Cloudy with a Chance of the End of the World

 

I am sensing that in the next 5- or 6-months things could get really rough—I mean really rough. Let me explain and delineate what I foresee as possibly happening. 

Knowing that the latest data is suggesting that Armageddon will most likely take place in 2028 and thus that the midpoint will most likely be in the spring of 2025 necessitates that major prophetic events will take place between now and the spring of 2025. Here is my list.

 

Major UFO Events: Knowing that the antichrist will have UFO alien connections, as we grow closer to the day of his arrival on the scene aliens and UFOs are sure to make a big appearance in spectacular ways. It would not surprise me to see a UFO on the lawn of the White House. 

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 2 Cor 11:14 

The spectacular UFO events are sure to be intertwined with strong religious deception precipitating the great falling away spoken of in scripture and leading to a one world religion and worship of the false messiah/antichrist. 

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Rev 13:14

 

Political Upheaval: Even though the Repubs have won, I do not think the Dems have given up, and I believe they are going to try and do all they can to subvert the coming political change. 

Consider this piece of intel; It has come to my attention that United States Congressman Jamie Raskin, (D-MD) has indicated that in January of 2025 Congress will act to disqualify President Trump from being President and then goes on to say that this will bring on civil war in the USA.

https://htrs-special.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Raskin-saying-Disqualify-Trump-Jan-6-2-25.mp4

(Note: By reporting this information to you I am in no way condoning or advocating for civil war, I am merely reporting what the Congressman said.) 

Will Congress disqualify President Trump and or will the electors vote for Kamala; will civil war break out in the USA? 

We know from scripture that a political leader will suffer a head wound, die and come back to life, at which time satan will enter his body. So also look for that to happen to somebody on the political scene. 

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. Rev 13:3

 

A Financial Reset: We have been hearing about it for years—the off-world QFS banking system, NESARA, and GESARA. It is basically an all-digital financial system that will include the mark of the beast—no one can buy or sell without it. The implementation of this system will most likely follow a worldwide hyperinflationary financial collapse. They are sure to make you “an offer that you cannot refuse.” But you must refuse, for all who take the mark will be condemned to hell. 

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Rev 13:7

 

Major War Events: Israel, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, North Korea, South Korea, China, and the list goes on. I expect any day now to wake up to the news that nuclear bombs have gone off, including terrorist actions. BTW, Iran has issued another NOTAM for November 18-20, 2024. So, if they attack Israel during that time, we will most likely then see an Israel/USA response, which then in turn threatens to draw in Russia and China. 

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. Mt 24:6

 

Earth Events: Tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, drought, volcanoes, solar storms, meteorites, etc. These are sure to increase in magnitude and frequency as we move further into the 70^th Week. BTW, we are watching 1/28/2025 for a major earthquake. 

And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. Luke 21:11

 

Grid Down: No electricity, no internet, no phone service, no running water for periods of time. I do not think this will last for long because they will need electricity and the internet for the mark of the beast system.

 

A Major Die Off: By the time the midpoint gets here the pale green horse would have run its course and ¼ of the world’s population will have died. This may be brought about by various means such as disease, war, famine, purposeful population reduction schemes, etc. 

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Rev 6:8 

So, if Armageddon will be in 2028 and thus the midpoint in the spring of 2025, then that is what I foresee as possibly happening between now and then. 

And when we get right near the midpoint the antichrist and the false prophet/teacher will come onto the scene, the two witnesses will appear, the abomination of desolation will occur, the mark will be instituted, and the great tribulation will begin. 

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)… 

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Mt 24:15, 24 

Christians will be rescued via the rapture out of the great tribulation after Seal 6 is opened. Then God’s wrath will be poured out upon the world culminating in Armageddon. 

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; 

13 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. 

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 

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 

The end of the world is getting one day closer every day, and most people are oblivious to how close it is. Are you prepared for when it gets here? 

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  

Have you had your epiphany? You need to be prepared for the end times! Read The Coming Epiphany;—Your Guide to Understanding End Times Bible Prophecy.  

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? Find out what you must do to be saved, click here.

What the Church Fathers Taught About the antichrist and the Rapture

Church father Justin Martyr

At this moment my heart is very heavy and burdened for my brothers and sisters in the Lord who are asleep to what is coming upon the earth—the end times. Just tonight I was crying out to God in tears for God to awaken those who are asleep in the church.

You see, the problem is that the rapture will not happen at the beginning of the last 7 years, it will happen after the Sixth Seal is opened and the moon is turned to blood. And obviously the Sixth Seal will not be opened until after the Fifth Seal is opened. Seal 5 is the persecution of Jews and Christians that occurs after the antichrist takes over the world at the midpoint, after which no one will be able to buy or sell without taking the mark.

