The Timing of the Rapture of the Church
copyright by Arthur Manning, 2002
Introduction
The rapture of the Church is an expression referring to the biblically
prophesied future event in which all living believers in Christ will be
instantaneously glorified and transported to His presence. This is
preceded by the resurrection of the believers in Christ who have died.
This is described in I Thessalonians 4:13-18: "(13)But I would not have
you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.(14)For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will
God bring with him.(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.(18)Wherefore comfort one another with these words." The term
"asleep" refers to the condition of Christians after death. This is
clearly indicated by the expression "dead in Christ" used in verse 16. In
the Gospel of John, chapter eleven, Christ referred to the death of His
friend, Lazarus, as "sleep" (see John 11: 11-14). A closer look at I
Thes. 4: 13-18 reveals some amazing statements. Verse 16 tells us that
the dead in Christ shall rise, which is an integral part of the gospel
("good news"). Verse 17 tells us that after the resurrection of dead
Christians those who are still alive will 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." Many Christians refer to this event as the "rapture of
the Church", although the term "rapture" is not found in the Bible. I
Corinthians 15: 50-53 also describes the rapture: "(50)Now this I say,
brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither
doth corruption inherit incorruption.(51)Behold, I shew you a mystery; We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52)In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.(53)For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality." Verse 52 tells us that the rapture shall happen suddenly,
"...In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye...". Verse 53 declares that
when it happens our mortal bodies will be changed into immortal bodies.
These new bodies are further described as incorruptible in verse 42,
glorious in verse 43, powerful in verse 43, and spiritual in verse 44. I
John 3:2 mentions that "...when he shall appear, we shall be like
him...". So we have more than the above adjectives to tell us what form
we believers shall one day obtain. We can read the gospel accounts of
Christ after His resurrection to see an example of what our bodies shall
be like. In Mark 16:12 we are told that the resurrected Christ appeared
"... in another form unto two of them...". This was after He had appeared
to Mary Magdalene (verse 9). So the resurrected Christ can apparently
appear in different forms. If we will be "like Him" it is not
unreasonable to deduce that we also will have this ability. I suppose
that we will have the capability of appearing in any form we wish. So
many of us have aspects of our mortal bodies that we would not desire to
have in a permanent state. Some of us are missing body parts or have
parts which are deformed or do not function properly or, in some cases,
do not function at all. I believe that we will be able to present
ourselves as we look today, or as we looked at the prime of our life, or
as we would have looked if we had never suffered a disease, injury, or
mutation. I further believe that not only could a ninety year old
"raptured" saint appear as he looked at the age of twenty, but a nine
year old "raptured" saint could appear as he would have looked at the age
of twenty. We could conceivably change appearances as we change clothes
nowadays. Perhaps I could be in a 250 pound muscular body with straight
black hair one day and the next day be in a 125 pound slim body with
curly red hair. Another account of Christ’s resurrected body is in Luke
24:31, where we are told that He "...vanished out of their sight."
Apparently our raptured bodies will not be subject to physical
limitations. But neither will we be like a vapor. We will have substance
as exemplified by our Lord’s eating some food (Luke 24: 41-43). I suppose
that just as Philip (Acts 8:39-40) was instantly caused to disappear from
one place and to reappear in another, so we will have the same ability
(also see John 6:19-21 where a whole ship and passengers were apparently
instantly transported from the midst of the sea to the shore). I imagine
that resurrected saints ruling the world with the Lord (Rev. 5:10) will
be able to instantly transport themselves to Jerusalem at any appropriate
time to worship Him.
A major question among Christians is when will this rapture take place.
