Friday, June 26, 2020

SIDETRACK ON DISPENSATIONALISM, PART C

AN INFORMAL CRITIQUE OF DISPENSATIONALISM, CONTINUED
(D = Dispensationalism, Ds = Dispensationalists)

I believe that D makes an unwarranted sharp distinction between Israel and the church.  I have already indicated that Ephesians makes a powerful statement regarding the unity of Jews and Gentiles in Christ.  See Ephesians 2:11-22, 3:6.  Ds accept this unity in the church during the present church age.  However, they believe that, after the removal of the church by Pretrib Rapture, God will begin to deal with Israel as a nation in preparation for the Millennium, at which time the promises of the Old Testament will be fulfilled.  
    Note, first of all that the unity of Gentile and Jew in the church is understood in Ephesians to be a unity ALSO IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL.  So, Paul does not depict the Jews who come into the church to separate from the main body of Israel as they come into unity with the Gentiles in the church.  Instead, Paul depicts the Gentiles’ coming into the commonwealth of Israel as they come into the church.  See Ephesians 2:11ff:  “Therefore, remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’…remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise...But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ...that he might create in himself one new man...So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members in the household of God…”  Notice that the address is to the Gentiles and the announcement is that they have joined up with the Jews.  What is not said, but implied, is that the true commonwealth of Israel consists now of the Jews who have believed in Jesus.  Into that commonwealth the Gentile believers were incorporated.  
Now, we should look at Romans 9-11.  This lengthy passage is concerned with the Jews--or, better, Israelites.  (The term “Jew” came from the word “Judahite,” one of the 12 tribes.  Paul is concerned with “Israel,” the entire nation.) 
    Paul’s concern for Israel:  Paul reveals his heartfelt concern for the nation of Israel.  He goes so far as to want to be cut off from Christ if it would bring Israel into belief in Christ.  He reminds his readers how unique the nation of Israel is:  they have 2000 years of history with God.  They have been God’s adopted sons, have seen glorious things, including the glory that filled the Tabernacle and the Temple.  God has made covenants with them.  And, of course, Jesus himself was born an Israelite.  
    But Paul then goes against the grain of the glorious past.  Just because one is born to Abraham does not make one a true child of Abraham.  For the Old Testament again and again has demonstrated that the privilege of birth and status mean nothing to God.  He cites especially Isaac compared to Ishmael and Jacob compared to Esau.  He is citing these examples to prepare the reader for what is to come.
      Discourse on Election:  In 9:14-29, Paul takes an excursion into the subject of divine election.  His purpose is to explain that God’s will is sovereign with regard to those who experience His grace.  It is beyond the scope of this discussion to deal with this in detail.  He is pointing toward the historical fact that Israel lost its special place and those who have faith in Christ, whether they originated from Israel or from the Gentiles, would be the “chosen people.”  
    The Error of Israel:  The outcome of this development is that “Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.  Why?  Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.” (Romans 9:30-32a)  Israel had “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”  (Romans 10:2b)
    The Way of Salvation--Received by the Gentiles and Not Israel:  Paul then goes back over some ABC’s of the faith in Romans 10:5ff.  The high point is a sort of a “John 3:16”:  “[Because], if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”  (Romans 10:9-10)  Although this way is straightforward and available to all, it turns out that the Gentiles are the ones who have received salvation by faith.  (Romans 10:20)  Sadly, Israel has missed this way, so that God states:  “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”  (Romans 10:21)
    The Present Situation of Israel:  Paul, in his day, considered that, although Israel as a nation had missed the way of salvation, there still was a believing remnant (11:1-6).  These “elect” had a place with God, but “the rest were hardened” (11:7).  
    The Gentiles and Israel:  Paul maintains that this “trespass” of Israel has brought about the salvation of the Gentiles.  (11:11)  Paul’s ministry was to the Gentiles, and he hoped that through this ministry Israel would become jealous and yearn for the salvation that the Gentiles were experiencing.  (11:13-14)  He held out hope for Israel and used two analogies to express his conviction that Israel yet had hope.  First, the example of “first-fruits.”  Generally, “first-fruits” referred to the early part of a harvest, for example, of grain.  The first sheaves that were harvested were given as an offering to God as a representation of the whole harvest, which, ultimately, belonged to God.  In this case, he refers to a lump of dough:  if part of the lump is dedicated to God, then the whole lump is holy.  In the same way, if the root of a tree is holy, then so are the branches (11:16).  He is setting up the reader for what follows.
