THE PRE-WRATH RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
The Four Basic Beliefs About The Timing of The Rapture
There are four different beliefs about when the rapture will take place. They are:
1) Pre-Tribulation - which is the belief that Jesus will come BEFORE the 70th week of Daniel, also known as the seven years of Tribulation, to rapture the Church. After the seven years of Tribulation, the Lord will return to the earth in the Second Advent with all His saints in Glory to set up His Kingdom on earth.
2) Mid-Tribulation - which believes that the rapture occurs EXACTLY HALF-WAY through the Tribulation at the 3 ½ year mark. Also, instead of describing the Two Witnesses in Revelation as actual people, they are described as Israel and the Church; after their absence or death, their will be no more witnessing. During the first half of the Tribulation, the Church will experience the anti-christ's wrath but then be raptured. The last half of the Tribulation will be God's wrath on those remaining.
3) Post-Tribulation - says that the Church will endure "the entire seven years of tribulation." The Rapture takes place at the same time as the Second Advent, the Judgment Seat of Christ, and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb which is AFTER the tribulation.
4) Pre-Wrath - the main tribulation is actually only the last half of Daniel's 70th week = 3 ½ years. That 3 1/2 years is divided between the anti-christ's wrath, which the Church will endure, and God's wrath. So somewhere in the last 3 ½ years, before God's wrath is poured out on mankind, the Church will leave in the Rapture (hence "Pre-Wrath" is talking about before God's wrath). Exactly which day it occurs we do not know but we do know it is after the sixth seal which has the great signs in the sun and the moon and a great earthquake that shakes the entire earth. This is the belief I hold and below I will prove it to be the strongest of the end-time scenarios through the Scriptures below.
THE PRE-WRATH RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH PROVEN
Each section below are the most famous rapture Scriptures that we will examine one at a time in context. The main Scripture is in the red and the supporting explanation and Scriptures are in the black below it.
1 Thessalonians Chapters 4 and 5
1Th 4:13-18 KJV But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (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. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1Th 5:1-11 KJV But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. (2) For yourselves know perfectly that THE DAY OF THE LORD so cometh as a thief in the night. (3) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (4) But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. (5) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. (6) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. (7) For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. (8) But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (9) For God hath not appointed us to wrath , but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, (10) Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. (11) Wherefore comfort yourselves together , and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Almost all agree that chapter 4 verses 16-18 are clearly talking about the rapture of the Church when the Lord Jesus will come from Heaven and gather all of His saints from the earth. However, the Bible was not written in chapter and verse so ignore that a new chapter was started and just keep reading. In context, Paul speaks of the rapture, the coming, and the Day of the Lord together like they are one event! JUST READ IT ALL TOGETHER! The only thought he interjects on the subject is that, concerning the times and seasons, it will come as a thief in the night. He NEVER changes subjects! He NEVER divided this into two events.
The Day of the Lord (Jesus's Coming) for “them” (the world) is taught “destruction” but for us he just gets through telling us that we will be raptured; for them it is “wrath” but for us it is “salvation”. There is not one shred of evidence that the rapture and the Day of the Lord (Jesus' Coming) are completely separate events. If we apply normal Bible hermeneutics here, the context is that the rapture and the Day of the Lord are identical. We are raptured first and the Lord pours out His wrath in the Day of the Lord afterward.
The comfort is that we are not appointed to God's wrath, NOT that we will avoid man's persecution. That is truly comforting because God's wrath far outweighs what the antichrist will do in persecuting us.
1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 teaches us that the rapture happens, THEN the wrath of God is poured out on the sinners that remain. The two parts, the rapture and the Day of the Lord, are paired together here and are inseparable in this passage. The rapture seems to happen so fast that people do not have time to repent. They are just destroyed which is why He warns them that it will come suddenly…too suddenly to react. The only questions here, what is the Day of the Lord? and does it start at the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation? If so, then the Pre-tribbers are right. If not, then they are wrong. (I believe that the Day of the Lord does NOT start with the 7 years. But let us see “what the Word says.”) You can use the next list of verses all talking about the Day of the Lord to find out more about this event.
