"Rapture" and Tribulation - according to the Bible
What about "Rapture?"
When Jesus preached to the disciples the last time, He was on the Mount of Olives. Thus, His last sermon is called "The Olivet Discourse." We find it in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. In this Olivet Discourse, Jesus said that He would come as "a thief in the night," and the implication is that when He comes, He will take His bride out of the world. He further establishes this when He gives us the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25. I would encourage you to re-read both chapters. He says that He will come in a time when we think not, and that those believers who have made themselves ready for His coming will be taken up with Him. (Jesus also gives a parable about taking out the sinners before the saints, but the difficulty of that parable should not be allowed to confuse His overwhelming message of saving the saints out of the world before its utter destruction.)
Also, the apostle Paul writes specifically of the "rapture" in I Corinthians 15, and again in I Thessalonians 4 and 5, and II Thessalonians 2. There are various other references, too, but those will give you a solid foundation to begin to understand it as it really is.
Finally, remember that God's people are NOT called to endure His WRATH against sin and sinfulness (II Thess. 5:9). That is what Jesus has already endured for us on the Cross. It is the very thing that we have been saved from; otherwise from what are we saved after this life if we must endure His wrath on the earth? However, we ARE called to endure persecution from the world (II Tim. 2:12). Most Christians in America do not like to believe this; nonetheless, it is true. Our Lord cautioned us of persecution many times. Therefore, we must take care when we are studying about the events of these Last Days, especially concerning when a rapture may occur.
A dozen or so years ago, the Spirit of the Lord showed me this in the scriptures. I realized that almost all the body of Christ was confused about the tribulation period as it relates to persecution from the world toward believers and to the wrath of God poured out on unbelievers. To this very day, that confusion is still there, because it helps to support the theory that the rapture will save us from the slightest pain - a theory that is a doctrine of men and devils - but the prevailing theory still.
Here is the bottom line. Christians will likely suffer tremendous persecution from the world, and from a growing false Christianity, BEFORE the rapture, but also BEFORE the wrath of God is poured out on the earth against sin and sinners who refused His free gift of grace unto salvation. The catching away (rapture) of the saints will come AFTER great persecution and BEFORE the wrath of God is poured out. God's purpose in permitting the persecution from the world is NOT that God wants us to suffer, but rather that through the loss of our own strength we will look to Him as never before and be conformed into His image as never before. Through this, we will become the Bride that looks like Jesus at His coming! Then immediately after we are taken out of this world by Jesus, God's wrath will be poured out against sin and sinners. During that time of His great wrath, many will be born again and raptured later, at the same instant of His return to destroy His enemies and to establish His kingdom reign on earth for the thousand year Millennium.
Consider these things. "We are not appointed to wrath, but to salvation." II Thessalonians 5:9
Simply put, there are some future things about these Last Days that we may not be able to fully understand until they actually take place. This is the way God intended it, to keep believers of sober heart and mind. However, our courage and confidence need not rest on our ability to figure out exactly how the future will unfold. Our faith and hope should rest in fellow-shipping with Him daily. We need only to seek to walk with Him today, in Spirit and in Truth, and we will be ready for tomorrow when it arrives.
Regarding future events, let us remember that from the beginning, the Spirit's revelation to us about the details of God's plan for each generation is progressive; and there is still much to be revealed. Thus, we would be wise to admit that we do not have all the answers yet.Here are a few thoughts that you may consider as you develop your Last Days' theories.
1. None of the writers of the Bible fully understood all the things they had seen or heard concerning the end of the age. For example, the Old Covenant prophet Daniel was confused and dismayed about many things he saw - even though he was highly esteemed in God's eyes, to whom God also revealed secrets.
2. The apostles of the New Covenant did not understand all things either. For example, it is obvious they had no idea that the church-age would last two thousand years; and even as they were in tune with the Spirit in many aspects, they proclaimed that the return of the Lord was "at hand" when in was still many generations away; but they were not at fault, for they believed and taught exactly what the Lord taught them to believe and to teach. He simply did not reveal some things when He was here; and even though the Spirit has revealed much since then, He has not revealed everything at this time, either.
3. We should take into account that just as our Lord spoke in parables so that those with "hard hearts," would not be able to understand Him, even so the Spirit did not give full revelation to the New Testament writers lest it make all things clear to "hard hearts" of subsequent generations. The Spirit reveals things only to those who seek Him with a pure heart, and in the right season.
4. Finally, even though the apostle Paul had seen the Lord and had been taught by Him, he wrote: "Now, we see through a glass darkly; but then, we shall see Him as He is." It was obvious that not all things had been revealed to Paul either, even though he had many revelations of the Spirit. In addition, the apostle John so much as said that the disciples had yet to see Him as He really is too, even though they had seen Jesus, known Him, and even lived with Him for approximately three years. He wrote that we would be like Him "when we see Him as He really is."
I conclude that there are a number of Last Days' scriptures that appear contradictory and unclear at this time; but in God's time, they may be revealed to us by His Spirit. God intended the scriptures to be such as they are. Thus, do not be discouraged by the fact that the events and occasions of these Last Days are not clearly set forth in the scriptures as we currently understand them - and be slow to "swear" by your theories.
Scriptures about "Rapture" and Tribulation
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." I Thess. 5:23-24