The Timing of the Rapture

Great Escape

A False Hope?

[Being Ready For the Great Tribulation]

By Wes Peters

(Oklahoma City, OK)

Preface

Being the resident of a landlocked state in the middle of the US, I have never prepared for the arrival of a hurricane. The reason is simply because I never expect to encounter one. I'm not even sure what all hurricane preparations consist of.

By the same token, how many believers who think that they will be gone before the great tribulation beginshave taken the time to understand it and prepare for it? Not very many I'd guess. It's clear that we are instructed to watch and to be ready and alert for Christ's return but what all does that entail? The answer to that question will vary and depends largely on how we anticipate prophecy coming to pass. It's human nature for us to only prepare for what we see as likely to affect us.

My initial understanding of prophecy back in the 80s included the pre-trib rapture. I remember struggling trying to apply the relevance of Jesus' exhortations to be ready and alert for His return. If the pre-trib rapture was true and believers were going to be taken out of the world before the great tribulation started then why the added emphasis? If we were going to miss it all then what specifically were we to do at that point that was different from any other time?

I couldn't come up with an answer and the more I considered the implications of a pre-trib rapture the more lax I became about studying prophecy, a subject I was really interested in. I couldn't see the significance in studying something that I felt didn't have a practical application. While it was fun to speculate about, I failed to see its relevance if the pre-trib rapture was true. It wasn't until I had a discussion with someone who presented a strong biblical case for a different view of the rapture that I realized the need for a more diligent and exhaustive approach to studying end time prophecy.

I decided to abandon any prejudice toward any end time interpretation and spent months looking at prophecy related passages in an effort to harmonize them and arrive at an understanding supported directly by scripture. What is presented in this booklet is the result of years of adjusting and refining. I wouldn't say that it's set in stone but I feel it's mature enough to be put forth and given consideration.

It's my hope that those who approach the subject honestly, giving preference to scripture, will find the information presented in this booklet sufficient to determine that the rapture will not happen before the great tribulation;and in coming to that realization, that being alert and ready will take on its intended meaning.

Although one's viewpoint of the rapture does not affect their salvation, it will affect what they anticipate, and people prepare for what they expect to encounter. That's why it's relevant, and that's why it should be given an honest consideration.

Five were prudent. Five were foolish. See Matthew 25:1-13

The Timing of the Rapture

In order to understand when the rapture takes place, you have to look at the passages that speak about it directly. Start there, make observations, and then let scripture interpret scripture. Doing so will lead to a clear understanding of when that day is, at least in relation to other events. Let’s start with the two passages that actually deal directly with the rapture.

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 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 15:51-52

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with ashout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 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.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

According to these two verses we know exactly when the rapture will happen. It happens right after the resurrection at the last trumpet, when the dead in Christ are raised imperishable.

It is vitally important when considering the rapture to understand that there are only three resurrections when people are raised imperishable or immortal. This verse in 1 Corinthians describes the three resurrections.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comesthe end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

1 Corinthians 15:22-24

Christ was the first to be raised immortal. Second will be those who are Christ’s at His coming. This is the resurrection that happens just before the rapture. The third resurrection is at the end of Christ’s 1000 year kingdom on earth.

Since there is only one resurrection of those who are Christ’s, we know from the following verses when that resurrection is.

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 lastday.

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 lastday.

John 6:44

From these verses, it is clear that the resurrection of those who are Christ’s will happen on the last day. So now, when we put these together, we know that the rapture happensright after the resurrection at the last trumpet which is on the last day.

That’s a good start but it is still a bit ambiguous. When is the “last day”? Let’s look at another passage that will help us to further narrow down when that day is.

Now we request you, brethren, with regard to thecoming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,that you not be quickly shaken from yourcomposure or be disturbed either by a spirit or amessage or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2

These verses indicate that the resurrection and the rapture are events that happen on the day of the Lord. They are referred to here as “our gathering together to Him”. Apparently someone was telling the church in Thessalonica that the day of the Lord had already come and Paul was correcting that. So now we can add that and say that the rapture happens right after the resurrection at the last trumpet, on the last day, the day of the Lord.

That gives us a little more to work with but it doesn’t really narrow it down much. When we look at how the day of the Lord is described, there is one verse in particular that clues us in to when it might be.

For you yourselves know full well that thedayoftheLord will come just like a thief in the night.

1 Thessalonians 5:2

For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the wholeworld, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is calledHar-Magedon.

Revelation 16:14-16

Considering these two verses together, we learn that the day of the Lord is when Christ returns. In Revelation 16, when Christ says that He’s coming like a thief, the sixth bowl has been poured out and the armies are being gathered together for the battle of Armageddon. All that is left at this point is for Christ to return and establish the kingdom of God on earth.

It’s necessary to understand that the trumpets and bowls are related. The same seven angels that are given trumpets are also given bowls. This can be seen in Revelation 15:6-7 where the seven angels who already have the seven plagues are then given seven bowls.

The only seven plagues that we know of are associated with the seven trumpets so it’s reasonable to assume that the seven plagues that the angels haveis a reference to the plagues brought on by the seven trumpets. This is also evident in the striking similarities between the same numbered trumpets and bowls. The seven plague angels were given trumpets to begin their plagues and bowls to pour out to bring their plagues to their completion.

I bring that up because after the sixth bowl is poured out and Christ states that He is coming like a thief, the sixth angel is finished. The only thing that’s left is for the seventh angel to sound his trumpet and pour out his bowl. After the seventh angel sounds his trumpet then the Son of Man will sound the last one.

