Introduction
The purpose of this study is to examine what the Bible says about the rapture. Is the Messiah coming secretly? Does the Bible support seven-year tribulation? Is the Messiah coming before or after the great tribulation? What about the second coming of the Messiah in two stages? Will Christians go through the great tribulation? We will likewise look at other popular scriptural passages used to support this theory. Is a pre-tribulation rapture coming and what does the Bible teach? Be ready to open and study your Bible for the answers.

This study was prepared in the form of questions and comments, it is important to study all the scriptural references, make personal notes from them, and then read the comments that followed the question. All scriptural references are taken from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated. The keyword or words in the reference verses are highlighted to have words to think and meditate upon.

To gain the knowledge God intends, asked Him to open your understanding to the scriptures you read. Remove your mind from any preconceived opinion and focus on what the scriptures say. Be like the Bereans Christians who studied the scriptures to be sure what they heard were true. Believe the Word of God, prove it and hold fast to it, because it is true.

Contents
1. What is your thought about the rapture?
2. How do we come about the word ‘rapture’?
3. Is the Messiah coming secretly?
4. When is the Messiah coming? Before or after the great tribulation?

What is your thought about the rapture?

Read I Thessalonians 4: 13-17

Comment:

Millions are missing around the world; their locations cannot be determined. Numbers of vehicle accidents have been reported, and they appeared to have taken place at the same hour around the globe. A co-pilot has just called in the disappearance of the lead pilot, with the report of many plane crashes. Many are now on the street looking for their loved ones who suddenly disappeared before their eyes. The hospitals have now turned chaotic, as some doctors and patients cannot be found. The stock market is crashing, and the police are now on the street to take control of the situation. These are some of the scenes that have been used to describe a pre-tribulation rapture theory.

More often than not, the pre-tribulation rapture is believed to be the time when Christ comes secretly to quickly catch away believers before the beginning of a seven-year tribulation, leaving others behind to suffer under the antichrist. The pre-tribulation rapture is a doctrine accepted and taught by many church denominations and is referred to as the blessed hope of believers. Is this true?

How do we come about the word ‘rapture’?

Read I Thessalonians 4: 13-17

Comment:

The word rapture cannot be found in any English translation of the scriptures. It is derived from the Latin word rapiemur as found in the Latin Vulgate translation of the bible. Rapiemur is from another Latin word rapto, and from this, the word rapture is coined. The other Latin translations use rapturo or raptus which are all forms of the verb rapiemur. The scriptural passage used for the basis of rapture theory is 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-17, but the word is specifically taken from the phrase ‘caught up’ in verse 17 “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

One of the important points to note when we study any bible word or phrase is that the original and the official language of the Old Testament scriptures is Hebrews and that of the New Testament Scriptures is Greek. Other translations we have today, including Latin and English, are from the Hebrew manuscript if Old Testament scriptures and the Greek manuscript if New Testament.

In the Greek manuscript, harpazo was the word translated to the English phrase “caught up”, and this Greek word can also mean to seize, catch away, catch up, pluck, pull, or take, all usually by force. Now understand, harpazo was the Greek word translated to the English phrase “caught up”, and is the same Greek word translated to the Latin word rapiemur. Rapture is the English word coined from the Latin word rapto, and rapiemur comes from rapto.

Scriptural References

I Thessalonians 4:15-17

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Is Christ coming secretly?

 Read: Act 1:9-11, Matthew 24:27, I Thessalonians 4:15-17; I Corinthians 15; Matthew 24:31, Revelations 1:7, Matthew 24:30, Psalm 50:3, Luke 21:27

Comment:

The preachers of the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine believed that Christ will come quietly, as a thief in the night (without the world suspecting), to snatch believers away before the beginning of the great tribulation. They use I Thessalonians 4:15-17 to support this belief. The idea of Christ’s secret coming was based on the Greek word “Parousia” in I Thessalonians 4:15. It reads: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming (Parousia) of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.” They believed “Parousia” is a secret coming (or nearness) of Christ and is different from when Christ comes to judge the world. But, how do the scriptures describe the coming of Christ?

1. Christ will come again in the very way he went to heaven, with the cloud, in a literal, bodily, and visible form, Act 1:9-11
2. Christ coming will be like lightning that shines from the east to the west, Matthew 24:27
3. Christ will come with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the sound of the trumpet, I Thessalonians 4:15-17; I Corinthians 15; Matthew 24:31
4. All eyes will see Him when he comes, Revelations 1:7, Matthew 24:30
5. Christ will not keep silence when he comes, Psalm 50:3
6. Christ will come with power and great glory, Luke 21:27

All these scriptural references are describing the same event, and do not suggest secret rapture or coming of Christ.

Moreover, when we consider the scriptural passage used to support a secret rapture, you will notice that it does not suggest the idea. It says “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.” Again, think about the keywords in this verse: shout, voice, and trumpet. Do they suggest an event that will happen silently or secretly?

Some also argued that the reason why rapture will be secret is that it is going to happen in the twinkling of an eye. They use 1 Corinthians 15: verses 51 and 52 to support their argument. Let’s read verses 51 to 53 of the same chapter: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”  Looking at these verses, you will notice that what happened in the twinkling of an eye is the change, that is, the transformation of the physical, corrupt, immortal body of believers, dead or alive to a spiritual, incorruptible, and immortal body at the resurrection. This change even happens at the sound of the last trumpet, not secretly or silently.

