Does the rapture come before, during or after the tribulation, and how do you know this?

Question

Sparkle, you are correct that the bible does not mention the rapture by that name, but it refers to the phenomenon described, inter alia, in 1 The 4: 13-18 and 1 Cor 15: 51-52

Answer 1

before the tribulation... because it says so in the Bible.
1 Thess. 1:10 says "and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" In 1 Thess. 5:9 the Bible says "God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." The tribulation is basically God's wrath upon the earth. So, if God did not appoint us to wrath, then why would He make us endure His wrath during the tribulation??
And lastly, the book of Revelation talks about the church on the earth in the first three chapters. The church is not mentioned again Rev. 22:16. Which can only be explained with the fact that the rapture will happen before the tribulation period because the church will not be on earth during this time.

Ask yourself this...If the Rapture were post tribulation and God miraculously preserves the church through the tribulation, then why would He have a rapture??

for cjunk- the scripture verse that you used is not in relation to the rapture. If you would study a Strongs Exhaustive Concordance, you will see that the trumpet call in this verse is a trumpet call to assembly. The correlating scripture verse with this is Exodus 19:16 "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, Rev. 4.5 and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled."

And for Eddie- the 144,000 evangelists of the twelve tribes will be sent to the 4 corners of the earth to preach salvation. Along with them, two prophets with extraoridinary powers will be sent from heaven to preach. We believe these two people will be Elijah and Moses.

Answer 2

There is a great debate about the subject of the Rapture. The bible does not specifically state that it will happen. Some people just interpret it as such. The reason that so many people want it to happen is that they want to be part of it and miss all the horrors of World War 3.
But, what is curious is that more people will come to Christ during this tribulation than those actually raptured.
I wonder who will stay behind and try to save those still here on Earth? The whole church is supposed to be raptured. Or, are they simply going to believe just to save themselves?
And last, the 44,000 witnesses are supposed to be jews who are destined to bring Israel back to the Savior, are they prepared to deal with the death and destruction which will be thrust upon them by the Arabs who are set to wipe them off the face of the Earth? So, I believe that the true question should be is, Why do people believe in the Rapture? Faith and love of God should be enough to sustain your fears.
So, the Rapture is supposed to come before the tribulation. The Christians are supposed to be saved and spared this ordeal. But, If you are left behind, will this weaken and break your spirit?

Answer 3

Verse 15 of Thess explains it is the faithful one who are left until the coming of the Lord, the ones left from the 144000 that are still on the earth today.
They will never have to see death but will be instantly leave their fleshly bodies behind and be taken to heaven to rule with Jesus and the other king priests of the 144000 ( Rev 14:3,Rev7:4). These ones will rule over the faithful earthly inhabitants that have come through the great tribulation , ( the great crowd mentioned in revelation Rev 7:9)
So although some ( the anointed class) do get taken to heaven, most of us will have a wonderful hope on a Paradise earth, to live under a theocratic arrangement Isa 6-9, Psalms 46:8,9).

Answer 4

See this is tripping me out too...You have 1 half of the christians saying its comming before the tribulation, then the other half saying its not...Hope for the best but expect the worst? I hope it happens soon, cause I dont want to live in a Cave Hiding from the Mark of the beast Police....especialy if My favorite shows on TV.

Just pray ...Heaven is the Goal...The Rapture thing is just a benifit or a Bonus..If it dont happen GOD will look after us like he did the people of Moses.

Answer 5

There is no rapture!

Rev Darby.
Rapture 1830 was formulated

The story goes that a woman was sick and delirious, Darby was at her bed side, she rambled and WA la the Rapture doctrine is formed. Spread like wild fire.

Don't you believe it!

There is a time at the END when Christ returns to earth the set up his kingdom that the faithful will be transfigured and rise to meet him and descend back to earth with him.
BUT the rapture says you will fly away from the anti-Christ with Christ to heaven. BS!!!!
We are here to be tested

Ezek 13
20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly , and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly .
21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Answer 6

Harpazo = Rapture

END-TIME BIBLE PROPHECY

The Messiah Lord Jesus said BIRTH PANGS would signal the time of the end (Matthew 24:8). There are NINE birth pangs, they are all PRE-TRIBULATIONAL and the 1st three already occurred.

The first birth pang was worldwide conflict coupled with famines and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7-8). Worldwide conflict was fulfilled in 1914-1918, major famines happened in 1918-1921 and most of the world’s major earthquakes began to occur since 1900.

The second birth pang was the restoration of a Jewish State (Ezekiel 20:33-38; Ezekiel 22:17-22; Ezekiel 36:22-24; Zephaniah 2:1-2). This was fulfilled in 1948.

The third birth pang was Jewish control of the Old City of Jerusalem (Revelation 11:1-2). For the third Jewish Temple (Tribulation Temple) to be rebuilt, Jerusalem needs to be under Jewish control and this was accomplished in the Six Day War in 1967.

