Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
The Rapture
There are many who try to claim that the Rapture is not biblical. Their biggest argument is that the word "rapture" is not even in the Bible. Anyone who claims this, to put it as simple as possible, has no idea what they are talking about. The English word "Rapture" is not found in the Bible. It is only a name that Christians have given the event that definitely is in the Bible.
First let's take a look at the event itself, which is clearly in scripture.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NASB)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 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. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Paul also has this to say…
1 Corinthians 15:50-53 (NASB)
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
From just these two scriptures we know this is what happens when we are raptured…
Jesus will descend from heaven, and the souls of every true believer who has ever died since He rose from the dead will be following Him. With a great shout the rapture will take place. First the bodies of the dead will rise as imperishable bodies. Then as their souls are reunited with their now imperishable bodies, all believers who are still alive will be changed from perishable to imperishable. This way we will all receive our glorified bodies at the same exact moment. Then all of us will be caught up together to be with Jesus in the clouds.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul says, those who remain will be caught up together. The Greek word in the ancient manuscripts for "Caught Up" is "Harpazo". It means to be caught up, or snatched up in a quick, almost violent manner. From the definition, we know we will not be gathered up and slowly rise up to the clouds, but it will stay consistent with how we are changed. We will be snatched up quickly. The same word in the Latin manuscripts is "Rapturo". Which is where the word "rapture" derives from.
Can you type the word "rapture" into a Bible app and find a verse that uses it? No. Is the rapture in the Bible? Yes. The word that "rapture" is derived from is in the Latin version, and the event itself is definitely in the Bible.
Okay the Rapture is Biblical. Doesn't it happen at the same time Jesus returns in the Second Coming?
There are a lot of churches that teach this belief. Catholicism pushes this stance. The problem is that when you really study it, you find that is actually logically impossible according to the Word of God.
It is entirely possible for two different events to have similarities. What is not possible is for two prophecies of the same event to have contradictions. To accept that, is to believe that God's Word has contradictions. That would mean you cannot truly trust His Word as the full truth. That is unacceptable. If there are clear contradictions in prophecy, the only possibility is that they are two different events.
From the above verses about the rapture, I would like to make a few points clear.
Now let us look at a scripture about the Second Coming. You will notice that we can be certain this is the Second Coming because it clearly says it happens "after" the tribulation. Which is when Jesus returns to fight Armageddon.
Mark 13:24-27 (NASB)
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
When you read this scripture on the Second Coming and compare it to the scriptures on the Rapture, you find these stark differences…
With these differences, it is impossible to accept that both scriptures are of the same event. They cannot be the same event without there being contradictions in Bible prophecy. And as I said, that is unacceptable.
Well they aren't the same event. Jesus just raptures us on his way down from Heaven!
First off, if that was true, then it would make it impossible for scripture to say no man knows the day or hour. We would know when Jesus is going to rapture us because we would see Jesus descending first. Remember, the Bible clearly says that every eye will see Him coming. Not just those who are not being raptured. Every eye will! However, Jesus also said that if one believes they will not be judged and if they do not believe they are already judged. Ask yourself, if Jesus raptures us on His way down from heaven, and every eye sees Him coming, who would there be to say He was not truly Lord at that moment? They haven't died yet and they haven't missed the rapture yet. Jesus would have to rapture about 99% of the world then. Who would see Jesus descending with their own eyes and still not believe?
Yet there is still more reason to recognize that the rapture must happen before Jesus returns in the Second Coming. Not before He comes to earth, but before He even begins His descent.
Revelation 19:7-8 (NASB)
7 Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
First, we know the bride is the church because it clearly says the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Also, take special note of how it describes the Bride. It describes her as wearing "fine linen, bright and clean; ;". Then compare that to this scripture just a few verses later, when Jesus is preparing to return in the Second Coming to fight in Armageddon.
Revelation 19:11-14 (NASB)
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
The armies are clothed in fine linen, white and clean! There is no doubt the armies which are in heaven that follows Jesus back is the same as the bride. Which is the church. To reiterate, it clearly says this army is in heaven. Not on earth! So we now know that the church must be in heaven before Jesus descends in the Second Coming. So if the Church is the Bride, and they are in heaven to go through the marriage to the Lamb, and then the Bible clearly says they are also the army "which are in heaven" that will follow Him back in the Second Coming... How can we possibly be raptured during His descent?
