Do you believe in Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulation Rapture?
What does Scripture say about it?
We, Mike and I believe in Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
The first Scripture that comes to mind is:
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 NKJV
For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
God loves us more than we can imagine. He has prepared the way for us to avoid the terrible tribulation period by sending His only begotten Son who took the punishment we deserved upon Himself and died a terrible death on the cross!
How did God prepare the way?
God prepared the way through the death of the perfect Lamb, His son—the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, God the Father can forgive our sins and make us righteous in His eyes. He then raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day! Eternal life is God’s offer to us. Will we accept it?
It’s very easy to receive eternal life, actually, it’s as easy as A-B-C-D!
A – Admit to God that you are a sinner;
B – Believe that Jesus Christ , God’s Son, came to earth, died on the cross to pay for your sin debt, and rose again from the dead the third day;
C – Call upon Jesus, meaning to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, and with a sincere heart ask Him to forgive you of your sins (repent), save you from hell, and come into your heart and life!;
D – Dedicate your life to Him. Ask God to show you His plan for your life, and guide you to true believers and a God honoring church for fellowship and growth.
Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Now back to our reason why we believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Let’s look at the verses of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11:
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 – NKJV
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in the darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
God did not appoint us to wrath but to obtain salvation. Right after the Rapture happened it will be pretty dark—spiritually speaking—here on earth.
The Hour of Trial
Jesus is telling us in Revelation 3:10 that He will keep us from the hour of trial. No tribulation for us!
Revelation 3:10 – NKJV
“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Isn’t that a wonderful promise?
Will We See the Rapture Happening?
Today, we see signs leading up to the Rapture all around us, but we don’t know when it will happen. Jesus tells us in Mark 13:32 that “no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” knows when the Rapture will take place.
Plus, we won’t see it taking place because it will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye!
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 – NLT
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
Man of Lawlessness
God will reveal the man of lawlessness, also known as the Antichrist or Satan, at the proper time which will happen right after the Rapture. He will not reveal him until the Holy Spirit steps out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 – NIV
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him [the lawless one—Antichrist] back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till He is taken out of the way. And then the lawlessness one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
The Dead Will Rise First
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 teaches that God will raise those who have died to live forever in an instant, right before we who are still alive will also go up in the Rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 confirms this.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – NIV
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uniformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Church
In Revelation chapters 4 to 22 there is no mention of the church because those chapters cover the prophetic description of the Great Tribulation Period and by then the church has been taken out of the way meaning it has been raptured.
The church is mentioned 16 times in chapters 1-3. But it is not mentioned once in chapters 4-22 from the Great Tribulation through the battle of Armageddon and the 1000-year reign of Christ on Earth.
Revelation 4:1 – NKJV
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
How do you understand the Scriptures on the topic of Pre-, Mid- or Post-Tribulation Rapture?
All Glory to God!
Comments and Questions Welcome
Feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
We welcome any questions you might have as we like to hear from you.
Please share this blog with your friends if you liked it, if not, please let us know.
Thank you for reading and God bless you!
How to Receive Eternal Life Posts
Would you like to find out why believers have hope of Eternal Life and how to develop a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ? Check out these blog posts if your answer is “yes.”
Receiving Eternal Life as easy as A-B-C-D
Why do I need the God of the Bible?
Blog Posts Related to this Topic:
What is the Definition of Rapture?
Resources to Check Out:
Uplook Ministry – Fireside Friday by Jabe Nicholson
Gospel Folio Press – William MacDonald – Believers Bible Commentary
Warren Henderson Publishing
Christ-centered Books and Messages to Enhance Your Spiritual Growth
Solving the Spiritual Dilemma
And check out our latest book “Solving the Spiritual Dilemma” which answers many questions about the hope believers have and how to develop a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.
or go directly to
Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble
Digging Deep into the Revelation of Jesus Christ
For a deeper study into Jesus’ next coming and the signs of the time check out our 3-in-1 Study Guide:
“Digging Deep into the Revelation of Jesus Christ”.
It is a one-of-a-kind reference for anyone striving to understand the Book of Revelation in the Bible.
This study guide for the Book of Revelation is revolutionary and unique.
On each page it contains:
-the original scripture,
-the commentary on that scripture,
-the actual Bible verses referenced in the commentary, and
-the commentary on these references in 4 columns side by side.
Through the format and contents, the reader is able to find comprehensive information in a few minutes versus spending an hour looking up cross-references to find meaning in challenging text.
For someone studying Revelation, this one reference saves time and enhances understanding without making the mistake of translating scripture. This enables the reader to make his/her own conclusions about the meaning in the Word as inspired by God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, unless stated otherwise. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
.
I agree with the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. And I love your easy-to-remember and easy-to-understand ‘receiving eternal life is as easy as A-B-C-D’ explanation. Thanks so much for all you do and for sharing these Biblical explanations using the wisdom God gave you.
Thank you Tammy. Always appreciate your comments and your labor in the Lord Jesus Christ spreading the Good News. Paise God!