The Timing of the Rapture

The timing of the Rapture has been debated since Jesus talked about it, and Paul wrote about it.

Personally, there should be no debate. I believe that Scripture is clear as to the timing of the Rapture. The exact date is not known, but the timing is.

There are three main views on the timing of the Rapture.

1. Views on the timing of the Rapture.

A. Pre-Tribulation Rapture***

The Pre-Tribulation view says that the Church will be raptured prior to the start of the 7-year Tribulation.

Traditionally, evangelical churches have been pre-tribulation regarding the Rapture. It is the view that I believe to be most scriptural.

B. Post-Tribulation Rapture.

The Church will go through the Tribulation and will not be raptured until the 2nd Coming of Christ when He literally comes back to earth to fight Armageddon and to establish His Millennial Kingdom.

C. Mid-Tribulation (Pre-Wrath Tribulation)

The Church will be on earth during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, but the church will be raptured at the midpoint of the Rapture before God pours His wrath out on earth.

Those are the three views on the timing of the Rapture.

As I stated, I believe the Bible teaches a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, but whenever Jesus comes for me, I know I will be going with Him.

The key verse in understanding the timing of the Rapture is found in 1 Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”

This verse agrees with other verses written by Paul.

Ephesians 1:13–14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

You must understand this.

The Church was a mystery in the Old Testament. Scriptural proof of the timing of the Rapture will be found in the New Testament.

My goal is to give you some scriptural evidence for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Why is that important?

1 Thessalonians 4:18 “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

JP, would it be very comforting to you for you to know that you are going to have to go through the Tribulation?

No, it would not, but it is comforting to JP and to all Christians to know that we are appointed to salvation and not to wrath.

2. Scriptural Defense of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

A. Revelation 1:19.

Revelation 1:19 “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”

John is told by Jesus to write about three things, and as I was driving to church Sunday morning, February 25, the Lord opened my eyes to what Jesus is saying.

The three things John was commanded to write about:

1. Things John had seen.

The things John had seen were written in the Gospel of John.

John 20:30–31 “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

2. Things which are.

The things which are refers to the Church Age. It is the great parenthesis of time between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks of prophecy.

In what books did John write about the things which are? 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and Revelation 2 and 3 which are the chapters which contain the letters to the 7 churches of Asia Minor, and we know that those were 7 literal letters to 7 literal churches, and those 7 churches are representative of the entire Church Age.

3. Things which will be hereafter.

Things which will be hereafter refers to the things after the Church Age ends. John wrote about that in the Book of Revelation in chapters 6-19.

Rev. 1:19 says which shall be hereafter. It is an incredible phrase.

Biblically, hereafter means starting from now.

Shall expresses determination in the speaker and implies the one speaking has the authority to enforce the act.

In other words, it is Jesus Christ who has the authority to do hereafter, to do hereafter the Church Age.

As I was driving to church on the 25th, out of the blue, it became crystal clear to me what Christ commanded John to do. John wrote all of he wrote in the New Testament while he was in exile on Patmos. It made Scripture crystal clear to me concerning the Rapture.

Jesus tells John to write about what shall be hereafter referring to the things that will happen after the Church Age, and I want you to pay attention to the language used as it was given to John by Jesus.

Revelation 3:20–22 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

Revelation 4:1 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”

The end of the Church Age is found in Rev. 3:22. No longer is Christ speaking to the church. In Rev. 4:1, Jesus no longer has a message for the church. He has focused John’a attention to the things which shall happen hereafter.

A door is opened in heaven by the One who has the authority to open it, and that One is Jesus Christ.

John says I heard a voice as it were a trumpet talking with me saying come up hither. It is the same voice that Paul describes.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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.”

It is the voice of Christ calling the church home as the Church Age ends. It is the same voice that Lazarus heard.

John 11:43 “And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”

Jesus tells John that after the Church Age is finished and after the church has served its purpose that He is going to bring the church, including John, up to meet Him. AMEN!!!!

B. The 24 Elders (Rev. 4-5)

In Chapters 4 and 5 of the Revelation, the reader is introduced to 24 elders whose identities have often been debated, but I want to settle the issue with you so that you understand that the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation.

The 24 elders are representative of the entire church which has been raptured and is in heaven before the Tribulation begins.

Let’s look at some verses.

Revelation 4:1–2 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”

Revelation 4:4 “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”

Revelation 4:10 “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,”

The 24 elders are in heaven with white robes and with golden crowns on their heads. Remember, the Tribulation begins in Chapter 6.

It is no mystery as to who these 24 elders represent.

Revelation 5:8–10 “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

How can I be so sure that these 24 elders are representative of the Church Age?

