I tend to agree that a Premillennial Caucus would be low traffic. I’m usually opposed to caucuses philosophically anyway, unless they are meant for worship or devotion rather than discussion. Discussion ought to be wide open. It’s just that I see some open threads about a particular topic being targeted by those who don’t share their basic premise, which is unfair and annoying. I guess there’s no perfect solution. (I would suggest, though, that a Rapture Caucus ought to include post-tribs if it includes all of the other views. There’s little to distinguish that from pre-wrath anyway, IMHO. It comes down to some very fine distinctions.)
I’m usually opposed to caucuses philosophically anyway, unless they are meant for worship or devotion rather than discussion. Discussion ought to be wide open. It’s just that I see some open threads about a particular topic being targeted by those who don’t share their basic premise, which is unfair and annoying. I guess there’s no perfect solution.
Yeah, and what you've observed is exactly the point for having the Caucus, as you've noted. It's because in that open thread one can't get beyond the "point of agreement" (for a certain group that doesn't want to deal with it at that level) -- and finds itself "stuck there" at that level -- and essentially "getting nowhere" in their desires for discussion in the "further area" of that issue.
And thus, that's why a lot of people bail out of those discussions... :-) This would be to help people not bail out of them, and keep them engaged in what they want to talk about.
I would suggest, though, that a Rapture Caucus ought to include post-tribs if it includes all of the other views. There’s little to distinguish that from pre-wrath anyway, IMHO. It comes down to some very fine distinctions.
Yeah, I know it might seem that there is little distinction between the three other views (Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib and Pre-Wrath) -- as compared to a Post-Trib -- but from what I can see there is a wide gulf between those first three and that final one.
One that all three hold in common is that the Rapture is a separate event from the Second Coming of Christ. The Post-Trib position is that it is part of the Second Coming, not distinguishable as a separate event.
Sure, all of them can be "called" the Rapture, but when you get down to describing it and what it means, it ends up being a wide gulf.
And then, the other thing is that all of the first three say that Christians are not subject to the Wrath of God, in being here on earth (and they each put that in different parts of the Tribulation, actually), but they still all maintain that. And the Post-Tribs say that Christians are subject to it, being here on earth (and some of those say that they would be supernaturally protected from it, though).
Furthermore, when it was looked up by the Religion Moderator in considering whether to include "Post-Tribs" in it (and you can see his comments on it), he noted that by his dictionary, Post-Tribs are not considered part of the Rapture group (and that stems from the fact that they see it all as part of the Second Coming event, while the others don't).
And I think that while a "Pre-Mil group may include the differences for all those groupings in the Rapture (by necessity, I would say), it's not a necessity for the Rapture Caucus to include the Post-Tribs in it, since they have never really considered the Rapture as a separate event from the Second Coming.
There is a whole lot made out of describing what the Bible says about those two events being described completely differently from each other -- to include the Post-Tribs in that kind of discussion (from what I've seen of the writings about the Rapture).
And also, if you are considering the Tribulation period and the issue of the Rapture being an event that cannot be foretold and is a surprise (not even the angels knowing) -- then that separates it from the Second coming, because one can actually count 1,260 days from the abomination of desolation and know exactly when the Second Coming will happen -- to the day. You can't do that with the Rapture though. And if one is saying that the Rapture is part of the Second Coming, then you've got the Rapture known exactly as to when it's happening because it's going to be that 1,260 days from the abomination of desolation.
Anyway, that's the rationale for having the Rapture Caucus as Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib and Pre-Wrath.