The Timing of the Rapture

In light of everything that has happened with the nation of Israel for the past few years, and more recently with the conflict between Iran and Israel, the idea of the end of the world has again emerged. As Christians, many of us look forward to Christ’s return at the rapture. One thing that has changed since I went to seminary is my view of the rapture. What I hope to do in this post is provide some background on three different views of the timing of the rapture: pre-tribulation, post-tribulation, and pre-wrath. When we are discussing the tribulation, remember that we are talking about that seven-year period of global hardship that takes place during the “end times.”

I realize this is a long read, and you don’t need to feel compelled to read it all at once, but I hope it will further your understanding of the different views on the rapture’s timing. I will share my perspective on this matter, but I want to make it clear that this is not an issue that should divide the church. I also want to make clear that nobody knows exactly when the rapture will take place. If they do, you should question them. The best we can do is make educated guesses, as Scripture does not reveal when the rapture will occur.

Although eschatology, the study of the end times and the end of the world, has been a subject of interest for years, one element of the end times was placed front and center with the 1995 release of the book Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. This series of books, which have sold over 72 million copies^[1], began with an event known as the rapture. While the rapture of the church is not a foreign idea to many, if not most, Christians, the Left Behind series of books thrust the rapture into conversations everywhere in the late 1990s. Upon the release of Left Behind, many people wondered what the rapture is and when it would happen.

What is the Rapture?

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus describes an event some take as the rapture. “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. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Matt. 24:30-31, New American Standard Bible 2020). Many post-Tribulation rapture proponents use these verses to help make the case that the rapture takes place at the same time as the second coming of Jesus.

Rapture in Scripture

Another set of verses frequently cited regarding the rapture is 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. In these verses, Paul reveals a mystery unknown in Old Testament times. In chapter 15, Paul writes to the church at Corinth because they are confused about the resurrection. These verses tell the Corinthians that: (1) not everyone will sleep, (2) the dead will be raised, and (3) everyone will be changed. These verses align closely with the most well-known verses describing the rapture.“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Once again, Paul provides a glimpse into the rapture. It is from this text the word “rapture” is derived. The phrase “caught up” in Greek is ἁρπάζω pronounced harpazō. In the Latin Vulgate, the word used for harpazō is rapio, and is where the English word “rapture” is derived.^[2] In short, the rapture is the catching away of God’s people.

Why Study the Rapture?

Though a majority of Protestant pastors believe in the rapture,^[3] there are disagreements about the timing of the rapture. In this post, I will discuss three widely held views of the timing of the rapture. Many, if not most, Protestant pastors affirm the pre-Tribulation view of the rapture. This view holds that the church’s rapture will happen before the seven-year Tribulation period. The next view I will present is the post-Tribulation view. Those who hold this view believe the rapture will occur at the end or after the Tribulation period. The final view I will present is the pre-wrath view of the rapture. This position views the rapture as occurring during the seven-year Tribulation after the Abomination of Desolation.

It's Not Just for Christians

While not a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith, the study of the rapture is vital because it is a topic on the minds of not only Christians, but all people. From 88 Reasons Why the Rapture will be in 1988, written by Edgar C. Whisenant, to the Left Behind books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, the rapture is entrenched in popular culture today, and Christians need to understand the different views.

Contemporary Representation

One reason studying the rapture is important for the church today is its representation and misuse in the media, television, and film because of books such as the Left Behind series. Events such as the rapture and the millennium, the promised 1,000-year reign of Jesus on Earth, have become known to millions outside the church. This has caused both Christians and non-believers alike to look for clues to the second coming of Christ and the millennium in current events. Speaking about the Left Behind series of books and movies and other merchandising objects followed, de Villiers comments, “All these also helped make millennialism into a global sensation, even amongst other religious traditions and faiths outside the North American context. A decisive driving factor was the approach of the year 2000 when these events were expected to take place. This reminded observers of other such movements when significant calendar changes were due, and expectations of the imminent end of the world intensified.”^[4] The church needs to familiarize itself with eschatology and be aware of the message that is portrayed.

The Christian View of Israel

Another reason the study of the rapture is important to Christians today is how Christians view eschatology and the nation of Israel. There are two primary schools of thought regarding the nation of Israel and the end times, Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology. In their most basic senses regarding eschatology, Covenant Theology proposes that the church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people, and Dispensational Theology proposes that the church and Israel are separate entities. This is important because “By rejecting replacement theology, the evangelical message stands in contrast to a long-standing Christian belief that God is finished with the Jewish people, that all of his promises of good to Israel have been transferred to the Church.”^[5] There are still promises from the Old Testament to Israel that are yet to be fulfilled, such as the land promises.