First of all, the rapture is associated with Christ’s glorious return to
earth. In I Thes. 4:16 and 17 we read that "... the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven...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...". But the time of Christ’s return
is , according to Him, not revealed to us (Matthew 24:36: "But of that
day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my father
only.").However, according to Hebrews 10:25, we can "..see the day
approaching." This is because of the presence in today’s world of
conditions which the Bible tells us will be prevalent shortly before
Christ’s return. One of those conditions is in the moral realm. I Timothy
4:1-3 describes the moral conditions in the end times in strongly
negative terms. Christ Jesus also prophesied immoral conditions in
Matthew 24:9-12. But someone may claim that there have always been
immoral conditions in human history, yet Christ has still not returned.
However, there are three other biblically prophesied end-time conditions
which can not be claimed to have always been in existence. They are,
first , the gospel being preached in all the world; second, the building
up of Israel; and third, the increase of knowledge and transportation.
The first of these was prophesied by Christ in Matthew 24:14, "And this
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to
all nations; and then shall the end come." A great increase in the
sending of missionaries to Africa and Asia did not take place until the
1800's. This was accelerated to even more remote groups in the 1900's.
There are still some places that the gospel has not yet reached, but they
are very few compared to the many places it has spread in recent years,
especially in Africa, Asia, and South America.
The second of these is found in Psalm 102:16, "When the LORD shall build
up Zion, he shall appear in his glory." Mount Zion is in Jerusalem, the
historic capital of Israel. Israel was devastated in 70 AD and did not
become a nation again until 1948. Since then the nation of Israel has
been, indeed, built up.
The third of these is the prophecy in Daniel 12:4, "... to the time of
the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
For about two thousand years after this prophecy transportation and
knowledge slowly increased; but in the last century the increase has been
so rapid and explosive that if the increase were to be graphed it would,
indisputably, show a long very gradual line, not much steeper than
horizontal, suddenly curve upward to almost vertical.
The above three conditions could not have been said to be prevalent until
recent times, indicating that Christ’s return is approaching soon. There
are other signs, as well; but these three by themselves should be
convincing enough.
Associated with the time of Christ’s return and the rapture of the Church
is a period of time referred to in Matthew 24:21: "For then shall be
great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be." A major controversy within today’s
Church is in regard to the time of the rapture in relation to this "great
tribulation". Three major views are that (1) the rapture occurs before
the tribulation (called the pre-tribulation rapture), (2) the rapture
occurs during the tribulation (the mid-tribulation rapture), and (3) the
rapture occurs after the tribulation (the post-tribulation rapture).
Will the Church go through none of, some of, or all of the tribulation?
Something to keep in mind for a healthy perspective is that Christians
have suffered all through the ages. We can read in the New Testament
about Stephen’s and James’ martyrdom and the persecutions endured by
Peter and Paul. Many Christians suffered severely in the first two
hundred years after Christ and many have suffered severely in the last
one hundred years. Even if the Church does not go though the "great
tribulation", any one of us may experience severe suffering, perhaps even
unto death. So we need to be strengthening ourselves in the faith, for we
know not what the future holds. On the other hand, even if the Church
does go through the "great tribulation", any one of us may not experience
that event, but die suddenly at any moment, with little or no suffering.
So we need to be ready to meet the Lord today, because even if the Church
is not raptured today, some of us will indeed meet Him today. So
regardless of what happens to the whole Church, each one of us should be
ready to meet the Lord today and willing to suffer for His name’s sake,
if necessary.
Instead of presenting the case for each of the three views, the relevant
scriptures will be considered in an attempt to see which view seems to
fit the best. There are many true Christians who adhere to each of these
views and none of these views is in conflict with the main truths of the
gospel, such as we find stated in, for example, the Apostles’ Creed.
One’s view of the rapture does not determine whether or not one will
experience it. This is determined by one’s spiritual condition (being a
true believer in Christ), not one’s doctrinal position regarding the
timing of the rapture. There are many scriptural references to the
"rapture". Rather than examining all of them, an attempt is here made to
examine only those which give any indication of the timing of the event.
We will look at the pertinent New Testament scriptures in order, from
Matthew to Revelation.
