The Doctrine of “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” as put forth by Jack Chick Publications
With Analysis & Comment by Tom Forbes, Pstr.
“tomandlindaforbes@yahoo.com”
Below is the complete text of a 15 page “rapture” study/letter, received, February 8, 2007, by Daniel Dominguez, ostensibly from Jack Chick Publications, although we cannot yet be certain of the exact source within Chick Publications, as the organization has so far refused to respond to our attempts to confirm it. Because of the extremely Satanic nature of the methods used to wrest scripture within this “rapture” paper, we wished to determine whether Mr. Chick is personally the author of this material. The anti-scriptural position of Chick Publications with respect to the subject of resurrection is widely disseminated by its “Chaos” comic book and other tracts, which is consistent with the doctrines it has presented to us here; and it is rather well established that the letter, in fact, came from Mr. Chick’s organization; but I use his name from here forward as meaning himself, personally, or someone connected with him. Mr. Chick sent his letter via internet to Mr. Dominguez’ “My Space” subsequent to reading the Forbes “Pre-Trib Rapture” bible study posted there earlier, which was the attachment point of the letter sent by Mr. Chick. Mr. Dominguez had just previously joined Mr. Chick’s “friends” list on his “My Space” site. (The Forbes bible study is a presentation of bible verses which state plainly when the “resurrection” takes place; exposing the wildly popular “Pre-Tribulation Rapture” as a Satanic hoax.)
What follows from this point forward is the complete word for word text, exactly as received by Daniel Dominguez, with the exception of additions and comment as identified according to the Color Legend above. (If received electronically, this document will not display coherently unless opened in WordPerfect and printed by color printer.)
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{T}here {sic} is no debate that 1 Thessalonians 4, and 1 Corinthians 15 teach on the rapture. Both chapters also teach the resurrection and of the trumpet blast. Neither chapter mentions anything about having to endure the tribulation before the rapture comes.
{This first paragraph by Mr. Chick is pure genius. The reader must forgive me. It will take a few moments to faithfully respond to what has been very skilfully presented here.
(1) With a wave of his hand Mr. Chick has kicked to the curb two chapters that forcefully present the truth of the biblical “resurrection”. (2) As concerning what Mr. Chick states, there “is no debate,” this is false on two counts: first, neither of the chapters “teach on the rapture” whatsoever; and secondly, now that Mr. Chick has insinuated that they do, there SHOULD be heated debate. (Mr. Chick’s opening claim is equivalent to stating, “There is no debate that the theory of evolution is true.” and then calmly walking out of the room!) (3) Further, these two chapters, which he deftly dismisses, both speak powerfully and entirely against the possibility of any concept of “the rapture.” If the “rapture” is true, then these two chapters are false. (4) Concerning Mr. Chick’s statement that, “Neither chapter mentions anything about having to endure the tribulation before the rapture comes.”, I address the most glaring points:
(a) It is frightening to consider that such Machiavellian cunning could be packed into one sentence.
(b) Mr. Chick knows that “Neither chapter mentions anything about” the tribulation coming before “the rapture” because the word of God NEVER mentions “rapture” anywhere!
(c) Mr. Chick cleverly attempts to turn his own problem into our burden, which simply will not do. We do not need to show, nor would we intend to show, that the tribulation comes “before the rapture.” There IS NO “rapture.”
(d) Mr. Chick’s strategy clearly seeks its object with those who might be ignorant enough to find it compelling that 1st Thessalonians and 1st Corinthians 15 make no “mention” of “rapture.” (The reader must come to grips with certain realities here concerning a man who claims to be a bible-believing servant of Jesus Christ.)
(d) Although a fragment of Mr. Chick’s statement is technically true, in that “Neither of these two particular chapters mentions anything about having to endure the tribulation. . . .”, to make such point in this circumstance, is diabolically misleading, in addition to being irrelevant, in view of the fact that the bible does in MANY OTHER places do so. Mark 13 and Matthew 24, for example, contain the information given in the two chapters addressed above; and they ALSO both “mention” the “tribulation”, in addition to laying out the events of the “tribulation” which go BEFORE the thoroughly described “resurrection”. (Not “rapture.”)
(e) In composing his opening assault against 1st Thessalonians and 1st Corinthians 15, it is assumed that Mr. Chick intentionally left out those other passages which DO “mention” the tribulation. His objection is a sham.
(f) Mr. Chick is transparent in his intent is to knock down every verse in the bible that plainly teaches the resurrection in relation to other events, by applying to them, in isolation of each other, a shifting arbitrary criteria until they are all systematically eliminated by one means or another. It is patently untrue that every passage which teaches the biblical resurrection must necessarily include every element of the entire doctrine, or be discarded. (Mr. Chick applies no such criteria to the verses that he trots forth as proofs, but quite the opposite.) In 26 years of laboring in doctrine I have never witnessed such treachery as presented here by Mr. Chick. The reader is the judge.
(g) In setting up his strawman, Mr. Chick uses the techniques and strategies of lawyers, not a brother in Christ.
(h) Whereas Mr. Chick has dispatched with these two chapters, I present a small portion of each and ask for them to be considered without wresting, and for the reader to take the time to read the chapters in their entirety.
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” (1st Corinthians 15:22- 23)
This passage and numerous others flatly contradict Jack Chick, who is either willingly ignorant, or is intentionally deceiving the world concerning WHEN the “dead in Christ” “go to be with the Lord.” His tracts repeatedly portray an angel with wings scooping the dead man from his coffin at the time of his burial, and then flying him through outer space to his reward (or judgment). This propaganda (if believed) makes it impossible to see the relevance of the real “resurrection” wherein Christ “at the last trump” comes to earth (via the clouds) and RAISES THE DEAD IN CHRIST:
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17)
This could not get any more clear! We do not go to him (one by one), as we die: he comes to Earth to get us, whether DEAD OR ALIVE, at ONE RESURRECTION, at the last trump. 1st Thessalonians is simply false if Jack Chick is true.
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1st Corinthians 15:52-53)
If these two chapters are true, then the “rapture” is false, and Mr. Chick’s teachings in this and related matters are false. His depiction of raising the dead in Christ, at their deaths is not simply an innocent or unrelated heresy; but an essential element of a very Satanic strategy of global proportions (whether he knows it or not). It is impossible that “the dead in Christ shall rise first” at “the resurrection” as described above, if those people have already been stashed in heaven one at a time, like a squirrel fills a tree with nuts.
It is impossible to reconcile the biblical “resurrection” with the tenants of the “rapture” theory, and it is impossible to make it go away, so Mr. Chick, as others involved in this Satanic conspiracy, simply ignores and downplays the biblical resurrection, making it irrelevant AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CHURCH, while hawking the “rapture” as the “blessed hope”. (The biblical “hope” is the “glorious appearing” of the Lord at his return, as given in the very verse from which the term, “blessed hope”, is pirated (Titus 2:13)). It is galling for those who understand how the churches are being duped, to see their blindness and doctrinal ignorance play into the hands of the men who deceive them.
