Where's the proof?

 Where’s the proof?

By Richard P. Joseph

When I was first introduced to fulfilled theology, the first question I asked was “where’s the proof?”.  In other words, if there were miraculous sightings, a rapture, a civil war and a war with Rome, why didn’t anyone except Josephus write anything about it and how come I never heard a sermon about it?  This showed that I was actually quite illiterate and ignorant of the historical background of ancient Near East history and customs.  In fact, most Americans really don’t know much about the historical setting of the bible that they read (that is, if they even read it).  In today’s fast-paced world of electronic communication and limitless paper and ink, it is very difficult to imagine a world without any of that; no paper, no ink, no typewriter, no cell phones, no email, no texting, no telephones and no television. Remember that only the very rich had access to papyrus (or animal skin) and ink.  Let’s use the rapture scenario as an example of what could have really happened and why there is no first hand record of such an event.  

I realize that a rapture event is highly debatable but I happen to believe that there was an event that happened in AD66.  My first question was, how come you don’t read about it anywhere?  Ed Stevens wrote much about this event but I am simply showing my audience how to delve into the reality of an historical event.  As I have written about many times before, you must insert yourself into the time frame and culture of that particular event in order to fully understand it.  So let us examine what was happening and what communication options those people had at that time. 

Stevens divides the last 7 years of Israel’s existence into two sections; the first 3 ½ years was the tribulation that the Christians had to endure and the second 3 ½ years was the wrath that the unbelievers had to endure.  These events were later documented by an unbelieving Jew named Josephus at a later date, but the question is; how come none of the people recorded this first hand?  Of course, Josephus is a first hand witness but he was not really interested in the Christian movement necessarily, except to say at one point that “the tribe of Christians is still with us even today”.  That was written near AD100.  One big reason is because many were raptured in between those two events.  The other reason is because of those items mentioned above.  Remember that during this time Christians were living in fear and hiding.  The Jews were severely persecuting the Christians and then Nero got in on the act.  He sent forth an edict to kill all Christians.  He sent many to the circus and burned many at the stake as part of his enjoyment.  The Christians were living in complete fear and hiding out the best they could.  So picture this, your Christian neighbors one day disappear.  Did they flee?  Did they go to visit a friend? Were they hauled off in the middle of the night by the soldiers?  Were they raptured?  How would you know?  They probably didn’t have paper to write you a note, they didn’t have telephones so they couldn’t call you.  They probably wouldn’t call you anyhow because you were probably a heathen and you would have turned them in to the authorities.  You also wouldn’t see it on the evening news because there was no TV.  So most of these events simply could not be recorded with any accuracy.  All you knew is that your neighbors disappeared over night.  Besides all of that, the state of Israel was entering into a massive civil war.  Not only was a civil war starting that would completely destroy Jerusalem, a war with Rome was approaching.  People didn’t even have food to eat, let alone papyrus and ink.  And once they were raptured, they were gone!  Also, many fled to Pella at that time also but the above deficiencies of paper and ink were still a factor.  

I am only writing these types of thoughts so that as you study your bible, remember to place yourself into that time period and culture.  We cannot solve those mysteries or interpret scripture properly unless we do that.  This type of event reminds me of a Forensic Files show I watched.  It was about some teenagers back in the early 1960s in Montana I believe.  Some young boys stopped and invited two girls to a party.  The girls agreed and jumped in their 1950 something Studabaker and attempted to keep up with the boys on a backwoods gravel road through the hills.  When the boys got to the party they began waiting for the girls to show up but they never did.  In fact they were never seen again.  However, about 30 years later a fisherman was fishing in a river and thought he saw a car under the water.  When the car was pulled out, the mystery was solved.  The young girls slid off the gravel road and plunged into the river.  It happened fast and unnoticed.  No letters, no phone calls, no smoke signals, nothing; just gone.  As sad as that story is, it shows us that people can vanish without a trace.  Since the first century Jews were either killed in the war or dragged off to the circus and fed to the lions or sold as slaves, they never really got the opportunity to convey their experiences with anyone.  Right after that war there is a strange absence of Christian written material.  It really did seem like they

vanished into thin air.  Let’s just call that air heaven for now!