The idea of the rapture originates from Paul's first letter to
the Thessalonian church; in chapter 4 we find the following statement regarding
the event:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of
God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." 1
Thessalonians 4:16-17 (emphasis added to highlight the focus of the wording at
issue).
Interestingly, the Greek word translated here as "caught
up" has its root in the word "harpazô" (see
https://biblehub.com/greek/726.htm), which means “to seize, catch up, snatch
away.” This is the same word used to describe Philip's being
"carried away" from the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:39. Jerome's
Vulgate (approx. 400 AD), the Latin translation of the Greek New Testament,
uses a term for "caught up" that has its root in the word "rapio"
to describe the event, and this is the word from which we get the word
"rapture."
The rapture concept has captivated Christians--even to the point
of making movies, such as the Left Behind series--to
demonstrate the magnitude of the event on the world in connection with the Great
Tribulation and the antichrist. These hold to the idea that a rapture
like event occurs prior to the Great Tribulation (and actually even before the
start of the "final 7-year period" discussed in item 5,
below)--allowing the saints to escape the judgment of God that falls upon Earth
and its inhabitants. However, many believe that there is no such
event. Others believe that while a rapture event occurs, its timing is
set for the middle of the "final 7-year period"--which marks the
start of the Great Tribulation. Still others believe that a rapture-like
event occurs, rather, at the end of the Great Tribulation.
While there are a number of views, a host of considerations
reflected in Scripture suggest, collectively quite strongly, that the Church as
the Bride of Christ will be raptured prior to the pouring out of the Wrath of
God during the Tribulation:
from God’s Plan for The Jews
1. Different Plans for Jews and Gentiles.
Fundamentally, there is a dichotomy in Scripture between Jews and
Gentiles. If you consider the general notion that God has a plan for both
groups, it becomes increasingly clear that the plan for the Gentiles, i.e., the
Church (or the Bride), is different in both time and nature from the plan for
His chosen people--the Jews. The difference in the plans is likely driven
by the fact that the Jews rejected Jesus while the Church embraced Him.
Curiously, though the Jews rejected Jesus, God loves them nevertheless (because
they were charged with bringing His Word to the nations) (Romans 3:1-2), and He
accordingly appears to want to offer them an additional opportunity in the
Tribulation to accept Him. (Curiously, it seems that during the
Tribulation, the Gentiles become particularly hardened towards God, while many
of the Jews have a change of heart towards God.) Notably, in this regard,
when Jesus was talking with the Jews, He stated, as recorded in John 10:16,
"I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and
they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd." (See also Ezekiel 34:21 in relation to the prior verses about Israel.) The distinction between the 2 groups is also noted in Acts 15 where the Council
at Jerusalem determines that the Gentiles are not obligated to observe the Law
of Moses--except as to 4 specific guidelines. The distinction is also
described by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:1-6 wherein he explains the
"mystery ... that the Gentiles are [made] fellow heirs and fellow members
of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the
gospel ..." (Eph. 3:6) (see also 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Hosea
2:23). The distinction is perhaps most notably detailed by Paul in Romans
11--crescendoing in verses 25b-26a - "... that a partial hardening has
happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all
Israel will be saved ...." (See the salvation of Israel by Jesus,
the Messiah, described in Isaiah 49.) The distinction in the treatments of the
2 groups and the plans applicable to each flows through the considerations
below. In keeping with this concept, it makes sense in view of the
totality of the considerations below that the plan for the Church would involve
its removal from Earth before the wrath of God is poured out on Earth and its
inhabitants during the Tribulation period.
2. A Different Standard for Salvation During the
Tribulation. Incredibly, there is a change in the gospel
during the Tribulation period—adding to the need to believe in Jesus the
additional requirement to “endure to the end” (i.e., reject the mark of the new
world government on your hand and forehead, and refuse to worship the antichrist beast or his image--event to the point of death - Rev. 20:4). (See Matt. 24:13-14 and Rev. 14:9-12.)
