QUESTION: Where is the Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Church taught in the Bible.
ANSWER: It is not taught in the Bible. It is the implication of a theory of interpretation of the Bible known as Dispensationalism.
I’m old enough to remember the Larry Norman song “I Wish We’d All Been Ready” (used extensively in evangelism). It was part of a a fear-evangelism tactic used to scare people (especially young people) into accepting Jesus as Savior before it was too late. Here are some of the lyrics:
A man and wife asleep in bed She hears a noise and turns her head he’s gone I wish wed all been ready Two men walking up a hill One disappears and ones left standing still I wish wed all been ready
[Chorus] There’s no time to change your mind The son has come and you’ve been left behind
Many years after all that, I also remember the brief furor that was caused by a booklet that gave 88 reasons why Jesus was returning in 1988. Then after that, Harold Camping predicted Jesus’ return on May 21, 2011. Over the years, many of the predictions of end-times prophecy teachers have failed — some quite spectacularly — but, this is quickly forgotten when a new round of predictions starts up again.
The doctrine of the Rapture has been a staple of American fear-evangelism for a long time. In this teaching, Jesus will return secretly to remove all true Christian believers from the world — then a time of horrible Tribulation will ensue. And, it is still commonly taught by certain well-known “prophetic” teachers.
Evangelical and conservative Christians pride themselves on their devotion to the Bible. Yet, there are certain common features of conservative Christian teaching about the return of Christ which have little or no backing from the Scriptures. Specifically, the teaching that Christ will come silently and secretly to take believers out of the world, seven years before he returns in glory, is a teaching the lacks Biblical support.
“I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (NRSV)
As I said last time: this expresses the intention to pray. The initial cry for help, is followed by a statement of intent: a general statement telling us why the Psalmist cries out to God. It’s not just a momentary thing: it’s a way of life.
What I want to point out is the brevity of that final phrase:
Human nature being what it is: there is no prayer more basic to our experience. It may not be the ideal prayer. But, it’s the most common one. There isn’t a person living who hasn’t at some time in their life cried out: “God help me” — even if they weren’t certain whether there was Anyone or anything to whom to cry.
But, the prayer in verse 1 is not just general, it is also very personal and intimate: “…for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge….” This is followed by a statement of intent. In a sense, this statement implies a rationale for prayer. Verse 2 (Hebrew, verse 3):
“I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.” (NASB).
Why do we pray? Why is it even possible or appropriate to bring our personal requests and needs to God? Because God accomplishes things for us, in answer to our requests.
Prayer operates on a hypothesis. As it says in Hebrews 11:6: “…for whoever would approach [God] must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
As we walk with God, and find our faith confirmed in experience, our trust grows stronger and deeper. We say to ourselves: “God has not failed me in the past. God will not fail me now.” So, it is in this instance. Experience has produced confidence. God is the One who brings things to pass.
It seems strange at first glance that the initial cry of mercy is followed by a declaration of intent:
“I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.”
The idea here is that at all times — and especially in times of need and stress — the psalmist intends to call upon God.
Think about it. Prayer is often a last resort for us. When all other sources of help have been exhausted, then we seek out the place of prayer — and request the prayers of others. This verse says it should be more of a first resort.
Sometimes a church gets involved in a visioning process. Sometimes this is fruitful and sometimes it isn’t. But, for a lot of people this process is frustrating — even maddening. It’s a process of reflection and prayer. It will be fruitful only as people seek God and God’s will. But, it’s hard. Our impulse is to do, to go get ideas from somewhere, to make a plan, etc. — sadly, our first impulse is not the impulse to pray. Sometimes we are in the waiting time.
But, it is those who wait upon the Lord who find strength. But, someone who says: “I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me” is someone who resorts to God in all circumstances.
This is someone who has the intention to pray. If I have the intent to pray, I will rise in the morning and seek God. If I have the intent to pray, I will find times during the day to seek God. I will be bold enough to ask — for myself and for others. I will look expectantly for answers.
