With many combatants coming back from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan there is a need for ministry and pastoral care from a Biblical perspective. Too often Chaplains have relegated care for our emotionally scarred warriors to the secular mental health professionals. While all truth is God's truth and there are aspects of psychology which can help our young men and women, we as Chaplains must not shirk our duty in providing answers to our troops from a Theological point of view. Ron Benzing's article "God's Plan For Strength" addresses the need to help our military "flock" with spiritual lessons found in the book of Isaiah.
The second article is a two part study on different views of the Biblical doctrine known as the "Tribulation." Chaplain Steven Harrelson brings his study to light in this article which first features the "Pre-Tribulation" view. Next months' article will complete the whole study of both the "Mid" and "Post" Tribulation position. No matter what eschatological position you personally may have, sit back, read and enjoy the fact that as Christians we can come and reason together for the glory of Jesus Christ. God bless.
BIBLE CHURCH OF STUTTGART
By Ron Benzing (COL, US Army, Ret)
God’s Plan for Strength
Isaiah 40:27-31
I recently saw an ad in
our local Stuttgart military paper for Resiliency Training. It read:
ACS offers a class in maintaining
balance to improve happiness. I went
online to read more about the vision and mission of this program on which US
Army has spent millions of dollars. I learned
there are 5 Dimensions of Strength. One
of them is Spiritual – strengthening a
set of beliefs, principles, or values that sustain a person beyond family,
institutional, and societal sources of strength. Having spent many years in the Army, I could
readily see the carefully, crafted words used in this explanation. Resilience seems to be the name of the game
and I’m not sure the Lord has any place in it.
Being
identified as a “Bible thumper” in my active duty days, I immediately went to
my Bible to look for resiliency. Of course, I failed to find the word in any
translation. But what I did find was a
concept given to Israel by the Prophet Isaiah.
You can read it in Isaiah 40:31
– But they that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run
and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. May I delve into that verse with
you?
I learned in
seminary centuries ago, when you see the words but or therefore, stop and
ask the question, What is it there for? What
is the context of this often-quoted verse?
PLIGHT OF GOD’S PEOPLE. Instead of learning lessons from what happened
to their brethren in Northern Israel, the same rapid, national decline also
threatened Judea to the south. Spirituality replaced true godliness. External rituals overcame internal
piety. Selfishness overtook
self-sacrifice. In both the religious
and national life of the nation, weakness ruled. The people feared that God was hiding His face
from them. Isaiah posed the question in 40:27: why sayest thou, O Jacob and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the
LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? There was plenty of religion around Jerusalem
but not much relationship with the Holy One of Israel. The people of God were weak and faint because
they did not remember the character of their God. They lost their resiliency!
When military members return home
from deployments, where do they find help to build back or strengthen the
important relationships with family and friends? Who is there to understand or offer
assistance? Do programs like Resilency
Training really help? Some have
criticized this training as another way for the military to substitute a
program instead of real help. Since I
have not experienced the training, I will not speak to its effectiveness. I was
not aware of any programs when I returned from Viet Nam in 1969. We chaplains were told to refer soldiers who
were experiencing battle stress to the mental health experts. Most of my soldiers refused to admit a
problem fearing their health records would be used against them. We knew men who did seek professional help
and ended up on the psych ward at the local military facility. I visited some and found them walking
zombies, overdosed with drugs and attending questionable group therapy
sessions. (Some of which I experienced at Lettermen Hospital in San Fransisco
during a short course in CPE in 1971.
It’s time to get back to the
Bible. I believe resiliency (renewing
strength) begins when a person lifts his eyes upward. Vivid memories of traumatic experiences can
haunt one for many years. Future
deployments can bring fear. Both these
reactions result in spiritual weakness and lack of strength. Notice the Prophet’s answer to this problem.
PROCESS OF RESILIENCY FOR GOD’S PEOPLE.
But they that wait on the Lord
shall renew their strength. These
words were primarily written to God’s people.