In falsely claiming that the chapters referred to “teach on the rapture” and “also teach the resurrection,” Mr. Chick has revealed that the term, “rapture,” is in fact a different thing than “the resurrection”. (Many unsuspecting folks assume that the word, “rapture,” is simply an innocent alternative to the word, “resurrection”. It is not! When Satan invents a doctrine he must, by necessity, also invent a term to represent it; for example: “immaculate conception” referring to Mary being born without sin; or “tribulation saints” as referring to the saints in the bible who clearly don’t get “raptured out” before the tribulation; or “Jewish Sabbath”/“Christian Sabbath” to justify the illusion of more than one scriptural “sabbath”; etc.
Mr. Chick immediately begins his paper by using the debate strategy of compartmentalization (“divide and conquer”) to insinuate at the outset that the reader is not entitled to utilize scripture to define and interpret scripture, which, of course is exactly how the bible should be studied (1st Corinthians 2:13). The purpose of his strategy is to isolate what the reader knows (or would know) of a particular doctrine in one scripture, from what is referred to in another scripture, through correlation. Mr. Chick hopes to substitute the definitions and associations of the bible with his own “private interpretation” (2nd Peter 1:20). This is done repeatedly by Mr. Chick, as shall be seen. While this tactic is certainly effective on those who do not perceive it, there is nothing about this strategy that is connected with “truth” or the love of “sound doctrine”. To understand the nature of this device, observe the technique in the following analogy:
In Philippians 2:9 (“. . . God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. . . .”) there is no debate that the word,“him”, refers to Lord Maitreya. Neither verse 9 nor verse 13 contains anything about Jesus Christ. Verse 10 (“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. . . .”) refers to a man named “Jesus”, but the word “Christ” is not mentioned here, nor does it mention the all-important word“him.” There is no debate that Philippians 2 teaches two persons as “Christ”, and that “him” refers to Lord Maitreya, the Christ, whose name is above every other name.
If the reader sees no problem with the above argument, then he needs find no problem with Mr. Chick in his opening “rapture” argument. Let the reader again read Mr. Chick’s first paragraph at the beginning of his letter, and then observe the following attempt by him to further fragment scripture and invalidate legitimate association of scripture.}
There is no debate that Revelation 19 and Zechariah 14 teach on the physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power after the tribulation. Neither of those chapters speak [sic] of the rapture, nor of a resurrection, nor of a trumpet blast.
{Firstly, “What is the point?” Secondly, why would the bible ANYWHERE “speak of the rapture” when it is “impossible for God to lie”!? Thirdly, is Mr. Chick complaining to me, that the word of God contains nothing about the “rapture,” or is he complaining to God?}
1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1 Thess 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 Thess 4:18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
{The verses referred to here by Mr. Chick are wasting space in regard to his efforts, unless he can change the meaning of the words, which he will now try to do. The above verses listed by Mr. Chick say nothing about any “rapture” theory, and teach precisely the doctrine of “the resurrection”.}
Λ [caught up=HARPAZO=Rapture]
{Now we get Mr. Chick’s “private interpretation”. (Referring to Greek while inventing false definitions is the most popular “Christian” con game on the planet.) This tactic is used by Mr. Chick because he has no choice: it is the only available option for him to “wrest” this plain scripture. Mr. Chick refers to the word “harpazo” because of the present gullible tendency among modern sheep to perceive “knowledge of Greek” as advanced insight to doctrine. (The fact is, there is no connection at all between the word “harpazo” and “rapture”). What is given by God in English as “caught up” means exactly “caught up,” and refers to “the resurrection” at the Lord’s coming, as the word of God refers to it repeatedly.}
Λ 1 Thess 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
{Mr. Chick clearly wants the reader to assume here that the “wrath to come” (that the Lord “delivered us from”) MEANS “tribulation” (or, as could be accurately concluded, “Satan’s wrath”). This is either unbelievable ignorance on the part of Mr. Chick, or intentional deception. The “wrath to come” in 1st Thessalonians is the “wrath of God” (John 3:36) against those who are not in Christ; that is, against those who refuse the salvation of Jesus Christ. (See 1st Thessalonians 5:9 presented by Mr. Chick below!) The Lord has, in fact, already “delivered us from” (past tense) that wrath. Those who go slobbering after the “rapture” doctrine are so blinded by their love of it that they cannot simply read and believe what is in front of them: (Laodicean “Christians” have become completely wacky over this doctrine.)
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)}
1 Thess 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? Exactly, Mr. Chick!
Λ 1 Thess 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
{Mr. Chick, whether ignorant or wicked, wants the reader to assume that “wrath” in this verse MEANS “TRIBULATION”. Not surprisingly, to bible believers, “wrath” means “WRATH,” which is the “wrath of God” against those who do not “obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” exactly as given here and in John 3:36!
1st Thessalonians 5:9 is not telling us we’re not appointed to “tribulation” because that would be a lie! Those who are called and chosen are NOT appointed to “the wrath of God,” but they do incur the intense hatred of Satan. The Lord did us the favor of warning us that we ARE “appointed” to “tribulation”: most milky “Christians” at this precise time in history, simply refuse to be warned!
“That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.” (1st Thessalonians 3:3-4).
It has been that way for two thousand years, yet the Laodicean church ignorantly and blindly insists that it is “special” and that it should be different for itself than it has always been for other Christians; even as countless Chinese Christians at this very moment suffer unimaginable horror, and even considering that entire Christian populations in Africa were systematically tortured to death and slaughtered with horrible cruelty (with the U.S. news agencies turning a blind eye and deaf ear! You better wake up! The “rapture” fairy tale has put you to sleep and you’re in for a rude awakening!)}
1 Thess 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Cor 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Cor 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Cor 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
{In a most Satanic maneuver, Mr. Chick follows the listing of the above verses describing the glory of the coming of the Lord, and of his rescue and deliverance of his church in the resurrection, with an utterly inappropriate verse dealing with ESCAPING “all these things that shall come to pass”!. This is simply diabolical!}
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
By monstrous arrangement of the order of scripture presented, Mr. Chick sets up the reader to assume that “all these things that shall come to pass” (that we should wish to “escape”) is the COMING OF THE LORD AND THE RESURRECTION, which Mr. Chick has placed before us in 1st Corinthians 15, above. (If the reader, in being unfamiliar with the raging conspiracy in this arena, is simply incapable of believing Mr. Chick would actually do this, he must read on to find Mr. Chick repeatedly stating exactly what I have here narrated!). Mr. Chick, in fact, flatly declares that the coming of the Lord IS the tribulation. (“Rapture” theory is a grotesque cancer that destroys everything concerning sound doctrine.) Mr. Chick wants the reader to assume that “escape all these things” (in Luke 21:36) MEANS “to avoid all these things,” while ignoring the point of the entire passage, which was to warn the Lord’s people of what they were, in fact, going to have to “endure”, the tribulation! This time of Satan’s full and unrestrained power on earth (what globalist politicians refer to as “the new world order,” is now nearly upon us). The biblical warning is given so that we would be prepared for it by expecting it! The reality is, if you “escape all these things” it MEANS you did not submit to Satan, that is, you endured“unto the end” (your end), as in, “and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11)
Mr. Chick tries to make a doctrinal “proof-text” out of Luke 21:36, while ignoring the 35 verses going before it, which clearly describe the tribulation, which I beg the reader to take the time to read. Verse 31, declares “So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” If you “see these things come to pass” then you are obviously here to “see” them, and there hasn’t been any “rapture.” The hallmark of these days is DECEPTION (Luke 21:8), and the way to spiritually survive it is “patience” (Luke 21:19 & Romans 5:3). Speaking of the flesh (except for a remnant) WE DO NOT SURVIVE it: Satan kills us. This is not unclear: it is just unpopular.
