RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

Researched and Written by Ron Robbins

The Rapture of the church is one of the most compelling and exciting prophetic events in the Bible. There have been movies and TV shows about the Rapture. These have minimized and misrepresented what the Bible tells us.

What occurs at Rapture?

It is clearly taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (NKJV), where the apostle Paul provides us with these details:

“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. 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. 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

This Scripture gives us five stages to the Rapture: 1) The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with at shout and with the sound of a trumpet; 2) the dead in Christ will rise first; 3) we who are alive and remain on the earth will be “caught up” (Greek “harpazo” which is translated “together in the clouds”); 4) we will meet the Lord, and 5) we shall always be with Him. This is clearly a different description that is found in Revelation 19:11-18, that describes the “Second Coming”– where His “army” (believers already in heaven) follows Christ to earth and DO NOT meet Him in the clouds.

The apostle Paul also describes what he calls a mystery pertaining to the rapture, in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. Here Paul explains that some Christians would not sleep (die), but their bodies would be instantly transformed:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep. But we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

This tells us what the Bible teaches about the events when the rapture occurs. The bodies of all believers who have died since the day of Pentecost will suddenly be transformed into new. Even those whose bodies have long since decayed, destroyed by fire or bombs, and even those whose bodies were scattered out over the oceans will receive a new outer form. This seems to be saying that the new form will be joined together with the person’s spirit, which Jesus will bring with Him in the clouds. Then the people of those who have likewise accepted Christ as their Savior and are alive at that moment will also be instantly transformed into new “heavenly form”. Together, all believers will be instantaneously transported into the heavens to meet the Lord. It needs to be indicated here that true believers in Jesus will not get their “super immortal bodies” until the first resurrection at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

This tells us what will happen at the time of Rapture. Now let’s consider why the Rapture occurs and what it tells us today prior to when it happens.

Rapture is a Blessed Hope

Titus 2:13 refers to the time of Rapture as the Blessed Hope because it provides assurance to believers who are fearful of the coming Tribulation. It tells us that the Rapture offers comfort to those who want to be reunited with their departed loved ones who share faith in Christ.

Let’s look at the two distinct phases of Jesus’ return, which is displayed in more than 300 biblical accounts of His second coming. The contrasting elements of these two phases cannot be merged into a single event. To fulfill the promise of John 14:1-3, Jesus will come suddenly to rapture His believers to His Father’s house. Specifically in John 14:3 Jesus says “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am” (NLT).This does not say His army will follow Him to earth as it does in Rev. 19:13.

In 2 Corinthians 5:8-10, it says they (the Raptured- “not in these earthly bodies”) will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. While the believers are in heaven, those left behind on the earth will experience the trials of the seven-year- Tribulation period. Revelation 3:10 says: Because you have obeyed My command to persevere, I will protect you from the great trial of testing (Tribulation) that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world”(NLT).

In the second phase of Jesus’ second coming, (the glorious appearing), He will return to earth in great power and glory to set up His millennial kingdom. The entire second coming has been compared to a two-act play (the rapture and the glorious appearing) with a seven-year intermission (the Tribulation). Notice the similarity of this time period of the seven-year period to the “Sabbath Year” and the “Year of Jubilee” Leviticus 25:1-13, although in Leviticus the seventh year was a year of rest for the land (although the Bible never indicates that Israel ever complied with the 50^th year of Jubilee- only the seventh year periods).  In the Tribulation, the seventh year is when all breaks loose. The apostle Paul distinguishes between these two phases in Titus 2:13, where he refers to the rapture as “the Blessed Hope” (indicated above) and the return of Christ to the earth as the “glorious appearing”.

Rapture: What does it mean?

