The Rapture: expect man’s expectation of it to be wrong.

Scripture clearly says that the Son of Man is coming at an hour we do not expect him (Mt 25:44). If this verse is true, then men’s expectation about when Christ returns and raptures the church will actually be wrong. Many people do not believe in a literal rapture of the church at all. For such people, His return will certainly come as a surprise. For others holding to the mainstream rapture views taught in churches today, there will be equal surprise. History has already proven several date setters to be wrong already. Other prominent views have yet to be disproven. They are wrong because they too are unbiblical. The three predominant views about when the rapture occurs relative to the seven year tribulation can be proven wrong by Scripture. The first is the pre-tribulation view that purports that the rapture of the church will occur before the start of the seven year tribulation period; the second is the mid-tribulation view that proposes the rapture occurs in the middle of the tribulation; and the third view is the post tribulation view that proposes the rapture will occur after the end of the seven year tribulation. Each view has it’s advocates and it’s reasons for justifying their position, but none of them really fit all of scripture. Let me tell you why.

Reason 1: Scripture clearly states the Rapture occurs after the Abomination that Causes Desolation.

Every major prophetic passage in Scripture explains how the rapture of the church occurs only after the abomination that causes desolation; an event clearly placed in the middle of the seven year tribulation. The apostle Paul describes how the church will not be gathered together until the man of Sin is revealed who exalts himself above all that is called God in his temple (II Thess 2:1-5). Every Olivet discourse passage recorded in the gospels recounts how only after the tribulation of those days would the elect be gathered from the four winds of Heaven (Mt 24:29-31, Mrk 13:24-27, Lk 21:12-28). I Thessalonians clearly state that the resurrection of Believers will occur before the rapture (I Thess 4:16-17) and Daniel records the resurrection occurring after the Anti-Christ exalts and magnifies himself above every God (Dan 11:36, Dan 12:1-2). Even Revelation itself states how the Son of Man does not harvest the earth until after warning the inhabitants not to worship the beast or his image (Rev 14:9-14). All of these prophetic scriptures clearly imply that the rapture does not occur until after the abomination that causes desolation transpires. If the abomination that causes desolation occurs in the middle of seven year period as Daniel chapter nine states, then the rapture cannot occur before the beginning or the middle of the seven year period. Of course, nobody wants to suffer through the tribulation, but hoping something is a particular way does not make it so. Doctrines must be shaped by what Scripture clearly says.

Reason 2: Scripture clearly states the Rapture occurs at the Last trumpet and not before then.

I Thessalonians chapter 4, the famous rapture passage, clearly states the rapture occurs with the trumpet call of God. All of the Olivet discourse passages concur with this stating that the Christ will send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet to gather his elect (Mt 24:29-31, Mrk 13:24-27, Lk 21:12-28). The apostle Paul goes on to elaborate how this trumpet for the rapture will be the last trumpet (I Cor 15:52). Revelation promises that the mystery of God will be accomplished just as He declared to his servants the prophets at the sounding of the seventh trumpet (Rev 10:7). What is this mystery? The Apostle Paul describes how not all men will sleep but all will be changed in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet as a mystery ( I Cor 15:51-52). Some argue that the trumpet Paul references there is somehow different than the seventh trumpet of Revelation in order to justify their rapture view. How can a trumpet call for the Rapture occur before any of the seven trumpets sounded in the great tribulation and be called the last trumpet? Does not the term last imply that no other trumpet calls will follow it? In shaping doctrinal positions, it’s important to take the Scripture at face value for what it says and not to dismiss passages in support of pre-conceived notions.

Reason 3: Scripture clearly states the Resurrection and Second Coming of Christ precede the Rapture.

As mentioned previously, I Thessalonians chapter 4 also clearly states the rapture will not precede the resurrection of dead believers (I Thess 4:15). Jesus promised to raise such dead believers on the last day (John 6:40, Dan 12:13). If both of these Scriptures are true (and they are!), then the rapture cannot occur before the last day. This would invalidate any Pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation rapture view which would place the rapture before the last day of this age. Paul also explicitly tells us that those who are Christ’s will be resurrected at his second coming (I Cor 15:23). Only after the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God will the dead be resurrected and surviving believers be raptured (I Thess 4:16-17). II Thessalonians lumps the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him into a one day event- the Day of Christ (II Thess 2:1-2). When Christ who is our life appears, then we will also appear with him in Glory (Col 3:4). Every Olivet discourse recorded in the gospels also recounts how only after the Son of Man comes on the cloud of Heaven with power and great glory would the elect be gathered from the four winds of Heaven (Mt 24:30-31, Mrk 13:26-27, Lk 21:27-28). If the rapture does not occur until after the second coming of Christ, then the pre-tribulation and mid-tribulation rapture is not possible.

