The Rapture John MacArthur

Church history of Pre Trib Rapture http://www.essentialchristianity.com/pages.asp?pageid=21918Laying the Foundations of Eschatology http://www2.masters.edu/pulpit/files/2000/Spring-%2700/20000124-JohnMacArthur-mp3Note that these twenty-four elders who represent the Church are seen by the Apostle John in heaven, not on the earth, sitting on thrones, wearing crowns on their heads, and clothed in white raiment, all of which is proof that they have been resurrected, translated and rewarded. It is completely incongruous to conceive of a disembodied spirit crowned and rewarded apart from the resurrection and the rapture. We conclude therefore that the rapture has already taken place.Secondly, note that in chapter five these elders watch with great interest as the Lamb of God takes the sealed book of divine judgment from the hand of the One who sits on the central throne. To close the chapter John sees them singing a song of their own redemption and adoring the Lamb as the One who alone has the right to hold the book.Thirdly, note that all of these events take place before a single seal of the book of Judgment is broken, before a single trumpet of judgment is sounded and before a single bowl of divine wrath is poured out on the earth. Hence chronologically chapters four and five of Revelation take place before any of the terrible Judgments described in chapters six to nineteen are poured out on the earth. Logically this is imperative. Chapters four and five constitute an introductory vision to the events which are about to happen. Chapter four concerns the setting up of a special throne of judgment for the tribulation and chapter five describes the little book and its seven seals. The breaking of the first seal ushers in the first Judgment. Logically then the events of these two chapters must precede the great tribulation and its scenes of judgment because it is from the things here pictured that these Judgments proceed.Now, regardless of what you do with chapters six through nineteen these arguments prove a pretribulational rapture. As McClain has so ably put it,Now regardless of the chronological interpretation you may make of the Judgments of Revelation 6 to19; whether you adopt some recapitulation or overlapping scheme; shuffle the seals and trumpets and vials as you will; you cannot push chapters 4 and 5 into the picture which follows in chapters 6 to19. There is no judgment until the first seal is broken; the first seal is not broken until the Lamb receives the Sealed Book; the Lamb does not take the Book until the 24 are in heaven, sitting on thrones and with crowns on their heads. If the scene in heaven described in chapters 4 and 5 does not precede the Judgments of 6 to19, then no man can make any sense whatever out of the order of things in the last book of the Bible. And we may as well complain with Martin Luther, “Even if it were a blessed thing to believe what is in it, no man knows what that is.”(18)And so we have in this beautiful symbol a clear reference to the Church which has been raptured prior to the tribulation. Whereas we are certain that this treatise will not convince everyone of the truths which we have presented, may this paper serve as a source of blessing to those who love this truth. “Even so, come Lord Jesus.Originally uploaded by http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/41-69 FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 106A-117 of the U.S. Copyright Law. —- DISCLAIMER! —-Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

The Rapture John MacArthur