David Reagan - Billy Crone on the Rapture
Billy Crone, who is a pastor in Las Vegas, Nevada, has established himself as an outstanding and passionate preacher and teacher of Bible prophecy. We are privileged to have him today as our special guest. Stay tuned for an interview with him about the Rapture of the Church.
David Reagan: Greetings in the name of Jesus, our Blessed Hope, and welcome to Christ in Prophecy. My colleague, Nathan Jones, and I are delighted to have as our special guest today a wonderful Bible teacher who I am sure many of you are familiar with because he has become an Internet sensation. His name is Billy Crone. Billy, welcome to Christ in Prophecy.
Billy Crone: Thank you Dr. Reagan, it’s great to be on.
Nathan Jones: Good to have you on, Billy.
Billy Crone: Thank you, Nathan.
Nathan Jones: Hey, let’s start we could ask about your church that your pastor, and you have a very uniquely titled ministry called “Get A Life.” Could you tell us about both of those?
Billy Crone: Yeah, I am a pastor currently in Las Vegas, the church is Sunrise Baptist Church. It’s actually my third senior pastorate. I used to pastor in Northern California, also in New York, and now we’ve been almost about six years in Las Vegas.
David Reagan: Well, God has really put you in a field right now hasn’t He?
Nathan Jones: Las Vegas, yeah.
Billy Crone: Well I’m starting to feel like a kid in a candy store. I mean really because we are all about sharing the Gospel and seeing souls won for Christ. And Vegas has a population of over 2 million people, and 95% of them don’t know Jesus as their Savior. And of course we have all the equipment, the ability to mass produce media. And we put the Gospel on every single piece of media even the written stuff. And so we are out there sharing like hot cakes, and so we are having a blast. But, also Vegas is an international community, and over 3 million people visit Las Vegas from around the world every month.
Nathan Jones: Do they come into your church?
Billy Crone: Uh, actually some of them do.
David Reagan: Do they really?
Billy Crone: And frankly some Christians rationalize their trip to Vegas by coming to church.
Nathan Jones: Coming to Church.
Billy Crone: So well whatever, that works.
Nathan Jones: Whatever gets them in right?
Billy Crone: But God brings the world to you. So when you share the Gospel in Vegas it’s just like man you don’t know–you don’t have to go anywhere God brings it to you. So it’s pretty fun. But “Get A Life” that’s the teaching ministry. It’s been around for almost 15 years now. And it started back when I was pastoring in Northern California. And based on my testimony; my testimony the title of it was Get A Life, and I was preaching out of the text of John 10 that Jesus came to give us abundant life. And I use that as a platform to share how I got a life through Jesus Christ. And basically how the whole title started was we started launching out into the Internet and the radio. And then a radio station called up said, “Hey, we’re all set, ready to go.” And they called my office and they said, “We need a title.” I go, “Well I didn’t think about a title.” And one of the parishioners was in my office at the time. I just preached that sermon about Get A Life, my testimony.
Nathan Jones: OK.
Billy Crone: And he goes– I go, “Hey, Bob what should we call it?” He goes, “How about Get A Life?” I said, “Ok, it’s Get A Life.” So that’s how it all started.
Nathan Jones: Get A Life. What are some of the more unique outreaches your church holds being in Las Vegas?
Billy Crone: Well, yeah Las Vegas of course we are all about sharing the Gospel of course. And so we have at our disposal the ability to mass produce by the thousands DVDs. And again every piece of media that we have, whether it is written, whether it is DVDs, whatever, on-line content everything has the Gospel when I’m done on it. I could be preaching a 50 part series, that’s what pastors do, can’t be one right? Has to be 50. So 50 part, 50 times after every study pop back up on the screen, give the Gospel. If you were to die today where would you go? And so they are not only great for edification for the Christian, but evangelization of the lost. And so we mass produce and we literally go, and we’ve created maps and we literally target areas and we go. Alright let’s get this section of Las Vegas and work with that. And we’re just having a blast.
David Reagan: Well, I want to shift gears here for a moment and get to our topic for this program and that is the Rapture. You have a wonderful new book called, The Rapture.
Billy Crone: Yeah.
David Reagan: Subtitled, “Don’t be Deceived.”
Billy Crone: Yeah.
