Tanak Foundations-Concepts on the Natzal (Rapture)-Part 2

There is a lot of animosity between various groups who support certain views on the Rapture within Christianity. One of the fastest ways to divide the room is to bring up the subject of the Rapture. There will be pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation and a “partial” tribulation people there and if they are all in the same room they will all go to separate corners. We have been in these wrestling matches in the past and they are real. The subject of the Rapture is the elephant in the room in Christianity. So, there are different views on the Rapture, so let’s look at each one and define them.

From Wikipedia, “The Partial Rapture Theory holds that true Christians will be raptured before, in the midst of or after the tribulation depending on one’s genuine conversion to the Faith. Therefore, the rapture of a believer is determined by the timing of his conversion during the tribulation. The proponents of this theory hold that only those who are faithful in the Church will be raptured sometime during the tribulation or at its end. As stated by Ira David (a proponent of this view), ‘The saints will be raptured in groups during the tribulation as they are prepared to go.'”

The Partial Rapture Theory is not supported by the Jewish model. There will not be multiple raptures but there will be a catching away or a “gathering” (2 Thes 2.1) at a specific time. As we look into the Jewish Model we will see that there is a definite teaching on the Natzal that will answer these controversies. We will look into the Tanak, the Liturgy, the Temple, the Jewish writings and festival terms, sub-languages and idioms.

In Christianity, the rapture is basically built around two passages we have presented so far. The largest group of Christians believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. Again, we refer to the Wikipedia article on the Rapture and it talks about the pre-tribulation under “Views.” It says, “Some Dispensationalist pre-millennialists (including many evangelicals) hold the return of Christ to be two distinct events, or one Second Coming in two stages. 1 Thes 4.15-17 is seen to be a description of a preliminary event to the return described in Matt 24.29-31. Although both describe a return of Jesus, these are seen to be separated in time by more than a brief period. The first event may or may not be seen (which is not a primary issue) and is called the Rapture, when the saved are to be “caught up” whence the term “Rapture” is taken. The Second Coming is a public event, wherein Christ’s presence is prophesied to be clearly seen by all, as he returns to end a battle staged at Armageddon, though possibly fought at the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The majority of dispensationalists hold that the first event precedes the period of tribulation, even if not immediately.”

Now, we have noted several verses from the Gospels and Epistles (1 Cor 15.50-54; 1 Thes 4.13-18; Matt 24.29-31). When most people read these verses they will read them in a Christian sense. But the reality is these passages are full of all types of phrases, idioms and concepts that are unique to the Jewish people. These expressions when seen in a Jewish context will begin to tell us a different story than what most see.

According to Christianity, the pre-tribulation position precedes the tribulation itself. In other words, it could be imminent and the tribulation could start years after that point, or, it could happen right before the tribulation. The pre-tribulation position says that the Rapture will occur before the beginning of the seven year tribulation period, while the Second Coming will occur at the end of the seven year tribulation period. Pre-Tribulationalists often describe the Rapture as “Jesus coming for the Church and the Second Coming as Jesus coming with the Church.”

Let’s go to the next position called the Mid-Tribulation Theory. Wikipedia says, “The Mid-Tribulation position espouses that the Rapture will occur at some point in the middle of what is properly called the Tribulation Period, or during Daniel’s 70th week. However, since the Bible only uses “tribulation” to refer to the second half of Daniel’s 70th week, from a mid-tribulation point of view he is a pre-tribulationalist. The Tribulation is typically divided into two periods of three and a half years each. Mid-Tribulationalists hold that the Saints will go through the first period (the beginning of travail, which is not the Tribulation), but will be raptured into heaven before the severe outpouring of God’s wrath in the second half of what is popularly called the Tribulation. Mid-Tribulationalists appeal to Daniel 7.25 which says the saints will be given over to tribulation for a time, times, and half a time interpreted to mean three and a half years. At the halfway point of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will commit the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ by desecrating the Jerusalem Temple, to be built on what is called the Temple Mount.”

