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We have seen that the brothers who believe that the whole church will be raptured before the tribulation have reasons that are not reliable. Their idea lacks biblical proof. This is their first error. Today I want to discuss their second error.
Our brothers who believe that the whole church will be raptured before the tribulation not only have farfetched reasons that are unable to stand as reasons, but they also have too many presumptions. Every time we speak about a biblical truth, whether it is as evidence or as background, it should be according to the Bible. If what is said requires too many presumptions and assumptions, it is not reliable. The brothers who believe that the whole church will be raptured before the tribulation rely upon too many presumptions. I will now point out their presumptions one by one.
Our brothers say that Revelation 1 through 3 speak of the church, and that chapters three through nineteen do not speak of the church any longer, because from chapters four to nineteen the word church is not mentioned. Therefore, chapters one through three are on the church in this age, and chapters four through nineteen are on the future great tribulation. Since chapters four through nineteen do not mention the church, the church must not be on the earth any longer. Since the church is not on the earth, she must have been raptured to heaven.
Let us consider whether it is reasonable, as far as an argument goes, to make presumptions on the basis that a certain term is not explicitly mentioned. Although the word church is not explicitly mentioned in chapters four through nineteen, the fact of the church is still there. There are several examples.
Revelation 5:9 says, "And they sing a new song, saying...for You were slain and have purchased for God by Your blood men out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." If this group of people, who have been bought by the blood of the Lord, are not the church, who are they? Although the Scripture does not explicitly say that they are the church, can we say that they are not the church?
Revelation 6:9 says, "And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had." If this group of people is not the church, who are they? Although the Scripture does not use the word church here, can we say that they are not the church?
Revelation 7:14 says, "These are those who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." If this group of people is not the church, who are they? Although the Scripture does not use the word church here, we all know that only the church can experience the washing of the robes by the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 12:17 says, "The rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus." If this group of people is not the church, who are they? Although the Scripture does not use the word church here, can we say that they are not the church?
Revelation 17:6 says, "And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus." If this group of slain people is not the church, who are they? We all know that the woman here indicates the Roman Catholic Church. In the past, countless numbers of saints have been persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church. Countless numbers of saints were killed in Spain. Although the Scripture does not use the word church here, can we say that the slain ones here are not the church?
Revelation 19:11-14 says, "A white horse, and He who sits on it called Faithful and True...And He is clothed with a garment dipped in blood; and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven followed Him on white horses, dressed in fine linen, white and clean." Many people acknowledge that this is the scene when the Lord Jesus will come with the church to the earth. Even the brothers who believe that the whole church will be raptured before the tribulation acknowledge this. Does the Scripture here explicitly use the word church? Can we say that there is no church just because the Scripture does not use the word church here? Since our brothers admit that the church is in chapter nineteen, why do they deny it concerning the other chapters, which also show the fact of the church?
Revelation 22:6 says, "And he said to me, These words [indicating the whole book of Revelation, including chapters four through nineteen] are faithful and true; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show to His slaves the things which must quickly take place." Also verse 16 says, "I Jesus have sent My angel to testify to you these things [indicating the things recorded in the entire book of Revelation, including chapters four to nineteen] for the churches." This shows that though the word church is not mentioned in chapters four through nineteen, the sole purpose of mentioning them is for the churches. Therefore, how can we say that in chapters four through nineteen there is no mention of the church?
For our brothers to make such presumptions and assumptions is altogether wrong. We can see that the points we have mentioned prove that from chapters four to nineteen there are many instances where the fact of the church is mentioned. Although the word church is not explicitly mentioned from chapters four to nineteen, we cannot say that there is not the fact of the church there.
Moreover, our brothers say that in Revelation 21:9, the wife of the Lamb is the church (though according to the context preceding this verse, the wife of the Lamb refers to the New Jerusalem). May I ask if the word church is mentioned explicitly in 21:9? According to our brothers, since the word church is not mentioned explicitly, the church cannot be there. Why then would our brothers say that 21:9 refers to the church when the word church is not mentioned explicitly? If our brothers admit that the church is here, why do they not admit that the church is in the other chapters also? From this we see that such presumptions cannot stand.
If from chapters four to nineteen the church is still there, then their assumption that the whole church is raptured before the tribulation (beginning from chapter four) cannot stand. If there will still be people belonging to the church in the tribulation, how can we say that the whole church will be raptured before the tribulation?
