Midtribulation Rapture

Definition

Midtribulationists teach that the Rapture will occur after three and a half years of the seven year Tribulation have passed. This is to say that the rapture will take place in the middle of the Great Tribulation period.” The midtribulationalists advocates that the church is in need of purging and therefore must participate in at least part of the Tribulation period. The latter half of the Tribulation is seen as much more severe than the first half.

Biblical Supports

The second group of dispensational premillennialists who differ from the pretribulation rapture view is the mid-tribulationists. Although the main divergence with pretribulationists is basically on the understanding of the immanency of Christ’s return, yet the midtribulationists seldom denies that the Rapture is not imminent. In reality those midtribulationists believe that the Rapture is surely not imminent at all because there will be signs that can be seen during the first three and a half of Great Tribulation.

The Midtribulationists commonly state that the Great Tribulation is divided into two parts. The first three and a half years is called “peace” and the last three and a half years is called “tribulation.” Based on this explanation, the Midtribulationists argue that only the second part of the seven years of Great Tribulation is considered as tribulation (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 11:2; 12:6). For this reason they believe that the church will be still on this earth during the first three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. Thus the rapture will only take place in the middle of the seven years Tribulation period. In other words, the church will not go through the tribulation. A passage such as Revelation 3:10 is also one proof text used to support the view that the church will not face the wrath or the judgment of God. The reason is because the midtribulationists also believe that the following events after the rapture will be the wrath and judgment of God toward the unbelieving people on this earth.

However the midtribulationists’ understanding of the rapture is based on the great emphasis given in the Scriptures about the middle of the seven years period (Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7, 11, Revelation 11:2), then they conclude that the Rapture will take place at this time. A careful study of these passages will conclude that the emphasis given here is not about the rapture of the church but rather the breaking of the covenant with Israel by the Antichrist. This covenant treaty is the mark of the beginning of the seven years of Great Tribulation.

Another great argument of the midtribulationalists is that they believe that the last trump of 1 Corinthians 15:52 is the same as the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11:15 which is sounded at the middle of the tribulation. Pentecost said that these two trumpet cannot be the same at least nine reasons. However the most significant reason perhaps is that while the former is a trumpet issuing blessing, life and glory, the latter issues judgment upon the enemies of God.

Furthermore the midtribulationalists also believe that the resurrection of the two witnesses in the middle of the Tribulation pictures the Rapture of the Church (Revelation 11). To them, the witnesses are symbolic of a “larger company of witnesses” and represent two groups: the dead and the living at the Rapture. The cloud represents the parousia – the Lord’s presence, the great voice is the shout of 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and the trumpet is the trumpet of the same verse. Thus the midtribulational view makes identifications in different passages which are difficult to show as referring to the same thing.

Midtribulationnalists give another support from the Bible to justify their belief. The 144,000 are on earth early in the Tribulation (Revelation 7:1-8) but in heaven later (Revelation 14:1-5), so they should be identified as raptured saints who were taken during the Tribulation. They fail to understand that the 144,000 are explicitly stated as from the twelve tribes of Israel and thus are Jews, not the church – especially since they are contrasted with the Gentile multitude (Revelation 7:9-12).

Lastly, the Midtribulationalists believe that The Day of Wrath is mentioned as at hand in Revelation 11:18, therefore, the preceding seals and trumpets were not events of wrath. Thus since wrath follows the seventh trumpet, the Rapture must take place immediately preceding this wrath (since believers escape it). A careful study shows that Revelation 6:16-17 refers to the seal as wrath (and the seals precede the trumpets). The trumpet judgments occur during the time of God’s wrath.

Therefore midtribulationists conclude that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is not imminent because firstly, it is based on their understanding on the Scripture that Christ could not have returned in the lifetime of Peter (John 21:18, 19; I Peter 1:13). Secondly, it is because the great commission given by the Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 16:15 has not completed and by that time the missionary program has not completed yet as well. Thirdly, the apostasy as predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 has not yet overtaken the church. Fourthly, it seems the day we live in does not show as the last days.