Before dealing with the question of the timing of the pending Rapture, let’s see where the term comes from and what it means. Confusion over whether or not there will be a Rapture does exist. One reason for this is that the word rapture is not in the Bible. The word rapture is not in English translations of the Bible. It is an English version of a word that appears in Latin translations. Most of the New Testament was written in Greek which was then translated into Latin and then to English. Several verses of the Bible in the Latin translation contain the word “rapere”, “raptus”, or one of its derivations. It means “caught up, plunked up, or taken by force”. In the Latin Bibles “raptus” is translated to the Greek word “harpazo” which is used 14 times in the New Testament-if read in Greek.   Christians translate this Latin word to mean Rapture. Christians will be both “called up” and “caught up” to heaven just as John was. The basic idea of the word is “to suddenly remove or snatch away”. It is used by the New Testament writers in reference to stealing or plundering (Matthew 11:12; 12::29; 13:19; John 10:12, 28-29) and removing (John 6:35; Acts 8:39; 23:10; Jude 23).

The New Testament has another use- a third use- which focuses on being caught up to heaven. Paul tells us of a “third heaven” experience (2 Corinthians 12:2-4) and Christ’s ascension to heaven (Revelation 12:5). These Scriptures (with the Greek word “harpazo”) describe God suddenly taking up the church from earth to heaven as the FIRST part of Christ’s second coming.

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Some Rapture Background/History

Critics of the Pretribulation rapture view often refer to its lack of historical support. These critic types have argued that it was invented by John Darby in the mid-1800s and was never mentioned before that. These arguments generally reason that because this teaching is less than 100 years old, it cannot be biblical, or Christians would have held to this view many years earlier. What this reasoning fails to completely understand is that biblical truth must be determined by the clear teaching of Scripture, not how that teaching has been perceived throughout history. This reasoning seems to completely ignore the way Scripture is determined to be in the Bible. However, a substantial amount of Scripture evidence reveals a belief in a Pretribulational rapture long before John Darby. The earliest documents of the ancient church (including the New Testament cannon) reflect a clear premillennialism. Pretribulationists point to the early church’s clear belief in imminence as evidence that Pretribulationism was held by at least a few from the earliest times.

Clearly early views of the church’s theology were underdeveloped and sometimes contradictory, containing a base out of which would develop various and diverse theological viewpoints. Finding clear Pretribulationism spelled out in the early church fathers is difficult, but some Pretribulational elements are clear. When systematized with their other prophetic views, these elements contradict posttribulationism , and support Pretribulationism. For an example, the apostolic fathers clearly taught the Pretribulational features of imminence. So an examination of the early church fathers reveals that they were predominantly Premillennialists or chiliasts. I found at least eight listed writings from 100 AD to 330 AD. That supported these views. While the early church fathers expected the church to be suffering and persecuted when the Lord returns, they also believed in the imminent return of Christ, which is a central feature of Pretribulational thought.

Expressions of imminence abound in the apostolic fathers. Clement of Rome (90-100 AD), Ignatius of Antioch (98-117), The Didache (100-160), The Epistle of Barnabas (117-138), and The Shepherd of Hermas (96-150) all speak of imminence. In fact, The Shepherd of Hermas speaks of escaping the Tribulation. So in the end, one cannot find a clear statement of patristic eachatology in the early church regarding the rapture. However, the argument that Pretribulation is not valid only because of the lack of historical support in the early church is certainly NOT true. What we can conclude from the early church fathers is:

1. They expected a literal coming of Christ followed by a literal 1000-year kingdom.
2. They believed in the imminent coming of Christ with occasional Pretribulational inferences.
3. They were being persecuted by the Roman government but did not equate this with the future Tribulation wrath.