Our brothers say that as soon as the whole church is raptured, many people will be saved on the earth who will become the so-called saints of the tribulation. They say that these people will be saved at the time of the great tribulation. Their scriptural basis is Revelation 7:9-17: "A great multitude which no one could number, out of every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues...These are those who come out of the great tribulation." Therefore, these people are saved at the time of the great tribulation. If our brothers admit that this group of people are believers that have passed through the tribulation, their theory collapses by itself. They can only say that this group of people is saved at the time of the great tribulation. In this way, they save their theory.
I am not saying that at the time of the great tribulation no one will be saved. Rather, I am saying that the people in Revelation 7:9-17 are not saved at the time of the great tribulation. I am not jumping to a conclusion. There is a basis for what I am saying.
(1)As far as the number goes, it does not seem possible for this group of people to be saved at the time of the great tribulation. At the time of the great tribulation, how can there be countless people being saved? At the time of the great tribulation, what is the largest number? Revelation 9:16 mentions two hundred million. The number in chapter seven, which no one could number, must be at least two hundred million. According to the census of the world population, today the whole world has only seventeen hundred million people. Revelation 6:8 says, "Authority was given to them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword and with famine and with death and by the beasts of the earth." This means about four hundred million people will die, leaving approximately twelve hundred million people. Revelation 9:15 says, "They might kill the third part of men." This means again over four hundred million people will die, leaving approximately eight hundred million people. Revelation 8:11 says, "Many of the men died." Revelation 11:13 says, "Seven thousand men were killed in the earthquake." This means seven thousand men of renown will die. It also means that an unknown number of the other nameless ones also will die. In chapters fifteen through sixteen we do not know how many more people will die, for that will be the actual great tribulation. In Revelation 9:16, the number of the army of the horsemen is two hundred million. Matthew 25 says that when the Lord comes again to the earth, there will still be many goats and sheep. Excluding these, how many people will be left? In considering the numbers, to say that a countless number of people will be saved at the time of the great tribulation is not logical.
(2)Looking from a historical perspective, it is also impossible that this group of people is saved at the time of the great tribulation. Is it possible that the aggregate result of the testimony of the apostles on the earth, the testimony of the saints on the earth throughout the ages, and the testimony of the church on the earth throughout the past two thousand years would not come up to the amount accomplished right before the end? Can we say that the number of all the people saved during the past two thousand years is less than the number saved during the tribulation? Nowhere in the Bible do we find any teaching concerning the kind of believers that appear during the tribulation. Therefore, realistically speaking, to say that this group is saved during the great tribulation is impossible.
(3)Circumstantially speaking, this is also impossible. We know that the judgments that descend from God are divided into seals, trumpets, and bowls. But the judgments of the seals and the trumpets are different from the judgments of the bowls. The seals and the trumpets are God's remedial punishments with the hope that men would repent because of the punishments. As for the bowls, they are simply God's punishments. No one can hope to repent because of these punishments. Therefore, in Revelation 9:20-21, after the seals and the trumpets, there are the words, "The rest of the men...did not repent," and "They did not repent." But after the bowls there is no mention of repentance.
Therefore, during the great tribulation, the Bible shows us clearly that some people will be killed by the tribulation, while the rest will remain unrepentant. Where is the uncountable number of people saved during the tribulation? This is not to mention the fact that at that time the "triune" Satan will be deceiving and coercing on the earth.
If this group of countless numbers of people is not saved during the great tribulation, they must be the church saved before the great tribulation. If they are the church, how can we say that the whole church will be raptured before the great tribulation? (As to the detailed explanation of this group of people, I will publish it in my Meditations on Revelation, if the Lord wills.)
Our brothers say that during the great tribulation the Holy Spirit will no longer be on the earth, for when the Lord Jesus raptures the church to the heavens, He also raptures the Holy Spirit to the heavens, so that the Holy Spirit will no longer be on the earth. They base their words on 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8: "And now you know that which restrains, so that he might be revealed in his own time. For it is the mystery of lawlessness that is now operating, but only until the one now restraining goes out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed." They say that here is a great sinner, who is the son of perdition, and who is commonly called the Antichrist. The restraining one is the Holy Spirit. After the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, the lawless one will be revealed. How is the Holy Spirit taken out of the way? The Holy Spirit will be taken out of the way by being raptured. After this, Antichrist will be revealed and the great tribulation will begin. They say, "Since the Holy Spirit will no longer be on the earth, how can the church still be on the earth? Therefore, the whole church must have been raptured before the tribulation."