    The Analogy of the Olive Tree:  He has established a principle:  If the root of a tree is holy, then the whole tree is holy.  He does not specify what this tree is, but the entire context points to the People of God.  Most likely, he has in mind Abraham as the root of the tree.  However, in a deeper way, Christ Himself is the root.  We can point to Jesus describing Himself as the “vine” in John 15.  We can also point to Jesus’ declaration:  “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58b)
Now, Paul focuses on the tree--which he identifies as an olive tree.  And he is focusing on the Gentile portion of his readership:  What if some branches were broken off and you--who were wild branches--were grafted in?  His point, I believe, is this:  Gentiles, you need to get the big picture.  You are Johnny-come-latelies.  You have, by God’s grace, been given a place among the people of God.  So, understand that it is the root that supports you, not the other way around.  The branches were broken off to make room for you because of their unbelief.  Israel lost out, as Paul has already explained, because they would not believe in Jesus, but, rather, sought a place with God through works-righteousness.  (11:17-20a)
Therefore, Paul warns against spiritual pride.  God can discard Gentiles who become lifted up in pride and lose sight of saving faith. (11:20b-21)  Paul pushes on to stress the possibilities of reversal of situations:  the Gentiles can be cut off and Israel can begin to believe and be grafted back into the tree.  (11:22-23)  He also reminds the Gentiles that they are part of the tree “contrary to nature.”  That is, the usual direction of grafting is to graft a domestic branch into a wild tree, but they were wild branches grafted into a domestic tree.  So, the domestic branches (Israel) can be grafted back in.  (11:24)
The Future Salvation of Israel:  Finally, Paul comes to the climax of this excursus on Israel.  He unveils a mystery.  “Mystery,” in the New Testament, refers to a truth that has been undisclosed until it is unveiled by God’s spokesperson--in this case, Paul.  This mystery is three-fold, as follows.  (11:25-26)
  1. The “partial hardening” of Israel
  2. The “fullness” of the Gentiles
  3. The salvation of all Israel
The partial hardening of Israel has been described in the material that I have been covering in chapters 9-11.  It is “partial” in the sense that there are Israelites who were saved in Paul’s day and have been throughout history.  But, the overwhelming majority have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The fullness of the Gentiles indicates that, in the present age--from Pentecost to the Second Coming, God is reaping a great harvest among the Gentiles.  There will come a point when that harvest will be complete.  It will not go on forever.  Now, whether this means that some exact number of Gentiles will be saved or that the harvest will continue over a specified time-frame is not apparent to me.  I do lean toward the latter.  In other words, the harvest will continue among the Gentiles until the Second Coming.  At that point, a new work will take place.  This is the third part of the mystery:  the salvation of all Israel.  The overwhelming majority of Israelites will turn to Christ as their Messiah, Lord, and Savior.  This will take place close to or at the Second Coming.  Some believe this is predicted by Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7.  In addition, Romans 11:26-27 is a quotation from Isaiah 59:20-21 and Jeremiah 31:33. (Thanks to study notes on Romans 11:25 in ESVSB.)  This is the grafting of the domestic branches back into the tree.
Significance With Regards to D:  I believe that this teaching from Romans 9-11 confirms and expands the teaching found in Ephesians 2.  In both places we find ONE PEOPLE OF GOD.  It is certainly true that God dealt mostly with Israel as the people of God in the Old Testament era.  We could make a long list of differences between the Old Testament era and the New Testament era.  However, it is important to step back and see a bigger picture.
In Genesis 12:1-3, we read:  “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country] and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”  So, the call of Abraham was to greatness in order to be a blessing, and that blessing was to be worldwide.  These words of chapter 12 are the opening of a new emphasis in Genesis.  Until these verses, the general outlook has been world-wide:  The first man and woman in the world, the sons of Adam and Eve, the lines of Cain and Seth as they populated the world, the universal sinfulness, Noah and his family saved in order to repopulate the earth, the intervention of God to abort the building of the Tower of Babel, the descendents of the various first families from Noah, winding up with Shem’s descendents and, finally, with Terah and his sons, including Abraham.  In these various genealogies, there are indications of nations and peoples throughout the earth (at least from a Middle Eastern perspective).  So, though specific individuals are mentioned, the world-wide perspective is maintained.  