The Events of the Rapture

1. The Lord Himself will descend for His Father’s house, where He is preparing a place for us (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16)- to take us to heaven.
2. He will come again to receive us to Himself (John 14:1-3)
3. He will resurrect those who have fallen asleep in Him (deceased) believers whom we will not precede- 1 Thessalonians 4:14-15.
4. The Lord will shout as He descends (“loud command”, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIV). All this takes place in the “twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52).
5. We will hear the voice of the archangel (perhaps to lead Israel during the seven year of Tribulation as He did in the Old Testament- 1 Thessalonians 4:16).
   6. We will also hear the trumpet call of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16), the last trumpet for the church. (This not to be confused with the seventh trumpet of judgment upon the world during the Tribulation in Revelation 11:15).
6. The dead in Christ will rise first (the corruptible ashes of their dead bodies are made incorruptible and joined together with their spirits, which Jesus brings with Him 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
7. Then we who are alive and remain will be changed (or made incorruptible by having our bodies made “immortal” -1 Corinthians 15:51-53.
8. We will be caught up (raptured) together (1Thessalonians 4:17).
9. We will be caught up in the clouds (where dead and living believers will have a monumental reunion- 1Thessalonians 4:17.
10. We will meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
11. Christ will receive us to Himself and take us to the Father’s house “that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3).
12. “And so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
13. At the call of Christ for believers, He will judge all things. Christians will stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 5:10, described in detail in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. This judgment prepares Christians for…
14. The marriage of the Lamb. Before Christ returns to earth in power and great glory, He will meet His bride, the church, and the marriage supper will take place. In the meantime, after the church is raptured, the world will suffer the unprecedented out-pouring of God’s wrath (which the Bible says in many places that believers will be spared God’s wrath, which our Lord called “the great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21).)

Summary in Support of a Pretribulation Position

The Rapture is real and will happen. There too many passages of Scripture to support that – not to believe that Rapture will occur. A list will conclude this study. So if the interpretation is of God preserving the church through the Tribulation, or in any part of it, -why is there going to be a Rapture? Rapture will be to remove the church, as stated in Revelation 3:10, to keep them from the wrath. Therefore there will be Rapture and it will occur prior to the beginning of the Tribulation. This seems to be one of those promises from God on which we can count.

Please check out all of the following Scripture for all support needed for a Pretribulation Rapture:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

Matthew 24:29-31

Revelation chapter 21

Revelation 3:10

2 Thessalonians 2:7

Revelation 3:22

Revelation 19: 11-18

1 Thessalonians 5:9

Philippians 3:20-21

Colossians 3:4

1 Peter 1:3-7

Titus 2: 11-13

1 Corinthians 15: 51-53

John 14: 1-3

 

The following Scriptures were used in the document to show context, comparison, and support for the Pretribulation Rapture:

2 Corinthians 5:8-10

Matthew 11:12; 12:29; 13:19; 13:41-42; 25:31-46; 25:41

John 10:12, 28-29

John 6:35

Acts 8:39; 23:10

Jude 23

Revelation 12:5; 20:7-10; 22:16

2 Corinthians 12:2-4; 5:10

Ex. 8:22; 9:4, 26; 10:23; 11:7

Isa. 65:20

1 Corinthians 3:1-15

 

Characteristics of the Rapture

1. It will be sudden! 2. It will be unexpected! 3. It will be surprising! 4. We should be alert!

Jesus said, “No man knows the day or the hour” so we should live so as to “be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew14:44). Only a pretribulation rapture preserves an imminent (“at any moment”) return of Christ. Throughout the ages, Christians have understood the rapture to be imminent. Nothing could be a better motivator to holy living than knowing that Jesus could come as any moment. In fact, He may come before you are finished reading this.

Also Jesus will come in a cloud and take His believers back to heaven, where He has prepared a place for them. There will be an exodus of believers that will leave non-believers on earth alone. Jesus will not meet His non-believers in a battle and He will not establish a reign on earth. Remember the Second Coming of Jesus is one event that occurs in two parts. The Scriptures that provide these characteristics have already been presented herein. This is just a summary of what to expect and what will not happen at the rapture.

The 7,000 Year Theory of Mankind

The 7,000 Year Theory is one of the oldest theories dating from the earliest days of the Church. It begins with God creating the heavens and the earth in six days and resting on the seventh. It should be noted that God does not spell out upon which “day” was the first day in terms of days of the week as we know them. The theory states that God will deal with mankind for six of His days (6,000 of our years) and rest on the seventh day (the 1,000 year Millennium). It also assumes that all the days of the week are of equal length. Knowing three other Scripture verses will help in understanding: 1) 2 Peter 3:8 teaches one day with the Lord is 1,000 years, 2) Hebrews 4:4-11 presents the Millennium as a day of rest, and 3) Revelation 20:1-9 gives us the idea of a 1,000 year Millennium.

