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The Case for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture

by Ted Rice

Rapture: “to be caught up”.

Introduction:

It is my intention in this article to make the case for the pre-tribulation rapture, a concept which seems increasingly under attack lately. However, in doing so I am not intending to put down brothers and sisters who believe in the mid or post-tribulation rapture. Cases can be made from Scripture for those, too. It simply is not a vital issue, unlike salvation by faith rather than works. What is vital is believing that Christ has risen from the dead and is alive, 1 Corinthians 14; Christ will return, Acts 1:11; and that when Christ returns He should find us doing what He left us here to do, Luke 19: 12 – 27 and Matthew 24: 44 – 51!

I am also not addressing either amillennialism or preterism in depth in this article. Amillennialism holds that Christ will not return to earth until the final judgment and that there is no literal “millennial reign” as such, but the millennium began at Pentecost and that Christ is reigning from heaven now through the Church. This view is held by many mainline churches, and by groups such as the Amish and Mennonites, and was common from the early days of the church, though the premillennial view was also held in the early church. Amillennialism probably developed as an explanation after a long period of time had passed, Christ had not physically returned, and the church was under persecution.

Preterism is a rarer view that holds that the events of Revelation have already happened.

I choose not to deal with preterism here because if these events already happened, it leaves you with two choices concerning the Rapture – either it already happened and you were left behind, or there is no such thing, which directly contradicts the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 4: 16, 17.

Amillennialism holds the position that there is no “rapture” of the church other than the general resurrection at the end of the age. It also holds that after Israel rejected Christ, God rejected Israel, and the church became the “new Israel” (known as “replacement theology”). Since I am dealing with the rapture in this article, there would be nothing to write about if I believed this view! I believe this view developed, as before stated, because early Christians expected Christ to return right away, and were subjected to immense persecution which they often believed was “THE tribulation”. After the nation of Israel was destroyed and ceased to exist in 70 AD, replacement theology and amillennialism became the predominant belief of the church. However, when Israel was restored as a nation in 1948, premillennialism began to gain popularity again.

The Case for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture:

The First Argument: The most widely used scripture concerning the rapture comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:, 14 – 17: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. 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 that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

These verses indicate that Christ will return, bringing with Him the souls of those who have died, who will be reunited with their resurrected bodies first, then those Christians left on the earth will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air, all together to remain with Him for eternity. The verses also show that this will happen some time prior to Christ's physically returning to earth to reign, as this all happens “in the air”.

The Second Argument: Another Scripture is 1Th 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivereth us from the wrath to come.

This Scripture indicates that believers should be waiting for Christ to return, and that when He does He will deliver believers from the wrath to come. This doesn't fit well with Christians having to go into the Tribulation, which is the pouring out of God's wrath upon the earth: Rev_6:16, 17 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?

Matthew 24 and Luke 21:34 – 36 warn people to be alert and watchful, and be doing what Christ gave us to do – not to be caught up in the affairs of a doomed world. They also mention escaping the calamities to come.

In these verses Jesus was explaining to His disciples the progression of events that would happen in the last days. False Christs, wars, famines, and earthquakes would only be the beginning (Matthew 24: 3 -8). Then believers will be persecuted, many will fall away, and the gospel will finally be preached to the ends of the earth.(Matthew 24: 8 – 14). The number of those who are to believe and be saved will be fulfilled and the surviving remnant of the church will be raptured and the end will come. The warning verses of Matthew 24: 15 to the end of Matthew 24 are to Israel. The problem people have with these verses comes from applying the whole thing to the church, which did not yet exist at the time Jesus said these things. Putting these together with Revelation helps you to understand the timeline.

The Third Argument: Revelation Chapters 1 – 3 deal with seven actual churches in what is now Turkey, none of which exists any longer. The importance of this section is that each one of these churches had specific characteristics. Most present churches also have one or more of these characteristics, but in general, each set of characteristics belongs to a specific time period in the history of the church.

1. Ephesus: This represents the earliest church, which was commended for standing against false apostles and teachers, for their patience and good works, but reprimanded for leaving their first love. They were already drifting away from Christ.

2. Smyrna: The church under intense persecution. They are encouraged not to be fearful, but to hang on and remain faithful even to death. There is no reprimand for them.

3. Pergamum: Commended for their faithfulness, but reprimanded for sexual immorality, flirting with idolatry, and false doctrines. This began the age when the church began slipping away from the simple gospel.

4. Thyatira: Commended for love, faith, and service, but especially for works. But many had gotten into Satanic things and were involved with evil. Those who had not were advised to hold fast, those who had were sternly warned what the results would be. This represents the RCC in the Middle Ages.

5. Sardis: The dead church, coasting on its name but without any real life, although there are a few genuine believers in it, who are commended. This represents the church before the reformation.

6. Philadelphia: The Missionary Church, existing from the 1700's to the present, involved in fulfilling the Great Commission. They have little power, but are encouraged to hold fast and reminded that Christ is coming quickly. Interestingly, they are also promised that “Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”. Rev. 3:10.

7. Laodecia: The lukewarm church. Wealthy and powerful, they see little need of God. They have one foot in the world and one in the Church, ignoring 1 John 2:15. They are reproved and warned to repent. This is the present church, including the evangelical church, which has lost interest in missions and focuses on entertaining its own members. God warns He will spit them out. Even the Laodecian church still has some true believers, however.

