The Bible plainly teaches that the Rapture of the Church (all born-again believers) from the earth will happen BEFORE the Tribulation Period. God removed Noah and his family before flooding the earth, pouring out His divine wrath upon the wicked. Again, God delivered righteous Lot and his family before reigning down fire and brimstone upon the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God never destroys the righteous with the wicked. And rest assured, God has promised to deliver believers from the wrath to God, which God will pour out upon the wicked during the Great Tribulation.
Here is an excellent quote from Dr. Max D. Younce's helpful book, I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!...
A Pretribulation Rapture Is What The Bible Teaches.
Now let us examine the proof:
1 Thessalonians 1:10:
“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
In examining this verse there are three things we need to recognize:
a. Paul was writing to Christians (1:1 and 5:25). They were already delivered from the wrath of Hell. (John 3:36).
b. Notice “which delivered us” is translated in the past tense. This is incorrect, as the Greek has it in the future tense. It should read as “who delivers us,” or, “which will deliver us.”
c. The “wrath to come” is not in reference to Hell; but, rather, to the Tribulation Period. Revelation 6:17,
“For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
Therefore, the Christians who are alive at the Rapture will not go into the Tribulation, known as “the day of his wrath.” Notice the word “us,” which includes all Christians, the spiritual and the backslider. As many say, “The Church is not ruptured; but, raptured!”
1 Thessalonians 5:9
“For God hath not appointed us to wrath (Tribulation wrath, same as 1:10); but to obtain salvation (i.e., “deliverance”) by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Greek word for “salvation” is “SOTERIA” and denotes “deliverance, preservation, salvation.” For example: In Acts 27:34, the word “health” is from the Greek “soteria.” In other words, in Verse 33 we find the sailors had gone 14 days without eating. In Verse 34 Paul said, “...take (or eat) some meat: for this is your health,” (i.e., “your deliverance”) from getting sick or dying.
Also, in Philippians 1:19, “salvation” should have been translated “deliverance,” since he was speaking about his deliverance from the prison from which he had written to the Philippines. A literal translation of verse 9 would read,
“For God hath not appointed us (Christians) to the wrath of the tribulation, but to obtain deliverance from it, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes for His Church.”
In Chapter 4, verses 13-18, we have the Rapture. Chapter 5 continues with Christ's return at the Rapture, assuring all Christians that they will be delivered from the Tribulation Period.
SOURCE: Dr. Max D. Younce, I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!, Volume 2, pg. 98-99; ISBN-13-978-0-9815225-8-6; Morris Publishing.
In 1st Thessalonians 4:17-18, the Bible
says, “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. Wherefore COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS.”
Certainly there would be no “comfort” in knowing that all Christians will
suffer, be terrorized, and killed during the Tribulation Period. Clearly,
the Church will not go through the Tribulation. The Bible
tells us to comfort one another with the wonderful message of the Rapture of
the saints, when the precious Lord Jesus Christ will return FOR His own.
The Lord is Preparing “a Place” for Us in Heaven
Also, the Lord said that He is preparing “a PLACE” for us, so that He can come back to get us, and take us to that place He has prepared. John 14:2-3, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YE MAY BE ALSO.” Since the Lord is coming to the earth at the Second Coming (to set up His earthly kingdom and literally reign from the throne of David in Jerusalem for 1,000 years), obviously the place that the Lord is preparing for us must be in Heaven. How else could the Lord come to get us and bring us to the “place” that He has prepared for us? A Pretribulation Rapture is the only logical interpretation.
The Bible says that Jesus dwells in Heaven, sitting on the right hand of the Father. Colossians 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, WHERE CHRIST SITTETH ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.” Hebrews 1:3 also confirms this truth. Some people claim that the Bible is only speaking figurative about Christ sitting on the Father's right hand; but that is not accurate at all. The Bible teaches a literal throne, where the literal Son of God literally sits on the right hand of the literal Father. It is wrong to say that the Bible is figurative unless the Bible itself makes that claim. In Acts 1:9-11 Jesus ascended up into the clouds and is now seated “on the right hand of the Majesty on high” according to Hebrews 1:3.
Jude 1:14, “...Behold, the Lord cometh with ten
thousands of his saints.” The only way for the saints to return “with”
Christ is for the saints to already be with Christ.
The Abomination of Desolation... Only 3 1/2 Years Until the Second Coming!
