Why is timing so important when it comes to the Rapture? If you were expecting your parents to come visit from 3,000 miles, you would be looking forward to it. You would be preparing the guest room, making plans to take them places, as well as planning meals. It is no different when it comes to the Rapture. If you knew the date, you would most likely wait until a few days before their arrival before starting your plans.
Different views:
- Pre-Tribulation (imminent – no prophecy needs to be fulfilled – it can happen at any time)
- Mid-Tribulation (half-way through the Tribulation at the 1,260 day mark)
- Pre-Wrath (at the sixth seal judgment)
- Post-Tribulation (after the Tribulation at the 2,520 day mark)
Today we will cover the Post-Tribulation Rapture viewpoint. This one is the last of the viewpoints we will cover. It teaches the Rapture occurs near the end or at the end of the great Tribulation. We know that the Tribulation lasts 2,520 days. This belief, therefore, sets a date for the Rapture to occur.
Furthermore, this belief means that the church will be raptured to the clouds and then immediately return with Christ at the Second Coming. The two events run simultaneously. To summarize, they believe that there is only one coming of the Lord Jesus and that is at His Second Coming.
Their core belief is that God’s people suffered persecution through the centuries, and therefore, the church will go through the Tribulation. There is one major problem with this: Romans 8:1 reveals to us that the Church is not under condemnation and will never go through God’s wrath. The judgments during the Tribulation affect everyone, including believers. This contradicts Romans 8:1. Furthermore, they cannot explain the fact that Jesus went to Heaven in Acts 1:9-11 to prepare a place for us and to receive us unto Himself. (Matthew 14:1-3) Post-Tribulation Rapture believers won’t be going to Heaven because they believe that they meet Jesus in the air and then come back to earth at that point to defeat Satan’s armies. They will then enter the Millennial Kingdom. What happened to going to be with Jesus and experiencing the mansions that He prepared for them in Heaven?
Summary: All the views, except for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture viewpoint, cannot explain why the Church cannot be found after Rev. 4:1 all the way through chapter 21. They assume that the word “saints” in Revelation represents the Church. These are Tribulation saints and not the Church, the Bride of Christ.
As well, there is no timeline for the Rapture. It is imminent, as we learned in our prior studies. Two other viewpoints rely on a timeline. That timeline begins the seven-year Tribulation when the Antichrist signs the peace treaty with Israel. (Daniel 9:27) Therefore, if the Mid-Tribulation Rapture were to be true, they would simply have to count three and a half years, which is 1260 days (Jewish years contain 360 days, not 365) and they would know the exact day. And if the Post-Tribulation Rapture were true, they would have 2,520. There is no imminence in these viewpoints. The Pre-Wrath Rapture viewpoint doesn’t rest its belief on a timeline. However, it does believe that the Church will experience the first five judgment Seals. They cannot find answers to the fact that the word “church” does not appear after Revelation 4:1.
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture viewpoint can answer all the questions relating to timing, as well as the lack of presence of the Church from Revelation chapters 4:1 through 22:15. The word “church” can be found 7 times in Revelation chapters 1 through 3. The word “churches” can be found 12 times in Revelation chapters 1 through 3 and one time in Revelation 22:16. This alone shows that the Church is not present during any of the judgments.
You must be born again in order to participate, no matter what viewpoint you hold. Friend, if you are not born again, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Don’t you want to be a part of the Church when she is raptured into the clouds to meet Jesus? (1 Thessalonians 4:17) Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
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