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. . . .” (Daniel 7:21)
“. . . and power was given unto him . . . to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. . . .” (Revelation 13:5-7
“And he had power to . . . cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” (Revelation 13:15)
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:22)
There is no need to shorten the days “for the elect’s sake” if we’ve been “raptured out first.”
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” (Mark 13:24-27)
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days . . . they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)
Both Matthew 24 and Mark 13 contradict Mr. Chick’s arguments at the beginning of his letter. They thoroughly describe the resurrection and place it squarely “after” the tribulation. Further, the account in Matthew 24 also “mentions” a “trumpet”, which, of course, is the “last trump” as given in 1st Corinthians 15:52:
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
This is the “resurrection”, which is referred to exactly forty times in the new testament (compared with zero references to the non-existent “rapture”). Mark 13 and Matthew 24 both provide, in one place; WHEN, WHERE, and HOW the resurrection takes place: it is not “pre-tribulation,” it is “POST.” It is not “secret,” it is NOISY and everybody sees it. Observe the skill used by Mr. Chick in ignoring plainly given scriptural doctrine, while continuing to construct the propaganda of the “rapture” from the flimsiest of conclusions and the most outrageous “private interpretation”.}
Λ The Seven Churches; One is promised an Escape through the “open door” from the Great Tribulation
{This is a bald-faced lie. There is no such promise made to any church.}
To Thyatira:
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
To Philadelphia:
Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
{Mr. Chick first concocts a false definition, and then leads the reader to a verse that is entirely unrelated to it. Associating “open door” with “Escape . . .from the Great Tribulation,” is a fabrication and “private interpretation” of unrelated scripture, and is anti-scripture. What is from scripture, is that Jesus Christ is “the” one-and-only “door” (John 10:2 & 7) and that any other door would be a false “door” (John 10:1).}
Rev 3:10 Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.
{Those who love the Lord’s word will immediately notice how that the above false version quotation tastes like a mouth full of sand. (Was this letter really compiled by Mr. Chick, or was it done in conjunction with someone else who doesn’t even know enough to pretend to stand on the King James. Does Mr. Chick present the works of others? If so, who are they? If not, why is he quoting something besides the Authorized bible?)}
To Laodiceans:
Λ [Rev 3:16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. [out into tribulation as in Rev. 2:22]
{(1) Horse manure! This is rank heresy and not even a good attempt at “private interpretation”. (2) For those who are “lukewarm” toward the Lord and spued out by him, “tribulation” is irrelevant: their problem is “the lake of fire”!}
[Revelation 4:1] After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
[Rev 8:13] And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth [those not raptured?] by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! {This is extremely sick! and becoming quite tiresome.}
Feast of Trumpets (Open Door)
{This association is simply a witch’s brew of “private interpretation” and custom designed definitions. It is entirely lacking scriptural foundation. What follows by Mr. Chick is brilliant in its appeal to flesh, but Satanic with respect to doctrine and disregard for the word of God. No one who trembles at the Lord’s word could possibly supplant the biblical foundation of “sound doctrine” on this subject with the fantastic anti-scriptural conjecture contained here.}
The Open Door and Last Trump are on the Feast of Trumpets, which is on the new moon. The new moon feast (holyday) is a shadow/prophesy of the Rapture. The open door is prominantly {sic} seen in the rapture verses of Rev 3:10, 4:1 & Matt 25:1-13.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday [festival], or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Ezek 46:1 “Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
{This verse is not from the bible! What is Mr. Chick quoting from here? Is the real Jack Chick tied up in his basement and an imposter is acting in his name at the office?}
Pss 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
Isa 26:2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
Pss 118:19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:
Pss 118:20 This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Luke 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
{The above 13 references are irrelevant with respect to the issue. What is Mr. Chick’s point? Is the idea to make his argument seem weighty by virtue of its length?}
The Feast of Trumpets, on the new moon, is when the moon is turned to darkness. It is also “on a day or hour that no man knows” –which is an expression referring to this feast (and to a Jewish Wedding)– because the new moon happens 29.5 days after the previous one, creating uncertainty of whether it will fall on the 29th or 30th day after the previous new moon, which is the first day of the month, thus the festival is traditionally celebrated for two days just to be sure.
{(1) This would be fascinating if there were any reason to believe even one word of it. (2) Although quotation marks have been placed upon a certain portion of the above (signifying I know not what) it categorically did not come from the bible. (3) None of the conjecture contained here is supported by the bible. (4) Even if it were admitted that any of the above slop was worthy of speculation (and that would be granting a lot) does the reader suppose that the Lord Jesus Christ intended for us to reject his plainly spoken word, which he raised even above his own name, in favor of any conclusions that might or might not be properly drawn from any such arcane speculation?}
Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
Num 29:1 And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.
Just as the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all the spring feasts, and on each day of each feast, so too, will the fall feasts be fulfilled when Christ comes the second time, and in order, and on each day of each feast. The Feast of Trumpets points to the rapture, the Day of Atonement points to Satan’s defeat, Tabernacles points to establishing the 1000 year kingdom. Trumpets is on the first, and Atonement is on the tenth. Excluding the days of the Festivals themselves, there are “seven days of Awe” or tribulation between them…including, 10.
{I give Mr. Chick credit for a fertile imagination, however his claims here are simply crap! None of this, including the quoted portions, comes from the bible. Your leg is being pulled by an expert at flim flam. (It is not possible that a man in Jesus Christ could do this?)}
Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
{The above verse states exactly the doctrine of the resurrection, and completely contradicts “rapture” theory. Mr. Chick apparently quotes it at this juncture in hopes that its significance will be unnoticed by a dizzy reader who has tried to follow Mr. Chick’s immediately previous conclusions deduced from unsupported and ridiculous conjecture, trying to explain this verse away before he lays it before us.}
Λ 2 Thess 2 “Falling Away / Departure
{Mr. Chick will now proceed beyond all Godly bounds. If the reader is wondering where the word “Departure” comes from in the above open ended quotation, and why (or how) it should be associated by Mr. Chick with “Falling Away,” I can assist. (1) Mr. Chick is laying the groundwork for the subtle and Satanic substitution of a biblical definition, for a non-biblical definition; intending, finally, to substitute, in turn, that unbiblical definition with an anti-biblical definition. This substitution will proceed step by step, Mr. Chick, hoping that the reader will not consciously notice the progression. (2) The word “Departure” was fabricated and taken piecemeal from the definition of the Greek word “apostasia” rendered “falling away” in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 by the God-breathed word of God. This verse is a disaster for Laodiceans who adhere to “rapture”theory and they are desperate to get rid of this verse. “Apostasia” is defined by Strong as:
defection from truth . . .[“apostasy”]: – falling away, forsake.