Some have tried to argue that Revelation is not all in chronological order, but this is a very weak argument. I understand that often from chapter to chapter it can be a different subject but we are talking just a few verses apart. Why would the Holy Spirit reveal the marriage to the Lamb right before the Second Coming when the event happen in the opposite order? Why would the Holy Spirit describe the Bride and the armies the same way, to clarify that the bride is in fact the same as the armies that follow Jesus back, but give the wrong order of events? Why would the Holy Spirit intentionally try to deceive us? Plus this theory of the book not being in chronological order doesn't explain the simple fact that when describing the armies that will follow Jesus back, which we know is the bride, it clearly says the armies "which are in heaven"! They are already there!
And yet, there is more. Let's take a look at three chapters of Revelation. Chapters 19, 20 & 21 in particular. Again, lets first hit the point that not all of Revelation is in chronological order. I understand that. However, when you read these three chapters, I believe it is illogical to think they are not in order.
Now it would make this article way too long to give all three chapters of scripture, so I am going to do this part different. I am going to break these three chapters into separate events. I will list the verses and give a quick note on what event happens. This way if you want to check me, you can follow along in your own Bible to make sure I am not making stuff up. Also, I will make the parts that Post-Tribulationists believe would be out of order. This way you can see how perfect the entire order is and how illogical it is to think it is not in order.
Revelation 19:1-6 (P-T believes out of order)
There is a great multitude in heaven. So many that their voices sound like rushing water. They and the 24 elders are praising God.
Revelation 19:7-9 (Some P-T believes out of order)
The marriage of the lamb. The bride is the church.
Revelation 19:11-18
This is Jesus, prepared to return, to fight Armageddon. An angel heralding the coming victory, telling the birds of the air to come and feast on the armies that will be slaughtered.
Revelation 19:19
The antichrist and the kings of the land assemble at Armageddon to prepare for battle.
Revelation 19:20-21
The antichrist and the false prophet are taken and cast into the Lake of Fire. The rest of the armies are killed.
Revelation 20:1-3
An angel chains up the devil and throws him into the abyss. Locking him away for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4 (P-T believes out of order)
The church is given thrones and judgment is given to them. Those who died because they refused to take the mark of the beast or worship his image come back to life and they join them. They reign with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:5-6
A note that this was the first resurrection. The rest of the dead will not come back to life for a thousand years. Blessed and holy are those who take part of the first resurrection for they will not take part in the second death and will reign with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:7-10
Satan is released for a short time and he turns the people against the holy city. As they come upon the plain of the earth, God wipes them out with fire from heaven. The devil is taken again and this time thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Revelation 20:11-15
This is the judgment in front of the great white throne. All of the dead who rejected Jesus will be judged and cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21
This entire chapter is about the old earth passing away and God gives us a new earth. He places a new Jerusalem on the new earth and it will be they great holy city of the new earth.
If you read these events as if they are in Chronological order, everything fits perfectly for the Pre-Tribulation rapture to be true. Not almost perfectly, but perfectly! However, for the Post-Trib rapture to be true, it means that everything is in perfect order except for two events. The church in heaven is out of order and the Christians who reject the mark of the beast coming back to life are out of order. But how much sense does that actually make?
1) The Holy Spirit is giving these visions to John. He shows John the church in heaven. If the post-tribulation rapture is true, then the Holy Spirit is revealing one of the latter events first. Then jumps back to the beginning and shows him all of these other events in perfect order. Only after the vision of Armageddon and the devil being imprisoned, oh wait, I forgot to tell you, the dead are resurrected! Never mind it was already revealed the church is in heaven. Then after telling that one quick event, which lasts only one verse, the Holy Spirit jumps back into being in perfect sequence again? That is something I would expect from a person with ADHD telling us everything that will happen. Not the Holy Spirit!
2) If in Revelation 20:4, it is the rapture of the church being mentioned, why does it only mention those who were killed because they would not accept the mark of the beast or worship the image of the beast? What about all the dead who never saw the end times because they died during the 2,000 years before it happened? What of the countless Christians who died of old age?
3) If Jesus raptures the church on his way down from heaven, then there would be no Christians who are killed because they refused to take the mark of the beast. They would have been raptured with the rest of the church.