What Is The Day of The Lord According To Scripture?
Scriptures on The Day of the Lord:
• The lofty looks of man shall be humbled….Isa 2:11,12
• The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people…Isa 13:4
• the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle…Isa 13:6
• it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty…Isa 13:6 (Is the entire tribulation of Daniel's 70th week from God? No, it is evident that the antichrist will have a time of wrath and destruction against God's chosen people during the 7 years. The devil, the antichrist, and the false prophet DO NOT WORK FOR GOD!)
• every man's heart shall melt…Isa 13:7
• they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them..Isa 13:8
• they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth…Isa 13:8
• they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames…Isa 13:8
• cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate…Isa 13:9
• he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it…Isa 13:9
• THE SIGN: For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine…Isa 13:10
• I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity…Isa 13:11
• I will make a man more precious than fine gold…Isa 13:12
• THE EARTH-QUAKE: Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place… Isa 13:13
• the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion…Isa 34:8
• the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch…Isa 34:9
• It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever…Isa 34:10
• a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen…Eze 30:3
• Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword…Eze 30:5
• as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come….Joe 1:15
• A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness…Joe 2:2
• And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army…Joe 2:11
• THE EARTH-QUAKE: The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble…Joe 2:10
• THE SIGN: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining…Joe 2:10
• The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run…Joe 2:4
• Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array …Joe 2:5
• And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke…Joe 2:30
• THE SIGN: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, BEFORE the great and the terrible day of the LORD come…Joe 2:31 (*emphasis mine)
• Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up…Joe 3:9
• Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about…Joe 3:11
• Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about…Joe 312
• Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great…Joe 3:13
• Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision [valley of Jehoshaphat; see verse 2]…Joe 3:14
• THE SIGN: The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining…Joe 3:15
• The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem…Joe 3:16
• THE EARTH-QUAKE : and the heavens and the earth shall shake…Joe 3:16
• So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain…Joe 3:17
• then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more…Joe 3:17
• the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light…Amo 5:18
• As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him…Amo 5:19
• For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen…Oba 1:15
• I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD…Zep 1:2
• I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked…Zep 1:3
• I will cut off man from off the land…Zep 1:3
• Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD : for the day of the LORD is at hand…Zep 1:7
• I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel…Zep 1:8
• The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly…Zep 1:14
• That day is a day of wrath , a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness… Zep 1:15
• A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers…Zep 1:16
• the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy…Zep 1:18
• thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee…Zep 14:1
• For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity …Zep 14:2
• Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle…Zep 14:3
• And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south…Zep 14:4
• and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee …Zep 14:5
• it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:…Zep 14:6
• it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light…Zep 14:7
• And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one…Zep 14:9
• Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
• Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
• And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke…Acts 2:19
• THE SIGN: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come… Acts 2:20
• For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night…I Thess 5:2
• But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…2 Pet 3:10
• in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up…2 Pet 3:10
• the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat…2 Pet 3:12
By the way, notice the signs and the earthquake are the exact same event as mentioned at the sixth seal!:
When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,
(Rev 6:12 ESV)
After the sixth seal is when the wrath of Jesus/God is poured out:
Rev 6:16-17 ESV calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, (17) for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
The sixth seal, all agree, does not happen at the beginning of the seven years; it happens some time into the Great Tribulation. Therefore, the Rapture/Day of the Lord happens during the last half of Daniel's seventieth week but we do not know exactly when. Christians will have to endure the persecution of the antichrist. Don't be deceived - be prepared!
So what does the Scriptures teach us about the Day of The Lord? The Day of the Lord does NOT IN ANY POSSIBLE WAY start at the beginning of the 7 year “tribulation” period. The Day of the Lord starts with Him coming, first rapturing His people, then annihilating the heathen immediately and completely around Jerusalem. This happens well into the 7 years. It ends when He sets down on the Mount of Olives. He sets down after the last 7 vials of God's wrath are poured out.
