[1Corinthians 15:51-55 KJV] 51 Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. 54 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. 55 O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory?
[1Thessalonians 4:13-18 KJV] 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 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: 17 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
These verses establish that we will be gathered together to meet the Lord in the air. It is established that this gathering is a mystery, hid in God, until revealed to Paul. The gathering, being a mystery, can only be for the church, the body of Christ. This gathering is commonly referred to as the rapture, although that term is not found in scripture; nevertheless I will use it for familiarity sake.
The question before us is; is the rapture before the tribulation.
There is no definitive statement to this effect, however, there is scripture to consider that will support the belief that the rapture occurs before the tribulation.
[Romans 5:9 KJV] 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Here Paul says the church, the body of Christ, will be saved from wrath.
[1Thessalonians 5:9 KJV] 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Here Paul confirms the body of Christ is not appointed to wrath.
[1Thessalonians 1:10 KJV] 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.
We are delivered from the wrath to come.
[Luk 3:7 KJV] 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
John the Baptist spoke unto the people of Israel to flee the wrath to come. What is the wrath to come?
[Revelation 11:18 KJV] 18 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.
[Rev 14:10, 19 KJV] 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: ... 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
[Rev 15:1, 7 KJV] 1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. ... 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
[Rev 16:1 KJV] 1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
[Rev 19:15 KJV] 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Clearly the great tribulation is the wrath to come. We will not go through the wrath poured out in the tribulation.
[2Thessalonians 2:1-2 KJV] 1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Paul is speaking about the coming of Christ, which he calls the day of Christ in verse 2. In the day of Christ the man of sin will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming in verse 8.
Paul also speaks of our gathering together, the rapture, in verse 1 and tells them not to be troubled because the rapture event is associated with his coming and is not at hand.
[2Thessalonians 2:3, 6-8 KJV] 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; ... 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. 8 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:
The man of sin must be revealed before the coming of Christ, the day of Christ. What withholds the revealing of the wicked man of sin is the body of Christ; when the body of Christ is raptured and taken out of the way, he will be revealed.
The last scripture to consider follows:
[2Timothy 2:17-18 KJV] 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
The question is what resurrection is past.
The first to consider is the resurrection at the last day, at the end of the tribulation. Could this be the resurrection that they were saying happened already?
Look at scripture about this resurrection:
[Matthew 24:29-30 KJV] 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
These celestial events occur at the coming of Christ.
[Matthew 25:31 KJV] 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
When Christ comes he will establish his kingdom (Matthew 25:34) on earth and sit on David's throne (Luke 1:32).
[Matthew 8:11 KJV] 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
This verses establishes that there will be a resurrection of the just at his coming to establish the kingdom on earth.
It would be impossible to miss this resurrection; how could one not see all the celestial events and Christ coming to earth and the resurrection of the old testament saints.
The only resurrection that they were saying was past would be the rapture.
[1Thessalonians 4:13-18 KJV] 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 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: 17 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
These verses establish that we will be gathered together to meet the Lord in the air. It is established that this gathering is a mystery, hid in God, until revealed to Paul. The gathering, being a mystery, can only be for the church, the body of Christ. This gathering is commonly referred to as the rapture, although that term is not found in scripture; nevertheless I will use it for familiarity sake.
The question before us is; is the rapture before the tribulation.
There is no definitive statement to this effect, however, there is scripture to consider that will support the belief that the rapture occurs before the tribulation.
[Romans 5:9 KJV] 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Here Paul says the church, the body of Christ, will be saved from wrath.
[1Thessalonians 5:9 KJV] 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Here Paul confirms the body of Christ is not appointed to wrath.
[1Thessalonians 1:10 KJV] 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.
We are delivered from the wrath to come.
[Luk 3:7 KJV] 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
John the Baptist spoke unto the people of Israel to flee the wrath to come. What is the wrath to come?
[Revelation 11:18 KJV] 18 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.
[Rev 14:10, 19 KJV] 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: ... 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
[Rev 15:1, 7 KJV] 1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. ... 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
[Rev 16:1 KJV] 1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
[Rev 19:15 KJV] 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Clearly the great tribulation is the wrath to come. We will not go through the wrath poured out in the tribulation.
[2Thessalonians 2:1-2 KJV] 1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Paul is speaking about the coming of Christ, which he calls the day of Christ in verse 2. In the day of Christ the man of sin will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming in verse 8.
Paul also speaks of our gathering together, the rapture, in verse 1 and tells them not to be troubled because the rapture event is associated with his coming and is not at hand.
[2Thessalonians 2:3, 6-8 KJV] 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; ... 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. 8 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:
The man of sin must be revealed before the coming of Christ, the day of Christ. What withholds the revealing of the wicked man of sin is the body of Christ; when the body of Christ is raptured and taken out of the way, he will be revealed.
The last scripture to consider follows:
[2Timothy 2:17-18 KJV] 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
The question is what resurrection is past.
The first to consider is the resurrection at the last day, at the end of the tribulation. Could this be the resurrection that they were saying happened already?
Look at scripture about this resurrection:
[Matthew 24:29-30 KJV] 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
These celestial events occur at the coming of Christ.
[Matthew 25:31 KJV] 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
When Christ comes he will establish his kingdom (Matthew 25:34) on earth and sit on David's throne (Luke 1:32).
[Matthew 8:11 KJV] 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
This verses establishes that there will be a resurrection of the just at his coming to establish the kingdom on earth.
It would be impossible to miss this resurrection; how could one not see all the celestial events and Christ coming to earth and the resurrection of the old testament saints.
The only resurrection that they were saying was past would be the rapture.
