The Multiple Resurrections and Judgments of Dispensational Premillennialism (Part 2)

The General Resurrection and Final Judgment in Scripture

The doctrine of the resurrection is found not only in the New Testament, but also in the writings of the Prophets. Daniel prophesied:

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased (Dan. 12:1-4).

Daniel apparently sees a general resurrection of the dead, “some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt (Dan. 12:2).” Our Lord Jesus reiterates the teaching of a general resurrection prophesied by Daniel in the Gospel of John, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29).” According to Jesus, there is no mention of an interjectory gap of one millennium within “the hour.” At that hour, “all that are in the graves shall hear his voice.” The “resurrection of life” and “the resurrection of damnation” occur at “the hour.”

Some dispensationalists might object to this point, claiming that in John 5:25, the same word “hour” is used to describe the entire gospel age, a time span which has since lasted for more than two millennia. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live (John 5:25).” They might argue that since the “hour” in verse 25 has lasted for more than two thousand years, a series of two resurrections separated by one millennium can easily fit into the “hour” of verse 28.

In response to this argument, we must first note that the Apostle John uses the word “hour” (ὥρα) to mean various periods of time, the duration of which depends upon the context of the passage in consideration. For example, John uses the word “hour” in the same sense as verse 25 in John 4:23. “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him (John 4:23).” In both instances, the word “hour” denotes the entire gospel age, whereby the elect hear the inward calling of the Holy Spirit, as well as the outward call of the gospel, and becomes regenerated. In other cases, the Apostle uses the word “hour” to indicate a specific point in time which has either arrived (John 12:23; 13:1; 16:21; 19:14, 27), or which has yet to arrive (John 7:30; 8:20).

If dispensationalists insist that verse 28 should parallel verse 25, they must consider the fact that the regeneration of sinners is occurring throughout the gospel period. In which case, the resurrection of the just and the unjust should likewise be taking place all through the earthly millennium; but according to dispensationalism, the resurrection of the just occurs only prior to the millennium, while the resurrection of the wicked takes place at the end of the one thousand years reign of Christ. To interpret verse 28 as a parallel of verse 25 would be too much for even the hidebound dispensationalist.

If the exegete must understand “hour” in verse 28 to mean a very long period of time – a period of no less than a millennium – he must contend with the hermeneutical absurdity of having the voice of the Lord resounding throughout the one thousand years. For the Apostle John wrote,

“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29).”

So, is John saying that “a long, long period of time is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice resounding all through the millennium?” According to the context of this passage, it is obvious the Apostle John is indicating that, at a particular point of time in the future, the Lord’s voice will be heard once, and all who are in the graves shall resurrect. The just shall be awarded the resurrection of life, while the wicked will be given the resurrection of damnation. John is, of course, not suggesting that Jesus’ voice will be sounded more than one time, or worse, multiple times. John 5:28-29, therefore, inevitably teaches a general resurrection of the dead that occurs contemporaneously.

In four instances in the Gospel of John alone, Jesus taught that the resurrection of the just shall occur at the last day, not one thousand years before the resurrection of the wicked. Our Lord elucidated, “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:39-40).” Again in John 6:44 and John 6:54, Christ taught, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. . . . Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Loraine Boettner concurs,

“The notion that the resurrection of the righteous is to occur a thousand years before the end of the world is contradicted by Jesus who, on four different occasions, said that He would raise up those who believe in Him at the last day (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54). Clearly there can be no other days after the last day.”^[1]

The Apostle Paul, when he was brought before the Roman procurator Felix in Caesarea, proclaimed, “But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust (Acts 24:14-15).” In verse 15, the Greek word αναστασιν (anastasin), which is translated “a resurrection,” is singular. If Paul had in his mind at least two separate resurrections, the Holy Spirit could have used the plural form of this word.

The burden of proof is, at the very least, upon the Bible Presbyterians and Dispensationalists. Unless they produce conclusive and incontrovertible evidence that Scripture teaches otherwise, there is no reason why we must reject the eschatology of the Reformed Confessions: that there will be one general resurrection of the dead and one final judgment for both the just and the unjust.

The General Resurrection and Final Judgment in the Parables of Jesus

The parables of Jesus, likewise, contradict the dispensational notion that a one thousand year gap separates the Second Coming and the final judgment. In the parable of the wheat and the tares, both wheat and tares are to grow together until the end of the world. Jesus recounts, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn (Matthew 13:30).”