If the pre-wrath conclusion about 1 Thess 4 & 5 is right, then the rapture happens (very quickly) then this destruction begins immediately afterward. Paul describes the entire thing as one event called “The Day of the Lord.” If we knew how long the Day of the Lord was, we could have a better understanding of when the rapture takes place. The Day of the Lord will last several months and we cannot be certain of when, during the last 1260 days, it begins. The Day of the Lord consists of the seventh seal, which consists of the seven trumpets, which consists of the seven vials. So, if you can figure out how long all that lasts, you will have some idea of before the end of the week when Jesus raptures us but we can neither know the day nor hour. My calculations say the Day of the Lord will last at minimum 1 1/2 years just based on duration of the 5th and 6th trumpets. The duration of the other trumpets and vials are not given so we cannot know for certain how much longer than 1 1/2 years the Day of the Lord will last.
Consider also:
Mat 24:29-31 KJV Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (30) And THEN shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (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. (Capitalization added by me for emphasis.)
First, the sign(s) will happen in the heavens then there will be an earthquake. Next, Jesus will come and all will see Him. Then He gathers us in the rapture. (YES THIS IS A VERY CLEAR RAPTURE SCRIPTURE AND DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE. YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO HERMENEUTICAL BACKFLIPS TO BELIEVE THIS SCRIPTURE IS NOT TALKING ABOUT THE RAPTURE.)
All of the above Scriptures either talk about rapture, the wrath of God known as The Day of The Lord, or both together. They are ONE event. The first Scriptures in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, shows that the rapture and the day of the Lord are the same event. I'll also be examining all the other major rapture Scriptures below.
The question is when is the rapture? So many ideas exist on that question that it may be easier to answer the question, "When is the Day of the Lord?" When we find the answer to that, we'll know that the rapture happened right before Jesus pours out His wrath in the Day of the Lord according to the Scriptures we just read. For God has not appointed His people to wrath:
1Th 5:9 ESV For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
However, the Scriptures are very clear we cannot know the day or hour but we should be close to understanding the season it occurs.
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1 Corinthians 15 - His Coming and The End
1Co 15:23-24 ESV But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. (24) Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
Paul here is giving us an order of the resurrection/rapture then he says the end comes. So Christ was first raised. Then the firstfruits were raised, possibly referring to:
Mat 27:52-53 KJV And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, (53) And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
The last to be raised are those at His coming which includes all the other bodies, whether alive or in the grave, “at His coming”…AT HIS COMING….AT HIS …..COMING. I wonder if it really means they will be raise “at His coming”? Hmmmm????
But Paul doesn't stop the story there! He tells what will happen after the resurrection by using the word “then”! “Then comes the end”. So there is the resurrection, then there is the end. (The more I read the Bible on this subject, the more I am convinced that you have to be taught a pre-trib rapture by learned men to arrive at it because you sure can't see it just reading the actual words of the Bible.) So we must ask ourselves the question, what is “the end” he is referring to?
What Is The End?
“the end” in Scriptures:
Mat 10:22-23 KJV And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. (23) But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 13:38-42 KJV The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; (39) The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. (40) As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (42) And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
So, here, very clearly it says that the harvest is the end. This speaks not of the harvest of good people but the harvesting of the wicked by slaughter. (There is also a good harvest called the resurrection). "The end" is the time of God's Wrath.
The Bible speaks of the harvest being reaped like grapes and the blood will flow up to the horses bridle. READ REV. 19! When does this happen? At the end of His return right before He sets down on the Mount of Olives. So it would still seem to coincide with the idea that He will have a rapture of all saints on the earth at His coming sometime during the last 3 1/2 years, before the 7 trumpets sound, then eventually the wicked armies are destroyed, and then He sets down on the mount of Olives. This is consistent with the verse 24 in 1 Cor 15. The Day of the Lord starts with a rapture and continues several months culminating in Jesus destroying His enemies and setting down on the Mount of Olives.
Mat 13:49-50 KJV So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (50) And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 24:3 KJV And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Notice, the disciples knew His coming and the end were one and the same. He did not correct them on this. He answered their question.
