Home Pretribulationism Contradiction (Part 3):
Imminency and Matthew 24:27?

Contradiction (Part 3):
Imminency and Matthew 24:27?

by Alan Kurschner

The following brief clip is a “pretribulational rapture” drama put on by a church gathering. First, view this short clip, then I will comment on it.

Where does one even start with such misguided theology?
The video begins with the pastor preaching from–you guessed it–Matthew 24, a Biblical passage that pretrib teachers insist do not apply to the church, yet they cite parts of it as if they do.
What do we find the pastor teaching to his audience?
He reads, “Jesus Christ is coming back for his church.” Then he cites Matthew 24:42 which says, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
Let me just stop for a moment and note that the text that he is reading comes just after Jesus’ teaching that believers will be persecuted by an Antichrist figure. Jesus says that this must come before his Coming.
Does the pastor note this? No. Does he explain and trace Jesus’ discourse up to verse 42, the passage he is teaching on? No. Does the pastor take Jesus’ warning and warn his own flock of a coming persecution? No.
It is as if pretrib teachers want the convenience of preaching the “exhortation” passages of Jesus, but these passages cannot have any meaning outside of Jesus’ teaching of believers being persecuted during the great tribulation.
The pastor continues to say that “Jesus Christ could come this month, or he might come next week, or he could even come [*RAPTURE*].”
Here is my question to the pastor: Given the Matthew 24 text that you are citing, and given that Jesus says that his return will be preceded by signs and events including the great tribulation of persecution of believers, how is it that Christ can come back at any moment?
To top this all off, at the very end of the video the Bible text Matthew 24:27 flashes on the screen, “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
What is wrong with citing that text in light of the theology of the video?
The glory of the Son which will come like lightning is the sign of his Coming for those believers who are being persecuted. Did you see any believers being persecuted at the hands of Antichrist in the video? Nope.
What we saw were believers gathered freely in a public building under no persecution. Does the church scene in the video convey a “great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now

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