Is Timing Important?

I recently came out of a church that believed strongly in the pre-tribulation rapture. The doctrine was central and in a strange way it went without any questioning. Total blind faith was its greatest strength. 

However I began to ask questions that I could never get a straight answer to such as "what happens to all the children conceived after the rapture?"

Imagine the rapture happens and 10 seconds later a child is conceived (after all the first 3 1/2 years are supposed to be good years). So, at the end of 7 years what you have is a bunch of 6-year-old innocent children that have no hope to make it to Heaven.

Now, in spite of our inability to answer simple questions such as this the doctrine still was not scrutinized in a serious way. We would discuss "how" the rapture would happen but not "if" it would happen. The conclusions we arrived at would often be something to the effect of "well, timing isn't important" or "I'll explain it to you on the way up" or "I'm pan trib" (it will all pan out if we leave it up to God) or some other trite phrase.

Looking back it was the strangest thing, the doctrine made no sense but somehow remained in its lofty place of honor.

It took me nearly a year of study, prayer and meditation before I came to the truth that the pre-tribulation rapture is a lie.

Now I could sit here and beat up the doctrine quite easily but never change anyone's mind. The rapture is so powerful a lie that it has seated itself amongst the most honored truths and it is defended as such.

The difference is that the truths in our lives are not afraid of scrutiny, in fact they welcome it. The lies however will not welcome the same, they will hide themselves.

So let's shine a light on the issue of timing and see who scatters. Is timing even important?

Christians claim it doesn't matter as long as we love Jesus. As long as we explain it to each other on the way up or as long as we are "pan trib" we will be ok. As long as we say timing isn't important and we should spend all our time bringing people to Christ and let God sort out all the messy details.

You may be surprised that Paul tells us differently in 2nd Timothy 2:16-18

"But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some."

Apparently Hymenaeus and Philetus were preaching some form of what we call Preterism today and Paul is upset because he knows that "timing" is actually very important. If timing wasn't important why would Paul make such a big deal out of such a small error in timing?

Paul knows that the sign of a true believer is that he will know and understand these things.

So all of our theories about "pan trib" and "I'll explain on the way up" should be tossed out. We should repent of our belief that it isn't important or that we should just focus on getting people saved. It would seem that we don't even know who we are trying to bring others to. We say we love Jesus but what does Jesus tell us?

We read the words of Jesus in John 16:13

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

Jesus comforts us by saying that the Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth and this includes the timing of the resurrection. If you don't know these things then who's spirit do you have and who are you leading others to?

If you hold to the pre-tribulation rapture theory you are in peril. Your timing is off just like Hymenaeus and Philetus of whom Paul says, "their word will eat as doth a canker."

Does the word you preach "eat as doth a canker"? Is that where you want to be spiritually? I don't think so.

So timing is very important. We are told in 1st Thessalonians 5:2-4

"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."

Think about it, what does every pre-trib rapture teacher tell us about the first 3 1/2 years? They say they are looking for peace and safety first then secondly, after the good half is over, the destruction comes.

Unfortunately what they are truly saying is this can't be the tribulation because I haven't been raptured yet. They will say this throughout the entire tribulation (if they live that long) and then suddenly they will find themselves in the midst of the destruction and they shall not escape.

They will not have recognized the tribulation because they believed they had to be raptured before any destruction came. How sad that that day will overtake them as a thief.

Then the scripture says "but ye, are not in darkness" so what does Paul mean by this? He means true believers will know the Day of the Lord, the last day, the resurrection of the righteous dead and he tells us that we will not be surprised by it.

So the ones that know the day are the ones with the Spirit of truth because he shows us all truth and things to come. He doesn't say he will show all truth except for the timing of the resurrection.

Almost everyone I know believes in the pre-tribulation rapture (that alone brings to mind the "broad way" that we are warned about). A good rule of thumb I use concerning truth is to look at what the majority does and then don't do it. Whatever it is. If there is a majority doing it then there is almost 100% chance that it will lead you to Hell and folks you can deny it if you want but the majority of Christians today are following the "broad way" by believing the pre-tribulation rapture.

Many millions are openly walking that road.

May God place the love of the truth in your heart and may it become your one and only refuge.

He is the truth.

Jesus is truth.