David Reagan: And I’ve been reading through this for the past few days. It has been a real blessing to me. And the preface you said somethings that really got me excited because I find so many pastors today who just have a blasé attitude about Bible prophecy. They don’t want to touch it. They don’t want to get anywhere near it. They don’t want to talk about it. They say to me it’s all pie-in-the-sky, has no relevance to the present. Found out you were one of those.
Billy Crone: Yeah.
David Reagan: It says right here, “Believe it or not I used to be one of those guys. You know one of those Christians who said it wasn’t necessary to teach and equip the flock on Bible prophecy, let alone the book of Revelation.” Well I could read what happened. But you tell us, what happened?
Billy Crone: Well, really what–I got to my first spanking came when I went to seminary. And I came out of Bible College and, you know, I’d heard all the different debates and people with this position, that position. And I had that same mentality; it’s like you know what there’s lots of things to teach on the Bible but when I get cut lose Lord willing into the pulpit, you know we’ll just cover that stuff. I don’t want to–you know–frankly the lie that you know it is divisive, it’s not–. Well first of all it’s like now looking back it’s like how could I even mouth that, as a Christian? Let alone a pastor, because prophecy this is not like one page in the Bible, this is a prophecy Old Testament, New Testament, First Coming, Second Coming.
David Reagan: Like one-third.
Billy Crone: Yeah.
Nathan Jones: Yeah, 31%.
Billy Crone: So, how can you be a faithful shepherd if you are not teaching the flock the whole counsel which is what you’re called to do? And again not one-thirtieth, you are skipping one-third of the Bible. Would it be appropriate if I as a Christian? I mean is this what you are going to say from the pulpit, “Hey everybody, just want you to know that God’s Word is all good for you, except when you–“
David Reagan: Yeah, you said in your book it’s like taking a black marker and just black marking out one-third.
Billy Crone: Yeah, and if a pastor said that would you accept that? Of course not. Or if he ripped out a third and say, “I’m just going to teach this part.” That’s not acceptable. And again I put that in there because I wanted to hopefully reach some of those pastors in that mind set. I understand. I was there. But let me tell you that’s not a good position to be in. Also, what I’ve noticed in ministry some of the biggest problems that pastors face in churches is apathy and worldliness. It’s like man you know it’s the old axiom. You know 20% of the people do 100% of the work, while 80% of the people do nothing. Well, why is the church so apathetic? Why are they so worldly? Why do they act like Jesus isn’t coming back? Or this is the best life now here on earth, and they forget about Heaven? Well, it’s because you’re not telling them about the future. The Bible is all about the future. And by the way I think it’s also a heart issues, because I think that many times Christians say that they don’t want to hear this because they really love this world. And what does John say? If you love this world or the things of the world the love of the Father is not in you. Because this is all about, prophecy is about Jesus Christ the one in whom we say we love is coming back to get us. Last time I checked that is good news. And last time I checked Heaven is way better than here.
Nathan Jones: Amen.
Billy Crone: This place is the bottom of the garbage can compared to where we are going. Right? That instills hope. That instill also the fact of the imminency of that. That instills us to get busy, get cracking. I got to get rid of procrastination because today could be the day. Number one I need to risk that relationship and share the Gospel because this might be my last opportunity. Number two, hey when He comes back I’m going to be doing something. What am I going to be doing?
David Reagan: Well we’re going to take a brief break right now. And when we come back we are going to talk about the increasingly vicious attacks that are occurring today on the concept of the Rapture.
Billy Crone: Yeah.
Part 2
Nathan Jones: Welcome back to Christ in Prophecy and our interview with Pastor Billy Crone about the concept of the Pre-Trib Rapture. Billy maybe you can define for us quickly what the Rapture is and then lets discuss the Pre-Trib Rapture, define that and then get into why there’s arguments against it? And why it’s being attacked so much.
Billy Crone: Yeah, sure. Pre-Trib of course is the position that the Church is raptured, “harpazo” taken up out of, that’s what the word Rapture means. Taken up off out of the earth, Jesus comes back and gets His pre-prior to the seven year Tribulation. The other positions of course would be like Mid-Trib that they say, “No, the Church is in there half-way and leaves at the half-way point.” Other position would be like a Pre-Wrath which is basically, “No, you are in there for about three-quarters of the way.” Post-Trib of course is all the way basically to the end. But the Pre-Trib position is, no, the Church has zero part of the seven year Tribulation, we are raptured out to that point. And as far as why the vicious attacks, frankly I think that it’s spiritual warfare.
