Quick Response to Pastor Riley’s Rapture Teaching
Hello Pastor Riley,
You know I love your studies, but after reading your study about the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, using David and Saul as types, I just had to respond. You wrote, “as David writes he is setting forth a type of the true believer”. You also stated, “King Saul was a type of the coming anti-christ”. 2 Samuel 22:1 HRB, “And David spoke to YAHWEH the words of this song in the day YAHWEH delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.” Ok, if we accept your types, then WHEN was David delivered from his “anti-christ” adversary Saul? Was David delivered BEFORE (pre-trib rapture) Saul persecuted him, or many years AFTER (post-trib rapture) Saul persecuted him? I believe David was delivered from Saul MANY, MANY years AFTER Saul began persecuting David.
In 2 Samuel 5:4-5, we learn how old David was when he became king: “4and David was a son of thirty years old when he became king; he reigned forty years. 5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty three years over all Israel and Judah.” I believe this was the beginning of David’s years of deliverance. So, if David was 30 years old when his deliverance began, how old was he when his persecution began? I believe David’s persecution began on the day he killed Goliath of Gath, 1 Samuel 17:32-33, “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and will fight with this Philistine. 33And Saul said to David, You are not able to go to this Philistine, to fight with him, for you are a youth, and he is a man of war from his youth.” Saul stated plainly that David was a young boy, possibly between 10 and 20 years of age. 1 Samuel 17:48-51, “And it happened, when the Philistine arose and went, and drew near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the ranks to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand into the pouch and took a stone from there. And he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50And David was stronger than the Philistine with the sling and with the stone. And he struck the Philistine and killed him. And there was no sword in David’s hand. 51And David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword; and he drew it out of its sheath and killed him. And he cut off his head with it. And the Philistines saw that their warrior was dead, and they fled.”
Within hours or days of this event, Saul’s heart turned to evil against youthful David. 1 Samuel 18:7-8, “And the women who were playing answered and said, Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands. 8And it very much burned Saul, and this thing was evil in his eyes. And he said, They have given ten thousands to David, and to me they have given thousands. And is there more to him, except the kingdom?” So, if David was young when his persecution began, say 10, or even 20, years old, Saul, the anti-christ type, persecuted David for anywhere from 10 to 20 YEARS BEFORE David began to see deliverance from his enemy, when he became king at the age of 30!!! Saul died shortly before David was made king of Judah in Hebron. Even after Saul died, David had to fight the house of Saul for another 7 ½ years, until he was made king over ALL Israel!!
The historical chronology of David and Saul’s lives blow your pre-tribulation rapture theory out of the water. David lived through many years of tribulation under the hand of Saul, before he saw a glimpse of deliverance. Please rethink your false teaching and retract that study. It’s simply and biblically inaccurate.
Sincerely,
Gene Benjamin II
January 1, 2015 AD