So there is the problem, there is why my heart is burdened, because the vast majority of Christians and well-meaning preachers are going to wake up one day experiencing the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse raging around them, see the antichrist takeover the world, and they are going to be totally unprepared and then faced without being able to buy or sell.

That is why my heart is heavy—Christians are going to be faced with war being waged against them by the antichrist and they will be caught off guard and they and their families will suffer for it.

If you do not believe me, I hope you will believe what the church fathers say about the persecution of the antichrist and the timing of the rapture. Below is an excerpt from The Coming Epiphany that deals with this.

Chapter 5

Why Does It Matter?

… I pray that this book would be used to awaken God’s children to these truths so that they can be prepared for what lies ahead. It is not important what man-made theological position you hold. What is important is what the Word of God says. And the scriptures clearly tell us that the rapture occurs after the sixth seal is opened.

Here is a summary of the pertinent facts that lead us to that conclusion:

1.               The rapture occurs at the Day of the Lord event (1 Thess. 4:15-5:2, 2 Thess. 2:1–2).

2.               The moon must be turned to blood before the Day of the Lord occurs (Joel 3:30).

3.               The moon is turned to blood at the sixth seal (Rev. 6:12).

 

These are three undisputable scriptural facts that can only lead to one conclusion—the rapture occurs at the Day of the Lord after the sixth seal is opened.

This rapture view has been termed the “pre-wrath” rapture view. It is the only view that agrees with all of the prophetic scriptures. In contrast, the pre-trib view contradicts some very critical prophetic scriptures, such as the moon must be turned to blood, the antichrist revealed, and the great falling away all must occur before the Day of the Lord/rapture event. It has been shown that these events all occur during the 70th Week of Daniel and not before. Thus, the pre-trib rapture view does not agree with all of scripture.

Even Walvoord, a strong pre-trib promoter, says this about the pre-trib theory: “The fact is that neither posttribulationism nor pretribulationism is an explicit teaching of the Scriptures. The Bible does not, in so many words, state either.”^[1] So Walvoord himself admits that the pre-trib rapture view is not an explicit teaching of scripture.

In fact, if you study the writings of the early church fathers, there is overwhelming evidence to show that the vast majority believed that Christians would not be raptured until after the persecution of the antichrist, which we know would place the rapture after the Abomination of Desolation. H. L. Nigro, in Before God’s Wrath: The Bible’s Answer to the Timing of the Rapture, has an appendix devoted to key passages from the early church writings.

Here are just four of the earliest quotes:

O unreasoning men! understanding not what has been proved by all these passages, that two advents of Christ have been announced: the one, in which He is set forth as suffering, inglorious, dishonored, and crucified; but the other, in which He shall come from heaven with glory, when the man of apostasy, who speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians, who, having learned the true worship of God from the law, and the word which went forth from Jerusalem by means of the apostles of Jesus, have fled for safety to the God of Jacob and God of Israel…. —Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho [150-165 AD]

Those, therefore, who continue steadfast, and are put through the fire, will be purified by means of it. For as gold casts away its dross, so also will ye cast away all sadness and straitness, and will be made pure so as to fit into the building of the tower. But the white part is the age that is to come, in which the elect of God will dwell, since those elected by God to eternal life will be spotless and pure. Wherefore cease not speaking these things into the ears of the saints. This then is the type of the great tribulation that is to come. —The Pastor of Hermas [160 AD]

It therefore behooves us, who inquire much concerning events at hand, to search diligently into those things which are able to save us. Let us then utterly flee from all the works of iniquity, lest these should take hold of us; and let us hate the error of the present time, that we may set our love on the world to come: let us not give loose reins to our soul, that it should have power to run with sinners and the wicked, lest we become like them. The final stumbling block (or source of danger) approaches.… We take earnest heed in these last days; for the whole [past] time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked time we also withstand coming sources of danger, as becometh the sons of God. That the Black One may find no means of entrance, let us flee from every vanity, let us utterly hate the works of the way of wickedness. Take heed, lest resting at our ease, as those who are the called [of God], we should fall asleep in our sins, and the wicked prince, acquiring power over us, should thrust us away from the kingdom of the Lord. —The Epistle of Barnabas [100-120 AD]                                                                                                  

Watch for your life’s sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. But often shall ye come together, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if ye be not made perfect in the last time. For in the last days false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increaseth, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but they that endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first, the sign of an out-spreading in heaven; then the sign of the sound of the trumpet; and the third, the resurrection of the dead; yet not of all, but as it is said: The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him. Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven. —The Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) [100-120 AD]

Thus, it is apparent that the early Church fathers expected the Church to be persecuted by the antichrist during the end-times and then rescued via the rapture from the persecution they would undergo. This is what the pre-wrath view also states—that the church will be raptured after the opening of the sixth seal out of the great tribulation, which will be instilled at the hands of the antichrist.