But the promise of help for the unsaved as well as believers offers an
opportunity to present the Gospel. Leading
unbelieving men and women to faith in Christ is where renewal can begin. Paul said, If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things passed away,
behold all things become new (2 Cor 5:17). There is spiritual healing
as a result of the finished work of Christ.
Real Knowledge of God. First, the prophet declared the process began
with a real knowledge of God. The two
questions of verse 28 are answered clearly by reminding the readers of the
strength and power of Jehovah. He is the
Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator, One Who never wearies, and is
omniscient. Could this God provide
resiliency for a weary and powerless soldier?
According to Isaiah the answer is YES.
Verse 29 reads: He gives strength to the weary, And to him
who lacks might He increases power.
I can’t help but think of the invitation of the Lord Jesus in Matthew
11:28-30: Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and
learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden
is light.
Unfortunately some military men and
women want to find fault with God for the horrors of war. They blame Him for the evil in the
world. My uncle returned from WWII with
that attitude. His unit helped free some
of the emaciated Jews from Dachau Concentration Camp. Several years after the war my dad became a
Christian and witnessed to his brother.
His reply, How can I believe in a
god who would allow these atrocities to happen to innocent people? I heard the same kinds of remarks from Viet
Nam veterans who were still angry over the unspeakable tragedies of war. Blaming God instead of knowing who God doesn’t
help. He has made Himself known in His
special revelation, the Bible. This is
where Isaiah pointed his readers.
Reality of Human Weakness. Second,
Isaiah realized the reality of human weaknesses. Combat veterans with multiple deployments can
grow weary and tired (v.30) and vigorous, healthy, and motivated youth can
stumble badly (v.30). These are the
consequences of our human frailty and a fallen world. The effects of sin are traumatic. Combat situations make these effects
unforgettable. The smell of blood,
sweat, and the cries of the wounded and dying leave permanent impressions on
the mind. Multiple memorial services
conducted by chaplains drain the strength out of the most spiritually healthy
pastor in uniform. Sometimes even we can
be tempted to ask God, Why?
I performed memorial services for
over 135 men in one year in Viet Nam.
When I first arrived, I didn’t know these soldiers, but as time passed,
I became friends with many. Some had
trusted Christ during my field services and then died within hours or
days. My heart broke when I stood before
their fellow Infantrymen to recall the ultimate sacrifice of Bob, Bruce, Larry
and many others. Even my battalion
commander was killed in action. All
these horrors siphon our strength. How
can the soldier, commander or chaplain be renewed?
Reliance on the Lord. The
great prophet unfolded the answer in verse 41.
The war-weary soldier has to wait for the Lord. If there is one thing soldiers detest, it’s
waiting. Hurry up and wait has been the practice of the military for decades. Have you noticed how often the military
requires its members to arrive in the early hours of the morning to actually
deploy much later in the day?
Waiting!
The waiting required by Isaiah is
not complaining and finger-tapping impatience.
Keil and Delitsch commentary wrote: those
who wait, ie, those who believe in Him; for the Old Testament applies to faith a
number of synonyms denoting trust, hope, and longing…The Psalmist said, Wait
for the Lord; be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I
say, on the Lord (Psalm 27:14).
The Lord rewards those rely on Him for
strength. Dr. Martin-Lloyd Jones in his
book The All Sufficient God wrote:
And we can go further: here in
verse 31 Isaiah gives a detailed description of the working of God’s strength
and power within the Christian. First,
His power is sufficient for every task and for every trial that may confront us
in life. Secondly, it is sufficient for
every stage of our lives. Thirdly,
Christ has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us, and he will
never fail us.
Isaiah enumerated God’s provision
for the weary person who would seek Him.
First, they gain new strength. Secondly,
they mount up with wings as eagles. I
understand eagles molt their tattered and damaged feathers thereby renewing
their strength of flight with fresh feathers.
Eagles have strength in their long broad wings and are able to soar and
glide even in turbulent winds, while other smaller birds have to constantly
flap their wings. They climb to the
heights far above the earth. When the
strong winds of emotional and spiritual weakness blow against the struggling
soul, the Lord promises renewed power not only to endure but to soar in
victory.