Matthew
In Matthew, chapter 24, Christ teaches about end time happenings. He
warns of false Christs, wars and rumors of wars; but adds that these
things precede the end. Since the time of this prophecy there has been a
continual fulfillment of it throughout the last two thousand years. Our
Lord continues by prophesying wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes
in various places. These events He calls the "beginning of sorrows." Then
He warns of persecution and martyrdom for His people. Then He foretells
betrayals and deceptive false prophets. Finally, Christ announces that,
in spite of all this opposition, the gospel shall be proclaimed in all
the world, "... and then shall the end come" (verse 14). If the church
can survive persecutions and martyrdoms before the end, then we should
not fear if it turns out that the Church must endure the "great
tribulation". Christ has promised that He will never leave us; and the
Apostle Paul assures us that no type or degree of suffering can
"...separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Romans8:39).
Next (Matthew 24:15), our Lord proceeds to describe end time events. He
first refers to the "abomination of desolation" foretold by the Old
Testament prophet, Daniel. What is this "abomination of desolation"?
According to Daniel 11:31, the daily sacrifice shall be stopped and the
abomination of desolation shall be set up. Coupling this with our Lord’s
statement in Matthew 24:15 that the abomination of desolation will stand
in the holy place, it is safe to conclude that the Jews will be making
daily sacrifices as they did in ancient times; but this practice will be
stopped and some sort of unholy object shall be put into the holy place.
Perhaps this will be the "image of the beast" referred to in Revelation
13: 14, 15.
According to Daniel 9:27, this "abomination of desolation" shall take
place "...in the midst of the week..." What does this phrase, "...in the
midst of the week...", mean? If this "week" is interpreted to be a period
of time equal to seven years, rather than seven days, it fits in
extremely well with other pertinent passages in Daniel and also in
Revelation. If a week is seven years, then the midst of the week occurs
at the three and one-half year point. This is consistent with the
statement in Revelation 11:2 telling us that the gentiles will tread down
Jerusalem for 42 months (equal to three and one-half years), and also
with Revelation 13:4, 5 which tell us that "...the beast will have
authority for 42 months (three and one-half years).
Continuing on in Matthew 24, we come to verse 21, which tells us that
"...then shall be great tribulation...". When shall this tribulation
come? In the context, it must refer back to verse 15, "When ye therefore
shall see the abomination of desolation...."So since the great
tribulation occurs when the abomination of desolation is set up, it must
begin three and one-half years into the last seven years. Some Bible
students speak of a seven year tribulation, but Christ tells us that the
tribulation begins at the time of the abomination of desolation which is
three and one-half years into the last seven years. Pre-tribulation
rapture proponents usually believe that the rapture occurs at the
beginning of the last seven years. Mid-tribulation rapture proponents
usually believe that the rapture will take place in the middle of the
last seven years, which is when the tribulation actually begins. So, we
see that the pre-tribulation rapture actually would occur three and
one-half years before the tribulation and the mid-tribulation rapture
would actually occur before the tribulation. So we see that the
mid-tribulation rapture view is actually another variety of
pre-tribulation rapture view. Up to Matthew 24:21 (where the great
tribulation is first mentioned) we find no reference to the "rapture"
occurring. So up to this point we find no evidence in this passage for a
"pre-tribulation" or a "mid-tribulation" rapture. Verses 22 through 26
give more details about this time; but, again, contain no reference to
the "rapture". Verse 27 describes Christ’s glorious coming. Verses 29
through 31 give more details regarding Christ’s return. In verse 29 we
find a reference to the timing of His return: "Immediately after the
tribulation of those days...." This verse also describes astronomical
events coinciding with our Lord’s return.These events include the sun and
moon being darkened, stars falling, and powers being shaken. This same
event is described in Revelation 6:12-17 and is called the wrath of the
Lamb. Therefore, in Matthew 24 we see that "...immediately after the
tribulation..."(verse 29) comes the wrath of God and the gathering
together of Christ’s saints (verse 31). Some Bible students consider the
tribulation and the wrath to be the same event. However, this cannot be
since one comes after the other. In addition, the Greek terms for
tribulation and wrath have different meanings. It is certain that
Christians will not experience God’s wrath. This is clearly stated in
Romans 5:9, I Thessalonians 1:10, and I Thessalonians 5:9. However, there
are no scriptures stating that Christians will not experience
tribulation. In fact, several passages mention Christians experiencing
tribulation (e.g. John 16:33, Acts 14:22, Romans 12:12, II Corinthians
1:4, Revelation 1:9, etc.).The Greek word for tribulation used in these
passages is the same that is used in Matthew 24, verses 21 and 29.
