February, 1997

B.B.B.

Page 3

STUDENT'S

CORNER

The Fifth Theory on the Rapture

"ceased" according to He- cease" and "the overspreadbrews 10:1-14 and Hebrews ing of abominations." 13:10-11. Now, here we see again Ttieydidnot. Peter and John what is involved in "searching are still praying in the temple the scriptures" and "rightly dividing the word (Acts 3) where Part Two of of truth." Such sacrifices and discussions with oblations are Two Parts the average being offered, and Paul is going into a temple graduate of the average Chriswhere sacrifices and oblations tian College, University, or are being offered (Acts 2 1 : 2 4 - Seminary are absolutely hope26) more than twenty years less. They were not taught to study the Book; they were after ttie resurrection. So there are some "glitches" taught to correct \t They were not taught to believe it, but to in this fifth theory. H o w e v e r , t h e m a t e r i a l use it. They were not taught to Rowley prints on the "cov- tremble before it (Isa. 66:2), enant" and "confirming the but to build "ministries" with it. covenant" (pp. 68-71) is ex- They were taught to ignore cellent, as also are a number everything in itwell over of pieces of guesswork in his 10,000 versesthat could not publication on the "trumpets" help them do a "work" for the (pp. 85-86) and the "change" Lord. So the material now unof 1 Corinthians 15:51 (pp.84, der discussion is "all Greek" to them, and will remain so. For 91). the Greek scholars it will all That isn't all. If he segreremain "all Tamil." gated the second "he" in Daniel 9:27 from the first "he" in the Now, the last thing about same verse, his thesis could this fifth view is the most erstill stand, but he would have ratic. You see since Daniel to put the church age between gave a beginning point for the the colon and the word "and." seventy weeks (Dan. 9:25), He could not have put the scholars have been laboring church age between the "to to date that date. After all, how do you know that the seventieth period of seven years began anywhere if you do not know when the first period of seven years began? You don't. I have four conflicting dates for the beginning of Daniel's Seventieth Week. Rowley only refers to one given by Sir Robert Anderson. 1. 536 B.C. (The first year of Cyrus). 2. 519 B.C. (the sixth year of Darius: Ezra 6:15). 3. 458 B.C. (the seventh year of Artaxerxes: Ezra 7:7). 4. 445 B.C. (the twentieth year of Artaxerxes: Neh. 13:67, 2:1-8). Where to start? Rowley takes No. 1, so has to figure 536 years from Cyrus to Luke chapter 4 and Matthew chapter 4 when Christ is 30 years old. (Others figure from Cyrus [or Artaxerxes or Darius] to Christ's birth, while others figure to His Triumphal Entry as King, at the end of His 3V2 year ministry. [I went through all of this between 1950 and 1955! God help me!]) Now, sixty-nine weeks is 4 8 3 y e a r s a c c o r d i n g to Continued on page 17

by Dr. Peter S . Ruckman We have been examining the "latest" on the Rapture, after four preceding theories which taught a Post-Tribulation Rapture, a Mid-Tribulation Rapture, a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and a "Pre-Wrath" Rapturethe latter being the silliest of any of them. The latest one (the fifth) could still be called a "Pre-Tribulation" Rapture, but with the notable addition that it is a Mid-Seventieth Week Rapture; that is, when it takes place 2 7 3 years of Daniel's "Seventieth Week" (Dan. 9:24) tiave already passed. This first 3V2 years, according to Walvoord and Rowley (and others) was during the ministry of Christ (A.D. 3 0 t o 3 V 2 , o r 4 B . C.toA.D.28, or whatever). TbefC for some reason, Janiel's clock stopped at Calvary, although there is no basis for believing that is stopped because "Israel was out of faYor with God" (Rowley's alibi fo^conyerting 536 years into 490 years). God forgave Israel (Acts 3:17; 1 Cor. 2:8) according to the prayer of His Son (see Luke 23 : 3 4 ) , and until Acts chapter 7 there was no national rejection of the Messiah. God's clock, then, did not stop at Matthew chapter 26, at the END of the first 3^/2 years of Daniel's "week." Rowley and Walvoord and others stopped it. Why? Well, the answer given is that the first seventeen words in Daniel chapter 7 refer to Jesus Christ and the rest of this verse to Satan. This might be except for two things: 1. The "sacrifice and oblations" did not cease before A.D. 70, more than thirty yearsafter the resurrection. 2. The "sacrifice and oblations" arego/ng to cease when Satan shows up (Dan. 8:11, 11:31; and Rev. 11:1-2). Do Rowley (and others) pretend that they "ceased"in the sense that they should have

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