What is the Pretribulation rapture?
The Pretribulation rapture is the belief that Jesus returns for the church before the tribulation (Also known as Daniel's 70th week). It's based upon the "catching up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
Where does the word "rapture" come from?
The word "rapture" comes from Latin word "rapturo", which is the translation for the Greek word "harpazo" which means "Caught up" (1Th 4:17)
The premise of the Pretribulation rapture can be summed up in one verse, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Th 5:9). It is demonstrated in scriptures that the righteous are always exempt from God's judgment:
-Noah, who called God just (Gen 6:9), is preserved in the Ark from God's judgment upon the earth. (Gen 6:7).
-The Lord tells Abraham that He would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if just 10 righteous were found. (Gen 18:32). Lot and those of his family that heeded the warnings were saved.
-The people of God living in the land of Goshen are spared the plagues of God's judgment upon Egypt. (Exd 8:22, Exd 9:26)
-Nineveh is sparred judgment when the people turned from their evil ways (Jon 3:10).
- “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. “Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD. (Eze 14:13-14)
Judgment is always reserved for the wicked never the righteous, therefore the church is sparred from the tribulation whose purpose is to judge a Christ rejecting world. A distinction is made from tribulation that comes from the world and tribulation that comes from God.
When does judgement begin?
The tribulation consists of 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, and 7 Bowls. Judgement begins at the first seal. We know this because Jesus open's the first seal (Rev 5:4-5,9) and John 5:22 states "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son". So it is only Jesus who has the the authority to initiate judgement.
Now let's look at the first 4 seals:
Seal 1:Rider on the White Horse. (The Antichrist, Rev 6:2, Mat 24:4-5)
Seal 2:Rider on the Red Horse. (War, Rev 6:4, Mat 24:6-7)
Seal 3:Rider on the Black Horse. (Famine, Rev 6:5-6, Mat 24:7)
Seal 4:Rider on the Pale Horse. (Pestilence, Rev 6:8, Mat 24:8)
Another clue that these are judgments is found in Ezekiel 14:21 “For thus says the Lord GOD: "How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem--the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence--to cut off man and beast from it?” Notice the similarities? Again in Jeremiah 29:17 it says, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten." God often used war, natural disasters, pestilence, famine as forms of judgements. For example:
God using men\war as judgement:Assyria against Israel, Babylon against Judah, The Israelite against the Canaanites, etc.
God using famine:Seven years of famine was an option for judgement for David for taking a census. (2Sa 24:13)
God using pestilence: The fifth plague of Egypt, the plagues upon the philistines for stealing the Ark of the Covenant, etc.
Following the 7 seals are the 7 trumpets and 7 bowls, both initiated by angels. One of the roles of angels is to carry out God's judgment. A prime example of this can be found in 2 Samuel 24:15-6 where an angel kills 70,000 men because David disobeyed God. Other examples of angels executing judgment can be found in Chronicles 32:21, Isaiah 37:36, Psalms 35:5&6, Acts 12:22-23, and the angels that brought judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen 19).
Regardless some interpret the seals as either the wrath of man or the wrath of Satan. However God has also used others to carry out His judgment. This was the case when God used to Assyrians against Israel and the Babylonians against Judah for their idolatry. The conquest of Canaan by Joshua can also be seen as a from of judgement against the Canaanites for their wickedness. During the fifth trumpet an angel is given a key to open the bottomless pit (Rev 9:1). Only Christ can give this key to the angel as only Christ has the keys of hell and of death (Rev 1:18). In allowing the angel to open the bottomless pit God is using demons as a form of judgment to bring torment for 5 months.
Pre-trib vs Pre-wrath vs Post-trib:
Pre-Wrath doesn't view the 7 Seals as judgments. However if the 7 Seals are in fact judgments, as previously demonstrated, then the Pre-wrath theory falls apart since it does not precede God's wrath.
Post-trib totally disregards that the righteous are always sparred from God's judgment. Post-trib see's Christ coming for His bride at the end of the tribulation. However when Jesus returns he is not dressed for a wedding feast but for war. His robes are dipped in blood, He returns with the “armies” in heaven to strike the nations (Rev 19:13-15). He's not coming for the church, who have already been raptured, but for the Anti-Christ, False Prophet, all those who took his mark, removing them from the earth in order to set up His Kingdom.
Conclusion:
The function of the church is to spread the gospel and to stand in, but not to replace, the role of Israel which is to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6). The role of preaching the gospel during the tribulation shifts from the church to two-witnesses, the sealed 144000, and even angels. The Church had a definite beginning (at Pentecost) and it will have a definite end (at the rapture) at which time the Lord will return his attention back to Israel and restore them to their proper role. Therefore the Pretribulation rapture of the church is just a necessary component of God's plan.