David Reagan: Yes.
Nathan Jones: Yes.
Billy Crone: And I think its common sense. If you will put yourself in the enemy’s shoes, right? You are this close to pulling off if you will the Antichrist kingdom. What is the last book you want people in?
Nathan Jones: Yeah.
Billy Crone: Right, and it’s certainly the Bible and certainly Bible prophecy. Why? Because the Bible and Bible prophecy is the only book on the whole planet that spells out in intimate detail what in the world he is going to be up to. So, of course you want to keep people out of it. So, what’s he do? He spreads this lie, whether it be from the pulpit or the individual Christian. Oh, no, you shouldn’t study Bible prophecy that is going to cause a division. Oh, no, it’s doom and gloom. You know I’m here to build up my self-esteem and be financially successful, don’t mess my day up. And that’s basically what the pulpits now, which is a whole another prophecy issues on apostasy and stuff.
Nathan Jones: Because the Rapture seems to be beaten up in churches more so than the primary doctrines that are of essential value, like Jesus is the only way to salvation, and that He was resurrected from the dead. But you bring up Rapture, and oh, my goodness the screaming that goes on.
Billy Crone: Yeah. It is. Well for one I think the enemy is keeping the Church in the dark. Because you are going to find out what is going on if you get into prophecy. But also the Church is going still be apathetic and worldly, and lazy.
Nathan Jones: Laodicea.
Billy Crone: Exactly. And so, then you’re not working together sharing the Gospel. You don’t have that imminency. You don’t have that urgency to share the Gospel because Christ can come back at any time. You lose all that when you cease to preach on Bible prophecy.
David Reagan: Well let’s get into one of the major arguments. That I know you address these arguments in your excellent book. But one of the major arguments that’s offered, and I run into it all the time the Pre-Trib Rapture couldn’t be true because it was all conjured up in the early 1800’s by an Englishman named John Darby who got it from a charismatic 16 year old girl who was probably demon possessed and she had all these visions, and that is where it all came from.
Billy Crone: Yeah, boy we couldn’t wait to get to that part. No really because once we–because let’s deal with the facts that is a serious accusation let’s deal with it. And you are going you’ve to be kidding me. It reminds me of the axiom if you repeat a lie loud enough, long enough, and often enough people will believe it. And certainly it is that old John Darby connection. First of all I don’t believe in the Rapture because of John Darby, uh, period. I believe because that is what the Bible teaches. But when we begin to investigate that, there is so much evidence. We have eight pages of historical evidence of people prior to John Darby and we are talking the first generation after John wrote Revelation 95-96 AD who clearly, you know Clement, Barnabas, Tertullian, Irenaeus, all these different guys.
David Reagan: They taught imminency.
Billy Crone: Yeah, they taught imminency. And this is the next generation after the writing of the book. So, and then all the way forward we have eight pages in the book showing that. Are you serious? What history are you reading because it is not the real one? There is so much documented evidence of people prior to 1830 promoting certainly imminency and Pre-Mil and things of that nature.
Nathan Jones: Oh, yeah, since the Pilgrims even, they had a huge revival into the imminency of Jesus Christ and the Rapture of the Church.
Billy Crone: Yeah and again, it’s like we don’t have like secret connection with the CIA, and we are the only ones who can come across this information. It is like–
Nathan Jones: No, no it’s there.
Billy Crone: People say, but again people they repeat a lie loud enough, long enough, often enough, they repeat it. Then because we have the companion book, but we also have the DVD documentary set and Bible study curriculum the whole package to get people equipped. Well we went over to Scotland in the documentary and we filmed on location where Margaret MacDonald in Port Glasgow we went and shot film at the gravesite there with John Darby and some of that nature. So, we did our homework too. And that is one of the biggest, and I don’t know how to say it; it’s a lie! It’s just a flat out lie. And I tell people like listen maybe you have been watching too many CSI episodes and you think you’re a good detective, but I’m sorry if you keep propagating this you are either, with all due respect, the worst investigator on the planet, or you’re lying because this whole connection with John Darby is crazy.