4) This vision clearly has the church sitting in the thrones before the dead come to life. However, Paul clearly says that first the dead will rise and then the living will be changed. Then they are all taken up together. How could they come to life and join the rest in their thrones and not be caught up into the clouds as Paul says? How can they come to life and join the others if they rise first?
The truth is, the dead who come back to life in Revelations 20, are exactly who it says they are. They are the tribulation saints. The Christians who turn to Christ after the rapture, who are killed during the tribulation because they will not take the mark of the beast or worship his image.
When you take all of this evidence and put it together, it is logically impossible according to God's Word, for the rapture to happen after the tribulation. It must happen before Jesus descends from heaven in the Second Coming. It has to happen far enough in advance of the Second Coming to allow for the church to be prepared and married to the Lamb. It must happen early enough that there is enough time for enough people to turn to Christ after the rapture, to make them worth the antichrist's time to persecute them. After all, if only a few hundred Christians are alive during the tribulation, do you really think the antichrist would even bother with them?
You can believe what you want, but if you truly believe the Bible is the Word of God and the truth, it simply does not work with the post tribulation rapture.
1) There are distinct differences between the Rapture and Second Coming, so they cannot be the same event. Jesus calls us up in the rapture and sends His angels forth to gather the elect in the Second Coming. The rapture happens in the twinkling of an eye and no man knows when it will happen. The Second Coming will be accompanied by great signs and every eye will see Him coming. For the rapture we are changed from perishable to imperishable. The Second Coming never mentions any change.
2) The Church is the Bride, which is also the armies which are in heaven. So the church must be in heaven before Jesus descends in the Second Coming so that we can be wed to Him as well as follow Him down.
3) The Chronological order of events in Chapters 19, 20 & 21 in Revelation all fit perfect with the Pre-Tribulation stance. To believe the Post-Trib, you have to think the Holy Spirit has ADHD.
When you put these things together, you just cannot logically accept the rapture is the same event or happens at the same time as the Second Coming. These are not theories. These are scripture facts!
Why do so many believe the Post-Trib Rapture is right then?
One of the reasons is because the scripture about the rapture says it will happen at the last trumpet...
1 Corinthians 15:50-53 (NASB)
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
They assume the Last Trumpet is the 7th Trumpet in Revelations. The problem is that 1 Corinthians was written by Paul, before John wrote Revelation. John could have written something that was a reference to what Paul had already written, but Paul would not have referenced something that is not mentioned anywhere else and was yet to be written. However, logically Paul was referencing another trumpet. Not one of the Seven Trumpets in Revelation, which had not been written yet, but a trumpet that he himself had already written about in the very same book.
1 Corinthians 14:8 (KJV)
8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
You see? The trumpet that will sound will be the last time a trumpet is ever sounded to gather an army for God. The last trumpet will sound and the church will be raptured. The church which is the bride of the Lamb, which I have already shown in Revelation 19, is also the armies which are in heaven who will follow Jesus back in the Second Coming.
Another reason the Post-Tribulation rapture is believed is due to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 is translated wrong in the KJV Bible.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (KJV)
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
According to this translation, many interpret this to mean the rapture/Second Coming cannot happen until after the antichrist is revealed. Which most believe will happen at the midpoint of the tribulation. The problem here is the phrase "day of Christ".
When the KJV Bible was translated in 1611, they had to compare all of the ancient manuscripts they had and all of the oldest manuscripts said "day of Christ". So they were correct to use that phrase. Only today, we have thousands more ancient manuscripts to compare and many of them much older than what they had in 1611. All of the oldest manuscripts we have today use the term "day of the Lord".
Apparently, at one point in time, a copyist was creating a copy of this book and decided that the term "day of Christ" was a better suited phrase for his time era and location. It likely never even occurred to him that there was any difference in the two phrases. Except there was. There was a very large difference.
If you do a search in the Bible for these two phrases (Excluding the verse in question of course), you learn they are nearly opposite in meaning. "Day of Christ" is always used to reference the gathering to Jesus or the Second Coming. The "day of the Lord" however, is always used to reference the great day of God's wrath or His anger.