The Prophet presented another
promise but it seems anticlimactic.
Soaring as eagles sounds awe inspiring.
But how does running and not being
weary lift the soul of the soldier? I wonder how many miles the average soldier
runs in his career? Running demands
endurance. I remember at Ft. Dix, New
Jersey how often the young recruits in Basic Training ran out of steam because
they had little endurance. After several
weeks of physical training, that changed dramatically. Looking to the Lord must be an ongoing practice
of spiritual discipline which affects the down-to-earth routines of life. Daily reading and meditating on the Word of
God is vitally important. Communing with
the Lord in prayer encourages the personal relationship.
Finally, the Prophet assures: they
shall walk and not faint. Walking?
The word is used in the Bible to describe the way of a person’s
life. Perhaps if refers here to the
person who has strength renewed so that he can keep walking in the way that
pleases God while resulting in the best in life for him. When the military conducts road marches for
the Light Infantry, it means miles and miles of walking and carrying a heavy
ruck sack. I remember on a road march
one of the soldiers was injured. Another
man picked up his rucksack and carried it the rest of the way. Cast
thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee, writes the Psalmist in
55:12. The Apostle Peter reminds us of
that truth in his Epistle, Casting all
you care upon Him, for He careth for you (I Peter 5:7). Jesus is there to bear the burden. Others are there to assist as Paul wrote in
Galatians 6:2: Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
In
conclusion, I am not suggesting the military abandon Resiliency Training. Like many other programs, it contains some
valuable lessons. What I am suggesting
is that the Bible is the best resource for true and lasting strength renewal (resilency). It reaches down in to the heart from where
the issues of life come forth. It is
there where God’s power is needed, promised, and provided and chaplains have
the “rest of the story” to present.
AN
EXAMINATION OF THE THREE MAIN RAPTURE THEORIES
BY STEVEN L.
HARRELSON
Scripture tells us that before
His passion, Jesus told His disciples: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
(John 14:3, NKJV). A time is coming when this promise of the Lord will be kept,
but it is important to note how He will come. Concerning Eschatology,
there are various opinions related to the return of Jesus Christ to the Earth.
Some Christians, such as Charles Hodge and J.I. Packer, believe that there is
one physical return of Christ which is accompanied by a general resurrection
and judgment. Others believe that the return of Christ comes in different
phases. Furthermore, most fundamental Christians believe that there is a
distinction between the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ. Dispensational
theology teaches that there are two phases to the Second Coming of Christ; one
is the Rapture and the other is the return of Jesus to establish His earthly
reign. Between these two phases is the Seventieth Week of Daniel otherwise
known as the Tribulation.
The Rapture is the “catching away”
of believers to the third Heaven. This involves the translation of living and
deceased Christians. For those who see a distinction, and hold to a literal
rapture, there are some important questions that must be answered. First, what
are the views concerning the timing of the Rapture? Second, what are the
theological implications of these views? Third, what is the Scriptural support
for each of them? Fourth, which viewpoint is the most consistent overall? This
research paper will answer these questions, and it will attempt to prove that
the theory known as the Pre-tribulation Rapture is the most biblical.
The Pretribulation Rapture Theory
What does pretribulationism mean?
Dwight Pentecost provides a helpful answer to this question: “The church, the
body of Christ, in its entirety, will, by resurrection and translation, be
removed from the earth before any part of the seventieth week of Daniel begins”[1].
The building block for this position is interpreting the Bible literally. Pretribulationism
is the natural result of Classic Dispensational reasoning of the Scriptures.
There are many components that make
up the belief system of pretribulation rapturists. They believe that the
rapture of the Church must occur before the seventieth week of Daniel begins.