The end-time wrath of God is a specific, future event. God has poured out
His wrath before, such as at Noah’s Flood, on Sodom, and on Jerusalem
(Luke 21:23 uses the Greek term, "orge", to describe this destruction.
This is the same term that is associated with the specific, future event
which is referred to in passages such as I Thessalonians 1:10 - the wrath
to come that God’s people have been delivered from). To support the claim
that the "wrath to come" is a specific event, we can examine several
scriptures. In Revelation 6:16, 17 it is described under the section
dealing with the sixth seal. It includes a great earthquake, the sun and
moon being darkened, stars falling, the heaven departing as a scroll, and
every mountain and island being moved. In Revelation 11:18 God’s end-time
wrath comes at the sounding of the seventh trumpet and includes the
world’s kingdoms becoming Christ’s kingdom, the judgment of the dead, and
rewards to prophets and saints. In Revelation 14:10 God’s end-time wrath
is described further as a time when God’s enemies who received the "mark
of the beast" experience God’s wrath and are tormented with fire and
brimstone in the presence of God’s angels and Christ. In Revelation 15:1,
15:7, and 16:1 we see that God’s wrath consists of seven last plagues.
Finally, in Rev. 10:11-15 we see God’s wrath taking place at Christ’s
return. We can now see that the events described in Matthew as occurring
"...immediately after the tribulation of those days..." (Sun and moon
darkened, stars falling, Christ returning ) are all part of the wrath of
God from which God’s people have been delivered. However, what God’s
people have been delivered from occurs "...immediately after the
tribulation..." (Matthew 24:29).
Matthew 24:30 describes Christ’s actual, glorious return "...in the
clouds of heaven...", visible to all tribes. Verse 31 continues with a
description of Christ gathering His elect with a trumpet call. Notice
that this gathering and trumpet call occur, according to verse 29,
"...immediately after the tribulation...." I Thessalonians 4:16 describes
the rapture and mentions that it will happen with a trumpet call. In
addition, I Corinthians 15:52, in referring to the rapture, also includes
mention of it happening with a trumpet call. This passage states that
this is the last trump. If the rapture takes place at the last trumpet
call and also before the tribulation, then how can there be another
trumpet call "...immediately after the tribulation..." (Matthew
24:29-31)? Since the rapture occurs at the last trumpet call and there is
a trumpet call after the tribulation, then it is obvious that the rapture
must occur after the tribulation. This is a strong argument from logic.
However, any deduction from scripture, no matter how logical, is in error
if it is contradicted by a direct statement in the scriptures. Are there
any direct statements clearly declaring that the rapture precedes the
tribulation? We shall continue to examine more passages in an effort to
answer that question.
Matthew 24:31, as has already been mentioned, also states that Christ’s
elect shall be gathered together at the sound of the trumpet when He
returns in glory (verse 30) after the tribulation (verse 29). In II
Thessalonians 2:1 Paul tells of Christ’s return and "...our gathering
together unto him." This sounds very much like the same event prophesied
in Matthew 24:30, 31. Since this Matthew 24 "coming" and "gathering"
occur after the tribulation, then it is reasonable to conclude that the I
Thessalonians 2 "coming" and "gathering" also occur after the
tribulation.