Although this post cannot cover every aspect of each view of the rapture, it will touch on different core tenets of each. I will argue that, based on the interpretation of Scripture, the rapture of the church will occur during the Great Tribulation but before the wrath of God is unleashed on the world. Again, I am not saying this is the only correct view and that anyone who holds to another is wrong. I am saying that based on my reading of Scripture, this view makes the most sense to me.

Pre-Tribulation Rapture

The idea of a pre-Tribulation rapture is relatively new in church history. This idea is attributed to John Nelson Darby. “In 1852, Darby delivered a series of lectures on the letters to the seven churches. By the year 1855 these published lectures had gone through several editions, the third of which presents his straightforward exegetical argument for the pretribulation rapture of the church.”^[6] It is probably safe to say that when most people think of the rapture, the pre-Tribulation view is the predominant view they picture. This is the view in the Left Behind series of books and movies.

1 Thessalonians

There are two primary scriptural references used to support this view. In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul writes about the actual rapture, as mentioned previously. He gives more guidance about the timing of the rapture in Chapter 5. In 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, Paul says the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night while people think there is peace and safety. Paul then encourages them in verses 4-8 by saying they (believers in Christ) are children of the light and day, not night and darkness. They should stay awake and be sober so they will be alert when the day of the Lord comes. Finally, Paul writes, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” (1 Thess. 5:9-10). To those who hold a pre-Tribulation view, these verses provide the support that (1) the rapture will come like a thief in the night, (2) non-believers will be unprepared, (3) God has not destined believers for wrath, and (4) whether Christians are awake or dead, they will live together with Jesus.

1 Corinthians

The second passage that pretribulationists look to is in 1 Corinthians. “Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” (1 Cor. 15:51-52). While this passage does not speak specifically about the rapture’s timing, it provides the context for another eschatological event, the millennium. In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about the final judgment. At that final judgment, He will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep are the believers who came out of the seven-year Tribulation period, and the goats are the unbelievers. Since, according to 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, all believers, alive and dead, will be raptured, the rapture must provide ample time for those left on the earth to become believers. The closer the rapture is to this judgment, the fewer people who are alive to enter the millennial kingdom. “Pretribulationism resolves the problem better than the others not only by its expectation of the maximum time differential for the believing mortal remnant to develop—the full tribulational period of seven years—but also because it more reasonably places the post-rapture conversion/revival in the first half of the tribulation, prior to the greatest distress and greater deception.”^[7] Although these passages are only two of various supporting passages arguing in favor of a pre-Tribulation rapture, they offer an excellent foundation supporting this view.

Problems with the Pre-Tribulation Rapture View

Before discussing Scriptural references that cast doubt on the pre-tribulation view, it is necessary to discuss problems that do not come from Scripture but from man. One main issue with this view is the way this view can be taught. Pretribulationist believers hold that “as far as end-time prophetic events are concerned, the rapture of the church is the first to take place. It is an event to which no signs or indicators are attached.”^[8] The pre-Tribulation rapture is often taught or portrayed as a silent rapture. People who are not raptured wonder what happened to those around them. This is seen in the Left Behind books and movies and has caused significant fear in people, including Christians. They fear they have missed the rapture. In one instant, people are there; in another, they are gone without warning.

The Fear of the Rapture

This fear of the rapture has a name: rapture anxiety. Darren Slade, the president and CEO of the Global Center for Religious Research, says this about rapture anxiety, “’This is a real thing. It’s a chronic problem,’ he says of rapture anxiety. ‘This is a new area of study, but in general, our research has revealed that religious trauma leads to an increase of anxiety, depression, paranoia and even some OCD-like behaviors: ‘I need to say this prayer of salvation so many times,’ ‘I need to confess my sins so often.’’”^[9] Scripture teaches that the rapture will not be a silent event. Paul says, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God.” (1 Thess. 4:16). Although the notion of the silent rapture is not present in Scripture, since the pre-Tribulation rapture is the most commonly held view of the rapture, its misteaching and portrayal warrant mention nonetheless.