The new standard actually conflicts with the current plan of salvation, because
it adds a requirement of works--whereas our current plan is that we are saved
by grace through faith ... not a result of works, so that no one may
boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). This new requirement means that a person
otherwise saved by believing in Jesus (John 3:16) would lose his/her salvation
by failing to complete the required work of rejecting the mark of the
government (which is also inconsistent with God’s promises of eternal
security). Rather than accepting the idea that God's plan of salvation
could be changed mid-stream for hundreds of millions of people, adding a new
requirement just because of the timeframe during which such people lived, it
makes more sense to conclude that the gospel has changed or a new plan has been
offered because believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ have been removed from
the Earth--raptured--enjoying the blessings of their faith, while those who
rejected Jesus Christ are presented with this new plan--this second opportunity
that requires works. Salvation during the Tribulation is more difficult
precisely because these people rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ, and now,
having the witness of the raptured believers in Jesus, and therefore needing
less faith to believe in Jesus, must take responsibility to affirmatively
reject the mark (risking or facing death as a consequence).
3. A Different Seal of God.
Further with regard to the Holy Spirit, we know that He is the "seal of
God" in us (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30, 2
Timothy 2:19). In addition, as discussed above, salvation during the
Tribulation is achieved by rejecting the mark of the beast government to the
point of death as opposed to believing in Jesus alone; while the Holy Spirit is
a seal for believers now, the mark of the beast is the anti-seal that marks
non-believers in Jesus as followers of the antichrist during the
Tribulation. Further, during the Tribulation, believers will be marked
with a new distinct seal of God on their foreheads (see Revelation
7:1-3). In Revelation 9:1-6, we see God instructing locusts to attack
only those with the mark of the beast on their foreheads--passing over those
who have the seal of God on their foreheads. Thus, inasmuch as a new seal
is used to mark Tribulation believers, it suggests the absence of the Holy
Spirit--who is given to believers today as a seal, and the institution of a new
plan for sealing believers. Such a new plan is indicative of the fact
that the Church (having been sealed by the Holy Spirit) is not present for the
Tribulation.
4. Two Prophetically Described "Crop" Gatherings. There are 2 distinct "crop" (i.e., people) gatherings described in Amos 7:1-6: (1) the King’s crop (which, contextually, would represent the Church as the Bride of Christ--believers in Jesus who are raptured prior to the arrival of the “locusts”—the trials of the Tribulation), followed by (2) the spring crop, which would accordingly represent the Jewish saints who die during or otherwise survive the Tribulation, having rejected the mark of the beast and having refused to worship the image of the beast; interestingly, the prophet Amos speaks of the second group distinctly as “Jacob”—i.e., the Jews.
Tribulation and Millennial Reign of Christ
5. Daniel 9's Final "Week" as Reserved
for Jews and Jerusalem Only. The final 7-year period that is described in
the Daniel 9 prophecy (i.e., 70 periods of 7 years, 69 of which--or 483
years--were completed when Jesus died on the cross, but there remains 1 period
of 7 years to be fulfilled in the future) was determined, according to Gabriel,
only for Jews and Jerusalem. If that period is for the Jews, then believers
(and particularly non-Jews) should be removed from that period. Thus, the
7-year period that encompasses the Tribulation would be for the Jews and
Jerusalem only. I
6. The 2nd of the Amos “Crop” Gatherings as Representing Jews. As noted in item 4, above, the second crop that is arriving at the time of the locusts (i.e., the trials of the Tribulation) appears to be the Jews inasmuch as they are described as “Jacob”; the prophet asks God to help Jacob survive the locusts. (See Judges 7:12, Joel 1 and Isaiah 33:4—invaders of Israel described like “locusts”—culminating in the Battle of Armageddon – Rev. 16:13-16—which also takes place in Israel.) (Note that the ultimate "spring harvest" gathering could well be the gathering of the elect--new Jewish believers--that Jesus described as being conducted by His angels in Matthew 24:31.)
