The different views of the rapture in relation to the great tribulation

By David M. Williams (davidmwilliams@geocities.com)

This essay is free for distribution in any manner, with the provision that it remains completely intact, with this notice, the author's name and the full text of the essay. Any comments are gratefully welcomed. Copyright 1995.

INTRODUCTION

The rapture is an area of Christian theology which has
historically received little attention with regards to precise
formulation. A brief survey of works detailing the development
of doctrine (such as Bromiley, 1978) reveals almost no
acknowledgment of the rapture. This is perhaps explained by
Berkhof (1975, p. 259) who states,

Further, the very notion of the rapture is much-derided by
critics who find fault due to the allegedly non-existence of such
a doctrine in the scriptures; the seemingly non-existence of the
very word "rapture" in the scriptures (though such an argument
would apply to the Trinity also); and the thought that the idea
of a "secret rapture" where the Church is transported safely from
a catastrophic time of tribulation is foreign to God's plans and
purposes as revealed in history - for indeed, "the blood of the
martyrs is the very seed of the Church" (Cairns, 1981, p.93).

Such arguments are untenable. The main basis for the
rapture doctrine is I Thessalonians 4:13-18 :

From this passage the notion of the rapture is clear; at
some future time all of the saints of God, both dead and alive,
shall be "caught up" into the air to be with their Lord!

The Greek word for "caught up" is arpazo, which means to pluck away
(Zodhiates, 1992, p. 1270) and would be well translated "rapture"
in a Latin Bible (Willmington, n.d, p. 825), such as Jerome's
vulgate - so the word itself is scriptural (just not in an English
translation), as indeed is the notion.

The third objection listed is specific to a particular theological framework and shall be discussed later. Indeed, many objections exist, not least that of sincere Christian brethren who seek to know what must happen to the defenceless family pet when its owners are suddenly raptured! Such an argument is, of course, based on emotional issues rather than the scriptures and detracts from the real issue at hand.

Paul reveals more information in I Corinthians 15:51-52 :

Having established a preliminary scriptural basis for the
rapture, however, a new problem arises with regards to its
chronological location. As Stern (1992, p. 623) points out, "Only
in relation to the premillenial position does the issue of when
the rapture takes place arise; for Post- and Amillenialists, the
Rapture is vaguely identified with the Messiah's one and only
return."

This means that the concept of the rapture is only
particularly defined in the pre-millenial system of theology.
However, this leaves three potential general times for the rapture
to occur, defined in terms of the coming "great tribulation" -
before the tribulation period (pre-tribulational), during the
tribulation period (mid-tribulational) or after the tribulation
period (post-tribulational).

Some humourously (and non-seriously) suggest a fourth possibility of "pan-tribulationalism" - as God is in control there is no need to worry about such matters; all will eventually "pan" out according to His plans. The former three views however, are worthy of considerable discussion.

POST-TRIBULATION

In essence, the post-tribulational system decrees that
the rapture occurs after the tribulation period - the natural
consequence being that the Church must endure it.

Willmington (n.d., p. 825) dismisses this view of the rapture
by appealing to I Thessalonians 5:9 ("For God did not appoint
us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ") and Revelation 3:10 ("Since you have kept my
command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the
hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to
test those who live on the earth").

Nevertheless, post-tribulationists dismiss Willmington's
views, appealing to John 16:33, "in this world you will have
tribulation". To the post-tribulationist, it is unthinkable
that God would offer a remarkable transport to the Church as
an escape route in the face of global disaster, eluded to
earlier (although such was the case with Noah).

Truly throughout history the Church has suffered persecution -
indeed under such persecution the Church has historically
thrived - not materially, but in a spiritual harvest, as faith
is refined and tested and the gospel is propagated to further
regions. This was the case in Jerusalem - "Those who had been
scattered preached the word wherever they went" (Acts 8:4).
This was the case under Roman persecution (Cairns, 1981, p.
91-93).

Persecution kept the Church pure - it kept hypocritical, dishonest and insincere people from the Church. "No light decisions were made for Christ in those times, especially when acceptance of Christ meant possible loss of citizenship; imprisonment with daily starvation and torture until death; crucifixion, and sometimes burning while still
alive and hanging on the cross. . . ." (Hamon, 1981, p. 80-81).
Such is the essence of the Puritan classic, Foxe's Christian Martyrs of the World.

The flaw in this logic, however, is that the tribulation period is not a time of persecution. Rather, it is a time of God's wrath being outpoured on the earth.

During this time people shall cry to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Revelation 6:16-17).

When Christ returns, "He treads the winepress of the fury of the
wrath of God Almighty" (Revelation 19:15). Willmington's verses above apply most certainly - for God has appointed His Church to salvation and not to wrath. Surely the day of the Lord will be terrible (Malachi 4:5) !

