... so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
-- 1 Thessalonians 3:13 --
The Returning Saints Are Angels
There is this belief that the returning saints in 1 Thessalonians 3:13 are angels, not raptured believers. The reason for this tenet is derived from an Old Testament prophecy given in Zechariah 14:5 - "Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!" This belief contends that the holy ones in Zechariah 14:5 are angels. Thus, it stands to reason that angels, not raptured believers (saints), will accompany Christ when He returns at the end of the seven year tribulation period. Thus, according to this view, 1 Thessalonians 3:13 and Revelation 19:14 must be referring to angels, not saints. The purpose of this teaching is to provide scriptural support for a pre-wrath rapture of the church, a view that I respectfully disagree with.
This belief was popularized from of a book titled "The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church" by Marvin J. Rosenthal, published in 1990. He wrote, "'Saints' in this verse (1 Thessalonians 3:13) is an unfortunate and inappropriate translation. 'Saints' in this verse does not refer to believers. The Greek word hagios should be translated holy ones and is a reference to angelic beings. These angelic beings will accompany Christ at His coming (parousia) [cf. Matt. 25:31; 2 Thess. 1:7-8; Rev. 19:14]. In no sense, then, can 1 Thessalonians 3:13 be used to support the teaching that the Lord comes for the church at the beginning of the seventieth week and then with the church at its end, as some contend" (page 218).
There were three main views about the timing of the rapture in reference to the tribulation period before the addition of the Pre-wrath Rapture View.
Pre-tribulation Rapture View - the rapture takes place prior to the start of the seven year tribulation period.
Mid-tribulation Rapture View - the rapture takes place in the middle of the seven year tribulation period.
Post-tribulation Rapture View - the rapture and the second coming of Christ are simultaneous events that take place at the end of the tribulation period.
The Pre-wrath Rapture View teaches that the rapture will take place near the end of the seven year tribulation period. It is pretty easy to confuse this view with the Post-tribulation Rapture View. Since the church will not be raptured until the later portion of the tribulation period, it does not seem possible that the saints will return with Christ shortly after being taken to heaven. Thus, only the angels will accompany Christ when He returns at the end of the tribulation period.
Of Angels and Saints
It is my firm position that "His saints" - believers who are sanctified (set apart) in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2) - will be raptured before the seven year tribulation period then will return with Jesus Christ when He physically and gloriously comes again at the end of the tribulation period (Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 1:7; 19:7-8, 11-14). The Greek word for saints is the adjective hagios which literally means holy ones, and is found 61 times throughout the New Testament. In every case, from Matthew 27:52 to Revelation 20:9, saints is used in reference to believers. Saints is mentioned seven times in the Old Testament as the Hebrew adjective qādôš (Psalm 16:3; 34:9; Daniel 7:18, 21-22, 25, 27) and is also used in reference to people. There are nine references to the phrase holy ones in Scripture - eight in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament (Jude 14). Depending on the context, holy ones are either angelic beings or people who are consecrated to God. For example, in Deuteronomy 33:2, the LORD "shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones (angelic beings)." In Deuteronomy 33:3, the LORD "loves the people; All Your holy ones (the people) are in Your hand, and they followed in Your steps" (also see Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2). Holy ones are angelic beings in Job 5:1; Psalm 89:5, 7; Daniel 4:17; and Jude 14. Since the phrase holy ones in the Old Testament is used in reference to people or angelic beings depending on the context in which this phrase is used, it is possible that its usage in Zechariah 14:5 is associated with both - "Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones (angels and saints) with Him!"
If Paul meant angels instead of saints in 1 Thessalonians 3:13, then why didn't he use the Greek noun angelos instead of the adjective hagios. Angelos is mentioned 180 times throughout the New Testament with thirteen references in the Pauline epistles of Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, and 1 Timothy. I agree that angels will accompany Christ at His coming - "He will send forth His angels (angelos) with A GREAT TRUMPET" (Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27); "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels (angelos) with Him" (Matthew 25:31); "when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels (angelos) in flaming fire" (2 Thessalonians 1:7). Prior to the return of Christ, angels will also participate in administering God’s judgments during the seven year tribulation period (Revelation 8:1–13; 9:1–21; 14:14–20; 16:1–12, 17–21). Although I cannot speak on behalf of Paul directly, he intentionally chose to use the adjective hagios in reference to saints instead of the noun angelos for a reason: because the saints will also be accompanying Christ when He returns.
What A Honeymoon!
