The Time of the Great Tribulation

INTRODUCTION

The word “Rapture” is not found in the Holy Scripture. It actually comes from the Latin translation of rapturo, which means “to be caught up.” The idea of rapture is traced from the situation in the church of Thessalonica. The Thessalonians were in grief because of their members had died. They were worry of their future. This problem was raised as a result of Paul’s teaching to the Thessalonians. Paul had shared with them that believers who are alive will be taken with Christ at His return. However they did not know the status of their dead loved one at Christ’s return. To answer this question Paul had given the Thessalonians the fact of those who were dead in Christ and of those who are alive at His return. Christ will reunite the dead and alive believers at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

A careful study of the above passage shows that when the rapture occurs, those who had died in the Lord Jesus Christ will be raised up from the dead, and they will precede to meet Christ than those who are still alive at the time of the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15). Those who hold to Dispensational premillennium view of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ believe that the rapture will take place before the setting of His millennium kingdom on this earth.

The doctrine of the rapture is part of the doctrine of Dispensational Premillennium. However the question is asked, when will the rapture or the snatching up of the believers occur? So far as the dispensational premillennium is concerned, there are five views about the rapture. First, the Pretribulation Rapture that teaches the rapture will take place before the seven years of Great Tribulation. Second, the Midtribulation Rapture that teaches the rapture will occur in the middle of the seven years of Great Tribulation. Thirdly, the Posttribulation Rapture that teaches the rapture will take place at the end of the seven years of Great Tribulation. Fourthly, Pre-Wrath Rapture that teaches the rapture will take place just before the wrath of God occurs during the Great Tribulation. And lastly, the Partial Rapture that believes the rapture will occur several times, beginning before the Great Tribulation as Premillennialists believe till the end of the Great Tribulation even at the end of millennium kingdom.

The writer’s thesis on this paper is to present a brief study on the above five views of rapture and show how each view differ from one another in each rendering the biblical passage pertaining to the time of the rapture. Because the writer’s theological persuasion is the Pretribulation Rapture, therefore this will be used as a standard view to comment the other views. This is to say that the writer will give a greater emphasis on the Pretribulation Rapture view, though it is not undermining the rest of the view.

THE TIME OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION

The premillennialists believe that the Lord has given to Daniel the future plan for Israel during the time Israel was still in the captivity (cf. Daniel 9:24-27). It is commonly understood that the Lord has given seventy weeks period for Israel in order to “to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24). This is the prophecy concerning the salvation of Israel and their final acceptance of their King and Messiah at the end of the seventy week period. The question is asked, when did this seventy week begin? Scholars of prophecy have debated on this issue. Some said it was the time of the king Artaxerxes gave a decree to Nehemiah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem in 444/5 BC. And others said it was the time of the king Artaxerxes gave a decree to Ezra to rebuild the city of Jerusalem in 457/8 BC.

Based on Daniel 9:25 is clear that from the beginning of rebuilding of the Jerusalem unto the cutting off the Messiah would be sixty nine weeks period. This would be in total 483 years. Thus those who take the rebuilding of Jerusalem in 444/5 BC, they would conclude that the death of Jesus Christ would be at AD 33. Those who believe the rebuilding of Jerusalem in 457/8 BC, would say that the death of Jesus Christ would be at AD 30.

However the most important fact that the period of the church was not mentioned in prophecy of Daniel. The Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry spoke in Matthew 16:18 “upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” It is understood that the period of the church was begun at the day of Pentecost. Thus the focus on this period is the church and not the Jews. The Jews or Israel were put aside for a time because they had killed their Saviour, the Messiah.

Although God has put Israel aside, this does not mean that God has totally cast out the Jews. God still has a plan for Israel to fulfil His promises as He had given to Abraham and the patriarchs. God put Israel a side in order to focus on the Church, the Gentiles. Paul said, the church is the grafted branch of the wild olive tree (Romans 11:13-24). The period after the death of Jesus Christ is called the period of the church or of the Gentiles. During this period the Lord has set a number of Gentiles to be saved. No one knows the total number of the saved Gentiles but Paul said it “the fullness of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:25). Only when the fullness of the Gentiles is fulfilled then the end of the church period will be accomplished.

When will be the end of Church period? The end of the church period will be marked by the snatching of the church of this earth. Paul said to the Corinthians, “Behold, I show you a mystery, We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). To the Thessalonians Paul said, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). The fulfilment of these two passages will be the end of the church era.

When the time of the church has been accomplished the seventieth week of Daniel will begin. This period will begin with the making of the covenant treaty with the Israel by the leader of Federal State of Europe which is the Antichrist. This period is the period for the salvation of Israel “so all Israel shall be saved” (Rom 11:26). However this is also called the Great Tribulation period where the Antichrist will rule over the whole world. Daniel said, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Dan 9:27). This Great Tribulation will last for seven years and then shall be followed by the millennium kingdom period where the church will rule together with Christ.