For my fellow Christians: why do you believe the rapture will occur before the tribulation?

Question

I realize that not all Christians are futurists, and not all futurists think that Jesus Christ's second coming will occur before the tribulation does. Based on Scripture, and not on what you have heard from others, please provide your viewpoint on this matter. I do hope that the answers will not become mean-spirited. This is merely a question, and I will not attack you or your opinion.

Thank you!

Answer 1

There is no rapture. What is meant by the term in modern times is a lie and it comes out of the works of a 19th century American named John Darby (look him up and you will find that he was into occult practices). The doctrine of a secret rapture was first conceived by John Darby of the Plymouth Brethren in 1827 It has nothing to do with how Paul and his followers understood what he wrote. Even a loose understanding of "rapture" is virtually unheard of in the writings of the Church Fathers.

If the tribulation comes during our life times, the idea of the rapture is going to have many Christians turn away and apostatize. Christians will suffer greatly before the end, and if you think you are going to get raptured, but end up suffering, you will assume that Christianity is wrong.

Answer 2

Dude-trust me-you will not solve that on YA. Most Christians don't know, and all the rest of these poor lost souls are really clueless.

This is not a subject I am good at. I hope it is before. It would be pointless to come after. If you can not agree with that-you don't need to study the bible. So I assume you question is why not in the middle. I can live with the middle. I "think" it would be before because of some passages (I will not look them up), like Jesus has lots of teachings about watching and waiting. Also the passage where Paul's tells us that God did not appoint us to wrath-the context is the rapture. That may not be good enough for you but thats the best I can do with out a pen and paper and some study.

Answer 3

Hi! I do believe that the rapture will happen first. As stated in the bible, when two women are in the field, one will be taken and the other will be left. Then farther on in the bible it states that after the believers have been taken the 7 years of tribulation will begin. I don't know if this is the answer you are looking for, but I do believe that. I"m sorry if people have become mean spirited with their answers, as I don't think that is a very kind way to answer a serious and valid question. Good luck to you.

Answer 4

seam es that their is WACKO out their calles its self killswitch must not read the good book AS far as the rapture before tribulation don't know in REVELATION the BIBLE SAYS that the dead in christ shell rise first and the living saved will go up next and we shall all meet him in the air to go to heaven for a 1000 yrs is this the rapture that you are wondering about the BIBLE also says that the wicked will die at his coming and the birds will becalled to the great feast to eat on the wicked dead then Satan and his fallen angles will be bound to this earth for a 1000 yrs withe no 1 to tempt . they will probably be very up set lol this is probably the tribulation you are asking about who knowes old killswitch might be 1 of these that is bound here GOD BLESS

Answer 5

Rapture comes before tribulation : intelligent peole should have no difficulty in understanding so vital an issue : for the benefit of the unenlightened, here is the alphabet :
abcdefghijklmnopq R s T uvwxyz.
God bless you.

Answer 6

It can come, before, or during. some say. prophecy has to be fulfilled. Christ can come and fulfill prophecy during tribulation.

There is no conflict, it’s probably that you do not understand that there are two “appearings”: two comings of Christ - both with an “R”. The first is the “Rapture”. That's when we hear the words, “come up hither” in Revelation 4:1 and we're caught up in the twinkling of an eye, I Corinthians 15:52. The dead in Christ rise first, then we which are alive and remain are caught up with the dead in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, I Thessalonians 4:16.

Now the tribulation hour begins in chapter 6. We're already gone in chapter 4, with the come up hither. We get to verse 12, we have this problem with the sun you mentioned, but that precedes His coming back to earth, the second part of the Second Coming called His “Revelation”, or his revealing on earth. And revelation 6:12 says, “there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sack cloth of hair and the moon as blood”. You find it again in Joel chapter 2, verses 30 and 31. But Jesus pinpoints the time in Matthew 24:29, immediately after the tribulation of those days, after the 7 years will the sun become darkened and the moon shall not give her light. Then Christ returns with his people for Jude 14 says the lord comes with ten thousands of his saints. You need to study the two “appearings” - the two “comings” of Christ, my friend.