Nearly every scholar today agrees that the original manuscript had "day of the Lord". In which this scripture would then be saying that the great day of God's wrath would not happen until after the antichrist is revealed. Which means there is no longer anything in this scripture that says the rapture cannot happen before that.
The problem is when you read this scripture, it just doesnt make a lot of sense. Clearly Paul is writing to the church to settle them down. They are upset by some false information they received that the Second Coming is at hand and they are very disturbed by this. Why would any Christian be upset that the second coming was about to happen? That is the day of our vindication! That is the day we all look forward to! Paul often preaches how we look forward to that time we are with the Lord. The idea the church was upset that the second coming was at hand is already proof that this is a bad interpretation of the scripture.
Now look at it from the Pre-Tribulation point of view. ..... The church had received false information that the "day of the Lord" was at hand. The day of God's wrath. But according to multiple scriptures (which you will see later in this article) we are supposed to be spared from going through the day of Gods Wrath. So if that day was at hand, it means they had missed the rapture! Now they have something serious to be upset about. So Paul writes to them that the day of God's Wrath is not at hand because as he has told them in the past, that will not happen until after the son of perdition will be revealed.
From the Pre-Tribulation view, this scripture makes perfect sense. From the Post-Tribulation view, it does not.
I would like to point out something else while on the subject. Many interpret this to mean that this will happen after the midpoint of the tribulation because it says the son of perdition will sit in the temple and claim to be God. Because we know from Daniel that he does this in the middle of the Tribulation. However this never says that he will sit in the temple and claim to be God at the time he reveals himself. It only says that the day of the Lord will not happen until after the son of perdition is revealed. Then it goes on to describe who this son of perdition is. The one who will take a seat in the temple and claim to be God. In truth, the son of perdition will be revealed to the believers of Jesus before the tribulation actually starts. When a man rises to power from within a coalition of ten nations that united their military power, every true believer will know who he is. We will know that he is the one who will, at the midpoint of the tribulation, enter the Holy Place and claim to be God.
If not the Post-Tribulation, then what about the Mid-Trib or Pre-Wrath?
Of these two, the Pre-Wrath came very close to getting it right. Actually they did have it right... technically, I suppose. There are in fact some scriptures that are very clear that the rapture is pre-wrath.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (NASB)
9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
Romans 5:9 (NASB)
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
Revelation 3:10 (NASB)
10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
So obviously we are saved from God's wrath, so the rapture must happen before the wrath begins. Where they got it wrong however, is their understanding of when the Wrath of God begins.
Many believe the Wrath of God is the Seven Bowls of God's Wrath. It just seems obvious doesn't it? It does if you don't pay attention. The seven bowls of God's wrath begins in Revelation chapter 16. However, the angels who pour out the seven bowls of God's Wrath are mentioned in the previous chapter.
Revelation 15:1 (NASB)
1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
In these angels is not the wrath of God. In them the wrath of God is finished! So if it is finished here, where does it begin? Believe it or not, scripture tells us this.
Revelation 6:16-17 (NASB)
16 and they *said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
This verse is part of the Sixth Seal. So now we know that God's wrath begins in the Sixth Seal. We also know that the rapture will happen before the wrath of God. Which means that we now know the rapture must happen before the Sixth Seal. So the final question is, "When does the Sixth Seal happen?"
Almost every eschatologist seems to preach that the Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets and the Seven Bowls of God's Wrath will all happen inside the Seven years of Tribulation. And that is their biggest mistake when trying to interpret the End Times. I made the same mistake for a while and for some reason I could never make the entire timeline fit together cleanly. There were always problems I couldn't get around. That is until I realized that the Seven Seals were not part of the Tribulation. They had to be broken before the Tribulation began.
Now I could write it all out for you on why, but I have already done that before. So instead, I will leave you with a link to an article I wrote about the Seven Seals. I have shown you that it is impossible for the rapture to be Post Tribulation. I have shown you how the rapture is indeed Pre-Wrath. However, if the Seals are broken before the Tribulation begins as I say, then it clearly means that the Rapture is also clearly Pre-Tribulation. That will all depend on if you believe what I teach in this article. The Seven Seals,
After the Rapture happens, the next event in the End Times will be a War in Heaven.
