Will The Rapture Be Pre-Trib?

In this regular feature, Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call. Here’s this week’s question: Dear Dave and TA, I don’t understand how to correspond the pre-trib rapture view with the harvest mentioned in Revelation 14, Verses 14 through 20. In those verses there are two harvests mentioned; one is a harvest by Christ; and the other by an angel that throws the wicked into the winepress of God’s wrath. This verse seems to refer to the separation of the wheat from the tares, and seems to refer to the event we call the rapture. Yet this event seems to happen during the time of the 70^th week of Daniel. I have leaned upon the pre-trib rapture view for some time now based on the promise to the church of Philadelphia, and the commanded prayer in Luke that exhorts that we pray always to be counted worthy to escape. What are your thoughts about this?

Dave:

Well, Tom, first of all, this is during the great tribulation. It doesn’t seem to me…I don’t find any evidence of good reaping that the wheat is pulled out and the tares are left…or the tars are brought into the fire. It’s just part of the judgments of God upon this earth. Nothing about the rapture, nothing about anyone being taken to heaven. Here we have…it does say this: I looked, and beheld a white cloud, upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. Another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. Now, that’s not the rapture; the rapture, The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, voice of the arc angel, trumpet of God, dead in Christ shall rise first, we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. Nothing about any of this, nothing about Christ descending to catch up people, his own, from the earth. So, Christ is not involved in rapturing anyone, this is a part of the judgments upon the earth. So, I don’t have any way to reconcile that with the rapture, it just doesn’t fit, it’s not part of it.

Tom:

And Dave, he says this event seems to happen during the time of the 70^th week of Daniel, that is the tribulation. But as you say, it doesn’t apply to the rapture. I’m confused by the question because he says, “I’ve leaned upon the pre-trib rapture view for some time now,” but he’s misapplying it here.

Dave:

Well, how does this have anything to do with the pre-trib rapture? Has nothing to do with any rapture, this is not a rapture at all, it is a time to reap the earth, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. Well, that’s not the rapture.

Tom:

And Dave, should we look to the church of Philadelphia or the commanded prayer in Luke about being worthy to escape? First of all, it seems to contradict his view of a pre-tribulation rapture, I mean, what are we escaping from?

Dave:

Well, he says he used to believe in the pre-trib rapture, I though he said that.Tom:

No, he said, “I have leaned upon the pre-trib view for some time now, based upon the promise to the church of Philadelphia,” that wouldn’t be a place I would go for my view of the pre-trib—

Dave:

What does he say following that? He must have abandoned it.

Tom:

I don’t think so—“and the commanded prayer in Luke that exhorts that we pray always to be counted worthy to escape.” In other words, it seems to me that he is saying that this is his foundation for believing in a pre-trib rapture. Well, is this where you would go for your view of the pre-trib rapture?

Dave:

No. Has nothing to do with pre-trib rapture. Philadelphia…well, it says he will keep them from the hour of temptation, and so forth, but the church of Philadelphia is long gone. So this was actually a historical event. But you could apply it…they say, Well, this is the dispensations of the church, typical of the progression of the church and so forth, if you want to apply it that way. But it’s not a—

Tom:

But it’s not substantial, related to the doctrine of the rapture, that’s my point.

Dave:

Right. I don’t think you could build a rapture doctrine on that, but apparently this man has been leaning on that.

Tom:

It seems like a support, but just that.

Dave:

Now he’s got himself confused, because none of these scriptures have anything to do with the rapture. They’re going to reap the harvest, I mean, they will reap what they sowed, Galatians Chapter 6. What you sow you will reap. So, the earth is going to reap its sins and it’s going to reap judgment, but this is not anything about being taken to heaven. So Tom, I think the man got a little bit confused in a number of different ways. Whether he still believes in a pre-trib rapture, and just exactly what that means for him, I don’t know. But I wouldn’t know how to answer this question. Well, we’ve been trying.

Tom:

Well Dave, as we do, if somebody wants to check this out they simply need to go to Revelation Chapter 14, and read verses 14 to 20, as you’ve said, check it out for yourself and see how you understand these verses.