Can such a presumption stand? It cannot. We have much biblical evidence to prove that such a presumption is wrong.
(1) First we need to ask, is the restraining one the Holy Spirit? The Bible calls the Holy Spirit by many names, for example, the Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of revelation, and so forth. There are also many other names with the word Spirit attached. True, the Bible also calls the Holy Spirit a consoling One or the Comforter. But immediately after this, the Bible tells us that this is the Spirit of truth. Which verse in the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is the restraining one? There is no verse in the Bible that says that the Holy Spirit is the restraining one. Saying that the restraining one is the Holy Spirit is clearly a presumption.
(2) Can the expression "goes out of the way" be explained as "is being raptured"? It says "goes out of the way," not "raptured out of the way." Is "going out of the way" a likely expression to describe the Holy Spirit? Can we say that "to go out of the way" is to be raptured? The Bible does not allow us to say this. This shows that saying that going out of the way is to be raptured is again a presumption.
(3) Does the Bible say that during the great tribulation the Holy Spirit will not be on the earth? Our brothers say that there is no Holy Spirit on the earth during the great tribulation. They also say that during the great tribulation countless people will be saved. How can these two things be reconciled? The Holy Spirit is no longer on the earth; yet there are more people saved than when the Holy Spirit was on the earth. What kind of teaching is this? I believe that if there is one person saved during the great tribulation, it will still be the work of the Holy Spirit on the earth, because that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is the spirit.
(4) Revelation 4:5 says, "Seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." Revelation 5:6 says, "I saw...a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." The Bible tells us that during the great tribulation the Holy Spirit does work, for the Bible says He is "sent forth into all the earth."
(5) The Bible never says that the Holy Spirit is raptured to heaven before the great tribulation. On the contrary, it says that during the great tribulation the Holy Spirit will be greatly poured out as the latter rain. Concerning this, we can read the following two paragraphs in the Bible.
Joel 2:28-32 says, "And afterward I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh,/And your sons and your daughters will prophesy;/Your old men will dream dreams;/Your young men will see visions./Indeed even upon the servants and the maids /In those days I will pour out My Spirit./And I will do wonders in the heavens and on earth:/Blood and fire and pillars of smoke./The sun will be turned into darkness,/And the moon, into blood,/Before the great and terrible/Day of Jehovah comes./And all who call on the name of Jehovah will be saved."
Acts 2:15-21 says, "For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is the third hour of the day; but this is what is spoken through the prophet Joel: `And it shall be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream things in dreams; and indeed upon My slaves, both men and women, I will pour out of My Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord comes. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"
Here I would like to draw your attention to what Peter said, "But this is what is spoken through the prophet Joel." Peter did not say the day of Pentecost fulfilled what Joel said. The day of Pentecost did not fulfill literally what Joel said. The day of Pentecost did not have the five unusual scenes described in Joel 2:30-31: "Blood and fire and pillars of smoke./The sun will be turned into darkness,/And the moon, into blood." There were no such unusual scenes at Pentecost. When will Joel's word be fulfilled? It will be fulfilled at the great tribulation. We can look for these five unusual scenes in Revelation.
Revelation 6:12 says, "When He opened the sixth seal...the sun became black like sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood." The unusual scenes of the sun and the moon here match Joel's word.
In Revelation 8:7-10, at the sounding of the first and second trumpets, there is fire and blood. When the third trumpet is sounded, there is also fire. These match Joel's word concerning the unusual scenes of fire and blood.
In Revelation 9:2, at the sounding of the fifth trumpet, smoke rises out of the pit of the abyss like the smoke of a great furnace. This also matches Joel's word of the scene of the pillars of smoke.
Therefore, we can say that these things will be greatly fulfilled during the great tribulation. The Holy Spirit will be poured out greatly at that time. The time of Pentecost was but a foretaste. Therefore, Peter did not say it "fulfilled" what Joel said. He merely said that it was that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel. It means that particular situation was somewhat similar to what Joel had spoken. It means that particular situation resembled the events spoken of by Joel.
Therefore, according to Joel, during the tribulation the Holy Spirit will do an unprecedented work. At that time, without the power of the Holy Spirit, men will surely not be able to stand the many persecutions and afflictions. Based on what Joel said, the Holy Spirit will not be raptured during the tribulation; rather, He will be poured out as never before and will do an extraordinary work.