A PRAYER.
Lord God we praise you for your steadfast love and mercy.
We have learned from experience to trust You. We have found You to be faithful. We have found in You a continual source of hope and life.
Keep us in the place of prayer.
In uncertain times, keep us in prayer. In times of joy and fulfillment, keep us in prayer.
We seek You now. It is our intent to seek you always. Our God who may always to be found in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Recently I posted: John Wesley and Spiritual Gifts. There I attempted to show that while Wesley was open to both extraordinary spiritual gifts and miracles, he did not insist on them as proof of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
Now let me say something about the distinctive pentecostal and charismatic teaching about Baptism with the Holy Spirit. There is a relationship between early Methodist teachings and the later development of Pentecostal teachings. In fact, a direct line can be traced from the teaching of the early Methodists to the teaching of the early Pentecostals.
Wesley’s preaching about the Christian life — and what he called Christian Perfection — gave rise to the holiness movement. The holiness movement, in turn, provided the seedbed from which the early Pentecostal movement would arise. Once people’s thinking about Christian experience begins to go down a particular road, certain directions become inevitable.
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
ON SCRIBAL NOTES IN THE PSALMS, IN GENERAL.
It’s hard to know what to think about the scribal notes at the beginning of the Psalms. I often ignore them. Our modern translations, which set them apart from the rest of the Psalm — printing them in italics or in smaller type — encourage this attitude.
It’s also true that in the English (as distinguished from the Hebrew) text they are not actually numbered with the rest of the Psalm. In English, the scribal note at the beginning is labeled (if anything) verse 0. Easily ignored. Because I read along in Hebrew (well, let’s not overstate this — I’m using an interlinear text), I often start reading the scribal note before I realize it. In Hebrew, it is verse 1.
While I usually skip these — and I don’t really know what to make of them for sure — I can still see three distinct stages in my attitude toward them. (1) I first took them seriously as part of the inspired text. If it said it was “by David” or “by Moses” or “by Asaph” that’s what it meant. Sometimes they gave me background information about the circumstances in which the Psalm was written. (2) As time went on however, (and being a somewhat skeptical person) these scribal notes became more and more mystifying to me. Sometimes the circumstances mentioned in the note didn’t seem to fit very well with the content of the Psalm. And, I began to wonder what something as vague as לְדָוִ֣ד really meant. Was that “written by David” or “after the manner of David” or “Davidic” in some other sense? The commentaries I read often seemed mystified by some of these scribal notes as well. This was the period of time when I was most likely to ignore these scribal notes. I tended to think they weren’t part of the inspired text. (3) Then, at some point I started to see them as commentary. The scribes who kept this collection also wanted to position them (so to speak) within the Biblical history. Some of them may be historical. I can’t think of any real reason (except the habit of excessive skepticism) to doubt that David did write many of the Psalms. But, even with those which might seem doubtful, the לְדָוִ֣ד still can have meaning. It invites us into another level of reflection: having thought about the meaning of the words, reflect on it again in terms of the history of David. The scribal notes allow us to see the Psalm from the perspective of those who cherished and collected and re-copied these songs from ancient times. The scribes gave the Psalms a place within the Bible’s overarching story.
So it is here. The scribal note is mostly mysterious. What’s “Do Not Destroy”? It’s the tune, I guess. (Can you hum a few bars? I don’t think I know that tune.) What’s a “Miktam“? Don’t know.
But, the scribal note is still an invitation. It invites us to see this prayer against the history of David. Specifically, David hiding for his life in a cave, while Saul the King is searching for him.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,for in you my soul takes refuge;in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,until the destroying storms pass by.
In a single word, the Psalm captures what is probably the most basic prayer in all human experience: חָנֵּ֤נִי “have mercy!”