According to the Jewish calendar (which has today’s year 360 days –not 365), 3,760 years after Creation the Christian Era begin (1 AD on our calendar). That is almost four of God’s days. Since its beginning, the Christian Era has lasted almost 2,000 years or two more of God’s days. This means mankind is approaching the seventh God-day (the Millennium). But before the Millennium occurs two things must take place- the Rapture and the Tribulation Period.

As we are now in the 21^st Century and a new millennium, there is a sense of change in the air with mounting anticipation about the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Today, Messianic expectations are rampant among Jews in Israel, Predictions of the Rapture and the Second Coming are widespread among Christians, and doomsday prophecies are flourishing among cults. As a reminder in Matthew 24:44, Jesus said: “No man knows the day or the hour,” so we should live so as to “be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”.
Some Rapture Background/History

Critics of the Pretribulation rapture view often refer to its lack of historical support. These critic types have argued that it was invented by John Darby in the mid-1800s and was never mentioned before that. These arguments generally reason that because this teaching is less than 100 years old, it cannot be biblical, or Christians would have held to this view many years earlier. What this reasoning fails to completely understand is that biblical truth must be determined by the clear teaching of Scripture, not how that teaching has been perceived throughout history. This reasoning seems to completely ignore the way Scripture is determined to be in the Bible. However, a substantial amount of Scripture evidence reveals a belief in a Pretribulational rapture long before John Darby. The earliest documents of the ancient church (including the New Testament cannon) reflect a clear premillennialism. Pretribulationists point to the early church’s clear belief in imminence as evidence that Pretribulationism was held by at least a few from the earliest times.

Clearly early views of the church’s theology were underdeveloped and sometimes contradictory, containing a base out of which would develop various and diverse theological viewpoints. Finding clear Pretribulationism spelled out in the early church fathers is difficult, but some Pretribulational elements are clear. When systematized with their other prophetic views, these elements contradict posttribulationism , and support Pretribulationism. For an example, the apostolic fathers clearly taught the Pretribulational features of imminence. So an examination of the early church fathers reveals that they were predominantly Premillennialists or chiliasts. I found at least eight listed writings from 100 AD to 330 AD. That supported these views. While the early church fathers expected the church to be suffering and persecuted when the Lord returns, they also believed in the imminent return of Christ, which is a central feature of Pretribulational thought.

Expressions of imminence abound in the apostolic fathers. Clement of Rome (90-100 AD), Ignatius of Antioch (98-117), The Didache (100-160), The Epistle of Barnabas (117-138), and The Shepherd of Hermas (96-150) all speak of imminence. In fact, The Shepherd of Hermas speaks of escaping the Tribulation. So in the end, one cannot find a clear statement of patristic eachatology in the early church regarding the rapture. However, the argument that Pretribulation is not valid only because of the lack of historical support in the early church is certainly NOT true. What we can conclude from the early church fathers is:

1. They expected a literal coming of Christ followed by a literal 1000-year kingdom.
2. They believed in the imminent coming of Christ with occasional Pretribulational inferences.
3. They were being persecuted by the Roman government but did not equate this with the future Tribulation wrath.

 

Comparison of the Rapture and the Return

There are at least eight significant contrasts or differences in looking at 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 when compared to Matthew 24-25- Christ’s glorious appearing. These differences clearly indicate that the rapture occurs at a significantly different time from Christ’s glorious appearing.

1. At the glorious appearing, Christ comes to earth to dwell and reign (Matthew 25:31-32); while at the rapture, Christ comes in the air and returns to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
2. At the glorious appearing, angels gather the believers (elect) (Matthew 14:31); while at the rapture, Christ gathers His own (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
3. At the glorious appearing, Christ comes to judge (Matthew 25:31-46); while at the rapture Christ comes to reward (1Thessalonians 4:17).
4. At the glorious appearing, resurrection is not mentioned; while at the rapture, resurrection is prominent (1Thessalonians 4:15-16).
5. At the rapture, believers depart the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17); while at the glorious appearing, unbelievers are taken away from the earth (Matthew 24:37-41).
6. At the rapture, unbelievers remain on earth; while at the glorious appearing, believers remain on earth- after following Christ to earth (Matthew 25:34; Revelation 19:11-18).
7. Christ’s kingdom on earth is not mentioned at the rapture; while at the glorious appearing, Christ has come to set up His kingdom (Matthew 25:31-34; Revelations 20 –the Millennium).
8. A the rapture, believers will receive glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-57); while at the glorious appearing, survivors will not receive glorified bodies. It further states that “We will not all sleep, but we will be changed- in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”. Clearly specifying the Rapture, which is definitely different from Revelation 19:11-18 that states that all saints (believers) will follow Jesus to Earth when He returns to stay.

