HOW SIGNS OF THE TIMES RELATE TO THE RAPTURE
AND THE SECOND COMING
by Thomas Ice
How do current events relate to Bible
prophecy? It depends upon the Bible's view of the timing of
prophecy. Interpreters of prophecy often differ widely in their
interpretation and application of prophecy. Hal Lindsey recently
said, "No, I am not a prophet. But I have studied the prophets. And
I am certain that all of what they predict for mankind up to and
including the Second Advent will occur in the next few
years-probably in your lifetime."1 On the other hand, future
prophecy nay-sayer Gary DeMar complains that "many Christians take
prophecies that have been fulfilled . . . and view them as still
unfulfilled. They then manipulate these fulfilled prophecies and
apply them to contemporary events. Their speculations are wrong
because they are applying fulfilled prophecies to current events."2
FOUR APPROACHES TO PROPHECY
There are four possible views relating to
the timing of when an interpreter sees prophecy being fulfilled in
history. These views are simple because they reflect the only
possibilities in relation to time-past, present, future, and
timeless.
The preterist (past) believes that
most, if not all, prophecy has already been fulfilled, usually in
relation to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The
historicist (present) sees much of the current church age as
equal to the tribulation period. Thus, prophecy has been and will be
fulfilled during the current church age. Futurists (future)
believe that virtually all prophetic events will not occur in the
current church age, but will be fulfilled through events that will
occur in the future seven-year tribulation, Second Coming, or
millennium. The idealist (timeless) does not believe either
that the Bible indicates the timing of events or that we can know
before they mysteriously happen. Therefore, idealists think that
prophetic passages mainly teach great ideas or principles about
God's general dealings with mankind and are to be applied to anyone,
in any era regardless of timing.
Advocates of two of these approaches, in
principle, do not think that current events can ever apply to Bible
prophecy since they believe either, that the prophecies have already
been fulfilled (preterist), or that the time of fulfillment is
unknowable (idealist). Of the remaining two views, the historicist
certainly believes that current events relate to prophecy. Since
they do not distinguish between God's plan for Israel and for the
church, many have taught that the last 1600-1700 years have seen a
fulfillment of most of the events of the tribulation, which
futurists believe will be a literal, seven-year event in the future.
Historicists are primarily awaiting Armageddon and the Second
Advent. Futurism, the view which I share with the majority of
Evangelicals, believes that most of the prophetic events lie before
us and will begin to be fulfilled after the current church age ends
with the Rapture. Every prophetic viewpoint produces speculation
that flows from its theology. The real task is to understand a
viewpoint and to consistently apply its teachings and principles.
How then should a consistent futurist understand current
events?
FUTURIST APPROACHES TO PROPHECY
First, I must point out that all forms of
pretribulational futurism should oppose any attempt at the exact
date-setting of the timing of the Rapture. The Bible teaches that
the Rapture is an event which has no signs preceding it. Anyone
suggesting that the Rapture will occur on a specific date can only
make such a prediction based upon speculative elements derived from
outside the Bible or upon a misinterpretation of Scripture.
Among those who are pretribulational
futurists, I observe three basic approaches taken in interpreting
current events. The three classifications are in terms of how one
relates prophecy for Israel to the church age. I am suggesting a
spectrum of 1) loose, 2) moderate, and 3) strict.
Loose
The loose view is characterized by those
who claim to be pretribulational futurists but often take prophecy
written for Israel and suggest that it is being fulfilled
today--during the church age. This viewpoint holds that sometimes
prophecy relating to the tribulation is being or has already been
fulfilled in the current church age. This is a weak, inconsistent
application of futurism, since it commingles God's plan for Israel
with His plan for the church at specific points of prophetic
fulfillment. This view is not in keeping with the dispensational
tradition of separating Israel and the church.
An example of this kind of interpretation
would be any pretribulational futurists who date-set or see a
current event from today fulfilling prophecy related to the yet
future tribulation or millennium. I recall a prophecy teacher saying
in the early 1980s that Isaiah 19 predicted the assassination of
Egypt's President Anwar Sadat. This is impossible since Isaiah 19
refers to events that will take place in the tribulation and
millennium. This is an improper mixing of God's prophecy for Israel
with the church age, and is really indicative of historicism and not
pretribulational futurism. Some within this group have also tried to
set a date for the Rapture. When a futurist follows such an
approach, he is inconsistent with the pretribulational futurism that
he claims to follow.
Strict
I will take the third viewpoint next, so
that the second view can be compared to the first and third. Strict
pretribulational futurists are airtight in maintaining a distinction
between God's prophetic plan for Israel and His plan for the church.
They tend to say that current events have virtually no significance
to today, since the only event a true church age believer is looking
for is the Rapture of the church.
The strict view holds that the Jewish
return to the land of Israel may or may not be the beginning of that
which was prophesied for the last days. They tend to reason that we
really cannot know about the significance of these things until
after the Rapture. Thus, current events do not really indicate
"signs of the times" in any significant way. Often this view says
that Israel could be kicked out of the land and it would not impact
prophecy, since we cannot really confirm whether contemporary events
are leading up to biblical fulfillment.
This view is very nonspeculative about
how current events relate to prophecy, and often speaks strongly
against those who try to make a correlation between the Bible and
current events. Strict interpreters have a significant following
within the academic circles of dispensationalism, likely over a
concern that improper speculation be avoided.
