The Pretribulation Rapture

The Rapture (Latin for “caught up”) of all true believers in Jesus Christ is a “fantastic” FACT taught in such passages as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. All saved individuals who are alive at the time of the Rapture will be changed into immortal beings in the instant they are caught up along with the newly resurrected diseased Christians “to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thes. 4:17)

But is the Rapture of believers to meet Christ IN THE AIR and the Second Coming of Christ TO THE EARTH the same event?

THE CHRONOLOGY OF PROPHECY IS THE KEY

We do not know exactly when the Second Coming will occur. Nor do we know when the Rapture will occur. We are told, regarding the coming of Christ, that we cannot know the day or the hour. (Mat. 24:

36)

However, the Bible lays out a basic chronology, or sequence of events, that will occur in the last days. And from these it is clear that the Second Coming of Christ TO THE EARTH will not occur until after the arrival of the Antichrist, until after the Great Tribulation, and until after the War of Armageddon.

Amazingly, this same sequence of events forces us to place the timing of the Rapture before the Tribulation time. Here’s why. Believers are commanded to constantly be on the alert (Mat. 24:42) and to await eagerly (expect any-moment ) the appearing of Christ (1 Cor. 1:7; Phil. 3:20). We are told to be watching because we do not know if He will come:

            (1)

                     in the evening

            (2)

                     at midnight

            (3)

                     at cock-crowing

            (4)

                     in the morning

                                        (Mark 13:35)

But we can’t say the same about the Second Coming, because it can only come after the arrival of the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and Armageddon.

That means the Rapture IN THE AIR is a different event than the Second Coming of Christ TO THE EARTH. Therefore, if we follow our Lord’s command to always be “looking for the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13), then this means that Christ could come IN THE AIR at any moment BEFORE the arrival of the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, Armageddon and His Second Coming TO THE EARTH.

This is called the imminent (any moment), pre-tribulation (before the Tribulation period) Rapture. That is why we are admonished NOT to say “My master will be a long time in coming.” (Mat 24:42-51) He will come on a day when we do “not expect him.” (Luke 12:45-46)

ASK YOURSELF: AM I LOOKING FOR CHRIST NOW?

Think of it this way.

            (1)

                    Are we following the Bible’s command to wait and watch for the coming of our Lord, or

            (2)

                    are we waiting and watching FIRST for the coming of the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, Armageddon, AND ONLY THEN the coming of our Lord?

If we are doing the latter, then we believe that the Rapture is a post-tribulation event, and we can put our “watching” on hold, and say “Not yet! My master will be a long time in coming.” But if we are watching for Jesus today, then we have acknowledged that Jesus Christ could come at any time, “at an hour when you do not think He will” (Mat. 24:44), and that the Rapture is a

                                                                                                                        pre-tribulation

                                                                                                                event.