Mat 24:6 KJV And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet .
He tells them first what the end it not.
Mat 24:13-14 KJV But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved . (14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
A condition for the end to come is the Gospel being preached for a witness unto all nations.
Heb 6:11 KJV And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end :
The hope of resurrection/rapture associate with the end.
Rev 2:25-26 KJV But that which ye have already hold fast till I come . (26) And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end , to him will I give power over the nations:
Again, the coming of the Lord is associated with the end. The coming starts the Day of the Lord and the touch down of Jesus on the earth completes "the end."
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2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 - He Comes Then Gathers Us; Doctrine of Immanency Destroyed
2Th 2:1 KJV Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
Wow! Paul mentions Jesus' coming then he mentions our gathering together unto Him. The Second Coming and the Rapture! They clearly are not spoken of as two separate things but as one. He is not beseeching them for one and not the other. He is broaching the subject of the coming of the Lord and shows us here clearly that the coming and the rapture are together. Notice also the order is that He comes then raptures us, not the other way around as Pre-Trib teaches.
One part of the doctrine of immanency says there are no events that are to happen before the rapture. But Paul says there is a condition before the rapture in verse 3:
2Th 2:3 KJV 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;
"B1" - "You just sunk my battleship!" CABLOOEEY!!! Immanency is destroyed! There are two things that will happen BEFORE He comes and we are gathered unto Him (raptured) …a falling away (apostasy) AND the man of sin, antichrist, revealed. The doctrine of immanency holds no weight with this Scripture in the Bible.
Then it says…
2Th 2:8 KJVA And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming :
So Jesus comes and from far above the earth He raptures us and starts the Day of The Lord. Eventually as the wrath is being poured out, toward the end, Jesus draws very close to the temple in Jerusalem and His very presence destroys those that are near including the antichrist. At that point this verse will happen:
Rev 16:13-14 KJVA And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. (14) For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Their bodies were destroyed so the spirits of the antichrist and the false prophet are loosed to go gather the nations to battle for Armageddon. Apparently, Jesus gets so close at this point so that their bodies are destroyed at the time of the 6th vial but He has been up in the sky or Heaven ever since the 7th seal.
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John Chapter 14 - We Will Be Where He Is
Joh 14:2-4 KJV In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (4) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
This verse is often cited to prove that we are going up in the rapture but He is not coming down to the earth which is partially true - He will not immediately descend when He raptures us. However, pre-tribbers believe it says He will ONLY come to take us back to Father's house for seven years. But it doesn't say He is coming to get us to take us to Heaven. It says He is coming to get us to take us to Himself. There are places in Heaven that He has made for us as well but the fact is He is coming to get us to take us unto Himself. There are places in Heaven for us but it is adding to the text to make this say He is coming just to take us there. That is an assumption. The only thing He actually said was He was coming to take us unto Himself.
It falls right in line with what I believe will happen based on the Scriptures I've quoted. He will come and receive us unto Himself. We will be where He is. He will come, rapture us, and start the Day of the Lord which lasts for months. We will be with Him the whole time. The second heaven and the earth will be cleansed by the angels and we will inhabit those places in the second heaven where the demonic principalities, powers, spiritual rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places once controlled. We will have a residence in the second heaven (above the earth) [2 Tim 2:11,12; Rev 20:6; Rev 5:10] and one in the third Heaven (where God dwells)! When He returns to the third Heaven, we will go with Him. It would seem He does go back to third Heaven some time after the rapture/Day of the Lord begins for a time to fulfill:
Rev 7:9-10 KJV After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (10) And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
The throne is obviously in the third Heaven. Likely here is the time when the Marriage Supper of the Lamb takes place. Then we all go back to the earth to finish the Day of the Lord and Jesus lands on the earth. So He does come and eventually take us to the Third Heaven but we cannot know when during His coming this takes place or when we return to the earth to touch down with Him.
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James Chapter 5 - Brethren At His Coming?
