Blog

The Tribulation Rapture:

God’s people will be ‘caught up’ in the air with the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Coming.

Rapture verses in the Bible (specifically at the 7th and last trumpet):

• “ … and the harvest is the end of the age …” – Matthew 13:39
• “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.   And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.  And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of sky to the other.” – Matthew 24:29-31
• “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  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.” – Mark 13:24-27
• “I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.” – Luke 17:34-36
• “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” – Luke 21:25-28
• “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” – John 6:39
• “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” – John 6:40
• “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” – John 6:44
• “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” – John 6:54
• “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.” – 1 Corinthians 15:52
• “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.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16

• “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 will always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:17
• “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” – 2 Peter 3:10

Pre-Tribulation:

Many believe the rapture of the saints takes place before the tribulation, however there are no clear Biblical verses – not even one – stating there will be a pre-trib.

In fact, the pre-tribulation rapture theology originated in England by John Darby, around 1830 AD.

It was later popularized even further by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible in the United States in the early 20th century.

Pre-trib is a relatively new idea.   It is not biblically based.  It is a deception.

Scripture:

• “For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted …” – 2 Corinthians 11:4
• “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” – 2 Corinthians 11:13-14
• “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all.  Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” – Galatians 1:6-7
• “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” – 2 Timothy 3:13
• “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies.” – 2 Peter 2:1
• “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” – Titus 1:9
• “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception.” – Colossians 2:8
• “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:21

The Early Church Fathers fully expected to go through the tribulation. They also knew they would be persecuted by the antichrist, before the Lord came back.  There are many writings stating their beliefs.  The following are a few:

Justin Martyr (100-165 A.D.)

• “The man of apostasy, who speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians . . .” – ‘Dialogue with Trypho’, Chapter CX

Augustine (354-430 A.D.)

• “But he who reads this passage [Daniel 12], even half asleep, cannot fail to see that the kingdom of Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the Church before the last judgment of God shall introduce the eternal reign of the saints.” – ‘The City of God’, XX, Chapter 23

Hippolytus (170-236 A.D.)

• “Now, concerning the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon the Church from the adversary …” – ‘Treatise on Christ and Antichrist’, Chapter 60
• “That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days (the half of the week) during which the tyrant is to reign and persecute the Church …” – ‘Treatise on Christ and Antichrist’, Chapter 61

Cyprian of Carthage (200-258 A.D.)

• “The day of affliction has begun to hang over our heads, and the end of the world and the time of Antichrist to draw near, so that we must all stand prepared for the battle; nor consider anything but the glory of life eternal, and the crown of the confession of the Lord; and not regard those things which are coming as being such as were those which have passed away.” – Epistle 55.1
• “With the exhortation of His fore-seeing word, instructing, and teaching, and preparing, and strengthening the people of His Church for all endurance of things to come, He predicted and said that wars, and famines, and earthquakes, and pestilences would arise in each place . . .He previously warned us that adversity would increase more and more in the last times … as the Lord Himself promises, saying, ‘But when you see all these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand.’ – Luke 21:31” – Treatise VII.2

Irenaeus (130-202 A.D.)

Tradition says that Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of John the apostle.

• “And they [the ten kings] shall lay Babylon waste, and burn her with fire, and shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the Church to flight. After that they shall be destroyed by the coming of our Lord.” – ‘Against Heresies’, 5.26.1
• “But he [John] indicates the number of the name now [the number of the Beast], that when this man comes we may avoid him, being aware who he is.” – ‘Against Heresies’, 5.30.4
• “For all these and other words were unquestionably spoken in reference to the resurrection of the just, which takes place after the coming of Antichrist, and the destruction of all nations under his rule; in (the times of) which (resurrection) the righteous shall reign in the earth …” – ‘Against Heresies’, 5.35.1

Tertullian (160-220 A.D.)

• “Since, then, the Scriptures both indicate the stages of the last times, and concentrate the harvest of the Christian hope in the very end of the world” – ‘On the Resurrection of the Flesh’, Chapter 25
• “Now the privilege of this favor [to be clothed with immortality] awaits those who shall at the coming of the Lord be found in the flesh, and who shall, owing to the oppressions of the time of Antichrist, deserve by an instantaneous death, which is accomplished by a sudden change, to become qualified to join the rising saints.” – ‘On the Resurrection of the Flesh’, Chapter 41

Believers are not appointed to wrath:

• “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
• “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or sleep, we will live together with Him.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

But, believers will be persecuted:

• The Lord Jesus said that the world would treat us the way it treated Him: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.”  – John 15:18
• “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” – Romans 8:17
• “the fellowship of His sufferings” – Philippians 3:10
• “for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” – Acts 9:16
• “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.” – Acts 5:41
• “knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.” – 2 Corinthians 1:7
• “Are they servants of Christ? – I speak as if insane – I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.” – 2 Corinthians 11:23
• “For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:11-13
• “Choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.” – Hebrews 11:25
• “If anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” – 1 Peter 4:16
• “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.  But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.” – John 15:20-21
• “A disciple is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master.  It is enough for the disciple that he become like his master.  If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household.” Matthew 10:24-25
• “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Jesus Christ will be persecuted.” – 2 Timothy  3:12

And that His disciples, like the prophets of old, would be persecuted for righteousness sake:

• “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:10-12
• “If you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed.” – 1 Peter 3:14

Tribulation verses warning that believers will be persecuted:

• “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.  Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.” – Matthew 24:8-9
• “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” – Matthew 10:22
• “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”  – Romans 8:35-37
• “You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” – Mark 13:13
• “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.  It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.” – Luke 21:12-13

The Lord will never leave you:

• “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6
• “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.” – Deuteronomy 31:8
• “No one will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.  Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” – Joshua 1:5
• “May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us nor forsake us.” – 1 Kings 8:57
• “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.  He will not fail you nor forsake you.” – 1 Chronicles 28:20
• “For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.” – Psalm 37:28
• “For the Lord will not abandon His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance.” – Psalms 94:14
• “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. … Do not fear, I will help you.” – Isaiah 41:10-13
• “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.  My God will hear me.” – Micah 7:7
• “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20
• “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” – John 14:18
• “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” – John 14:27
• “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16
• “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.  What will man do to me?’ “ – Hebrews 13:5-6

You can be assured that God Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You because He cannot lie and He always keeps His promises.