We are to Spared from the Wrath!

The church is to be spared from the wrath. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians1:10 that we should “wait for His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

The church is not appointed to wrath. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Once again, the context of this passage shows it is referring to the rapture. Because the Tribulation specifically involves God’s wrath, and because Christians are not appointed to His wrath. The church must be raptured out of the way before Tribulation begins.

If the church is raptured at the end or just before the Tribulation, no one will be left to populate the millennium. Just prior to the beginning of the millennium, all sinners (those would reject Jesus as savior) will be cast in to hell according to Matthew 25:46 and Revelation chapter 19-20. Should the rapture occur at the end, or near the end, of the Tribulation, all Christians would be taken from the earth as well, leaving no one on earth with a natural body to repopulate the planet during the millennium. The “righteous” (the sheep” who enter the millennium are the saints who survive the Tribulation- those who were unsaved at the time of the rapture but became believers during the Tribulation due to the 144,000 and the “two trees” likely Moses and Elijah. Many of these saints will be martyred during this time and return with Jesus as described in Revelation 19:11-18. , but those who survive the Tribulation will also repopulate the earth during the Millennium. For this to occur, the rapture must take place prior to the Tribulation instead of at the end or during.

Jesus’ Promise of Deliverance

There is much in the book of Revelation that tells us about the rapture. In Revelation 3:10 Jesus tells John, “I will keep you from (Greek, ek, “out of”) the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world”. This is telling all of us that it is Jesus’ intention and promise to keep the church out of the Tribulation period.

And to continue what Revelation indicates about the situation concerning the Rapture and the follow-up to Revelation 3:10 “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I will also will keep you from the hour of trial which is about to come upon the whole world…”- we see more about the conditions and timing in chapters 9, 11, 12, 1nd 13.

1. Rev. 9:20 “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by those plagues (from the introduction of the sixth angel), did not “repent of the works of their hands …” This is stating that the “rest of mankind” left on earth at this time were not believers.
2. Rev. 11:2-3 “… they will tread underfoot the holy city for forty two months”. “And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophecy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth”. This Scripture introduced the Two Witnesses after 9:20 states there are not believers left on earth. The Two Witnesses will have God’s authority to proclaim the gospel for 1260 days (42 months) after the rest of mankind on earth are non-believers (9:20).
3. Rev. 12:6 “Then the woman (Israel) fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. “ This further confirms the 3 and one half years left in the Tribulation. Many even conclude these 1260 days are after the Two Witnesses spend their 1260 days on earth witnessing- thus the total is the full 7 years of the Tribulation. Their “death” and coming back to life (11:11- breath of life from God) came after their 1260 days but before 12:6 where Israel has their 1260 days prior to the end of the Tribulation. This seems yet another case for the Rapture’s occurrence prior to the start of the full 7 years of Tribulation.
4. Rev. 13:5 The Beast from the Sea was given “… authority to act for forty two months was given to him.” This is another clear indication that the Beast did not appear until after the Two Witnesses had spent their 3 and a half years with their witnessing (11:3) and we are told in 13:5 that the Beast spent a full three and half years on earth before the Tribulation ends.

Then in chapter 14, the 144,000 who were sealed, appeared on Mount Zion, to witness and helped to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus. This signals the doom for the those Worshipers of the Beast.

The Greek preposition ek admittedly has the basic idea of emergence. But this is not always so. Two notable examples are a Corinthian 1:10 and 1 Thessalonians 1:10.  In the Corinthian passage, Paul rehearses his recue from death by God. Paul did not emerge from death, but rather was rescued from the potential danger of death. 1 Thessalonian 1:10 is even more convincing, where Paul states that Jesus is rescuing believers out of the wrath to come. The idea is not emergence out of, but rather protection from entrance into divine wrath.