By mentioning Revelation 19:14 on page 218 of his book, Rosenthal is implying that the armies in heaven, "clothed in fine linen, white and clean," following the Lord on white horses when He returns, are angels. A few verses earlier (Revelation 19:7-9), the Lamb clothed His bride (the church - Ephesians 5:25-27) in "fine linen, bright and clean." The "fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (hagios)." One could make the case that, since angels appeared in white garments (Mark 16:5; John 20:12; Acts 1:10), then those following Christ on white horses must be angels. However, the context of Revelation 19:7-14 points to these riders as the bride of the Lamb, not angels.
The Pre-Wrath Rapture
This view was conceived by an investment banker named Robert Van Kampen in the 1970's. He wrote a book titled "The Sign of Christ's Coming and the End of the Age" which provides a sequence of end time events and the timing of the rapture. The Pre-wrath Rapture view teaches that the church will be on the earth for most of the tribulation period and will be raptured after the breaking of the sixth seal (Revelation 6:1-17). The wrath of man will be poured out with the breaking of each of the first five seals. The breaking of the sixth seal unleashes the wrath of God.
Objections to the Pre-wrath Rapture View
(1) There is nothing in Revelation 6 that indicates any of the first five seals are the wrath of man. The breaking of each seal originates at the throne of God. The Lamb is the only one worthy to open the book "sealed up with seven seals" and break its seals (Revelation 5:1-10). It is very difficult to imagine that the breaking of the fourth seal (Revelation 6:7-8) - a fourth of the earth's population will be killed "with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth" - is not the wrath of God! Man does not have control over pestilence and wild beasts!
(2) Scripture teaches the imminent return of Christ. We should always be ready because the Lord could return at any moment (Matthew 24:42-44; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:6; Titus 2:13). Pre-wrath teaches that the Lord will not return to take His church home until many of the events of the tribulation period have occurred including the revealing of the man of lawlessness who "takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God" (2 Thessalonians 2:4) during the second half of the tribulation period. Thus, we will be looking for the construction and completion of the third temple in Jerusalem followed by the revealing of the man of lawlessness as signs that the Lord will rapture us sometime in the next seven years!
(3) Seventy weeks (490 years) have been decreed for Israel and Jerusalem "to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place" (Daniel 9:24). The first sixty-nine weeks ended when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-11). He was crucified a few days later. The temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by Rome in A.D. 70 as prophesied by Daniel and Jesus (Daniel 9:26; Matthew 24:1-2). The seventieth week (the seven year tribulation period) will begin when the Antichrist makes a firm seven year covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27). Like the first sixty-nine weeks, this final week is decreed for Israel and Jerusalem, not the church. Israel will go through a time of intense judgment and chastisement that will lead to their salvation (Romans 11:26-27). "There will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time” for Israel (Daniel 12:1). Jeremiah called it “the time of Jacob’s (Israel's) distress, but he will be saved from it” (Jeremiah 30:7). The church is not Israel. Because saints of this present age are not destined for wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), Jesus will rescue “us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
(4) This view assumes the elect (Matthew 24:22) are saints of this present church age. The “gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations” before the “abomination of desolation” is seen “standing in the holy place” at the start of the second half of the tribulation period (Matthew 24:14-15). It stands to reason that this gospel will be preached during the first half of the tribulation period by the one-hundred and forty-four thousand sealed bond-servants of God (Revelation 7:1-8). The convicting work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8) will still be present on the earth during the tribulation period. Additionally, the two witnesses, who prophesy during the first half of the tribulation period, will be giving their testimony (Revelation 11:3-7).
(5) If the saints do not return with Christ when He comes again, then when will they return? Each half of Daniel's seventieth week is three and a half years (42 months, 1260 days). Daniel 12:11-12 states, “From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!" Proponents of the Pre-wrath view teach that Jesus returns to earth at the end of the tribulation period, saves Israel, then returns to heaven. At the end of thirty days (the 1,290 days), Jesus returns to earth, defeats the armies of Satan at Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-16; 19:19-21), then returns to heaven. Jesus returns with His church forty-five days later (the 1,335 days) and begins His one thousand year reign on earth. Scripture teaches three comings of Jesus: one when He was conceived and born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-20), one to take believers to heaven in the rapture (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), and one when He physically and gloriously returns to earth at the end of the tribulation period (Daniel 7:13; Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 19:11-14).
Closing Remarks
I am convinced that the only scripturally sound rapture view is Pre-tribulation. I also am convinced that the saints will come marching in when Jesus comes again at the end of the seven year tribulation period!
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