I have briefly described the way Revelation repeats and recaps. It is critical that we understand the sequence of this book. Without this knowledge, it is impossible to locate the rapture. The overview I have given is the most natural interpretation possible. Each of the sequences converge at Christ's coming in glory. This view is not forced at any point, and is supported by comparing many parallel passages. It demonstrates that the wrath of God is poured out upon the followers of Antichrist in response to the persecution of the Christians, with the final consuming wrath reserved for the "Day of the Lord."

The book of Revelation has given no evidence of a pre-tribulation rapture in my opinion. Pre- tribulationists either claim that Revelation does not address the rapture at all, or else force this doctrine by spiritualizing the seven letters, John's being caught up, and the twenty-four elders. They improvise a separate group called "tribulation saints." They place the judgment of the saints in heaven without any biblical support. Instead, the judgement of the saints is found at the Kingdom of God, according to Revelation 11:15-18 and 2 Timothy 4:1,8, and Jesus said He will bring His rewards with Him when He comes, according to Rev. 22:12. They claim we will dine at the marriage supper in heaven during the tribulation. But, Isaiah shows that the supper will be in Israel, and Jesus clearly said that He will not eat or drink until the Kingdom of God comes. They say the "saints" in Revelation are not a part of the "Church," when all evidence supports the opposite view. Their doctrine forces them to disconnect the "Church" from the saints in the tribulation. But, the word "saints" is used in reference to the "bride of the Lamb" in Rev. 19:8. Christians in the tribulation have the "testimony of Jesus" [Rev. 12:17]; they overcome Satan by the "blood of the Lamb" [Rev. 12:11]; they have the "faith of Jesus" [Rev. 14:12]; they "die in the Lord" [Rev. 14:13]; they are called "my people" [Rev. 18:4]; and, they are told to watch for Jesus' coming "as a thief" [Rev, 16:15]. All of these things can be said of the Church.

The pre-trib arguments are makeshift, and a clear violation of the meaning God intended to convey with His Revelation. The book, like each of the seven letters it contains, is meant to comfort us, to correct us, to warn of what lies ahead, to prepare us to overcome, and to show us the great things God has in store for those who overcome in the final hour of temptation. Those who do not heed the warning will be like the five foolish virgins, they will have no oil in their lamps. Like the foolish man, they will build their house upon the sand. When the floods come and the winds blow their house will fall.

I know that many men and women who are mightily used by God to carry out His work are pre-trib. I certainly do not question their character or integrity. I believe they hold to that view because they believe it is biblically correct. But, just because God has used them to spread the gospel does not mean they are correct on all points. Most of the Reformers were amillennialists. They believed they were living in the tribulation and identified the Antichrist as the Pope and Babylon as the Roman Catholic Church. Yet, God used them in a mighty way. During the Reformation, and even within the last two centuries where pre-tribulationism has been so popular among Evangelicals, correct eschatology may not have been of utmost importance. However, the closer we get to the end of the age, the more crucial it becomes, because it affects how people prepare. The eschatology of the last generation of Christians will be critical.

If the pre-tribulation view proves to be wrong, what will be the legacy of this two hundred year old system? Will it have caused believers to become strong in their faith, ready to meet the onslaught of the Wicked One like the martyrs of the early Church? Or, will it have caused Christians to become complacent, spiritually flabby, and unable to endure intense persecution? Could it contribute to the "falling away" that will occur during the final hour of trial? You can rest assured, Satan will take full advantage of any lack of preparation by using the element of surprise. With the dual weapons of deception, and intense persecution, he will make havoc of an ill-prepared Church.

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