THE TIME OF THE RAPTURE

Almost all agree that the rapture is to be distinguished from the second coming in the sense that the former is when Christ comes for His own people and the latter is His coming with them in triumph and glory. But how far apart these two events are in time is the disputed question. Amillennialists believe that they both occur at the close of the tribulation days but that the rapture is immediately followed by the second coming (which is immediately followed by eternity without any millennium). Among premillennialists there are four views of the time of the rapture.

Posttribulation view. The posttribulationalists teach the same thing as amillennialists concerning the chronological relation of the rapture and the second coming (except that in posttribulationalism the second coming is followed by the millennium). According to this viewpoint the church will be present on earth during the tribulation period, and the comings for and with His saints occur in quick succession at the close of that period. Their principal arguments for this are:

1. The rapture and the second coming are described in the Scriptures by the same words, which indicates that they occur at the same time (1 Th 4:15 and Mt 24:27).

2. Since saints are mentioned as present during the tribulation days, the church is present on earth during that time (Mt 24:22).

3. It is predicted that a resurrection will occur at the beginning of the millennium, and since it is assumed that this is the same resurrection as that which occurs at the rapture, the rapture will take place just before the millennium (Rev 20:4).

4. The church can and will be preserved from the wrath of the tribulation period by supernatural protection while living through that time and not by deliverance from the period (as Israel was protected from the plagues while living in Egypt).

5. The Scriptures do not teach imminency; therefore, the rapture can be after the known events of the tribulation.

6. Posttribulationalism was the position of the early church.

Mid-tribulation.  The mid-tribulationalists believe that Christ’s coming for His people will occur at the middle point of the tribulation period that is 3½ years after it begins and 3½ years before the end at which time the Lord will return with His saints to set up His millennial kingdom. The arguments for this concept are:

1. The last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52 is the same as the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11:15, and it is sounded at the middle of the tribulation.

2. Actually, the great tribulation is only the last half of Daniels seventieth week, and the church is promised deliverance only from that (Rev 11:2; 12:6).

3. The resurrection of the two witnesses pictures the rapture of the church, and their resurrection occurs at the middle of the tribulation (Rev 11:11).

Partial rapture. The partial rapturists teach that only those believers who are worthy will he taken out of the world before the tribulation begins, while others will be left to endure its wrath. For those left on earth, that time will serve as a time of purging. The idea is taken from verses like Hebrews 9:28 which seem to require preparedness as a prerequisite for meeting the Lord. The viewpoint is based on the idea that good works are necessary in order to qualify to be raptured, but the question is not answered, how many good works? Also, it seems to ignore the fact that 1 Corinthians 15:51 (ASV) says plainly that we shall all be changed in the rapture.

Pretribulation. The pretribulationalists hold that the rapture of the church will take place before the entire seven-year tribulation period begins. Then, seven years later, after the conclusion of the tribulation, the Lord will return to earth with His people to set up His millennial kingdom. Pretribulationalists base their conclusions on these arguments:

1. The tribulation is called the great day of his wrath(Rev 6:17). Believers, who know the Deliverer from the wrath to come (1 Th 1:10), are assured that God has not appointed them to wrath (1 Th 5:9). Since in the context of this latter verse Paul was speaking about the beginning of the day of the Lord or of the tribulation period (1 Th 5:2), it seems clear
that he is saying that Christians will not be present during any part of that time of wrath but will be removed before any of it begins. That could only be true if the rapture is before the tribulation.

2. The risen Lord promised the church at Philadelphia to keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth(Rev 3:10). Pretribulationalists relate this promise, like promises made in other letters to local churches, to the whole church (though obviously it will be experienced only by believers living when Christ comes), and they understand that the hour of temptation refers to the tribulation since it is said in the verse to be worldwide. Posttribulationalists claim that this promise (which they also relate to the tribulation) means only that Christians will be protected from the judgments of the tribulation, even though they will have to live through the time. However, it is important to notice that the promise is not only to keep from (and the preposition does mean from, not in) the trouble, but to keep from the hour (or time) of trouble. That seems to say complete exemption from being anywhere around during the time. It is well known that the phrase keep from is used only twice in the New Testament here and in John 17:15. In the latter reference the Lord prayed that believers would be kept from the evil one, which prayer is answered by delivering us from the power of darkness and transferring us into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col 1:13). It is impossible to conceive of being in the location where something is happening and being exempt from the time of the happening. Furthermore, since the tribulation will be worldwide, exemption would necessitate removal from the earth before it begins.

Now, if the posttribulationalists be correct, then this promise will have to be reinterpreted in some other way by them, for many saints in the tribulation days will not be protected from the persecutions while living through the period, for we know that many will die for their faith (Rev 6:9-11; 7:9-14; 14:1-3; 15:1-3).

3. Second Thessalonians 2:1-12 sets up an important chronological sequence. Paul says that the day of the Lord cannot come (i.e., the tribulation cannot begin) until certain things happen (v. 3). One is that the man of sin must be revealed first (v. 3) But the man of sin cannot be revealed until something (v. 6, where the neuter is used) and someone (v. 7, where the masculine is used) are taken out of the way. Then and only then can the man of sin appear to do his evil work. Whatever or whoever the restrainer is, he is holding back the full manifestation of the man of sin. The Thessalonians knew what or who the restrainer is. In addition, it appears that he must be stronger than Satan since the man of sin is empowered by Satan. Most commentators identify the restrainer with the Roman Empire of Pauls day with its advanced legal system. But was it or is any government more powerful than Satan? Only God is that, So behind whatever things that restrain must be the all-powerful person of God who Himself restrains. Undoubtedly God uses good government, elect angels, the influence of the Bible and other means to restrain evil, but the ultimate power behind anything that restrains must be the power and person of God. Many pretribulationalists identify the Holy Spirit as the particular Person of the Godhead whose work it is to restrain (see Gen 6:3). Whether Paul is specifically referring to the Holy Spirit in this passage may be uncertain. However, whether we can make that specific identification or not does not affect the pretribulation argument from this passage. It goes like this:

The Restrainer is God, and the principal instrument of restraint is the God-indwelt church (see Eph 4:6; Gal 2:20; 1 Co 6:19). Our Lord declared of the divinely indwelt and empowered church that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it(Mt 16:18). The restrainer must be removed before the man of sin can be revealed and before the day of the Lord can begin. Since the Restrainer is ultimately God, and since God indwells all believers, either He must be withdrawn from the hearts of His people while they are left on earth to go through the tribulation, or else when He is withdrawn, all believers must be taken with Him in the rapture. The Bible nowhere even hints that Christians can be disindwelt, so the Only alternative is that they will be taken out of the world before the tribulation begins. This does not mean that the Holy Spirit will not be working during that time. His presence will be here, but His residence will be removed when the church is taken. To say that the Restrainer is removed is not to say that the presence or activity of God is taken away from the earth. Many will be redeemed during the tribulation and this will be the work of God (Rev 7:14). Thus a proper interpretation of this passage involves a pretribulation rapture of the church.

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Ralph Porter is not the author of this study, but collected it from somewhere?