We know that when Jesus gives a command, we must pay very close attention to it. We want to make sure we are obeying it carefully (John 15:10). It’s especially important for the Christian who is looking for and hastening the coming of the Lord (2 Peter 3:11-12). An alert believer knows the times and seasons in which he/she lives. Just like storm clouds speak of a coming storm, so too the times point to the soon return of Jesus Christ (Luke 12:54-56). Over 300 times we are taught in the Bible that Jesus is coming again. As the world gets darker and darker, the stage is set for the most glorious wonderful event to ever happen in our lifetime, the rapture of the Church! The question that has plagued the church for years is when? When will it happen? Will it be pre-trib, mid-trip, pre-wrath, post-trib, or not at all!? I believe the Bible teaches clearly that the rapture of the church will occur prior to the 7-Year Great Tribulation period.
Here are 12 reasons why:
1. Jesus gives a promise of escape.
Luke 21:34–36 (NKJV) “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
We are to pray that we might escape? Some will escape? YES! The Church will escape the wrath of God upon the earth because Jesus Christ took that wrath upon Himself.
2. Jesus gives a promise of being kept from hour of trial.
Revelation 3:7–10 (NKJV) ““And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Jesus gave a glorious promise to the ‘church’ in Philadelphia that they would be kept from the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world.
3. We currently live biblically in a dispensation of grace.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (NKJV) “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
We are living in a time period where God is not imputing men’s sins against him in Christ. If you sin right now, you have a Savior! If you confess, He forgives. But soon this time period will be replaced with a time of judgment.
Matthew 24:21 (NKJV) “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
4. There are different “Tribulations” taught in the Bible.
First there are tribulations, little ‘t’. These are general tribulations and trials that Jesus promised would come to His Church while living on the earth.
John 16:33 (NKJV) “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.””
James 1:2–3 (NKJV) “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”
2 Timothy 3:12 (NKJV) “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
Secondly, there is the Great Tribulation, capital “T”. This refers to a specific 7-year period of judgment described in detail through Revelation 6-19. This is also known as the time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7) and Daniel’s 70th Week (Daniel 9). The Great Tribulation will come upon the earth from heaven. The general tribulations will come from Satan, the world, and our flesh. The Great Tribulation is called the “Wrath of God”, the cup of His indignation (Revelation 14:10). The child of God, through their faith in Jesus Christ, is not appointed to this wrath.
Romans 5:9 (NKJV) “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NKJV) “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
5. During the Great Tribulation, the Church is singing a new song in heaven!
Revelation 5:8–10 (NKJV) “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
Who can sing this new song? Not the angels. Not the Old Testament saints. Only the church can sing this song, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
6. Mentions of the Church in Revelation, and it’s absence!
In the book of Revelation, the Church is mentioned some 19 times through chapter three. Then it is not mentioned again until chapter 19. Why? Because we believe the Church is in heaven during the Great Tribulation period described for us in Revelation 4-19.
7. God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations!
God has made distinctions between godly and ungodly, saved and unsaved, believer and unbeliever throughout history. All the way back in Genesis 18 we learn of the deliverance of Lot from Sodom BEFORE the judgement came. God orchestrated this. In much the same way, the rapture of the Church is the deliverance of all true believers PRIOR to the Great Tribulation judgment to come.
2 Peter 2:4–9 (NKJV) “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,”
8. There is a clear distinction between the RAPTURE of the Church & the 2nd Coming.
With the rapture, Jesus coming FOR His saints.
In His 2nd Coming, Jesus is coming WITH His saints.
Jude 14 (NKJV) “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,”
With the rapture, Jesus comes in the CLOUDS. (v17)
In His 2nd Coming, Jesus comes to the EARTH.
Zechariah 14:4 (NKJV) “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.”
There is a 7 year period of time in between these 2 events.
That 7 year time is known as the Great Tribulation Period.
Jacob’s Trouble – Daniel’s 70th week.
It’s a time of judgment that the earth has never seen.
Matthew 24:21 (NKJV) “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
9. The Trumpets of 1 Thessalonians & 1 Corinthians are NOT the same as in Revelation.
There are those who point to the trumpet sounding in 1 Thess 4:16 and say. ‘see, this is the 7th trumpet judgment in Revelation.’ So they falsely conclude that the Church MUST go through the Great Tribulation. It’s also compared to 1 Corinthians 15:52
Is this the 7th Trumpet in Revelation so that the church will go through at least some of the Great Tribulation?
FIRST: The trumpet at the rapture is called the “Trump of God”.
BUT The 7th trumpet in Revelation, the trump an angel!
Revelation 11:15 (NKJV) “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
SECONDLY: The trumpet at the rapture announces an event that happens in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye.
BUT The 7th trumpet in Rev will cover a period of days.