So if Revelation 3:10 means immunity or protection within as other positions insist, then several contradictions result. First, if protection in Revelation 3:10 is limited to protection from God’s wrath only and not Satan’s, then Revelation 3:10 denies our Lord’s request in John 17:15). Second, if Revelation 3:10 means total immunity then of what worth is the promise of Revelation 6:9-11 and 7:14, where martyrs abound?

Revelation 3:14-20 describes the First Century church in Laodicea and Jesus has nothing good to say about this church. It is the only one of the seven churches described in Revelation that Jesus has no good words for – it is lukewarm! This church also represents the church that will be on earth when the rapture occurs.  Hebrews 1:1-2 says that God will speak to us by His Son in the last days. So here Jesus told John to write that He will speak to the church at the time of rapture. This was and will be a conceited, compromising, and Christ-less church. Revelation 3:20 states that Jesus stands at the door and knocks, asking that to have the door opened so He may come in. Jesus is on the outside looking in; it does not say for anyone to come in to Jesus.

Many times this 3:20 passage is used for salvation, and while that is okay, the real purpose of this verse clearly seems to be that just prior to the rapture the church will be without Christ inside. This signals the rapture so the believers will no longer be in the growing secular world.

 

Luke 18:15 states that when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?  Revelation 3:18 tells the Laodicea church the need for the prescription for helping  Spiritual poverty This church thought they had wealth and no need for anything else; they were neither cold or hot.   Isaiah 55:1 says to come and “buy” needs without money in heaven, which indicates the state of spiritual poverty of the church. While Jesus stated that “no man will know the timing” of the rapture or His second coming, the state of our world seems to indicate that the church is nearing the state of the Laodicea church.

As we read Revelation chapters 3 and 4, there seems strong indication that the church leaves the earth after the events in chapter 3 and at the beginning of chapter 4. As stated previously, the church is not mentioned to be on the earth after chapter 3 of Revelation. This is an indication that the Church Age (another name is the Christian Era) has ended. In Revelation chapters 4 through 19 there is silence concerning the “church” as it relates to being on the earth. Yet the word “church” appears 19 times in the first 3 chapters of Revelation.

The church appears in heaven at least twice. First, the 24 elders in Revelation 4-5 symbolize the church in heaven. Second, the phrase “you saints and apostles and prophets” in Revelation 18:10 clearly refers to the church in heaven. Also, Revelation 19 pictures the church (bride of Christ) in heaven prior to her (the church) triumphal return behind Christ. Pretribulation rapture best accounts- and likely the only account that can be supported with Scripture- for the church being in heaven in these texts at this time.

The Holy Spirit is here to protect believers during the Church Age, but Revelation 4:1 says that John comes to heaven in the Spirit. Several other times in the book of Revelation the Holy Spirit is talked about as being in Heaven. This is signaling that when the believers are gone from earth, so is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the restrainer and protector and He is no longer on earth to protect Christians due to the rapture of all believers. The seven angels sent to the earth in Revelation chapters 6 through 19 to execute God’s judgment on the earth clearly had no Holy Spirit to protect those on earth. Those left on earth were non-believers and had no Holy Spirit in their hearts.

However, there are yet other issues in Revelation, especially when compared to other Scripture passages that support pretribulation rapture.

First, compare the phrase “…the things which must take place after this” which is recorded in Revelation 1:19 and 4:1. The same phrase links these two verses and this is what will happen after the church (Christians) are in heaven- or the Rapture.

Second, Revelation 4:1 mentions “…the first voice” and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 indicates that “the Lord descends with a voice”. This ties 4:1 to the rapture verse of 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

Third, in the same two verses there is another link with “the Trumpet”, where Revelation 4:1 says …”the trumpet” and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 states “…with trumpet of God”.

Fourth, in Revelation 4:2 it states …”a change” and the rapture verse in 1 Corinthians 15:52-53 it says “… we shall be changed”.

Fifth, Romans 8:2 it says there is “no condemnation” referring to believers. So this seems to be a promise that relates to Revelation 3:10 already spelled previously.

