Enraptured . . . by a Fraud?

Investigating the Pre-Trib Rapture, Preface

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

The Rapture. It’s been taught in thousands of churches for more than a century. It’s been described, discussed, and hotly disputed by countless apologists and theologians, promoted in Christian media (both fiction and nonfiction) as a verifiable fact, and caused serious rifts among believers with different viewpoints simply because . . . well, they have differing views.

So, what’s true? Are people enraptured by a fraudulent doctrine; a bait-and-switch for what scripture truly says? How do we know? Why does it matter?

Which of the perspectives is right, which is wrong . . . or is there any veracity to them to begin with?

It’s worth investigating.

Why Am I Writing About This?

Just a disclaimer right up front: I’m not a pretribber. I firmly believe that the so-called “rapture” and resurrection will happen after the Great Tribulation spoken of throughout scripture and described in detail in the book of Revelation.

But, as you may have seen brought up in my Substack Notes recently, open-mindedness is not the lack of a firm opinion, but the ability to consider other views and weigh both carefully to find the truth. (You can read that note here⤹)

I’m a truth-seeker. Regardless of whether it is popular or unpopular, regardless of whether it is easy or difficult to accept or adhere to, my goal is to seek, walk in, and share the truth. With that end in mind, the following story came about.

Fact or Fraud? A Journey Begins

In 2022, at my brother’s birthday party, I was practically challenged by a family friend (and if you’re reading this, you know who you are! 😜) to prove my view of the post-trib rapture and provide valid reason for the pretribulation rapture to be false.

I took up the challenge.

That night a new document appeared in my Apple Pages folder titled, “The Rapture: An Alternate Perspective.”

I don’t have a log of how many hours of video I watched, how many articles I read, how much time I spent in the Word, or how much I wrote and deleted. I do know that I ended up with a half-finished article of upwards of 30,000 words (including quotations from scripture and other sources) before life and the craziness of starting my business forced me to shelve the project. It’s been in the back of my mind since then, I’ve even managed to pull it out a few times and continue working on it, but for the most part it has (metaphorically) sat and collected dust in my files.

No longer.

With A Piece of My Mind I now have a place to share and continue my work in a form other than a long PDF, and with more than a few friends. So I happily announce a new series:

Investigating the Pre-Trib Rapture

Following my initial organization, this series will first define the opposing arguments, then bring in foundational side arguments for my position, and finally systematically answer the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine and establish and define my own view.

And since it will be largely based on my original writing, it seems fitting that I should share my original opening. 😁

The Rapture: An Alternate Perspective (Preface)

“Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor. The one who gives an answer before he listens—this is foolishness and disgrace for him.”

Proverbs 18:12-13, HCSB

To begin a discourse on the rapture, one must first understand what it is. “The Rapture” is a term not used in the bible, but rather comes from the Latin word raptura a derivative of rapio, meaning “seize” or “carry away.” It is commonly employed by Christians in reference to an event described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, where the Greek word is harpazo, meaning “to catch up” or “to catch away”; which, in its simplest form, is the moment when we are “caught up” to meet Christ in the air when he gathers his people upon his return. This is an event in biblical premillennial Christian eschatology.

However, Christian theology on this topic varies greatly in the details; two major disputes being whether the rapture happens before or after the period of seven years known as the “Great Tribulation.”¹

That is what we are examining in this article; hopefully to the edification and sharpening of all reading it.

Please Remember:

This is not an unbiased article, although a careful attempt has been made to represent both the pre-trib and post-trib perspectives fairly and accurately.

Biased remarks slanted against the pre-trib rapture doctrine are not meant as a slight to those who hold to that doctrine, but merely represent the author’s own perspective of this doctrine; which is hopefully clearly summarized in this article with ample evidence.

This is not meant to be divisive, but as iron sharpens iron, aims to discuss conflicting beliefs and perspectives for the edification and sharpening of the believers.

The author has deliberately refrained from insulting or putting down, although that does not spare leaders from being called out as deceivers where their teachings or actions necessitate such. Jesus Christ rebuked the leaders of his day in like manner, yet consistently showed compassion to those who were simply misguided. Rebukes are meant for those who lead people astray. As James said, teachers will receive a stricter judgement (James 3:1).

It is right to call out deception, especially on the part of teachers, yet meaning no offense to any (although the Word of God, sharper than a double-edged sword, may offend some).

In Conclusione

Heh. Sometimes my own formality in writing cracks me up. “The author” . . . yeah, that would be me. But I must needs use the third person, apparently, as though this is a book and not a research project. 😂

If you are looking forward to following this series and haven’t subscribed yet, this is your friendly reminder that you won’t get notified of the next installment if you don’t put your email in the little box right there➘

If you are looking to start an argument with a friend who disagrees with you or know someone who would genuinely enjoy reading this, hit the share button! It’s free to read . . . and debate. 🤭

Oh, and if you like it, leave a comment, and restack this post, it gives me a boost in the algorithm and gets it out to more people. 😜 Besides, I would love to know your thoughts, so commenting is a win-win!

I have less controversial and more encouraging posts if you check out my home page, but if you missed my last controversial post (on a different topic) check it out here!↴

Funnily enough, that post didn’t lose me any subscribers. 😁 It is one of my most read, however.

🫡Until next time,

Blessings!

—Abigail

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Psst! Did you know I have two other publications? Check them out! When I’m not posting over here, I am usually posting over there!

1. Some define the first three-and-a-half years of the seven years as merely “The Tribulation” and call the latter three-and-a-half  years “The Great Tribulation.” But generally the pre-trib rapture is seen as prior to the seven years, not midway through them—midway through is generally considered a “mid-trib rapture.”