Nathan Jones: It’s a shutdown statement, wouldn’t you say? When some people say, “Well you’re a homophobe.” Well then you’re scared to say anything. They’ll say, “Well, it’s too new to be true.” And then it shuts down most Christians from exploring the Rapture.
Billy Crone: Yeah. And again John Darby they say it started with her and her demonic thing 1830. Well, first of all it is on historical record he began to develop his ideas three years prior 1827, right? Oh, he had an accident and he began to see, he had lots of time to study. And so he began to see a distinction between Israel and the Church and then he began to develop his views. Three years prior to the 1838. Number two he was aware in our investigation of Margaret MacDonald but he clearly called her out for what it was it was demonic and he wanted to have nothing to do with that. Even Wikipedia gets that one right.
Nathan Jones: Even what she said didn’t point to a Pre-Trib Rapture right?
Billy Crone: That one; that is why I said we couldn’t wait to get to this because that is the nail in the coffin to me.
Nathan Jones: Ok.
Billy Crone: It’s like come on. The Bible teaches Pre-Trib. There is plenty of historical evidence prior to 1830 that a lot of Christians did this. It is nothing new. Right? And he developed it on his own prior. Listen when you take a look, and anybody can get a copy. You can take a look at her utterance it’s not even Pre-Trib.
David Reagan: Well that, the thing about it, there is a fella named Dave MacPherson who has made a cottage industry out of writing books about this. And he puts out the same book over, and over with different titles. And I remember reading that and read 200 pages about how all this came from Margaret MacDonald. And then I go to the back to the appendix and there is her vision. And I read it like 25 times and could never find the Pre-Trib Rapture in it.
Nathan Jones: It’s not even there. Yeah.
Billy Crone: Yeah, well that is what blows me away. And I’m going like I’m trying to be kind. Either stop watching those CSI shows getting you inspired to think you’re a detective because your work is pretty shoddy, or frankly you’re lying.
David Reagan: Well I think you touched the bottom line, Satan doesn’t want anybody to be interested in a Pre-Trib Rapture.
Billy Crone: Yeah.
David Reagan: He–that is the last thing he wants anybody to hear anything about.
Billy Crone: Yeah.
David Reagan: So, it’s a spiritual warfare. Well let’s turn it to the positive side now. What would you say are the strongest biblical arguments in behalf of a Pre-Trib Rapture?
Billy Crone: Well, certainly I think you need to start the evidence for it is where does it all begin? It doesn’t begin in Revelation it begins in Daniel. The seven year Tribulation, why is it a seven year Tribulation? Well it starts back in Daniel, it’s this final week, the 70th Week Prophecy. Sixty-nine have already past with Christ with Triumphal Entry. Well you’ve got one week standing out, one group of seven. Seven, why is it not a two year Tribulation? 192 years? Why is it seven? It’s the final week of Daniel’s 70th Prophecy. So, go back and do your homework where it first occurs and what was the context? Well the context if you clearly read there is Daniel, with the Jewish people, Jerusalem, the rebuilt Jewish Temple. It is all about the Jewish people, not the Church.
David Reagan: Yes.
Billy Crone: Number two it specifically says the audience there it is a time of Jacob’s trouble. Not the Church’s trouble. It’s not Paul’s demise. Peter’s doom. Ananias’s agony, or whatever you want to pick there. Oh, and by the way when Daniel wrote the words of that prophecy, where we get the seven year Tribulation it was, if you do that math the Church wasn’t even on the scene. The Church doesn’t come on the scene until Acts chapter 2 which is approximately 570 years later. So, how could he could be referring to the Church when the Church wasn’t even in existence?
Nathan Jones: It’s a mystery.
Billy Crone: He’s not. Also bingo. Paul said that in Ephesians he says, listen that the Church was mystery and he specifically says there in text he says, and the writers of old, which would include Daniel, they had no knowledge of it. So, how could it be referring to the Church? And when it had nothing to do with the Church. And the Church wasn’t even in existence. And it was specifically a mystery to them? So the whole thing to me falls apart when you start where it all begins and that is where you should begin in your investigation.
David Reagan: Yeah, and he defines those 70 weeks of years as the purpose of them is to bring–accomplish certain goals among the Jewish people.
Billy Crone: Right.
David Reagan: Ultimately their salvation. And that’s going to occur at the end of that seven years when they turn to the Messiah.