Jas 5:7-9 KJV Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (8) Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (9) Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
Why would he tell the “brethren” to be patient unto the coming of the Lord if they will have already been gone in the rapture seven years prior? He is speaking to Christians telling them to be patient and wait until the coming of the Lord. Why? Because they will be here when He comes. He does not come at the end. He comes during the Great Tribulation.
He also tells the “brethren” not to grudge one another because the Judge is coming. When He comes is when He will do the Judgment Seat of Christ judgment.
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come , who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. (1Co 4:5 KJV)
The Judgment Seat may take place in second heaven above the earth. So, he is not talking about the world's judgment in James because he clearly exhorts the brethren there. His coming will rapture the Church at which time He will judge us and give us our reward. So it talks about the coming of the Lord when He will do the judgment, no mention of a rapture alone. Just His coming is mentioned because His coming and the rapture are the same event. When He comes He hands out His reward to make us rulers over cities [Luke 19:11-27; Matt 16:27; Rev 22:12]. We will take the place of those vacant demons that used to rule the earth in the second heavens and WE will rule the earth with Christ!
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1Thessalonians Chapter 1 - Delivered From Wrath
1Th 1:10 KJV And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
This verse is clearly talking to Christians saying they are delivered from the wrath to come. The question is, is the entire seven year tribulation the wrath of God? Pre-tribbers would say absolutely because it fits their theology. But we cannot make a conclusion to fit our theology; we must find out what the Word says and allow the Word to create our theology before we conclude anything.
Are there any Scriptures that say the seven years of tribulation are the wrath of God (There really is no seven years of tribulation. The Great Tribulation lasts 3 1/2 years according to the Bible but let's just humor the argument for a moment)?
NO. The answer is definitely NO.
Are there any Scriptures that show us when the wrath of God does begin? And if so, where is it in the end-time scheme?
Yes!:
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal , and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb : For the great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand? (Rev 6:12-17 KJV)
The timing of God's wrath is AFTER the sixth seal, which is well into the seven years, which starts "the wrath of the Lamb." More wrath is mentioned later in Revelation but this is when it is mentioned first and as starting. Notice "the great day" of His wrath; it is a definite article, "the", because it is a definite beginning.
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2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 - The Hope
1Th 2:17-19 KJV But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire. (18) Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us. (19) For what is our hope , or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
It talks about being in the presence of the Lord at His coming. Notice the word “hope” there. That is a word in the New Testament synonymous with the resurrection or rapture. Again, it is in context with the coming of the Lord. The rapture and coming of the Lord are the same event.
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Philippians Chapter 3 - The Rapture and Second Coming
Php 3:20-21 KJV For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (21) Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Paul is talking about our citizenship being in Heaven. Amplified says it this way:
But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior, Who will transform and fashion anew the body of our humiliation to conform to and be like the body of His glory and majesty, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself. (Php 3:20-21 AMP)
Again, the coming is clearly associated with the rapture or resurrection.
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Revelation Chapter 22 - The Church Raptured and Judged
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Rev 22:12 KJV)
We will be raptured and judged. THIS is why we are exhorted to be ready at His coming, NOT because we'll miss the rapture if we've been naughty as the partial rapture people say. It is because we will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The rapture will happen so fast we won't even have time to repent. But even if a Christian has been naughty, he is still a born-again believer and he does not lose his salvation. He WILL ABSOLUTELY go in the rapture (no matter if he is sinning, backslidden, or even if he believes in a rapture). When the Bible speaks of people missing the rapture, it is ALWAYS talking about those who think they are believers in God but they are not.
It seems the Judgment Seat of Christ is set toward the end of the 3 1/2 years giving the maximum amount of time available to harvest more Christians from the earth. Once all the Christians perish, from the antichrist's persecution, then Jesus will judge us, it seems to me, together.
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The Blessed Hope Is His Coming With The Rapture
Tit 2:13 KJV Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
The blessed hope is the same as the rapture/resurrection. Again, it is associated with the appearing of Jesus. The Bible says all will see Him:
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Rev 1:7 KJV)
When they see Him they will wail because it begins the Day of the Lord. The wailing is described perfectly in Rev 6:
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Rev 6:15-17 KJV)
It is a blessed hope because our tribulation will forever be over.
