Opponents of the pre-Tribulation Rapture say that because we believe in divine deliverance from the coming Tribulation judgments, we have little motivation, if any, to care for the needs of those around us or to seek to bring others to Christ.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Like other lines of reasoning against our hope in Jesusโ imminent appearing, the complacency argument bases its conclusion upon supposed experience rather than the words of Scripture, which must always have the final say in all matters of our faith.
In a book thatโs scheduled to be published later this month, Invitation to a Lavish Feast โ Following Wisdomโs Path to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, I provide a thorough and compelling case of how Godโs Word confirms our hope that Jesus will take us home to glory before the start of the seven-year Tribulation.
Letโs, however, take a closer look at other ways in which the reasoning of our opponents falls short.
It Rehashes an Already Failed Argument
The complacency argument resembles one thatโs commonly used against the teaching of eternal security. Opponents of this sound biblical doctrine tell us that it engenders carelessness in oneโs walk with the Lord since thereโs no chance we can lose our salvation.
Paul destroys this line of reasoning in Romans 6:1-11 as he answers this hypothetical question, โAre we to continue in sin that grace may abound?โ If ever he couldโve responded to this inquiry with that of losing oneโs gift of eternal life or even the fear of the Lordโs future judgment of us, this was surely it. Instead, the apostle argues from the completeness of our salvation based on our unity with Christ in His death and resurrection. He then asks that his readers remember their secure standing before the Lord with these words: โSo you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.โ
As we dig deeper into the biblical text, we discover further evidence that our incentive to serve the Lord never arises from the erroneous fear of losing our salvation or that of enduring Godโs wrath during the seven-year Tribulation. Never.
It Fails to Recognize Our True Motivation for Serving the Lord
The New Testament rather portrays our motivation to serve the Lord as coming from His mercy rather than anything related to what the Lord might do to us if we fall out of line. Consider the words of Romans 12:1: โI appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.โ
After writing about the wonders our justification and Godโs character as one who always keeps His promises (Romans chapters 1-11), Paul bases our response solely upon His amazing mercy. That is why we share our hope with others and help those in need. We serve the Lord in these ways as a response to His great and amazing love toward us.
We see this identical pattern in the book of Ephesians. In the first three chapters, the apostle writes about the amazing wonders of the Lordโs grace, love, and mercy toward us as believers. Itโs only then that he beseeches his readers to โwalk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been calledโ (Ephesians 4:1). We respond in such a way because of what the Lord has already done for us.
The Lord never uses the coming period of His wrath upon the earth as a reason to serve Him; instead, He promises to deliver us from it (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 5:1-11).
On the other hand, how is it possible that the prospect of enduring the horrors at the start of the Tribulation, followed by almost certain martyrdom, motivates anyone to walk closer with the Lord?
It Fails the Test of Human Experience
The complacency argument against those of us who adhere to the pre-Tribulation Rapture also fails the very test upon which itโs based, that of human experience.
Iโm acquainted with the teachings and writings of many people who look for Jesusโ imminent appearing, and every one of them, without exception, longs to see people come to saving faith in Jesus and reaches out to those in need around them.
The vast majority of those who watch for Jesusโ imminent appearing are anything but complacent in their walk with the Lord.
C.S. Lewis, in his bookย Mere Christianity, wrote the following about how throughout history, a focus on eternity has been the prime motivator for the saints to bring others to saving faith and to care for the welfare of others: “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since because Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”
As far as I know, Lewis didnโt believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture. However, his words dispel the argument that a focus on the hereafter causes one to become complacent in this life. It has precisely the opposite impact on those who watch for the Lordโs appearing. It motivates us all the more as we see the day of our homegoing approaching.
The complacency argument against the pre-Tribulation Rapture not only fails the test of Godโs Word, but it also falls far short in the arena in which it is based, that of human experience.