In fact, the tares are gathered first in the parable. But according to dispensational premillennialism, the wheat is gathered before the tares. If there is any gap between the resurrection of the just and the unjust – but of course, there is none – dispensationalists have got the sequence of resurrections reversed. Worse, Bible Presbyterians insist that the wheat be gathered first, leaving only the tares for the Great Tribulation. In keeping with dispensational premillennialism, a second harvest is mandatory, as there will be wheat growing out of the tares during the Great Tribulation. Yet a third harvest is needed for those converted during the millennium. But Jesus is adamant that the harvesting occurs only at the end of the world, and only once.

Herman Hanko, commenting on this parable, explains,

“The harvest in the parable is the end of the world. This is the end of the world in the absolute sense. Jesus knows only of this one end, not the many “ends” of which premillennialism speaks. It is that moment when God’s purpose, according to his counsel, is realized, for all that he has determined to do has been accomplished. Creation and history are brought to their telos (their purpose, their goal). Then all things are ready. The wicked have filled the cup of iniquity, and the filling of this cup has made them ripe for judgment. The church is ripe for her final salvation, and all things are ready for Christ to return.”^[2]

In the parable of the dragnet (Matt. 13:47-50), the separation of the good fish and the bad fish shall be performed “at the end of the world.” The wicked are separated from the just. Both the just and the unjust shall be judged, and the wicked will be cast into the furnace of fire. Once again, the just will not be separated from the wicked in a rapture one thousand years – or one thousand and seven years according to pretribulationism – prior to the final judgment. The final judgment will be a general judgment of both the saints and the reprobates. The general resurrection and the final judgment occur “at the end of the world.”

Hanko writes,

“The final separation of the good and bad fish takes place at the “end of the world.” This is not an arbitrary end, nor an end among many ends. It is the final and absolute end of the age from the viewpoint of God’s purpose. God’s purpose is fully accomplished as he determined that purpose from before the foundation of the world. . . . From God’s point of view, there is no possibility of history continuing. It cannot go on for another moment.”^[3]

Furthermore, the final judgment is clearly depicted in the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory (Matt. 25:31),” the separation of the wicked and the just shall occur at the same time. The linchpin of premillennialism, that is, a thousand year gap between the Second Coming of Christ and the final judgment, is absent from this parable.

The eschatological schema presented in this parable, as well as the others, is consistent with amillennialism. Even staunch premillennialist, George Eldon Ladd, had to concede that the scheme of prophecy presented in this parable is essentially amillennial:

“A final question remains to be asked. If this is the final judgment, what do we do about the millennium? There seems to be no room for it. The author is frank to admit that if we had to follow this passage as our program of prophecy, there would be no room for a millennium. I would have to be an amillennialist.”^[4]

Indeed, Professor Ladd would be more consistent with Scripture if he was an amillennialist. How, then, did he escape the inescapable conclusion that Jesus did not teach a millennium in this parable? He concluded that this parable has nothing to do with the “program of prophecy.” “It is a dramatic parable,” he said,^[5] and it merely conveyed instructions to Jesus’ disciples concerning the Great Commission.

In the following words, Ladd attempted to dissipate the eschatological thrust of the entire parable:

“Jesus knows that he is about to leave his disciples in the world with a commission to take the gospel to all nations. He is in effect saying to them, “I am entrusting the destiny of the Gentiles into your hands. Those who welcome and receive you welcome and receive me, and they will be blessed in the day of judgment. Those who reject and exclude and punish you do so to me, and it will go ill with them in the day of judgment.’”^[6]

By denying the obvious conclusions taught in the parable of the sheep and the goats, Ladd contradicted his own principle of hermeneutics - that the exegete must never avoid the “clear and unambiguous” meaning of language in Scripture.^[7]

Marcellus Kik, a postmillennialist, explains that “in Matthew 25:31-46, a universal judgment is depicted and all people who have lived upon the earth are judged according to their works. The average Christian reader of the Matthew passage believes that the final judgment is set forth. And he is right. The premillennialist has to explain this passage away because it does not fit in with his eschatological views. Actually he has to forsake his “literal” interpretation which he so stoutly maintains is the only proper way of interpretation.”^[8]

In my perusal of Dr Jeffrey Khoo’s writings, I am absolutely perplexed as to why he has avoided a discussion of Matthew 25:31-46 in both his book The Gospels in Unison, and his lectures notes The Life of Christ.^[9] Is it true that he, too, has found it difficult to reconcile the parable with dispensational premillennialism?