Scriptural References

I Thessalonians 4:16-17

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Matthew 24:27

“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

I Corinthians 15:51-54

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

 Matthew 24:30-31

“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Revelation 1:7

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

Psalms 50:3-5

“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people: “Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

Luke 21:27

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

 

When is the Messiah coming? Before or after the great tribulation?

 Read: Matthew 24: 29-31, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, John 6:40, I Thessalonians 4: 13-18, Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 28:20, John 17:15

Comment:

The preachers of the pre-tribulation rapture teach that the secret rapture will happen before the tribulation; before the antichrist is revealed. They believed this has to be because Christians are not meant to experience the tribulation. They use I Thessalonians 5:9 “For God did not appoint us to wrath…” to support this. We will look at this verse later, but here, our focus will be on knowing the exact time when the rapture will take place: is it before or after the tribulation.

The timing of a secret rapture is anti-scripture, and against the agenda of God Almighty in the ultimate redemption of mankind, considering the following scriptural passages

1. In Matthew 24: 29-31, Christ said “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” I believe the Lord was crystal clear about when he will be coming. He said it will be after the tribulation and not before it. And if you check the whole Bible, there is no single verse that clearly states, as the one just read, that Christ will come before the tribulation. Christ coming before the tribulation is human speculations, based on fear of going through the tribulation and not based on the Bible.
2. Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 revealed at least three things that must take before the return of Christ. Now to the verses: “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” In the opening of this chapter, you already know is about the coming of Christ, and when the believers will be gathered together with him. Paul revealed three things that must happen before the return of Christ. One: there will be falling away of believers. Two: the man of sin will be revealed, and three: the abomination of desolation.

The revelation of the man of sin, his exaltation above God and anything that is worshiped, his sitting in the temple of God, showing himself as God, and the putting of an object or image of him in the temple, represent the abomination of desolation. The abomination of desolation, accompanied by army surrounding Jerusalem, is the sign for God’s people to begin to flee. This marks the beginning of the great tribulation. Now consider, If Christ will be coming secretly to take Christians away before the tribulation, will he tell them to flee when the tribulation is about to start. Read the sequence of event in Mathew Chapter 24, then pay attention to verses 15-21. Let read this reference scripture to strengthen this point.

Matthew 24:15-16, 21-22.

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

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. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”

Again, before Christ comes, there will be the falling away of believers, the man of sin will be revealed, followed by the abomination of desolation. The abomination of desolation marks the beginning of the great tribulation and believers are warned to flee. Another important question to ask in these verses is: why will God shortened the period of the great tribulation? Simple, because believers will still be around. They will go through the tribulation (this will be studied later). And again, if believers have been taken to heaven before the tribulation, there is no need to shorten the period.

Another way to look at the correct timing of Christ second coming and the time when Christians are gathered together or caught up with him is to look at the events that happen when the scriptures mention last day or the end of the world (age). We are in the last days, almost everyone believes this, but there is a last day of the last days. This last day is what the bible refers to as the end of the world (age), that is, the end of human rule or earthly kingdoms. Christ second coming will be on the last day, and the events that will happen on this day is a vital clue to our understanding as to when Christ’s coming will be. Let’s consider the following.

1. The resurrection of believers will be at the last day when Christ comes at the sound of the trumpet. Let’s read some verses of the scriptures.

John 6:40: “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:54: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 11:24: “Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

The falling away of believers, the revealing of the man of sin, the abomination of desolation, and the great tribulation are some of the signs and events of the last days. The resurrection of all believers is one of the events of the last day. Moreover, when you considered 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18, the main bible verses used to support secret rapture, it is actually talking about the resurrection of the believers which will take place at Christ coming on the last day. Paul was telling the believers in Thessalonica not to sorrow about their dead, because they will rise again, he was not telling them Christ will come secretly to take believers away. Pay attention to verses 13 and 14 of I Thessalonians 4.

2. In the parable of the wheat and tares, Matthew 13:24-30. The wheat (believers) and tares (wicked) will grow together until harvest (last day or end of the age). This means believers will not be separated from the wicked or gathered until the end. The end as seen in the meaning of the parable is when Christ comes the second time. If believers had already been taken secretly before the harvest, then who is Christ coming to rapture at the harvest (end of an age or world). Resurrection is God’s own type of harvest and will take place on the last day.

3. In Matthew 28:19 and 20, Christ told his disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

If Christ will be coming secretly to take the believers away and if they will not be on earth at the time of the tribulation, then he does not need to tell them he will be with them till the end of the world (last day).

The prayer of Christ for believers was that God should keep them from the evil one, not that they should be taken out of the world, John 17:15. There is no single biblical passage that clearly states that Christ will come before the tribulation, but many scriptures, as you can see, point to one conclusion, especially in the word of our Lord, and his apostles, that Christ will come after the tribulation. Who will you believe? The words of God or the words of man.

Scriptural References

Matthew 24:29-31

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

John 17:15

“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”

John 6:40

“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

II Thessalonians 2:1-4

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

Matthew 24:15-21

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 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.”

Matthew 13:24-30

“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Matthew 28:18-20

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

John 17:15

“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”

Be sure to study Part Two.