A. They were redeemed by the BLOOD of the Lamb.

B. They are from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation.

These are those saved during the Church Age from across the globe as indicated by Acts 8, 9, and 10.

C. They will have received their rewards that are given at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Revelation 4:4 “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”

Revelation 4:10 “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,”

They are clothed in white raiment meaning they are without sin. In other words, it means that they have received their eternal bodies.

The golden crowns are given by Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Our eternal bodies are given to us at the Rapture.

Today, the church is not clothed in white and none of us have golden crowns, but in Heaven, it is a different story. Think about it.

The Church Age ends in Revelation 3. The Tribulation begins in Chapter 6. The true church is no longer on earth in Chapters 4 and 5 as it is in HEAVEN prior to the Tribulation beginning.

The Rapture happens at the end of the Church Age and before the Tribulation.

3. The Demon Locusts of Revelation 9.

Let me give you some context for Revelation Chapter 9.

The temple in Jerusalem will have been completed.

The Antichrist will have proclaimed himself to be god.

The Russian-led invasion of Israel will have been defeated by God.

The Antichrist will have firmly taken control of the world’s political, religious, and economic systems.

Israel will be experiencing peace.

144,000 Jewish witnesses will be testifying about Jesus Christ and calling all to repentance.

Two mysterious witnesses appear on the scene in Jerusalem.

Satan will have been permanently expelled from Heaven with the key, temporarily, to the abyss.

The Tribulation, by this point, is about to turn into the Great Tribulation, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, the Time of God’s Wrath. The Day of the Lord is approaching quickly. 1 Thess. 5:3, Matt. 24:21-22

The Bible has this to say about this time.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

Jesus said this about this time.

Matthew 24:21–22 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

It is very likely that at that time the only Christians on planet earth are those 144,000 Jewish witnesses sealed prior to the Tribulation, but more on that in just a second.

As the Antichrist proclaims himself to be god demanding worship, the wrath of God is unleashed on earth.

Evidence of that wrath is found in the opening verses in Revelation Chapter 9.

Revelation 9:1–3 “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.”

Revelation 9 symbolism:

The star falling from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit is Satan.

Locusts with power as a scorpion are demons that have been chained in the abyss since the time of the Flood. These are the demons discussed by Peter and Jude in their writings.

If you read the 9th Chapter of Revelation, you will see that these demons cover the earth inflicting great pain on everyone except for those who have the seal of God on their foreheads. These demons will sting as a scorpion; you will hear them coming, but you will not be able to escape. You will wish you were dead, but death does not come.

They would kill if they could because a dead man cannot repent, but only God has authority over who lives and who dies. Revelation 1:18

Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Look what the Bible says about these demons.

Revelation 9:4–6 “And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”

These are discriminating demons as they only have the power to inflict those not protected by God’s seal. They do so for five months. By the way, five months is the normal lifespan of a locust. I believe these five months are the first months of the Great Tribulation. Rev. 9:4-6.

Men will seek death, but death will not come.

Who is this group that has the seal of God’s protection stamped on their foreheads? It is not a mystery. They are the 144,000 Jews who were sealed before the Tribulation began. Rev. 7:3-4.

Revelation 7:3–4 “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

This is not the church. I can definitively say that because the church is not a tribe of Israel.

Why is the church not sealed?

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”

You must understand this. The Tribulation has two purposes:

A. To convince Israel to accept Jesus Christ before His 2nd Coming.

B. To punish the nations and Gentile governance with God’s wrath.

Do you see the church in either of those two purposes? NO!!!!!

God’s wrath is not for the church as 1 Thess. 5:9 clearly states. The church is not on earth as these demon locusts are released from Hell because the church will have been raptured before the Tribulation.

If the church were on earth at the time of this demon horde, the church would be sealed, but you and I are not sealed on our foreheads.

The church consisting of true Christians is sealed by the Holy Spirit. Eph. 1:13-14, Eph. 4:30.

Ephesians 1:13–14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

True believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit at conversion until the Day of Redemption which is the Rapture; therefore, by the time these demon locusts are released, the church will be in heaven with Christ.

At the Rapture, the Holy Spirit is “taken away.” 2 Thess. 2:7.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”

If the Holy Spirit “returns” to heaven, guess who else will go with Him? True believers saved during the Church Age.

Inevitably, you will come across some wise guy that asks why are only these 144,000 sealed when the Bible clearly states that millions are saved during the Tribulation?