Messianic Jewish scholar David Stern offers a different and original reason for his holding to the post-tribulation view - it is unthinkable "that Messianic Jews are to be faced with the decision of whether to identify with their own people the Jews and stay to suffer or with their own people the believers (the Messianic Community, the Church) and escape" (Stern, 1992, p. 623). Stern develops this idea further :

Stern's objections, however, are based heavily on his emphasis that Jewish people remain Jewish once becoming Christians; indeed, they are "fulfilled" Jews.

This is, of course, true, but Stern's emphasis is so great that he (unintentionally, but effectively) divides the body of Christ in two - those who are Jewish and those who are Gentiles, despite Paul's admonition that "there is neither Jew nor Greek. . . . for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). Stern continues, ". . . . This is not what they [Messianic Jews] bought into when they came to faith.

They were told, 'Now you're a Jew who has accepted his Messiah.' They were not told, 'Now you have abandoned your Jewish people and will spend eternity without them'" (Stern, 1992, p. 804). Certainly the Gentile Christian is distinct from the Gentile non-Christian (who will unquestionably remain after the rapture). The deciding factor is not whether one is Jewish or otherwise, but whether one is a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ or not.

Finally, the rapture is quite distinct from the Second Coming in which Jesus returns to the earth, to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14).

At the rapture, Jesus draws the Saints to Himself in the clouds (I Thessalonians 4:15-17). At the Second Coming, He returns with the Saints (Revelation 19:11-16).

The post-tribulational view virtually has the Saints of God acting like a yo-yo - arising into the air, only to return immediately to the earth. This further gives no time for the Bema seat of Christ or the marriage supper of the Lamb.

MID-TRIBULATION

The mid-tribulation view of the rapture is that it will take place midway through the tribulation period.

Such a view is a curious exposition of scripture, for the Antichrist makes a covenant with the Jewish people and then breaks it three and a half years into the tribulation (Daniel 9:27). Even if the mid-tribulation rapture occurs earlier than this time, it still must take place after the Antichrist has been revealed, which can only happen after the "restrainer" is removed (II Thessalonians 2:7-8).

Some have suggested that the identity of the "restrainer" is the Antichrist himself - a non-sensical notion indeed, particularly in light of Paul's teaching that "the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed" (II Thessalonians 2:7-8).

Others suggest the "restrainer" is the Holy Spirit (Dake, 1963, p. 230). However, John sees those who have become Christians during the tribulation, and martyred for their faith (Revelation 7:14). It is only by the work of the Holy Spirit that one can be brought to Christ (John 16:8), not by man, and so the Holy Spirit can not be the "restrainer" removed from the earth.

The "restrainer" is in fact none other than the Church - the "salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13) and the "light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). Hence, the Church must be raptured before the Antichrist may be revealed and so the mid-tribulation view of the Antichrist being revealed before the rapture is not possible.

Furthermore, the mid-tribulation position requires the tribulation to be broken into two unrelated halves, which has the potential for requiring many Biblical passages to have an allegorical interpretation in order to be consistent. For one, the seventieth "week" of years of Daniel's remarkable prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) could not be for "his" (Daniel's) people - the Jews (Daniel 9:24) - it would also of necessity pertain to the Church.

One possible basis for the mid-tribulation rapture is the inability to distinguish between the rapture of the Church and the rapture of the two witnesses which does take place midway through the tribulation period (Revelation 11:3, 7, 11). However, the two witnesses are hardly representative of the entire Church and it must be concluded that they are quite separate.

Some scholars identify the "last trump" of I Corinthians 15:52 with the blowing of the "seventh trumpet" in the middle of the tribulation (Revelation 11:15-18). Rosenthal (1995, p. 5) states, "One of the major fallacies which has led to so much confusion in prophetic interpretation has been the tendency to identify Paul's 'last trump' with 'the seventh trumpet' of the Book of Revelation".

Due to the fact that I Corinthians was written about 55 A.D. and Revelation was written about 96 A.D. (some would say 70 A.D., but nevertheless, it was written after I Corinthians and Paul's martyrdom).

Explicitly John states that the contents of the book of Revelation were given by God the Father to the Lord Jesus, who in turn used an angelic messenger to convey the message to John (Revelation 1:1-2). The very word "revelation" means an unveiling of that which was hitherto unknown or concealed. Rosenthal (1995, p. 5) continues,

Therefore, when Paul wrote of one generation of believers experiencing rapture (being "changed") at "the last trump," neither he nor the Corinthians knew anything concerning the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of the Book of Revelation. Paul's
"last trump" and the Book of Revelation's "seventh trumpet" are not synonymous. The true meaning of "the last trump" requires an understanding of the Jewish notion of the "Day of the Lord" used nineteen times by eight Old Testament prophets. This was the future time when God would go to war (Rosenthal, 1995, p. 5). Associated with this would be the blowing of a trumpet - the Jewish shofar (Joel 1:15; 2:1; Zephaniah 1:14-16).