Next we are going to discuss the Pre-Wrath position in Wikipedia. It says, “The Pre-Wrath Rapture view also places the Rapture at some point during the tribulation period before the Second Coming. This view holds that the Tribulation of the Church begins toward the latter part of the seven year period, being Daniel’s 70th week, when the Antichrist is revealed in the Temple. This latter half of the seven year period is defined as the Great Tribulation, although the exact duration is not known. References from Matt 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 are used as evidence that this tribulation will be cut short by the coming of Christ to deliver the righteous by means of the rapture, which will occur after the sixth seal is opened and the sun is darkened and the moon is turned into blood. However, by this point many Christians will have been slaughtered as martyrs by the Antichrist. After the Rapture will come God’s seventh seal wrath of trumpets and bowls (aka ‘The Day of the Lord’). The Day of the Lord’s wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of the seven years.”

As a side note, we are presenting varying Christian views on the Rapture. After that, we will present the Jewish model, and when we get into looking into the Jewish eschatological view of all of this, we are going to find that the expression “the days will be shortened” will have a different definition than how Christianity views it, especially how the the Pre-Wrath Rapture adherents see it.

Next we are going to look at the Post-Tribulation view. Wikipedia continues, “The Post-Tribulation position places the Rapture at the end of the tribulation period. Post-Tribulation writers define the Tribulation period in a generic sense as the entire present age, or in a specific sense of a period of time preceding the Second Coming of Christ. The emphasis in this view is that the Church will undergo the tribulation even though the Church will be spared the wrath of God. Matt 24.29-31 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…they shall gather together his elect” is cited as a foundational Scripture for this view. Post-Tribulationalists perceive the Rapture as occurring simultaneously with the Second Coming of Christ. Upon Jesus’ return, believers will meet him in the air and will accompany him in his return to the earth. In the Epistles of Paul, most notably 1 Thes 4.16-17 and 1 Cor 15.51-52, a trumpet is described as blowing at the end of the Tribulation to herald the return of Christ. Rev 11.15 further supports this view.”

Again, we will be discussing the phrase “they shall gather the elect” and we will find that in the Jewish texts and Jewish understandings that phrase will be defined for us. We will also talk about where the trumpet that is blown to herald the return of Yeshua fits in at a later time. Now, we will look at some questions and we will answer them according to the view of Christianity as we move on. First, who is raptured? Is it the Church at large? Those who are born again? What is the Church? We also need to look at and define “salvation.” We will look at it in a Christian sense and a Jewish sense.

In John 4 Yeshua takes an unusual route back to Galilee. Most Jews would go around Samaria, cross the Jordan and travel north on the eastern bank through Perea, then cross the Jordan again to Gadara and then to Galilee. But Yeshua goes through Samaria and that was not normal. In John 4.7-24 he has a conversation with a woman at a well and says to her that an hour is coming when there won’t be a Jerusalem or a Temple (because it was going to be destroyed by the Romans). This was in response to the woman saying that her fathers worshiped on Mount Gerizim and the Jews say Jerusalem is where men ought to worship.

Then he says, “You worship what you do not know; we worship that which we know for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming (future tense) and now is (present tense) when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in spirit and truth. For such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

One thing we see here is that people were worshiping “in spirit and in truth” before he came. There is a difference between the Christian view of salvation and the Jewish view of salvation. The Christian view says that each of us has a personal encounter with God. We cannot redeem ourselves and recognize we are sinners. We confess our sins and ask him to come into our life. By definition within Christianity, that is when we become “born again.” This is an individual salvation. When you look at Jewish documents at the time, Jews saw it as a national redemption. God would send a redeemer and he would defeat the enemy and redeem and restore people at large (the nation). So, it is good to have this in mind when talking to a Christian or a Jewish person about this.

Now, there were Jewish writings before and at the time of Yeshua called the Pseudepigrapha. These writings are not considered Scripture but they do present some Jewish views on many topics, such as prophecy. These are “apocalyptic” in style (like the Book of Revelation) and within one of these it goes into an individual and a national salvation. Within Christianity, one who has experienced this individual salvation will be raptured. So, according to Christianity, those who are not raptured are unsaved pagans, or those within the “the Church” who have not experienced a personal salvation. Then there is Israel and the Jews. In order to get the “Schema” (plan or model) of all these things in regard to the Natzal, we are going to see that there is a contrast between Israel and the Church.

In Part 3 we will pick up here.

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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