If during the great tribulation the Holy Spirit is still on the earth, then our brothers' reasoning, that the Holy Spirit's rapture means the church's rapture, no longer has any biblical foundation to it.
Our brothers say that the disciples in the Gospels all refer to Jewish disciples, and not to the church, because the church was not formed until Pentecost. The disciples were Jewish disciples, whereas we are Christians; therefore, what the Lord said in the four Gospels has nothing to do with us Christians. Only the Epistles, and only the Epistles written by Paul in prison have something to do with us.
Why do they say this? It is because in the four Gospels the Lord always says to watch and prepare for His coming back, and that if one does not, he will be left behind when the Lord comes back. Since they advocate that the whole church will be raptured before the tribulation, they can only push the Lord's warnings to the disciples in the four Gospels upon the so-called Jewish disciples. In the four Gospels, the Lord never said that all of the saved ones would be raptured at once. The Lord always said that only the watchful and prepared ones would be raptured. They know that the whole church is composed of saved ones, but not all are watchful and prepared. Therefore, if the whole church is to be raptured before the tribulation, they must prove that the commandments to watch and be prepared are not for the church. In this way, the church will not be divided into two groups — the watchful ones and the unwatchful ones, the prepared ones and the unprepared ones. Otherwise, they cannot get over this big obstacle. We can prove that it is a presumption to say that the disciples are not Christians. Were not the twelve disciples Christians? We say yes, and we have the following reasons:
(1) If the twelve disciples were not Christians, why does the Bible pay so much attention to transitional matters? Matthew has twenty-eight chapters, Mark has sixteen chapters. If one says the four Gospels are for the so-called Jewish disciples, why does the Bible use so many chapters to record the transitional matters, yet use a few books that have only a few short chapters to record the things concerning the Christians?
(2) It is true that at that time the disciples were Jews. But at the time of Pentecost, were they not still this same group of people? Were not those who were called the pillars of the church the same group of people? Even though the designation might be different, were they not the same group of people? Before Pentecost and before the church was established, had not the Lord already chosen them? Did not the Lord cultivate these ones to be seeds, to be the foundation? Did not the Lord especially intend for them to bear the responsibility in the church? Suppose a certain person intends to open a department store. Before he opens it, he trains a group of people in advance, teaching them the general knowledge of commerce. After the store opens, can this group of people say that the training they had previously received cannot be used any longer? It is true that the church was not yet established, but can we say that the teachings received before this cannot be used, and that only what Paul has written is useful? Can we set aside all the words of instructions and warnings given by the Lord? (Of course, we admit that in the Gospels many times the Lord Jesus spoke to the disciples as Jews. We will speak about this in detail in Study on Matthew. At present, it suffices to say just a word of distinction: with regard to things of the environment, the Lord regarded His disciples as Jews; with regard to spiritual things, the Lord regarded His disciples as the church.)
(3) Does the Bible say explicitly that the disciples were Christians? Acts 11:26 says, "The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." Does this not mean that the disciples were Christians? Moreover, the name Christian was the name others used to mock the disciples at that time. They put this name upon the disciples to mock them for being like Christ. Can we say that because a person has two names he is then two persons? Can we say that since the disciples were later called Christians, that everything related to them when they were called disciples is not related to them as Christians? The disciples were the Christians; they were the church.
(4) Another evidence is Matthew 28:19: "Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Here it says to disciple all the nations. This means that all the saved persons in this world are disciples, and that the Jews are not the only ones who are disciples. The term "all the nations" is the same as "Gentiles" in the original text. The nations spoken of in Matthew are the Gentiles. These ones say that the disciples are the Jews, but the Bible and the Lord say that among the disciples there are not only Jews, but Gentiles also. Therefore, the words that the Lord spoke to the Jewish disciples in the four Gospels are also for the Gentile disciples, because the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, were the disciples of the Lord Jesus.
From this we see that the words that the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples concerning watching and preparing were spoken to all the Christians. Therefore, everyone who does not watch and prepare as the Lord commanded is liable to suffer loss at the Lord's coming. Thus, how can the whole church — watching or not watching, prepared or not prepared — be raptured before the tribulation?
Our brothers say that all the words, that is, all the teachings, spoken by the Lord in the four Gospels were for the Jews. (Mr. Scofield said that Matthew 5—7 uplifts the law to a most fearful position.)
Now we want to consider if the Lord's words were to those under the law, or to the Christians.
