Dispensational Sources Required

[darinhouston]

The rapture has always been understood as an event that could take place at anytime. It requires no specific sign prior to it taking place - according to dispensationalism. Zola Levitt wrote a couple of books on the subject concerning the signs of the end and in them he tells the reader that it could happen even before they finished reading his book. He supported the the pre-tribulation Rapture position where the Lord might come for the Church at any time. He says the most obvious evidence for the pre-tribulation Rapture is the concept of surprise. Otherwise, according to Zola, date setting would be made based on the idea that the seven year period had started and the countdown to the Rapture could easily be predicted. He seperates the Rapture from the second coming not calling the Rapture a coming at all but instead us going in order to preserve us against God's wrath.

Sounds like Zola's pre-wrath (I thought from the Oil Station debate that this is such a minor difference that it hardly justified the separate debate position -- it was convenient though to have two on one -- it sort of kept them honest I think in their dealings with Steve).

[Allyn]

Darin, I think it does boil down to a pre-wrath position but Zola specifically called himself a pre-tribulationalist. There are two people who have aided in my development of the position I now hold and those two are Zola and Steve. These two men have inadvertantly brought me to the position of full-preterist.