Continuing on in Matthew 24:32-35, Christ makes some further statements
about His coming indicating that there will be warning signs of its
approach and declaring the certainty of His return. Then in verse 36 He
tells us that no one but the Father knows the actual day and hour of His
return. So, though we may be able to discern when Christ’s return is soon
approaching, we do not know the exact time. Our Lord says in verse 36,
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man...." In the context, the day and
hour to which He is referring must be His coming and the gathering of His
elect (verses 30 and 31) , which occurs after the tribulation (verse 29).
Some Bible students claim that verse 36 refers to a pre-tribulation
rapture, yet Christ states "that" day, indicating a day of which He had
just previously spoken. He had just spoken of His post-tribulation
return. Some claim that verse 36 must refer to an imminent
pre-tribulation rapture since once the tribulation begins we could
calculate the day of Christ’s return and that would contradict Christ’s
statement in verse 36 that no one knows the day. This seems logical; but,
as was previously stated, in biblical interpretation, logical conclusions
are in error if they contradict clear statements. The clear statement in
the context of Matthew chapter 24 is that "that day" in verse 36 must
refer to the events in verses 29 through 31. There is no mention in
Matthew 24 of any rapture occurring before the tribulation, first
mentioned in verse 21. Therefore it is the day of Christ’s return and the
gathering of the elect which is unknown, even though it apparently takes
place three and one-half years after the abomination of desolation.
Perhaps the reason that the exact day and hour are unknown is that,
according to Matthew 24:21, 22, the days of the great tribulation shall
be shortened. So perhaps Christ shall come some time before the end of
the last three and one half years. But when He does come it will be the
end of the tribulation and the time of the wrath of God.
The last three and one-half years is apparently the same as the 42 months
(12 months per year x 3.5 years = 42 months) referred to in Rev.11:2 and
13:5, as well as the 1260 days (30 days per month x 42 months = 1260days)
referred to in Revelation 11:3 and 12:6. So will Christ’s coming occur
1260 days after the abomination of desolation and therefore be
predictable, contrary to Matthew 24:36? It is interesting to note that in
Daniel 12:11 we are told that after the abomination of desolation there
will be 1290 days. Then in verse 12 we are told, "Blessed is he that
waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty
days." So will Christ come 1,260 days, 1290days, or 1335 days after the
abomination? "But of that day and hour knoweth no man." (Matthew 24:36).
In Matthew 24:37-39 Jesus compares "...the coming of the Son of man..."
(His coming) with the days of Noah in which the devastating Flood
suddenly and unexpectedly destroyed all of mankind except for Noah and
his family. When our Lord talks about His coming in verse 37 it is in
reference to the unexpected event referred to in verse 36 since He
prefaces verse 37 with the conjunction, "...but...." Therefore, since in
verse 36 "...that day..." refers to the post-tribulation coming of the
Son of man in verses 29-30, verse 37 must also refer to the
post-tribulation coming of the Son of man. In addition, Christ’s
description of Noah’s Flood emphasizes the unexpected nature of the
event. It is clear that verses 37-39, describing Noah’s Flood, are a
biblical illustration of His point in verse 36. Since verse 36 refers to
Christ’s post-tribulation coming in verses 29-30, so must verses 37-39.
Noah and his family were rescued just prior to God’s wrath on unexpecting
sinners. Is this not an illustration of verses 29 through 31 in which
God’s elect are gathered after the tribulation, but in order to be saved
from His wrath?