With Abraham, the focus is narrowed to an individual.  The history that is related in the rest of the Old Testament is one long history of the people descended from Abraham through Isaac, Jacob (Israel), and the 12  sons of Jacob.  But this story is more than a history lesson.  It is the story of God’s grace working in individual lives as well as in the life of the nation.  And that grace was directed toward one purpose:  the salvation of the world.  So the pattern is:  blessed to be a blessing.  God--for no apparent reason--chose Abraham to bless in order to bless the world.  The ultimate blessing is nothing short of Paradise Regained.    
In that story, we have a bloodline--genealogies that trace lineages.  But many might miss something else:  a bloodline of faith.  Hebrews 11 gives a bare outline of that lineage.  We call them the heroes of the faith, but they also were recipients of promises and recipients who responded with faith.  We also find negative examples.  In I Corinthians 10:1-4, Paul relates how the Israelites of the Exodus shared a common set of experiences--under the cloud, passed through the sea, spiritual food and drink.  And yet, in verse 5, he says “with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”  We could go through the entire history of Israel and make the case that some were people of faith and some were not.  There was a “bloodline of faith.”  This is my term for the reality that not all Israelites were acceptable to God.  
The prophets had a message that we might describe as twofold:
  1. God has requirements for every person.  These include certain behaviors embracing justice and mercy.  But also implied was the call to believe in and trust God.  
  2. To violate those requirements puts one in jeopardy of judgment.  We tend to focus on that judgment that would come upon the nation.  The captivities of the northern and then the southern kingdom were expressions of that judgment.  But, in addition, the individual cannot escape God’s judgment.
The point is this:  People were not in right standing with God simply because they were of the bloodline of Abraham.  John the Baptist made this very clear:  “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.  And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’  For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Luke 3:7b-8) 
    So, the family of Abraham is a family of faith.  The children of Israel were blessed by having the word of God as well as the great demonstrations of God’s mercy and power throughout their history.  In that atmosphere, many believed and were part of that bloodline of faith.  We today, if we believe the gospel, also are in that bloodline of faith and are part of the family of Abraham.  Paul puts it this way:  “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”  (Galatians 3:7-9)  And further on, he says:  “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”  (Galatians 3:27-29)
    Now, Ds would sort of agree with what has just been said, but they believe it only applies to the church age.  Once the Pretrib Rapture takes place and God begins to deal with Israel as a nation, then the “rules have changed” (my terminology).  All of these principles will be set aside when the Millennium comes.  Although salvation by faith will still apply, Israel will be the focus.
    At the root of this is a heartfelt conviction that the promises and predictions that were made concerning the “Theocratic Kingdom” (the Kingdom of David) must be literally fulfilled during the Millennium.  This means that God’s “Kingdom Program” must be the focus and the church is sort of a bystander.  
    For me to dismantle this idea is a huge challenge that is beyond the scope of this post.  (It may be beyond my own ability.)  I do believe that there are some errors of understanding regarding the Old Testament promises, covenants, and predictions that the Ds have made.  To delve into them is a daunting task that I must forego for the immediate future.
    My purpose in these posts regarding D is to just point in the direction of my thinking.  I realize it has been “a long way around the barn” to meet that purpose.  I do hope that it has been somewhat helpful.  Thanks to all my faithful readers!
(Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version.)

Monday, June 15, 2020

SIDETRACK ON DISPENSATIONALISM, PART B

AN INFORMAL CRITIQUE OF DISPENSATIONALISM (D)
    I have considerable misgivings about D.  I cannot say that I have made a systematic study in such a way as to attempt to dismantle this very complex theory.  So, the following are just some thoughts and observations that indicate the direction of my thinking about D and the Second Coming of Christ.  (D = Dispensationalism, Ds = Dispensationalists)
Scriptures and the Pretrib Rapture.  The Ds point to various Scriptures as evidence for a Pretrib Rapture, but, in case after case, the assumption of the Pretrib Rapture is necessary in order to make the Scripture “fit.”  The following Scriptures are listed by Pentecost to teach “imminence” (the Rapture at any moment, without warning).  (Pentecost, 203)
  • John 14:2-3 This says nothing about a sudden coming, but is probably the strongest evidence for a “return to heaven” as a component of the Rapture.  I shall examine this Scripture in more detail in the next section.
  • Acts 1:11 This Scripture teaches that Jesus will return just as He left.  Since He left earth and went to heaven, it seems clear that He will come back to earth.  It says nothing about the Rapture nor imminence.
  • I Corinthians 15:51-52 This passage is a description of the process of the Rapture of living believers.  It is not clear about the timing, except to say “at the last trump,” which would indicate just before the Second Coming.