References

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[1] Loraine Boettner, The Millennium, rev. ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co, 1957), 169.

[2] Herman Hanko, The Mysteries of the Kingdom: An Exposition of Jesus’ Parables, 2^nd ed. (Grandville, MI: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 1975), 54.

[3] Ibid., 93.

[4] George Eldon Ladd, The Last Things (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1978), 101.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] George Eldon Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1972), 266.

[8] J. Marcellus Kik, An Eschatology of Victory (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co, 1971), 169.

[9] See Jeffrey Khoo, The Gospels in Unison: A Synthetic Harmony of the Four Gospels in the KJV (Singapore: Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1996). Also see Jeffrey Khoo, The Life of Christ (Singapore: Far Eastern Bible College, n.d.). These are printed course notes used in Far Eastern Bible College. Available from http://www.febc.edu.sg/assets/pdfs/studyresource/Life%20Of%20Christ.pdf; Internet; accessed 10 May 2006.

The Multiple Resurrections and Judgments of Dispensational Premillennialism (Part 1)

The Multiple Resurrections and Judgments

Premillennialists believe that Jesus Christ will return to resurrect the saints prior to the millennium. This is followed by the earthly reign of Christ from Jerusalem for one thousand years. The final judgment will take place at the end of this millennium, when the wicked dead will be resurrected and condemned to eternal perdition. The premillennial eschatological schema includes at least two resurrections and two judgments. A one thousand year gap is posited between the Second Coming and the final judgment. Consequentially, the resurrection of the saints and the resurrection of the wicked are separated by a millennium.

If this sequence of events appears complex, the dispensational eschaton is by far the most complicated of all eschatological schemes. Jesus does not only return just before the millennium; He returns secretly before the Great Tribulation to rapture the saints. According to Pretribulationism, Jesus comes secretly for His saints before the Great Tribulation, and He comes gloriously with His saints after the tribulation to usher in the millennium.

Between the pretribulation rapture and the glorious, visible return of Christ, a judgment of the saints takes place in the heavenly realms. In his essay on the Judgment Seat of Christ, Dr Jack Sin writes:

“The Judgement Seat of Christ is not the Judgement of the Great White Throne (Rev 20:1-15). The latter is meant only for the unregenerate who “are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3: 18). That is the final judgement which will take place after the millennium (Rev 20:6). Believers, on the other hand, will appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ. The privilege of standing before the Judgement Seat of Christ comes from being born again. . . . When will the Judgement Seat of Christ take place? According to Scriptures, the Judgement Seat of Christ will take place between the Rapture and the return of Christ to earth.”^[1]

So according to Bible Presbyterians, a separate judgment of the saints - the Judgment Seat of Christ – occurs prior to Christ’s Second Coming (apokalupsis). The wicked, however, are not judged until the end of the earthly millennium. In dispensational jargon, this judgment of the wicked dead is called the Great White Throne Judgment. John Walvoord explains,

“The final judgment of the human race is recorded in Revelation 20:11-15. This judgment will occur when the present earth and heavens have fled away (20:11; 21:1). Before the Great White Throne, on which Christ will be seated, will be gathered the remaining dead, the unsaved of all ages, who will be resurrected for this judgment, a judgment that will result in all being cast into the lake of fire.”^[2]

Bible Presbyterian scholar, Dr Quek Suan Yew, concurs with Dr Walvoord:

“The Great White Throne Judgement is the final place of judgement for all unbelievers. Great not only points to its size but also its majestic authority and significance, it being the final throne scene. White as usual symbolizes purity, holiness and perfect justice. . . . All the unbelievers who had died and sent to Hell will be delivered from Hell and forced to stand before God for judgement.”^[3]

But another judgment must take place especially for the millennial saints. The millennial saints are Christians who are living on earth at the end of the Millennium or those who have died in the Millennium. These saints cannot be judged at the Great White Throne because, according to dispensational thinking, the Great White Throne Judgment is only for the wicked. In his book End Times: Understanding Today’s World Events in Biblical Prophecy, Dr Walvoord explains the dispensational understanding of the judgment for millennial saints:

“The Scriptures are silent on how God will deal with saints living on earth at the end of the Millennium or saints who have died in the Millennium. . . . It is probable that the righteous who die in the Millennium will be resurrected, much as the church will be at the Rapture, and that living saints will be given bodies suited for eternity like those living church saints will receive. It is clear that the millennial saints will not be involved in the judgment of the Great White Throne, however, because this judgment relates to the wicked dead.”^[4]

Therefore, the Reformed understanding of a general resurrection and a judgment of both the righteous and the wicked is replaced with a sequence of multiple resurrections and judgments. According to the dispensational eschaton, there is one resurrection before the tribulation at Christ’s parousia, one after the tribulation for “tribulation saints” after Christ’s apokalupsis, at least one separate resurrection for those saved during the millennium, and a resurrection of the wicked at the Great White Throne judgment after the millennium.^[5] John Walvoord, in fact, finds a series of seven resurrections in New Testament teachings. Walvoord writes, “Seen in their chronological order, the seven resurrections are proof that there will be not just one final resurrection and judgment in the future, but rather a series of judgments and resurrections.”^[6]

Likewise, there are at least three separate judgments according to Dispensationalism and Bible Presbyterianism: the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Great White Throne Judgment, and the judgment of the millennial saints.^[7] The Bible Presbyterians have apparently adopted the Dispensationalist’s eschatological schema as biblical truth, together with the multiple resurrections and judgments.

The General Resurrection and Final Judgment in Reformed Confessions

Have the Reformed churches ever taught a complex series of resurrections of the dead? According to the Reformed Confessions of Faith - the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXXII sections II and III, and the Belgic Confession Article 37 - the resurrection of the just and the unjust will be a single event. During this general resurrection, both the wicked dead and the righteous dead will be resurrected together.

Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXXII state:

At the last day, such as are found alive shall not die, but be changed: and all the dead shall be raised up, with the self-same bodies, and none other (although with different qualities), which shall be united again to their souls for ever.

The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonour: the bodies of the just, by His Spirit, unto honour; and be made conformable to His own glorious body.

The second paragraph of the Confession, Chapter XXXII, begins with the phrase “at the last day.” It asserts that “all the dead shall be raised up,” and this general resurrection occurs “at the last day.” “All the dead” obviously refers to all of the dead, both elect and reprobates. The Confession explains that “the bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonour: the bodies of the just, by His Spirit, unto honour; and be made conformable to His own glorious body.” The Confession incontrovertibly describes a general resurrection of both the just and the unjust. There is no mention of any time gap between the resurrection of the wicked and the saints.

In Paragraph 1 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXXIII, it is stated that:

God hath appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world, in righteousness, by Jesus Christ. To whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.

With regard to the time frame, the phrase “God hath appointed a day” makes it clear that the Confession does not have in mind two different judgments: one for the saints and another for the reprobates, which are separated by at least one thousand years. That it will be a general judgment of both the just and the unjust is ascertained by the statement, “In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ.” “All persons,” that is, the saved and the damned, shall appear before the glorious Christ “at the last day.”

The Belgic Confession, Article 37, similarly describes a general resurrection and a single judgment at the last day.

Finally, we believe, according to the Word of God, that when the time, ordained by the Lord but unknown to all creatures, has come and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, as He ascended, with great glory and majesty. He will declare Himself Judge of the living and the dead and set this old world afire in order to purge it. Then all people, men, women, and children, who ever lived, from the beginning of the world to the end, will appear in person before this great Judge. They will be summoned with the archangel’s call and with the sound of the trumpet of God. 

Those who will have died before that time will arise out of the earth, as their spirits are once again united with their own bodies in which they lived. Those who will then be still alive will not die as the others but will be changed in the twinkling of an eye from perishable to imperishable. Then the books will be opened and the dead will be judged according to what they have done in this world, whether good or evil. Indeed, all people will render account for every careless word they utter, which the world regards as mere jest and amusement.

 

The Belgic Confession teaches that at Christ’s Second Coming, which shall be “bodily and visibly,” “all people, men, women, and children, who ever lived, from the beginning of the world to the end, will appear in person before this great Judge.” The final judgment is obviously a general judgment. The Belgic Confession does not mention a secret coming of Christ prior to the Great Tribulation, and a subsequent rewarding of the saints at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Both the saints and the wicked will be judged at the same time at Christ’s Parousia.

