There will NOT be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture...
scriptures confirms this.
There is a widely held deception within the Church that the rapture takes place BEFORE the tribulation period. Many Christians falsely believe they will be taken out of the world before the tribulation period begins. This article presents concise Scriptural proof from the words of the Apostle Paul that there will not be any pre-tribulation rapture of the Church.
Before going any further, let me define what the rapture is. The rapture is this specific event:
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
—1 THESSALONIANS 4:15-17
There is no debate within the Church that the above event is the rapture. The debate centers around the timing of the event—that is, will the Church be here during the tribulation period or not.
In the above letter to the Thessalonians, Paul described what the rapture is—when Christians are caught up in the clouds to be with the Lord. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul addresses when the rapture takes place. And in the order of events presented by Paul in the first three verses of the 2nd chapter of 2nd Thessalonians, the theory of a pre-tribulation rapture of the Church is proven false.
Here then are the key verses (with key phrases in bold):
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;
—2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
I will now parse out these 3 verses to show the order of events Paul presents:
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In verse 2, the “day of Christ” is the antecedent of “that day” in verse 3—meaning the “day of Christ” is the day Paul is referring to when he says “that day”.
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In verse 1, the “gathering together” is the antecedent of the “day of Christ” in verse 2—meaning the “gathering together”, or rapture, is what Paul is referring when he says the “day of Christ”.
So putting it all together, Paul says in verse 3 to not let anyone deceive you, for “that day”—the “day of Christ”, when we are gathered together with Him, or the rapture—will not come, except there is a falling away and the antichrist is revealed first.
So the order Paul presents is there is a falling away and the antichrist come first, and then the rapture occurs after that. And that ladies and gentlemen, is the reverse order that is the pre-tribulation rapture theory presents.
Paul says:
The antichrist comes first and then the rapture occurs after that.
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Pre-tribbers say:
The rapture comes first and then the antichrist comes after that.
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Matthew chapter 24 is quite clear on the subject of Jesus' Second Coming, when He is going to return to gather all those who have received Him as their Savior and take them with Him back to Heaven - an event commonly referred to as "the Rapture." The rest of the Bible is also clear on when this happens. That's why for nearly 1,800 years practically every Christian believed Jesus would come back after the period He refers to as "Great Tribulation" - three and a half years of intense persecution.
It's only in the last couple of hundred years that people like C.I. Scofield (1843-1921) came along with the false doctrine that Jesus would come before the Tribulation. "Don't worry, Jesus is going to come and take you out of this world before the trouble comes, so you won't have to suffer." Naturally that became a very popular doctrine because it was just what everybody had been waiting to hear.
When does Jesus come back for us? - That's also plain as day: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days" Jesus returns (Matthew 24:29). Jesus doesn't say that when we see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place He's about to rescue us out of this world, away from the Antichrist and the trouble to come. He warns us to head for the hills (Matthew 24:16). In other words, we will still be here.
And why did the Lord and the prophets go to so much trouble to tell us exactly how long the Great Tribulation would last - the exact time in terms of days, months, and years - if we didn't need to know these things, if we won't be here, counting the days and the weeks? (Daniel 7:25; 12:11; Revelation 13:5). Jesus told us these specifics because He wants us to be able to take heart in knowing that the Tribulation isn't going to last forever, and that every passing day is bringing us closer to the glorious end.
During the Tribulation, things will get so bad that many people will think it's time for Jesus to come, especially Christians who were taught that He was supposed to come before the Tribulation. They're going to expect Him to come any day. But Jesus warns us not to expect Him sooner than has been foretold. He also warns us to not be deceived by either false christs who will try to deceive us into thinking that they are Christ, or by false prophets who will try to tell us that Christ's coming is imminent or that He's already here somewhere (Matthew 24:23-26). He tells us to not believe any of them, because when He comes, we will know it!
Some people who teach a pre-Tribulation Rapture go so far as to say that it's going to be a secret Rapture - that nobody is going to see Him except the saved. Nobody else is even going to know He came. All of a sudden a bunch of us are just going to disappear, and those who are left behind won't know what's happened to us.
From my experience, many Christians who say they believe in the pre-Tribulation Rapture just don't want to have to go through the Tribulation and aren't the least bit prepared for it, so they come up with their own interpretation of the Scriptures or latch onto someone else's false teaching. But the Bible specifically says not to do that. "No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20). I don't care what other religious groups or other Christians say; what does the Bible say?
In Matthew 24, Jesus' disciples ask Him what will be the sign of His return, and Jesus answers with not one but a number of signs - wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecution of Christians, a proliferation of false prophets, lawlessness, a pervading lack of love, and the Gospel being preached in every nation. "Then," He says, "the end will come" (Matthew 24:4-14).
