This article is part of a series responding to arguments made by the YouTube channel “Servus Christi” in his video “The Pretrib Rapture Deception: A False Hope”. In this piece, we will address the objection that the pretribulation rapture view contradicts Jesus’ warnings about persecution and tribulation for believers.
Understanding the Context of Jesus’ Warnings
Servus Christi rightly points out that Jesus warned His followers about tribulation and persecution. He quotes John 16:33, where Jesus says, “In this world you will have tribulation.” However, it’s crucial to understand the context and scope of these warnings.
The New Testament clearly teaches believers to face trials and persecution throughout the church age. As Dr. Thomas Ice notes:
“Certainly the Bible teaches that all through out the church age Believers will suffer persecution. This is taught by such passages as John 16:33b, ‘In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.’ And in 2 Timothy 3:12 ‘Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.'”
However, the key question is not whether Christians will face tribulation in general, but whether the church will experience the specific period known as the Great Tribulation described in prophecy.
Distinguishing Between General Tribulation and the Great Tribulation
Pretribulationists make a clear distinction between the general tribulations believers face throughout history and the specific period of Great Tribulation prophesied in Scripture. Dr. Thomas Ice explains:
“The question is will the church experience the trials of the tribulation. I have found that when a person is knowledgeable of what the Bible says is God’s purpose for the tribulation, or any issue for that matter, then a very high percentage of those people will come to believe that the church will be taken in the rapture before the tribulation.”
The Great Tribulation is a distinct period with specific characteristics:
- It begins with the signing of a covenant between Israel and the Antichrist.
- It lasts for seven years.
- It ends at the second coming of Jesus Christ.
- It is described in detail in Revelation 6-19.
The Purpose of the Great Tribulation
Understanding God’s purpose for the Great Tribulation is crucial in addressing this objection. The tribulation period has specific objectives that are distinct from the general trials believers face:
- To prepare Israel for the Messiah’s return
- To judge unbelieving Gentile nations
- To bring about worldwide revival
These purposes are primarily focused on Israel and unbelieving Gentiles, not the church. As Dr. Mark Hitchcock points out:
“The church is not mentioned in Revelation 4–18 as being on the earth. The church is mentioned 19 times in Revelation 1–3, but then the church is not mentioned again until Revelation 19 when she returns with Christ at His glorious appearing.”
The Promise of Deliverance for the Church
While Jesus did warn of tribulation, He and the apostles also gave promises of deliverance for believers. Dr. Mark Hitchcock highlights several key passages:
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 – Jesus “delivers us from the wrath to come.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:9 – “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- Revelation 3:10 – “I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”
These passages suggest that the church will be exempted from the specific period of God’s wrath during the Great Tribulation.
The Imminency of Christ’s Return
Another important aspect of the pretribulation rapture view is the doctrine of imminency—the belief that Christ could return at any moment. Numerous New Testament passages support this concept and exhort believers to be watchful and ready for Christ’s return without mentioning any preceding signs or events.
Dr. Jeffrey Townsend explains:
“The New Testament exhortation to be comforted by the Lord’s coming (John 14:1; 1 Thess. 4:18) would no longer have meaning if believers first had to pass through any part of the tribulation. Instead, comfort would have to await passage through the events of the tribulation. No, the church has been given a ‘Blessed Hope,’ in part, because our Lord’s return is truly imminent.”
Reconciling Jesus’ Warnings with the Pretribulation Rapture
The pretribulation rapture view does not negate or contradict Jesus’ warnings about tribulation. Rather, it recognizes different phases in God’s prophetic plan. Believers in the church age will indeed face trials and persecution, as Jesus warned. However, the specific period of the Great Tribulation is distinct from these general tribulations and has a different purpose.
Dr. H. Wayne House provides insight into how early church fathers understood this distinction:
“The belief in a millennial reign of Christ for a thousand years (χιλια, Rev 20:2-3) continued throughout the ante-Nicene period but the resistance of certain theologians (such as Caius, Origen, Dionysius the Great, Eusebius, Jerome, Augustine ) of the Church hampered this belief in certain sectors of the Church.”
This shows that even in the early church, there was recognition of different prophetic periods and interpretations of Jesus’ teachings on tribulation.
Conclusion
While Servus Christi raises an important point about Jesus’ warnings of tribulation, a careful examination of Scripture reveals that the pretribulation rapture view does not contradict these warnings. Instead, it recognizes different phases in God’s prophetic plan, distinguishing between the general tribulations believers face and the specific period of Great Tribulation.
The pretribulation rapture view:
- Acknowledges Jesus’ warnings about persecution and tribulation for believers throughout the church age.
- Recognizes the distinct nature and purpose of the Great Tribulation period.
- Upholds the promises of deliverance for the church from God’s wrath.
- Maintains the imminency of Christ’s return as taught in the New Testament.
By understanding these nuances, we can see that the pretribulation rapture view is not a “false hope” but a careful interpretation of Scripture that considers the full counsel of God’s Word. It encourages believers to be prepared for trials while also looking forward to the blessed hope of Christ’s imminent return.