  • Philippians 3:20 This is advocating holy living that is compatible with our heavenly “citizenship.”  This is used by Ds to advocate the “heavenly destiny” of the church as opposed to an earthly destiny for Israel.  It is not particularly strong evidence for that view.  Nevertheless it is part of their whole complex scheme of which the Pretrib Rapture is one component.
  • Colossians 3:4 This says we will appear with Christ “in glory.”  I can only assume that the idea is that this “glory” is synonymous with heaven.  I looked at 139 uses of “glory” (Greek doxa) in the New Testament.  Of these about 7 could be interpreted to refer to heaven, but, in every case, the reference is not certain.  For example, I Timothy 3:16, latter part, says “He [Jesus] was received up into glory,” according to KJV.  However, a more accurate translation is (as ESB) “taken up in glory.”  Thus, the “in glory” is more the manner of His being taken up than the place to which he was taken.  In the same way, Colossians 3:4 is probably not saying where we shall appear, but rather how we shall appear.  Matthew 25:31 describes Jesus’ coming “in his glory,” and it obvious that the venue is the earth. (Or the great white throne) “Glory” does not imply “heaven” there but refers to the manner of His coming.  
  • I Thessalonians 1:9-10 “...how you turned to God from idols...and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”  The key phrase for D is “wrath to come.”  The idea is that the “wrath” is what will come during the Tribulation period.  So, if the church is raptured before the Tribulation, it is delivered from that wrath.  However,  the “wrath” of God is most often a reference to the final judgment.  For example, Ephesians 5:6 refers to the wrath of God that will come upon people because of their sins.  This is a reference to the general destiny of sinful humanity.  It is not a reference to events in the Tribulation period.  In 23 uses of wrath (excluding references to human wrath), I found 16 that most likely referred to the wrath of God at the Final Judgment.  I found 4 instances that might refer to events in the Tribulation.  I found 3 (at least) references to God’s present wrath.  This present Scripture has reference to the Tribulation in its context.  So, if Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come, He delivers us from the consequences of the Final Judgment (the Lake of Fire).  This does not appear to be an indication that a Pretrib Rapture will allow us to escape events in the Tribulation.  
  • I Timothy 6:14 “[I charge you] to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing [epiphaneia] of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This gives no indication of the timing of the Rapture of the church.  It simply admonishes Christians to be faithful until the Lord appears.  Walvoord states that none of the Greek words that are used for “coming” or “appearing” are technical terms.  (quoted in Pentecost, 156).
  • James 5:8 “You also, be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming [parousia] of the Lord is at hand.”  [Here Parousia  is used.  Parousia is used in Matthew 24:3 and 27.  24:27 is an unambiguous reference to Second Coming to the earth.]  The wording of this verse is very similar to the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus about the fact that the Kingdom of God is “at hand.”  (Matthew 3:2 and 4:17) Although the scenario that the Ds envision for the Kingdom to come at the time of Jesus’ first coming (had it not been refused) would be different from the Tribulation, nevertheless, to say the Kingdom is “at hand” would not be understood to mean an instantaneous event such as is envisioned for the Pretrib Rapture.  In other words, the wording, “at hand,” does not imply a without-warning, instantaneous coming of the Lord.  (It does not rule it out, but it does not at all require it.) 
  • II Peter 3:3-4 “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come...They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming [parousia]?  For, ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”  This verse does not in any way indicate an instantaneous Pretrib Rapture.  It simply says that, in the last days, scoffers will cast doubt on the coming of the Lord.  It indicates that they will be in a time that does not appear to them to signal the Parousia.  However, their presence could be understood as a “sign.”  Moreover, it is possible that all sorts of things might come up shortly after the arrival of the scoffers.
  • I Thessalonians 5:6 [preceded by verse 4:  “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.”]  “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”  This verse calls for spiritual alertness.  It implies that persons should be alert to what is going on in the world in order to be in preparation for the coming of the Lord.  I have noted that two verses before, the element of surprise is ruled out for the Christian, which seems to be the direct opposite of the teaching of the Pretrib Rapture.
  • Titus 2:13 [verse 12:  “[training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,] waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”  This verse gives no indication of the timing of the Rapture.