Matthew 28:20 says, "Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age." This word was spoken by the Lord to all the disciples when He was living on the earth. He commanded His disciples to go and disciple all the nations. He also charged the disciples to teach them with His teachings that they may keep them. Therefore, all the teachings in the Gospels are spoken to the Christians, not to the Jews. The Lord's commandments were not only given to the disciples of that time, but also to those who heard the apostles' teaching and believed.
John 14:26 says, "But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and remind you of all the things which I have said to you." The Holy Spirit will cause us to remember every word, whatever they are. In other words, the Holy Spirit wants to lead us back to the words of the Lord Jesus.
Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." This is what Paul charged the Christians in Colossae to do.
But what about today? Those friends who believe the whole church will be raptured before the tribulation say that the teachings of the four Gospels were spoken to the Jews, not to the Christians. But this is not what the Lord, or the Holy Spirit, or Paul told us. The Holy Spirit and Paul both bring us back to the teachings of the Lord Jesus in the four Gospels.
Why do our brothers say that the teachings of the four Gospels have nothing to do with the church? It is because there are so many places in the four Gospels that say that whosoever does not watch and pray and does not prepare in waiting will be left behind when the Lord comes. If we cite a verse from the Gospels which mentions that the rapture is conditioned upon being watchful and prepared, they will answer that these words are for the Jews and not for the Christians. Whether or not one is watchful or prepared, according to them, he will be raptured as long as he is in the church. This is just man's theory. The Lord did not say this; the Holy Spirit did not say this; and Paul did not say this. Therefore, such presumption cannot stand.
If the teachings of Christ while He was on the earth were spoken to us, the church, then we know that to be regenerated alone is not enough. We must also be diligently watching and preparing. It is impossible for the whole church (the born again ones) to be raptured before the tribulation, because the whole church is not watchful and prepared.
Matthew 24:14 says, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." Our brothers say that the gospel of the kingdom is different from the gospel of grace. The church is saved through the gospel of grace. The gospel of the kingdom is for the Jews. They say that there are two stages for the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. One is when the Lord was living on the earth; one is at the time of the great tribulation. The church preaches the gospel of grace, not the gospel of the kingdom.
Why do they say that the gospel of grace is toward the church and the gospel of the kingdom is toward the Jews? This is because they advocate that we depend on grace for everything; even our rapture depends on grace. Watching and preparing is work, not grace. What is spoken of in the four Gospels is the kingdom; therefore, the references to preparing and watching in them are all for the Jews and not related to Christians. They pay special attention to distinguishing the gospel of grace from the gospel of the kingdom; yet little do they know that the gospel of God is only one. In letter, the gospel of grace and the gospel of the kingdom, of course, have their own special distinctions. But, in fact, the gospel of the kingdom includes the gospel of grace. Therefore, the truths of the kingdom are for us. We should not shovel them upon the Jews just because they are deep and make demands upon us. Not only do the Gospels speak about the kingdom; even the book of Acts, which speaks the most about the church, speaks about the kingdom also. Let us see what the book of Acts says regarding this. By this we will see the kingdom's relationship to us.
Acts 1:3 says, "To whom also He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many irrefutable proofs, appearing to them through a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God." After the Lord's resurrection, what was He speaking about for forty days? He spoke of the things pertaining to the kingdom.
Acts 8:12 says, "But when they believed Philip, who announced the gospel of the kingdom of God and of the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." Here it says that the gospel which Philip preached was the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Acts 14:22 says, "Establishing the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God." This is what Paul and Barnabas encouraged the disciples with. Does it say here that the gospel of the kingdom is not the gospel of grace?
Acts 19:8 says, "And he entered into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them in the things concerning the kingdom of God." Here it says that Paul, for the space of three months, reasoned and persuaded them in the things concerning the kingdom of God. If this is not about grace, what is it about?
Acts 20:24-25 says, "But I consider my life of no account as if precious to myself, in order that I may finish my course and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus to solemnly testify of the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more." What kind of gospel did Paul say he preached? The first part says, "Testify of the gospel of the grace of God," and the second part says, "Proclaiming the kingdom." From this we can see that the proclaiming of the kingdom of God is equal to the gospel of the grace of God. On the one hand, it says the gospel of the grace of God; on the other hand, it says the gospel of the grace of God is the proclaiming of the kingdom of God. Who can say that the gospel of grace is different from the gospel of the kingdom? Paul said that the gospel of the kingdom is equal to the gospel of grace.
