Date

1-14-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)

Chair

Andreas J. Köstenberger

Keywords

Eschatology, Christocentric, Canonical, Deductive, Hermeneutics, Rapture, Premillennial, Pretribulation, Midtribulation, Prewrath, Posttribulation, Historic Premillennialism, Parousia, Perseverance, Second Coming, Second Advent, The Resurrection, Jesus-centered, Inductive Bible Study, Text-driven, Exegesis, Eisegesis, Tribulation, End Times, End-time Prophecy, Bible Prophecy, Prophecy, Persecution, Fallacies, Chiliasm, Biblical Theology, Revelation, Olivet Discourse

Disciplines

Christianity | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

This dissertation compares the four premillennial end-time theories (i.e., the pretribulation, midtribulation, prewrath, and posttribulation views) to answer whether the Bible literally/explicitly describes two future descents of Christ, multiple future resurrections of saints, a pre-wrath timing, a reascent back to heaven, two last trumpets, two peoples of God, and two standards of protection (as proposed by rapture views) or whether the Scriptures describe only a single future coming of Christ for all saints “after the tribulation” (as held by the posttribulation view). By trusting what Jesus taught and relying on what is explicitly written and repeated in the Bible as the standard for truth (i.e., a Christocentric, inductive, and canonical hermeneutic), the author finds that a single posttribulational return of Christ is best supported by the explicit evidence. Conversely, the author finds that the pluralities, timings, and movements proposed by the three rapture theories are based not on a literal interpretation of the Bible as claimed but on inferential, deductive, and eisegetical hermeneutics, which lead to many, and therefore disqualifying, exegetical and theological fallacies.

With the increase in rapture predictions, this timely study analyzes hundreds of end-time passages, supplies numerous time-saving canonical matrices, and answers an exhaustive list of rapture-related questions, like should imminency mean “at any moment” or “impending,” do Christians need to fear being afflicted by God’s wrath during the trumpets and bowls of Revelation, who repopulates the millennium, does the absence of the word ‘church’ in Revelation 4–18 suggest a rapture, and did Paul teach a new rapture revelation or what Jesus taught. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the importance of daily and end-time perseverance and reaffirms the centrality of Jesus’s words in understanding Bible prophecy.

Download

Share

COinS