Many modern-day “church fathers” have also believed that the church would be subject to persecution at the hands of the antichrist. One famous one was Spurgeon:

In a recent article published by Dennis M. Swanson entitled “The Millenial Position of Spurgeon,” he concludes that ‘despite claims to the contrary, his [Spurgeon’s] position was most closely identifiable with that of historic premillennialism in teaching the church would experience the tribulation, the Millennial Kingdom would be the culmination of God’s program.’ Later in the text, Swanson goes on to state that the ‘Key features of historic premillennialism are twofold: (1) the kingdom will be the culmination of the church age and (2) the “rapture” will follow the tribulation, with the church going through the tribulation under the protection of God….Spurgeon fits most consistently in the “historic or covenantal premillennial system.’ In other words, Spurgeon too, by definition, ignore [d] the doctrine of imminency of Jesus’ return, seeing the church facing the persecution of antichrist before the return of Christ. In doing this he also ‘rejects the pretribulation rapture of the church.^[2]  

So if the early church fathers—and even more modern-day “fathers”—did not believe in a pre-trib rapture, when did the pre-trib belief arise? There are three candidates to whom are credited with the origin of the pre-trib rapture theory: John Darby (one of the founders of the Plymouth Brethren movement), Edward Irving (thrown out of the Presbyterian Church and started the Apostolic Catholic Church), and finally Margaret MacDonald (a 15-year-old Catholic girl who was supposedly miraculously healed and given a vision of the “secret” rapture so popular with today’s pretribulation rapture teachers.)

In summarizing the development of the pretrib doctrine, H. L. Nigro says this:

The development of the pretribulation rapture is generally attributed to John Darby of the Plymouth Brethren, who formalized the theory around 1830. Prior to this time, the return of Christ was seen as a singular event. Jesus would return to earth once, to rapture His Church, to redeem lost Israel, and to judge the wicked and rebellious world, and this was seen either as a midtribulational or posttribulational event. Darby was the first to formally theorize that Jesus would return in two stages: first in spiritual form to rapture the Church, then in bodily form seven years later to judge the world. This allowed Jesus to return triumphantly at Armageddon while keeping the Church out of the 70th Week..^[3]

So it is Darby to whom most attribute the pre-trib position. Another founder of the Plymouth Brethren had this to say about the teachings of Darby as elaborated on by Van Kampen:

It should be noted, however, that Dr. Samuel P. Tregelles, the renowned conservative Greek scholar of the nineteenth century (the author of six separate works on translation), considered one of the founding fathers of the Plymouth Brethren Church, strongly disagreed with John Nelson Darby on the position when it first appeared in England. Dr. Tregelles believed in a face-value hermeneutic, and he knew the original languages like few others of his time. In his book The Hope of Christ’s Second Coming (pp. 74-82), first published in 1864, he denounced the pre-tribulation Rapture position as being sentimental and emotional and without a thread of biblical support. He stated boldly that the pre-tribulation “doctrine of the coming of Christ [is] not taught in the Word of God….This whole system stands in distinct contradiction of what the Scripture reveals” (p. 32).^[4]

At the best the pre-trib rapture theory had a dubious beginning and most likely gained in popularity because it was “easy believism” and a lot more pleasant to think about than enduring the sorrows and persecutions of the first five seals.

Even though the pre-trib position is a relatively new teaching and the early church fathers clearly expected the Church to enter the 70th Week and endure the persecution of the antichrist, and even though the pre-trib position is not an explicit teaching of scripture as admitted by Walvoord, and even though the pre-trib position contradicts some of scripture, some will still want to hold onto it.

If that is the case with you, I ask you to go back over the scriptures and logic that have been presented. Here are the essential facts we need to keep in mind; Thessalonians equates the rapture with the Day of the Lord event. Joel and Acts says that the moon must be turned to blood before the Day of the Lord. In Revelation 6 we see the moon turned to blood after the sixth seal is opened. These are scriptural facts. If you do not deny any of them, then sound logic dictates that the rapture must occur after the sixth seal is opened. Any other conclusion would be a denial of sound logic and create a contradiction to truth.

