Rapture - Before or After?

 

Rapture – Before or After?

 

I do not believe that the Church is going to be raptured before or during the Great Tribulation! Though I wish it were true.

 

In my study of Revelation it says that the Church will go through the full seven years of the tribulation and the thousand year reign of CHRIST from Jerusalem before the rapture. The rapture is actually the second resurrection; the first resurrection is of those killed during the tribulation, Revelation 20:4 & 6. The second resurrection is everyone else who died before the great battle in Jerusalem and the camp of the saints, Revelation 20:7-10; including those who died during CHRIST’s thousand year reign in Jerusalem, Revelation 20:5 & 11-15.

 

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 says that all those in CHRIST living and dead will be caught up to be with JESUS at the last trumpet, Revelation 11: 15-19, the last trumpet is the day that CHRIST returns to establish His Throne in Jerusalem and reign over the nations of the earth for one thousand years, Revelation 19:11-21. So it could be that Revelation 20:4 does not fully describe the first resurrection. Either way it does not happen until CHRIST returns at the last trumpet!

 

The only thing the Bible says about the thousand year reign of CHRIST; other than that He will reign with a rod of iron over the nations; is that those of the first resurrection will reign with Him in Jerusalem for the thousand years. Then after the thousand years satan will be loosed in the world and he will raise an unnumbered army to attack the Christians living around Jerusalem and Jerusalem itself. That means that there will be many people alive during this time who do not serve GOD. This is not part of GOD’s eternal Kingdom (Paradise), people will be born, live and die during the thousand years of CHRIST’s earthly reign and many will hate Him.

 

One of the problems with the current teaching that the Church will be raptured before the tribulation is that when that does not happen many “Christians” who believed and counted on not having to go through the Great Tribulation will be so hurt and disappointed that they will lose faith in the Church, the Word and GOD. I believe this is the cause of the great falling away that is prophesied, “…All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My Name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this Gospel of The Kingdom will be preached to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:1-14 I believe this is the first three and a half years of the tribulation. 24:15-26 is the last three and a half years and verses 27-28 are The Last Day. Then comes the thousand year reign of CHRIST in Jerusalem; the final great battle at Jerusalem and the eternal reign of The Father and The Son in the new Jerusalem, in the new Heaven and earth!