Reason 4: The Biblical references to the tribulation saints should tell people that the saints go through the tribulation

I Thessalonians chapter 4 also clearly states that there will be saints who are alive and will remain until the coming of the Lord (I Thess 4:15). Many of these saints will be martyred for the testimony they hold to in the great tribulation at the fifth seal (Rev 6:9-11); Scripture further tells us that God delays his wrath because some of our brothers and sisters survive longer than this point. Scripture states how the days of the tribulation are actually cut short for the sake of these elect (Mt 24:22, Mrk 13:20). These prophetic passages should make people realize that the saints clearly go through the tribulation. Many people conclude these tribulation saints were ‘left behind’ without any Scriptural precedent for doing so. They simply presume this because they first presume a pre-tribulation rapture occurs. Neither concept can be explicitly supported by a Scriptural verse. Presuming something about Scripture is not the same thing as proving something from Scripture. Only God can predict the future. Let me encourage everyone to examine the scriptural basis for why they believe what they do. The ‘Left Behind’ concept originates from extra-biblical sources like the popular Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkin’s fiction novels. Nowhere in Scripture does it say God will deliver only some of his children and leave other chosen ones behind. Actually, Scripture says the opposite. Jesus would not lose any of those God has given Him (John 6:39). People need to be careful in taking their theology from anything but Scripture.

Reason 5: If Israel must endure the tribulation, what makes you think gentiles will not have to endure the same thing?

Clearly there are 144,000 chosen Jews that are sealed by God in the time of the tribulation (Rev 7:4). The book of Revelations states these specific Jews are redeemed from the earth as first fruits to God and to the Lamb (Rev 14:4). To be a first fruit implies that you are redeemed from the earth first; it means no one is redeemed from the earth before them. Paul clearly stated that either blessing or punishment would come to the Jew first and then to the gentile (Rom 2:9-10). Jesus first came to the lost house of Israel. Only after his own did not receive Him was the Salvation of God sent to the gentiles. The Redemption found in Biblical prophecy is also in line with this Biblical pattern. Revelation describes how after the dragon falls from Heaven, He then pursues and persecutes the woman first (Rev 12:13). The woman who represents Israel flees into the wilderness out of the reach of the dragon for the second half of the tribulation (Rev 12:6, 14). Once the woman escapes, the dragon will make war with the only Christians who are left within his reach- non- Jewish or gentile believers (Rev 12:17). How could the dragon pursue gentile believers, if they were all raptured beforehand? If Jewish believers are to be redeemed first and they go through the first part of the tribulation, why would gentiles who are to be redeemed second not go through this very same tribulation? Popular newspaper theology is not really aligned with Scripture.

Reason 6: If God does not appoint us to wrath, what makes you think we are delivered after the end?

Once the author of creation makes his entrance on to the world stage, the play is for all intents and purposes over. This makes many people think his deliverance will come after the seven year tribulation period. They too would be wrong. We know that the antichrist will exercise power for 42 months in the second half of the tribulation period. We also know that Christ and the saints will be the ones to end that reign in the battle of Armageddon. How can Christ make an end to that reign without coming and delivering his people first? So the rapture cannot occur after the end of the seven year tribulation period. God will tell his chosen people to enter their chambers and shut the doors behind them until the indignation has past. For God will come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity (Isa 26:20-21). God clearly does not appoint the believer to wrath (II Thess 5:9). If God secures his people in a safe place before He punishes the world for it’s evil, then He has clearly come and gathered them before the end of the seven year tribulation period. If you wait until the end of the show to be ready, you will find yourself unprepared. Of course, not being under God’s wrath anymore as a Christian does not mean you will not experience any tribulation in the world. God’s wrath and the tribulation from the world are not the same thing. In Fact, God promises his disciples that in this world they will have tribulation (John 16:33). Where the real rapture occurs will align with every passage of Scripture. The scripture infers the rapture will occur somewhere between the middle and the end of the tribulation period, but it does not give any specifics regarding the day or hour within that timeframe. Christians will await Christ’s return through all of the trumpets but will not be around to endure the bowls of God’s wrath. This is the extent to which any Christian can know at this point. It’s important to know and accept what a person does not know. If you don’t have the information, don’t pretend as if you do.

Reason 7: Knowing the preceding prophetic signs to look for is critical to being ready for his return.

Christ may come as a thief in the night, but Scripture says that day should not overtake believers as a thief. How can no man know the day or the hour and yet not be surprised at his return- by knowing the signs and seasons of his return as outlined in Scripture. Christians should clearly recognize the season of his return when it occurs.  In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus says that when a fig tree’s branches becomes tender and put forth leaves, people can tell that the season of summer is near. Even so when all the major prophetic signs in Scripture begin to unfold, Christians will know when to lift up their heads and expect their redemption to draw near (Luke 21:28). They know this because they know when the rapture is to occur relative to certain observed events.  Events like the abomination that causes desolation and the first six trumpets of Revelation.  I outline some other unmistakable signs of his return in another post. It’s important to recognize that several prophetic signs must materialize first in order for Christians to even identify when Jesus will come for them. Christ expects his disciples to be familiar with these signs and watch for them. Of course, if you think the rapture is imminent and no signs or warning ever precede the event, you won’t really know what to look for. With such widespread ignorance, any small catastrophe will trouble the masses into thinking the end of the world is at hand; something Christ did not want his followers to be troubled with (Matt 24:5-6, II Thess 2:2). Biblical misunderstanding and ignorance has bred so much hysteria and overreaction on the part of the church over the centuries. The fact that Christ tarries will make some people stop looking altogether. If your biblical eschatology is not right in the first place, you will not know what to look for and will be unprepared at his return. Christians will recognize the time of God’s return because they will know Scripture. Getting to know Biblical eschatology is the key to resolving this. Only God really knows the future, we should be open to hearing from Him on the subject from his written word.