An Argument from Silence

If the pre-Tribulation view of the rapture is the correct interpretation of the passages, why did very few church fathers mention this in their writings? Admittedly, this is an argument from silence, but it is an argument, nonetheless. However, a few writings might place the teaching of a pre-Tribulation rapture earlier in church history. “There is The Apocalypse of Elijah, a third-century Christian revision of an earlier Jewish apocalypse prophesying that: Those upon whose forehead is written the name of the Christ, upon whose right hand is the seal, both small and great, they will be taken on their wings and removed from the wrath.”^[10] According to Mollett, there is also an anonymous text entitled The History of Brother Dolcino from 1361 that states, “they would be preserved unharmed from the persecution of the Antichrist.”^[11] Again, this is not a solid argument against a pre-Tribulation rapture but illustrates the relatively recent explosion in the discourse of the pre-Tribulation rapture.

The Wrath of God

The doctrine of the rapture rests on the fact that Christians are spared from the wrath of God. Scriptures supporting this idea are in John 3:36, Romans 5:9, and 1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9. What is uncertain is when the wrath of God takes place. Those who hold to a pre-Tribulation rapture view believe the entire seven-year Tribulation is a pouring out of God’s wrath. “The focus of this consideration is on Revelation 6, in which the Lamb breaks the seals on the seven-sealed book. It is common among pretribulationists to see these events as beginning the tribulation. As the seals are being broken, John sees calamities breaking out upon the earth. Here we have the famous four horsemen of the Apocalypse, each introduced in tandem with the breaking of a seal: a conqueror, war, famine, and death.”^[12]

Pretribulationists hold that since Jesus is the one breaking the seals, He is unleashing the wrath of God. Jesus is opening the seals, but there are arguments to be made that what happens during the breaking of the first six seals is, in fact, not the wrath of God but the wrath of the Antichrist. This idea will be explored later in this post, but the idea of all seven years being the wrath of God will prove to be a weakness for the pre-Tribulation rapture argument.

The Olivet Discourse

Another weakness of the pre-Tribulation rapture comes from Jesus’ Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. Jesus warns his disciples of wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, handing over to tribulation, death, and hatred by all nations. The Olivet Discourse is a prediction of what is to take place between Jesus’ first and second comings. They offer a glimpse into what will happen in the last days. Jesus then tells them, “But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.” (Matt. 24:13). Through all these things, the tribulation, death, falling away, and wars, Jesus encourages them to endure. Nowhere does he mention being removed from these things.

Jesus tells His disciples that they will see the Abomination of Desolation and then “there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (Matt. 24:21-22). The question becomes, who are the elect? Yes, Israel is the elect of God, but Paul refers to the elect in Romans 11:7 as those Jews who accepted Jesus as Messiah. Paul mentions in Romans 11:11 that salvation has come to the Gentiles, making all who are believers in Jesus the elect.

Jesus continues in verses 29-30, speaking about the “SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.” This is not Jesus returning to earth to begin His millennial reign, but a return in the clouds signifying the rapture. “Language about the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven (the word parousia is not used here) is clearly an allusion to Daniel 7:13–14. . . speaks not of a ‘coming to earth,’ but of coming to God to receive vindication and authority.”^[13] These verses place Jesus coming in the clouds after the Tribulation. If one reads this as something that happened in the first century, then did Jesus already come back? If this is to be read as a future event, are there multiple instances of Jesus returning in the clouds? The most logical and reasonable explanation is that Jesus’ coming in the clouds to rapture His people is not before the Tribulation.

Post-Tribulation Rapture

Posttribulationists believe the rapture will happen after the Tribulation, but that is not all they believe. The post-Tribulation view of the rapture also interprets Scripture to place the rapture at the same time as the parousia, which is the second coming of Christ. This view believes that 1 Thess. 4:16-18 means that the dead in Christ shall rise first; those Christians on earth will follow and will join Christ in the clouds and escort Him to earth to begin His millennial reign and thus will be with Him forever^[14]. “The picture is that of a group of citizens going out from a city to meet a visiting dignitary and accompany him back. This implies that the Lord returns with his people to the earth. (They certainly do not stay permanently on the clouds playing harps!).”^[15]

The Olivet Discourse

Returning to the Olivet Discourse, the post-Tribulation position asserts that the word parousia in Matthew 24:27, 37, and 39 refers to the second coming of Jesus. Again, Jesus describes events that will take place, including wars, famines, and earthquakes. Jesus also mentions the disciples observing the Abomination of Desolation. The critical language in these verses is that Jesus uses the pronoun ‘you’ throughout the discourse to mean the disciples. “When Jesus speaks to them in the Olivet Discourse, we therefore naturally assume that they stand for Christians of every age. But, if this is so, the implication of the discourse is that Christians will be present during the final Tribulation. And this is true on whatever view of the structure of the discourse we adopt.”^[16] Moo correctly asserts that Jesus speaks to Christians of every age, but his idea that Christians will be present during the entire Tribulation will be challenged later.