Revelation 10:7 (NKJV) “but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.”
FINALLY: The trumpet at the rapture is one of glory & majesty & wonderful changes taking place. We will see & be with the Lord!
BUT The 7th trumpet in Rev. is one of woe and destruction.
Revelation 11:14–15 (NKJV) “The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
Completely different trumpets for sure!
10. God has made a clear distinction between the Church and Israel.
God has 2 different groups He is dealing with. Israel began in the Old Testament as God called Abram out of the land of UR. The church was born on Pentecost, and is being built by Jesus. In the church we have a blending of Jew & Gentile with no more distinctions. You’re either in Jesus Christ or not.
1 Corinthians 10:32 (NKJV) “Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,”
There are some promises made to Israel do not necessarily apply to the church and the promises to the church not to Israel. For example, God gave Israel the land of Palestine, not to me as a part of the church. It was given to them forever, unconditionally! So what happened to Israel?
Romans 11:25 (NKJV) “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
Jesus rode into Jerusalem and although there were cries of Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, it would only be a few days before those cries changed to, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.”
John 1:11–13 (NKJV) “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
According to Daniel 9, there is still yet one period of 7 years left to fulfill in God’s dealing with the nation of Israel.
Daniel 9:26–27 (NKJV) “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the weekHe shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.””
Jeremiah 30:7 (NKJV) “Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.”
There is still future a 7 year period where God will again turn His attention toward the nation of Israel. A time we know as the Great Tribulation period. This is where the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, the church age is over and church is in heaven! We know it’s still future as just look around: Have you seen everlasting righteousness? Have we seen the anointing of the Most Holy? An end to vision & prophecy? NOPE. From the day of Jesus death to now there has been a huge gap. That 70th week has not been fulfilled. For over 2000 years, God’s heart has turned to the Gentiles. Romans 9-10-11, there will be a time, very soon where God’s heart turns again to the Jewish nation. 2000 year gap of time as the time clock for Israel has stopped. The time is coming where the fullness of the Gentiles is fulfilled and the 70th week of Daniel will be fulfilled too.
11. The rapture can happen at ANY time!
We are not looking for the antichrist, but Jesus Christ! We look around the world today and see the evil that is rampant. The obvious end times & seasons are all around us.
2 Thessalonians 2:3–6 (NKJV) “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.”
What or Who is that restraining force? I believe it’s the presence of the church on the earth today, indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 5:13–14 (NKJV) “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Once the SALT is removed, the earth becomes putrid, flavorless, and unpreserved, rapidly decaying.
Once the LIGHT is removed, the earth becomes dark, without direction, without spiritual revelation or understanding. The world will be ripe to receive the Antichrist… save us!
John 5:43 (NKJV) “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.”
12. It’s happened before in type and picture!
Caught up… Harpazo… Raptus… The rapture of the church.
Enoch experienced a taste of this.
Genesis 5:24 (NKJV) “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”
Elijah experienced a taste of this.
2 Kings 2:11 (NKJV) “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
John experienced a taste of this – Revelation 4.1-2
Noah was delivered from judgment – Genesis 7.13-16
Lot was delivered from judgment – Genesis 19.15-16
There were all suddenly, instantly delivered. The RAPTURE, caught up to be with the Lord in the air… Before the coming Great Tribulation.
I know, I know there are a whole host of people that will hear this teaching on the Rapture and deny it all! Come on, give me a break. Do you really believe this?!
This is when you’ll believe, when the first Christian is GONE! — Then you’ll race to church… what’s happening? Oh No! Oh Yes!
It’s time to get right with the Lord!
Wow! I learned new truths. This is so good. I will go back and study the scriptures given. Thank you. Carole Verti
Thanks for laying out the Scriptures in support of the immanent return of Jesus. Your article rounded out the ideas I had put together in a document on the Pre-trib rapture as it seems that believers have asked me about it from time to time. I decided it was time to write the supporting Scriptures out in an orderly fashion as you did. Thanks too for pointing out the differences between God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament and the Church beginning in the book of Acts as well as distinctives of His two returns.
I really like the contrasts of the trumpets. I’ve not seen that before, but the observational contrasts are excellent! Thank you for your work in putting this together. Maranatha!!!
I would also add the 2 Witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11. If the church were not raptured before the Tribulation, God would have no reason to send 2 supernaturally protected witnesses to preach the Gospel because He would already have hundreds of millions Christians to do that work around the world.
I find it interesting that people can read the Bible and have completely different interpretations. After to listening carefully to each of your arguments, I find they are inconclusive! The Bible is clear regarding the deity of Christ and the need for repentance, but the timing of our Resurrection/Rapture is not clearly given. When we handle God’s word, the safer position is just to say this is my opinion but I am not absolutely sure.
Good job.
Thank you for putting this together.