  • Revelation 3:3  “Remember, then, what you received and heard.  Keep it and repent.  If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”  [This is similar to language in Matthew 24:43 (thief at night).]  The warning is that Christ will “come” to the church at Sardis.  This is in the context of the letter to the church at Sardis, which rebukes the church as being spiritually dead and in need of repentance.  The warning does not necessarily mean that Christ will “come” to rapture the saints.  In the context it seems more likely to mean that He will come in severe discipline against the church.  Nevertheless, even if it does refer to a coming to rapture the church, the verse states that the coming will only be a surprise (“like a thief”) if the church has not woke up.  The implication is that, if the church wakes up, Christ’s coming will not be a surprise.
One of the arguments that Ds make about imminency is what they consider a contrast between the word to the church compared the word to Israel concerning the coming of the Lord.  Their argument runs something like the following:
  • The church should not look for signs but rather to simply be in expectation of the coming of the Lord.  This is because the Pretrib Rapture is an imminent event that will come without warning.
  • Israel is given a series of signs that it should look for.  They especially cite Matthew 24 as a whole series of events that will precede the coming of Christ.  Israel will see these signs (which occur during the Tribulation with some possible exceptions).  After the signs, they are to wait for the coming of the Lord, of which they will not know the exact time.  
If one considers these to be debating points, then the Ds are begging the question (assuming question to be proved).  Thus, they point to those passages of Scripture that do not include signs and consider them to be words to the church.  In other cases, when there are events that are listed before the coming, these are considered to be words to Israel.  The biggest case in point is Matthew 24 and parallels.  The Ds believe that the Olivet Discourse is information directed to Israel.  So, the Abomination of Desolation and Great Tribulation and celestial signs in Matthew 24:15-29 are all events that Ds believe will take place during the Tribulation period AFTER the church has been raptured to heaven.  Those events will be visible indicators of the coming of the Lord.  Once they have been accomplished, then Israel can anticipate the Second Coming.  However, it is not necessarily a proven fact that the material in Matthew 24 is directed to Israel and not the church.  Thus, to point to this “Scriptural evidence” of the imminent return is faulty logic.
It is an irony that the most obvious word concerning the imminent return is one that the Ds regard to be concerning the posttribulational Second Coming and not the Pretrib Rapture in at least two cases.  I am referring to the expression “thief in the night.”  That expression is expressed in four different settings:
  • Matthew 24:42-43:  “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  (The context of this is in material that Ds consider to be about the Second Coming and not the Pretrib Rapture.)   
  • Revelation 3:3:  [I have commented on this above, so these comments are repetitious.]  “‘Remember, then what you received and heard.  Keep it, and repent.  If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.’”  (This is in a letter to a church that is being rebuked.  His “coming” may be a time of severe chastening of the church and have nothing to do with the Rapture or the Second Coming.  If it does regard the Rapture, it says that the surprise of the coming will only come to the spiritually asleep.)
  • Revelation 16:15-16:  “(‘Behold, I am coming like a thief!  Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed.’)  And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”  (This interjection from Christ--the part that is in parentheses--is a warning of His coming to the Battle of Armageddon at His Second Coming.)
  • I Thessalonians 5:2 and 4:  “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”  “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.”  (I shall comment on these verses below.)
As I have indicated, the expression “thief in the night” is a vivid expression of imminence, but in at least two of the four Scriptures above, the context is the Post-tribulation Second Coming of the Lord.  The Ds recognize this and explain that the kind of imminence in those cases of the Second Coming is not an any-moment surprise as the Pre-Trib Rapture is envisioned to be.  Rather, the people of that day will have seen the signs and now will wait for the moment of His return, not knowing the exact day or hour.  There are two ironies.  First, this is the most powerful expression of imminence in the New Testament, yet it refers to the Second Coming and not the Pretrib Rapture.  Second, because of its power, it has been used by many to describe the Pretrib Rapture and warn of its imminence.  There was a movie that was shown in many churches depicting the Pretrib Rapture, and it was entitled A Thief in the Night.
John 14:1-3:  As I stated earlier, the one Scripture that seems to point to a Pretrib Rapture and the whole scenario of the church’s being taken to heaven for seven years is John 14:1-3.  I would make the following comments.  First, the passage does not make a case for a surprise, at-any-moment Resurrection/Rapture of the church.  Jesus does not use any sort of language of imminence.  Second, the passage does describe many “rooms” or “dwelling places” in the “Father’s house.”  This could account for the church having a place in heaven and for Jesus coming to get them and bring them to heaven.  However, the problem with this is that the church does not seem to stay in heaven.  Jesus makes the point that “where I am, you will be also.”  Well, at the end of the seven years, Jesus comes to earth, so it appears that the church also moves to earth.  Is it possible that the “Father’s house” is a bigger concept than a “mansion over the hilltop”?  (That’s from an old Southern Gospel song referring to a home in heaven.)  Third, I think that most interpreters miss the fullness of Jesus’ statement that He goes “to prepare a place for you.”  I believe that Jesus’ going should be taken in the context of that evening, which is the eve of the crucifixion.  