Mr. Chick, whose motives will be painfully obvious in a few moments, uses the subtle tactical substitution of “departure from the truth” for Strong’s “defection from the truth” to gain the initial bastardization of the definition. In any case it would be entirely dishonest to use the word “departure” in isolation of “from the truth” which is the essential portion of the definition). (3) “Departure” is a word that might be used by NASA in regard to a space ship about to blast off from Cape Kennedy, which is exactly the reason Mr. Chick uses it. “Departure from the truth,” however, conveys no such idea to the reader’s mind. (4) The similarity of “apostasia” to “apostasy” is glaringly obvious to a third grader, which is why Mr. Chick did not take the reader to the complete definition, much less, to the actual Greek word he falsely defines. (The reader may remember that Mr. Chick brought up the irrelevant word “harpazo” in trying to make the reader think that “caught up” should be defined as “rapture”). (4) The “falling away” refers of course to “falling away from the truth,” (the general definition of the word “apostasy”) which, specifically speaking, is the falling away from Jesus Christ, who defined himself as “the truth” (John 14:6). The tribulation will reveal the difference between those who really believe and love the Lord, and those who think highly of themselves while paying the Lord lip service.
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:12)
The concept of “falling away” can not be managed by many persons, and they make themselves easy prey for the anti-biblical “once saved, always saved” doctrines in vogue. A need exists from every apostate quarter to destroy 2nd Thessalonians 2:3. How ironic, that this verse is exactly the focal point of the doctrine of this chapter, it is the focal point of the debate, and it is where the Lord gives the warning in its strongest form, TO NOT BE DECEIVED. Notwithstanding, the “churches” conspire, cooperate, and rage against this verse, frantically led on by Jack Chick and others like him. Let the reader observe what follows, as Mr. Chick wrests the scripture.}
Λ All of the rapture positions (whether pretrib, midtrib, prewrath, posttrib) agree that the rapture happens before the day of the Lord. {(1) This is simply a lie. (2) This is false even as defined by Mr. Chick, himself, below. (3) This position is not our position. (4) The word is “resurrection”, not “rapture” and it “happens” ON the day of the Lord, NOT “before” (1st Corinthians 15:23; 1st Corinthians 15:52-53; Mark 13:24-27; Matthew 24:29-31; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-10; Romans 6:5; Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 11:35; etc.)}
In 2 Thessalonians 2, the false report that the Day of the Lord was present meant, therefore, that the resurrection and rapture (the departure) had come and gone and was in the past. That the resurrection was past was a common false report, and is mentioned in 2 Timothy:
{Did you notice that Mr. Chick here equated “rapture” with “departure”? This was done for a very slick and premeditated purpose: he has already equated the “falling away” (of 2nd Thessalonians 2:3) with the isolated word, “departure.” Thus, we are primed to ignorantly fall into the trap: it is simple at the most basic level:
if A = C and B = C, then A = B by definition,
or, put another way: IF “falling away” equals “departure” and “rapture” also equals “departure”, then “falling away” equals “rapture” (Bang, you’re dead!) This very verse begins with, “Let no man deceive you by any means. . . .”}
2 Tim 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. {Mr. Chick inserts this irrelevant verse at this point as a way of blowing smoke. Nobody who believes in the resurrection of the “last trump” is “saying that the resurrection is past already”.}
Λ Although the day of the Lord starts with the rapture, {he now contradicts his own statement above} the presence of the Day of the Lord is wrath, darkness, trouble, and the tribulation. (Zeph 1:15) The tribulations described in 2 Thess 1 were erroneously thought to be the tribulations of the day of the Lord.
{There are three lies contained in this one small sentence. Mr. Chick’s theories are erroneous. Paul was taught doctrine directly by Jesus Christ personally for three years (Galatians 1:11-18), and neither what he “thought” nor what he wrote was erroneous. Mr. Chick is setting the reader up to believe that the author of 2nd Thessalonians was mistaken in order to pervert this verse into MEANING exactly the opposite of what it clearly SAYS, beginning with, “Let no man deceive you by any means . . .” The “man” is Jack Chick, and the “means” is bald-faced Satanic wresting of scripture!}
2 Thess 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, [rapture]
{This is a lie. Mr. Chick here converts the resurrection into a non-existent “rapture” by the stroke of his pen .}
Λ 2 Thess 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ [day of the Lord/tribulation] is at hand [present].
{Mr. Chick now converts “the day of Christ”, (which is clearly given as the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” from verse 1) into the “tribulation” by the stroke of his pen. This is a Satanic, mutilation of scripture.}
Λ 2 Thess 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [tribulation] {Mr. Chick again lies to the reader by inserting “tribulation” into the text: “that day” is not “tribulation,” (it is “the day of Christ” from verse 2, referring to “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “our gathering together unto him” given in verse 1.)} shall not come [be present], except there come a falling away [departure/rapture] first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
{There it is! The final sick blow is delivered by Mr. Chick to 2nd Thessalonians, perverting the entire warning of this passage, and turning it completely upside down. The falling away, of course, is exactly the “falling away” from Christ: yet has been systematically perverted one step at time to fit the needs of the “rapture” theory:
“apostasy” = “falling away from the truth” = “defection from the truth” = “departure from the truth”
“departure from the truth” = “departure” = “departure from the planet” = “rapture”
RESULT: apostasy = “rapture”
What is wrong with the “churches” that they buy into this? They have been skilfully and concertedly misled by men whom they think they can trust, whom Satan has put in place just for that purpose. (“O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err. . . .” – Isaiah 3:12.) Most Christians have been trained to believe, concerning the Luke 21:8 warning against being deceived, that “saying, I am Christ”, refers to men who claim they themselves are Christ (Such men are funded by government and highly touted by the news media, to keep this idea fresh in the public mind.) The glaring truth is that Christians easily and instantly identify such men as anti-Christs). It literally never occurs to Christians, however, that the Lord was warning his people of a much more subtle type of wolf in sheep’s clothing, who operates on the inside of the church! Such men are much more valuable as agents, and more insidious in their effect, being placed WITHIN the camp for strategic use at an appropriate time. The target is the group that they have penetrated. These men necessarily claim that, JESUS CHRIST is Christ, as the Lord said, “saying, I [Jesus Christ] am Christ”), pretending (as the Jesuits have so skillfully done for centuries) to be one of us by saying all the things that we expect them to say, EXCEPT THOSE PARTICULAR THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO THEIR SPECIFIC AGENDA, and this is wherein their value lies as agents! These men are in position to deceive at the critical time pursuant to their real purpose. (Most people do not know that Jack Chick has surrounded himself with Ecumenicals, a fact simply incomprehensible if Jack Chick is what he is thought to be by true bible-believing “evangelical Protestants” who stand on the Authorized bible.)