James 5

Given that post-Tribulation advocates believe the rapture to take place at the same time as the second coming of Jesus, the words of James also come into play. “Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” (James 5:7-8). This passage echoes the Olivet discourse when Jesus says that those who endure to the end will be saved. “James’ readers should be patient not only while they wait for the parousia (v. 7) but also because it is “near” (ēngiken, v. 8)—a word that Jesus uses in the Gospels to announce the advent of the reign of God. Their hope, like the hope of the poor in the OT, lies not in themselves but in God their Savior, who has come near to them in the person of Jesus.”^[17]

Problems with the Post-Tribulation Rapture

Another core belief of post-Tribulation rapture adherents is that the church will be present during all seven years of the Tribulation. In Revelation 3:10, Jesus says to the church in Philadelphia that He will deliver them from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the world. This echoes passages like the ones mentioned above with the pre-Tribulation rapture. The difference here is that while the pre-Tribulation view holds the church will be absent from all the Tribulation, “Posttribulationists reject this conclusion, contending there is no reason why Christians in the last generation deserve to escape the great tribulation. The fact is, however, that Christians in every other generation have escaped the great tribulation, so there is no reason why the last should be singled out for participation in it.”^[18] The argument post-tribulationists make is that these verses show God will protect or preserve the church through the Tribulation like He did Noah during the flood or the Israelites during the plagues in Egypt, not physically remove them.^[19]

God’s Protection

While God kept and protected Noah and the Israelites, there is a Scriptural record of Him doing so. If the purpose of the Tribulation is to give those on earth one ultimate chance to repent and display God’s wrath and glory, then it would make logical sense that there would be a record of His divine protection of the church. While there is evidence of this divine protection with the sealing of the 144,000, there is no mention of the sealing of the church. Imagine how the glory and majesty of God would be displayed if one person in a home were a Christian and was preserved through the Tribulation while the rest of the household suffered. That would be a mighty sign, yet there is no record of this, so preservation seems to be a less likely means than removal.

The Millennial Remnant

If the rapture and the parousia coincide, what is to be made of Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus speaks about judgment and separating the sheep from the goats? When Jesus comes and gathers the nations, the people will be judged. Those who are righteous will be allowed into the millennial kingdom (Matt. 25:46). If the church is raptured immediately before this, there will be no believers left on earth at the gathering of nations to populate the millennial kingdom. At the end of the millennium, there will be a last battle where Satan gathers the nations for war, and “the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.” (Rev. 20:8). During the Tribulation, at the fourth seal, twenty-five percent of the population would be wiped out. At the sixth trumpet, another third of the people would be wiped out. Considering that all the Christians will be removed, only a small remnant will be left to repopulate the earth. These are just a few weaknesses of the post-Tribulation rapture, but they illustrate its problems.

Why I Believe the Pre-Wrath View Makes the Most Sense

One weakness of the pre-Tribulation rapture is the idea that God’s wrath spans the entire seven-year Tribulation. The seven-year Tribulation begins in Revelation 6 by breaking the seals to open the scroll. The first four seals Jesus breaks are also known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse. “The four horsemen, as in Zechariah, represent effects that impact the entire world as represented in its four proverbial corners. They most likely refer not to specific personal beings (human or angelic) sent by God to bring his judgment but disastrous calamities that will be loosed on the world and its peoples.”^[20] These first four seals relate to the Olivet Discourse. The first seal corresponds to the wars and rumors of wars in Matthew 24:6. The second, third, and fourth seals correspond to Matt. 24:7-8. The fifth seal parallels Matt. 24:9-12. Verses 15-28 describe the Abomination of Desolation later in the Tribulation, but verses 29-30 align with the sixth seal.^[21]

Revelation 6

In Revelation 6:9-10, John describes the fifth seal being opened, leading to martyrs crying out for justice and vengeance. Then Revelation 6:11 says, “And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also.” This could mean people are still coming to faith during the Tribulation or that the Christians are still on earth during this time. The last two verses of chapter six are telling. “And they said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” (Rev. 6:16-17). In these verses the people of earth recognize the wrath of God and Jesus and say it has come. There is debate on whether “has come” means starting with verse one of chapter six or verse seventeen. Given the next chapter, verse seventeen seems to make the most sense.

