The Rapture Promise: Its History and Fulfillment at Christ's Return: A Defense of Post-Tribulationism

by J. Paul Tanner

Publisher:

J. Paul

, 2024

Overview

Over the past two hundred years, the Church has probed and quibbled how to understand the events leading up to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps no other issue has generated as much heat and debate as the topic of the Rapture of the Church. The historic view of the Church is that the Rapture–involving the resurrection of believers–is a unique event occurring at the time of the second coming of Christ. That is, the Rapture that is promised in such passages as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 will be post-tribulational. Now in a ground-breaking new study of over 300 pages, the author provides one of the most thorough and technical studies of the Rapture to date.

Following a careful review of the teachings of the early Church fathers, the author carefully surveys the development of eschatological thought throughout the Middle Ages and the Reformation, as well as the renewal of premillennial belief in England from the late 1500s to the early 1800s. Relying on original source material, the author carefully identifies the origin and circumstances that gave rise to the pre-tribulational rapture theory and its gradual spread from the 1830s to its popular embrace today. With this historical analysis as a backdrop, the author goes on to carefully analyze every relevant passage having a bearing on the subject of the Rapture, as well as theological arguments that are sometimes appealed to (e.g., the any-moment view of "imminency").

The author–once an adherent himself of the pre-tribulational view–shares the research that caused him to change his mind and eventually embrace the post-tribulational view of the Rapture. The author, J. Paul Tanner, is well-acquainted with prophetic studies. He is the author of the highly acclaimed commentary on Daniel in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series, has authored the commentary The Book of Revelation; The Return of Christ to Reign Victoriously, and has had a number of articles dealing with eschatological studies published in leading evangelical journals. Dr. Tanner holds a PhD in Hebrew Literature and Culture from the Univ of Texas at Austin in addition to a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife have been married for fifty years.

Key Features

• Presents a thorough and technical study of the Rapture, advocating for a post-tribulational view.
• Surveys the historical development of eschatological thought from the early Church to modern times.
• Identifies the origins and spread of the pre-tribulational rapture theory based on original source material.

Product Details

• Title: The Rapture Promise: Its History and Fulfillment at Christ's Return: A Defense of Post-Tribulationism
• Author: J. Paul Tanner
• Publisher: J. Paul
• Print Publication Date: 2024
• Pages: 337
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBN: 9798879832600
• Resource ID: LLS:RPTRPSTTRBLTNSM
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-07-22T18:30:07Z

About J. Paul Tanner

J. Paul Tanner is a biblical scholar who currently serves as the V.P. and Academic Dean of the Arab Center for Biblical Studies. Over the course of his career, he has taught at five seminaries around the world. He and his wife Linda lived in Amman Jordan for five years while Paul served as professor of Hebrew and Old Testament studies and as the Academic Dean of the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary. He also served for 26 years on staff with BEE World, and was the first Middle East Director for that ministry. He is the author of the commentary on Daniel for the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series. He also has published articles in academic journals, including Bibliotheca Sacra, the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, and Trinity Journal. He holds a ThM from Dallas Seminary and a PhD in Hebrew Literature and Culture from the University of Texas at Austin.