For the benefit of those who are not good with conspiracies, the Satanic purpose is this: when the tribulation comes, and the horrors of it begin to effect the deceived churches, they will then be forced to conclude EITHER that the Lord has lied to them concerning the “rapture,” which does not happen, OR that the things they are seeing (global wickedness, the appearance of the man of sin, and the mark of the beast) are not really what they appear to be, even though the word of God repeatedly warned of “these things” in the plainest terms! At this time of uncertainty and extreme consequences for the church, Satan will need to have on hand persons of high regard and reputation WITHIN the church to proclaim:
No, we’re not coming into the tribulation, and Mr. So and So, can’t be the anti-Christ because the Lord promised we’d be raptured out before then. This “microchip” that the government wants us to take “for security purposes against terrorism,” and for financial reasons (to “buy or sell”) is NOT the “mark of the beast.” It’s OK to take it. Don’t worry!
The Lord gave 2nd Thessalonians 2:3, stating the opposite of this lie, to warn us of exactly this coming event! Satan’s strategy is to lay the groundwork to be able to convince the CHRISTIAN world that his mark is NOT the “mark of the beast” when he introduces it. (The rest of the world is completely ignorant, and could not care less.) There will have to be in place, within the church community, persons (such as Billy Graham and Jack Chick) who are perceived as credible in delivering this argument. In the final analysis, Satan could not care less if some of his agents are involved with preaching some aspect of the gospel, if, in the end, their corruption of doctrine will successfully send the churches wholesale into hell, which is exactly Satan’s plan.
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (1st Timothy 4:16)
The question for the reader is, whom will you believe? The Lord or Jack Chick? (James 2:23) If the reader thinks this issue is between Jack Chick and Tom Forbes, then he payed no attention to Mr. Chick’s destruction of 2nd Thessalonians. Mr. Chick, as all those who promote the rapture theory, is forced to mutilate the Lord’s words.}
2 Thess 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2 Thess 2:5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this?
{Doesn’t it grate on you to read a phoney bible? Mr. Chick doesn’t seem to notice any problem.}
2 Thess 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2 Thess 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. [the Church at the rapture] {This is “private interpretation” and a bald-faced lie.}
2 Thess 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
{Mr. Chick has converted this extremely important chapter (which clearly stated that BEFORE the Lord comes to gather his people, there will be a FALLING AWAY FIRST and the MAN OF SIN WILL BE REVEALED); into an abomination which states THE EXACT OPPOSITE:
Let no man deceive you by any means, there will not be a tribulation, or the man of sin revealed; until the rapture first happens. – with Love, Jack Chick
The Lord said, “Let no man deceive you by any means. . . .”, right there in that same sentence!}
In other words,
{In other words, in Jack Chick’s words!}
1. I beg you by our rapture hope,
2. That you don’t worry if you hear that the Day of the Lord and the tribulation is present
{These are two completely different events: Mr. Chick confounds them and makes them equal, to your face!}
Λ 3. (Don’t be deceived) …unless the departure (rapture) comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition
{This is simply outrageous and utterly Satanic!}
4. WHO will, (3.5 years later according to Dan 9:27) sit in the temple as God, as the abomination of desolation
5. Remember I told you this?
6. Now you know that it is your presence that withholds the man of sin, so that he will be revealed in due time.
7. For the antichrist is working now only a little, because we restrain him as we are here and pray, until the rapture, when we will be taken out of the way.
8. And then the antichrist will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy with the arrival of his presence.
{Who ever wrote the above, under the heading, “In other words,” is a mouthpiece for Satan the devil!}
2Thess 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
Jewish Wedding (a theme of the Feast of Trumpets)
Bridal Chamber = Heaven
John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Our “many mansions” are in heaven (Rev 21:2). Jesus went away to heaven in Acts 1. The words in Italics above are an expression, used by the groom in a Jewish Wedding. A groom would say those words to his bride and then leave to build an addition onto his father’s house before returning for his bride. He returns for his bride in the middle of the night, as a thief, at an hour she might not think, with a loud cry, and a procession of trumpet blast and his friends saying “Behold! The Bridegroom Comes!” Entering our “bridal chamber/heavenly mansion” will be the start of the bridal week. This is shown in Isaiah, and indicates that the tribulation will occur while we are “hid in the bridal chambers or heaven”.
{Everything about this is anti-scripture! Can the reader think that the Lord would build his plans around concepts as ridiculous and phoney as Mr. Chick’s contained here? His prattle flatly contradicts the Lord’s own words?
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
Mr. Chick has gotten so carried away with himself in making things up as he goes along, that he fancies we will believe anything he says simply because he said it! (Why does this read as though it were written by a Jesuit?)}
Isa 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Isa 26:21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
Being “hid in the Lord’s house, or heaven during tribulation” is also seen in Psalm 27, which is to be read daily in the 30 days prior to the Feast of Trumpets.
Pss 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
Pss 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
Pss 27:6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
Hiding, being hid, having a place to hide away are themes of being hidden away in the bridal chamber during the wedding, as we will be hidden in heaven during the tribulation.
Zeph 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.
The Church is the Bride of Christ.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
2Cor 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
The Rapture is likened to a wedding, and from the Bible, we know a wedding lasts a week, we know the rapture will be pre tribulation. The scriptures define a marriage as being a week long event. (Bridal week) = (Tribulation week)
{This is a lie, and a desperate and absurd correlation based upon desperate and unsupported “private interpretation”. “The Rapture” is NEVER “likened” to anything. It is never mentioned! The above doesn’t even remotely come from the word of God: it comes from a deceiver.}
Judges 14:1-18 …And Samson made a feast there, as was customary for bridegrooms. …If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast… She cried the whole seven days of the feast.
{Those who love the Lord’s word will notice that Mr. Chick has again quoted a phoney bible here, above and below.}
Genesis 29:22-28 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. … Finish this daughter’s bridal week The time of intimacy (the bride being with the bridegroom sealed away in the bridal chamber) begins at the start of the bridal week, and this is what we look forward to in the pre tribulation rapture.
{Mr. Chick is grasping at private conclusions from irrelevant scripture, having already butchered the plainly given doctrinal statements which exactly concern the doctrine under consideration. This is certainly not the fruit of a saved man. (Matthew 7:16)}
The Parable of the 10 virgins contains many themes of the rapture, the marriage, and the feast of trumpets.
{It does not contain one.}
[Mat 25:1] Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
[Mat 25:2] And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
[Mat 25:3] They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
[Mat 25:4] But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
[Mat 25:5] While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
[Mat 25:6] And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
[Mat 25:7] Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
[Mat 25:8] And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
[Mat 25:9] But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
[Mat 25:10] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
[Mat 25:11] Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
[Mat 25:12] But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
[Mat 25:13] Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
At the end of the tribulation, people are in heaven (the bride, the Church), and coming down out of heaven, because they have been there for 7 years. {It’s late and I’m really tired of this!}
[Luke 12:36] And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
[Rev 19:1] And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven [the raptured], saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
[Rev 19:7] Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
[Rev 19:8] it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”–for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
[Rev 19:9] And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”
[Rev 19:14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him [the raptured] upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
[Mat 24:29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
[Mat 24:30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[Mat 24:31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
[Zech 14:5] And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
[Jud 1:14] And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
[Col 3:4] When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Interesting verse number: 12:12 12 is written all over New Jerusalem, and there are 24 elders in heaven after the rapture in Rev. 4:1.