Furthermore, the phrase “those who will have died” refers to the dead in general, and makes no reference to either the saved or the damned. Both Confessions are consistent with the explicit teachings of Scripture, particularly Daniel 12:2, John 5:28-29, and Acts 24:15. The obvious teaching of these passages is a general resurrection of both the just and the unjust. There is no mention of a one thousand years or, according to pretribulationists, a one thousand and seven years gap between the resurrection of the saints and the resurrection of the wicked.

The Scripture and Reformed Confessions agree that there will only be one general resurrection of the dead, and one Second Coming of Christ, not a complex series of resurrections separated by time gaps, or multiple “second” comings of Christ. Also, it is clear that the Reformed Confessions teach a general, final judgment. The notion that Christ will come secretly to rapture and resurrect the saints prior to the Great Tribulation is foreign to the Reformed Confessions of Faith.

Premillennialism demands two separate resurrections: the resurrection of the just at Christ’s Parousia, and the resurrection of the wicked at the end of the millennium. The Reformed Confessions, unfortunately, do not allow the intercalation of a millennium between two separate resurrections. Consequentially, the eschatological schema of dispensational premillennialism contradicts the Reformed Confessions’ doctrine of a general resurrection and judgment.

References

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[1] Jack Sin, “The Judgement Seat of Christ,” The Burning Bush 6, no. 2 (2000):302, 314.

[2] John F. Walvoord, End Times: Understanding Today’s World Events in Biblical Prophecy (Nashville, Tennessee: Word Publishing, 1998), 177.

[3] See Quek Suan Yew, DAY FIVE: Revelation 19-22 (Singapore: Calvary Pandan Bible Presbyterian Church, n.d.), 152-153; available from http://calvarypandan.org/revelation-0603.doc; Internet; accessed 01 April 2006. These are lecture notes for a course on Revelation conducted by Rev (Dr) Quek Suan Yew. The entire series of course notes is available from http://calvarypandan.org/r.htm; Internet; accessed 01 April 2006. The same was written in Quek Suan Yew, The Apocalypse – A Study of the Book of Revelation (Singapore: Calvary Pandan Bible Presbyterian Church, n.d.); available from http://www.calvarypandan.sg/images/articles/revelation/v.%20the%20fgreat%20white%20throne%20judgement.pdf

; Internet; accessed 29 October 2016.

[4] Walvoord, End Times: Understanding Today’s World Events in Biblical Prophecy, 178

[5] See ibid., 153-165 for the dispensationalist’s order of resurrections.

[6] Ibid., 165.

[7] See ibid., 167-184 for the dispensationalist’s order of judgments.

2 Thessalonians and the Rapture (Part 2) - Imminence and "Literal" Hermeneutics

The Doctrine of Imminence

Is it true that Christ’s Second Coming will occur at any moment? According to Pretribulationists, one of the reasons why the rapture must occur prior to the Great Tribulation is because Christ’s parousia is allegedly imminent. Gundry defines the pretribulationist’s doctrine of imminence as follow:

“By common consent imminence means that so far as we know no predicted event will necessarily precede the coming of Christ. The concept incorporates three essential elements: suddenness, unexpectedness or incalculability, and a possibility of occurrence at any moment.”^[1]

In our previous discussion of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, we have seen that the rapture cannot happen until the religious apostasy and the revelation of the Antichrist have occurred. But these are not the only reasons why the parousia cannot be imminent. In fact, a perusal of the New Testament will inform the perceptive reader that there must be a necessary delay before the rapture can take place.

The first century Christians did not believe in the doctrine of imminence. The apostles and the early disciples knew that the Great Commission would incur an indeterminate period of delay prior to the parousia (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 22:21). In fact, Jesus taught that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matt. 24:14).” The Lord did not indicate that he would rapture the apostles and the disciples prior to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The rapture was not an “any-moment” event for the disciples.

The Apostle Paul himself did not believe in the doctrine of imminence. When he was in the custody of the chief captain, “the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome (Acts 23:11; cf. Acts 27:24).” Paul could not have thought of an imminent rapture prior to his witness in Rome and before Caesar.