If we look back to John 13:33, Jesus says “Little children, yet a little while I am with you.  You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’”  Then, in 13:36ff:  “Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.’”  This seems definitely to speak of Jesus’ death, not His ascension.  So, in just a few verses, we have the passage in question (14:1-3).  I believe that, when Jesus speaks throughout this passage of “going,” He is speaking of the whole complex of events that is about to transpire:  crucifixion, death, resurrection, post-resurrection period, ascension.  All of this is involved in JESUS’ GOING TO PREPARE A PLACE.
Immediately after 14:1-3, is the discussion with Thomas about the Way and the revelation that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him.  (14:6)  Thus, what is in view in all of this discussion is salvation through the work of Jesus Christ.  For Jesus to go to prepare a place meant that Jesus died on the cross that we might have a place in the Father’s house.  It is about relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   In fact, in Jesus’ description of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and how that results in the Father and Son making their home with the believer (14:23), the term that is translated “home” (in the believer) is the same word translated “rooms” in 14:2.  The emphasis in 14:23 is on the relationship of the believer to God.  These are the only two times the word (mone) is used in the New Testament.  Ds complain that this is “spiritualizing” 14:1-3.  I guess I’ll take my lumps and look at the entire context in trying to determine what is being said.
Interpretation of I Thessalonians 5 and II Thessalonians 2:  A further concern of interpretation regards I Thessalonians 5 (with reference also to 4:13-18) and II Thessalonians 2.  As the saying goes these days:  “It’s complicated.”  This applies especially to the “Day of the Lord.”  Much of what Ds understand in these chapters is wrapped up in their concepts about the Day of the Lord, a subject which I shall avoid.  I shall make just a few observations.
  • I Thessalonians 4:13-18 is the focal point in the eschatology of the two letters to Thessalonica.  I have already discussed that passage, which describes the Resurrection/Rapture of the saints.  
  • In the next chapter, I Thessalonians 5, Paul considers the timing of this event--”the times and the seasons.”  He reminds his readers that the Day of the Lord comes “like a thief” (as I quoted above).  This will happen just as people are thinking they are secure (“There is peace and safety,” verse 5:3a).  It will result in “sudden destruction...and they will not escape.” (5:3b)  It seems that this is not a good thing:  it a calamity.  
  • However, “you” (Paul’s readers) will not be surprised.  (5:4)  For they are “children of light, children of the day.” (5:5)  They are not “destined for wrath, but to obtain salvation…” (5:9)  
  • Now, the question is this:  does this passage teach that believers will escape the “sudden destruction” of 5:3b because of the Pretrib Rapture or because of their protection at the Second Coming?  Note that the implication is that believers will be present at the time the “thief” comes, but they will not be surprised.  
  • If this is our understanding, then the scenario is this:  
    • The Lord will descend with a shout and living believers and resurrected believers will meet the Lord as He descends.  (4:13-18)
    • The Lord’s coming will be sudden and surprising, like a thief in the night, to the sinful people on the earth.  He will bring sudden destruction upon them.  (5:2-3)
  • An alternative explanation is that the Resurrection/Rapture will have already occurred seven years ago.  The saints will be with Christ at His Second Coming, when He comes like a thief in the night and brings sudden destruction upon the sinful people of earth.  
  • Although the alternative explanation can fit 5:1-11, it seems to me to ignore the gist of what is being said.  Obviously, if people are in heaven, they are not going to be surprised by what takes place on earth.  However, that is not what Paul is saying.  He is saying that, BECAUSE OF THEIR SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF NOT BEING IN DARKNESS BUT BEING CHILDREN OF LIGHT, THEY WILL NOT BE SURPRISED BY THE LORD’S COMING.
  • In II Thessalonians 2, Paul addresses the issues in a different way.  Evidently, there was some confusion arising from “prophecies” (“a spirit”) and “letters.”  This confusion resulted in people’s thinking that the “day of the Lord has come.” (2:1-2)
  • Paul then lists two signs of the coming of the Day of the Lord (2:3):
    • The “rebellion,” which can be translated more literally “apostasy”
    • The revelation of the Man of Lawlessness
  • Some interpreters, for example both ESVSB and NIVSB, believe that the “rebellion” is a general rebellion of humankind against God that is led by the Man of Lawlessness.  Others believe that the “rebellion” is an apostasy within the church.  