First let's take a look at the event itself, which is clearly in scripture.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NASB)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 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. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Paul also has this to say…
1 Corinthians 15:50-53 (NASB)
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
From just these two scriptures we know this is what happens when we are raptured…
Jesus will descend from heaven, and the souls of every true believer who has ever died since He rose from the dead will be following Him. With a great shout the rapture will take place. First the bodies of the dead will rise as imperishable bodies. Then as their souls are reunited with their now imperishable bodies, all believers who are still alive will be changed from perishable to imperishable. This way we will all receive our glorified bodies at the same exact moment. Then all of us will be caught up together to be with Jesus in the clouds.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul says, those who remain will be caught up together. The Greek word in the ancient manuscripts for "Caught Up" is "Harpazo". It means to be caught up, or snatched up in a quick, almost violent manner. From the definition, we know we will not be gathered up and slowly rise up to the clouds, but it will stay consistent with how we are changed. We will be snatched up quickly. The same word in the Latin manuscripts is "Rapturo". Which is where the word "rapture" derives from.
Can you type the word "rapture" into a Bible app and find a verse that uses it? No. Is the rapture in the Bible? Yes. The word that "rapture" is derived from is in the Latin version, and the event itself is definitely in the Bible.
Okay the Rapture is Biblical. Doesn't it happen at the same time Jesus returns in the Second Coming?
There are a lot of churches that teach this belief. Catholicism pushes this stance. The problem is that when you really study it, you find that is actually logically impossible according to the Word of God.
It is entirely possible for two different events to have similarities. What is not possible is for two prophecies of the same event to have contradictions. To accept that, is to believe that God's Word has contradictions. That would mean you cannot truly trust His Word as the full truth. That is unacceptable. If there are clear contradictions in prophecy, the only possibility is that they are two different events.
From the above verses about the rapture, I would like to make a few points clear.
- It is Jesus Himself who calls us up to Him in the clouds.
- It happens in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.
- It has everyone being changed to imperishable bodies.
- Nobody is mentioned to see Jesus descending. After all, if we had the chance to see Jesus coming, how could it happen in the twinkling of an eye?
Now let us look at a scripture about the Second Coming. You will notice that we can be certain this is the Second Coming because it clearly says it happens "after" the tribulation. Which is when Jesus returns to fight Armageddon.
Mark 13:24-27 (NASB)
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
When you read this scripture on the Second Coming and compare it to the scriptures on the Rapture, you find these stark differences…
- Jesus doesn’t call us up to Him, but instead He sends forth His angels to gather us.
- It doesn’t happen in the twinkling of an eye, but there are great signs that will accompany it. The Sun and moon darkening, the lightning.
- There is no mention of anyone being changed.
- Every eye sees Him coming! So it cannot happen in the twinkling of an eye.
With these differences, it is impossible to accept that both scriptures are of the same event. They cannot be the same event without there being contradictions in Bible prophecy. And as I said, that is unacceptable.
Well they aren't the same event. Jesus just raptures us on his way down from Heaven!
First off, if that was true, then it would make it impossible for scripture to say no man knows the day or hour. We would know when Jesus is going to rapture us because we would see Jesus descending first. Remember, the Bible clearly says that every eye will see Him coming. Not just those who are not being raptured. Every eye will! However, Jesus also said that if one believes they will not be judged and if they do not believe they are already judged. Ask yourself, if Jesus raptures us on His way down from heaven, and every eye sees Him coming, who would there be to say He was not truly Lord at that moment? They haven't died yet and they haven't missed the rapture yet. Jesus would have to rapture about 99% of the world then. Who would see Jesus descending with their own eyes and still not believe?
Yet there is still more reason to recognize that the rapture must happen before Jesus returns in the Second Coming. Not before He comes to earth, but before He even begins His descent.
Revelation 19:7-8 (NASB)
7 Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
First, we know the bride is the church because it clearly says the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Also, take special note of how it describes the Bride. It describes her as wearing "fine linen, bright and clean; ;". Then compare that to this scripture just a few verses later, when Jesus is preparing to return in the Second Coming to fight in Armageddon.
Revelation 19:11-14 (NASB)
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
The armies are clothed in fine linen, white and clean! There is no doubt the armies which are in heaven that follows Jesus back is the same as the bride. Which is the church. To reiterate, it clearly says this army is in heaven. Not on earth! So we now know that the church must be in heaven before Jesus descends in the Second Coming. So if the Church is the Bride, and they are in heaven to go through the marriage to the Lamb, and then the Bible clearly says they are also the army "which are in heaven" that will follow Him back in the Second Coming... How can we possibly be raptured during His descent?
