Timing of Rapture in relation to Great Tribulation

 

This is excerpt from my book titled: Understanding the end time events: a revelation into divine mysteries. The book is available on Amazon as ebook (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087QL4K3) and paperback (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SDHPWK)

CHAPTER

 THREE

The Rapture

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”  1Corinthians 15:52-58 KJV

Rapture is the carrying away of the saints to meet the Lord in the air (cloud). The dead in Christ shall be rapture first before the living. The bodies of both shall be changed from mortal to immortal bodies. The rapture shall occur at the sound of the trumpet. Jesus Christ shall not be seen by the people of the Earth during the rapture. It is an event that will occur at the same moment upon the Earth and the rapture saints shall meet the Lord in the air (cloud).

Read Matthew 24:26-41. 

After the Lord Jesus had spoken of the Great Tribulation, then He told them of the rapture. The rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation has been discussed in the previous chapter to last for about 4 ¼ years. Then the dreadful day of the LORD will last for 2 ¾ years to make the total of the 7 years. Therefore, it can be said from the above that the rapture shall occur at the end of the Great Tribulation of about 4 ¼ years.

Whenever God appears to His people to bless us, He also judges His enemies. Fire goes before the glory of God. The fire will devour the enemy of God while the glory blesses the people of God. The rapture is the manifestation of the glory of God upon His people. Therefore, by the above description, as the people of God is rapture, those left on the Earth will face the judgment of God which is called the dreadful day of the LORD. This shall be discussed in the next chapter. 

There are three views concerning the timing of the rapture in relation to the Great Tribulation: Pre-tribulation rapture, mid-tribulation rapture and post-tribulation rapture. I have searched through the scripture and I cannot find scripture that supports the Pre-tribulation rapture. According to the Pre-tribulation rapture, it was said that some people will be rapture before the Great Tribulation and then those that are not faithful at the time of the rapture shall go through the Great Tribulation and those of them that stood faithful during the Great Tribulation shall be redeemed. I ask these questions, those that are rapture before the Great Tribulation where will they  be and for those that will be  redeemed after the Great Tribulation what will become of them, will they be inferior or second class citizen compared to those that were rapture before the Great Tribulation. 

"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laboures into the vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. And said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did like wise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found  others standing idle and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the Lord of the vineyard saith unto his Steward, Call the labourers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny"  Matthew 20:1-10 KJV

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing"      2Timothy 4:7-8 KJV

It could be seen in the above scriptures that we are equal before  God. Everyone was honoured equally. Paul said he will be honoured with just a crown and also us that served God faithfully. With all the work Paul did, he said just a crown is waiting for him. We even saw that the last labourers were honoured first and the honouring went on till the last person was honoured. Therefore, we shall all be rewarded together. So when the rapture occurs, everyone of us that are rapture both living and dead shall be honoured with a crown.

In an Olympics, the athletes that came first on 100m and Marathon races will all be given same kind of gold. It won't be said that Marathon race took more time than 100m, so more or better gold be given. Everyone runs according to his/her abilities.

In Matthew 25:1-13, we saw 10 virgins waiting for the bridegroom and 5 were with enough oil but 5 with little oil. When the 5 with little oil went to get more oil after their lamp went off, the bridegroom came and the door was locked. When those that went to get additional oil returned, the door was not opened for them. The coming of the bridegroom is the rapture. Once the rapture occurs, anyone that misses it, miss it forever. The door will not be opened again. So, we need to ensure that we have enough oil in our lamps. Therefore, there is nothing as Pre-tribulation rapture.

In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus said the elect will still be around during the Great Tribulation. Elects are those that are faithfully serving God. Also in Revelation chapter 13, it was said that saints will still be around during the Great Tribulation.

The 3 scripture I always hear those with pre tribulation view quote are 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9 and Revelation 3:10. In 1 Thessalonians 1:10, it was written that Jesus will save us from the wrath to come. The wrath of God to come is called the dreadful day of the LORD which occurs after the Great Tribulation when the stars shall fall to the ground, the sun and moon withholding their light and other plaques. The wrath of God will happen immediately after the Rapture which is at the end of the Great Tribulation. The 1 Thessalonians 5:9 is similar. It said we are not appointed to wrath but to obtain salvation. We shall not face the wrath of God but shall be saved through Rapture. It is the wicked people who had taken the mark of the beast that shall face the wrath of God. Also, Revelation 3:10 says I will keep you from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world. The scripture said "from". It means we shall be kept saved out of the Great Tribulation.

For the mid-tribulation rapture and post-tribulation rapture, it depends on how one view the 7 years event. As I have said in the earlier chapter that the 7 years contain two events: the great tribulation which occurs for about 4 1/4 (four one-quarter) years and the dreadful day of the LORD to make up the remaining years. So, if someone view the 7 years event as an event, then to that person, it will be that the rapture will occur at the middle (4 1/4 years) of the 7 years but if the 7 years is viewed as having 2 events, then the rapture shall occur at the end of the great tribulation. 

In conclusion of the timing of the rapture in relation to the great tribulation, the rapture shall occur at the end of the great tribulation.

Before the Great Tribulation, the church shall first be strengthened through the outpouring of the latter rain. In Joel 2:23, two rain was mentioned: the former rain and the latter rain. The former rain came on the day of Pentecost while the latter rain shall come during this end time. What the church awaits now is the outpouring of the latter rain and not the Rapture.

There are 10 events that the end time contained and all these are discussed in my book: Understanding the end time events: a revelation into divine mysteries.