Pre Tribulation Rapture

Will the Church go through the Tribulation Period?

Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; Rev. 1:19

This verse is the key to understanding the whole book of the Revelation. The things which he had seen were the things which had already happened before the present time in John’s life. The things which are would include everything that was happening at the time John was writing this book. And the things which shall be hereafter speaks concerning those things which had not yet occurred and were therefore future.

Chapter one of the book refer to the things of the past. Chapter two and three are about the things that were contemporary to the Apostle. Chapters four though twenty-two speak about the things which are yet in the future.

From this I conclude that the book of the Revelation was written in chronological order. I further believe the Rapture will occur in this chronological timeline above at Revelation chapter 4:1.

Rev. 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Some of the problem that arises when trying to determine when the Rapture will occur, in reference to the Tribulation Period, has to do with Scriptures that tell believers that they must live under a state of Tribulation. The church has always existed in a state of tribulation. (Jn. 16:20,33; Rom. 12:12)

The church will then experience this state of general tribulation at all times and in all ages. But that body of Scriptures do not refer to “The Tribulation Period”. That is, the seven year period of time when cataclysmic events of God’s judgment will be poured out on the earth.

Without reservation I believe the church must endure tough times. But I do not believe that the true church will be left on earth during the specific period of time referred to as the Great Tribulation Period.

Perhaps it would be better if we start at the start. For some it will be necessary to prove that there will even be a that there will even be a Rapture of the church.

READ carefully this passage from 1 Thess. 4:13-18.

13 ¶ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. {prevent: or, come before, or, precede} 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words

This is a clear illustration of a Biblical Rapture. Notice the words “then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (previously dead saints) in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…”

Some people argue that the word “Rapture” does not even exist in the Bible at all and therefore it is unbiblical. If that were a reasonable argument we would have to stop teaching many other biblical truths as well. The word “sex” is never found in the Bible. Does that mean that the Bible doesn’t address the subject?

When we apply a rule of interpretation to the Scripture lets be faithful to use it in all relevant cases.

The word “Rapture” simply means the act of transporting an object. In the above text verse 17 Paul uses the phrase, “caught up”. This is a translation of the Greek word “harpazo” which means to carry off, seize or to snatch up.

It is used in at least three other Biblical instances of Rapturing.

1- It is used of Phillip’s miraculous transporting. (Acts 8:39-40)

2- It is used of Paul in his reference to the third heaven. (2 Cor. 12:1-5)

3- It is used of the man-child. (Rev. 12:5)

There are other Scriptures that prove the Rapture. Jn. 14:1-6; 2 Thess. 2:1, 7-8; 1 Cor. 15:51-58

BACK TO MY REASONS FOR CONCLUDING THAT THE CHURCH WILL BE RAPTURED PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.

1- The general order of the book of Revelation .

Rev. 1-3 Speaks about the Church. The words “church” and “churches” is used 19 times in the first three chapters, but is not spoken of again until the 19^th chapter.

Rev. 6-19 Speak about the Tribulation Period.

Rev. 20-22 Speak about the Restoration of all things.

2- In Rev. 11:12 the “two witnesses” are Raptured, but where is the church?

3- Lk. 21:34-36 is speaking of the Tribulation Period. Read it in its context. You will find the same context and time elements in Mt. 24, Mk. 13 and Rev. 6. Lk. 21:34-36 says clearly that you can be “accounted worthy to escape all these things”.

4- 1 Thess 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”. “Us” is the church. God's wrath will start in Rev. 6:14-17 after the rise of the anti- Christ and the beginning of the Tribulation Period. In 1 Thess. 1:10 Paul says, “… to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

5- 2 Thess. 2:1-8 is conclusive proof that the church must be removed before the anti- Christ can reign and the Tribulation Period begin. This passage teaches the preparation for the rise of the anti- Christ. Read it carefully. Who is it that now “letteth” (verse 7)? (Old English word for hinders) That is, who or what is it that must be taken out of the way before “that Wicked” (the anti-Christ) can be revealed? There are three possibilities. Is the governments of the world. It is the Holy Spirit. Or, it is the church? These are the only three alternatives.

(1) It is not government which will hinder the anti- Christ. As we have seen in this book and the book of Daniel government will be his ally. He, himself, will be a “great” government leader.

(2) The Holy Spirit will not be withdrawn from the earth. (Joel 2:28-32 compared with Acts 2:17-21; Jn. 14:16). Rev. 7:9-16 clearly teaches that people will be saved during the Tribulation Period. This is impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit. (Jn. 3:5-6)

The Holy Spirit certainly will not leave the earth out of “fear” of Satan’s work. But, by far the greatest problem with the idea that the Holy Spirit will ever leave the earth, at anytime, is the fact that he is Omnipresent. That is, He exists in all places at all times.

(3) The church is the only possibility left. Therefore, the church will be Raptured before Tribulation.

(Some people argue that it could not be the church because the pronoun “he” is used in 2 Thess. 2:7. But Eph. 2:15 and 4:13 both refer to the church in the masculine sense. Paul being the author of both of these books makes it even clearer that he referred to the church in this way. As a matter of fact I would argue that the church is not clearly referred to in the feminine tense.

It should be clear that the anti- Christ will not be revealed until after the church is taken out of the way. The next question then should be…

Will the anti- Christ be revealed at the beginning of the middle of the Tribulation Period?

According to the book of Daniel the antichrist will make a seven-year covenant with Israel and break it in the middle. (Dan. 9:27) The breaking of this covenant will signal the time of “Great Tribulation” or “Jacob’s Trouble”. He is the “white” horse rider of Rev. 6:1-2 prior to the mid-point of the Tribulation period in chapters 11-12.

As we have seen the church will be removed before the revelation of the anti- Christ. Therefore, the church will be Raptured at the beginning of the seven year Tribulation Period.

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is Typified by:

1- Noah – There was a warning, a removal and then the wrath of God fell.

2- Lot – There was a warning, a removal and then the wrath of God fell.

Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (KJV)

The church has been warned, there is soon to be a removal of God's people, and then the wrath of God will fall just as the Word of God predicts.

Make sure you meet the qualification for the Rapture. Here they are.

1- You must belong to Jesus. (1 Cor. 15:23)

2- You must be “in Christ”. (1 Thess. 4:16-17) Read 2 Cor. 5:17-18 in order to understand what it means to by “in Christ”. (Jn. 3:16)

3- You must be “holy”. (Heb. 12:14) Read 1 Jn. 3:2-3 and 1 Jn. 1:7, 9 in order to learn how.

4- You must “do good”. (Jn. 5:28-29)

5- You must be considered “worthy”. (Lk. 21:34-36)

Only those who meet these Biblical qualifications will be taken in the Rapture. It should be noticed that it takes the same qualifications to receive eternal life.

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