Some have tried to argue that Revelation is not all in chronological order, but this is a very weak argument. I understand that often from chapter to chapter it can be a different subject but we are talking just a few verses apart. Why would the Holy Spirit reveal the marriage to the Lamb right before the Second Coming when the event happen in the opposite order? Why would the Holy Spirit describe the Bride and the armies the same way, to clarify that the bride is in fact the same as the armies that follow Jesus back, but give the wrong order of events? Why would the Holy Spirit intentionally try to deceive us? Plus this theory of the book not being in chronological order doesn't explain the simple fact that when describing the armies that will follow Jesus back, which we know is the bride, it clearly says the armies "which are in heaven"! They are already there!
And yet, there is more. Let's take a look at three chapters of Revelation. Chapters 19, 20 & 21 in particular. Again, lets first hit the point that not all of Revelation is in chronological order. I understand that. However, when you read these three chapters, I believe it is illogical to think they are not in order.
Now it would make this article way too long to give all three chapters of scripture, so I am going to do this part different. I am going to break these three chapters into separate events. I will list the verses and give a quick note on what event happens. This way if you want to check me, you can follow along in your own Bible to make sure I am not making stuff up. Also, I will make the parts that Post-Tribulationists believe would be out of order. This way you can see how perfect the entire order is and how illogical it is to think it is not in order.
Revelation 19:1-6 (P-T believes out of order)
There is a great multitude in heaven. So many that their voices sound like rushing water. They and the 24 elders are praising God.
Revelation 19:7-9 (Some P-T believes out of order)
The marriage of the lamb. The bride is the church.
Revelation 19:11-18
This is Jesus, prepared to return, to fight Armageddon. An angel heralding the coming victory, telling the birds of the air to come and feast on the armies that will be slaughtered.
Revelation 19:19
The antichrist and the kings of the land assemble at Armageddon to prepare for battle.
Revelation 19:20-21
The antichrist and the false prophet are taken and cast into the Lake of Fire. The rest of the armies are killed.
Revelation 20:1-3
An angel chains up the devil and throws him into the abyss. Locking him away for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4 (P-T believes out of order)
The church is given thrones and judgment is given to them. Those who died because they refused to take the mark of the beast or worship his image come back to life and they join them. They reign with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:5-6
A note that this was the first resurrection. The rest of the dead will not come back to life for a thousand years. Blessed and holy are those who take part of the first resurrection for they will not take part in the second death and will reign with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:7-10
Satan is released for a short time and he turns the people against the holy city. As they come upon the plain of the earth, God wipes them out with fire from heaven. The devil is taken again and this time thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Revelation 20:11-15
This is the judgment in front of the great white throne. All of the dead who rejected Jesus will be judged and cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21
This entire chapter is about the old earth passing away and God gives us a new earth. He places a new Jerusalem on the new earth and it will be they great holy city of the new earth.
If you read these events as if they are in Chronological order, everything fits perfectly for the Pre-Tribulation rapture to be true. Not almost perfectly, but perfectly! However, for the Post-Trib rapture to be true, it means that everything is in perfect order except for two events. The church in heaven is out of order and the Christians who reject the mark of the beast coming back to life are out of order. But how much sense does that actually make?
1) The Holy Spirit is giving these visions to John. He shows John the church in heaven. If the post-tribulation rapture is true, then the Holy Spirit is revealing one of the latter events first. Then jumps back to the beginning and shows him all of these other events in perfect order. Only after the vision of Armageddon and the devil being imprisoned, oh wait, I forgot to tell you, the dead are resurrected! Never mind it was already revealed the church is in heaven. Then after telling that one quick event, which lasts only one verse, the Holy Spirit jumps back into being in perfect sequence again? That is something I would expect from a person with ADHD telling us everything that will happen. Not the Holy Spirit!
2) If in Revelation 20:4, it is the rapture of the church being mentioned, why does it only mention those who were killed because they would not accept the mark of the beast or worship the image of the beast? What about all the dead who never saw the end times because they died during the 2,000 years before it happened? What of the countless Christians who died of old age?
