Eschatology in the Bible 2: Hole in end-time teaching

No foundation in a hole

In my last post we was in Matthew 24 and you saw what time frame Jesus speak in and what time frame the prophecy he gives in, specifically the first century before the year 70 AD. We will not let go of Matthew 24 completely yet, but bring it along with couple of other passages to see the gaps or “holes” that are added to the end-time question, to let it fit into a system. Forcing something into a system is also called Procrustes method, or bring something into a prokrustesbed, as Pentecostals and other evangelical use (Prokrustesbed = To put something on prokrustesbed is to exercise violence against the reality of getting it to fit in their system. Thus, the system scale, and not reality). 

The “secret rapture” theory

What is “the secret rapture” theory and where did it come from? First, will I list up mainly what it is.

1. The New Testament church era, the initial phase of Christ’s kingdom, as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets.
2. The New Testament church can win occasional victories, but eventually she will fail the mission, losing influence and corruption, as the worldwide “evil” increases towards the end of the church age.
3. The church will pass through a future worldwide difficult time in travail. This era is known as the great tribulation that will put the sentence and the end of this modern era.
4. Christ will return at the end of the tribulation, or right in such Church rapture, resurrect the dead saints and carry out the sentence of the righteous in “a moment”.