I don’t suppose there is a person living who hasn’t at some time in their life cried out “God help me” — even if they weren’t certain whether there was anyone or anything to whom to cry. Sure, we aim at something higher in our prayers. We seek to be God-focused. We seek to be less selfish. But, the truth is that some of us never pray until they are desperate. Until we are in need. Until we have no where else to turn. This is when our prayers have gained depth: in times of trial and uncertainty and confusion and grief and need. To go on living we need to know that somewhere there is mercy. Like an infant crying out, all we know is that we need something — and we need for there to be someone who hears. In this case, it is purely a cry for mercy, too. At this point there is no claim to faithfulness, no argument that says: “Hey, Lord, I’ve kept your Law, after all.” There is no claim to worthiness. It’s a bit like the classic “Jesus Prayer”:
“Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Not that the Psalms don’t connect the ideas of “faithfulness” and “blessing.” Because they do. This theme is clearly in place from the very beginning of the book: “for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:6 NIV). But, there are times when our righteousness seems, even to us, pretty feeble. We feel we have no worthiness to plead. and, in that moment we cast ourselves upon the mercy of God. “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me….” Actually, these first few words seem to me like an Alcoholics Anonymous-appropriate prayer: a pure appeal for mercy. There is no attempt to plead the covenant with Israel. It is a call to God in a generic sense: אֱלֹהִ֨ים literally: “gods” (Elohim) — the Divine Realm; whoever is “up there” — the Higher Power.
“…for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge….”
God is like the protecting mother hen, to whom David flees for refuge. In Ruth 2:12 Boaz says to Ruth: “May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” (NRSV).
The Bible does not hesitate to use this female imagery to symbolize our relationship with God. It is common. In the Gospels, Jesus himself does not hesitate to use it either. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37 NRSV). From this point of view, God is an enclosing presence. And, as we are surrounded in God’s presence, we find safety.
עַ֗ד יַעֲבֹ֥ר הַוּֽוֹת
…until destruction passes by.”
Here is an allusion to the urgent need that called forth the prayer. It is a prayer for desperate times. Destruction has come. The prayer is an urgent cry: ‘May my life be preserved through this time of destruction.’
According to John 16:33, Jesus told his disciples: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV). Times of trouble come. There is no exemption. In fact, people sometimes suffer for doing right. “It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:17 NIV).
The Biblical history stresses that that was the case for David. The image of the cave in which David hid from Saul resonates well with the Psalm. David is hiding in God until the storm of Saul’s fury exhausts itself.
The storm of destruction will not be forever. God does not turn away from us simply because it is our own desperate situations that call forth our most fervent prayer. For most of us — all of us? — it is the times of desperate need that have served to draw us closest to God.
A PRAYER:
Lord God, known to us through the sacred remembrances of Israel and the story of Jesus Christ, have mercy.
Grant that today when I call out into what appears to be darkness I might find the sheltering presence of God.
Preserve my life and my hope through the hard times encourage me when faithfulness itself has brought me hard times remind me that the times of destruction will pass; and keep me faithful to You: the One who knows me and has redeemed me. In the name of the One who “died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous.” Amen.
What would have been John Wesley’s attitude toward the modern doctrine and practice of Speaking in Tongues? Pentecostal churches teach that this is a necessary initial sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (a empowerment experience subsequent to Christian conversion). Other churches teach that spiritual gifts and miracles were signs that ceased after the age of the apostles. Where would Wesley have stood on these issues?
The evangelistic ministry and teaching John Wesley provided the impetus for the development of the Methodist & Holiness movements. The holiness movement, in turn, provided the seedbed for the emergence of early Pentecostalism. The original Azusa Street Pentecostalism in turn provided the impetus for the development of the modern Pentecostal & Charismatic movements — which have (somewhat ironically) often lost or even explicitly denied the Holiness / Sanctification themes in Wesley’s teachings.
That is a rather complicated schema. Is there any evidence of this later unfolding that is already present in Wesley teachings? Wesley distinguished between “extraordinary gifts” and “ordinary” graces of the Spirit. Speaking in Tongues would fall into the category of “extraordinary gifts.” Thus, he did not see the gift of Tongues as part of the abiding significance of the Pentecost event.
