The Bible Teaches a Post-Tribulation Rapture

Relevant verses

1.0 Two Ages

1.1 THIS age:

• Mark 10:30
• Luke 20:34
• 1 Corinthians 1:20
• 1 Corinthians 2:6
• 2 Corinthians 4:4
• Galatians 1:4

1.2 The age TO COME:

• Mark 10:30
• Luke 20:35

2.0 Day of the Lord

2.1 Resurrection on the last day:

• Matthew 7:21-22 - Speaks about entering the kingdom, "that day"
• John 6:39 - Jesus will raise us up on the last day
• John 6:40 - Jesus will raise us up on the last day
• John 6:44 - Jesus will raise us up on the last day
• John 6:54 - Jesus will raise us up on the last day
• John 11:24 - resurrection at the last day

2.2 Day of the Lord involves judgment:

• 1 Corinthians 1:8 - implies "day of our Lord Jesus Christ" involves judgment
• 1 Corinthians 5:5 - "day of the Lord" seems to involve judgment
• 1 Timothy 1:18 - implies judgment on "that day"
• 2 Timothy 4:8 - implies judgment on "that day", also the "appearing" of Christ

2.3 Day of the Lord like a thief in the night:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:2 - "day of the Lord" comes "like a "thief in the night"
• 2 Peter 3:10 - "day of the Lord will come like a thief", heavens disappear, horrific noise, celestial bodies melt away in a blaze, eartha and every deed laid bare

3.0 Trumpet

• Matthew 24:3,31 - "sign of [Christ's] coming and of the end of the age", angels sent out to gather elect after suffering of those days
• 1 Corinthians 15:52 - "the dead will be raised" "in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet"
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16 - "the Lord himself will come down" "with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first"
• Revelation 10:7 - "the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God is completed"
  • could be Gentiles as fellow heirs (Ephesians 3), but this is an emphasis on Gentiles coming in, not on both being raised
  • could be resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
• Revelation 11:15 - "seventh angel blew his trumpet", "kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord"

4.0 Harvest

• Matthew 13 - kingdom parables
  • harvest is the end of the age
  • reapers are angels
  • judgment occurs, "throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"
  • unbelievers gathered first (v30)
    • explains who is taken in Matthew 24 parables - the unbelievers!

Respoding to Pre-Tribulationist Arguments

"Revelation 3:10 proves a pre-trib rapture"

This objection is address in a separate article (here).

"The rapture is imminent, the second coming is not"

Pre-tribulationists argue that the rapture is imminent, while the second coming of Christ is not. The response is as follows:

• Even a pre-trib rapture would not be "imminent" in the same way pre-tribulationists present it today. In Bible times, people were still waiting for:
  • Peter's later binding and death (John 21:18-19)
  • The Gospel being preached to the whole world (Matthew 24:14)
  • Jesus' parable showed that the kingdom would not come immediately (Luke 19:11)

"If the rapture were after the tribulation, then we would know the day and hour of Christ's return"

Generally, this argument comes in the form of, "If the rapture is after the tribulation, then we can figure out when the Second Coming will be just by adding 7 years to whenever Antichrist makes the covenant with Israel."

• This is a problem for pre-tribulationists, as well, since Matthew 24:29-30,36 - very clearly speaking of the Second Coming - says that no one knows when it will be. If the rapture occurs 7 years before the second coming, then we could just add 7 years to the rapture (or the covenant) and know when the Second Coming would be.
• It's possible that Christ will not return right at the end of the 70th week of Daniel, which means we still don't know exactly when Christ will return.
  • If the two witnesses of Revelation 11 prophesy during the last half of the week, then are killed and left for 3.5 days, there is at least some time between the end of the 70th week and Christ's return.
  • Daniel 12:11-12 might suggest that there is some more time after the 70th week is over.

"Believers aren't destined for God's wrath"

This objection to the post-tribulation rapture is usually stated, "John 3:36 teaches that believers aren't destined for God's wrath, so believers can't be here through the tribulation". Post-tribulationists do not believe that Christians are destined for God's wrath.

• What about those who believe during the tribulation? Dr. Gundry summarizes the absurdity of the pre-trib position this way: "Washed white in the blood of the Lamb, yet suffering the wrath of God because they missed a pretrib rapture. Is that what we're supposed to think about them?" (First the Antichrist, p49)
• Revelation 13:7 explicitly states that saints will be under attack from the beast during the tribulation. Obviously something is wrong with the pre-tribulationist's interpretation of John 3:36.
• John 3:36 seems to be speaking in a more ultimate sense (condemnation, permanent anger from God) than a general sense
• It is not necessary that believers be absent from the Earth in order to be preserved, and even pre-tribulationists (generally) believe God will preserve (not remove) the 144,000. Revelation 16 states explicitly and implicitly that at least some of God's wrath during the tribulation is poured out specifically on the wicked.

Some argue that the word "church" does not appear in tribulation verses.

• While this is true, it in no way proves a pre-trib rapture. In fact, the word "church" does not appear in verses describing heaven at this time, either.
• Revelation 1:9 describes John as being persecuted for the same reasons the tribulation saints are persecuted (Revelation 12:17), which indicates that the line between saints before the tribulation and during the tribulation are not necessarily separate, as the pre-trib view posits.
• Revelation 7:9-17 describes a multitude of believers from every nation, yet nowhere does Revelation record any conversions. In fact, after enduring the first six trumpet judgment, John tells us that the people did not repent (Revelation 9:20-21, Revelation 16:9-11). Believers are certainly present during the tribulation, and it doesn't sound like many of them were converts.

"Why would God leave the Church here during the tribulation?"

• Believers will remain for the same reason we are here today - to be a light to the world
• Just as Paul knew it was better to depart and be with Christ than be here on Earth, but he knew it was for others' sake that it was good for him to stay (Philippians 1:23-24)
• Who knows the mind of God?