly in the Body of Christ. I submit it would be “favoritism” on God’s part to suddenly snatch away one generation from its suffering, while others “ran the race to the end” in times past.
Like I said, get into the Scriptures...It is NOT a generation...It's an age...The church age...It covers a couple thousand years...