Indeed, the phrase "the last trump" hardly shows a mid-tribulation rapture because it instead refers to the commencement of the very last time of battle in this age - the very start of the dreadful Day of the Lord - the tribulation period itself.

PRE-TRIBULATION

The pre-tribulation view may be summarised thus,

If the book of Revelation is to be taken as a chronological work, which most futurists would agree, there is great significance in the similarities between I Thessalonians 4:16-17 above and Revelation 4:1-2 - again a voice like a trumpet is heard and John is transported instantly through a door in heaven to the very throne-room of God.

Indeed, the very "door" is significant to those who see a secondary meaning in the seven Churches of Revelation chapters 1-3, being the historical development of the Church over history, from the early Church to that at the time of the Second Coming. With this view the door of Revelation 3:10, opened to the Philadelphian Church, is equated with that of Revelation 4:1 (Cartledge, n.d., p. 119).

This view then equates the lukewarm Laodecian Church as the false religious system that arises during the tribulation. Such a view however is counter-productive as the Philadelphian Church is still part of the Church and so requires the Church to be divided - the lukewarm left behind, which implies a Protestant purgatory.

Nevertheless, there is great significance in the fact that John is told to "Come up hither" (Revelation 4:1) - the very same words spoken to the two witnesses before they too are raptured (Revelation 11:12). Further, the Church is remarkably absent from any of the proceedings from Revelation 4:1 to 19:11 when Christ returns - indeed, the Church surely has no part in the tribulation.

Not only so, but the tribulation period is the final "week" of years in Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27), specifically designated for the Jewish people. The times of the Gentiles are complete, and God again turns His hand to His ancient peoples, the end result that at His Second Coming the Jews will look on Him whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10) and all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26) - the Messiah they expected at Jesus' first coming will finally arive (Edersheim, 1993, p. 113) !

CONCLUSION

The honest Christian theologian can do nothing less than assimilate the data of revelation provided in the scriptures and draw from this one's theology and framework of belief. To do otherwise is wrong, and one must not be persuaded by purely emotional arguments, or seek to manipulate scripture to conform to a preconceived world-view.

When one examines the conflicting views of the rapture in the pre-millenial framework, it becomes apparent that the only one which consistently fits the facts of Biblical data is the pre-tribulation view.

Certainly as Christians we look not for tribulation, but for "His Son from heaven who has delivered us from the wrath to come" (I Thessalonians 1:10). The early Church expected the coming of the Lord imminently and did not expect any intervening events, especially the Thessalonians (Matthew 24:44; I Thessalonians 5:2).

Just as Noah and his family were saved from God's wrath (Genesis 7:6-7), as was Lot and his daughters (Genesis 19:14), and indeed the Children of Israel were saved from the plagues on Pharaoh (Exodus 7:18; 8:3, 21-22; 9:3-4; 10:22-23; 11:6-7), so too the Church shall be saved from the coming great tribulation by the rapture.

The Christian is commanded to look up - for their redemption draws near (Luke 21:28)! What can be said but "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20).

WORKS CITED

Berkhof, L. 1975 (1937). The History of Christian
Doctrines, Baker Book House, Michigan.

Bromiley, G. 1978. Historical Theology: An Introduction,
T & T Clark, Ltd., Edinburgh.

Cairns, E. 1981. Christianity Through the Centuries,
Acadamie Books, Michigan.

Cartledge, D. n.d. Eschatology, Rhema Bible College,
Townsville.

Dake, F. 1963. Dake's Annotated Reference Bible, Dake
Bible Sales, Inc., Georgia.

Edersheim, A. 1993. The Life and Times of Jesus the
Messiah. Hendrickson Publishers, Massachusetts.

Foxe, J. 1989. Foxe's Christian Martyrs of the World,
Barbour and Company, Inc., Ohio.

Hamon, B. 1981. The Eternal Church, Christian
International, Florida.

Humphreys, R. and Ward, R. 1995. Religious Bodies in
Australia, 3d. ed., New Melbourne Press, Victoria.

Rosenthal, M. 1995. 'Israel's Fall Feasts.', Zion's Fire,
vol. 6, no. 4.

Stern, D. 1992. Jewish New Testament Commentary, Jewish
New Testament Publications, Inc., Maryland.

Willmington. n.d. Willmington's Guide to the Bible,
Pacific College Study Series, Melbourne.

Zodhiates, S. 1992. The Complete Word Study New
Testament, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga.

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