Are You Ready For the Rapture Video on Youtube
One of the discussions of greatest frequency regarding Bible Prophecy, is that of “When will the Rapture of the Church occur”. Will it be before the 7 year Tribulation Period, in the middle of this time of wrath, or at the end just prior to Jesus’ physical return to the earth?
Let me say at the onset of this post that the doctrine of the Rapture of the Church, I consider that it is one of the most important foundational doctrines in the Bible. It is important in understanding correctly, the Grace of God, and His lack of will to punish with His wrath, His people along with the rest of the world.
Jesus’ death on the Cross not only accomplished salvation for all those who believe it, but also a removal of ALL future wrath from God. Make no mistake, the last three and one half years of the seven year tribulation period will be a total and complete outpouring of the Wrath of God upon the world in a way that this earth has not, not ever shall again experience. Jesus wrote that this wrath will be so severe that “If those days were not shortened (to three and one half years) No one would survive.”
As we examine the text of the Old Testament, we will not find a single instance where the Lord ever poured out His wrath when His people were present.
Beginning with the Flood of Noah, the Lord removed the Gentile Enoch, who had been walking in fellowship with God for 300 years, just prior to the wrath of the great flood. Enoch as a Gentile, being a picture of the Gentile Bride of Jesus, that we believe will be removed from the earth before He begins the time of His wrath during the Great Tribulation.
Noah and his family that enter the Ark and are carried through the flood are a picture of The nation of Israel who will be also carried through the great tribulation and sheltered in Petra, in the present day nation of Jordan.
What an interesting picture; a time of wrath, a gentile who walked with God, who is removed, literally Raptured out of the earth, just prior to the beginning of the wrath of the great flood.
Secondly, we think of Lot, the Nephew of Abraham. When news of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah reaches Abraham in Genesis 18, he immediately petitions the Lord to ask Him about this event. “Shall not the judge of the whole earth do right”, Abraham asks the Lord. “Would God punish the righteous with the wicked?”
Notice the premise of Abraham’s question; Would God punish His people with the rest of the world when He is pouring out His wrath? The answer from God was “NO, If I find 50 righteous I will not destroy it for the sake of the righteous.” Then Abraham negotiates with the Lord. “What if there be 45, 40, 30, and so on, down to 10, Would you destroy the city if there are only 10 righteous there”, Abraham asks the Lord. The answer from God is “NO, I will not destroy the city for the sake of 10.”
As it turns out there is only 4 righteous who trust in the Lord, and even these 4 are forcibly removed from Sodom by the angels sent to bring the wrath, before the wrath can begin. If you examine the text of this story you will notice that the angels are very specific in Genesis 19:22 in telling Lot and his family that they cannot pour out the wrath while they are still present in Sodom.
So, we have the establishment early in the Old Testament of the principle that God will not pour out His wrath when His people are present.
When we arrive at the New Testament, we see even a clearer picture of the pre-wrath removal of God’s people from Jesus Himself.
As Jesus is discussing the great and awesome “Day of the Lord”, the time of the seven year Tribulation in Luke Chapters 21, He makes the statement to the believers hearing Him, “Pray that you may be found worthy to escape all these things and stand before the Son of Man.” Jesus tells us that we should pray that we would escape the great tribulation period by being “Worthy”, the New Testament code word for “Saved”.
Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.
As Paul writes his description of the seven year tribulation, he tells us that we, the church, “Are not appointed to wrath, but to obtain salvation.”
1Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Book of Revelation chapter 3, Jesus tells the church of Philadelphia, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly.” Clearly, Jesus is talking about the Great Tribulation, and He makes the promise that He will not allow His church to be present when He pours out His wrath.
Those who see a post tribulation Rapture often will point to the scripture in which Jesus said: John 16:33 “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
It is extremely important that we distinguish between the Wrath of God during the tribulation period and the tribulation that comes from the world. When Jesus said “in this world you will have tribulation”, He was speaking literally of tribulation from the world. The problems, trials and heartaches that this present world causes us. This is far different from the seven year tribulation which is Tribulation or Wrath from God Himself.
In Revelation chapter 6, those who are present during the plagues of the seven seals, do not repent of their sins, and instead go for shelter in the caves of the earth and cry out “Hide us from the Wrath of the Lamb”.