Billy Crone: Absolutely.
David Reagan: There is no reason for the Church even to be there.
Billy Crone: No, no. It has nothing to do with the Church. And that way, you know, brings up another issue, certainly God is going to use that as an opportunity to restore Israel, and redeem Israel and the remnant. And He is going to fulfill the promises that He’s yet to be fulfilled.
David Reagan: Well what do you say to those who claim that the Church must go through the Tribulation in order to be cleansed and purified?
Billy Crone: Well, first of all I think basically what you did is now you are coming into a work’s based salvation.
Nathan Jones: Yes.
David Reagan: Sounds like a Protestant Purgatory to me.
Billy Crone: Well, that is exactly what the note we make is all you did was just take the Catholic false doctrine of purgatory and you applied it to eschatology. And because of the purgatory purge, you’ve got to purge off your own suffering in fire and flames in order to get to Heaven. And you are sitting there and saying that in order for me to be acceptable to God I have to suffer in the seven year Tribulation? That’s no different than that. And by that way that is a work based salvation. If that’s truly what you’re trusting in, man that is some serious danger, dangerous ground.
David Reagan: And the Bible also talks about us being guaranteed from the wrath of God. And the Tribulation is the wrath of God.
Billy Crone: It’s the wrath of God through and through. But that’s where the dance begins with all the other positions.
David Reagan: Oh, yeah.
Nathan Jones: Yes. What is wrath? I hear that all the time.
Billy Crone: Yeah. But it’s–to me it is like how do you get around this? You know they say, “No, it’s only the–” of course the Mid-Trib says, “It’s only the second half.” And then they say, “No, it’s only the final quarter.” “No, it’s basically all the way in, but God preserves.” There is no preserving going on. Look at what is going on there, these people are being slaughtered like flies. It’s His wrath from the get go. And yet what does the Scripture say? Romans 5, 1 Thessalonians 1, 1 Thessalonians 5, we are saved from, we are rescued from, we are not appointed unto God’s wrath. The Church will have nothing to do with God’s wrath. And it’s easy to demonstrate that it is fully God’s wrath, all seven years. Even in the first half, there in Revelation 6 it says, “Hide us from the wrath of the Lamb.” That’s the first half, it admits it right there. Not only that in the context where is it all starting? It is all starting back in Revelation chapter 4, chapter 5 before it begins in 6 with the appearance of the Antichrist. It says who’s in charge here. This is coming from the Throne Room of God. And then in every one of the seals mentions who’s opening it up. Who’s in charge? Who’s giving the orders? The Lamb. The Lamb opens the seals. Over and over again. He the Lamb opens the seals. And oh, by the way who’s the one giving the order for the riders to come forth? It’s the living creature. What are those? They are angelica cherub. Angels exist to do God’s bidding. God is in charge from the get go. It’s all Him. This is His wrath from the very beginning to the very end, until Jesus comes back Revelation 19, it’s His wrath and the Bible is very clear the Church we are praise God, saved from that time frame.
Nathan Jones: Amen.
David Reagan: Well it seems to–go ahead.
Nathan Jones: Oh, no I was just going to comment, add to that when you get to the Bowl Judgments it says His wrath is finished. It’s not His wrath began as some people place it as a Pre-Wrath view. What about those who look at 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 3 and says, “Let no one deceive you by any means for that day will not come unless a falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” And folks, will point to that and they’ll say, “Well, that means that the Rapture has to happen in the middle of the Tribulation. And those who are deceiving people are the Pre-Trib Rapture believers because they are trying to say we’ll be raptured before the seven years, not in the middle.”
David Reagan: Yeah, these three verses are the cornerstone argument.
Nathan Jones: For the Mid-Trib Rapture, yeah.
David Reagan: Biblical argument of those who opposed the Pre-Trib Rapture.
Billy Crone: Yeah, to me with all due respect I said, “What Bible are you reading, is it the one with the purple cover? Is that the Barney version? Because you need to put it down.” Because hey, you bring that up all day long. Let’s talk about that text.
David Reagan: Yes, let’s do.
Billy Crone: Because basically what you’re talking about there is one of the, in my opinion, one of the most profound evidences for Pre-Trib.
David Reagan: Yes.