[Rev 12:12] Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
{Mr. Chick has again quoted from a Satanic bible.}
Yes, the Bride is in heaven, coming down out of heaven at the end of the tribulation: {Garbage!}
[Rev 21:2] And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
{Mr. Chick wantonly confounds the scripture. First, his statement is partially true in that the city comes down after the tribulation, which is irrelevant, because this is also AFTER THE RESURRECTION, proving nothing as concerns his above statement. Secondly, the “bride” is not the “city”. The “city”is new Jerusalem, which does come down from heaven, but that city is NOT “US”: it is “the mother of us” (Galatians 4:26). Mr. Chick is hopelessly sloppy, and obviously doesn’t care anything at all about doctrine!}
[Rev 21:9] And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
[Rev 21:10] And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Mt. Zion & New Jerusalem: God’s bride.
[Heb 12:22] But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
[Isa 51:16] And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
Daniel’s 70th Week
Λ The 70th week of Daniel, which becomes the 7-year Tribulation, is a judgement and curse determined upon Isreal, not the Church.
{Does the reader believe the tribulation is a “curse determined upon Israel?” Mr. Chick fabricated this, and he is sadly mistaken! (as it is written, “cursed be every one that curseth thee” – Genesis 27:29). The Lord very carefully refused to even curse Adam (Genesis 3:17), and now Mr. Chick has the Lord cursing himself! Nothing Mr. Chick quotes below, ostensibly in support of his statement, reads anything like what he has stated here. Does the reader consider this to be a problem? Concerning Daniel 9:26 quoted below by Mr. Chick, wherein it is stated “the end thereof shall be with a flood”; Israel, in fact, is specifically saved from that “flood” (Revelation 12:16).}
Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The Church’s sins are taken care of by Jesus’ death, and we are not under the curse of the law, nor is the 70th week “to make an end for sins” determined for the Church.
[Gal 3:13] Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
[Gal 5:18] But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
[Rom 6:14] For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
[1Cor 6:12] All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be
brought under the power of any.
Λ There is no need for the tribulation to purge or cleanse the Church. The blood of Christ, and the Word of God, sanctifies and cleans the Church, and makes us spotless, and ready for the rapture now.
{First, what about the millions of Christian martyrs before us who were ALSO ready for it “now” but didn’t get it? Secondly, the idea that the purpose of the tribulation is “to purge or cleanse the Church” is a conclusion by Mr. Chick, and since he brought it up: he is ignorant or trying to deceive us concerning his conclusion. The Laodicean Church may be “ready for the rapture” in its own deluded opinion of itself, but it is certainly not “spotless.” This church is phoney, apostate, lazy, self-centered, fleshy, conceited, ignorant, and thoroughly deceived. (The Lord had something good to say about every one of the seven churches in Revelation (Chapter 2 & 3), EXCEPT the church of Laodicea.) The true nature of the Laodicean church will be quite apparent when the tribulation is upon us and this church doesn’t get its “rapture.” Mr. Chick, and those like him, who play the role of the pied piper in this matter, insist that true spirituality “claims” a “rapture” for itself “NOW,” because it wants it NOW! They just completely reject the Lord’s wisdom on the subject, as it is written: “In your patience possess ye your souls.” – Luke 21:19
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation. . . .” (Romans 12:12)
1st Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you. . . .”
Who is “you” here, in YOUR opinion?
“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world. . . .” (John 17:14-15)
What part of “not” do you not understand, Mr. Chick?}
Hebrews 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Who has dominion? Satan or the Lord Jesus Christ’s Church?
Satan will be given dominion for 42 months on earth, the second half of Daniel’s 70th week, and the Church will not be put under Satan’s dominion. The Church, given power by the Almighty Father in heaven, in the name of the Lord Jesus Chist {sic}, by the power of the Holy Spirit, restrains Satan, as was shown in 2 Thess 2. We know that Satan has not had full dominion over the Church, even though there are many Christian brothers dying still today, for if Satan did have this power, the Word of God would have been extinguished from the face of the earth by now. History alone proves that the Church is more powerful than Satan in this age, but the scriptures speak for themselves:
{This paragraph begins with conclusions based on argument by half-truth, as Mr. Chick confounds biblical words. First, Adam had “dominion” over the whole planet (Genesis 1:26 & Psalm 8:6), which Satan obtained from Adam when the man obeyed Satan as lord. Mr. Chick is stating heresy. Satan will NOT be “given dominion for 42 months,” he already has “dominion”! (Luke 4:5-6). He has had it for six thousand years, as the “god of this world” (2nd Corinthians 4:4)! Satan will, in turn give that power to “the beast” (Revelation 13:2,4). “History alone” certainly proves that Mr. Chick is deluded! Throughout history, Satan has repeatedly and consistently slaughtered the church! The Lord “is more powerful than Satan” and by the power of the Lord in us (the Holy Spirit), real Christians defy Satan by preferring to die rather than serve him, which simple truth is rejected by the deceiving wonders of the “rapture” theory and the “prosperity gospel” (2nd Corinthians 4:8-11; Revelation 12:11; Isaiah 59:15; Psalm 116:15; Revelation 2:10; etc.). The only thing different about the coming tribulation, compared with all of history, will be the intensity of the persecution in a world gone mad, and given up to complete reprobation. It will simply be worse than ever before (Matthew 24:21). Mr. Chick’s crowd does not want to be warned, and does not want to suffer persecution, so they lie.
“. . . we . . . are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake. . . .” (2nd Corinthians 4:8-11)
What Mr. Chick presents below, although happily true, is irrelevant in the present context.}
[Mark 3:14] And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
[Mark 3:15] And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
[Mark 6:7] And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
[Mark 6:13.4] And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
[Luke 9:1] Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
[Luke 10:19] Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
[Mat 10:8] Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Casting out Devils was not “just for the disciples only”. Anyone can do this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[Mark 9:38.11] And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
[Mark 9:39] But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
[Mark 9:40] For he that is not against us is on our part.
Sucessfully casting out devils, does not make one “saved”. Hence, if “unsaved” can cast out devils, then the Church surely has the power to restrain Satan. {Did the reader follow Mr. Chick’s logic? SHOULD the reader follow his logic?}
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
But Satan will be given dominion and power to dominate the other way around! {What?}
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Λ So the Church must be raptured, “caught up”, & Satan fights whoever is left over, the tribulation saints; those of the 7 churches who were spewed out into the time of testing, and repent and keep the commandments, and those foolish virgins in Matthew 25 who were expecting Christ’s return, but were too busy with the world and caught unprepared.
The man child ruler Raptured in Rev 12 …is Christ and the Church (Christ is the head, the Church is the Body)
The woman giving birth is not the Bride. Jesus comes for a virgin bride. The woman is Isreal (who gave birth to Christ and Christians), who Satan turns to persecute after the rapture. But she is protected by God, so Satan turns toward new believers who are the “remnant of her seed” –tribulation saints, people repent in the tribulation, after the rapture. The man child, the woman’s first child, which is caught up [harpazo] to God, is the Church in the pretribulation rapture.