Revelation 7

In chapter seven, an angel bearing the seal of God tells the four angels holding back the four winds not to hurt the earth, sea, or trees until the bondservants of God have been sealed. Chapter seven then progresses with the sealing of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then, in Revelation 7:9, a multitude who were clothed in white robes appear. The white robes remind readers of the message to the Church at Sardis in Revelation 3, where Jesus promises those who overcome white garments. “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:14). This would put the rapture between seals six and seven. The first six seals are considered the wrath of the Antichrist by pre-wrath Tribulationists. Everything that comes after is considered God’s wrath. Why make the distinction?

The Seals

If one looks at the first six seals, these are things that have been occurring for thousands of years. War, famine, death, and martyrdom have been a way of life for the earth from the beginning. The only difference here is the amount of ¼ of the world to be killed. Notice that God is giving authority to do these things. That does not mean God is causing these things. In the Old Testament, Satan had authority from God to test Job. God did not cause the testing but permitted it. The same can be said here. By rapturing the Christians after the sixth seal, God is cutting short their persecution, as told by Jesus in Matthew 24:22. There is a specific number of martyrs that need to die before God’s vengeance starts; no more and no less. God is still in control.

In today’s age, people deny that Jesus and God exist. However, in Revelation 6:17, they do not deny Them any longer. They cannot deny Jesus because they saw Him coming in the clouds. Blaising and Bock, when writing about the Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians, state, “Paul teaches the church that the Day of the Lord will not ‘overtake you like a thief’ (5:4). This is further explained in 5:9, ‘For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ In the context, this deliverance would seem to be the blessing of resurrection and translation into immortality which Christ will grant His own at His coming (1 Thes. 4:13–18), an event which is called the Rapture (from the verb rapere, ‘caught up,’ in 1 Thes. 4:17).”^[22]

The pre-wrath view also allows sufficient time for the number of people entering the millennial kingdom to grow to an adequate size. While not as long as a pre-Tribulation rapture, the rest of the Tribulation could see millions repent and enter the millennial kingdom instead of a post-Tribulation rapture which would take up all those who came to faith during the Tribulation to meet Christ in the air.

Conclusion

Although I am unable to touch on every aspect of each view, given the Scripture and timing of events, the pre-wrath Tribulation makes the most sense. It protects the church from God’s wrath, cuts short the persecution of the Saints, and provides ample time for the population of the millennial kingdom to be established. The pre-wrath rapture fits best with the Book of Revelation and the rest of Scripture. Given that position, the exact timing of the rapture is unknown because God did not choose to reveal it. The timing is a mystery. If God wanted people to know the timing, He would have included it in Scripture. Even though there is a discussion to be had regarding the timing of the rapture, it is not something the church should divide over. The church can and should discuss the rapture. However, it should also realize that the point of the Book of Revelation and of eschatology is that Christ is coming to redeem all who are His, end evil and Satan once and for all, and reign forever.

I understand this was a long post, but I hope it gets you thinking about the different ways we can look at ideas in Scripture that have no definite answer, such as the rapture. I wrote earlier that my time in seminary changed my position on this issue. I had always been a pre-Tribulation rapture guy. However, as I began to read and do more research, I began to see the validity in other rapture positions, leading to my belief in a pre-Wrath stance on the rapture.

This view is something that I hold with an open hand, meaning that I am not so staunch in this belief that it will cause division between other believers and me. What I do hold firmly to is that we do not know the timing of the rapture. Again, anyone who says they definitively know when the rapture will take place, be it on a specific date or pre-trib, post-trib, mid-trib, or pre-Wrath, is mistaken. Again, this is not a salvific issue. Many wonderful and much smarter people than I have differing opinions on this issue. What I want to do is encourage you to study Scripture. Don’t be afraid of differing ideas. It is okay to differ on secondary or tertiary issues within Christianity. But don’t just take my word for it, do your own research. And, yes, I did suffer from rapture anxiety.

Bibliography

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———. “Rapture Myths.” Article Archives 12 (May 2009). https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/pretrib_arch/12.

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Mollett, Margaret. “‘TAKEN TO THE LORD’: DID PSEUDO- EPHRAEM REALLY TEACH THE RAPTURE?” Journal of Early Christian History 6, no. 1 (2016): 59–77.

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