Acts 20:31 says, "Therefore watch, remembering that for three years, night and day, I did not cease admonishing each one with tears." This is the end of the apostle's work. The apostle never ceased preaching about the kingdom of God.
Where in the Bible does it say that the gospel of the kingdom has nothing to do with us Christians? The Bible does not say this. On the contrary, the Bible says that the proclaiming of the kingdom of God is the gospel of grace. We can see that this kind of presumption is not reliable. This shows us that the teachings concerning watching and preparing in the Gospels are spoken to us Christians.
Our brothers say that the work that the Lord did on the earth was basically for the Jews. The Lord's ministry was to the circumcision; therefore, we can see that the Lord specially served the Jews. In other words, the age of the gospel began after the Lord died.
Is what they say reliable? It is not reliable. I am not saying that when the Lord was living on the earth there was not the Jewish background. The Jews had the law, the covenant, and the promise from the past. The law also ended at the Lord's death. But according to the Bible, the age of the gospel did not begin at the Lord's death, but even while the Lord was working on the earth. There is much evidence for this. These ones insist on putting the Lord's work under the law. They say that the church is under grace and not under the law; therefore, all the commandments and warnings of the Lord in the Gospels do not have anything to do with the church. But the Bible does not permit them to presume this way. Let us see what the Bible says concerning the time the law ended and the gospel began.
(1) Matthew 11:13 says, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John." Luke 16:16 says, "The law and the prophets were until John; from that time the kingdom of God is proclaimed as the gospel, and everyone forces his way into it." The Bible tells us that the law ended when John came out to preach. Since that time, that is, since John began to preach, the gospel of the kingdom was preached. The Bible does not say that the law ended at the cross. The Bible does not say that the law ended at Pentecost. The Bible does not say that the law ended with Stephen. The Bible does not say that the law ended at Paul's preaching. The Bible does not say that the law ended at Acts 28. The Bible does say that the law ended at John. Although at that time the two sides were still not clear, and although it was not until the cross that everything was settled, the age of the gospel had, nevertheless, begun.
(2) Acts 10:36-37 says, "The word which He sent to the sons of Israel in announcing the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ...the word which has been spoken throughout the whole of Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John proclaimed." As soon as John the Baptist began preaching on baptism, the age of the gospel began.
(3) Acts 13:23-26 says, "From this man's seed, God, according to promise, brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, after John had proclaimed, prior to His public entrance, a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. Now as John was completing his course, he said, What do you suppose that I am? I am not the Christ. But behold, One is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie. Men, brothers, sons of the race of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us the word of this salvation has been sent forth." We need to take note that the time "the word of this salvation" began was the time the age of the gospel began. When did the word of this salvation begin? It began with John the Baptist. Therefore, the age of the gospel also began at this time.
(4) Mark 1:1 says, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." If we read from verse 1 through verse 15, we will realize that the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, began when John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance. This is most clear. The Bible does not say that the gospel began at Christ's death.
(5) Luke 4:17-19 says, "And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, `The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to announce the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.'" We say that the things recorded here belong to the gospel of grace. When did the Lord say they began? Verse 21 says, "And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." The Lord said, "Today"; that is, it was fulfilled in that day. The age of the gospel began in that day and not at His death.
(6) John 4:23 says, "But an hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the Father also seeks such to worship Him." How did the people in the age of the law worship God? It was according to the flesh and according to rituals. The cleansing was according to the flesh; the defilement was also according to the flesh. But the Lord said, "But an hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the Father also seeks such to worship Him." When do we worship Him in spirit and in truth? It is in the time of grace. The Lord said, "It is now." We see that day was the time of grace. The Lord said, "It is now."
(7) John 5:25 says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, An hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Is this the law or the gospel? We all know that this is the gospel. The Lord said, "It is now." Does this not mean that the age of the gospel began then? It did not have to wait for a later day, but "It is now."
According to the verses we have quoted, we can conclude that when Christ was living on the earth, the age of the gospel had begun. It did not begin in Matthew 28, nor in Acts 2, nor in Acts 28. The age of the gospel began when the Lord Jesus came out to work. This being the case, all of the words in the four Gospels are for the Christians. In this way, the words that indicate that the rapture is only for those who are watching, praying, and preparing, as spoken of in the four Gospels, are for all the Christians. If this is the case, not all Christians will be raptured before the tribulation. Therefore, the condition for the rapture is not regeneration, but being watchful. Since this is the case, how can we say that the whole church will be raptured before the tribulation?