The Lord watches over His people through their times of tribulation:

• “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.” – Deuteronomy 32:10
• “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous.” – Job 36:7
• “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” – Psalm 32:8
• “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.” – Psalm 46:1-3 [at the last trumpet]
• “The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.” – Psalm 121:8
  
• “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” – Proverbs 15:3
• “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:14-16
• “We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.  We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.  And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God and eternal life.  Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” – 1 John 5:18-21

God’s people going through tribulations:

• A great time of trouble happened during the days of the Great Flood. Was Noah on the earth when the flood came?  Yes!  God saved Noah and his family through the flood. He did not snatch them out of the world but protected them when the waters came.
• The Israelites lived right in midst of all the ten plagues in Egypt.  And the Lord protected them through this tribulation.  David wrote, “The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.”  – Psalm 37:39.  The bowl judgments during the Tribulation will be very similar to the plagues of Egypt.
• The Lord Jesus Christ Himself ‘suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried’.   “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all.” – Romans 8:32  “When He [God] raised Him [Christ] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 1:20  On the eve of the crucifixion while the Lord Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.” – Luke 22:43
• “And he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ ” – Revelation 7:14

God saves His people in times of trouble:

• Lot and his family are saved by two angels right before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 19:15-25)  “And if He rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men.” – 2 Peter 2:7
• The Lord caused the earth to cease its rotation to give His people victory – “And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.  There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.” – Joshua 10:13-14
• Jonah spent three days in the belly of a great fish, “Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.” – Jonah 2:10
• The Lord saved Daniel while he was in the lion’s den. God didn’t prevent Daniel from going into the den but sent angels to protect him inside it. (Daniel 6:16)
• He also saved Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego through the fiery furnace when they refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. God didn’t prevent these faithful followers from being thrown into the furnace, but the Lord was actually in the flames with these young men protecting them. (Daniel 3:16-23)

Refiners Fire:

A refiner’s fire refines. It purifies. It melts down the bar of silver or gold, separates out the impurities that ruin its value, burns them up, and leaves the silver and gold intact. The Lord is a refiner’s fire.

• “But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” – Job 23:10
• “For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined.” – Psalm 66:10
• “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests hearts.” – Proverbs 17:3
  
• “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” – Isaiah 48:10
• “Behold, I will refine them and assay them.” – Jeremiah 9:7
• “And I will bring the third part through the fire (read Revelation 9:18), refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested.  They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ “ – Zechariah 13:9
  
• “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” – Hebrews 12:6
• “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 1:6-7
• “After you have suffered for a little while the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10
• “That hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” – Revelation 3:10

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28

“For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, because burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.” – 2 Corinthians 5:4-5

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” – Revelation 19:7

Paul warned believers: “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” – Acts 14:22

It is in tribulation that the believer shines the brightest.

Describing His second coming, Jesus told a parable about ten virgins that ends with these words: “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!’ “ – Matthew 25:6

It is not during the daytime or even at dusk that Jesus will come, but at earth’s darkest hour.

Warning – ears tickled:

• “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” – 2 Timothy 4:3-4
• “For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord; who says to the seers, ‘You must not see visions’; and to the prophets, ‘You must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions.  Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.’ “ – Isaiah 30:9-11
• “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking.” – Hebrews 12:25

Do not be deceived:

• “See to it that no one misleads you.  For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ’, and will mislead many.”  – Matthew 24:4-5
• “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.” – Matthew 7:15
  
• “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.  Therefore be on the alert …” – Acts 20:28-31
• “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.  Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.  But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.  For this reason it says, ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’  Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.  So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” – Ephesians 5:6-21
• “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:3

“A severer and a fiercer fight is now threatening, for which the soldiers of Christ ought to prepare themselves with uncorrupted faith and robust courage, considering that they drink the cup of Christ’s blood daily, for the reason that they themselves also may be able to shed their blood for Christ. For this is to wish to be found with Christ, to imitate that which Christ both taught and did, according to the Apostle John, who said, ‘He that says he abides in Christ, ought himself also so to walk even as He walked.’ Moreover, the blessed Apostle Paul exhorts and teaches, saying, ‘We are God’s children; but if children, then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.’ “ – Cyprian of Carthage 200-258 A.D. – Epistle 55:1

Scripture clearly writes of a post-tribulation rapture.

The Post-tribulation rapture position believes that there is a resurrection of both dead and living believers in Jesus Christ at the end of the age.  Post-tribulationists believe that Christians will remain on the earth throughout the seven year tribulation period that includes the last three and a half years, which some call the “Great Tribulation”.  The distinguishing feature of the post-tribulation view is that it believes the rapture will occur after the seven year tribulation period and not before as in the pre-tribulation view.

Believers in Jesus Christ will be raptured to meet Christ in the air at His Second Coming immediately following the Great Tribulation (at the 7th Trumpet) and right before the battle of Armageddon, when the Lord defeats and casts the Beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire and Satan is bound and cast into the abyss for 1,000 years.

click here for: Second Coming – The Rapture scripture