Finally, in making an observation of two different verses in Revelation we see a real difference in how “doors” are opened. In 4:1 the “door” to heaven is opened and someone (John) goes up- signaling the rapture. In 19:11 the “door” is opened and Christ comes down- telling us of the true coming of Christ to reign.  So the “door” is opened twice in Revelation with very different results and purposes.

Revelation chapters 1-3 are about events on earth. Chapters 4 and 5 relate to the times and events in Heaven after the Rapture- but before the Tribulation begins!!! We are not told how long this period will be. Some believe it may be about 3 years, but it needs to be long enough for the Anti-Christ to “accomplish” some drastic things before the Tribulation is set into motion. Revelation 6:7-8 is described by John as he looked and there before him was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. Then Revelation 6:17 seems to be the start of the Tribulation, “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” There is that word again “wrath”, which several Scripture verses already specified herein indicate believers will be spared from the “wrath”.

 

When Will the Rapture Occur- in Relation to the Tribulation?

There are three opinions on this timing: 1) Before the Tribulation; 2) During the Tribulation; and 3) After the Tribulation. The following will provide information about each that should tell you what the Bible says is the correct timing. Before proceeding, it should be made clear that the Bible, on this information, does not tell us the exact date of the Rapture. It could happen today or many years from now. Jesus tells us that “no one” will know or can predict that date (and our name is not “NO ONE”). What follows deals with the Rapture in relation to when the Tribulation will occur- based on events not on specific dates.

God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins (John 3:16).If we could save ourselves or if there was any other way for us to be saved and have eternal life, God would have not put His Son through the agony of the cross. We need to believe this or the Rapture means nothing to non-believers who remain behind, as the Rapture is for Christians- true believers.  If God did this for His believers, He certainly would prevent His believers from suffering through the Tribulation.

Now let us consider some specifics from the Bible:

1. The church is NOT on earth in Revelation chapters 4-18.

The church (believers) is not on earth in Revelation 4-18. In Revelation chapters 1-3 the common New Testament term for “church” is the Greek term “ekklesia” and it is used 19 times in these 3 chapters which deals with the historical church of the first century. Then John is told by Jesus to use the term “church” only one more time and that at the very end (22:16), where John returns to addressing the first-century church. What is the significance of this? Nowhere during the Tribulation period is the term “church” used in reference to believers on earth.

John’s shift from his detailed instructions for the church to his absolute silence about the church for many chapters is remarkable and totally unexpected if in the church continued – on earth- into the Tribulation. If the church were to experience the Tribulation (the seventieth week of Daniel 9) then surely the most detailed study of Tribulation events would include instructions for the church (Believers on earth).  The only valid explanation for this frequent mention of the church in Revelation 1-3 and then the total absence of the church on earth until Revelation 22:16 is pretribulation rapture, which will relocate the church from earth to heaven prior to the Tribulation.

2. Post Tribulation Rapture makes no sense!

The absence of instructions for the church to prepare for the Tribulation seems to follow the times when a situation is not in the Bible tells us there is a significant reason- like it has no consequences for the believers. If God miraculously preserves the church through the Tribulation, why have rapture? If it is to avoid the wrath of God at Armageddon (at the end of the Tribulation), then why would God not continue to protect the saints on earth (as is postulated by post tribulation theory) just as He protected Israel (Exodus 8:22; 9:4, 26; 10:23; 11:7) from His wrath poured out upon Pharaoh and Egypt? Further, if the purpose of the rapture is for living saints to avoid Armageddon, why also resurrect the saints (who are already immune) at the same time?  If the rapture took place in connection with our Lord’s post tribulation glorious appearing, the subsequent separation of the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) would be redundant. Separation would have taken place in the very act of translation.

If all Tribulation-era believers are raptured and glorified after the Tribulation and just prior to the inauguration of the millennial kingdom, who then will be left to populate and propagate the kingdom? The Scriptures indicate that God will judge the living unbelievers at the end of the Tribulation and remove them from the earth (Matthew 13:41-42; 25:41). Yet they also teach that children will be born to believers during the millennium and that these children will capable of sin (Isaiah 65:20; Revelation 20:7-10). This would not be possible if all the believers on earth were glorified through post tribulation rapture.