The last trumpet is the trumpet of the Lord. It's the one that He sounds from the clouds when He returns. It can be seen in these verses:

Then the Lord will appear over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning; And the Lord God will blow the trumpet, And will march in the storm winds of the south....And the Lord their God will save them in that day.

Zechariah 9:14,16a

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 Hiselect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Matthew 24:30b-31

The Lord will appear over them, on the clouds, and there will be lightning (as the seventh trumpet states) and He will blow His trumpet, the last trumpet. Those who are Christ's are then made immortal and gathered to Himself. Christ, and those with Him, will return to earth andIsrael shall be delivered from danger.

All of the events associated with the seventh plague angel (the seventh trumpet and bowl) take place on the last day. We know that after Christ returns He rules for 1000 years so what is the last day the last day of? The answer is found in the seventh trumpet.

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 11:15

When the seventh trumpet sounds, the world changes governors. Satan and his minions will no longerexercise dominion. Jesus will cast out Satan and his angels and then He will rule the earth in righteousness. The demise of Satan's kingdom is seen in the seventh bowl.

Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.

Revelation 16:19b

Babylon is an allegorical reference to Satan's kingdom and its influence among the human race. The entire chapter of Revelation 18 describes its fall. This is such a significant event because for thousands of years, since the fall of man in the garden, the world has been in the power of the evil one. When Christ returns it will be the last day of Satan's dominion on earth.

In summary and according to scripture, the rapture happens:

at His coming - He will return in like manner as He ascended - Acts 1:11
on the day of the Lord - when He returns and begins to reign
at the last trumpet - the trumpet of God that He will sound from the clouds
after the resurrection - the dead in Christ will rise first
on the last day - the last day of Satan's ruling of the earth
like a thief in the night - after the armies gather at Armageddon

There is only one point in Bible prophecy when all of these criteria will be met. Based on direct scriptural support, the rapture will happen on the day that the seventh trumpet is sounded. This is after the great tribulation. Consequently, believers should be prepared to endure the persecution of those days.

Dismantling the Pre-trib Rapture

The viewpoint that the rapture will happen at the seventh trumpet is in stark contrast with the pre-trib rapture. Proponents of the pre-trib rapture claim that believers will not have to go through the great tribulation because the resurrection and rapture of believers will happen first, or pre-tribulation. There is, however, no direct scriptural support for such a view.

The following look atthe pre-trib rapture will show that itrelies on fabricated terminology, confusing terms, misapplied scriptures, and an appeal to emotion in order to make its claim. It never directly addresses the specifics of scripture, such as the last trumpet or the last day, but instead relies on these fabrications and perceived exceptions to override what is plainly stated in the Bible.

A Look at Terminology

Here is a look at some of the fabricated and confusing terminologies that are used in an effort to give the pre-trib view a sense of legitimacy. Having no biblical basis, the only purpose they serve is to bias people through their usage. People who are unaware tend to simply accept them as true and assume that they are biblical when they are not.

Tribulation, Judgment, Wrath- Confusing these three terms in an attempt to have them mean the same thing is central to the pre-trib argument because the Bible states that believers are not subjected to God's wrath. By confusing tribulation and judgment with wrath, theyattempt to make the case for the rapture being pre-trib because we aren't destined for wrath. The problem with that is that they are not the same thing. They are three completely different words with different meanings. A cursory word study of the terms will show that. Tribulation is simply a reference to troubling times without regard for the cause. A judgment is a determination that has been made, usually in a judicial context, which may or may not carry a penalty. Wrath is another term for anger or indignation. Be careful to make these distinctions. The great tribulation involves the persecution of believers by the false prophet. The source of its trouble is from man, not God.
Seven Year Tribulation–There is nothing in prophecy that says there will be a seven year period of tribulation. Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation. Believers experiencing tribulation has been going on since the church began. Its nothing new. Jesus does, however, talk about a time of great tribulation in Matthew 24 that begins when the abomination of desolation is set up but no time duration is given to it.
Seal Judgments – There is a scroll that God possesses that is sealed up with seven seals. At some point Jesus begins opening these seals. When He does, certain events begin to take place on earth. They are never identified as “judgments”; in fact, when one of them is opened, a time of martyrdom takes place. How can that possibly refer to God's judgment? Labeling the seals “seal judgments” is a fabricated term that'sused in an attempt to bias people into believing somethingto be true when it is not. The Bible only refers to them as seals and that should be sufficient.
Tribulation Saints - Since the Bible shows that a multitude of believers will be martyred during the great tribulation, this term was invented in an attempt to distinguish between the saints who are raptured pre-trib and those who are martyred during the great tribulation. The Bible, however, never makes such a distinction. Attempting to make that distinction does raise an interesting question though, that if all the believers are removed from the earth before the great tribulation then where do the believers come from who are martyred? This leads us to the next term.
Great Revival – This conceptwas invented to try and help explain where those unique tribulation saints come from. If the rapture happens pre-trib then where do all those saints come from that go through the tribulation? Aren’t they all gone at that point? The story of the great revivalsays that when millions of believers suddenly disappear, then millions of people will have an OMG moment and become believers and thus create a great global revival. Not only is such an idea nowhere to be found in the Bible, it runs contrary to what the Bible describes the last days to be like in 2 Thessalonians 2 and Matthew 24.

A Rebuttal and a Look at the Exceptions