Revelation 7:9 “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”

Revelation 7:13–14 “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Clearly, these are saved after the Rapture but do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. As a matter of fact, they are seen in heaven during the last part of the Great Tribulation because they all will have been martyred. Rev. 6:9-11

Let me tie this into a nice package or try to do so. At the time these demon locusts appear, the church will have been raptured. The 144,000 Jews will have been sealed. I believe at the very moment these demons are released, the only Christians on planet earth are these 144,000.

As indicated by Revelation Chapter 7, I believe millions will be saved during the Great Tribulation, the last 3 1/2 years. They will recognize Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and they will pay a dear price, but they will be in Heaven for the rest of eternity. They will be exposed to the gospel, and they will receive it. It will be as their eyes are opened to the truth. The truth that the Antichrist is a liar, and Jesus Christ is the truth. They will be saved the same way you and I are saved, but they are not sealed with God’s protection and will be beheaded as Revelation Chapter 20 tells us.

4. The Marriage of the Lamb (Rev 19).

Revelation 19 shows the raptured church being prepared in Heaven.

Revelation 19:7–9 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”

A. Two great events are being referenced:

1. The Marriage of the Lamb

2. The Marriage Supper

These two events are not the same as clearly indicated by the passage.

The marriage of the Lamb takes place in Heaven. The marriage supper takes place on earth after the 2nd Coming of Christ.

The marriage of the Lamb is the consummation of the marriage of the church to Christ which takes place at the Rapture.

The marriage supper is the celebration where guests are invited to celebrate the marriage. Today, the marriage supper is called the wedding reception.

Who are the guests that will be invited to the celebration? The Old Testament saints and those saved during the Tribulation. Dear friend, to understand prophetic timing, you must understand how special the church is.

There are two points that need to be made that are significant to understanding the timing of the Rapture.

3. “Is come”

Revelation 19:7 says the marriage of the Lamb is come.

“Is come” signifies a completed act. It shows us that the marriage has been consummated, and that consummation will take place in Heaven.

4. The Church is shown in Heaven with resurrected bodies and heavenly rewards.

Revelation 19:8 “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

The Church, before Armageddon which is talked about beginning in Rev. 19 verse 11, is already in Heaven, already clothed in white linen which happens at the Judgment Seat of Christ which happens immediately after the Rapture.

You might be thinking that I do not have a clue what I am saying, but I want to show you something.

Look at Rev. 19:8 again. Does the phrase righteousness of saints stand out to you? Are we saved by our righteousness or by Christ’s righteousness?

We are saved by faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ because none of us are righteous in ourselves.

Romans 3:10–12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Is there a difference between filthy rags and bright, white clean linen?

After we are saved, we are expected to do the good works the Father has planned for us. Where will we be judged for those works? The Judgment Seat of Christ. 1 Cor. 3:11-15.

1 Corinthians 3:11–13 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”

1 Corinthians 3:14–15 “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

The foundation upon which all of our works are built is Jesus Christ. The fine linen, clean and white, that is the righteousness of the saints shows that the saints of the Church Age have already been rewarded for their good works.

If that were not the case, the Bible would say the righteousness of Christ.

Think about it logically using the entire Bible.

What happens at the Rapture? 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 John 3:2.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52 “Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

At the Rapture, we are changed and made like Christ which means that we are made righteous. We are no longer in Christ’s righteousness because we will have been made like Christ which means that we are no longer capable of sin; therefore, we can stand on our own righteousness. This is made possible by the Rapture followed immediately by the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Let me tell you what some squirrels say. They say that Israel is the Bride of Christ. That is a big negative.

Let me show you.

Do you remember how Jesus described John the Baptist? Luke 7:28.

Luke 7:28 “For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

That seems odd.

Jesus says there is no prophet greater than John the Baptist, but the least one in the Kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist. Is that what Jesus said?

What in the wide, wide, world of sports is going on? You do not have to wonder.

John the Baptist himself tells you what Jesus meant. John 3:27-29.

John 3:27–29 “John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.”

John clearly says that he, a Jew, is not the bride but the friend of the Bridegroom. If John is not the bride, neither is Israel.

The Apostle Paul clearly shows us that the church is the Bride of Christ. Eph. 5:31-32.

Ephesians 5:31–32 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

The Church, not Israel, is the bride of Christ. The marriage of the Lamb takes place in Heaven after the Rapture and the Judgment Seat of Christ and prior to the Tribulation. The marriage supper will last the entire Millennium where we rule and reign with Christ after the Tribulation and prior to eternity.

Prior to the Rapture, the church is clearly in Heaven, raptured, resurrected, rewarded, and married to Christ prior to the Tribulation, and the key verse to understanding this is 1 Thessalonians 5:9

1 Thessalonians 5:9 KJV 1900

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,