Popcorn, Not Parachutes

Since systematic exposition of relevant biblical texts and regular sermons on eschatology and the Christian’s one hope has not seemed to do the trick, I have decided to try a more direct approach. The doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture is not true. It is not taught in the Bible. It is, in fact, contrary to a number of things the Bible says clearly. It is a false hope, heterodox and unhelpful, even if not damnable. Some of you, no doubt, will disagree, and that is fine. We all will be mistaken about some things, and there are worse errors one might cling to than the pre-trib rapture. But it really is not serving you well. It has misplaced your hope in adversity, misled your priorities in the culture war, and caused you to miss the robust joy and cheerfulness you might have otherwise had in what God is doing at the present time. You think God packed you a parachute, but what you really need is a bag of popcorn.

No one in the history of the Church ever believed in a secret Rapture of the Church before John Nelson Darby suggested it in 1830. Dispensational scholars have tried to establish the doctrine’s pre-Darby provenance, but they read Church history anachronistically to do so. The Church’s hope has never been to escape from the present world. Such an idea is Gnostic, not orthodox. The Church’s hope was always to see the gospel of God’s glory fill the earth and to see Jesus return to raise the dead and judge the world. This is the one hope we have in Christ, not to avoid tribulation but to overcome it.

The pre-tribulation Rapture is a pious blasphemy, the belief God will withdraw his army from the battlefield before returning to recapture it. But this is not what the Bible teaches. The gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church (Matt. 16:18). That does not mean the Church will survive the Enemy’s onslaught; it means the gates of death and darkness will not withstand the Church’s campaign. Christ is not playing defense. The Church is always on offense. Even when she seems to be overrun by her enemies, time proves the sovereign Commander was acting strategically. We are not looking forward to getting out of here. We are to look around with excitement at what the Lord is doing.

An expectation of extraction rarely produces feats of gallantry. The soldier who believes his ride is on the way is more likely to keep his head down until help arrives. Christians are not waiting for angelic aviators in heavenly helicopters to airlift us out of here. Pentecost was the redemptive-historical equivalent of D-Day. Spirit-filled preachers landed on the shores of enemy-held territory and announced the King’s army had arrived. It was not a raid, but an invasion and the hosts of heaven will continue pushing forward until the coward in the bunker finally falls. This one will not escape his fate by putting a bullet in his head. He has a cell reserved in the lake of fire, and there will be no escape. There is no plan B, no retreat, no surrender. Soldiers die as they disembark the assault boats, and the enemy’s machine guns are well-placed and may seem impregnable. But the Lord did not send us here only to turn around. To adapt a pop culture reference, “We’re Christians; we’re supposed to be surrounded.”

Many believers are sure they will soon disappear, and all of the wicked will be left behind. This might seem comforting, but it is not what the Bible teaches. It misinterprets prophecy, misplaces hope, and misdirects priorities. We are not preparing to withdraw; we are commanded to press forward. We are not pulling out but digging in. Build houses, plant gardens, get married, have babies, go to Church, sing the psalms, and catechize your children. “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”

Eschatology, pretrib