Judy
Member
Critique of Pastor Chuck Smith's Rapture Position
(Since anyone can make assumptions, the only real test is Scripture. Does Pastor Smith offer explicit Scripture or indirect and implied assumptions based on similarities in Scripture to defend his rapture position? Let’s find out.
Pastor Smith’s whole argument stands or falls on one point: Is the Great Tribulation the wrath of God or the wrath of Satan/Antichrist? Pastor Smith assumes that the great tribulation is the wrath of God. He does not show one passage of Scripture to support this assumption.)
The Tribulation and the Church
by Chuck Smith
Introduction
1. The Two Tribulations
2. The 70 Weeks
3. The Rapture of the Church
4. In the Book of Revelation
5. The Restraining Force
6. The Trumpets
7. The First Resurrection
8. Watch and be Ready
9. The Time of the End
10. Preparation
"...For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Matthew 24:21
Jesus answering the question, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?"
Introduction
Can you imagine 50-pound chunks of ice falling out of the sky? Can you conceive of the devastation from a hailstorm with hailstones weighing 50 pounds? Where would you hide? How could you be safe? The hailstones would rip through the roof of your house as if it was paper. They would flatten your automobile. The hail would destroy and level almost everything. What could stand up under that kind of bombardment?
Can you picture the Sierra Nevada mountain range suddenly dropping to 5,000 feet below sea level? The Pacific Ocean would come rushing in to fill the resulting great canyon. How could anyone on the West Coast escape? What would happen to the millions of people?
Can you conceive of a time when people couldn't die? Perhaps their bodies would be mangled in a plane crash, yet their spirits would refuse to leave.
They'd have to remain in a maimed condition for six months, waiting for death.
Such events will soon take place upon the earth. God will pour out His wrath upon the world and His judgment upon the men who have rejected His plan of salvation. From the prophecies that are being fulfilled on the earth today we believe that this Great Tribulation will begin soon.
There's a debate in theological circles as to whether or not the Church will be here when God's wrath is unleashed upon the earth. Many are saying the Church must go through this time period of judgment known as the Great Tribulation. (Primary assumption: the wrath of God and “the Great Tribulation†are the same. Whether in ignorance or a blatant attempt to prejudice the reader, Pastor Smith is very misleading. While posttribbers teach that the church is on the earth during the Great Tribulation, they teach that the church is protected from God’s wrath. Therefore, I am not sure of whom Pastor Smith speaks, here.) They speak disparagingly of the blessed hope that Christ will come for His Church before God's judgments are loosed upon the earth. Since they maintain that there's to be no escape for the Church, they make the prayer Christ encouraged us to pray in Luke 21:36 meaningless. (This is an assumption without biblical support. More importantly, this same information is regarded as written to Jews in Matthew, but to the Church in Luke. This is an excellent example of having your cake and eating it too. To avoid contradictions, the pretribber must be consistent. Therefore, nothing in Matthew, Mark and Luke refers to the rapture because the Olivet Discourse is not written to the church, but to Israel.)
The purpose of this book is to examine the biblical reasons why I feel the Church will not be here during the Great Tribulation. (I am sure that “I feel†is editorial liberty. It implies the possibility that he may be wrong.)
You can find the whole article here http://www.prewrathrapture.com/2006/06/ ... apture.php
(Since anyone can make assumptions, the only real test is Scripture. Does Pastor Smith offer explicit Scripture or indirect and implied assumptions based on similarities in Scripture to defend his rapture position? Let’s find out.
Pastor Smith’s whole argument stands or falls on one point: Is the Great Tribulation the wrath of God or the wrath of Satan/Antichrist? Pastor Smith assumes that the great tribulation is the wrath of God. He does not show one passage of Scripture to support this assumption.)
The Tribulation and the Church
by Chuck Smith
Introduction
1. The Two Tribulations
2. The 70 Weeks
3. The Rapture of the Church
4. In the Book of Revelation
5. The Restraining Force
6. The Trumpets
7. The First Resurrection
8. Watch and be Ready
9. The Time of the End
10. Preparation
"...For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Matthew 24:21
Jesus answering the question, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?"
Introduction
Can you imagine 50-pound chunks of ice falling out of the sky? Can you conceive of the devastation from a hailstorm with hailstones weighing 50 pounds? Where would you hide? How could you be safe? The hailstones would rip through the roof of your house as if it was paper. They would flatten your automobile. The hail would destroy and level almost everything. What could stand up under that kind of bombardment?
Can you picture the Sierra Nevada mountain range suddenly dropping to 5,000 feet below sea level? The Pacific Ocean would come rushing in to fill the resulting great canyon. How could anyone on the West Coast escape? What would happen to the millions of people?
Can you conceive of a time when people couldn't die? Perhaps their bodies would be mangled in a plane crash, yet their spirits would refuse to leave.
They'd have to remain in a maimed condition for six months, waiting for death.
Such events will soon take place upon the earth. God will pour out His wrath upon the world and His judgment upon the men who have rejected His plan of salvation. From the prophecies that are being fulfilled on the earth today we believe that this Great Tribulation will begin soon.
There's a debate in theological circles as to whether or not the Church will be here when God's wrath is unleashed upon the earth. Many are saying the Church must go through this time period of judgment known as the Great Tribulation. (Primary assumption: the wrath of God and “the Great Tribulation†are the same. Whether in ignorance or a blatant attempt to prejudice the reader, Pastor Smith is very misleading. While posttribbers teach that the church is on the earth during the Great Tribulation, they teach that the church is protected from God’s wrath. Therefore, I am not sure of whom Pastor Smith speaks, here.) They speak disparagingly of the blessed hope that Christ will come for His Church before God's judgments are loosed upon the earth. Since they maintain that there's to be no escape for the Church, they make the prayer Christ encouraged us to pray in Luke 21:36 meaningless. (This is an assumption without biblical support. More importantly, this same information is regarded as written to Jews in Matthew, but to the Church in Luke. This is an excellent example of having your cake and eating it too. To avoid contradictions, the pretribber must be consistent. Therefore, nothing in Matthew, Mark and Luke refers to the rapture because the Olivet Discourse is not written to the church, but to Israel.)
The purpose of this book is to examine the biblical reasons why I feel the Church will not be here during the Great Tribulation. (I am sure that “I feel†is editorial liberty. It implies the possibility that he may be wrong.)
You can find the whole article here http://www.prewrathrapture.com/2006/06/ ... apture.php
