The materials I examine in this article are taken mostly from:

http://tribulationrisingcom.fatcow.com/matthew-24-and-the-rapture/

“When Bible prophecy matches modern possibilities you will know the end is near.”

The above is a quote that I picked up from Tribulation Rising. Ironically although this quote is I assume theirs; it really belongs in a post-Tribulation teaching. One cannot look for any evidence or signs to accompany the Rapture and believe it to be pre-Tribulational. What I just stated is not my understanding of scripture, it is theirs. Following is another of their quotes from Tribulation Rising, as are the rest:

“This is critical to understand – most concepts in the Bible are evidenced through the principle of line upon line, precept upon  precept, here a little, there a little.  That is the core concept behind the scriptural references on this site.”

I often remind the reader of this O.T. verse of scripture on my own site. They state here that it is a principle for understanding biblical concepts. I substitute “truths” for their word concept; because biblical truth is necessary to the understanding of the overall plan of God.

They go on from this statement to make a great deal over the misuse of scripture in the formation of a “concept”.

They further support their idea of concept misuses by others with the following:

“Stated differently – if someone declares “truth” to you while failing to provide more than a singular scripture you must ask your self why. “

They further state in the introduction to their site and it’s purpose, that “single verse” doctrines are to be discarded as “unproven doctrine”., and if used are evidence of “false” teaching.This frankly is good stuff when adhered to. But what I find throughout their site are articles that prove that their own measure of good doctrine is not adhered to, but that their presented “truth” itself is not truthful. I’m going to share with you a couple of examples of this fact here in this article. I have already written other posts, and possibly will continue to do so concerning this site “Tribulation Rising”. As always I ask you to be the judge of the truthfulness of what I post. What I post is always verifiable.

Next I am going to take their own concepts and reveal to you how they violate their own principles. In their article on Matthew 24, they go into great detail concerning the ordaining of the priesthood which they say is taking place for the first time in Revelation chapters 2-4. Then they state:

“The second time it is convened before the Temple in earth after the tribulation – in the Valley of Decision at the Judgment of Nations.”  (THOSE WHO ARE IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION ARE THERE BEFORE THE DAY OF THE LORD NOT AFTER IT. AND THE JUDGMENT OF NATIONS TAKES PLACE AFTER THE LORD RETURNS) I took notes as I explored their materials. The above is one of those notes. You can see that I was shouting, Why? — I find that when I visit this and other sites like it, that there is so much smoke being blown; that the untruths that they present are camouflaged, and the reader who may not know scripture will think them to be truth.

So, just what is the truth about the timing of “the valley of decision”?

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. Joel 2:1,3:14-15

Perhaps using the phrase “the valley of decision” to them is ok here because to them it is an “unproven doctrine”, but to me and I would hope to you it is biblical truth, even though it is only ever mentioned in one passage in the Bible. So, this time of man being in “the valley of decision” is prior to (during the Tribulation before), the day of the Lord. The “day of the Lord” is another concept that these men do not understand. They so confuse Paul’s teaching on the Rapture as it relates or doesn’t relate to the Day of the Lord, that even the scholars miss the simple, but clear teaching of Paul. Listen to what Tribulation Rising says concerning the Day of The Lord:

For the record – that “day” mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is not the rapture – it is the Day of the Lord.  If you doubt me on this I would offer verse 2 as proof.

Let’s read verse 2 and 3.

We will definitely read vs’ 2&3, but we also need to read the verses from Paul’s previous letter concerning the Rapture and this day — the day of the Lord. You should read the entire sections of scripture, but here are excerpts of what Paul wrote:

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.