In a church that I pastored years ago, one of the church leaders expressed surprise when I gave sermons based on Old Testament texts. He had pretty much written off the Old Testament — at least, from what he knew of it — and I hadn’t. In fact, I enjoy preaching from an Old Testament story or text. I’m pretty open that I do not expound on the Old Testament the way a Jewish rabbi would. Yes, I try to understand the Old Testament in its historical context. But, for me that is just a beginning point. I also want to understand it (for the purposes of Christian preaching) in light of what God has revealed to us in Christ.
The resurrection effectively reversed the charges against Jesus and confirmed his mission. We thus see that if he had saved his life at the cost of his proclaiming the divine lordship, he would have actually made himself independent of God and put himself in equality with him. ‘Whoever would save his life will lose it’ (Mark 8:35 par.). This was true of Jesus himself. He could not be the Son of God by an unlimited duration of his finite existence. No finite being can be one with God in infinite reality. Only as he let his creaturely existence be consumed in service to his mission could Jesus as a creature be one with God. As he did not cling to his life but chose to accept the ambivalence that his mission meant for his person, with all its consequences, he showed himself, from the standpoint of he Easter event, to be obedient to his mission (Rom. 5:19, Heb. 5:8). This obedience led him into the situation of extreme separation from God and His immortality, into the dereliction of the cross. The remoteness from God on the cross was the climax of his self-distinction from the Father. Rightly then, we may say that the crucifixion was integral to his earthly existence.
The cross gives meaning to the resurrection, the resurrection gives meaning to the cross. Each is incomplete without the other.
When we say Jesus was one with God we say this on the basis that Jesus fulfilled his whole mission — including death and resurrection. It is in this sense alone that Jesus was truly both fully human and fully God. Without the Cross we cannot make such a claim about Jesus. The Cross is integral to the message. “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him….” (Heb 5:8,9 NRSV)
I think this fact reminds us that preaching the Gospel has to emphasize actually telling the story of Jesus more than teaching ideas derived from the story. It is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that constitutes the Gospel. If part of it is left out, other parts lose their true significance as well. The theological claims that Christians make can only be asserted on the basis of the whole story.
So, the preacher needs to ask: am I telling the whole story or just parts of it? Or: am I just giving advice, teaching some ideas, venting my frustrations, and never telling the story at all?
Moral advice, good ideas, criticism of the world’s ideas and trends, political programs — all these things do not amount to the Gospel of Christ. We need to ever learn anew what it means to “tell the old, old story” to our current generation.
It s wrong to suppose that people are too shallow and self-absorbed to hear it. Someone is always out there to complain that people today are too vacuous, ignorant, or unspiritual. Yes, people are exploring sexuality and gender in ways previous generations did not. Yes, there is sexual promiscuity. There are trends that have arisen in the realm of technology and the internet that are troubling.
It doesn’t mean people are stupid or have lost the spiritual hunger for meaning and connection that is naturally constitutive of human nature. Sexual promiscuity and high intelligence often go together. Sexual searching and spiritual searching are not totally unrelated — one can substitute for the other.
Yes, some young people are not satisfied with traditional answers. But, they are asking questions. And some may want serious and well-considered answers. Prevenient grace means that God’s Spirit is striving with even the most apparently unlikely people.
Let’s learn to tell the story of Jesus in ways that are engaging, fresh, and faithful.
So, the question Psalm 15 raises for us is this: Lord God, what is it like to be the kind of person who is fit to live in Your Presence from day to day?
I am reminded of a verse from the New Testament: “…if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 NRSV). Walking with God means continually walking in the light of God. There is a kind of honesty and openness and transparency to it. Our hearts are open to God and to others — insofar as that is possible for us. Now, notice the qualities of the person who walks with God in this wholehearted devotion.
“For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.” (NRSV)
The apostle Paul’s prayer in this passage can be outlined as follows:
