Revelation 3:10 Rapture Redux: It has been around a year since I last touched upon this much contested topic. So here we are again. As far back as I can remember, Revelation 3:10 has been used as one of the supports for the pretrib rapture.
Times have changed, apparently.
If you’re really bored and have nothing to do, you can read previous installments HERE and HERE. Some of the following will be a recap of these articles.
Early on, much of the opposition against Rev 3:10 as a prop for pretribulationism came from the likes of Robert Gundry. He posited that the passage wasn’t a proof text for pretribulation – that it only promised protection within the sphere of the hour of trial. Most non-pretribbers were happy to go along with that.
While the prewrath community was reluctant to regard Rev 3:10 as a rapture passage, pretrib scholars did some heavy lifting. A brief summary of one pretrib response to Gundry can be found in Richard Mayhue’s article, Why a Pretribulational Rapture?
Pretrib responses to Gundry must have stirred the rapture wars pot. In 2012 prewrath scholar Dr. Charles Cooper ended up writing a sparsely populated 32 page pamphlet called Revelation 3:10 – A Bombshell. It was introduced on his website as the primary tool in “Operation: Expose the Truth.”
Allegedly, it was going to be the “last nail in the coffin of pretribulationism.” Shudder!
Personally I thought it was more a fizzer than a bombshell. Most of the material consisted of pretrib comments on the verse. One dissenter who changed his mind was noted. Interestingly enough, Dr. Cooper actually agreed with pretribber John Niemelä’s position.
Perhaps the “bombshell” was Cooper’s conclusion that Rev 3:10 was indeed a rapture passage but that it supported prewrath. He didn’t elaborate further. Cooper later released a slightly expanded version of “Bombshell”. Based on these assumptions he then produced a 45 minute video triumphantly titled, The Pretrib Rapture is Dead.
If nothing else, that gives one an idea of some peoples’ attitudes. I wonder if prewrathers everywhere rejoiced at the “death of the pretrib rapture.” We’re all going to go through the Great tribulation after all! Happy days!
Is the pretrib rapture really dead based on Cooper’s declaration? What are their proofs?
Admittedly, all views bring some assumptions to the table. The prewrath view has what I refer to as The Prewrath Catechism. It presupposes that all the essential elements of this Catechism are true. Therefore every text in question must be evaluated using this grid.
I’ve seen examples of this methodology when pushing adherents for evidence that the tribulation is shortened, or that Matt 24:31 is the rapture. Rather than stick to the texts in question, they’ll go elsewhere for support. There is some justification for doing this, but not just to avoid answering problems. Every element must be well supported, especially prewrath’s unique position on Matt 24:22.
For instance, one response I received insisted that the tribulation must be shortened because the Great Multitude is the raptured church. The problem is that Rev 7 doesn’t contain a rapture statement. It is assumed there. One doesn’t avoid a problem in any given text by appealing to another debatable passage which may be legitimately interpreted differently.
When it comes to Rev 3:10, prewrathers say the verse cannot refer to exemption from the Great Tribulation because: The “hour of trial” can only be the Day of Lord’s wrath, which can only follow after the GT. God’s wrath cannot be located in “Antichrist’s Purifying Great Tribulation“….Hence, Rev 3:10 doesn’t support pretrib.
One recent apologetic for the PW Rev 3:10 position cited 1 Thess 1:9, 10; 5:9. It asserted the context in these passages says nothing regarding “Antichrist’s Great Tribulation,” which is a “purifying” period (Robert Van Kampen’s view). It then went on to list the basic elements of the presupposed Catechism.
Yet pretribbers will note that, while there’s no mention of the AC’s GT in these Thessalonian promise passages, there is no mention of God’s wrath or the Great Tribulation in Rev 3:10 either. Furthermore, as shown in previous articles, the coming of the Antichrist is not for purification – it is judgment on a rebellious world.
Paul’s message regarding the purpose and coming of the Lawless One (2 Thess 2:8-12) is explicit:
…and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
How is this not an Hour of Trial on a rebellious world?
The effects of this are seen in Revelation 13 & 14 where those who worship the Beast and take his Mark go into the Lake of Fire. The warning that they will drink the wine of God’s wrath (Rev14:10) does not mean God’s wrath-judgment isn’t present. God’s wrath progressively becomes more intense. The great culmination of this wrath, insofar as those who worship the Antichrist are concerned, occurs at Rev 19:20.
We’re consistently told that tribulation and God’s wrath are different elements. This is true. However, tribulation is a byproduct occurring from a variety of circumstances. One of these is God’s eschatological wrath. Tribulation and God’s wrath are connected.
We’re typically told that it’s Antichrist’s Tribulation; that God’s wrath cannot be present under Satan’s wrath; that God cannot oppose Himself by sending the Antichrist and that the 5th seal martyrs prove God’s wrath isn’t present.
We’ve presented responses to these assertions in a previous article which touch upon God’s sovereignty in the 70th week of Daniel. Even our non-premil Reformed friends recognize God’s sovereign work and wrath throughout Revelation’s seals, and in God’s employment of Antichrist.
The more I read these sorts of objections against pretribulationism (especially Rev 3:10) the more I’m convinced that pretrib is correct. It gives me a lot of comfort to declare….
Maranatha: Lord, Come Quickly!
Further reading:
Events of the 70th Week of Daniel
The Rapture (Tony Garland)
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