There are only a few verses which speak directly of the Rapture. However as those verses mention other events as well which would accompany it's possible to other verses as well of which those events are spoken to narrow down the possible interpretations. Of particular interest are three different interpretations.
1. The Partial Rapture Theory
This idea is that a Rapture occurs
Pre-Trib in which only an elite group of believers get raptured while the
rest suffer through the tribulation to be raptured at the Lord's "third"
coming.
2. The Pre-Trib Rapture Theory
In this case the whole church gets
raptured Pre-Trib at the Lord's second coming, but some unbelievers get
saved during the tribulation and
A. Are Raptured at the Lord's "third"
coming
B. Are not raptured at the Lord's
"third" coming, but die sometime during the 1000 year millenial reign,
to be raised after the 1000 years
C. Are martyred in the tribulation
and are resurrected at the Lord's "third" coming and reign with Christ
1000 years.
3. The Post-Trib Rapture Theory
Here the whole church get's Raptured
at the Lord's second coming which occurs post-trib.
While the Partial Rapture Theory
conflicts with a number of verses, perhaps it's easiest to eliminate this
possiblity with one set of verses.
1Thessalonians 4:16,17Here Paul was talking to all the Thessalonian Christians concerning all those Christians who had died. He speaks of no exceptions here, even including himself ("we"). The truth in these verses therefore applies to all Christians without exception. So even given the idea of multiple raptures, this rapture was the one which Paul himself was anticipating for himself and for the entire church - no exceptions. This logically eliminates the partial rapture theory - if we believe what Paul says.
A. the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command,
with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,
B. the dead in Christ will rise first.
C. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (The Rapture)
Mt 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Rev 7:14 "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
Those are the only two verses which use the term "great tribulation" and allude to the same event, thought there are other passages, like Luke 21 which pretty much parallels Matt 24, and some Old Testament passages particularly in Joel and other minor prophets which parallel revelation, but these are the only two verse which use the word in the same context.
First it seems reasonable logical that Mt 24:21 and Rev
7:14 are referring to the same event.
Though Matthew 24 speaks of "great tribulation" rather than "THE great
tribulation", it says that the tribulation it is referring to is
the greatest that will ever be. That and given the context of Mt 24, it
seems clear that Jesus is referring to The Great Tribulation. Thus I believe
we can conclusively say that these verses are referring to the same event.
According to Mt 24, what happens AFTER the Great Tribulation? What is
the order of events. And let's compare it with Thess.
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Mt 24:29 immediately after the tribulation
of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens
will be shaken.
Mt 24:30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. Mt 24:31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. Mt 24:33 When you see all these things,
know
that it is near——at the doors!
Mt 24:39,40 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. |
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Rev 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 1Thessalonians 4:16,17
1Thess 5:
1Corinthians 15:51,52 "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the LAST trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." Rev 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." 2Thess 2:
2Thess 1:
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Proof #2:
1Cor 15:51,52 Indicates that there will be a resurrection and
a rapture at the last trumpet.
Paul uses the word "we" indicating that resurrection and rapture will
be that which he and the Corinthians would partake.
The last trumpet in Revelation is the 7th trumpet of Rev 11:15, which
is post-trib.
This disproves the pre-trib rapture, unless we are to believe that
the resurrection corresponding to that rapture would not include the early
church.
Proof #3:
2Thess 2 refers to the coming of the Lord in which Paul believed
he and the early Church would be "gathered to him". Notice the phrase "our
being gathered to him".He indicates that their being gathered to
the Lord would not occur until after the antiChrist is revealed and after
the apostacy (Yes it's literally "apostasia" in the Greek) Jesus
alluded to the apostacy in Mt 24:10 "At that
time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other."
And consistent with 2Thess, Jesus continues in Mt 24 by speaking about
the antiChrist, all of which constitute elements of the great tribulation.
Then Jesus speaks of the gathering in Mt 24:31 "And
He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will
gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the
sky to the other." But if Paul was talking about a different gathering
which occurred prior to these events then he would have simply told the
Thessalonians that the reason why they should know that gathering hadn't
occur is because they had not been raptured. This proves that the rapture/resurrection
of which Paul anticipated for himself and the early church would occur
after the tribulation had started, and as such disproves a pre-trib rapture.
Proof #4:
The Rapture is associated with "the day of the Lord". (1Thess
5:2 "for you know very well that the day of
the Lord will come like a thief in the night." for example which
corresponds to the rapture mentioned in 1Thess 4:16,17.) But while
I agree that the day referred to may extend over a period of time, there
are verses which indicate certain events to preceed the start of that day.
Notice Joel 2:31 says, "The sun will be turned
to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the LORD." (And Peter quotes this in
Acts 2 as applying to the church) And 2Thess 2:2,3
"not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or
letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord
has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that
day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness
is revealed." Since the raptures occurs on the day of the Lord,
and since the day of the Lord doesn't start until after events associated
with the great tribulation occur - the rebellion/apostacy, the revealing
of the antiChrist, the sun turned to darkness - this disproves the idea
of a pre-trib rapture.
1Thess 5:2
"the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night"
Mt 24:36 "of that day and hour no one
knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."
The theory is that if the rapture occurs after the tribulation then there would be a series of predictable events leading up to it, and therefore it would not be a surprise. Bur this does not hold, first of all because there are verses which use those phrases which clearly refer to the post-trib coming of the Lord. Notice the context of Mt 24:36
Mt 24:30,31 At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.Here we clearly see that the day which Jesus is referring to occurs after the great tribulation mention in Mt 24:29, and yet he uses the same kind of phrase - not knowing that day, and like a thief - which pre-tribbers allege only could refer to a pre-trib day. Secondly notice that while Paul describes the day of the Lord as a thief in the night, he also says, "But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief." 1Thess 5:4 Therefore "thief in the night" aspect of the coming of the Lord only applies to the unprepared - to those who don't keep themselves alert.
Mt 24:33 When you see all these things, know that it is near——at the doors!
Mt 24:36 of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Mt 24:43,44 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Mt 24:39,40 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
Despite the fact that the Day of the Lord in which the rapture occurs
comes post-trib it will nonetheless come as a surprise on the unprepared.
But how can it be a surprise? First of all is the strong delusion which
God sends, "God sends them a powerful delusion so
that they will believe the lie." 2Thess 2:11 Secondly
Jesus mentions in Luke 21:34 "Be on guard,
so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness
and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like
a trap."
First of all of course it can be pointed out that there are Christians of all generations who have been subjected to the kinds of suffering associated with the great tribulation. There have been Christians tortured to death for their faith. And there have been Christians who have died in natural disasters, which God may have been brought about because of the sinfulness of a society. So it has already been proven as historical fact that Christians may in fact suffer as innocent victims things which are associated with God's wrath, as well as of course being subject to persecution.
Secondly even the pre-trib theory acknowledges that there are genuine
believers - yes even preachers of the gospel - who live through the tribulation,
who allegedly became believers after that alleged pre-trib rapture. But
this disproves their very contention - that genuine believers don't live
through the tribulation. If believers are not subject to God's wrath, then
neither are those who become believers during the tribulation subject to
God's wrath.