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
All three charactistics of the man child (1, ruling over the nations, 2, with a rod of iron, 3 sitting on his throne), apply to both Christ AND the Church. Christ rules, and we rule as his bride:
Rev 2:26 He who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him power over the nations,
Rev 2:27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received power from my Father;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Λ That these characteristics apply to the Church, and that the man child represents the Church does not deny that the man
child is Christ. Christ is an essential part of the Church, the HEAD!
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Λ Since the other “seed” of the woman represents believers (Saints of the Tribulation), the man child also represents the many believers of the Church. {Ahhh, yes!}
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The man child nation is delivered, or caught up to God, before the travail, (the time of trouble, the tribulation, the Day of the Lord). {This is thoroughly twisted concoction created from a systematic corruption of scripture.}
Isa 66:7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
Christianity is a “nation”.
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
“Lights/Christians” are not in “Darkness/Day of Lord/tribulation!”
[Mat 5:14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
[Phil 2:15] That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
[John 8:12] Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
[Amos 5:18] Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
[Amos 5:20] Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
[Joel 2:1] Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
[Joel 2:2] A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
[Joel 2:31] The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.
[Mat 24:21] For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be.
[Zeph 1:15] That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
[1Thess 5:4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
[1Thess 5:5] Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
[Col 1:12] Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
[Col 1:13] Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
So, another reason why Christians of the present age are not in that darkness, when Satan will have dominion, is:
[Mat 12:25] And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
[Mark 3:24] And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
We cannot effectively pray against Satan taking power, when God gives Satan power. It will be tough for the tribulation saints, God lets them be killed. {I’m sure glad WE’RE special!}
[Rev 13:10] He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
[Rev 14:12] Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
[Rev 14:13] And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Noah and Lot as examples of deliverance!
The Rapture is compared to Noah’s and Lot’s time when people are caught unaware going about their daily lives. Peter describes Noah and Lot as examples of the rapture, stressing deliverance.
{Mr. Chick is a liar, and either entirely incompetent in doctrine at this point, or a rabid deceiver.}
2Pet 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
2Pet 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2Pet 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
2Pet 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
2Pet 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
2Pet 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
(The day of judgment is the day of the Lord, the time of trouble, the tribulation, the time of wrath, the time of testing, the time of temptation.) {This is completely false. Most of the terms used are fabricated, and the association of these non-existent terms is a confounding of scripture.}
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luke 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Matthew 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
The wicked people will be taking no notice, eating and drinking, before the rapture happens. People eathing, drinking, and feasting at marriage parties does not describe the tribulation, when famine will come upon the earth. See Rev 6:5-8, 18:8
One taken (in the rapture); the other left (behind in tribulation).
Matthew 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Matthew 24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
{What is your point in quoting this verse, Mr. Chick? You’re the one promoting to the folks a quick and easy way out!}
Luke 17:34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Luke 17:35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke 17:36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Gathered to the body of the Lord, as Eagles
Luke 17:37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Mat 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Mark 13:27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Not knowing the day or the hour.
The Feast of Trumpets happens on the “new moon”, which is 29.5 days after the last one, meaning it might occur on the 29th or 30th day, nobody knows for sure. “Of that day or hour no man knows” is an expression referring to this feast, and thus, the rapture. {None of this comes from the word of God: all of it is fabricated and childishly stupid.}
“Of that day or hour no man knows, but my Father only” is an expression used by a groom when asked when he will go and steal away his bride like a thief in the night. He says this because it is his Father that will tell him when his preparations on the bridal chamber are completed and it is time. {This is fabricated: it is untrue: it is ridiculous.}
Since the Feast of Trumpets is the “wedding of the Messiah”, then this expression about “not knowing the day or the hour” refers to the rapture, and means that the rapture must take place on a Feast of Trumpets.
{Mr. Chick constructs false doctrine from false conclusions built on top of ridiculous private conjecture; and expects us to abandon sound doctrine, given clearly by God’s word, in favor of it.}
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Mar 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Mar 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Mar 13:34 For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
Mar 13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Mar 13:36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
Mar 13:37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Λ Thus, not knowing the day or the hour is a parable, and, as all parables, is designed to prevent unbelievers from understanding the meaning. See Matthew 13:10-17. {No, it is not a parable. It is a plainly stated fact.}
Λ The reality is that believers WILL and CAN know the time, because this phrase indicates the Feast of Trumpets. Other verses on this topic plainly declare that not knowing is a punishment for the wicked servant:
{Is the reader following Mr. Chick, here?}
Mat 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Mat 24:49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luk 12:45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
Luk 12:46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Λ Since “not knowing what hour” is the punishment for not watching and a punishment for the unfaithful servant, it does not apply to faithful believers. And other scriptures confirm that we will know the hour:
{Mr. Chick is high on himself again and lying to our face. Let’s refresh our memories:
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36)
“. . . yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” (Romans 3:4)}
1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Lord comes for his bride as a thief in the night to take her away in the marriage.
1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Luk 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Luk 12:38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
Luk 12:39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have
watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Luk 12:40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Because the “day or hour no man knows” refers to the marriage at the Feast of Trumpets, and because not knowing is a punishment for the evil servant, and because we are to “know perfectly”, and because “we are not in darkness”, then we can watch and be ready, because we DO KNOW when the thief will come. Like the goodman of the house, we should “be therefore ready”.
{Being “ready” is one thing; but making up fairy tales to speed up the process is quite another.}
Λ Those who deny the pretribulation rapture are like the evil servant, they say something else; they say the master will delay his coming until after the tribulation. (Luke 12:45, Mat 24:48) and they are NOT watching for him now (Rev 3:3).
{Mr. Chick is now trying to frighten us into joining his apostasy! Let’s take a quick look at this. In summing up: those (1) who deny Satan’s “rapture” theory, (2) who deny what is not contained anywhere in scripture, and (3) who deny what contradicts sound doctrine given abundantly in scripture; “are like the evil servant.” Did I get that about right, Jack? Would it help if we look at the scripture that Mr. Chick referred us to?}
“But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken . . . .” (Luke 12:45)
“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken. . . .” (Matthew 24:48-49)
“Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” (Revelation 3:3)
ANALYSIS: Even if you never said in your heart (or out of your mouth) “My lord delayeth his coming.”; even if you don’t beat anyone; and even if you’re watching intently concerning the things the Lord said to watch for; but you believe the Lord’s word and “deny the pretribulation rapture,” you are “like the evil servant”.
FACTS: (1) “the pretribulation rapture” we are required to believe in by Mr. Chick is not in any of the passages to which Mr. Chick referred us. (2) The curse pronounced against us for not believing in what does not exist, does not come from the Lord, nor does it come from scripture. (3) The curse pronounced against us comes from Jack Chick! (4) I can handle that.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
We look forward to Christ’s appearing and return.
