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No one knows on what day the Lord will return, (Matthew 24:42) so do not look here for a prediction. Instead, this article considers the question of whether the Rapture will come before, during or after the Tribulation.
The Rapture refers to the time when Jesus will return to the Earth and believers will be "caught up" (rapturo in Latin) to meet him in the clouds. It is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: "The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (NIV)
The Tribulation refers to a period of time when there will be great distress on the Earth because most people will follow a leader who proclaims himself to be God. He is described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3b-4: "That day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (NIV) The "man of lawlessness" is also called the "Antichrist" in 1 John 2:18-22 and "The Beast" in Revelation 13-16 and 19-20.
So, the question is, does the Rapture come before the Tribulation, in the middle of the Tribulation or after the Tribulation?
Although some have claimed that Ephraem the Syrian (306-373) taught a Pre-Trib Rapture, the vast majority of Christians believed that the Rapture would come after the Tribulation until the mid 1800's when the Pre-Trib Rapture was popularized by John Nelson Darby. It was picked up by C. I. Scofield and incorporated into the footnotes of the Scofield Reference Bible.
Back in the 1970's, I read Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth" and I heard Jack Van Impe in person both promoting the Secret Rapture before the Tribulation position, but I think their arguments were pretty weak. I believe the best, most consistent interpretation of all the relevant passages in the Bible indicates that the Rapture will come at the end of the Tribulation at the same time as the Pre-Millennial return of Jesus. Here are the most relevant passages from the NIV and an interpretation of each.
1 Thes. 4:13-18. This description of the Rapture says "The Lord himself will come down from heaven," "the dead in Christ will rise first," vs. 16, and "we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." vs. 17. It says Jesus will come down from heaven but not anything about Jesus returning to heaven. I believe that the saints will meet Jesus in the clouds and follow him back to the Earth where he will set up his Millennial Kingdom. Jack Van Impe tried to ridicule this idea by referring to it as "yo-yo Christians," yet he proposed a "yo-yo Jesus," who comes within a few miles of the Earth's surface then returns all the way to heaven.
2 Thes, 2:1-12. Apparently, some of the Thessalonians were upset because they thought that the Rapture had already occurred and that they had missed it. I have had that same feeling a few times when I woke up and no one was around. Many others I know have had similar experiences. So in his second letter, Paul told them not to worry about missing the Rapture because "that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed." vs. 3. When the lawless one is revealed, he will be destroyed by the splendor of Jesus coming, vs 8. Obviously, the Anti-Christ (lawless one) will be destroyed at the end of the Tribulation, not the beginning, so the Rapture referred to in 1 Thessalonians will occur at the end of the Tribulation. Jack Van Impe weakly claimed that the Greek word translated "rebellion", apostasia, actually referred to the Rapture even though it is always refers to rebellion or abandoning principles in Greek literature. Other Pre-Trib people claim that Paul's comments in 2 Thess. only apply to the Second Coming, not the Rapture in 1 Thess., but Paul specifically mentions "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him," in verse 1 so it is clear that he is speaking of the Rapture and the Second Coming both. This passage is clearly an explanation of his earlier comments on the Rapture in 1 Thes. 4:13-18.
Matthew 24. This entire chapter is an answer to the disciples questions about the destruction of the Temple, Jesus' coming and the end of the age. Jesus talks about false christs, persecution, and desolation of the Holy Place. Verses 4 to 35 appear to be a chronological narative about the events. Then, as is often found in the Bible, verses 36 to 51 go back and give additional information about the events described in verses 4 to 35. Some parts of verses 4 to 28 may also apply to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, but verses 29 to 35 can only be completely fulfilled in the final Tribulation. Notice the progression in vs. 29-31. "Immediately after the distress of those days," vs 29. "They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky," vs. 30. "He will send his angels" (to) "gather his elect from the four winds," vs. 31. It is obvious to me that this refers to the Rapture and that it comes after the Tribulation. Some Pre-Trib people claim that "his elect" in vs. 31 refers only to the Jews, but Paul uses the same word in Colossians 3:12 where he is clearly speaking to Christians.
Revelation. I have heard many Pre-Trib people claim "the Rapture occurs in Revelation 4:1 when Jesus told John, "Come up here." and the church is never mentioned again until chapter 20." However, it seems a pretty big stretch to say that calling John up to heaven also includes calling the entire church up to heaven. While the word "church" does not appear in the rest of Revelation there are several references to Christians. Revelation 6:9-11 refers to "souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God." "They were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed." 13:10b says, "If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints." 14:12-13 says, "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" 20:4b says, "And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image." These four passages all refer to believers who are being killed. The last three passages imply that they are killed by people who worship the Beast.
People who hold the Pre-Trib Rapture position claim that these passages refer to people who become Christians after the church is raptured, even though there will be no one to evangelize them or disciple them. "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath." (1 Thessalonians 5:9a) is often quoted to support the idea that the church is raptured before the Tribulation. Yet these passages clearly prove that believers will suffer during the Tribulation. Would God remove all the mature, seasoned believers before the Tribulation, then allow baby Christians to suffer through the Tribulation? I don't think so. These passages flatly contradict the notion that the church will not go through the Tribulation.
Revelation 20:4c-5 says "They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection." Actually, this is not the very first resurrection. The ministry of Elisha and Jesus included several resurrections, but they were a different kind because the people eventually died again. Matthew 27:52-53 describes the resurrection of Old Testament saints. But Revelation 20:4-5 is the first resurrection of its kind, the resurrection of New Testament saints.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 clearly indicates that the Rapture includes the resurrection of the dead in Christ. Since the resurrection in Revelation 20 is the first resurrection of its kind, the Rapture could not possibly come before the Tribulation. Also, notice in Revelation 20:4 that the ones who go into the Millennium are the ones who were beheaded during the Tribulation. There can be no doubt that believers will suffer through the Tribulation.
The passages which mention both the Tribulation and the Rapture, Matthew 24:26-31, Mark 13:24-27; and 2 Thess. 2:1-12, always place the Rapture after the Tribulation.
I believe in the Rapture, but not a Secret Rapture that comes before the Tribulation. These Bible verses indicate that the Rapture will come at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus returns. It will hardly be a secret since "the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and every one "will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky." (Matthew 24:30)
How important is it for Christians to have a correct understanding of the timing of the Rapture? Not very important today. It is certainly much more important for Christians to understand what Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians say about Christian living. I would not mind at all if I am wrong. I would be glad if the saints do not have to suffer through the Tribulation.
But a correct understanding of the timing of the Rapture will be very important when the Antichrist begins arresting and executing Christians. Pre-Trib Christians will realize that they have entered the Tribulation and they will think that they have somehow missed the Rapture. This could really shake their confidence in God and in their own salvation at a time when the church is facing the most difficult time in its history. Christians will need to be mentally and spiritually prepared to face the trials and persecution that will occur during the Tribulation.
Revelation 13:9-10 warns: "He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If any one is to be killed wiith the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints."
If you have questions or comments, please email me.
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