The Apostle Peter, likewise, did not hold to an imminent rapture theory. On account of Christ’s prophecy of his martyrdom (John 21:18-19; 2 Pet. 1:14), Peter would not have expected an “any-moment” rapture. Peter’s predicted death in old age would require a substantial amount of delay.

Christ’s prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 21:20-38) must also be fulfilled before His parousia. The autographs of many New Testament epistles were written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem at AD70. The original readers of these epistles would most certainly anticipate the impending devastation of Jerusalem, not the any-moment rapture. For “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:24).”

Therefore, Peter, Paul and the first century Christians did not even imagine an imminent return of Christ, definitely not prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. It is, indeed, strange that the pretribulationist insists on an “any-moment” rapture of the Church despite all the New Testament evidence against it.

Even stranger still is this: Why do the Bible Presbyterians jump onto the dispensationalist’s bandwagon of pretribulationism?

A Further Example of Bible Presbyterian ‘Literal’ Hermeneutics

The Gospels teach that Christ will gather His elect (i.e. rapture) from the four winds “after the tribulation” (cf. Matt. 24:29-31, Mark 13:24-27, Luke 21:25-28).^[2] For the purpose of discussing the issue of pretribulationism, we shall examine Matthew 24:29-31 very briefly. The reader is reminded to pay attention to a parallel terminology used in several apocalyptic passages of Scripture: the trumpet.

According to Matthew 24:31, the Son of Man will “send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Bible Presbyterians and Dispensationalists agree that the phrase “immediately after the tribulation (Matt. 24:29)” refers to events occurring immediately after the Seventieth Week of Daniel. Pretribulationists generally understand that this gathering of the “elect from the four winds” (Matt. 24:31) includes Tribulation saints, that is, Christians converted during the Great Tribulation. It is interesting to note that Bible Presbyterians are divided as to whether Old Testament saints are included here. Some Bible Presbyterians believe that Old Testament saints are “raptured” before the Great Tribulation together with the New Testament saints. Those that adhere consistently to the distinction between Israel and the Church will claim that Old Testament saints are to be raptured after “the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7).”^[3] This is the view of Louis A. Barbieri, Jr.^[4]

In his commentary on Matthew 24:29-31, Barbieri wrote:

“Immediately following the distress of that period, the Lord will return. His return will be accompanied by unusual displays in the heavens (v. 29; cf. Isa. 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:31; 3:15-16) and by the appearing of His “sign” in the sky (Matt. 24:30). The appearance of the sign will cause all the nations to mourn (cf. Rev. 1:7), probably because they will realize the time of their judgment has come. . . . Whatever the sign, it will be visible for all to see, for the Lord will return on the clouds . . . with power and great glory (cf. Dan. 7:13). He will then send His angels forth to regather His elect from the four winds, which relates to the earth (cf. Mark 13:27), from one end of the heavens to the other. This involves the gathering of those who will have become believers during the Seventieth Week of Daniel and who will have been scattered into various parts of the world because of persecution (cf. Matt. 24:16). This gathering will probably also involve all Old Testament saints, whose resurrection will occur at this time, so that they may share in Messiah’s kingdom (Dan. 12:2-3, 13).”^[5]

It is important to note that at the “great sound of a trumpet,” the elect are gathered from the four winds. We shall compare the occurrence of the word “trumpet” with another New Testament passage in Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians.

In 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Paul expounded to the Corinthian believers: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Pretribulationists believe that 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 as well as 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 refer to the rapture. Commenting on 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, Jeffrey Khoo writes:

“There will be a rapture; a sudden catching up of saints to meet the Lord in the air (cf. 1 Thess 4:13-17). This will happen in “a moment.” . . . In an atomic second, “in the twinkling of an eye,” at the sound of the last trumpet (cf. Rev 11:15-19?) we shall all be changed and shall put on an incorruptible body.”^[6]

Both of these passages (i.e. 1 Cor. 15:51-52, and 1 Thess. 4:15-17) mention a “trump” or trumpet, but 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 describes it as the “last trump.” A literal understanding of the expression “last trump” would mean the last trumpet in a series of trumpets. Some midtribulationists, for example Dr Timothy Tow, equate this trumpet with the seventh trumpet in Rev. 11:15-19. Dr Tow admits:

“In regard to the Rapture of Saints I followed Dr. [Oliver] Buswell in its occurrence at the sounding of the last and seventh trumpet (1 Cor 15:52; Rev 11:15-18).”^[7]

Dr Jeffrey Khoo’s commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 bears an uncanny resemblance to common dispensational expositions on the passage.^[8] We shall now refer to a Dallas Theological Seminary professor’s commentary on 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. David Lowery writes:

“Paul had revealed the same truth to the Thessalonians (1 Thes. 4:15-17). The Rapture of the church was a mystery (mystērion) in that it had not been known in the Old Testament but now was revealed. (Cf. other “mysteries”— now revealed truths—in Matt. 13:11; Luke 8:10; Rom. 11:25; 16:25; 1 Cor. 4:1; Eph. 1:9; 3:3-4, 9; 5:32; Col. 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3; 2 Thes. 2:7; 1 Tim. 3:9, 16; Rev. 1:20; 10:7; 17:5.) The dead in Christ will first be raised, and then the living will be instantaneously transformed. The trumpet, as in the Old Testament, signaled the appearance of God (cf. Ex. 19:16). It is the last blast for the church because this appearance shall never end (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12).”^[9]

We recall that 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 refers to the pretribulation rapture according to Bible Presbyterians and Dispensationalists. The pretribulation rapture is supposed to occur at the “last trump (1 Cor. 15:52).” Since this is the “last blast” or “last trumpet”, and this occurs before the Seventieth Week of Daniel (i.e. before the Great Tribulation) according to Pretribulationists, the trumpet sounding in Matthew 24:31 after the Great Tribulation contradicts a literal understanding of the word “last.”

How can there be another trumpet being blown in the posttribulational period (i.e. in Matt. 24:31), especially after the last trumpet was sounded in 1 Corinthians 15:52? All language in Scripture will loose its meaning if “last” does not mean last. God could have used the phraseology “the penultimate trump” in 1 Corinthians 15:52. This would allow an actual last trump after the Great Tribulation in Matthew 24:31.^[10]

Is it not remarkable that Dispensational Premillennialists, who insist on a consistently literal interpretation of Scripture, understand the “last trump” (1 Cor. 15:52) as not being the last? This inconsistency occurs in both Pretribulationism and Midtribulationism.

Bible Presbyterians can avoid this inconsistency by saying that the “last trump” in 1 Corinthians 15:52 refers to a last trumpet with several blasts from the same trumpet at different periods of time. This “last” trumpet may indeed be the same trumpet being blown in Matthew 24:31. In other words, the last trumpet is sounded in 1 Corinthians 15:52, and subsequently sounded again in Matthew 24:31. But 1 Corinthians 15:52 states that “at the last trump,” “the trumpet shall sound,” implying that this is the last blast of the trumpet of God, and not merely a trumpet used for a series of blasts.

Another solution might be to suggest that the last blast or sounding of the trumpet is actually of seven years or three-and-a-half years duration, depending on whether one is pretribulational or midtribulational. But the dead are raised immediately with the last trumpet sounding, at “the twinkling of an eye.” This resurrection of the dead cannot occur over a seven years period or any prolonged duration of time. The last blast is clearly a quick final blowing of the trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:52.

Finally, Bible Presbyterians can understand Matthew 24:31 as depicting the rapture, and not the visible Second Coming of Christ. But the verse before it obviously describes a visible Coming of Christ, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30, emphasis mine).” A literal interpretation of Matthew 24:30 does not allow a secret rapture in this verse.

In his defense of the posttribulational view, Robert Gundry writes:

“Posttribulationists equate the rapture with the gathering of the elect by angels at the sound of a trumpet (Matt. 24:31). The Lukan parallel supports the equation, for there Jesus says, “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). The posttribulational view gains further support from parallel terminology in Paul’s Thessalonian discussion of the Church’s rapture, where we read of a trumpet, clouds, and a gathering of believers just as in the Olivet Discourse (1 Thess. 4:16, 17; 2 Thess. 2:1).”^[11]

Kim Riddlebarger explains that “the trumpet call of God was an important theme in Paul’s writings, for the trumpet will announce the long-expected day of resurrection.”^[12] If the exegete understands the term “trumpet” as a parallel terminology in apocalyptic literature, and that it forms an essential key in understanding prophetic passages, the consistent literalist will inevitably arrive at a posttribulational view of the rapture.