They believe that the Church and Israel are two distinct groups with two
distinct programs. In addition, the pretribulationist teaches that the Church
is a mystery that was unknown in the Old Testament. Because of Israel’s
rejection of Jesus Christ as their Messiah, God’s program for Israel has been
put on hold until the last soul has been added to the body of Christ. Along
with these main ideas, there are beliefs concerning the removal of the
Restrainer, the identity of the twenty-four elders, the Kingdom population, and
the placement of judgments, the marriage, and the marriage feast of the Lamb.
There are quite a few Scriptures
that support this Rapture theory. “Because
you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of
trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the
earth.” (Revelation 3:10, NKJV). There
is an hour of trial, a time of testing that is coming to our planet known as
the tribulation period. According to this verse, believers will be spared this
testing. Ryrie points out that the phrase (tereso
ek tes horas), which is translated keep from, has in it the idea of an
outward, not an inward preservation. Also it is worth noting that this verse is
not talking about the trials themselves, but the hour as a whole[2].
When commenting on this verse he says:
But how clear and plain the promise is: ‘I…will keep you
from the hour of testing’. Not from just any persecution, but the coming time
that will affect the whole earth. The only way to escape worldwide trouble is
not to be on the earth. And the only way to escape the time when events take
place is not to be in a place where time ticks on. The only place that meets
those qualifications is heaven.
So according to Revelation 3:10, the entire body of Christ
will be kept completely out of the entire time of testing which is the
tribulation period or the seventieth week of Daniel. Since the other views
would have believers to endure this hour of trial, it seems that the
pretribulation view is more biblical.
Another interesting Scripture is 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18. In
this passage it is obvious from the context that the believers in Thessalonica
were confused about the specifics of the resurrection and how the rapture tied
in with their loved ones who were already deceased.
They
wondered if the living would have it better than the Christian dead. So Paul
writes addressing their concerns so that they would not be uninformed about how
things fit together. Furthermore, according to Pentecost, the believers were
sorrowful for those who had died already because they would miss the blessing
of this return of Jesus in the air. This return of Jesus was a blessing and
they were afraid that their Christian dead would miss it. He argues that if
they were awaiting the church to experience the seventieth week of Daniel or
the tribulation, they would be glad for their deceased loved ones because they
would not endure it[3]. Ryrie comments that there is a distinction in
subjects in chapters four and five of 1 Thessalonians. In chapter four, Paul
writes about the rapture and in chapter five, he speaks of the Day of the Lord[4].
Having established that there is a
distinction between these two chapters, what is the emphasis of chapter five?
The answer is found in verse nine: “For
God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ,” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, NKJV).
This is important because the Church is a mystery in the Old
Testament and there are no prophecies related to the rapture. There are many
prophecies related to the Day of the Lord and that is why Paul comments that
they already knew about it. The connection becomes clear. In the previous
chapter he gives them information they did not have about the Rapture and
clears up their thinking by contrasting it with what they already knew. This is
a powerful argument for a pretribulational Rapture. In chapter four he
describes the blessed hope that believers have in the rapture and in the next
chapter he writes about the darkness of the tribulation period. As believers,
the Thessalonians needed to conduct their lives as Christians honorably in
light of the fact that they had not been appointed to wrath but rather salvation
through Christ.
There are other arguments that
favor the pretribulationist view of the rapture. The first is the seventieth
week of Daniel. According to Pentecost there are two purposes to the seventieth
week. The first is to try the “earth dwellers” mentioned in Revelation 3:10. He
notes that the same expression is used in Revelation 6:10; 11:10; 13:8; 12; 14;
14:6 and 17:8. In these verses, John is not talking about the location, but
rather it is a moral description. Christians are often referred to as pilgrims
and strangers and the idea here is a permanent home. It cannot be speaking of
the church since the church does not consider earth to be its home. The second
purpose of Daniel’s seventieth week is to prepare Israel for the coming of
their King. He quotes Mark 9:12-13 which tells of Elias preparing the way for
the Second Advent of our Lord[5].
So if these two arguments are considered, there is no reason for the church to
be there because of the believer’s standing in Christ. When God sees the
Christian, He sees the very righteousness of Christ; what is the purpose for
testing someone who does not call earth home and is positionally righteous?