Moderate
A third classification of how prophecy
relates to Israel and the church is the moderate view. I place
myself within this group. Moderates clearly maintain a distinction
between God's plan for Israel and God's plan for the church. The
current church age is prophetically pictured only by general trends
and characteristics, not by specific fulfillment of events, as will
be true of prophecy relating to Israel after the Rapture. Therefore,
there are no signs or current events which indicate the nearness of
the Rapture, which is an imminent, any-moment possibility at any
time during the church age.
Moderates do not date-set or think that a
current event fulfills prophecy relating to the tribulation or
millennium. However, they do tend to think that it is valid to lay
out a model or scenario of how things will be after the Rapture,
since Scripture gives a clear and detailed picture of the
tribulation period. Based upon such a model, we can see preparation
and stage-setting for those events increasingly fitting together
through current events. Since these are not signs for the Rapture,
but rather stage-setting for events leading up to the Second Coming,
our anticipation of the Rapture is quickened. The positioning of
players and events related to God's plan for the world during the
future tribulation is increasingly casting shadows upon the current
church age, thus intensifying anticipation of the any-moment Rapture
which must take place before events of the tribulation can unfold.
THE MODERATE MODEL
Moderates are consistent with
pretribulational futurism by maintaining a proper distinction
between God's plan for Israel from that of the church. This
maintains the basis for the any-moment possibility of the Rapture as
an event that is not related to signs and current events. On the
other hand, a moderate can also see significance in current events
that may be setting the stage for end-time events. This approach is
consistent with pretribulational futurism because it does not see
current events relating to the church but to Israel. Most of the
things happening today are not fulfillments, per se, but are either
the beginning of fulfillment which will be completed after the
Rapture or stage-setting for events yet to be fulfilled in the
future.
Another point to keep in mind is that
just as there was a transition in the early church away from God
dealing with Israel as a nation, so it appears that there will be a
transition at the end of the church age as God sets the stage to
resume His unfinished plan with Israel after the Rapture. The church
age clearly began on the Day of Pentecost, but about 40 years later
in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 a specific prophecy
relating to God's plan for Israel was historically fulfilled. This
was the final fulfillment relating to the transition from Israel to
the church. During the last 100 years we have seen events occur
which are setting the stage for the players to be in place when the
Rapture brings to an end the church age and God resumes His plan for
Israel during the tribulation.
In addition, there are general
predictions about the course of the church age such as a trend
toward apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1-16; 2 Tim. 3:1-17). But these do not
relate to the timing of the Rapture, instead they are general trends
about the church age. It is important to realize that when speaking
of a general characteristic like apostasy, no matter how bad
something may be it can always get a little worse or progress a
little further. Thus, it is tenuous to cite general characteristics,
apart from clear historical indicators, as signs of the last days
because no matter how much our own time may look like it fits that
trend, we can never be certain that there is not more development
yet to come.
ISRAEL'S REGATHERING AND THE CHURCH AGE
How does the current return of Jews to
Israel and Jerusalem relate to the dispensational view of
distinction between Israel and the church? I think that we have to
say that Israel's presence in the land and continuing return from
the Diaspora is the beginning of fulfillment of passages like
Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel 37 clearly indicates that Israel will return to
the land in unbelief and in stages, which fits the contemporary
experience. The stage is set for their mass conversion during the
tribulation.
We should not say that these Old
Testament passages have been fulfilled in a final sense, but that
they are in the process of being fulfilled and will not be totally
fulfilled until after the Rapture. On the other hand, to say that
none of today's events relating to Israel are necessarily connected
to biblical prophecy is a wrong application of the Israel/church
distinction.
Some pretribulational futurists
understand Matthew 24:3-8 as referring to the end of the church age
leading up to the tribulation (Matt. 14:9-28). They see contemporary
significance to recent world wars, famines, and earthquakes (Matt.
24:7-8). Other pretribulational futurists interpret Matthew 24:3-8
as descriptive of events that will take place during the first half
of the tribulation and thus do not see contemporary significance to
wars, famines, and earthquakes. However, this is a legitimate
difference in interpretation, not application.
CONCLUSION
I think it is consistent with the
moderate model to develop a scenario of players and events which
will be in place when God's plan for Israel resumes after the
Rapture. This scenario views current events as increasingly setting
the stage for end-time events, even though they cannot commence
during the current church age. The moderate model allows a
pretribulational futurist to see the Rapture as imminent, but at the
same time believe that we could be the last generation of the church
age. John Walvoord, Chancellor of Dallas Seminary, has noted:
In the present world scene there are many
indications pointing to the conclusion that the end of the age may
soon be upon us. These prophecies relating to Israel's coming day of
suffering and ultimate restoration may be destined for fulfillment
in the present generation. Never b
efore in the history of the world has
there been a confluence of major evidences of preparation for the
end.3
Some stage-setting developments casting a
shadow in our day include religious apostasy, preparation for a
revived Roman Empire in Europe, Israel's return to their land,
revival of Israel's ancient enemies such as Iraq as Babylon, and the
rise of Russia as a military power (Gog and Magog invasion), all
preparing the way for tribulation events. But before the curtain
rises, the church will rise into the air at the Rapture.
Endnotes
1 Hal Lindsey, Planet Earth-2000 A.D.:
Will Mankind Survive? (Palos Verdes, Calif.: Western Front,
Ltd., 1994), p. 3.
2 Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:
Obsession of the Modern Church (Atlanta: American Vision, Inc.,
1994), p. 27.
3 John F. Walvoord, Israel in Prophecy
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), p. 129.
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