One of the recent trends of churches, Christian colleges, and missionary agencies is to not take a position on the pretribulational rapture of the Church.  Organizations that have historically taught that the Lord can return for His Church any moment, no longer take a position on this important issue.  Many pastors no longer even preach about this doctrine.  Rather than denying the "any moment appearance of Christ", many preachers just never mention this doctrine.

The Bible clearly teaches that the Church will not go through "the time of God's wrath."  The Tribulation period is that time of wrath.  I Thess. 1:10 says, "and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."  Christ will take His Church off the earth before the time of God's wrath begins.

Those who fail to teach the pretribulational rapture of the Church are denying one of the key doctrines of the New Testament - the Imminent Return of Christ.  The early believers believed that Christ could return for His Church at "any moment."  Titus 2:13 says, "Looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."  The early Christians were looking for Christ's return for His Church at any moment.

In just a few weeks, the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC) will be meeting in the church I pastor, First Baptist Church of Elyria, Ohio.  The churches of the GARBC have always believed and taught the pretribulational rapture of the Church.  This year the GARBC will be voting on an amendment to its constitution that clarifies its historical position.  Some have confused the Rapture of the Church with the Lord's Return to set up His Kingdom.  The amendment makes this distinction clear.

The amendment reads:

We believe in the pretribulational Rapture of the Church, an event that can occur at any moment and that at that moment the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies and the living in Christ shall be given bodies without tasting death and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the seven years of Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-54; Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 3:10).

We believe that the Tribulation which follows the rapture of the Church, will be culminated by the premillennial return of Christ in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David and to establish His Kingdom upon this earth (Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 1:30-33; Isaiah 9:6,7; 11:1-9; Acts 2:29,30; Revelation 20:1-4,6).

This amendment is an excellent clarification of the GARBC's historical position on the Rapture of the Church and Christ's Return to set up His Kingdom.  I urge the GARBC's voting messengers to approve this amendment.  It will proclaim where the churches of the GARBC stand in this day when many refuse to positionalize themselves on this issue.

Brad Quick
Pastor of First Baptist Church of Elyria, Ohio

The 2009 Baptist Mid-Missions Annual Confernce, "Know Right, Do Right", will be held at First Baptist Church of Elyria on July 06-10, 2009. 

For more information, go to bmmac.bmm.org