The following chart highlights which scriptures are, and are not, compatible with the different rapture viewpoints:
The Pretribulation rapture is the belief that Jesus returns for the church before the tribulation (Also known as Daniel's 70th week). It's based upon the "catching up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
Where does the word "rapture" come from?
The word "rapture" comes from Latin word "rapturo", which is the translation for the Greek word "harpazo" which means "Caught up" (1Th 4:17)
The premise of the Pretribulation rapture can be summed up in one verse, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Th 5:9). It is demonstrated in scriptures that the righteous are always exempt from God's judgment:
-Noah, who called God just (Gen 6:9), is preserved in the Ark from God's judgment upon the earth. (Gen 6:7).
-The Lord tells Abraham that He would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if just 10 righteous were found. (Gen 18:32). Lot and those of his family that heeded the warnings were saved.
-The people of God living in the land of Goshen are spared the plagues of God's judgment upon Egypt. (Exd 8:22, Exd 9:26)
-Nineveh is sparred judgment when the people turned from their evil ways (Jon 3:10).
- “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. “Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD. (Eze 14:13-14)
Judgment is always reserved for the wicked never the righteous, therefore the church is sparred from the tribulation whose purpose is to judge a Christ rejecting world. A distinction is made from tribulation that comes from the world and tribulation that comes from God.
When does judgement begin?
The tribulation consists of 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, and 7 Bowls. Judgement begins at the first seal. We know this because Jesus open's the first seal (Rev 5:4-5,9) and John 5:22 states "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son". So it is only Jesus who has the the authority to initiate judgement.
Now let's look at the first 4 seals:
Seal 1:Rider on the White Horse. (The Antichrist, Rev 6:2, Mat 24:4-5)
Seal 2:Rider on the Red Horse. (War, Rev 6:4, Mat 24:6-7)
Seal 3:Rider on the Black Horse. (Famine, Rev 6:5-6, Mat 24:7)
Seal 4:Rider on the Pale Horse. (Pestilence, Rev 6:8, Mat 24:8)
Another clue that these are judgments is found in Ezekiel 14:21 “For thus says the Lord GOD: "How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem--the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence--to cut off man and beast from it?” Notice the similarities? Again in Jeremiah 29:17 it says, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten." God often used war, natural disasters, pestilence, famine as forms of judgements. For example:
God using men\war as judgement:Assyria against Israel, Babylon against Judah, The Israelite against the Canaanites, etc.
God using famine:Seven years of famine was an option for judgement for David for taking a census. (2Sa 24:13)
God using pestilence: The fifth plague of Egypt, the plagues upon the philistines for stealing the Ark of the Covenant, etc.
Following the 7 seals are the 7 trumpets and 7 bowls, both initiated by angels. One of the roles of angels is to carry out God's judgment. A prime example of this can be found in 2 Samuel 24:15-6 where an angel kills 70,000 men because David disobeyed God. Other examples of angels executing judgment can be found in Chronicles 32:21, Isaiah 37:36, Psalms 35:5&6, Acts 12:22-23, and the angels that brought judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen 19).
Regardless some interpret the seals as either the wrath of man or the wrath of Satan. However God has also used others to carry out His judgment. This was the case when God used to Assyrians against Israel and the Babylonians against Judah for their idolatry. The conquest of Canaan by Joshua can also be seen as a from of judgement against the Canaanites for their wickedness. During the fifth trumpet an angel is given a key to open the bottomless pit (Rev 9:1). Only Christ can give this key to the angel as only Christ has the keys of hell and of death (Rev 1:18). In allowing the angel to open the bottomless pit God is using demons as a form of judgment to bring torment for 5 months.
Pre-trib vs Pre-wrath vs Post-trib:
Pre-Wrath doesn't view the 7 Seals as judgments. However if the 7 Seals are in fact judgments, as previously demonstrated, then the Pre-wrath theory falls apart since it does not precede God's wrath.
Post-trib totally disregards that the righteous are always sparred from God's judgment. Post-trib see's Christ coming for His bride at the end of the tribulation. However when Jesus returns he is not dressed for a wedding feast but for war. His robes are dipped in blood, He returns with the “armies” in heaven to strike the nations (Rev 19:13-15). He's not coming for the church, who have already been raptured, but for the Anti-Christ, False Prophet, all those who took his mark, removing them from the earth in order to set up His Kingdom.
Conclusion:
The function of the church is to spread the gospel and to stand in, but not to replace, the role of Israel which is to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6). The role of preaching the gospel during the tribulation shifts from the church to two-witnesses, the sealed 144000, and even angels. The Church had a definite beginning (at Pentecost) and it will have a definite end (at the rapture) at which time the Lord will return his attention back to Israel and restore them to their proper role. Therefore the Pretribulation rapture of the church is just a necessary component of God's plan.
The following chart highlights which scriptures are, and are not, compatible with the different rapture viewpoints:
