Pretribulation Rapture

Definition

The Pretribulation Rapture teaches that the Rapture of the Church will take place before the seven years of Great Tribulation. The result of a pretribulation rapture is that no Christians will exist on the earth at the beginning of the Tribulation.

Biblical Supports

The dispensational premillennialists have no doubt that the Rapture of church will surely take place. A passage such as 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 gives the description of things that will happen at the time of the Rapture. Whereas 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 gives a brief hint that the rapture will occur at the last trump. However the above passages are not sufficient proofs to ascertain the time of the Rapture. Interestingly the five groups of dispensational premillennialists believe that the above passages are truly proof texts for the doctrine of the Rapture of the church. But they differ in the time of the rapture because the above passages do not solve their divergence. The question still remains, when will the rapture take place?

The Pretribulation Rapture is based on its doctrine on what the apostle John wrote to the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:10, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” This verse indicates the Great Tribulation in view. The plain reading of this verse shows that the church will be kept from the hour of temptation or the time of the Tribulation period. However this verse does not say that the church will be kept from trials for trials are part of the life of the church during the church age. But the Apostle John makes clear the purpose of this temptation that it is to try those who dwell upon the earth (Revelation 3:10b).

Based on this promise, the Pretribulation Rapture believes that the church will not face this kind of temptation. Thus before this great tribulation occurs the church will be caught up to heaven to meet the Christ on the air. Those who were dead will be resurrected and those who are still alive during that great event will be changed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). The church as the bride of Christ will have the marriage supper in heaven in the house of God the father and the church will be in heaven for seven years. This is the time of the receiving of reward from the Lord Jesus Christ for those who serve Him faithful according to the spiritual gifts that have been given to each person as Paul said, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

The Great Tribulation period is also the day of God’s wrath for the earth, the wicked people. This is clearly seen as Apostle John wrote in Revelation 11:18 says, “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” However the Scriptures state that the church will never come under God’s wrath (John 5:24; Romans 5:9, 8:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9). The church will be saved from the wrath of God. The church will not go thorough the Great Tribulation period but rather the church will be raptured before the Great Tribulation takes place.

One of the characteristic of the Great Tribulation period is begun with the absent of the Holy Spirit’s work of restraining evil. 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 says “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” It will be hard to conceive of that time period when the Sprit’s restraining work is taken from the world while the church is still present. This is only reasonable if the church is already caught up from this earth and for the first time at the beginning of the Great Tribulation the world will be 100 % unbelievers.

It is commonly understood that Revelation 4-19 are events that will take place during the Great Tribulation Period. It is important to take note that there is no mention of the Church in these chapters. This proves that the church is already raptured to heaven and the church is in heaven which is called “tabernacle of God” (Revelation 13:6), and which is also called as the Bride (Revelation 19:1,7-8) that is ready to return to the earth at Christ’s Second Coming to commence His millennium kingdom.

Another argument of the Pretribulation Rapture that absolutely biblical is that the Rapture is imminent, which means it can happen at any moment. Christians are not to wait for signs of Christ’s return but for His coming itself. The demand for every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is that everyone must be ready for His coming. The immanency of Christ’s return or rapture is proved from the following arguments. Firstly, Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” The word “to wait” is written in present tense as if this great event could occur at any time. Secondly, in 1 Corinthians 15:52 Paul explains that our mortal bodies will all be changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet . . . .” This shows that this event will be unexpected and happen at any time is supported by the apostle’s concluding exhortation to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Thirdly, at Christ’s second coming in the clouds (Revelation 19:11-21), his angels will gather all believers living on earth (Matt 24:30-31). Fourthly, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, . . . that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. . . . Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess 4:13-18). This clearly indicates that Paul fully expected to be alive at Christ’s coming since he included himself (“we which are alive and remain”) among those that would be alive at the time of the Rapture.

Fifth, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. . . . Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. . . . and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thess 5:3-11). This maintains that the day of the Lord (which begins after the Rapture and continues through the Millennium) was imminent so that it would take people by surprise. Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to fight “sleep” (spiritual lethargy) to prepare for Christ’s unexpected arrival. Sixth, when Jesus told the disciples, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). He actually used the present tense (“I am coming”) with a sense of the immediate future without any intervening signs.