Evidence In The Bible For A Pre Tribulation Rapture -

There are basically 3 theories about the rapture in relation to the tribulation. The first is known as the pre tribulation rapture, which we will study and discuss here. Pre tribulation is the belief that Jesus’ church, true followers of Christ, will be raptured before the beginning of the 7 year tribulation. Is there evidence in the Bible for a pre tribulation rapture? There is quite a bit of evidence in the Bible for a pre tribulation rapture.

The 2nd theory is the mid tribulation rapture. People that believe in this theory reference some Bible verses to show that the rapture will occur at the midway point of the tribulation.

The 3rd theory is the post tribulation rapture. As the name suggests this theory if for people that believe the rapture of the church will occur at or after the end of the tribulation.

Evidence In The Bible For A Pre Tribulation Rapture

Verses About The Rapture

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There are various verses in the Bible that talk about the rapture of Jesus’ faith followers. Here are some of them:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” – John 14:1-3

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-53

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” – 1 John 3:1-2

Evidence In The Bible For A Pre Tribulation Rapture

Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4 & 5

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In 1 Thessalonians 4 Paul writes and teaches about Jesus coming back to rapture His church.

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

There is no mention of God’s wrath, or judgement, or “the day of the Lord” in the context of this part of Paul’s message and teaching. Only encouraging things for His faithful followers.

The Day Of The Lord

Then in 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul talks about “the day of the Lord “, which is God’s final judgement and punishment of His enemies. This takes place in the 2nd half of the 7 year tribulation. The 2nd half is known as the Great Tribulation, and begins in Revelation 8. There are some judgements and punishment that is poured out upon God’s enemies in the first half of the 7 year tribulation, before the day of the Lord. These are the first seals being opened in Revelation 6.

“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

Paul says that the people in the church of Thessalonica do not need to be taught about “the day of the Lord “, and that they already knew about it. Old Testament prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and others wrote about it. And Jesus taught about it in Matthew 24.

In verse 3 Paul says “they will not escape” from the destruction in the tribulation. The “they” are people who are considered to be God’s enemies because they refused to believe in Jesus and bow down to Him as Lord.

“But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11

In 1 Thessalonians 5:4 Paul says “but you…”. He is talking about faithful followers of Jesus in His church. And Paul makes a distinction between the “they will not escape” and “you” – the faithful followers of Jesus. And later in verse 9 Paul says that God has not destined “us”, the faithful followers of Jesus, for wrath. He is saying that true faithful followers of Jesus will not be around to be in the tribulation and the “day of the Lord”.

Paul is talking and teaching about the rapture of the church in 1 Thessalonians 4, as a different event than the “day of the Lord “. He preceeds his talking about the tribulation and the day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5 by teaching about the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4. Which is another piece of evidence to show that God’s people and church will be raptured and spared the tribulation.

Evidence In The Bible For A Pre Tribulation Rapture

More Evidence of the Rapture Occurring Before The Tribulation

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Also in Paul’s letter in 1 Thessalonians 1 he writes about how the Lord Jesus will deliver His faithful followers from the wrath to come.

“For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

Pauls states this again in 1 Thessalonians 5:

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

Evidence In The Bible For A Pre Tribulation Rapture

More Evidence of the Rapture Occurring Before The Tribulation

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“But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works” – Revelation 2:20-22

In Jesus’ letter to the church in Thyatira Jesus condemns some of the people in the church for tolerating the false teaching of Jezebel, a false prophetess. They began to tolerate idolatry and sexual immorality in the church. Jesus then says that he gave her a chance to repent but she refused. So then He warns them that he will throw her and those that follow her into “great tribulation”.

So they will be going into the tribulation. The tribulation is for unbelieving, sinful, idolatrous people, even church goers. Unless they repent. In His letter to the church in Thyatira Jesus is giving further evidence that anyone who repents and recieves Jesus as Lord and Savior will not be thrown into the tribulation.

Evidence In The Bible For A Pre Tribulation Rapture

More Evidence of the Rapture Occurring Before The Tribulation

In Jesus’ letter to the faithful church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3 He makes a great promise to them for their faithfulness and patient endurance through persecution and suffering.

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. ” – Revelation 3:10

Here is a great promise for the faithful and obedient believers in the church of Philadelphia. And not only for the true followers of Jesus in the church of Philadelphia, but for all true believers of Jesus. The true followers of Jesus that continually and faithfully stay devoted to Jesus, and keep obeying His commands. Despite the difficulties and dangers. Despite the persecution. Despite the costs of truly following Jesus.

Jesus is promising to His true followers that remain devoted, faithful and obedient to keep them out of the coming tribulation.

This is one of the key verses and promises in God’s word the Bible of a pre-tribulation raputure of God’s people. The original Greek words “τηρέω ἐκ (tereo ek) in Revelation 3:10 mean to “keep from” or also mean “keep out of”. The people who believe that there is no pre-tribulation raputure and that it will come later believe the Greek words τηρέω ἐκ (tereo ek) mean that Jesus will keep them, or sustain them, during the Great Tribulation. They do not believe that Jesus means that He will keep them from or out of the Great Tribulation.

The Greek word ἐκ is used various times in the New Testament. Here are just a couple of the many cases where the word ἐκ is used to mean “out of”:

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of (ἐκ) my hand.” – John 10:28

“The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of (ἐκ) the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness.” – John 12:17

“How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of (ἐκ) the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew 12:34

“For he was saying to him, “Come out of (ἐκ) the man, you unclean spirit!” – Mark 5:8

So in Revelation 3:10 Jesus is promising his faithful followers that He will keep them out of (τηρέω ἐκ – tereo ek) the coming 7 year tribulation. He is not promising to keep them during the tribulation. Jesus is promising to keep them out of or from the tribulation.

Evidence In The Bible For A Pre Tribulation Rapture

More Evidence of the Rapture Occurring Before The Tribulation

More evidence of a pre-tribulation rapture is found in Revelation 4.

“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.” – Revelation 4:4

The 24 elders on thrones, representing believers from the Old and New Testaments, are in heaven in Revelation 4. This takes place before the 7 year tribulation, which begins in Revelation 6. The 7 year tribulation period begins with the opening of the first 6 of 7 seals in Revelation 6. Thus the 24 elders appearing in heaven on thrones in Revelation 4 is suggesting more evidence of a pre-Tribulation rapture of Jesus’ faithful followers and witnesses.

Also, in the book of Revelation the church (Greek word “ekklesia”) appears 19 times, and is only mentioned in Revelation 1, 2, and 3. Between Revelation 6, which is the start of the tribulation, and Revelation 19, the end of the 7 year tribulation period, the word “ekklesia” or church does not appear at all. Because the church, which are true followers of Christ, will not be in the tribulation.

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