I used to be a staunch pre-tribulation
man—taught it, defended it, and argued for it, but not anymore. Why? Because it
is not scriptural, and neither is the post-tribulation, and mid-tribulation
views—I will explain to you why, in a minute.
But before I do that let me tell you
that I do believe in a literal 7 year end times period after which Jesus comes
back to the earth to set up His literal 1000 year Millennial kingdom and I also
believe in a rapture that will remove His children before His wrath is poured
out upon the earth.
I also believe that it is vitally
important for a Christian to have a correct rapture view, not only for the
purpose of pleasing God by having correct doctrinal beliefs, but also for one’s
own personal sake, because a wrong rapture view can leave a Christian open to
destructive consequences.
Thus what I am about to explain to you
is vitally important, and I know that as a good “Berean,” you will prayerfully
examine the scriptures to see if what I am saying is true.
So when will the rapture occur? Paul
basically answered that very question—the Thessalonians were confused about the
timing of the rapture and God through the apostle Paul told them when it would
occur.
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. 1Thes 4: 15-17
Here Paul is telling them that there
will come a time when Jesus will descend to the clouds, and believers who are
alive at the time will be caught up to the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
This catching up is what the English
word rapture means.
The Latin Vulgate translates the Greek ἁρπαγησόμεθα as rapiemur
meaning "we are caught up" or "we are taken away" from the
Latin verb rapio meaning "to catch up" or "take away".
So it is clear that even though the word
“rapture” is not used in the Bible, the word “caught up” is used in the Bible,
and in English we give that catching up event the name rapture based on the
latin.
Thus the caught up/rapture event is
clearly being discussed by Paul in this passage. Let’s see what else God tells
the Thessalonians about the rapture event.
1 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. 1Thes 5:1-3
Here we are told that this caught
up/rapture event will occur suddenly like a thief in the night and is clearly
associated with and part of a greater event known as the Day of the Lord.
The Rapture occurs during the Day of the Lord
God confirms this fact in 2
Thessalonians.
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. 2 Thes 2:1-2
Here God again is discussing the rapture
event as our gathering together unto Him at the coming of the Lord. He then
calls this event the Day of Christ which is synonymous with the Day of the Lord,
as it is the same Greek word. Again, God confirms that the rapture occurs
during the Day of Christ or the Day of the Lord.
The Rapture occurs during the Day of the Lord
Now that we have clearly established the
fact that the rapture—the catching up, gathering unto Him—occurs at the Day of
the Lord event, let’s see what God says about the timing of the rapture.
20 The sun shall be turned
into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the
Lord come: Acts 2:20
God clearly tells us in that passage that
the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood before the Day of the Lord occurs.
The sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood
before the Day of the Lord
We have already established the fact
that the rapture occurs during the Day of the Lord. And since the sun is
darkened and the moon is turned to blood before the Day of the Lord, therefore
the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood before the rapture. Or in reverse order; the rapture occurs
after the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood.
The Rapture occurs after the sun is darkened and the
moon is turned to blood.
God tells us that the sun is darkened
and the moon is turned to blood after the opening of the sixth seal.
12 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; Rev 6:12
The sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood
after the sixth seal is opened.
Do you understand what this means? Since
the rapture occurs after the sun is darkened and the moon turns to blood, and
the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood after the opening of the
sixth seal, logic dictates that the rapture occurs after the sixth Seal is
opened.
The Rapture occurs after the sixth seal is opened
That is why I am no longer a pretribber,
because scripture clearly teaches that the rapture occurs after the opening of
the sixth seal. BTW; this is known as the pre-wrath rapture view.
Here is a confirmation of this fact. Look
at what the rest of the Revelation sixth seal passage says.
15 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;
16 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:
17 For the great day of
his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev 6: 15-17
Notice that the people of the earth say
“hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne.” Why do they say
that? Because they see the Lord in the sky at the rapture event, after which
the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth—rapture before wrath—pre wrath
rapture.
Over the years I have corresponded with
many about this issue, and one of the most common responses I have gotten from
people is that they say that one’s rapture view is not that important, and we
should not really discuss it because it is causes too much division in the body
of Christ.
Well how important do you think a
correct rapture view will be when Seals 1 to 5 are opened and you have to live
through that time totally unprepared. Think about it.
The choice of what you believe about the
rapture is yours to make, but realize that there will come a time in the future
when a wrong rapture view can have serious consequences.
Let me sum things up.
The Rapture occurs during the Day of the Lord
The sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood
before the Day of the Lord
The Rapture occurs after the sun is darkened and the
moon is turned to blood.
The sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood
after the sixth seal is opened.
The Rapture occurs after the sixth seal is opened
1.
Sixth seal opened
2.
Sun darkened, moon to blood
3.
Day of the Lord/Rapture
The end times are getting closer every
day, in fact we may already be in the last 7 years. Time is running out, I hope you will make the right
choice as to what you believe concerning the timing of the rapture, for it is
very important. I encourage you to take these things before the Lord and
examine the scriptures to see if these things are true.
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. Luke 21:36
Not sure that you will go to heaven? The
end times are knocking on the door and so is Jesus. He wants to save you, will
you let him in? Find out what you must
do to be saved, click here.
Do you know what will happen in the end times and how to prepare for
them? I wrote a book to help you. It is entitled The Coming Epiphany and
will explain to you, in an easy to understand format what you need to know
about the end times. The Coming Epiphany is available in paperback and as an eBook on Amazon.com. (If you cannot afford one please email me)
Note:
I appreciate and want to thank all of you who have helped support this ministry
by purchasing a book and or making a donation.
About the author: William Frederick;
M.Div. has been preaching and teaching the Word of God for over 30 years. He has
dedicated his life to serving God and helping others come to a saving knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ and understand essential end times Bible Prophecy
truths. He is the author of several books including The
Coming Epiphany and The Dollar Code. His articles are originally published on The
End Times Forecaster Blog. From
there, his articles are published and referenced on various prophecy news
related websites. If you would like to republish his articles, please feel free
to do so, just please include the original link to the article. The more people
that see this information the better, and we need to wake more people up while
there is still time.
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