When will the “rapture” happen? Will the “rapture” happen before or after the Great Tribulation?
To answer this question, we need to look closely at the Bible.
The Days of Noah
Jesus said that his second coming will be like the days of Noah.
But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
Matthew 24:37-41
Who was taken away in the days of Noah? The wicked. Jesus said the flood “took them all away” to be destroyed.
Jesus said it will be the same at the end of the age. Suddenly, destruction will come upon them and they will be taken away from the earth by the judgment of God.
Just like in the days of Noah, the wicked will be taken away to be destroyed during the Great Tribulation.
This is not a picture of the righteous being removed to be kept safe during the “rapture.” Jesus said it is a picture of the wicked being removed in judgment.
The Wheat and the Tares
We find another clue about the rapture in the parable of the wheat and the tares.
In this parable, the wheat symbolizes the children of God, and the tares symbolize the children of Satan. They are growing together in the field, which is the world. At the end of the age, they will be harvested.
The order of this harvest is significant.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13:40-43
At the end of the age, first the tares will be gathered to be burned and destroyed. Then the righteous will shine forth in God’s kingdom.
“Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew 13:30).
The tares are gathered first to be destroyed. Then the wheat is kept safe.
At the end of the age, first the wicked will be destroyed from the earth during the tribulation. The righteous will be kept safe.
The Rapture Happens After the Last Trumpet
There are two passages that give us even more specific information regarding the timing of the “rapture” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
According to this passage, the living saints are caught up in the “rapture” after the resurrection.
The following passage, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, reveals the additional fact that the resurrection will happen at the same time as the last trumpet.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Let’s combine these two facts. The resurrection happens at the same time as the last trumpet, and the rapture happens after the resurrection. Therefore we can conclude that the rapture will happen roughly at the same time as or immediately after the last trumpet.
The Last Trumpet is After the Tribulation
To further understand when the “rapture” will occur, we need to identify the timing of the last trumpet. This can be understood through the Book of Revelation.
According to the Book of Revelation, there are seven trumpets at the end of the age. The last trumpet is the seventh trumpet. As we have seen, the Bible says the rapture will occur after the seventh (last) trumpet.
During the first 6 trumpets, there will be many calamities on the earth. All green grass will be burned, 1/3 of the trees will be burned, 1/3 of the seas will become blood, 1/3 of animals in the sea will die, 1/3 of the ships will be destroyed, 1/3 of the sun of the moon and of the stars is darkened so the earth becomes dark, humanoid locusts will come up out of the Abyss and torture people so that they will want to die, and a massive army will kill 1/3 of mankind. This is the Great Tribulation.
The 2 witnesses will prophesy during the Great Tribulation. The 7th trumpet sounds after the 2 witnesses have prophesied and been killed (Revelation 11:15).
The 7th trumpet will sound after all of this is over. The 7th trumpet is the last trumpet. This trumpet marks the end of the Great Tribulation, and the rapture will occur after this.
And the angel which I saw… sware by him that liveth for ever and ever… that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
Revelation 10:5-7
When the 7th trumpet sounds there will be no more time, according to this passage.
Since the last trumpet is the 7th trumpet, we can see that the rapture will happen at the 7th trumpet, at the end of time, after the Great Tribulation.
The Timing of the Resurrection
Now, let’s look at another clue.
Revelation 20:5 describes the first resurrection.
Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:4-5
The first resurrection includes Christians who were alive during the Great Tribulation. We know they were alive during the tribulation because they faced the Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast. They were resurrected after the Tribulation had already been in full swing.
Since the first resurrection happens after the Great Tribulation, any other resurrection must also happen after the Great Tribulation.
Since the “rapture” happens after the resurrection (as we have already seen), we can conclude that the “rapture” also must happen after the Great Tribulation.
Jesus Prays to Protect His People
Jesus doesn’t have to remove us from the earth in order to keep us safe. He can keep us safe anywhere, even upon the earth during the tribulation.
Right before he went to the cross, Jesus prayed for his people:
I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one
John 17:15
Jesus knew that his people would face challenges in the world. He didn’t pray they would be removed from these challenges, but that they would be kept or protected from harm .
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
Jesus knew that his people would face challenges in the world. His solution is not to take us out of the world, but to empower us in the world with his Holy Spirit so that we can overcome challenges by his grace and power.
We don’t need to be zapped out of the earth into the upper atmosphere to be kept safe. It’s very cold up there anyway, and it would take miracles to preserve us alive in such a hostile environment. Similarly, it will take miracles to keep us safe during the great tribulation. But God works miracles, so if we believe he can keep us safe in the midst of the cumulus clouds, we can believe he can keep us safe during great trouble upon the earth.
Furthermore, God wants to use his people on the earth during the End Times. He doesn’t want to take us out of here, he wants us to stay here and reveal his glory and power to a dark world. The church is called to rise up and fulfill her final purpose on the earth at the end of the age. Rather than preparing to be zapped out of the earth, we need to be preparing spiritually to not only survive, but to represent the kingdom of God.
Bethel Cornerstone 