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1 John Chapter 2 - His Coming in Judgment
1Jn 2:28 KJV And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Why would we be ashamed at His coming? Because it is the time of the Judgment Seat. The readers during the time of this writing knew His coming meant the time of rapture to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
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1 John Chapter 3 - The Hope of Being Like Him
1Jn 3:2-3 KJV Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (3) And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
The hope is the earnest expectation of His return. Then we shall be resurrected to be like Him. When we expect Him, we will purify ourselves. Why? Because of the Judgment Seat of Christ – NOT because we think we'll miss the rapture. We do the works of righteousness and obedience that He has called us to do and we will be found pure in our deeds. We are already pure in our spirits but the reward is based on our deeds; our salvation is strictly based on God's grace.
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1 Thessalonians Chapter 3 - He Comes With His Saints
1Th 3:13 KJV To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
He is coming with all of His saints. We will be raptured before God's wrath is poured out. Then we will be with Him. For a time, He will be in the heavens above the earth implementing the Day of the Lord. Then He will take us back to Heaven for a time, possibly the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, then we return to earth all as one body to “take over” the earth.
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1 Timothy Chapter 6 - Without Spot
1Ti 6:14 KJV That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
We must be ready at His coming so that we can be without spot at His coming. The immanency doctrine may seem more logical and people will be more likely to stay clean because they don't know when He is coming but immanency is not true. We are told to watch for we cannot know the day or hour but there are prophecies that must be fulfilled before His coming, namely the apostasy and the revealing of the antichrist. Just because Jesus' appearing is not imminent does not mean verses like these, that tell us to walk in righteousness being ready for His coming, would be less valid outside of immanency.
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Daniel 12 - Great Tribulation Begins Then Comes The Resurrection/Rapture
Dan 12:1-2 KJV And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a (1st!) time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (2) And (2nd!) many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Article author added the "(1st)" and "(2nd)" notations to prove chronology.)
The time of trouble comes first. Since is it described as more trouble for Israel in particular than ever before it must be the Great Tribulation. Next, is the resurrection or the rapture. The order is crystal clear here. First the Great Tribulation begins, next the rapture.
You would have to be taught a pre-tribulation rapture by scholarly-sounding men to see it. The pre-trib rapture certainly is NOT in the Scriptures if we read in a regular historical-grammatical literal reading of the Bible which is the correct way to do Bible hermeneutics.
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Luke Chapter 21 - Watch
Luk 21:36 KJV Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
The verse before this says the following:
Luk 21:35 ESV For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
So the things mentioned previously in Luke 21 (which is, at least in part, the Great Tribulation and His coming) will come upon all who dwell on the face of the earth. But it is clear that if you are standing before the Son of Man, you have escaped these things that are going to happen as a consequence of His coming to all who dwell on the “face of the whole earth” (not the heavens where we will be for a time.) The question is what things shall we escape? We cannot say for certain but I believe it to be the wrath of God.
What we can see in the context of the verses is that we can tell when His coming is near and we can miss Him if we get caught up in the cares of this world and drunkenness. If we are not awake, in other words not born-again or saved (Rom 10:8-10), we will miss Jesus and it will be too late. Make sure you don't miss Him. Prayer is what Jesus says to do. The root of prayer is to bind oneself to another like a wife binds herself to her husband. We must bind ourselves to our Lord Jesus Christ and seek His will at all times that when He appears we will not be ashamed. We want to be found doing His will when He returns then great will be our reward!
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A thought on the rapture: tribulation is for believers, not unbelievers.
BACK NEXT
Part 1 - Jews, Nations, and the Church of God
Part 3 - The Tribulation Time Period
Part 5 - The Pre-Wrath Rapture
Part 7 - Christians In Heavens
Part 8 - The Second Installment of The Coming of the Lord
Part 9 - The Millennial Reign of Christ Time Period
Part 10 - The Great White Throne Judgment and a New Beginning