Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Why Pre-Trib Rapture: Reason for a rapture
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture has a whole lot of real evidence in the Bible. To the point that when you put it all together, it becomes the clear truth. I have put much of it in articles but they become long articles that many do not want to read. I felt it time to break it all down. This short article is one in a series that when put together, they prove the Pre-Trib rapture is true.
If the rapture is Post-tribulation, there is no reason to have a rapture. Jesus is coming down to earth and in His descent He calls us up to Him in the clouds. Then He brings us right back to Earth. Why? Why not have His angels gather us and take us right to Armageddon instead of up to Him in the clouds? It simply makes no sense.
The Old Testament was all about the Jew. It was God saving His chosen people. Over and over they continued to be saved by God only to turn away again and again. Finally God sent the Word to become His only begotten Son and what did His people do again? They rejected Jesus and killed Him.
A lot of Christians don't understand that the Lord came for the Jew first. It was not until after they rejected Him and killed Him that God then offered salvation to the gentiles as well. It is in Acts 10, starting with verse 34 on through the rest of the chapter that Peter makes a speech and then the Holy Spirit fell upon the Jews and the gentiles and the Jews were amazed that the Spirit had fallen on the gentiles as well.
Before Jesus died, everything was about reconciling the Jews to God. When they killed Jesus, the time of the Jews ended and the time of the church began. The entire New Testament after Acts 10, is no longer about saving the Jews but it is about the gentiles. It is about the church. However, if you read Daniel chapter 9, you learn that the 70th week prophecy, which is the last 7 years before the Lord returns, is once again about the Jew. Not about the church. That is the reason for the rapture.
The Old Testament was the time of the Jew. After Jesus died and rose again, it became the time of the church. The 7 year tribulation however is not about the church, it is about God finally reconciling the Jews back to Him. So He raptures the church. This changes everything away from the church and back to the Jew.
This is also supported with scripture....
Romans 11:25-26 (NASB)
25 For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved;...
Paul tells us that the Jews (Israel) have had a partial hardening to their hearts. This hardening will continue until when? Until the fullness of the gentiles has come in. So once the fullness of the gentiles comes in, which is the saved Christians, that is when the hardening of Israel will be lifted and all of Israel can be saved. But where is it in the end times that Israel's hardened hearts is lifted and they turn to Christ?
Revelation 7:2-4 (NASB)
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
Here is where 144,000 Jews are sealed to God. This is the beginning of Israel turning to Christ. So now we know that the fullness of the church comes in before this, because it must come in before the hardening of Israel is lifted. However, if you notice, Rev 7:2-4 also mentions that the 144,000 Jews must be sealed before the Earth and the Trees can be harmed. So when is that? The 1st Trumpet
Revelation 8:7 (NASB)
7 The first sounded, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
So we have the Earth and Trees being harmed in the first Trumpet. We know the Jews must be sealed before that. We know the Fullness of the gentiles comes in before the Jews can turn to Christ. Not after the Tribulation or the middle of the Tribulation, but it must happen before the first Trumpet is sounded. The Trumpets by the way are the Seventh Seal. So the fullness of the gentiles must come in before the Seventh seal is broken.
If you read this article, "Seven Seals" you learn that the Seven Seals are not a part of the tribulation but actually must be broken before the Tribulation begins.
In case you haven't figured it out. When the fullness of the gentiles comes in, there is only one event that could happen here and actually make sense. The Rapture of the church.
Note: I feel it important to clarify something here. After the Tribulation Saints are resurrected, the Bible says "This is the First Resurrection". So some think this is proof that it must be the who church. Yet it never talks about the living and we know there will be living saints resurrected. The reason for this is because this is not the entire resurrection. This is just the completion of the first resurrection. When Jesus ascended to heaven, He was called the first fruits. Paul says that when Jesus ascended, He took with Him captive a host of captives. In Matthew it mentions that the Old Saints rose from their graves and went into the city. This was all parts of the resurrection. The rapture is also a part and the Tribulation Saints coming back to life is the completion of it.