  • The Man of Lawlessness has characteristics that lead most to believe that this is the Antichrist of I John 2:18, the Beast of Revelation 13:1ff and 17:8ff, and very likely related or equivalent to the Abomination of Desolation of Matthew 24:15.
  • The Man of Lawlessness proclaims himself to be God (II Thessalonians 2:4).  He will be defeated by the coming of Jesus (2:8).
  • If we then focus on the introductory verses of II Thessalonians 2, we note that the believers were confused about whether they were in the midst of the Day of the Lord.  Paul gives them solid evidence that they are not:  the rebellion/apostasy has not occurred and the Man of Lawlessness has not been revealed.  The obvious question is this:  why is the Pretrib Rapture not mentioned?  No matter what one thinks about the Day of the Lord, if there is a Pretrib Rapture, it is going to get things going.  
  • So, would not Paul simply have said:  “No, we are not in the middle of the Day of the Lord, because the Resurrection/Rapture has not taken place”?
    I believe that the evidence that I have sketched in above is a fairly convincing argument against a Pretrib Rapture.  The alternative understanding is that the Resurrection/Rapture of the saints will occur as Jesus comes to earth.

As I have indicated, the expression “thief in the night” is a vivid expression of imminence, but in at least two of the four Scriptures above, the context is the Post-tribulation Second Coming of the Lord.  The Ds recognize this and explain that the kind of imminence in those cases of the Second Coming is not an any-moment surprise as the Pre-Trib Rapture is envisioned to be.  Rather, the people of that day will have seen the signs and now will wait for the moment of His return, not knowing the exact day or hour.  There are two ironies.  First, this is the most powerful expression of imminence in the New Testament, yet it refers to the Second Coming and not the Pretrib Rapture.  Second, because of its power, it has been used by many to describe the Pretrib Rapture and warn of its imminence.  There was a movie that was shown in many churches depicting the Pretrib Rapture, and it was entitled A Thief in the Night.
John 14:1-3:  As I stated earlier, the one Scripture that seems to point to a Pretrib Rapture and the whole scenario of the church’s being taken to heaven for seven years is John 14:1-3.  I would make the following comments.  First, the passage does not make a case for a surprise, at-any-moment Resurrection/Rapture of the church.  Jesus does not use any sort of language of imminence.  Second, the passage does describe many “rooms” or “dwelling places” in the “Father’s house.”  This could account for the church having a place in heaven and for Jesus coming to get them and bring them to heaven.  However, the problem with this is that the church does not seem to stay in heaven.  Jesus makes the point that “where I am, you will be also.”  Well, at the end of the seven years, Jesus comes to earth, so it appears that the church also moves to earth.  Is it possible that the “Father’s house” is a bigger concept than a “mansion over the hilltop”?  (That’s from an old Southern Gospel song referring to a home in heaven.)  Third, I think that most interpreters miss the fullness of Jesus’ statement that He goes “to prepare a place for you.”  I believe that Jesus’ going should be taken in the context of that evening, which is the eve of the crucifixion.  
If we look back to John 13:33, Jesus says “Little children, yet a little while I am with you.  You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’”  Then, in 13:36ff:  “Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.’”  This seems definitely to speak of Jesus’ death, not His ascension.  So, in just a few verses, we have the passage in question (14:1-3).  I believe that, when Jesus speaks throughout this passage of “going,” He is speaking of the whole complex of events that is about to transpire:  crucifixion, death, resurrection, post-resurrection period, ascension.  All of this is involved in JESUS’ GOING TO PREPARE A PLACE.
Immediately after 14:1-3, is the discussion with Thomas about the Way and the revelation that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him.  (14:6)  Thus, what is in view in all of this discussion is salvation through the work of Jesus Christ.  For Jesus to go to prepare a place meant that Jesus died on the cross that we might have a place in the Father’s house.  It is about relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   In fact, in Jesus’ description of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and how that results in the Father and Son making their home with the believer (14:23), the term that is translated “home” (in the believer) is the same word translated “rooms” in 14:2.  The emphasis in 14:23 is on the relationship of the believer to God.  These are the only two times the word (mone) is used in the New Testament.  Ds complain that this is “spiritualizing” 14:1-3.  I guess I’ll take my lumps and look at the entire context in trying to determine what is being said.