7. The Millennial Reign of Christ Focuses on Jews and in Israel. Texts regarding the Millennial reign of Christ (see e.g., Zech. 8) make clear that the whole focus of that period is Jews, Israel and Jerusalem. In this regard, we find the following curious statement in Zechariah 8:23--"The Lord of armies says this: ‘In those days ten people from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."'" This verse begs the questions: (a) "Isn't Jesus also with non-Jewish believers?" and (b) "Shouldn't people living during the Millennial reign of Christ also be saying the same thing to believers from the Church--the Bride of Christ?" The only explanation for why people aren't also grasping the garments of believers as part of the Church and saying the same thing to them is that believers from the Church are either (i) not present with the Jews during the Millennium--instead resting with Jesus (and as noted elsewhere in these notes) in the New Jerusalem--having been previously raptured from the Earth, or (ii) they are somehow spiritually distinct from the rest of humanity as those that reign with Christ (see Revelation 5:9-10) and are accordingly unquestionably connected with Jesus. [In this regard, I also note that those who reign with Christ include people who were martyred for their rejection of the mark of the beast and refusal to worship the beast in the Tribulation (Rev. 20:4).] It is further notable in this regard that Jesus will arrive at His Second Coming at the Mount of Olives (see Zechariah 14:4) and will rule as Messiah from Jerusalem--and more specifically, from the Tabernacle of David (Isaiah 16:5) as opposed to ruling from any other or every other location. In addition, Isaiah 4, a chapter about the Millennial reign of the Messiah, speaks only about "survivors in Israel" (of course, they have survived the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord--omitting any consideration regarding the believers in Jesus, constituting the Church, as having also survived the Tribulation) and speaks of Yahweh's presence in Mount Zion--in Israel. Many other chapters in Scripture, prophesying about the Millennium, similarly refer to Yahweh's ruling from Zion in Israel. While these considerations may not necessarily fully substantiate that the Bride of Christ was raptured prior to the Tribulation, they strongly suggest that people constituting the Bride of Christ are uniquely spiritually distinct from those that live during the Millennium--where the focus is Israel and Jews.
8. Promise to Believers of Avoiding Wrath.
God's Word provides a repeated promise (Rom. 5:9, 1 Thes. 1:10 and 5:9) that
believers will not face God’s wrath—which should logically include the 7 bowls
of wrath in the Tribulation (Rev. 16:16). If believers are to avoid wrath
as promised by God, then it doesn't make sense that they would have to face the
wrath of God in the Tribulation. Many people say that the Tribulation is
not the wrath of God, arguing that hell itself represents the wrath of God;
however, Revelation 16 makes very clear that these 7 bowls are the expressly
described as the wrath of God.
9. A Picture of Sequestration as a Parallel.
In connection with the promise that the Church will not face God's wrath, there
is a picture of God’s sequestration of His children from the Tribulation in
chambers (Isaiah 26:20-21), which is similar to those described by Jesus in
John 14:1-3 as reserved for His followers.
10. A Picture of Removing the Faithful from
Judgment as a Parallel. Similarly, there is a general picture in
Scripture of God removing people who believe in Him from harm's way--such as,
for example, Rahab and her family saved from the destruction of Jericho, Lot
and his family saved from the destruction of Sodom, and Noah and his family
saved from the flood of the world. See also Isaiah 57:1-2. Notably, none of these famous salvation examples are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--meaning that they are Gentiles who experienced protection from the judgment of God by believing the instruction given to them regarding the avoidance of such judgment.
11. The "King's Crop" Gathering Escapes the Locusts. As noted in items 4 and 6, above, there are 2 distinct "crop" (i.e., people) gatherings described in Amos 7:1-6. The first of the gatherings or harvests is called “the King’s crop” (seems to represent the Church); this crop is taken prior to the arrival of the locusts—which appears to represent the trials or judgment of God applied to the Earth during the Tribulation. Thus, Amos' prophetic vision suggests that the King’s crop escapes the judgment of God on the Earth.
12. The First of the Amos "Crop" Gatherings. As noted in items 4, 6 and 11, above, there are 2 distinct "crop" (i.e., people) gatherings described in Amos 7:1-6. The first of the gatherings or harvests is called “the King’s crop” (seems to represent the Church); this crop is gathered prior to the arrival of the locusts—which appears to represent the trials occurring at the time of the Great Tribulation. Thus, the King’s crop appears to be preferential—escaping the judgment of the locusts. This is a strong indication of the fact of a gathering to the King of the Church prior to the Tribulation.
13. John's Revelation Experience as a Parallel.
John’s rapture experience in Revelation 4:1-2 presents a picture of the rapture
of believers who observe but do not experience the Tribulation--perhaps also
like the translation of Enoch before the great flood. John was told
"Come up here," and immediately he was in the spirit. Note that
the 2 witnesses, after they have been put to death by the antichrist, are
resurrected and then told to "come up here"--just like John and
presumably just like the other raptured believers (Rev. 11:12). Similarly,
John's experience of Rev 4:1-2 also parallels the rapture experience described
in 1 Thes. 4:16-17. In these instances,
the gathering occurs prior to the Tribulation.