Return to Pre-Trib Rapture Articles
If the rapture is Post-tribulation, there is no reason to have a rapture. Jesus is coming down to earth and in His descent He calls us up to Him in the clouds. Then He brings us right back to Earth. Why? Why not have His angels gather us and take us right to Armageddon instead of up to Him in the clouds? It simply makes no sense.
The Old Testament was all about the Jew. It was God saving His chosen people. Over and over they continued to be saved by God only to turn away again and again. Finally God sent the Word to become His only begotten Son and what did His people do again? They rejected Jesus and killed Him.
A lot of Christians don't understand that the Lord came for the Jew first. It was not until after they rejected Him and killed Him that God then offered salvation to the gentiles as well. It is in Acts 10, starting with verse 34 on through the rest of the chapter that Peter makes a speech and then the Holy Spirit fell upon the Jews and the gentiles and the Jews were amazed that the Spirit had fallen on the gentiles as well.
Before Jesus died, everything was about reconciling the Jews to God. When they killed Jesus, the time of the Jews ended and the time of the church began. The entire New Testament after Acts 10, is no longer about saving the Jews but it is about the gentiles. It is about the church. However, if you read Daniel chapter 9, you learn that the 70th week prophecy, which is the last 7 years before the Lord returns, is once again about the Jew. Not about the church. That is the reason for the rapture.
The Old Testament was the time of the Jew. After Jesus died and rose again, it became the time of the church. The 7 year tribulation however is not about the church, it is about God finally reconciling the Jews back to Him. So He raptures the church. This changes everything away from the church and back to the Jew.
This is also supported with scripture....
Romans 11:25-26 (NASB)
25 For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved;...
Paul tells us that the Jews (Israel) have had a partial hardening to their hearts. This hardening will continue until when? Until the fullness of the gentiles has come in. So once the fullness of the gentiles comes in, which is the saved Christians, that is when the hardening of Israel will be lifted and all of Israel can be saved. But where is it in the end times that Israel's hardened hearts is lifted and they turn to Christ?
Revelation 7:2-4 (NASB)
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
Here is where 144,000 Jews are sealed to God. This is the beginning of Israel turning to Christ. So now we know that the fullness of the church comes in before this, because it must come in before the hardening of Israel is lifted. However, if you notice, Rev 7:2-4 also mentions that the 144,000 Jews must be sealed before the Earth and the Trees can be harmed. So when is that? The 1st Trumpet
Revelation 8:7 (NASB)
7 The first sounded, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
So we have the Earth and Trees being harmed in the first Trumpet. We know the Jews must be sealed before that. We know the Fullness of the gentiles comes in before the Jews can turn to Christ. Not after the Tribulation or the middle of the Tribulation, but it must happen before the first Trumpet is sounded. The Trumpets by the way are the Seventh Seal. So the fullness of the gentiles must come in before the Seventh seal is broken.
If you read this article, "Seven Seals" you learn that the Seven Seals are not a part of the tribulation but actually must be broken before the Tribulation begins.
In case you haven't figured it out. When the fullness of the gentiles comes in, there is only one event that could happen here and actually make sense. The Rapture of the church.
Note: I feel it important to clarify something here. After the Tribulation Saints are resurrected, the Bible says "This is the First Resurrection". So some think this is proof that it must be the who church. Yet it never talks about the living and we know there will be living saints resurrected. The reason for this is because this is not the entire resurrection. This is just the completion of the first resurrection. When Jesus ascended to heaven, He was called the first fruits. Paul says that when Jesus ascended, He took with Him captive a host of captives. In Matthew it mentions that the Old Saints rose from their graves and went into the city. This was all parts of the resurrection. The rapture is also a part and the Tribulation Saints coming back to life is the completion of it.
Return to Pre-Trib Rapture Articles