Billy Crone: It’s like because you’re ripping it out of context. He clearly says there in the context He says, “Concerning our being gathered to Him, to Jesus.” What’s he talking about? The context is the Rapture that is what he says there, number one. And then he goes on he says, “Hey, when somebody is trying to mess with you, that is why he says, encourage one another with these words.” And by the way this is 2 Thessalonians which means we already went through this guys, and I can’t believe I am having to clarify this again. But he had to because somebody is basically saying, “Oh, by the way the seven year Tribulation has already started.” That’s what he says there. He says don’t give to some prophecy reports saying that the Day of the Lord has already come. What’s the Day of the Lord? The Day of the Lord is the seven year Tribulation, moving forward into the Millennial Kingdom. So basically he says, “Listen, don’t listen to these guys that are saying you’re in the seven year Tribulation.” That’s the whole argument right there. And then he goes on and says, “Hey, don’t let anybody what? Deceive you.” Which means it is a lie. It’s a lie to say that we are in the seven year Tribulation, the Day of the Lord. He says it is not going to happen until the rebellion, or some say falling away, its “apostasia” in the Greek. Which literally I think there is strong evidence that it could be literally departure. In fact with the article there it’s the departure so it is talking about a specific departure.
David Reagan: In fact all the early translations translate it that way.
Billy Crone: Exactly. So what’s the departure in the context? And specifically that the Thessalonians would know about? The Rapture. So if you read it looking at that, it’s like he’s talking about the Rapture. Don’t be deceived, anybody says you are going to be in the seven year Tribulation that day is not going to happen until the departure, the Rapture happens. And then what happens? The man of lawlessness, the Antichrist is revealed. Well that is Pre-Trib. The Rapture happens, Daniel 9:27, the Antichrist reveals himself. He’s the one that makes that treaty with Israel.
David Reagan: That’s the point right there.
Billy Crone: He’s revealing himself. Revelation 6:1 he’s the white horse rider. And then he goes on and he says he’s going to oppose and exalt himself. The mid-way point the abomination of desolation it goes on right there, Daniel 9, Matthew 24, Jesus. And then he says, “Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? It’s like– I love Paul’s sarcasm. It’s like hello, we’ve already been through this. But, ok, I know somebody is trying to mess with you. Trying to say that you are in the seven year Tribulation. It’s a lie. Don’t be deceived. And then he goes on. And if you keep reading he says, “And you know what’s holding it back, the Restrainer, and that the Antichrist can’t be revealed until the Restrainer is removed.” Well, who’s that? I believe it’s the Holy Spirit in us, the Church today. So you read it in its context that is one of the strongest passages for the Pre-Trib position. I love it when people bring that up. I say, “Hey, yeah, let’s go that verse shall we?”
Nathan Jones: It’s the context. They don’t go back to Daniel.
Billy Crone: Right.
Nathan Jones: They assume well the Antichrist desecrates the Temple in the Middle of the Tribulation, therefore it’s got to be a Mid-Trib Rapture. Totally leaving that Daniel says the Antichrist reveals himself when he makes a peace covenant with Israel.
Billy Crone: Yeah, exactly. It is just completely ripped out of context.
Nathan Jones: Yeah.
Billy Crone: And so again, so let’s wait you get it out of conjecture, let’s go back to the Bible, let’s go verse-by-verse and what is going on here?
Nathan Jones: Preach it. Preach it.
Billy Crone: And when you do that how do you come up with anything else then the Pre-Trib? I don’t know.
David Reagan: Well you know one of the things that has always impressed me is that over and over in the Scriptures we are told to watch, to be ready, the Lord could come any moment. We are to be ready. And yet it seems to be that those who do not believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture are actually saying, “No, we should not live looking for the Lord. We should live looking for the Antichrist.” Well, I’m not, I’m living looking for Jesus Christ.
Nathan Jones: Amen.
David Reagan: But how do you get around that? I mean come on. Why should I be living looking for the coming of the Lord if I don’t believe He is going to come until the end of the Tribulation, because there are so many things that have to take place?
Billy Crone: Yeah exactly. Anytime that you’re–first of all it is what? It is called the Blessed Hope right? And Paul says not once, but twice encourage or comfort one another with these words. With words what? About the Rapture. Hey, listen if I’m in the seven year Tribulation half-way through, three-quarters through, all the way through. What’s so encouraging about that?