I encourage you to adhere to what scripture and scripture alone says. We must be faithful and loyal to the Word of God above our alma mater or church. Adhere to what scripture teaches and scripture alone! To make it easier for you to understand these concepts I have summarized, compared, and analyzed the teachings of the various rapture theories and put them into a chart entitled “A Comparison of the Rapture Theories”.

Your Rapture Theology Matters

I am writing this book, not only because I want the truth to be known, but also because it is very dangerous to not have a correct view about the timing of the rapture. Since the rapture does not occur until the sixth seal, then a Christian must prepare for the first five seals. Without proper preparation, one could find themselves and their family in pretty desperate situations. As Jesus said “Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” (Mark 13:36-37) How to properly prepare for the first five seals will be the subject of a later chapter. Furthermore, since the rapture will not occur until the sixth seal and the antichrist is revealed and comes to power before the rapture, then all alive at the time will most likely have to decide whether or not to take the mark. And if a person is deceived as a result of not knowing the truth about the prophetic time in which they are living, they will be more easily deceived during the 70th Week.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Rev. 13:16–17)

Could You Be Deceived into Taking the Mark?

The decision of whether or not to take the mark of the beast will most likely come about after the Abomination of Desolation and shortly after the antichrist takes control of the world. This “mark” will most likely be a small computer chip implanted in the hand or forehead or an invisible tattoo made with RFID ink.^[5] Such technology already exists and is being tested in humans now and is available for use now. The World Net Daily has pictures of chips, and even the process of implanting them, and explains how these implantable chips will be used for a cashless society.^[6] Mexico has just recently announced that they are going to start implanting chips in children, and the military. Prince Charles is “chipped.” The Department of Defense has just announced that all products sold to them must be “chipped.” It is reported that half of all products sold in the U.S will be “chipped” by the end of 2004. Coke even had a promotion running in the summer of 2004 where they “chipped” some cans of soda and then would find them by satellite and the lucky winners would win a prize. The motto of this promotion was “You can win, but you can’t hide.”

The mechanics and technology of chipping or “taking the mark” are already in place. They even have chip mobiles ready to come to your neighborhood!

Having to decide whether or not to take the mark is not a good situation to be in if you do not recognize that you are actually in the 70th Week of Daniel or are not properly prepared for it. You will not be able to buy or sell without the mark, and if you do not realize that you are in the 70th Week because you falsely believe in a pre-trib rapture view, one could easily go along with what the government tells them and be deceived into following the antichrist and taking the mark and ending up in Hell. Of course no true Christian would take the mark.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Rev. 14:9-11)

More Dangers of False Teaching

Another reason any false prophetic teaching, including pre-trib, is harmful is that, when the teaching proves to be erroneous, those under that teaching may lose their respect for the things of the Lord and fall away from Him. We know that before the rapture there will be a great falling away, as was discussed earlier. No doubt, the false teaching about the pre-trib rapture probably will, along with other things, be part of why people will fall away from the faith.

Do not be deceived the rapture will not occur before the final 7 years, the 70th Week, but will occur after the sixth seal is opened between the Abomination of Desolation and the end of the 70th Week. The rapture will be a time of great deliverance from the persecution of the antichrist and his followers. The Lord will descend to the clouds and will blow the trump of God and the dead in Christ will rise first and then those who are still alive at his coming will be caught up to the clouds with Him.

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: 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess. 4:16-18)

Oh what a glorious occasion that will be for all the saints who have been awaiting His return! “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

The entire world 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).

After the world is darkened at the sixth seal, the entire world will be able to see the Lord Jesus Christ shining brighter than the sun as He comes to rescue His children.

In heart-wrenching contrast, those not raptured will at least temporarily recognize their plight and flee from His presence for they will know that the wrath of God is about to be poured out upon the world:

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)

That is when they will have their epiphany concerning Christ. But it will be too late then. The view you hold concerning the rapture matters. An epiphany will come to all. The sooner you have yours the better.

End of excerpt.

The Seals and the antichrist are coming, will you be caught off guard or will you be prepared?

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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[1] Walvoord, John F. The Rapture Question, 1^st ed. Findlay, OH, 1957, p.148.

[2]Van Kampen, Robert. The Rapture Question Answered Plain & Simple. P. 201–2

[3] H. L. Nigro, Before God’s Wrath: The Bible’s Answer to the Timing of the Rapture. p. 122.

[4] Van Kampen, Robert. The Rapture Question Answered Plain & Simple. P. 193,4

[5] http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=196802844

[6] http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35766  [URL inactive]

Why I Am No Longer a Pretribber

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.