For the Church to experience the
tribulation period, the church would need to be redefined. So what is the
nature of the church? The believer is brought into relationship, into union
with Jesus Christ. The tribulation period is a time when the wrath of God will
be poured out on mankind. When Christ died on the cross, He endured the wrath
of God as He was made a sin offering. The praise of every child of God is the
fact that Jesus took their punishment and endured their wrath for them. If the
church goes through the tribulation, must they endure the wrath of God anyway? As
stated earlier, the believer is brought into union with Christ. “If the church
is in the seventieth week, she is subjected to the wrath, judgment, and
indignation which characterizes the period, and because of her oneness with
Christ, He likewise, would be subjected to that same visitation. This is
impossible according to I John 4:17, for He cannot be brought into judgment
again”[6].
Furthermore, it is important to note the difference between the programs that
God has for all saved people in all dispensations from righteous Abel to the
saints of the tribulation.
It is impossible to discuss the nature of the Church without
marking the distinction between the Church and Israel. One of the primary
things to point out is that the Church is primarily Gentile. God made covenants
with Israel but never with a Gentile. Saved Gentiles share in the Abrahamic
covenant because the world was promised a blessing through his seed, and we benefit
from the New Covenant. Even it was made between God and Israel. Showers gives
several reasons why the Church and Israel are separate. First, because Israel
is a nation and the Church is not. Another is because Israel rejected Christ
and the Church accepted Him. Thirdly, Israel was the first persecutor of the
New Testament Church. Fourth, in order to be a Jew, one must be circumcised as
a proselyte. Fifth, a Jew was a Jew by birth and a partaker in the covenants
and a Christian is part of the Body of Christ through Holy Spirit baptism[7].
Anyone can be a part of the true church. This is important because it
demonstrates the fact that Israel has been in a spiritual timeout for the last
two thousand years while God has focused on the Church. After the
pretribulation rapture, the focus will once again be on Israel. The seventieth
week of Daniel is in regard to Israel as the book of Daniel explains: ““Seventy weeks have been
decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make
an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting
righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy
place.” (Daniel 9:24, NASB). Since the focus is on Israel it is important
to show that the Church and Israel are not the same, and since they are not the
same, the true Church would have to be raptured beforehand.
The pretribulation rapture theory is the most
biblically consistent. Another way to demonstrate this is through populating
the Millennial Kingdom. With all three rapture theories, the catching away
happens before the Kingdom begins and only saved people enter. There is a
problem with the posttribulational view which will be discussed later, but for
now, the pretribulational view has no problem with this. According to this
view, the entire church will be raptured and after the Anti-Christ signs a
seven year peace treaty with Israel, the tribulation begins according to Daniel
9:27. Many will be saved during the tribulation, but the ones who survive and
enter the Kingdom will enter in their natural bodies. “In due time, babies will
be born and grow up. Some will receive Christ into their hearts; others will
not. But all will have to give allegiance to the King’s government or suffer
the consequences”[8].
Remember that the amount of people
entering the Kingdom are few when compared to the world population before the
tribulation, and these who enter the Kingdom in natural bodies will repopulate
the earth. These saved individuals will be Jew and Gentile alike. They will not
receive their glorified bodies until they enter the eternal state.
The removal of the Restrainer is a
condition that must be met before Antichrist is revealed and the tribulation
begins. Pentecost writes:
Paul’s argument in verse 7 is that
although the mystery of iniquity was operative in his day, that is, the lawless
system that was to culminate in the person of the lawless one was manifesting
itself, yet this lawless one could not be manifested until the Restrainer was
taken out of the way. In other words, some One is preventing the purpose of
Satan from coming to culmination and He will keep on performing this ministry
until He is removed (vv. 7-8)…it would seem that the only One who could do such
a restraining ministry would be the Holy Spirit[9].