3) If Jesus raptures the church on his way down from heaven, then there would be no Christians who are killed because they refused to take the mark of the beast. They would have been raptured with the rest of the church.
4) This vision clearly has the church sitting in the thrones before the dead come to life. However, Paul clearly says that first the dead will rise and then the living will be changed. Then they are all taken up together. How could they come to life and join the rest in their thrones and not be caught up into the clouds as Paul says? How can they come to life and join the others if they rise first?
The truth is, the dead who come back to life in Revelations 20, are exactly who it says they are. They are the tribulation saints. The Christians who turn to Christ after the rapture, who are killed during the tribulation because they will not take the mark of the beast or worship his image.
When you take all of this evidence and put it together, it is logically impossible according to God's Word, for the rapture to happen after the tribulation. It must happen before Jesus descends from heaven in the Second Coming. It has to happen far enough in advance of the Second Coming to allow for the church to be prepared and married to the Lamb. It must happen early enough that there is enough time for enough people to turn to Christ after the rapture, to make them worth the antichrist's time to persecute them. After all, if only a few hundred Christians are alive during the tribulation, do you really think the antichrist would even bother with them?
You can believe what you want, but if you truly believe the Bible is the Word of God and the truth, it simply does not work with the post tribulation rapture.
1) There are distinct differences between the Rapture and Second Coming, so they cannot be the same event. Jesus calls us up in the rapture and sends His angels forth to gather the elect in the Second Coming. The rapture happens in the twinkling of an eye and no man knows when it will happen. The Second Coming will be accompanied by great signs and every eye will see Him coming. For the rapture we are changed from perishable to imperishable. The Second Coming never mentions any change.
2) The Church is the Bride, which is also the armies which are in heaven. So the church must be in heaven before Jesus descends in the Second Coming so that we can be wed to Him as well as follow Him down.
3) The Chronological order of events in Chapters 19, 20 & 21 in Revelation all fit perfect with the Pre-Tribulation stance. To believe the Post-Trib, you have to think the Holy Spirit has ADHD.
When you put these things together, you just cannot logically accept the rapture is the same event or happens at the same time as the Second Coming. These are not theories. These are scripture facts!
Why do so many believe the Post-Trib Rapture is right then?
One of the reasons is because the scripture about the rapture says it will happen at the last trumpet...
1 Corinthians 15:50-53 (NASB)
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
They assume the Last Trumpet is the 7th Trumpet in Revelations. The problem is that 1 Corinthians was written by Paul, before John wrote Revelation. John could have written something that was a reference to what Paul had already written, but Paul would not have referenced something that is not mentioned anywhere else and was yet to be written. However, logically Paul was referencing another trumpet. Not one of the Seven Trumpets in Revelation, which had not been written yet, but a trumpet that he himself had already written about in the very same book.
1 Corinthians 14:8 (KJV)
8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
You see? The trumpet that will sound will be the last time a trumpet is ever sounded to gather an army for God. The last trumpet will sound and the church will be raptured. The church which is the bride of the Lamb, which I have already shown in Revelation 19, is also the armies which are in heaven who will follow Jesus back in the Second Coming.
Another reason the Post-Tribulation rapture is believed is due to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 is translated wrong in the KJV Bible.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (KJV)
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
According to this translation, many interpret this to mean the rapture/Second Coming cannot happen until after the antichrist is revealed. Which most believe will happen at the midpoint of the tribulation. The problem here is the phrase "day of Christ".
When the KJV Bible was translated in 1611, they had to compare all of the ancient manuscripts they had and all of the oldest manuscripts said "day of Christ". So they were correct to use that phrase. Only today, we have thousands more ancient manuscripts to compare and many of them much older than what they had in 1611. All of the oldest manuscripts we have today use the term "day of the Lord".
Apparently, at one point in time, a copyist was creating a copy of this book and decided that the term "day of Christ" was a better suited phrase for his time era and location. It likely never even occurred to him that there was any difference in the two phrases. Except there was. There was a very large difference.
If you do a search in the Bible for these two phrases (Excluding the verse in question of course), you learn they are nearly opposite in meaning. "Day of Christ" is always used to reference the gathering to Jesus or the Second Coming. The "day of the Lord" however, is always used to reference the great day of God's wrath or His anger.
