I have received the following objection to the Pre-Trib Rapture from a brother named Jerry Parks. Jerry is a good man who blogs here. He states his …

A Challenge to the Pre-Trib Rapture? (Pt. 1)

I am Re-blogging Dr Henebury’s post which he produced as a result of my comments on others of his posts. Following is my answer to this post. I will include it here, and it is also posted as a reply to his post.

Dr with regard to (a) in your counter argument. Though His Church is future, post resurrection, His removal of His O.T. Saints also spoken of in Ephesians, which resulted in His visit there: (to the thief on the cross He stated: today Thou shalt be with me in paradise); this visit resulted in His preaching to the dead according to Peter, and according to Paul’s writings it resulted in all O.T. Saints being delivered from The belly of the earth to Heaven where Paul did go when caught up to the third heaven to paradise. Given all this the O.T. Saints were placed into His church that He was building after His resurrection, as they were not led captive before, but after His resurrection.

Now for (b) of your argument. My blog has on more than one occasions written to refute this particular pre-Trib argument. I think that I partially addressed it above. But additionally Paul in his first Corinthians presentation with his argument that in Christ resurrection was achieved for all men throughout history is difficult to refute, since he connected it as the only remedy for man who had sinned because of the one man Adam. “In Christ all shall be made alive”. Further there is evidence in Isa. 54 that O.T. Saints who were widowed in Isa. 53, will be married again to their redeemer, who (there should be no argument) is Jesus.

Now as to your assertion that there is no Church mentioned in the Revelation beyond chapter 3; the argument is weak since there is no mention of the Church in Heaven either in those same chapters. The Church is assumed to be in Heaven, but believers in Christ are definitely present on earth, who will overcome Satan with their testimony and the blood of the Lamb. To assert that they are not in Christ is to refute Paul’s I Cor. 15 argument that basically leaves anyone outside of Christ without any hope of resurrection to eternal life with Christ. I don’t think that Paul’s teaching in 1 Cor 15:22 needs an interpretation as you suggest. It is a fact presented by him concerning all who were made sinners in the one man Adam. My argument is broader than you present it to be, because the Scriptures not me will lead us to the conclusion that accepting Christ is the only way to be resurrected in the first resurrection. You are making it presumption to see all ages in Christ; where Paul here makes it necessary fact. He has introduced the O.T. Into this equation. Just as by one man Adam all die, 1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (KJV)

All of God’s people awaited this deliverer promised from the time of the fall in Genesis. He is the one who crushes the head of the serpent.

Galatians 3:8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, [saying,] “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” (NASB1995)

Galatians 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. (NASB1995)

I appreciate your willingness to discuss this openly, as most will not allow such discussion. I too will reblog you post for my readers, some of whom may become interested in your writings even as I am. Appreciate you brother.