Interpretation of I Thessalonians 5 and II Thessalonians 2:  A further concern of interpretation regards I Thessalonians 5 (with reference also to 4:13-18) and II Thessalonians 2.  As the saying goes these days:  “It’s complicated.”  This applies especially to the “Day of the Lord.”  Much of what Ds understand in these chapters is wrapped up in their concepts about the Day of the Lord, a subject which I shall avoid.  I shall make just a few observations.
  • I Thessalonians 4:13-18 is the focal point in the eschatology of the two letters to Thessalonica.  I have already discussed that passage, which describes the Resurrection/Rapture of the saints.  
  • In the next chapter, I Thessalonians 5, Paul considers the timing of this event--”the times and the seasons.”  He reminds his readers that the Day of the Lord comes “like a thief” (as I quoted above).  This will happen just as people are thinking they are secure (“There is peace and safety,” verse 5:3a).  It will result in “sudden destruction...and they will not escape.” (5:3b)  It seems that this is not a good thing:  it a calamity.  
  • However, “you” (Paul’s readers) will not be surprised.  (5:4)  For they are “children of light, children of the day.” (5:5)  They are not “destined for wrath, but to obtain salvation…” (5:9)  
  • Now, the question is this:  does this passage teach that believers will escape the “sudden destruction” of 5:3b because of the Pretrib Rapture or because of their protection at the Second Coming?  Note that the implication is that believers will be present at the time the “thief” comes, but they will not be surprised.  
  • If this is our understanding, then the scenario is this:  
    • The Lord will descend with a shout and living believers and resurrected believers will meet the Lord as He descends.  (4:13-18)
    • The Lord’s coming will be sudden and surprising, like a thief in the night, to the sinful people on the earth.  He will bring sudden destruction upon them.  (5:2-3)
  • An alternative explanation is that the Resurrection/Rapture will have already occurred seven years ago.  The saints will be with Christ at His Second Coming, when He comes like a thief in the night and brings sudden destruction upon the sinful people of earth.  
  • Although the alternative explanation can fit 5:1-11, it seems to me to ignore the gist of what is being said.  Obviously, if people are in heaven, they are not going to be surprised by what takes place on earth.  However, that is not what Paul is saying.  He is saying that, BECAUSE OF THEIR SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF NOT BEING IN DARKNESS BUT BEING CHILDREN OF LIGHT, THEY WILL NOT BE SURPRISED BY THE LORD’S COMING.
  • In II Thessalonians 2, Paul addresses the issues in a different way.  Evidently, there was some confusion arising from “prophecies” (“a spirit”) and “letters.”  This confusion resulted in people’s thinking that the “day of the Lord has come.” (2:1-2)
  • Paul then lists two signs of the coming of the Day of the Lord (2:3):
    • The “rebellion,” which can be translated more literally “apostasy”
    • The revelation of the Man of Lawlessness
  • Some interpreters, for example both ESVSB and NIVSB, believe that the “rebellion” is a general rebellion of humankind against God that is led by the Man of Lawlessness.  Others believe that the “rebellion” is an apostasy within the church.  
  • The Man of Lawlessness has characteristics that lead most to believe that this is the Antichrist of I John 2:18, the Beast of Revelation 13:1ff and 17:8ff, and very likely related or equivalent to the Abomination of Desolation of Matthew 24:15.
  • The Man of Lawlessness proclaims himself to be God (II Thessalonians 2:4).  He will be defeated by the coming of Jesus (2:8).
  • If we then focus on the introductory verses of II Thessalonians 2, we note that the believers were confused about whether they were in the midst of the Day of the Lord.  Paul gives them solid evidence that they are not:  the rebellion/apostasy has not occurred and the Man of Lawlessness has not been revealed.  The obvious question is this:  why is the Pretrib Rapture not mentioned?  No matter what one thinks about the Day of the Lord, if there is a Pretrib Rapture, it is going to get things going.  
  • So, would not Paul simply have said:  “No, we are not in the middle of the Day of the Lord, because the Resurrection/Rapture has not taken place”?
    I believe that the evidence that I have sketched in above is a fairly convincing argument against a Pretrib Rapture.  The alternative understanding is that the Resurrection/Rapture of the saints will occur as Jesus comes to earth.
REFERENCES
Crossway Books. English Standard Version Study Bible. Good News Pulblishers, 2007. Pentecost, J. Dwight.  Things to Come.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan Publ., 1958.