Multiple Raptures? (Part 1 of 4)

Q. I identify the two prophets in Rev 11:3, 10 with Moses and Elijah as a result of their powers (Rev 11:6). Not only had their souls (or souls and bodies if the stolen dead body of Moses mentioned in Jude 1:9 was taken away by God for this purpose) already come down in the Transfiguration, but will come again in the end times in body and soul as the event in Rev 11 appears to happen on earth (because there will be death in Rev 11:9 and call from heaven to go up there later in Rev 11:12).

Some say Christ had already demonstrated His multiple ascensions and descents. He had descended to the visible sky of the earth to call Paul to service (Acts 9:3-5). If this is not a strong enough argument on descent from heaven as it was only a vision, then His own words that the women should not touch Him after His resurrection until He had ascended to meet the Father (Jn 20:17), but later His letting them hold on to His feet (Mt 28:9) should hint that He had ascended to meet the Father and descended again to appear on earth.

So my question is whether the so-called Second Coming is a single event or a series of events, and whether, based on the above study on Moses, Elijah, and Lord Jesus Christ, we can have multi-raptures, i.e. pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation raptures can be all-embracing, i.e. they co-exist and are not at odds. And the dead believers may be raptured before the 7-year tribulation, descended in the middle of the tribulation, then raptured again, descended again at the end of the tribulation, to be raptured again?

1. First, let us define our terms. Let me quote from Wikipedia:

The “Rapture” is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Christians who are still alive, together will rise “in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” (1 Thes 4:16b-17a)

Based on this generally accepted definition, the Rapture relates to all Christians, dead or alive, being caught up to meet the Lord. The examples you cited concerning Moses, Elijah, and the Lord Himself are all individuals ascending to heaven or descending to earth, not all Christians (the Church). So, technically, scholars would not classify them as raptures.

Second, before determining whether there are multiple raptures, we need to discern a broader subject of whether the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are separate incidents or one and the same event. The common schools or views of the Rapture can be divided into two broad categories:

1. Those who treat them as separate incidents, with a “secret” rapture sometime before Christ’s public Second Coming. These include the:
   • Pre-tribulation view, with the Rapture taking place at the beginning of a seven-year Great Tribulation;
   • Mid-tribulation view, with the Rapture happening at the mid-point or three-and-a-half years into the Great Tribulation and
   • Pre-wrath views, with the Rapture before the seven bowls of God’s wrath judgments.

All three views have Christ’s Second Coming as a separate event at the end of the Great Tribulation, defined differently in each school.

2. Post-tribulation view that sees the Rapture and the Second Coming as one and the same event happening simultaneously.

Which category is correct? Proponents of the separate incidents views focus on their supposed differences. Let’s review the evidence.

(To be continued)

7th Trumpet & the Beast from the Earth

The 7 Trumpets

The Beast from the Earth

Q. My questions on Revelation: Are we seeing the prophecies of the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11: 15-19) and the beast from the earth (Rev. 13: 11-18)?

A. My short answer is NO. Here is my rationale.

First, my presuppositions:

• I interpret Revelation literally as far as possible, recognizing symbolic meanings as needed. I do no interpret allegorically unless the context dictates it.
• Among the major schools of interpreting Revelation, I hold the following position:
  • Premillennial, not Amillennial,
  • Post-tribulation or pre-wrath, not pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation.
• The events in Revelation are primarily sequential, not concurrent e.g. the seals, trumpets, and bowls follow a chronological sequence and are not a recapitulation of the same events from different perspectives.
• Having said that, I believe the order of the tribulation is as follows:

The Heptadic Sequence

• That is, the seventh seal consists of the seven trumpets.
• In turn, the seventh trumpet consists of the seven bowls.

Second, the basis of why I do not think we are observing the seventh trumpet now:

• Before the seventh trumpet happens, trumpets 1 to 6 would have to happen first, which means the seventh seal would have been broken.
• Before the seventh seal is broken, seals 1 to 6 would have been broken.
• Looking at world events around us, I believe the first and second seal might have been opened, but not the third:
  • The first seal: Conqueror on a white horse – Some believe this white horseman to be Christ, but the real Christ does not come until Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. The horseman in Rev 6:2 is actually the Antichrist, who went out conquering and to conquer. 2 Thes 2:3b-4, 6-8a For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. …  And you know what restrains him now, so that he will be revealed in his time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is removed. ⁸ Then that lawless one will be revealed. The Antichrist may already be among us, just not yet revealed.

• The second seal: War – The red horseman was granted to take peace from the earth (Rev 6:4). Mt 24:6-7 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. There had been wars throughout human history, but the frequency, intensity, and scope of war had all intensified in the 20^th and 21^st century, which you can look up for yourself on the internet e.g.
• 20^th century https://www.totallytimelines.com/wars-20th-century/
• 21^st century https://www.totallytimelines.com/wars-21st-century/
  • The third seal: Famine – The black horseman will cause “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; do not damage the oil and the wine.” (Rev 6:6) A quart of wheat weighs two pounds. Assuming 1 pound of wheat gives 1 pound of flour to make 1 loaf of bread, a quart equals 2 loaves of bread, say C$6 in today’s (Nov 2020) terms. A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer in Jesus’ days. Today’s equivalent might be a minimum wage at C$15/hour X 8 hours/day = C$120. That is $120/$6 = 20 or 2,000% hyper-inflation, roughly the year-over-year inflation rate in Venezuela (1,813% as of Sep. 2020). Although inflation of that order of magnitude has happened in certain parts of the world, it is not worldwide yet. Hence I believe the third seal had not yet been broken, and by extension, the seventh trumpet has not yet been sounded.

Third, by the same token, I do not believe we are seeing the beast from the earth now:

• Rev 13:12b-13, 15-17 And he makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. ¹³ He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. … And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
• Looking at world news, I do not see any false prophet making people worship the Antichrist now, nor do I see someone performing great signs and giving breath to the image of the beast from the sea, or giving a mark on people’s right hands or foreheads. I know people are talking about vaccinations without which you are not allowed to travel, but that is different from buying and selling and worshipping the beast. I see these as signs pointing to what might happen soon, but only as precursors, not the actual thing.

My last comment is if you are concerned that the end-times are already unfolding around us and you are anxious about what might happen to you, do not be alarmed. Wars and rumors of wars must take place, but that is not yet the end. All these things are merely the beginning of birth pains (Mt 24:6, 8). At worst they might be the breaking of the first and second seals. But our Lord had promised:

• Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
• 1 Thes 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who rescues us from the wrath to come.
• 1 Thes 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are not destined for wrath, and our Lord will rescue us from the wrath to come. So, fear not. Do not worry. We are safe and secure in His hands.