14. A Gathering Event that Contextually Precedes
the Day of the Lord. Speaking of 1 Thes. 4:16-17, this passage
provides perhaps the greatest description in Scripture regarding the rapture:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will
rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with
the Lord." In the very next chapter, Paul talks about the "Day
of the Lord," which is the culmination of the Tribulation, so
contextually, the rapture/gathering of the Church as believers in Jesus precedes
the Tribulation.
15. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb as Preceding Jesus' Second Coming. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (attended by those who were saved by believing in Jesus) (see Rev. 19:7-10) contextually precedes the description of the Second Coming of Christ (see Rev. 19:11-19)--suggesting that believers are in heaven with Jesus before He returns to earth. If believers are not raptured, then how do they get to participate in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? The contextual indication is that the Church, having been gathered to Jesus, attends the Marriage Supper of the Lamb before Jesus executes His Second Coming.
16. Church Not Mentioned as Being in the
Tribulation. There is no mention of the Church in the
Book of Revelation during John’s vision. Instead, the focus is on Israel, the antichrist and God’s judgment. The marked absence of references to the
Church suggests that the Church isn't involved in the vision--which encompasses
the Tribulation.
17. No Warnings in the Epistles Regarding Surviving the Tribulation. There is a marked absence of warnings to the Church in the epistles regarding the Tribulation and how to survive it. If the Church were to endure the hardship of the Tribulation, the epistles would have provided guidance regarding how to handle it. Similarly, Jesus told His Jewish listeners in Matthew 24 just how they should respond to the time of the Tribulation--apparently because only the Jews and Israel would be the focus of that time period.
18. Indications of the Church Being in the New Jerusalem during the Tribulation. Many texts suggest that the Church, which is the Bride of Christ, seems to be in the New Jerusalem (see Rev. 21:2, 10-11, 22:17)--escaping the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15), which appears to be reserved for those living in the earth during the Millennial reign of Christ--who had not been saved prior to the Second Coming of Christ.
The Holy Spirit May Not Be Present in the Tribulation
19. Holy Spirit May Be the “Restrainer” of 2 Thessalonians
2. 2 Thessalonians 2:4-8 indicates that the antichrist does not
appear until the one who restrains is taken out of the way. Many hypothesize
that the "restrainer" is the Holy Spirit as present in believers who
are raptured--thereby leaving with the believers to heaven. The departure of the presence of the Holy
Spirit from the Earth would enable the antichrist to press forward with his
plans, unabated by the presence of God in people. (See Isaiah 48:9.)
20. The Holy Spirit May Not Be the Seal of God in the Tribulation. As noted in item 3, above, during the Tribulation, believers will be marked with a new distinct seal of God on their foreheads (see Revelation 7:1-3). The need for this special seal to mark believers could be because God no longer uses the Holy Spirit to seal believers as described in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30, and 2 Timothy 2:19. Thus, the absence of the Holy Spirit--who is given to believers today as a seal, and the institution of a new plan for sealing believers indicate that the Church (having been sealed by the Holy Spirit) is not present for the Tribulation.
21. The "Apostasy" Event Preceding the
Arrival of the Antichrist. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 refers to a
"falling away" or "apostasy" that occurs before the arrival
of the antichrist. The word from which "falling away" is translated is
the Greek word "apostasia"; many commentators advocate that, among
other things, (a) "falling away" is not the best translation of the
word "apostasia"; (b) the best translation of the Greek word is
"departure"; (c) in this regard, earlier translations (such as
Wycliffe, Tyndale, Geneva, etc.) used the word "departure"; (d) there
is a definite article (we use "the" to identify it) used with the
"departure"--indicating that it is an event as opposed to a process
(which is the nature of the falling away described in Matthew 24:10 and 1
Timothy4:1-3); and (e) Paul's reference to a "departure" event would
be consistent with his prior teaching to them and could accordingly be pointing
back to his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, wherein he, as provided in 1 Thes.