The fourth birth pang will be the Ezekiel 38 war. Russia, allied states of Iran, Ethiopia, Somalia, Germany and Armenia will invade Israel. God will miraculously destroy the invading army by earthquake, civil war among the invading soldiers, pestilence, blood, flood, hailstones, fire and brimstone. This will bring a revival in Israel where many Jews will turn to the Lord, and Israel will spend 7 years and 7 months burying the bodies and burning for fuel the military equipment left behind (Ezekiel 39:9-16).

The 5th birth pang will be the development of a one world government (Daniel 7:23-24).

The 6th birth pang will be the splitting of the one world government into 10 kingdoms and this Ten Kingdom Stage will continue until mid-Tribulation (Daniel 7:24).

The 7th birth pang will be the revelation of the Antichrist (II Thessalonians 2:1-3; Daniel 7:24).

The 8th birth pang will be a period of peace and false security that will be shattered by the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).

The 9th and final birth pang before the Tribulation is the signing of the 7-year covenant between Israel and the Antichrist. THIS EVENT IS WHAT BEGINS THE (7-year) TRIBULATION - NOT THE RAPTURE!

The Rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) is also a pre-tribulational event (Luke 21:34-37; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 19:6-8). The fact that the Church is not mentioned in any of the Tribulation Scriptures proves the Rapture is pre-tribulational. All raptured Christians will receive glorified bodies (Romans 8:22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54)) and it can happen at any second.


THE FIRST HALF OF THE TRIBULATION (SUPPORTING VERSES IN REVELATION 6-9 AND 17)

The Ministry of 144,000 sealed Jewish believers will bring many throughout the world to accept Christ.

There will be a powerful Ministry of Two Witnesses who will also be anointed Jewish believers.

A one world religious system (Babylon the Harlot) will rule. Under this one world religious system, many who are saved during the Tribulation will suffer persecution and death.

The Political system of the 10 kings of the one world government will continue.

During the first half of the Tribulation there will also be war, worldwide famine, death (1/4 of the world’s population will die), a huge earthquake, a blackout and a meteor shower. 1/3 of earth’s dry surface will be destroyed, 1/3 sea life and salt water will be destroyed, a fallen angel called Wormwood will make 1/3 of earth’s fresh water bitter, 1/3 of earth’s natural light sources will be destroyed, there will be another blackout and demons in the form of “locust-scorpions” will come up out of the abyss led by Abaddon their king and they will inflict harm and pain for five months upon those who are not sealed by God (unbelievers). Another demonic invasion will occur and the demons involved will be led by four fallen angels who will be released from the Euphrates River and this army will kill 1/3 of the earth’s population.


MID-TRIBULATION (SUPPORTING VERSES IN REVELATION 10-14 AND 17)

The Antichrist will war against the 10 kings, and during the war the Antichrist will be killed.

Satan will be cast out of the atmospheric heavens onto earth and will resurrect the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will kill 3 kings (the kings of Syria, Egypt and Mesopotamia) and the 7 other kings will submit to him.

The Antichrist will kill the Two Witnesses in Jerusalem and the wicked people will celebrate this event. Three and a half days afterwards, God will resurrect the Two Witnesses and take them up to Heaven and the people who celebrated will become terrified. The city of Jerusalem where the murder of the Two Witnesses occurred will then suffer an earthquake which will kill 7,000 people.

The False Prophet will receive from Satan the power to perform great miracles and will deceive many. The False Prophet will command all people to worship the Antichrist and have persons create an image to the Antichrist. The False Prophet will use his satanic powers to give it life and the ability to speak. The False Prophet will cause those who refuse to worship the Antichrist and the image to be killed.

The False Prophet will issue his own counterfeit seal known as the Mark of the Beast and it will be placed on all those who surrender to the Antichrist’s authority and accept him as god. Those who refuse to take this mark will not be able to buy or sell. Those who take this mark will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

The Antichrist will break the seven-year covenant he made with Israel, cause the sacrifices to stop, sit in the Jewish Temple, declare to the world that he is really God and set up an idol called the Abomination of Desolation in the Temple (Daniel 9:27; Daniel 12:11; Matthew 24:15-16; 11Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:11-15).

Through the Antichrist and the False Prophet, Satan will attempt to destroy the Jews once and for all but he will fail because 1/3 of the Jews will succeed in fleeing into the wilderness. These Jews who escape will accept the Lord Jesus as their Saviour during the Tribulation (Zechariah 13:7-9) and while they are in hiding, God will miraculously provide for them (Zechariah 13:8-9; Isaiah 41:17-20). Divine intervention will also destroy the pursuing army.


THE SECOND HALF OF THE TRIBULATION (SUPPORTING VERSES FOUND IN REVELATION 15, 16, 18, 19, 20)

In the second half of the Tribulation, those with the Mark of the Beast will suffer skin sores, the remainder of sea water and fresh water will be destroyed, the sun will cause terrible burns and the wicked will blaspheme God. There will be yet another blackout and persons will suffer gnawing pains.

Babylon will be the center of world economy and political system but Babylon will be swiftly destroyed by fire and become uninhabitable for man.

The Antichrist will locate the Jews who sought refuge in the wilderness and surround them with his armies to wipe them out. The Lord Jesus will then descend from Heaven with His angels and Saints. He will come with great glory riding upon a horse and will destroy the Antichrist, the False Prophet and all of their armies. After this, a loud voice will cry out “It is done!” followed by the greatest earthquake in the earth’s history and hail weighing 120 pounds will fall.

