In Defense of the Faith

An Unbiblical “Escape Theory”?

Question:  To imagine that the church will be taken to heaven before the Antichrist appears and takes power and the prophesied seven-year tribulation period begins is a delusion, in my opinion. Christ said we would suffer for His sake. The pre-trib rapture teaching seems to offer an unbiblical escape from that suffering. Why should a certain segment of the church be allowed to escape its allotted suffering?

Response: Where does it say that the tribulation under Antichrist is allotted to that fraction of the church that happens to be alive when Antichrist takes power? And why should a certain segment of the church be required to endure suffering at the hands of the Antichrist that no other Christians experienced?

Of course, it could be so. Depending upon their time and place in history, different segments of the church have suffered trials and persecutions varying in both kind and intensity. Believers here in the United States, for example, have never (at least until now) been called upon to endure the horrors faced by those who for centuries were tortured and killed in the Inquisitions. Nor did those who were burned at the state endure the years of imprisonment and slow death by hard labor and starvations that befell millions under Stalin, Hitler, or Mao. But what does the Bible say concerning the church and Antichrist?

There are several clear statements in Scripture that tell us plainly that the church will not be on earth when Antichrist takes power. First of all, the early church was undoubtedly living in expectancy of Christ’s imminent appearing: “from whence [heaven] we look for the Savior” (Philippians:3:20For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
See All...); “ye turned to God …to wait for his Son from Heaven” (1 Thessalonians:1:9For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
See All...,10); “Looking for…the glorious appearing of…our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus:2:13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
See All...); “unto them that look for him shall he appear” (Hebrews:9:28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
See All...); etc. If the Antichrist had to come first, it would make no sense to be waiting and looking for Christ.

This expectancy of His imminent return was first taught by Christ himself, who also associated any thought of a delay in His coming with evil:

Let your loins be girded about , and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord…that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately….be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not (Luke:12:35Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
See All...,36,40).

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming… (Matthew:24:48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
See All...).