Some may claim that since the Greek term for coming used in Matthew 24:30
is different from that used in verses 37 and 39, therefore these are two
separate events - the former referring to Christ’s return, and the latter
to His pre-tribulation appearance to rapture His elect. The former term,
"erchomai", is used, according to Strong, to signify "come or go, in a
great variety of applications, literal and figurative." The latter term,
"parousia", refers to a "being near, i.e., advent, presence," according
to Strong. "Erchomai"is used in Matthew 24:30 for Christ’s
post-tribulation coming. However, "parousia" is also used for a
post-tribulation event. This occurs in II Thessalonians. 2:8 where we are
told that the Lord shall destroy "...that Wicked..." "...with the
brightness of his coming ("parousia")." Verse nine goes on to describe
"...the Wicked...." This is undoubtedly the beast, more popularly called
the antichrist ( see I John 2:18). The beast, along with a false prophet,
are spoken of in Revelation chapter 13. Both of these individuals will
not be destroyed until Christ returns, executing the wrath of God (cf.
Rev. 10:11-20), so there is no way that this usage of "parousia" for the
destruction of "that Wicked" can be considered to refer to an event at
the beginning or at the middle of the last seven years. Since "parousia"
definitely refers to a post-tribulation event in II Thessalonians 2:8,
there is no reason why it cannot also refer to a post-tribulation event
in Matthew 24:37 and 39. Besides, the context of verses 37 and 39
strongly indicate that Christ’s coming therein described refers to His
post-tribulation coming described in verses 29-30, as has already been
discussed. In addition, in Matthew 24: 36 and 37 our Lord tells us that
no one, but the Father, knows the day and hour of the "parousia". Then in
verse 42 He tells us that we do not know the day of the "erchomai". So,
apparently the two Greek terms are used interchangeably and are therefore
practically synonymous. Further support for this is the fact that
practically every translation renders both terms in Matthew 24 as some
form of the same English word, come.
Matthew 24:40 and 41 describe how at Christ’s coming some people shall be
taken, while others shall be left. This event is frequently said to be a
description of the rapture. These verses begin with the word "then",
meaning "at that time", connecting them to the previous verses which, as
has already been shown, describe post-tribulation happenings. In the
remainder of the verses in Matthew 24 (42-51) Christ exhorts us to be
watchful since we do not know the time of His coming. In addition,
chapter 25 deals with end time events but gives no indication of the
timing.
Mark
In Mark, chapter 13, we find another account of Jesus’ discourse recorded
in Matthew chapter 24. It is almost identical to the formerly discussed
passage. One difference, however, is that in Matthew 24:31 the elect are
said to be gathered (after the tribulation - see verse 29) "...from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other"; whereas in Mark 13:37
the elect are said to be gathered "...from the four winds, from the
uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."Someone may
claim that in Matthew 24 the rapture had already taken place before the
tribulation (even though there is no mention of such an event in that
chapter), and that verse 31 refers to the elect being gathered together
from different parts of heaven. However, verses 36, 40, and 41, which are
usually said to refer to the rapture, refer to the previously mentioned
post-tribulation coming and gathering (verses 29-31) as has already been
discussed. In addition, Mark 13:27 shows that this post-tribulation
gathering is not just of the elect in heaven, but also includes the elect
on earth. This strongly compares to the rapture described in I
Thessalonians 4:16, 17 when "...the dead in Christ shall rise first..."
(since the dead in Christ are with Him in heaven this could be a
description of the gathering of the elect from the uttermost part of
heaven) ":then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air..." (This would be a
description of gathering the elect from the uttermost part of the earth).
So Mark 13:27 gives an even stronger case for a post-tribulation rapture
than does Matthew 24:31, effectively eliminating the above-described
attempt to have the latter verse refer to only a gathering together of
the previously raptured elect.
In Mark 13:37, the last verse of this account of Christ’s discourse, He
declares, "And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." This verse
addresses not just the apostles present at the time, but apparently even
us as well. So we are to watch. Why should we watch? Verse 33 answers
this question: Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the
time is." What time is He here referring to? Obviously, the day and hour
mentioned in the previous verse. And what day and hour are they? In the
context, the post-tribulation gathering and coming of the Lord (verses
24-26). Why should we be watching for post-tribulation events if we are
to be raptured before the tribulation?
The Timing of the Rapture of the Church continued
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