At the end of the Tribulation, there will be another blackout, the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken (Matthew 24:29), the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be thrown into the eternal Lake of Fire and Satan will be cast into the Abyss and bound for 1,000 years.


THE MILLENNIUM

The Lord Jesus will reign over the entire earth during the Millennium. The Jewish and Gentile believers who survive the Tribulation will go on to populate the Millennium. Believers who died before and during the Tribulation and believers who were raptured will be present on earth during the Millennium and because they will have glorified bodies they will not reproduce. All believers will be given special tasks by the Lord Jesus (Revelation 20:4-6). There will be no wars (Isaiah 2:2-4), animals will return to the Edenic state and become vegetarians (Isaiah 11:6-9), people will not labour in vain but eat what they plant and inhabit what they build, there will be renovations in the heavens and earth and there will be righteous and unrighteous children born during the Millennium (Isaiah 65:17-25).

At the end of the Millennium, Satan will be loosed from the Abyss and will deceive and gather the unrighteous for a war against the righteous. This will be his final attempt to destroy the righteous and when the unrighteous of the Millennium surround the good people, God will send fire down from Heaven which will suddenly and massively annihilate all of the wicked people. Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire where he will remain in torment for eternity (Revelation 20:7-10).


THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT

The Great White Throne Judgment will be the next main event. The old heavens and earth will be done away with and all will stand before God’s throne to be judged (Revelation 20:11-12). Those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire which will be their final and eternal abode (Revelation 20:14-15).


THE ETERNAL ORDER (REVELATION 21 AND 22)

Those whose names are found in the Book of Life will enjoy paradise with God forever. The heavens and earth will be made new and the New Jerusalem will come down upon the earth making the earth like Heaven. All curses from the fall will be removed and the earth will be inhabited by the Triune God (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit), all angels and all of the righteous. The seas, moon, night and sun will be done away with and the glory of God will illuminate the earth. The River of Life will flow from God’s throne, the Tree of Life will bear health-giving fruits and leaves and the name of Jesus will be on the foreheads of all of the righteous.


God’s Plan of Salvation for Us
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZkDk1GZ7do

Answer 7

MT 24:29 "Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days

" `the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

MT 24:30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

"AFTER the tribulation of those days."
I studied this rubbish alot many years ago. Give it up buddy.
No rapture will happen.
Jesus is a myth

Answer 8

The rapture come after

Answer 9

The Rapture — There is a great deal of confusion regarding the “Rapture”: What is it? When is it?

The word 'rapture' comes from the Latin Vulgate translation of I Thessalonians 4:17. The New King James Version reads:

“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Here we see it translated as “caught up.” But this verse is taken out of context; and that's where part of the confusion comes in. If, however, we read the context of this verse, much confusion will start to evaporate.

In verse 15, we see that Paul is writing about “the coming of the Lord,” (that is, the actual return of Jesus to the earth) and the resurrection of the saints. He describes his coming thus:

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.” (verse 16)

We can learn more of this event by looking up related Scriptures such as I Corinthians 15:51-52, where Paul fills in some more details:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep [die in the flesh], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Here we see the same event, Christians raised to spirit life at the coming of Jesus Christ, at the sound of the last trumpet.

In the book of Revelation, we learn about the seven trumpets that will sound at the end of this age, just before the return of Jesus Christ.

“The seventh angel sounded [his trumpet - 8:6]: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever!”

Once again, the same event is depicted, the return of Jesus Christ to reign with his saints on the earth. This is the time of the first resurrection:

“And I saw throwns, and they sat on them, and judgement was commited to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.... This is the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6)

This all comes at the end of the Great Tribulation, yet before the "Great and terrable day of the Lord." In Mark 13:19 & 24 we read, "For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be....after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,..." and from Revelation 6:12 we read about the sun and moon darkening as a result of the sixth seal opened. Therefore, the Great tribulation was previous to that time (see also Rev. 7:14). Now the seventh trumpet — the time of the return of Jesus Christ and the first resurrection — comes after the seventh seal.

People will not just mysteriously disapear off the face of the earth without warning, as is popularly depicted. There will be plenty of warning. The Great Tribulation will be a worldwide warning; and then Jesus's return will be seen by everyone in the world (as a warning):

“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.... Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet [the seventh trumpet], and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:27-31)

Note that, “all the tribes of the earth” will see Jesus coming, and then he will send out his angels to “gather together his elect.” So, without a doubt, all those who do not know Christ and have not practiced doing the will of his Father will have plenty of warning of the imminent rapture.

So, we have the what — the rapture is just another name for the first resurrection. And we have the when — it will occure at the very moment of the return of Jesus Christ to rule the earth, at the sound of the last trumpet.

Answer 10

There is no "rapture" only the Second Coming of Christ. Christ said that he would return, He never said that He would come back more than once. He also never promised to rescue us from suffering, indeed He said that we would suffer more than He did. Suffering unites us with Christ.