1 Thessalonians 4:17-5:2,4 ESV

(So unlike the world, we do know the times and seasons, and this “Day of The Lord, when Jesus comes as a Thief to Rapture us will not surprise us, for we are not in spiritual darkness. Now with Paul’s teaching as reference, we will consider what Tribulation Rising wants to have us consider:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

So we have seen that the Day of the Lord is the day of our Rapture. Pre-Trib scholars have taught for decades that Jesus will come for us as a thief in the night. Here we see that that will occur on the day of the Lord, which Paul says is preceded by the apostasy and the coming of Antichrist, whom if you read on in these verses Jesus will destroy at His Coming. That would be at His Coming as a thief on, you guessed it, the day of the Lord.

In fact these same scholars who believe this attempt to place the Tribulation itself into the day of the Lord because of this passage making the Day of the Lord the day of our resurrection and Rapture. Post-Trib scholars in order to refute this 1007 year teaching state that the day of the Lord is 1000 years not 1007. The Tribulation Rising article says that the additional 7 years is only 3 seconds of the day. But they can’t even get that right:

“The day of the Lord, the day of wrath, the day of Christ and the feast days are all such examples of a “day”.  All of these events last a mandatory minimum of one day – whether it be the 1,000 year day or the one year day.  In the context of the primary distinction of the “day” – the 1,000 year day – the rapture lasts but a fraction of a second.  Indeed, the entire time period of the tribulation equates only to about three seconds total of the Day of the Lord.

(So we see that they include the Tribulation in the day of the Lord because the Rapture occurs at the beginning of this day. This is what Paul taught in 1 Thessalonians. But Tribulation Rising teaches it not as the additional or separate 7 years, but as part of the 1000 year day. Obviously this is not true on many fronts. The main scriptural argument against this Day including the Tribulation is in the fact that Jesus reigns on the Day of the Lord for 1000 years. The Tribulation is not a period of His 1000 year reign. A second point is the 7 years compared to a 1000 year day is. [.007 of the day]. If a 24 hour day contains 60sec. x 60min. = 3600sec. In an hour X 24hours = 87,840 Sec. In a day X. (Point 007) = 615sec. In a 24 hr Day. 615sec/60sec = 10.24 min. This means the Tribulation is equivalent to 10.24 minutes in a 24 hr day not 3 seconds as they state. No wonder the originator of Tribulation Rising left the field of electrical engineering to write Prophecy articles in the pre-Trib field of study.).

Their entire body of literature I would place in the fiction category. It is full of speculation with lots of support for the Rapture. There will be one. But no Scriptural support, without the twisting of scripture as we have just seen here, for a PreTribulation Rapture.

You may ask — why have you posted this on your site without first posting it on theirs. If you read the introduction to this site you will be told that your post or your opinion will not be placed or considered on their site until you have proven that you have done your time as they have in study. This is a catch 22. No one thing that I post can effectively prove that. I can however write refuting with scripture what they say, and then invite them to my site. But let me tell you what many pre-Trib scholars do, they are related in this area to the shape shifters that we saw on Star Track. When you answer their argument with scripture they reinvent a word to attempt to prove you wrong.

For example, the passages that we just read from Paul in 1&2 Thessalonians, (I have not yet found on their site where these fellows have done this but I suggest they will), we have seen this argument morph over the years at least three times. First the emphasis was that Jesus coming as a thief was different from His coming in the clouds, and therefore in Second Thessalonians 2:1 we were told that the “and” in this verse divided Paul’s statement in this verse into the two comings (Rapture and Second Coming). This is what I once believed. Then the Tribulation became part of the Day of the Lord; when both of these were debunked the newest argument is that the word Apostasy in the second Thess. passage means Rapture. I have an article dealing with this teaching called: Is Strong’s #646 How Is “apostasy” Being Used To Prove The Imminence of The Rapture? (Nov. 23, 2017). You may want to read that as well.

Also in my book is an entire chapter dealing with the Scriptural definition of the Day of The Lord. But just considering one scripture it’s clarity comes into view. In Joel the Day of the Lord is to follow the sun, moon and stars sign that Jesus gave before His coming. That means that the day of the lord will follow the Tribulation.

Your comments and questions are always welcome here. Thanks for visiting, and may God bless you and lead you as you ponder these things.