The Bible is very plain concerning the Pretribulation Rapture if we consider the “ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION” spoken by Daniel the prophet...
Matthew 24:15, “When ye therefore shall see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)”
Here is what Daniel the prophet said:
Daniel 9:27, “And he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week (the 7-year Tribulation period) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease (this will happen in the future rebuilt temple in Jerusalem), and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The woeful “abomination of desolation” will be, amongst other evils, when the peace agreement in the Middle East is broken, and the Antichrist from the temple in Jerusalem falsely declares himself to be God...
2nd Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
The Antichrist will demand that the world worship “the IMAGE of the beast” or be killed. War will break out..
Revelation 13:15, “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
From this event, the “ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION,” it will be exactly 3 1/2 years until the Lord comes back at the SECOND COMING. How then can the return of Christ be as a thief in the night (1st Thessalonians 5:2), or at a time that we know not (Mark 13:32) as the Bible teaches? The only way for the Lord to return unnoticed is a Pretribulation rapture! It will be clear from the time of the Rapture, to those saved during the Tribulation Period, that the Second Coming is only 7-years from that time. And from the time of the Antichrist declaring to be God and demanding worship from the world, it will be only 3 1/2 more years until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
For these reasons and more, I don't see how anyone
can genuinely believe in a Postribulation Rapture except those who are
woefully ignorant of the Scriptures.
All Believers Will Be “CAUGHT UP” When the Lord Returns
1st Thessalonians 4:17 plainly teaches that all believers, the dead in Christ first and then the living, will be “CAUGHT UP” when the Lord returns. This is exactly what the word “Rapture” means, although the word itself is not found in the Bible. Likewise the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, but the all-important Word “Godhead” most certainly is if you use the faithful King James Bible (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9). All modern corrupted Bibles completely remove the word “Godhead,” and in so doing commit woeful injustice against the inspired Word of God.
After the 7-year Tribulation Period, the Lord is going to return to the earth, at the Second Coming. The Lord is going to remove the Church away from the earth at the Rapture; but the Lord will return WITH all the saints at the Second Coming.
An easy way to remember this truth is this:
The Lord...
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came TO HIS OWN 2,000 years ago.
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is coming FOR HIS OWN at the Rapture.
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is coming WITH HIS OWN at the Second Coming.
May I say friend, if you have never been
born-again by the Spirit of God, then you will not receive a glorified body
when the Lord returns. In fact, you will be left behind to suffer the wrath
of God poured out upon the earth in the Tribulation. Billions of people will
die in the LAST 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, Biblical referred to a time
of “Great Tribulation” (Matthew 24:21).
Will You Be Left Behind?
Whether you die before, during, or at the end of the Tribulation, if you are not saved God will punish you in Hell for ever. You will also receive some form of body, but it won't be a body fashioned like unto the glorious body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said to “fear him which is able to destroy both soul AND BODY IN HELL.” The wicked will be given bodies that can withstand the extremely temperatures, hot fires and molten sulfur in Hell, suffering in excruciating physical pain, yet your body will not be consumed in the flames. What a horrible place to spend eternity!
One of the worst things about Hell the Bible says, will be knowing all that you could have enjoyed in the glory of the Lord's presence in Heaven for all eternity (Romans 8:32); but you chose to spend eternity in the torments of the Lake of Fire (2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9). Luke 13:28, “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and YOU YOURSELVES THRUST OUT.” 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9, “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, and FROM THE GLORY OF HIS POWER.” You'll endure an eternal nightmare in Hell, suffering in torments, having no rest day nor night, and you'll be completely forgotten about. Proverb 10:7, “...the name of the wicked shall rot.”
How will you feel knowing that you're burning in Hell, while others are enjoying themselves in the splendors of Heaven's riches, and you could have had it all for FREE? Is that what you want? Death is right around the corner for all of us my friend. Job 20:4-5, “Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?” This life is like a vapor that's here one second and gone the next. James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? IT IS EVEN A VAPOUR, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” There were hundreds of Hollywood celebrities living-it-up back in the 1950's and 1960's who are now all old and decrepit or dead. The pleasures of sin ended long ago for all of them. Judgment Day is coming (Hebrews 9:27). When every soul alive today is dead and gone, the Word of God shall endure unto all generations as God so promised in Psalms 12:6-8. Won't you love and obey the Bible?
Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: REPENT YE, AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.”
1st Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