I always remember a child being taught about the " Rapture" in the Catholic schools, but They called it" being caught up into heaven". Why do our churches seldom mention the event?

Catholic school they taught it as “being caught up”. That is I Thessalonians 4:17. You know, someone said you can't find the word “rapture” in the Bible. But you can in the Catholic Bible, the Latin Vulgate by Saint Jerome. When he gets to I Thessalonians 4:17, he uses the word “rapiamore” – it means raptured – where it says, “caught up” in our English versions. Why don't more churches do it? They don't study and they don't know what the Bible says. They don't study the catechism – they don’t study the Word of God. God forgive us for that situation.

I believe probably the most obvious would be events that happened in the Old Testament that seem like the Rapture. And, we have some in the Old Testament.

Well not actually what takes place at the Rapture, for then we get brand new bodies, to be like the body of Jesus, I John 3:2-3.

However, there were two men in the Old Testament who were snatched up to meet the Lord in the heavenlies. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Now it was a form of the Rapture, but it wasn’t really the Rapture, because he’s on the other side in his old body. It was not changed as he went up. And then in 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven, but he’s still there in his body. All the others are there as spirits, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:8. And James teaches us that, chapter 2:27, as the body went out, the spirit is dead, because that sprit is with the Lord. So it’s a total heaven, full of spirits, even the angels, except these two bodies, and they come back, and they are the two witnesses of Revelation chapter 11. And in verse 12, after they’ve been killed, because the crowds don’t want to hear their preaching, they are caught up into heaven

He talks about a Pre-tribulation Rapture and the Tribulation is that seven-year period of judgment on earth – Revelation chapters 6 to 18 – because we go up in chapter 4 and it only begins in chapter 6. We call it a pre-tribulation Rapture and the Rapture is I Thessalonians 4 verses 16 to 18, when the dead in Christ rise and the living go up with them to meet the Lord in the air and all in the twinkling of an eye, I Corinthians 15:52.

However, during the seven-year period of Tribulation, the greatest revival in history occurs as 144,000 evangelists swarm the world in Revelation 7 verses 4 to 8, and they are preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom – Matthew 24:14. The King is coming and a multitude like the sands of the sea, Revelation 7:9, is converted and verse 14 says, “They came out of the Great Tribulation and washed their robes, made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Because of it, death comes to those new converts during that seven-year period in Revelation 6:9, 13:50 and Revelation 20 verse 4. Now Christ comes back with His saints, Jude 14, and Daniel 12:2 - the Old Testament Jews are raised and at that point, all those who died during the Tribulation are also raised. I hope that answers your question.

You notice. The 144,00 is Old testament evagelists. This will disappoint the Jehovah Witness'.

All of the Old Testament Believers have to be washed in The Blood of The Lamb. Jesus came to "Fulfill The Law of Moses. Not to change it. Jesus changed nothing, this was prophecied from the very begining.

NOBODY IS IN HEAVEN YET. THE NEW HEAVEN HAS NOT BEEN CREATED YET. THIS IS WHY. THE OLD TESTAMENT EVANGELISTS HAVE TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD. OLD TESTAMENT EVANGELISTS JOB IS NOT DONE YET. THEY STILL HAVE WORK TO DO.

Answer 7

I undestand that during Jesus' 2nd coming, all persons who had lived on earth will rise and go to heaven or hell. If that is the truth then what is all the talk about, "My grand father must be in heaven" and those who claim that they can talk to the dead saying, "Your grand mother is in heaven with your grand father." How can they be already in heaven or hell. By the way, has anyone located where these places called heaven and hell are?

Answer 8

I guess that's the difference between Christianity and Spirituality, I don't have a CLUE what you're talking about, but it's okay, I have lots of faith and that's okay with the God of my understanding.

Answer 9

if the tribulation were to occur first you wouldn't have enough time to hae your haloes drycleaned for the grand finale....

Answer 10

you had a typo in the title.. "For my fellow Christians:" should read "Wackos of the world:"