Revelation 6:16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”
Those who are present during the seven years, know that these plagues are coming from the Lamb, Jesus Himself. Is it conceivable that the same Lamb who took the wrath of the Father for us at the Cross, and purified us from all of our sins, would now subject us to His own wrath during the seven year Tribulation. Impossible.
A second important fact is that the entire focus and purpose of the seven years has nothing to do with the church whatsoever. When Gabriel gave Daniel the prophecy of the seven year tribulation in Daniel chapter 9, He said that the prophecy was for “Your People” the Jews.
Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city.. 27 Then He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate.”
Clearly, the seven year tribulation, also called in reference to the above verse in Daniel 9, “The 70th week of Daniel”, is for Israel, not the church. The current status of the world is called by the Bible as “The times of the Gentiles”.
Luke 21:24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
At the instant the Rapture happens, the “Times of the Gentiles” end. God will then turn His attention from his present course, that of gathering a bride for His son, back to the nation of Israel so that He might also save them.
This was the entire topic of discussion in the first part of the Book of Romans, where Paul makes several statements that God has not forgotten Israel, but has only turned His attention from them for a time, but at the conclusion of the Times of the Gentiles, He will again focus His attention on Israel and “So all Israel will be saved”.
Romans 11:25 “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved.”
The greatest Biblical proof of the Pre-Wrath Rapture is the Book of Revelation itself. The Book of Revelation is written in Chronological order. As we follow the chain of events in Revelation, we see that in Chapter 4 John is told “Come up here” and he is raptured into heaven where he sees the church already there in heaven, before the Tribulation begins in chapter 6.
In chapters 1-3, Jesus addresses His letters to His church, then mysteriously as John is taken up to heaven, we do not see the church mentioned again until chapter 19, where the members of Jesus’ church are seen riding on white horses out of heaven, returning to the earth.
Why is the church conspicuously missing from chapters 4-19? Because the Tribulation begins in chapter 6 at the opening of the first seal, and continues through chapter 18. During the entire time of the Wrath of the seven years, the church is not seen on the earth, she is seen in heaven.
Beginning in chapters 4 and 5, we see a group of individuals described as too large to number, from every tribe and tongue, nation and people. These are not angels, these are human beings. They are wearing white garments, that can only be worn by redeemed human beings, they are singing a “New song” that has never been sung in heaven before, “Jesus you are worthy to receive glory, honor, power and thanksgiving, because you have REDEEMED US TO GOD BY YOUR BLOOD.”
Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood. Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
Those who are singing this song, are in heaven. Who can sing this song of redemption claiming that “they have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ”? Not the angels, only the church can sing of being redeemed by Jesus’ blood. Notice that they are singing this song in chapter 4 of Revelation, before the Tribulation begins in chapter 6.
The purpose of the seven year tribulation is to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies concerning the pouring out of God’s wrath on a world that has rejected Jesus Christ. Two-thirds of the inhabitants of the earth during the last 3 1/2 years of this wrath will die in the plagues poured out by Jesus Himself. It is inconceivable that the Lord would require His Bride to undergo such horrific punishment.
The book of Revelation describes the fact that during this seven years, the Beast will put to death by beheading, all those who have pledged allegiance to Jesus Christ. There will be a huge number of people saved during the tribulation period, but all of them are killed by the antichrist. We see them under the Altar of God in heaven in Revelation chapter 6 crying out to the Lord “How long Lord before you avenge our death”? And they are told by the Lord “To wait a little longer until the number of their brethren are complete”. In other words, until all the believers are killed by the beast and they are in heaven.
Revelation 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
Revelation 6:11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed
Some of the adherents of the post-wrath Rapture who see only one coming of Jesus Christ at the end of the age, say that the reason that the church will have to go through the Tribulation period is for her purification.
The sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross was the complete purification of Jesus’ Bride. There is no further need of any purification by any other means. The work of the Cross was complete. To say that somehow the Church is not ready yet for heaven and needs the refining fire of the tribulation period, is to diminish the Cross of Jesus and his atonement, it is Heresy.
One of the points that skeptics of the doctrine of the Rapture make is that of their claimed view that the Rapture is a relatively new doctrine that appeared on the scene in the last one hundred years of the church. They say that the early Christian church knew nothing of this doctrine nor did they teach it.