The Fourth Argument: The Falling Away. 2 Thessalonians 2:3: 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; This verse indicates that before the Rapture, there will be a falling away. Christianity will become very unpopular and Christians will often be persecuted. This will separate the sheep from the goats. The Bible seems to indicate that there will be very few believers left when Jesus returns: Luke 18:8: I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Contrary to popular books and movies, I don't think the Rapture will really be much noticed by the world, except of course for the families and friends of those missing.

This verse taken alone would seem to indicate that the Antichrist would be revealed before the church is raptured, but taken with the next verses I believe the opposite is the case, though very little time will pass between the two events.

The Fifth Argument: The Removal of the Holy Spirit. 2 Thess. 2: 5-8. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming;

These verses indicate that the Antichrist is restrained by the Holy Spirit, which indwells both individual Christians and the Church as a whole. The Holy Spirit will be “taken out of the way” by the rapture of the church, allowing the Antichrist to rise to power extremely quickly and opening the world to the reign of evil. There will be NO moral or ethical opposition at first. Neither will any believers be “left behind”. People will be saved during the reign of the Antichrist, but by the preaching of the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3) and the 144,000 Jewish Evangelists (Revelation 7), not through the Church, which will no longer exist on earth. The “multitude coming out of the Great tribulation” are not pre-tribulation church members, but those who have come to Christ through the preaching of the 144,000 and the two witnesses and been put to death by the Antichrist for doing so.

Lastly, to explain the sixth argument, we will go back to the beginning, with Genesis. There we can see a “type” of the rapture.

For those unfamiliar with the types, I will give an example that has nothing to do with the present discussion, but illustrates a “type” well and also emphasizes their importance.

Rom_15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. 1Co 10:11 Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.

The New Testament clearly states that things written in the Old were for us to learn from and be admonished by. So if we take Exodus 17:6 : Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel with Numbers 20:8 – 12: Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink. And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice: and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle. And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed not in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. We can plainly see that Moses disobeyed God, but why was this so important? The explanation is given in 1 Corinthians 10:4: and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ. The rock was a “type” of Christ, and Christ was only to be smitten once. Moses was to talk to the rock, as we are supposed to talk to Christ. He lost his temper, broke the type, and so lost his chance to enter the Promised Land.

The Sixth Argument: Seeing how important the types are, let's look at one relevant to the present discussion. In Genesis, God destroyed the world through a flood, but saved a number of people and animals to replenish it. We are told that only eight people were saved, but in fact nine survived the flood. Genesis 5:24 and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated him: for before his translation he hath had witness borne to him that he had been well–pleasing unto God: Previously to Noah and the ark, the Bible says Enoch was taken up to God alive and bodily. Enoch is a type of the church, which is to be taken up to meet the Lord in the air, alive and bodily. Noah and his family are a type of Israel, which is to go through the time of tribulation as Noah went through the flood, and this is reinforced by Revelation 12:6: And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And Revelation 12:14 – 16: And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

The woman who brought forth the man-child is Israel, the man-child is Christ. As Noah and his family, the remnant of the human race, went into the ark and was kept safe from the flood, the remnant of Israel will go into the wilderness to a place prepared for them, where they will be kept safe for the last 3 ½ years of the Antichrist's reign.

Therefore, we can see that the types reinforce the idea of the pre-tribulation rapture. As Enoch was taken up to God some time before the flood, the church will be taken up to Christ before the tribulation! Unbelievers will have to go through it, though Israel will be spared the worst as Noah and his family were spared from the flood.

As a side note, someone has suggested that Enoch and Elijah, the only two humans taken up to God alive, are the two witnesses of Revelation. This would fit in well, as Scripture says “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 15:50), and the two witnesses are eventually killed, then resurrected and taken into heaven.

Conclusion:

We can see then that by putting all these Scriptures together and properly discerning who they were spoken or written to, we can get a fair idea of the time-line of the last days and rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). It seems evident to me that the Church came into existence on the Day of Pentecost and has continued until now. It will continue until the gospel is preached to all the world, and the elect from every tongue, nation, and people are gathered in (Matthew 24 ). There will certainly be times of persecution, and towards the end persecution will become intense and there will be a great falling away from the faith. This is NOT the “Great Tribulation”, but the beginning of sorrows. When the Church has fulfilled its mission, Christ will return and the small number of Christians still faithful and alive will be taken up to Christ. There will be no panic over mass disappearances as in popular literature because the number of Christians who haven't either denied and fallen away from the faith or been killed for their faith will be small. With the Holy Spirit's influence removed from the earth, evil will run free and the Antichrist will be revealed and take over. Then God's wrath will be let loose on the earth. People will still be saved, but it will be through believing Jews, not through the Church (Revelation chapter 7 and chapter 11:3), though salvation is still (and always) through faith in Christ.

If you don't confuse Israel and the Church, it is easier to figure out the timeline of these events and rightly divide the Word. However, this is not an issue that we should split over or become angry about. The most important, over-riding issue is that when Christ does return, He finds us doing what He commanded us to do, both individually and as the Church. Luk 12:42-47: And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. But if that servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the unfaithful. And that servant, who knew his lord's will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes;

If you are one who believes in the pre-tribulation rapture but lives like the worldly, your interpretation of Scripture isn't going to do you any good. Regardless of what position you hold, when Jesus returns (at whatever time) and finds you doing what He commanded, you will be rewarded.