Why do I believe in a pre-tribulational rapture?

(We begin this Saturday to post prophetic themes from the Bible.  Sunday we will continue to post devotionals on the Psalms.)

I believe Scripture teaches that Christ will take His Church out of the world at the beginning of a future 7-year time known as the “tribulation period” (Matt. 24:8,15,24) or “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7).  Why do I believe this?

Some assume the reason people believe this is that they don’t want to be here for all the trouble.  In other words it’s more wishful thinking than sound doctrine.  This is not my reason, but please note that God has promised to save the Church from the wrath to come (Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10).  Now you may say this refers to the wrath of hell and eternity (Rev. 20:14-15) rather than the wrath poured out in the tribulation period (Rev. 6:17) and that’s fine.  I just take it as future wrath whenever it comes in the future.  Whatever your view, meditate on 2 Thess. 1.

Let us be clear: there IS a rapture.  If you don’t like that term (it’s theological, not used as such in the Bible) then call it the catching away (the term in 1 Thess. 4:17) or the twinkling (as 1 Cor. 15:51-52 says it will happen in the twinkling of an eye) or whatever term you like.  But in the return of Christ there is a time …

·        When believers go to be with Him in the air (1 Thess. 4:17; John 14:2f) as opposed to His return to the earth (Zech. 14:4; Rev. 19:11-15. 

·        When He comes to comfort His people (1 Thess. 4:16-18) as opposed to His coming to judge and make war (Rev. 19:11).

·        When believers go to be with Christ and are changed (given new bodies, 1 Cor. 15:52-54; Phil. 3:21) as opposed to believers who enter the Kingdom with Christ still in their earthly bodies (Matt. 25:34,46; Zech. 13:7-14:1,16).

But why would this happen at the beginning of the 7 years?  Why not at a mid-point (as pictured by the ascending to heaven of the witnesses in Rev. 11:1-14 when the last of the 7 angels with trumpets sounds, 1 Cor. 15:52)?  Or at the end, meeting Christ in the air and then immediately returning with Him in His second coming (a connection of both the rapture and return as some see in 2 Thess. 1)?

The answer for me is that a rapture at the beginning of the seven years maintains the clear distinction the Bible makes with respect to the Church and Israel.  You may have heard the period we are talking about being referred to as Daniel’s 70^th Week.  This comes from a very foundational prophecy in Daniel 9:22-27 where God speaks of 490 years of dealing with Daniel’s people (i.e. Israel).  The rejection of Messiah (i.e. the cross) concludes 483 years leaving seven years for God to finish His work with Israel.  Daniel says nothing about this time of the Church in between year 483 and 484 is because, as Peter pointed out, he didn’t know about it (1 Pet. 1:10-11).  But the time will come when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Rom. 11:25), the Church will be removed and God will return to complete the fulfilling of His promise to save Israel (Rom. 11:26; Ezekiel 37:1-14) and restore them in the land (Ezek. 39:21-29).

(Next Saturday: a more detailed look at Daniel’s amazing prophecy.)