“A man’s got to know his limitations!” That line comes from an old film starring Clint Eastwood. I think that it is pretty good advice. If you have a broken arm, it is better to see a doctor rather than a carpenter. And if you have a theological question, it’s much better to consult a respected Bible teacher than a country-western musician!
Recently, Tucker Carlson interviewed the country singer, John Rich, about his popular song Revelation. I watched that whole interview and I could probably write a book on all the Biblical and historical errors that John Rich made. But I will spare you my entire rant.
According to John Rich, the pre-tribulational rapture teaching began about 200 years ago with a theologian named John Nelson Darby. This falsehood has been thoroughly debunked, with numerous references from early church fathers proving that Darby did not invent the pre-tribulational rapture. I highly recommend Myths of the Origin of the Rapture by Thomas Ice. This is just one of many articles and books debunking this false claim.
The reason that John Rich is so confused about the events of the end times is because he equates the rapture of the church with the Second Coming of Christ. Those are two separate events. The rapture of the church occurs before the 7-year tribulation. The Second Coming of Christ occurs at the end of the tribulation when Jesus returns to establish His millennial kingdom. When you compare the details of those events in scripture, it becomes obvious that they cannot be the same event. If you use the ram, cram and jam method of Bible interpretation to make them the same event, you end up with many irreconcilable contradictions. At the rapture, Jesus is the one who gathers believers to Himself (see Jn. 14:3). Paul wrote, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven…” (1 Thes. 4:16). The word “Himself” in New Testament Greek is an emphatic form and could be translated “The Lord Himself and no other.” However, at the Second Coming of Christ we are told that the angels will gather the elect (see Mt. 24:31, Mk. 13:27). If these are the same event, then there is no way to reconcile this contradiction.
A major problem with the view of John Rich is that it destroys the Biblical teaching of the imminent return of Christ for His church at the rapture. For more on that, watch my message about The Imminent Return of Christ and the Rapture.
“A man’s got to know his limitations!” Though I play guitar, mandolin and banjo, there is a reason that I do not play at the Grand Ole Opry! People should really stay in their own lanes. John Rich should stick with what he knows how to do best—country music. But I have to admit, that as a marketing strategy, his outlandish rapture claims have certainly made a larger audience aware of his song Revelation.
Because of Calvary,
Bob
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A Motivating Message
Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13
After the Sunday morning message about the rapture, a little girl had a number of questions for her mother.
“Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?”
“Yes.”
“Could He come today?”
“Yes.”
“In a few minutes?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Mommy, would you comb my hair?”
The doctrine of the immanency of the rapture should motivate us to be ready for it. Just as the little girl wanted to be prepared for Jesus’ return, we too should live each day with a sense of anticipation and readiness.