This of course is an error because in the recently translated early Christian documents of Ephraim, the Syrian and other early church documents, we find that the Rapture of the church and the tribulation period were being taught in Jesus’ Church as early as the first century.
There is an extensive proof that the early church knew and understood that before the seven-year tribulation began, and the antichrist was introduced, that the Lord would descend out of heaven and remove the church from the earth.
I am always amazed at what people do with the book of 1 and second Thessalonians since their main purpose was Paul writing to a church who had been told by outsiders that the “Day of the Lord”, the code words for The seven-year tribulation had already begun. The believers there wondered then what had happened to their loved ones, if the rapture had already happened and the tribulation had begun, then where were their loved ones? In response to this false information, Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians
1Thessalonians 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
1Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
1Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
1Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
1Thessalonians 4:18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Notice Paul’s clear purpose in writing this part of the letter was to clear up a misunderstanding regarding the Day of the Lord and to bring comfort to those who had been incorrectly taught. I do not want you to be ignorant concerning those who have “Fallen Asleep”, the polite way of saying that a person had died. The believers in Thessalonica were grieving over what the disposition was of their departed loved ones, since their understanding was from Paul that when Jesus returned, He was bringing with Him, their loved ones. If the Tribulation had begun as these outside teachers had claimed, then where were their loved ones?
Paul said, before the Lord “catches up”, or raptures out those alive at His return, He will bring up from the grave the bodies of those who have died loving Him and transform their old perishable body into an imperishable body and we shall all meet the Lord in the clouds in the air. Notice that the meeting is in the air, not on the earth, as will be the case when Jesus returns to the earth at the end of Tribulation period.
Notice that the Rapture is not the second coming, for the Lord will only meet us in the air. At the second coming as described in Revelation Chapter 19, Jesus will touch down on the mount of Olives in Israel, in fulfillment of Zechariah 14.
In the Book of Acts when Jesus was Ascending back to heaven, the angel told the disciples that Jesus would return to the earth the same way they saw Him leave the earth. Where was Jesus at when He ascended to heaven? The Mount of Olives!
Acts 1:11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet.
Notice that upon the actual physical return of Jesus it will be at the mount of Olives, from which He ascended to heaven. The Rapture is not the physical return of the Lord to the earth, it is a meeting in the cloud of the air.
One final point and then I will close this post for now:
In the book of Revelation chapter 20, we see a vivid description of the Final judgement of those who have rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior at the Great White throne.
Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
These souls are those who had the opportunity throughout their lifetime, of accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross for their sins, and gain eternal life. They chose instead of their own free will to reject Jesus’ sacrifice and instead be judged on their own works. Their resurrection from the dead, “their first resurrection” does not occur until the end of the one thousand-year reign of Jesus during the Millenium.
The first resurrection for the believer in Jesus Christ began at the resurrection of Jesus, and as Paul describes it, Jesus was the first in a series of those who would rise from the dead to eternal life.
1Corinthians 15:23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.
Revelation 20 describes the resurrection of the lost in this verse:
Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
This is the first resurrection of the unsaved. The resurrection of the saved is described in the very next verse:
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
There is a First resurrection of the unsaved at the end of the 1,000 years, and there is a first resurrection of the saved that happens at the rapture. Both of these events are described simultaneously in Revelation 20:5-6.
Paul wrote:
Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of ourgreat God and Savior Jesus Christ
If the Rapture did not happen until the end of the 7-year Tribulation period, then we would not be looking for the “Blessed Hope” of Jesus’ return, we would be looking for the appearing of the antichrist. It seems strange that the Lord would want us to watch for Him by waiting for the appearing of the antichrist at the beginning of the tribulation period, instead of waiting for the “blessed hope of Jesus return” first at the beginning of the Tribulation period.
One final point, since Jesus said that “no man knows the day nor the hour of His return”, how could He be referring to a return at the end of the 7 years since we will know the exact day of His return, just by watching for the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel? When the antichrist erects the statue of himself in the newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, there will be exactly 1290 days till Jesus comes the second time, therefore we would know the day of Jesus’ return.
Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
There are many other verses throughout the Bible that point to a Pre-Wrath Rapture, and depending on the interest in this subject, we may add to this original post.
Rob Robinson