Beginning with the next verse, Jesus tells us what we can expect during the Great Tribulation - the last three and a half years leading up to His return, which is also the last half of the Antichrist's reign. Jesus also tells us what specific sign to watch for, so we'll know exactly when that period is beginning. "When you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place ... 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" (Matthew 24:15,21). We find out in the book of Revelation that this "abomination of desolation" is an image of the Antichrist, or Beast (Revelation 13:14-15). Both Daniel and Revelation tell us that this image will be set up in the holy place at exactly the middle of the Antichrist's seven-year reign (Daniel 9:27; 12:11; Matthew 24:15-21; Revelation 13:5).
If the Rapture is supposed to be a secret, why will the Lord make so much noise and put on such a show when He comes? His Word tells us that He's going to "come in the clouds with great power and glory." The sky will light up from one end to the other, and there will be such signs in the heavens that we couldn't possibly mistake the fact that Jesus is coming. In fact, it says that "every eye shall see Him." Everyone will also see the dead in Christ - all the saved people who have already died - rising to meet Him in the air as He comes. They'll hear Jesus, too, because He'll "descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and a great sound of the trump of God." And why are all of the unsaved going to mourn? - Because they're going to see and know what's happening (Matthew 24:27,30; "Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 1:7). It will be the greatest spectacle the world has ever seen.
That doesn't sound like a secret coming or secret Rapture to me! Does it to you?
And there it is again, plain as day: After the dead rise to meet the Lord, "then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). If we got raptured before, then what are we doing still here?
Many Christians believe the Scriptures teach that the Lord Jesus Christ will return to take His Church out of the world prior to the beginning of the great tribulation. This belief is often referred to as the "pre-tribulational rapture doctrine". However, this doctrine does not agree with many passages found in God's Word.
First, let us consider the fact that, according to the Scriptures, a trumpet will herald the return of Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 16 through 18:
16 For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with
these words.
Matthew chapter 24:
31 And he shall send his angels with a great
sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other.
1 Corinthians chapter 15
51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Since Jesus will return at the sounding of the "last trump", no more trumpets will sound after His return.
However, in verse 2 of Revelation chapter 8 we are told at least seven trumpets will be sounded during the tribulation.
2 And I saw the seven angels that stood
before God; and to them were given seven
trumpets.
The first four of these seven angels sound their trumpets in Revelation chapter 8, verses 7, 8, 10, and 12. The fifth and sixth angels sound their trumpets in Revelation chapter 9, verses 1 and 13. The seventh, and final angel to sound his trumpet does so in verse 15 of Revelation chapter 11.
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there
were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms
of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign
for ever and ever.
Matthew chapter 24, verses 29-31 and Mark chapter 13 verses 24-27 also describe the return of Jesus Christ and the gathering together of the elect.
Matthew chapter 24, verse 31 also refers to the fact that Jesus' return will be heralded by the sounding of a trumpet. His angels will be sent forth "...with a great sound of a trumpet...". This is significant because a previous verse, verse 29, states that this event will take place "...after the tribulation of those days...". We know that this refers to the great tribulation because verse 21 says,
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no,
nor ever shall be.
So, the trumpet that will sound at the return of Jesus Christ will be the last trump to sound. There cannot be another return of Christ and the sounding of another trumpet.
The First Resurrection:
Revelation chapter 20 verses 4 and 5 describe the "first resurrection".
Revelation Chapter 20
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Notice that the first resurrection takes place after the tribulation saints have been beheaded by the anti-Christ.
How can the tribulation saints be raised at the "first resurrection" if there will be a resurrection prior to the beginning of the great tribulation? If there is to be a resurrection of the saints before the resurrection of the tribulation saints, then the resurrection described in Revelation chapter 20 could not be the "first ressurrection".
Saints Will Be On the Earth During the Great Tribulation
The pre-tribulational rapture doctrine presumes that since the Church is not mentioned after Revelation chapter 3 that Jesus Christ will take the saints out of the world before the tribulation.
This key point of the pre-tribulational rapture doctrine is based, not on what the Bible says, but on what it does not say. What the Bible does say in the book of Revelation is, that saints will be on the earth dring the great tribulation. See Revelation chapters 13, 16, 17 and 18.
The word "saints" in these chapters of the book of Revelation is translated from the same Greek word that is translated "saints" in the rest of the New Testament.
Is Teaching that there is a Pre-Tribulational "Rapture" Harmful?
The pre- tribulational "rapture" doctrine says the believer will be taken to Heaven before the great tribulation begins. The problem with this belief is that when the tribulation begins and the believer is still in this world, they might believe that Jesus isn't coming back after all. The faith of many could be shaken to the very foundation.
Of course, if a person has truly believed in Jesus Christ, though their faith may be shaken, they will still be saved because the foundation (Jesus) will remain.
A greater danger of teaching the pre-tribulational "rapture" of the Church concerns the effect it could have on the unbelievers.
Consider the unsaved person who hears that the Church is to be "raptured" before the time of the great tribulation and the implementation of the mark of the beast. They might conclude that Jesus Christ is not going to return at all and be deceived into taking the mark of the beast.