Preterism is one of today’s most popular views of the end times; it’s popularity among Christian leaders and pastors continues to grow.
In this article, I demonstrate the falseness of this belief with five egregious errors of preterism.
Don’t Be Deceived: The Rapture Happens First
In recent years, however, the Greek Word apostasia, translated “falling away” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, has received heightened scrutiny with many regarding this as a reference to the Rapture.
Can we justify interpreting the word as a physical departure such as would point to Jesus’ appearing to take us back to heaven? I believe we can.
Refuting the Scoffers
Once you say that you believe in the Rapture, the scoffers will invariably counter with this question, “How can believe something that no one believed until the late 1800’s?”
In this post, I provide evidence from church history showing that a belief in the Rapture existed long before the nineteenth century. I present this information so that you might have confidence should someone use this to attack your belief.
Continuing the Reformation
While Scripture alone must be our sole source for faith and practice, the study of church history does serve a couple useful purposes. First, it helps us understand the historical background for what we believe. And second, it refutes those who use church history against what we believe. This last point is especially true in the realm of future things.
The scoffers of our day love to tell us that no one believed like we do until the late nineteenth century.
A Biblical Case for the Pretribulation Rapture
Jesus is coming for His saints, for us, before the start of this awful period in human history.
In the points below, I review the previous signposts that have led to our destination. I believe that combined they provide a solid scriptural foundation for placing the rapture before the start of the day of the Lord.
Pretribulation Rapture Signpost #9: Church History
This brings us to our next signpost on the path to establishing a biblical basis for the pretribulation rapture: church history. The purpose of this signpost is not to justify our belief in the pretribulation rapture on the basis of history nor is it to convince those who reject it on this faulty basis.
Rather, my intent is to provide those who already believe in the rapture with evidence of a belief in it from church history.
The Rapture in Church History
What did the early church believe about the rapture? Is there evidence that some believed Jesus would take His church out of the world before a time of tribulation?
Of course, we must base our beliefs on the words of Scripture, which is our only sure guide. But because the our belief is relentlessly mocked is something that cannot be true because no one in the early church believed it, I provide evidence to the contrary.
Is Belief in the Rapture Relatively New?
Those who oppose our beliefs in a pretribulation rapture fill up social media and the Internet with stories mocking the rapture as something no one believed until the nineteenth century. They discredit it based on its recent appearance in the life of the church.
So, is our belief in the rapture relatively new in church history? No, absolutely not! As will see in the following sections, saints in the early days of the church looked for Jesus’ appearing to take away His church ahead of a time of tribulation on the earth. The doctrine existed long before people began calling it “the rapture” during the 1800’s.
Should We Still Be Watching?
Most people disdain the whole idea; many Christians regard it as an out of date belief.
“Who really believes in the Rapture anyway?” some ask. “Why should I put my hope in something that no one believed until the nineteenth century? Why would anyone look for something that only recently appeared in the long history of the church?”