Nearly every scholar today agrees that the original manuscript had "day of the Lord". In which this scripture would then be saying that the great day of God's wrath would not happen until after the antichrist is revealed. Which means there is no longer anything in this scripture that says the rapture cannot happen before that.
The problem is when you read this scripture, it just doesnt make a lot of sense. Clearly Paul is writing to the church to settle them down. They are upset by some false information they received that the Second Coming is at hand and they are very disturbed by this. Why would any Christian be upset that the second coming was about to happen? That is the day of our vindication! That is the day we all look forward to! Paul often preaches how we look forward to that time we are with the Lord. The idea the church was upset that the second coming was at hand is already proof that this is a bad interpretation of the scripture.
Now look at it from the Pre-Tribulation point of view. ..... The church had received false information that the "day of the Lord" was at hand. The day of God's wrath. But according to multiple scriptures (which you will see later in this article) we are supposed to be spared from going through the day of Gods Wrath. So if that day was at hand, it means they had missed the rapture! Now they have something serious to be upset about. So Paul writes to them that the day of God's Wrath is not at hand because as he has told them in the past, that will not happen until after the son of perdition will be revealed.
From the Pre-Tribulation view, this scripture makes perfect sense. From the Post-Tribulation view, it does not.
I would like to point out something else while on the subject. Many interpret this to mean that this will happen after the midpoint of the tribulation because it says the son of perdition will sit in the temple and claim to be God. Because we know from Daniel that he does this in the middle of the Tribulation. However this never says that he will sit in the temple and claim to be God at the time he reveals himself. It only says that the day of the Lord will not happen until after the son of perdition is revealed. Then it goes on to describe who this son of perdition is. The one who will take a seat in the temple and claim to be God. In truth, the son of perdition will be revealed to the believers of Jesus before the tribulation actually starts. When a man rises to power from within a coalition of ten nations that united their military power, every true believer will know who he is. We will know that he is the one who will, at the midpoint of the tribulation, enter the Holy Place and claim to be God.
If not the Post-Tribulation, then what about the Mid-Trib or Pre-Wrath?
Of these two, the Pre-Wrath came very close to getting it right. Actually they did have it right... technically, I suppose. There are in fact some scriptures that are very clear that the rapture is pre-wrath.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (NASB)
9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
Romans 5:9 (NASB)
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
Revelation 3:10 (NASB)
10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
So obviously we are saved from God's wrath, so the rapture must happen before the wrath begins. Where they got it wrong however, is their understanding of when the Wrath of God begins.
Many believe the Wrath of God is the Seven Bowls of God's Wrath. It just seems obvious doesn't it? It does if you don't pay attention. The seven bowls of God's wrath begins in Revelation chapter 16. However, the angels who pour out the seven bowls of God's Wrath are mentioned in the previous chapter.
Revelation 15:1 (NASB)
1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
In these angels is not the wrath of God. In them the wrath of God is finished! So if it is finished here, where does it begin? Believe it or not, scripture tells us this.
Revelation 6:16-17 (NASB)
16 and they *said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
This verse is part of the Sixth Seal. So now we know that God's wrath begins in the Sixth Seal. We also know that the rapture will happen before the wrath of God. Which means that we now know the rapture must happen before the Sixth Seal. So the final question is, "When does the Sixth Seal happen?"
Almost every eschatologist seems to preach that the Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets and the Seven Bowls of God's Wrath will all happen inside the Seven years of Tribulation. And that is their biggest mistake when trying to interpret the End Times. I made the same mistake for a while and for some reason I could never make the entire timeline fit together cleanly. There were always problems I couldn't get around. That is until I realized that the Seven Seals were not part of the Tribulation. They had to be broken before the Tribulation began.
Now I could write it all out for you on why, but I have already done that before. So instead, I will leave you with a link to an article I wrote about the Seven Seals. I have shown you that it is impossible for the rapture to be Post Tribulation. I have shown you how the rapture is indeed Pre-Wrath. However, if the Seals are broken before the Tribulation begins as I say, then it clearly means that the Rapture is also clearly Pre-Tribulation. That will all depend on if you believe what I teach in this article. The Seven Seals,
After the Rapture happens, the next event in the End Times will be a War in Heaven.
