The topic of the rapture often stirs intense debate among Christians, particularly when it comes to the timing of this long-anticipated event. But rather than dividing the body of Christ, discussions about prophecy should serve to edify, not alienate.
Pastor Kap Chatfield recently shared a passionate message about the pre-tribulation rapture, offering biblical insight with a call to preparedness, without turning doctrine into division.
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Chatfield points to a fascinating pattern in the book of Revelation that he believes supports the church being taken before God’s wrath is poured out on the earth.
“The next piece of evidence for pre-tribulation rapture… the church is actually missing after Revelation chapter 3,” Chatfield said. “In chapters 1 through 3… the word church appears 19 different times. Jesus is actually personally addressing seven different churches in Asia… But after Revelation 3:22… the church is never mentioned again. Not even once.”
Still, Chatfield was careful to draw a line between theological debate and salvific essentials. His tone was instructive, not combative, a reminder of how end-times discussions should be handled.
“Again, if this gets clipped up and somebody wants to take it out of context, I’m not saying that the church doesn’t go through some sort of tribulation while we’re on earth,” he clarified. “But there’s a distinct difference between tribulation from the hands of man and tribulation from the hand of God.”
That distinction is important, but even more vital is the spirit with which Christians approach these conversations. Our unity in Christ is not based on the timing of the Rapture, it is based on the finished work of Jesus, who Chatfield rightly reminds us said, “It is finished… the wrath of God paid for in full.”
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Whether one believes the church will be caught up before, during, or after the tribulation, let love and humility guide the conversation.
Let us be a people who recognize the patterns of Scripture and prepare our hearts accordingly, without turning differing interpretations into a battlefield.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