In conclusion, the Scriptures, and especially the Apostle Paul, do not divide the Second Coming of Christ into a secret coming and a subsequent visible coming. There is only one Second Coming of Christ. In his book Prophecy and the Church, Oswald T. Allis aptly summarizes the issue at hand:

“The question which confronts us is this. If the distinction between the rapture and the appearing is of as great moment as Dispensationalists assert, how are we to explain Paul’s failure to distinguish clearly between them? And the failure of other writers, Peter, James, and John, to do the same? Paul was a logician. He was able to draw sharp distinctions. If he had wanted, or regarded it important, to distinguish between these events, he could have done so very easily. Why did he use language which Dispensationalists must admit to be confusing? [Charles] Feinberg recently made the following surprising statement regarding the three words we have been discussing [namely, “revelation” (ἀποκάλυψις), “appearing” (ἐπιφάνεια), and “coming” (παρουσία)]: “We conclude, then, that from a study of the Greek words themselves the distinctions between the coming of the Lord for His saints and with His saints is not to be gleaned.” Such an admission raises the question whether the distinction itself is valid. If the distinction is of importance, Paul’s ambiguous language is, we say it reverently, inexcusable. If the distinction is negligible, accuracy of statement would be quite unnecessary. We conclude, therefore, that the language of the New Testament and especially of Paul not merely fails to prove the distinction insisted on by Dispensationalists but rather by its very ambiguity indicates clearly and unmistakably that no such distinction exists.”^[13]

 References

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[1] Robert H. Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation: A Biblical Examination of Post-Tribulationism (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1973), 29. Gundry provides us with a detailed critique of the doctrine of imminence in chapter 3 of his book.

[2] This is especially true if one rejects the Preterist’s understanding of the Olivet Discourse. See Gundry’s book The Church and the Tribulation: A Biblical Examination of Post-Tribulationism for a discussion of the immense problems of pretribulationism. Given the fact that Gundry is a premillennial scholar, the book is both accessible and irenic for dispensationalist readers. Gundry discusses the Olivet Discourse in pp. 129-139. Also see George Eldon Ladd, The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1956).

[3] The “time of Jacob’s trouble” refers to the Great Tribulation according to Dispensationalists. See Oswald T. Allis, Prophecy and the Church (Philipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1969; reprint, Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2001), 209. Allis wrote: “Jeremiah xxx. 7 speaks of a day which is called “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” It is described as “great,” so that there is “none like it.” It is difficult to see in this verse any definite reference to the great tribulation. “Great” may be used in the sense of “long” (great in length); and this is favored by the word “time” which follows. This prophecy was probably uttered before the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. There is no reason for believing that it refers exclusively to a brief period of three and a half years which are still wholly future.”

[4] Louis A. Barbieri, Jr. is the former Dean of Students and Assistant Professor of Bible Exposition, Dallas Theological Seminary (1976-1986).

[5] Louis A. Barbieri, Jr., “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983), 78.

[6] Jeffrey Khoo, First Corinthians (Singapore: Far Eastern Bible College, n.d.), 60. These are printed course notes used in Far Eastern Bible College. Available from http://www.febc.edu.sg/assets/pdfs/studyresource/FirstCor.pdf; Internet; accessed 12 April 2006.

[7] Timothy Tow, The Story of My Bible-Presbyterian Faith (Singapore: Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1999), 15. Dr Tow is the Principal and Lecturer in Systematic Theology in Far Eastern Bible College.

[8] See Khoo, First Corinthians, 60

[9] David K. Lowery, “1 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983), 545-546. David K. Lowery was at that time the Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.

[10] Vern Poythress dedicates an entire chapter of his book Understanding Dispensationalists to discuss this issue of “the last trumpet.” See Vern S. Poythress, Understanding Dispensationalists, 2d. ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co, 1987), 71-77. I am indebted to Poythress for some profitable insights.

[11] Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation, 135.

[12] Kim Riddlebarger, A Case for Amillennialism (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Co, 2003), 176.

[13] Allis, Prophecy and the Church, 184-185, quoting Charles Lee Feinberg, Premillennialism or Amillennialism? (Winona Lake, IN: BMH, 1980), 207. Feinberg is a noted dispensationalist scholar.