Nathan Jones: No.
Billy Crone: That’s not the blessed hope. That is the bad news man. I mean this is like, this is horrible. It makes no sense to the context. Think about it this is Jesus, this is the worst time in the history of mankind. Now I’ve thought about that personally I thought, man, Noah’s Flood was pretty bad. You know everybody got wiped out except for eight people, and the animals on the Ark.
David Reagan: At our last Bible conference we had a wonderful Bible teacher, Ron Rhodes who taught on the Rapture. And he took this passage in 1 Thessalonians 4 that ends, that describes the Rapture and ends with the words, “comfort one another with these words.” He said, “If you don’t believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture then what you’re really saying is, ‘Folks, you’re facing the most horrible period in the history of mankind. Most of you are going to be slaughtered. You are going to be hunted down like dogs. You are going to have to live in the wilderness. You are going to starve to death.'” And he goes on, and on, and ends with, “Comfort one another with these word.”
Billy Crone: Yeah. Doesn’t make sense does it? Someone comes to your house, “Hey, I want to thank you for inviting me over for supper. And, oh, hey, by the way I want to let you know I just ran over your dog and he’s dead now. Oh, and what’s, you got any snack?” It’s an obtuse statement. It’s crazy.
Nathan Jones: What about those who are generally are confused that there is a difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming? What are the differences so that people can know that there’s actually the one coming, but in two stages.
Billy Crone: Yeah, in fact that’s a good question because a lot of people try to use that as it’s one and the same. No, it’s not. And we deal with it, and I’m sure there is more, we deal with two different places in the book, 20, we just list 20, not 2, 20 differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming. Two totally different events. Of course the Rapture happened prior to the seven year Tribulation, Second Coming at the end of the seven year Tribulation. And it is easy to define it in the context of the Scripture. With the Rapture you see that Jesus He comes in the air. At the Second Coming He comes to the earth. At the Rapture He comes and He gathers His believers to Him. In the Second Coming He’s coming with the Believers, they are coming with Him.
Nathan Jones: Yes.
Billy Crone: At the Rapture Satan is still doing His thing on the planet. At the Second Coming he is bound for a 1,000 years during the Millennial Kingdom, that’s why it’s awesome amongst other things. At the Rapture the False Prophet and the Antichrist are doing their dirty deeds, at the Second Coming they get chucked into the Lake of Fire. Over, and over, and over again, with all due respect, ridiculous to say this is the same event. It can’t be the same event based on the biblical text.
David Reagan: The only thing the two events have in common is they both focus on Jesus, but otherwise they are just as different as night and day.
Billy Crone: Yeah. Yeah. There is no way they could be the same event in timing.
David Reagan: So, as you said the coming of Jesus, the return of Jesus is going to be in two stages. First the Rapture, and then later the Second Coming. Its two stages.
Billy Crone: Yeah.
Closing
David Reagan: Welcome back to Christ in Prophecy and our discussion about the Pre-Trib Rapture with our special guest, Pastor Billy Crone.
Nathan Jones: Billy real quickly in the time we’ve got: How do you respond to pastors who claim they are Pan-Millennialists?
Billy Crone: Well, again I am all about humor and sarcasm I use it all the time, but frankly that statement really isn’t funny anymore. It’s not acceptable anymore either. We need to as pastors and shepherds, we need to teach the whole counsel of God. And we have no right to sit there and leave out basically one-third of the Scripture. And with that statement if that is your excuse to not teach on it, you need to with all due respect, go back to school, get resources, get equipped because we are charged to teach all the Bible, not just some of it.
Nathan Jones: Well, if these pastors want to get in touch with you, could you look in that camera there, give them your website and how they can get your book on the Rapture.
Billy Crone: Yeah, you can reach us at our website at: getalifemedia.com. You could also call us certainly at 775-410-3754 and get all the information you need there.
David Reagan: And folks, that book is not just for pastors, it’s for the average person. It is a very readable, down-to-earth book. Well, that’s it for this week, I hope this program has been a blessing to you. And I hope the Lord willing that you’ll be back with us next week. Until then this is Dave Reagan speaking for Lamb and Lion Ministries’ saying, “Look up, be watchful, for our redemption is drawing near.”