{(1) Mr. Chick can’t keep his story straight: the “rapture” theory maintains that the Lord doesn’t “appear”. (2) Overlooking this oversight; it is one thing to “look forward to Christ’s appearing and return,” but it is quite another thing to make up Satanic, lying, deceiving fairy tales in order to deceive the world into a Satanically designed false hope.}
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
{Mr. Chick again lifts a scripture from its context. He took a stab at this verse in hopes we would gather from it the concept of the “pre-tribulation rapture.” The verse begins with “And when these things begin to come to pass . . .”. The problem for Mr. Chick is that the Lord was not shy about telling us exactly what “these things” are, and he listed them earlier in this chapter: the short list would include verses 24 – 27 immediately preceding the verse quoted by Mr. Chick:
“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Now read verse 28 again. (Does the reader see why Mr. Chick lifts the verse out of its context?) It is not until AFTER all the above things come to pass that we are told: “then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
Mr. Chick’s “rapture” that he keeps wanting us to discover in scripture just isn’t there. All we have is “the resurrection”, which isn’t PRE-tribulation, isn’t SECRET, and the Lord definitely APPEARS for it (and then some).}
Titus 2:13] Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
{Exactly, Mr. Chick!}
Phil 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Heb 12:1 …let us run with patience the race that is set before us, [2] Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
We do not look for, nor are told to look for, Satan’s appearing, nor the tribulation to appear.
In fact, we are told to specifically avoid looking for Jesus’ physical appearing or return. The reason to avoid looking for
Christ’s physical appearing is because the AntiChrist will appear physically and claim to be Christ, from 2 Thess 2.
{If the reader believes what he just read, he believes a lie.}
Mat 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Mat 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Thus, we have a paradox. We look for Christ’s return, but are told not to believe it if we hear he has returned, or someone claims to be Him. This mystery is solved through the pre tribulation rapture, which preceeds the appearance of the antichrist in the seven year tribulation. {Did the reader follow that?} By the time the Lord Jesus Christ arrives at the end of the seven year tribulation, everyone on earth will suddenly know who the Lord is without question, because he will destroy the antichrist with the “brightness of his coming” (2 Thess 2:8), and every person will “look upon the one whom they pierced” (Zechariah 12:10, Revelation 1:7, John 19:37). {Mr. Chick invents a problem and then solves it with his own problem.}
We know that Jesus will appear physically at the second coming (Rev. 19 & Zech 14), despite the warnings against believing a physical appearing of a false christ in Matthew.
{We’re not warned “against believing” it, but exactly the opposite! We’re warned that it is going to happen!}
Zech 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
Zech 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zech 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
More scriptures emphasizing Christians wait for and look to Christ’s return and not the appearance of the AntiChrist.
1 Corinthians 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. [In Aramaic the expression Come, O Lord is Marana tha.]
James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
James 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
James 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
1 Timothy 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Revelation 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. {Exactly, Mr. Chick!}
Will Christians REALLY be spared the Tribulation? {Why does this remind me of, “Yea, hath God said. . . ?”?}
[Pss 97:10] Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
[Rom 5:8] But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
[Rom 5:9] Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
[Rom 5:10] For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
[Isa 57:1] The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. {The man DIES: he’s not “raptured”! (Ecclesiastes 9:5)}
Mic 7:2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
[Mal 3:16] Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
[Mal 3:17] And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
[Mal 3:18] Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
[Mal 4:1] For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
[2Tim 4:18] And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
{(1) Mr. Chick follows his question above (about “the Tribulation”) with eleven verses of scripture that say NOTHING about the tribulation. (2) He clearly hopes that the reader will form doctrine without reading any scripture about the tribulation. (This is Satanic! Mr. Chick is either an intentional deceiver, or he is willingly ignorant and not qualified to teach doctrine.) Numerous passages in the bible deal with the tribulation, and many use the word “tribulation”, while doing so: what’s wrong with just referring to them?
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” (Mark 13:24-27)
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22)
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)
“For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.” (1st Thessalonians 3:4)
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35)
“And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)
Would anyone but a deceiver lecture on “tribulation” without referring to a single verse concerning it?}
More “Rapture” verses: {that say nothing about “rapture”.}
Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Philipians {sic] 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, (NIV)
{Does it grate on your brain to read that? Why is Mr. Chick quoting the NIV?}
Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (KJV)
2 Corinthians 5:1-21, full chapter.
1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
1 Timothy 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable {sic}, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
1 Peter 1:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at
the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
{Mr. Chick casually uses this verses as though it were a “rapture” verse (of which, there are none). This verse only supports the resurrection as given in the bible. Mr. Chick is counting on our ignorance of the doctrinal issues. The “pre-tribulation rapture” proponents long ago concluded that it is in their interest to claim the Lord doesn’t “appear” at their “rapture;” among other reasons, in order to distance themselves from the problem that the scriptures describing the real resurrection, clearly reveal it coming “AFTER” the tribulation, on the day of the Lord, with the Lord definitely appearing.
In order to remove some of the problems associated with fabricating the pre-trib “rapture,” it became convenient to maintain that the reason this “rapture” is not in the bible is because, “It’s a secret rapture.” (“The Lord didn’t tell anybody about it, because then it wouldn’t be a secret.”) This is the primary reason for the mantra, “It’s a SECRET rapture: he doesn’t appear.” The problem with inventing doctrine about things that don’t exist, however, is the difficulty in coming up with verses of scripture to support them when confronted with folks who like to see it in writing. Mr. Chick finds himself in exactly this situation. When not hacking scripture to bits, he is desperately throwing irrelevant verses by the bucket load at his audience. The reader has observed that the overwhelming portion of scripture references provided to us by Mr. Chick not only fail to substantiate his argument, but in most cases fail to even pertain to it. (The reader might consider reading through the verses supplied by Mr. Chick on the above page.) Frequently, the verses he has supplied, apparently out of sheer laziness, if not ignorance, simply prove the opposite of what he seems to imagine.
For example, 1st Peter 5:4, commandeered above by Mr. Chick as if it supported his “rapture”theory, actually refers to the time of the Lord’s appearance, on the day of the Lord, at the end of the world, after the tribulation, and after the resurrection at “the last trump”! The “crown of glory that fadeth not away” referred to in 1st Peter is the crown the Lord gives to his “friends” AFTER THEIR DEATHS at the hand of Satan, with no “rapture” to save them:
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2nd Timothy 4:8)
Paul was martyred. He didn’t get “raptured.” Laodicean “Christians” just assume they’re better than Paul. These verses have nothing whatever to do with any “pre-trib secret rapture”! The deceived spoiled brats who say, “ I’m special; I’m spotless; I want my rapture, and I want it now.”, are, at best, simply calling God a liar, and won’t get a crown!}
1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
{What confusion! Mr. chick trots out a verse which concerns the “last trump” “resurrection” at the Lord’s “coming”, as though it supported the theory on the “secret rapture,” at which, according to the theory, the Lord “doesn’t even actually come down”.}
1 John 3
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
{Exactly, Mr. Chick! “when he shall appear”! There’s nothing “secret” about that, is there?}
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Posted by Jack Chick Publications on Thursday, February 08, 2007 at 11:30 AM