A post tribulation rapture, or a rapture just prior to, and the church’s supposed immediate return to earth leaves no time for the “bema”- the judgment seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10). For these reasons, a pretribulation rapture, by contrast, does not leave us with these insurmountable difficulties.

3. How About Rapture During the Tribulation?

Well for one comment, if the Tribulation is underway- it is not impending! The New Testament epistles teaches that God gave many instructions to the church, including warnings, but never once are believers warned to prepare for entering and enduring the Tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week). We read about many warnings of coming error and false prophets in the New Testament (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Peter 2:1:1; John 4:1-3; Jude 4) and certainly against ungodly living (Ephesians 4:25-5:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Hebrews 12:1). We, as believers, are to endure in the midst of “present tribulation” (1 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; and all of 1 Peter). In these verses it is clear that the Scriptures are referring to current troubles. The New Testament, however, is absolutely silent about the church preparing for the Tribulation as describes in Revelation 6-18, and remembering these are the words from Jesus after His resurrection when He was telling John to record all of His words.

The Scriptures would certainly not be silent about such a major and traumatic period of time for the church. If the Rapture, in deed, happens partway through or at the end of the Tribulation, we should expect the epistles to teach the presence purpose and conduct of the church during the Tribulation. We find none of these teachings anywhere in the New Testament. Only a pretribulation rapture satisfactorily explains the lack of such instructions.

So How Does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Deal With the Rapture

To help determine the meaning of this Scripture, let’s assume that the rapture is not pretribulation. As we look at 1 Thessalonians 4, what is that we would see? The Thessalonians should be joyous over the fact that loved ones are home with the Lord and will not have to endure the horrors of the Tribulation. However, what we see is that the Thessalonians are actually grieving because they fear their loved ones have missed the rapture. Only the possibility of a pretribulation rapture accounts for this grief.

We would also expect the Thessalonians to be grieving over their impending trial rather than over their loved ones .Furthermore, we would expect the Thessalonians to be asking about their own doom. However, they have no fear or questions about the coming Tribulation. And we would think that Paul, in the absence of interest or questions by the Thessalonians, to give them instructions and exhortation for such a supreme test. Any such instructions would make their present tribulation seem microscopic in comparison. However, Paul does not give any indication of any impending tribulation of this kind. Therefore, given the scene and happenings in 1 Thessalonians 4, the only possibility is that a pretribulation makes sense. Some will use this Scripture to say nothing is said directly about the Tribulation. However, that does not follow the scene and the Thessalonians reactions in the context of this Scripture.

How Does John 14:1-3 Match Up to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

John 14:1-3 refers to Christ’s coming again. This is not a promise to all believers that they will go to Him at death. It refers to the rapture of the church. Notice the parallels between the promises of John 14:1-3 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. First, consider that the promises of a presence with Christ, “that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3), and “thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Second, look at the promise of comfort: “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1), and “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

1 Corinthians 15:50-53 “⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 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. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”  This states that all, even though that have not fallen asleep, will be changed quickly and raised with glorious bodies. This is clearly different than Revelation 19:11-18 when Jesus returns (typically called “Jesus’ Second Coming) where it says nothing about changing and raising of anyone- especially those who have not fallen asleep. 

Jesus instructed the disciples that He was going to His Father’s house (heaven) to prepare a place for them. He promised them that He would return and receive them so that they could be with Him wherever He was. The phrase “wherever I am”, while implying continued presence in general, here means presence in heaven in particular. Our Lord told the Pharisees in John 7:34, “Where I am you cannot come”. He was not talking about His presence on earth, but rather, His resurrected presence at the right hand of the Father.  In John 14:3, “where I am” must mean in heaven, or 14:1-3 would be meaningless.

A post tribulation rapture would require that the saints meet Christ in the air and immediately descend to earth without experiencing what our Lord promised in John 14. Because John 14 refers to the rapture, only a pretribulation rapture satisfies the language of John 14:1-3 and allows raptured saints to dwell for a meaningful period of time with Christ in His Father’s house.