The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Brenda Rivera of Orlando, Florida from the tape, GC 1301-O, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 17." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1978. All Rights Reserved.
Question
In 2 Thessalonians 2 Paul is speaking to the believers, is he not?
Answer
Right.
Questioner
If he’s talking to the believers and he says “...and the lawless man will
be revealed,” this is in verse 2:8 “...and then the lawless man will be revealed
whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by
the splendor of His coming.” And Christ Himself in His own Olivet
discourse...now this is His coming...speaks in Matthew 24, "...that at that
time...," this is verse 30, “At that time the Son of Man will appear in the sky
and all of the nations of the earth will mourn, they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send His
angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather His elect from the four
winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” And I believe in Mark it says
the heavens and the earth, so what I’m trying to figure out is: he says at the
end of the tribulation (King James says after this tribulation). How do they get
Christ’s own Second Coming like as if he goofed it up? I mean a lot of things
spoken of the rapture seem to be maybe well a lot of supposition where as this
is absolute scripture. May I ask that?
Answer
I’m not sure I understand the question. Isn’t that awful?
Questioner
Christ says in His Second Coming, He’s coming after the tribulation with the call of the trumpet in verse 30. How can there then be a pretribulation rapture? He’s not coming twice.
Answer
Why not?
Questioner
He’s been here once.
Answer
Right.
Questioner
His second coming is His second coming.
Answer
Right.
Questioner
If there’s a pretribulation rapture then He comes after the tribulation then that would be three.
Answer
No, it wouldn’t necessarily be three. There are in the Bible two
resurrections. The first resurrection and the second resurrection. The first
resurrection has three parts, Christ the First Fruits, the Old Testament saints,
and then the church. Three parts, first resurrection. Why can’t the Second
Coming have two parts? Or three parts? Or how ever many parts God decides? You
also have the fact that when He came the first time, He came and then He came
and then He came. First He came into the world when He was born, but He didn’t
come into His ministry until He was 30. And He didn’t come from the grave until
the end of His ministry, so He came to the earth, and then He came to the
ministry, and then He came back from the grave. So you don’t want to get too
carried away with just the numbers. In His first coming there were several
phases and in the Second Coming there will be several phases also. So you want
to leave room for that.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and
Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
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Email: tony@biblebb.com
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