There is much debate surrounding the rapture and when it takes place. Some believe it is before, others during, and finally a group that thinks it is after the great tribulation. I believe it is an important subject that should be addressed and understood. We must either be preparing ourselves for a moment in time when we, as Christians, are raptured and spared from an end-time world in turmoil or preparing ourselves for persecution and distress like no other time in history. Actually, the word rapture never appears in the Bible. It is associated primarily with 1 Thessalonians 4:
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.
All Christians believe there is a second coming of Christ. There is a lot of scripture beside the preceding verses that describe this end time.
“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2–3)
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21)
Let’s first state the fact that no one knows the day or the hour of the Lords return. Jesus said:
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” (Matthew 24:36-41 [NIV])
However, we are told to recognize the times. In Matthew 24 much regarding the tribulation and persecution in the end times is described. I also believe it is clear that we, as disciples of Christ, go through the tribulation. As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Notice how many times Jesus refers to you and your (disciples) in his response. He is clearly speaking to the disciples.
4 ¶ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no-one deceives you.
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth-pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Notice the promise to us. Those who stand firm means under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ, to endure, bear bravely and calmly. Those prepared will not be deceived but, instead, overcome fear and replace it with peace and power.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’, spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—
16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17 Let no-one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.
18 Let no-one in the field go back to get his cloak.
19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
21 For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equalled again.
22 If those days had not been cut short, no-one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.
25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Scripture uses the trumpets throughout the end times to mark the time. More about this later.
32 ¶ “Now learn this lesson from the fig-tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Of course we know now that the “you” refers to another generation. It could very likely be some of us. The Fig tree refers to Israel. The Jewish people have been returning to their homeland. However, to this point they have produced little fruit. Most do not believe. However, this is changing. The Messianic Jews are growing in number. As the scripture above says “As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.” I believe the Jewish nation is getting ready to bear fruit. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 24:
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36 “No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
I believe that the proceeding scriptures leave little doubt that the disciples of Christ will be surprised, persecuted and live among unrest and unequaled distress like no other time in this earth age. Many believers, instead of preparing themselves for the tribulation, are depending on this false rapture. Satan could very likely use this to deceive many. After all he will come with power performing many miraculous signs.
If you still have doubt regarding the timing and significance of our understanding and need for preparation listen to what Paul says to his disciples.
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-7)
I believe we should be preparing ourselves for this time of persecution to insure we are not with those that have fallen away. I believe it is clear in scripture . To further substantiate by point Let us consider the passage proceeding Thessalonians 4: 14-17.
“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.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15)
Notice how perfectly clear the point is made that those believers who are asleep (resting in death) are proceeded by those that are alive. Now let us go to Revelations 8:
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
There are a total of 7 seals and 7 trumpets sounded in order during the time referred to as the “great tribulation”. Each trumpet is sounded in order marking a specific time during the tribulation. John asked about it in Revelations 7.
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 ¶ And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
We then go to the Corinthians 15 that I believe proves there is no rapture until the end of the tribulation.
51 ¶ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Paul was speaking to believers addressing them as ‘we”. This last trumpet is the seventh trumpet and marks the end of the tribulation period and the return of Christ to reign. Going back the revelation 7:
5 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Again, this final trumpet marks the end of the great tribulation and I believe makes it certain that many us who are alive when the tribulation starts will be around at the end. I also believe it is imperative to understand this so that we are prepared. We must be prepared by studying and knowing God’s promises to us for four primary reasons.
- In order to recognize the times in which we are living.
- So we will not be deceived and follow any of the false teaching or the spirit of the Anti-Christ.
- We can stand firm with the power and peace that comes through Christ our redeemer and deliverer.
- So that we can warn other believers and minister to all.
However, do not fear. In a follow up I will address the promises given in scripture to those who stand firm.
“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:49–55)
I welcome debate on this issue.