Introduction
I was taught the pre-tribulation from when I first became a Christian and accepted it as being correct. I did not even know there was another teaching on this subject for many years as we did not have the internet in those days.
I need to state that I have many Pre-Tribulation Christian friends and thus are not bashing anyone who believes in this theology. I just want to help anyone who is willing to put aside their biases for one moment and look at the evidence for 2 Thessalonians being about a post tribulation rapture and there being at least 2 events that need to take place before this happens. It is important that our theology is correct for so many reasons. Believing one error can lead to others and as we move towards the tribulation who knows what might happen which might lead many to fall away or being very hurt. We all need to have a heart that is open to correction or we are no different to people around the world. It has saddened me to see how many Christians react to anything that does not line up with their views of scripture. E.g. Name calling.
Background
After I read and listened to a number of teachings and studying the eschatological passages it became clear that there was only one coming of Jesus at the end of the tribulation. I asked a number of friends a number of questions to help me clarify this as well.
The secret rapture did not make sense and was not supported by the straight forward teaching of the bible. I am a very logical person and thus look at scripture as literally as I can which is the best method for understanding God’s Word. God is very logical and consistent. All the doctrines we have been taught need to be challenged to see if they are correct as they impact other teachings and thus if one is wrong we will come to the wrong conclusions for others.
I have spoken to a number of pre-tribulation Christians over the last 2 years about 2 Thessalonians 2:1-6. They cant understand why Paul states that the man of Sin (The Antichrist) and the great apostasy must take place before the rapture and the second coming. It tends to stump them or they start jumping to other scriptures that they believe support the pre-tribulation narrative.
Both letters to the Thessalonians cover what will happen during the end times as they were confused about what would happen and were they in the end times already and maybe even missed it as they were being severely persecuted.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-6
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
Evidence
Initially I could not understand why pre-tribulation Christians did not understand the straight forward teaching of 2 Thessalonians and then realised that they were already primed to see the rapture and second coming as two events separated by 7 years. This portion of scripture does not read like that in my opinion and all post-tribulation Christians believe the same. The second coming or day of the Lord [1] occur at the end of the tribulation. Please read this post for more information on The “Day of the Lord” and the Rapture.
Some pretribulationists try and split “coming of the Lord Jesus Christ” and “our gathering together to Him”. To mean Jesus second coming and the rapture respectively not being one event. However, is this correct?
Paul never covers the rapture separately from the second coming in this letter, so this must cast some doubt. The scripture verses that follow verse 1 explain the timing to both events. Also the second coming is written before the rapture in verse 1 and not the other way around which you would expect.
In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul directly addressed the problem that precipitated his Epistle. Some believers had been told their relief from persecution was imminent, and that Jesus was about to return momentarily. This error was dealt with by Paul.
In Verse 1 – The Topic of Discussion
Paul states that the context of the following verses is “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the gathering together with him.”. This as we know is his second coming which is part of the “Day of the Lord” as he had already come once.
Verse 2 – The Problem Paul was Addressing
Paul then addresses the problem. The Thessalonians wrongly believed some false prophecy, teaching or counterfeit epistle, indicating that the Day of Christ’s coming for them had just become imminent (or at hand), and that Jesus was coming momentarily. This new teaching caused great excitement, agitation, and controversy in the Thessalonian church.
Verse 3 – The Solution to the Problem
Paul then states that Jesus second coming will not happen unless the falling away come first and “The Man Of Sin is revealed” also called the son of perdition or generally the Antichrist.
There is perfect agreement between Jesus (Matthew 24:4,9-15,21,29-31 and Paul regarding the rapture.
That agreement shows only a post-tribulation gathering of Jesus’ elect.
Verse 4 – The Revelation of the Man of Sin
In verse 3, Paul warned the Thessalonians not to let anyone deceive them that Christ’s coming for them was imminent. While the “falling away” or “apostasy” might be a difficult sign for Christians to recognize because it would not be a single event in one location, the revealing of the Man of Sin was something hard to miss. Jesus spoke of the “abomination of desolation” standing in the holy place, and referred back to Daniel’s prophecy (Matthew 24:15). Daniel prophesied that the Antichrist would enter the Temple with his forces, and place an object in the Holy Place (Daniel 11:31). Mark’s account of the Olivet Discourse also implies an inanimate object being set up in the Holy Place (Mark 13:14). This could refer to the “image of the Beast” in Revelation. Or perhaps, it could refer to a throne on which the Antichrist will sit.
