@Jackfists,
I have to talk about the seven years in between the first and second phases of Christ's return according to pre-trib and
dispensationalism which I have a thread on.
Since biblically Jesus is not coming back in two phases where do the seven years of tribulation come from? They take it from the book of Daniel and completely take it out of context. In
Daniel 9:24-27 God made a daring prophecy concerning the probation of the nation of Israel. He said to Daniel,
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people ... to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins" (
verse 24). God was going to allow Daniel's people seventy weeks to see what they would do with the Messiah when He appeared. The seventy weeks are prophetic time, and each day represents a literal year (
Ezekiel 4:6). So the seventy weeks would be a literal period of 490 years. Of the the last week which is seven years, Daniel wrote,
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times" (
verse 25). Messiah the Prince is Jesus Christ. Daniel wrote that He would be anointed after sixty-nine prophetic weeks.
Then
Daniel 9:27 tells us,
"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." The midst of the week would be three and a half prophetic days (literal years) from His baptism. And according to the Bible, the ministry of Jesus lasted for three and a half years. When Jesus was crucified. The veil of the temple was torn in two (
Matthew 27:51), signifying the end of sacrifices. The Jews had a system of ceremonial law in which represented Jesus' ministry and death. For example animals had to be killed by the sinner for the forgiveness of sins. When Christ died in our place for our sins all that was done away with. The Bible tells us Jesus died once and for all for all our sins (
Hebrews 9:28) and he became our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary which the earthly sanctuary was based on (
Hebrews 4:14-16). So by His death Jesus caused
"the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Another three and a half years that brought the 70 week (490 years) cut off for the Jews to an end. During that last three and a half years the disciples laboured largely for the Jews. But the Jews had rejected the gospel message and the Messiah and were no longer God's chosen people.
The rapturists get their seven years' tribulation by lifting that seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy and shoving it far into the future during Christ's second coming when its really about Christ's ministry and death and the end of an era for the Jews as a chosen nation. The gospel was taken around the world and all who chose/choose Christ would be/will be chosen regardless of race or nation including Jews. That is the New Covenant teaching. The apostles especially Paul took the gospel to the Gentiles so they can be saved because Jesus died for all mankind. It was always His plan that the gospel be preached around the world.
Biblically there is going to be a tribulation in this world but its going to happen before Jesus returns the second time. The rapture doctrine teaches that the righteous will be snatched away before the tribulation but that is not biblical at all.
This is from my thread about the
second coming of Christ.
"It is true that a terrible tribulation is coming and will cover the earth just before Jesus returns to deliver His people. Daniel described it as
“a time of trouble, such as never was” (
Daniel 12:1). This time of trouble will happen before Jesus returns and the righteous will be right here on earth during the tribulation according to the Bible. The living righteous/God's people will be protected from the plagues that will be going on around them in the world but they will right here on earth.
Revelation 16:1-15 talks about the six plagues that are poured out and during the sixth plague Jesus says in
verse 15, "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” What sense would it make to declare that, if He had already come as a thief before the plagues were poured out? And lets not forget that when Jesus comes back He will be coming back for both the righteous dead and living (
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). They won't be in heaven before the tribulation therefore.
Revelation 15:8 declares,
"and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed." The heavenly temple is heaven and we know Jesus is coming back for the righteous to take them with Him back to heaven. So they won't enter until after the seven plagues have been poured out on earth which is in complete harmony with God's Word."
The rapture doctrine also teaches that the people left on earth will have a second chance to choose Christ during the seven year tribulation.
The parables of Jesus do not give the impression that anyone will get a second chance during the tribulation. They make it plain that the Second Coming of Jesus is a divine climactic event—men and women will be either saved or lost. There will be no seven-year period to reconsider our lives. Now is the day of salvation (
2 Corinthians 6:2).
In
Matthew 13:30, both the wheat and the tares (the followers and rejecters of God) grow together until the harvest. The followers are saved and the rejecters are lost.
In the parable of the unfaithful servant, there is no second chance. The unfaithful are lost when the Lord of the household comes unexpectedly.
In the parable of the sheep and goats, men and women are either saved or lost when Jesus comes.
Plus
Revelation 22:11-12 says,
"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me." When Jesus returns the second time, He will be returning with rewards for everyone. Everyone's destiny will have been decided and no one is going to get a second chance after that.
There are more questions and answers about the falseness of the rapture doctrine
here if you want to read more about it. Only scripture is used to make the point.
As I posted before the rapture as taught in most of Christendom and is very popular based on dispensationalist teaching is not biblical at all. Neither does it harmonise with the Bible because a lot of what it teaches is not even found in the Bible and then the rest is misinterpreted to fall in line with its false teaching.