The deduction is that in this present church age, the Holy
Spirit restrains through the Spirit-indwelled child of God. Once the Church is
raptured, the restraining stops. How do people get saved during the tribulation
if the Holy Spirit is not present? He is still present and will still draw
people to Christ, but He will not restrain evil during that time. If the Holy Spirit
indwells believers who are saved during the tribulation, why does He not
restrain? The explanation is that believers during the tribulation are not
indwelled by the Holy Spirit because God has returned to an Old Testament
economy. The member of the Body of Christ has the distinction of being
indwelled.
The Bema,
the Marriage, and the Marriage Feast must happen before the Second Advent. Pentecost
discusses how 2 Corinthians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 3:11-16; Revelation 4:4; 19:8,
14 prove that the church has already passed through the Judgment Seat of Christ
before the Second Advent and has been rewarded[10].
Under examination of Revelation 19:7-9, the Marriage between Jesus Christ and
His Bride, the Church and the Feast, precede the Second Coming. In verse
fourteen, His armies are with Him on white horses, dressed in white linen.
Since angels neither sit on thrones nor ride animals, this must be the Church.
There must be an interval between the rapture and the Second Coming in order
for these events to happen. Someone might say that God can do anything and so
He is not bound by time. That is true, however to argue from that vantage point
in light of these clear verses would be a theological stretch.
Identifying
the twenty-four elders mentioned in Revelation 4:4 will help support the
pretribulation claim. To put it simply, they cannot be anyone but resurrected
men of the church age. According to the text, the Apostle John sees these
elders clothed with white robes, wearing crowns, and seated on thrones. “What
is said of the twenty-four elders could not be true angelic beings, for angels
are not crowned with Victor’s crowns (stephanos) received as rewards, nor are
they seated on thrones (thronos), which throne speaks of royal dignity and
prerogative, nor are angels robed in white as a result of judgment”[11].
He goes on to explain that since they are not angels and must be men, they have
to be the body of Christ because the Old Testament saints have not been
resurrected yet[12].
Finally,
there must be a distinction between the Rapture and the Second Coming. In this
argument the biblical illustration of marriage is appropriate:
In Scripture, marriage is often
used to describe the relationship of saints to God. In the Old Testament Israel
is pictured, as in Hosea, as the unfaithful wife of Yahweh who is destined to
be restored in the future kingdom. In the New Testament, marriage is also used
to describe the relationship between Christ and the church, but the
illustration contrasts with the Old Testament, for the church is regarded as a
virgin bride waiting the coming of her heavenly bridegroom (2 Cor. 11:2).[13]
Pentecost lists the differences between the Rapture and the Second
Coming in a clear way. Regarding the Rapture there are no signs, it involves
the disappearance of believers, believers are caught up in the air, Jesus comes
to claim His bride, the Church is removed and the tribulation begins, and this
event brings comfort. Regarding the Second Coming there are signs of the times,
Christ appears to the world, He touches down to earth, He returns with His
bride, He begins His kingdom, and this event brings judgment[14].
Therefore because of its system of interpretation, its beliefs, its scriptural
basis, and the various arguments mentioned, the pretribulational rapture theory
is very consistent with what the Bible teaches.
[1] Pentecost, Dwight J. Things to Come. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958), 193.
[2]
Ibid., 564.
[3]
Pentecost, Dwight J. Things to Come. (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1958), 217.
[4]
Ryrie, Charles. Basic Theology. (Chicago:
Moody Press, 1999), 565.
[5]
Ibid., 198.
[6]
Ibid., 200.
[7]
Showers, Renald E. There Really is a
Difference. (Bellmawr: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 2001),
184-187.
[8]Ryrie,
Charles. Basic Theology. (Chicago:
Moody Press, 1999), 569.
[9]
Pentecost, Dwight J. Things to Come. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958), 204-205.
[10]
Ibid., 205.
[11]
Ibid., 208.
[12]
Ibid., 209.
[13]
Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas
Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible
knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Re 19:6–8).
Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14]
Pentecost, Dwight J. Things to Come. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958),206-207.