Jesus referred to this in the following scriptures.
Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),
Mark 13:14 “So when you see the ‘ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
The Coming of the Son of Man Jesus is only covered in latter Matthew 24:29-31 after the Man of Sin is covered in Matthew 24:15 by Jesus. Just having these same events in 2 Thessalonians and Matthew should cause anyone to link them together. There is not a single scripture that explains why they should not be. Surely Paul who was familiar with Matthew 24 should have let the Thessalonians know that what he was writing in Thessalonians was not related to Matthew 24.
Is Matthew 24 just for Israel?
Here is a good place to address the belief that Matthew 24 is for “Israel” and not the “church”.
The Olivet Discourse, contained in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, is the most straightforward and important teaching regarding the end of the age found anywhere in Scripture. It is the cornerstone of all New Testament eschatology. Would we not expect Jesus to teach on this important subject for us as Gentiles? If Matthew 24 is only for Israel where is any teaching for us in the NT by Jesus. I would suggest that Matthew 24 is for all of the Church which will include Messianic Jews and Gentiles. It is believed that non-Messianic Jews that are still alive when Jesus returns will not be raptured but will go into the Millennium.
New Testament writers referred to this discourse repeatedly, and based their eschatology on Jesus’ own teaching to His disciples about the end of the age. Peter, Paul, and John strongly depended on Jesus’ Olivet Discourse. This reliance on the Olivet Discourse by the Apostles to answer questions about the rapture undermines the pretribulationists’ position. Jesus placed the gathering together of His elect “immediately after the tribulation” (Matthew 24:31), and His followers within the tribulation events.
In pretribulation theology the Matthew 24 does not include the “Church” but Israel. Pre-tribulation adherents have to consistently claim this despite the overwhelming internal evidence to the contrary. Yet, if the Apostles repeatedly referred their Christian readers to the Olivet Discourse to answer questions about the rapture, the connection between Jesus’ eschatological teaching and Church doctrine is assured, and pretribulationism cannot stand. It is up to Pre-Tribulation Christians to give a logical and detailed explanation for why Matthew 24 should not be linked to 2 Thessalonians and why Paul does not clarify his letter to the Thessalonians and elsewhere. If Matthew 24 is meant for everyone then there is no need for Paul or Apostle to specifically mention Matthew 24 as it would be assumed they the Christians knew about it. Paul had orally taught many of the churches that he wrote letters to.
Conclusion
Paul was addressing a specific subject that of when the Antichrist will come in relation to Jesus coming so they would know when Jesus was coming back. That the great apostasy would also come before his coming.
If the Thessalonians had previously been taught to expect a pretribulation rapture, and if they had been deceived into thinking the tribulation had begun and they were still here, how do you suppose a pretribulationist Paul would have responded?
The obvious answer is he would remind them that the rapture is pretribulational, and they cannot possibly be in the tribulation because “our gathering together unto Him” is BEFORE the tribulation.
Telling them that the Apostasy and revelation of the Man of Sin must come first does not resolve the problem. It actually makes it much worse! In effect, it says that the Antichrist will be revealed before the tribulation and then the rapture.
How then could the pretribulation rapture be “imminent” as pretribulationists claim? Because these two events need to take place.
Some attempt to dodge the problem by saying that the revelation of Antichrist is before the tribulation, but the rapture is even before that, but then Paul did not resolve the problem at all!
Why would telling them that the Antichrist must come before the tribulation even matter to them, if it was a supposed pretribulation rapture that they had missed?
Also, putting Antichrist’s revelation before the 70th week contradicts Paul who put in it the middle of the 70th week, connecting his revelation to the abomination of desolation (in 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
The fact is, the pretribulation rapture scenario simply won’t work in this passage no matter how you logically try. So many have not gone through this passage and thought about Paul is saying and not saying.
If the Thessalonians believed in a Pre-tribulation rapture then Paul did not help them but made it all the more difficult for them to understand.
Blessings Raymond
Notes
[1] The nature of the “Day of the Lord” is crucial to understanding and foundational to eschatology in general. Pretribulationists claim the “Day of the Lord” includes the alleged pretribulation rapture and the entire tribulation.
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