4:13-17, describes an event wherein the dead in Christ and those who are alive
in Christ are gathered together with Christ in the air--and thereby
"departing" the earth.
See https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1081&context=pretrib_arch
and https://backtobasicsradio.com/falling-away/. Of course, the
arrival of the antichrist occurs in conjunction with the Tribulation, so the
departure in this context occurs before the Tribulation.
22. Contextual Clues in 1 Thessalonians 4.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, there are contextual clues, in addition to the
clues noted above, that point to a pre-tribulation rapture. First, Paul is
comforting the Thessalonian church by telling them there is a basis for hope
such that believers should not be concerned about those believers who have
already died--reminding them that the dead in Christ will rise first (i.e.,
even before us--the believers who are alive and "remain").
Fascinatingly, Paul concludes the discussion with this amazing statement:
"Therefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thes.
4:18). Why would we as believers be "comforted" by this event
if we were expected to go through the Tribulation--and perhaps be martyred?
What would be comforting at all about the Tribulation? The Tribulation
involves the mass martyrdom of those who believe in Christ AND reject the mark
of the antichrist. It is marked by the greatest physical damage to
humanity and the Earth since creation. There could only be
"comfort" if the dead in Christ and those believers that remain are
collectively "caught up" prior to the Tribulation. Second, in
detailing this event, Paul explains that "God will bring
with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus" (1 Thes.
4:14); "bring" where? We understand "bringing" to be
picking up and carrying to a place. The idea that God would
"bring" the dead in Christ to a place is consistent with a rapture
like experience. If, for example, the dead in Christ were merely brought
to life just to live during the Millennial reign of Christ, there would be no
"bringing"--there would be only a resurrection. Third, Paul
doesn't state here that each believer dies and is singularly carried to heaven;
rather it appears to be an event that affects ALL who have died in Christ along
with ALL who are alive in Christ and remain. Finally and notably, Paul
makes no mention at all of the Tribulation in connection with this event;
rather, as noted above, Paul discusses the Day of the Lord (the culmination of
the Tribulation) in the succeeding chapter--after the rapture event.
Thus, the entire context of the principal rapture text of 1 Thessalonians 4
suggests a pre-Tribulation rapture.
23. The Promise to the Church in Philadelphia.
In Revelation chapters 2-3, letters are written to various churches.
These churches could represent collections of saints in existence at the time
of the writing of Revelation, collections of saints through church history,
collections of saints existing in the last days, or all of the above.
Assuming, as many students of Scripture do, that the churches represent groups
of saints at periods of time in history, it might be that the saints in the
church in Philadelphia are those present immediately prior to the time of the
Tribulation. In this regard, it is interesting to note what is said to
this church in Revelation 3:10-12 - "Because you have kept My word of
perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of the
testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world,
to test those who live on the earth. I am coming quickly;
hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who
overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go
out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and
the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of
heaven from My God, and My new name." Thus, three very
notable statements are made to this group of saints: (1) they will be kept from
the "hour of testing" that is no doubt the Great Tribulation,
considering the note that it impacts the entire world; (2) He is coming
quickly--which is a specific and unique reminder to this group that Jesus is
coming soon; and (3) Jesus will write on the members of this group, among other
things, the name of "the new Jerusalem," which, as noted in item
18, above, is the likely location of the Bride of Christ. In further
support of this concept, the statements made to the following church, the
church in Laodicea, are suggestive of statements that might be made to the
saints that exist during the time of the Tribulation: "The one who
overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame
and sat with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21); this promise is
consistent with the promise given to those who, in the Tribulation, reject the
mark of the beast and do not worship him and are therefore martyred for their
faith as described in Revelation 20:4 - "Then I saw thrones, and they sat
on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had
been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of
God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not
received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they came to life
and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." Thus, if the collection
of saints existing prior to the Tribulation constitutes the church in
Philadelphia, then they have a promise of being delivered by Jesus from the
hour of testing. There are, therefore, strong suggestions that the church
in Philadelphia--the collection of saints present prior to the Tribulation--are
rescued from the Tribulation by Jesus--most likely in a rapture event.
Thus, there is substantial Scriptural support for the idea that the Church as the Bride of Christ will be raptured prior to the wrath of the Tribulation period.
For items 10 and 11 consider also Isaiah 57:1-2.
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