The Rapture: Escaping God’s Wrath
By Desmond Allen, PhD, ThM, MDiv
The Term Rapture
Some object that the term rapture is not found in Scripture, but this is not exactly the case. While it is true that this particular word does not appear in modern English translations, it, nevertheless, is the correct translation of the Greek harpázō, “to seize, catch away, take by force.” The English “rapture” is derived from the Latin raptus, rapio, “to seize, snatch, carry away,” which Jerome employed in the 405 AD Latin Vulgate, in the 1st-person plural future passive indicative form, rapiemur, to match the Greek harpagēsόmetha, the 1st-person plural future passive indicative form of harpázō, as Paul used in First Thessalonians 4:17, which is generally translated as “we will be caught up.”
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, 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. 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 (1Th 4:15-17).
The term rapture was first used by English secular writers in the late 1590s, with the definition, “to abduct, to seize, to carry away,” thereby matching the Greek harpázō and Latin rapio. It was also used metaphorically to speak of an intense state of ecstasy or emotional delight. In 1687, the French Protestant theologian, Pierre Jurieu, used the term to speak of the saints being raptured before the battle of Armageddon. In 1738, Philip Doddridge used rapture in his New Testament commentary, as did John Gill in 1748 to speak of the saints being caught up in the air. In 1763, James Mackight also used it in his theological writings.
Samuel Johnson’s 3rd edition of his Dictionary of the English Language in 1766 provided three examples of how rapture was being used in his time; one in a physical sense and two in a metaphorical sense:
1. Violent seizure. 2. Ecstasy; transport; violence of any pleasing passion; enthusiasm; uncommon heat of imagination. 3. Rapidity; haste.
Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1828, matched Johnson’s definition, but he noted that the meaning of a physical seizure was seldom used any longer:
1. A seizing by violence. Little used. 2. Transport; ecstasy; violence of a pleasing passion; extreme joy or pleasure…. 3. Rapidity with violence; a hurrying along with velocity;… 4. Enthusiasm; uncommon heat of imagination.
Although the secular world was now using rapture primarily in the metaphorical sense, as noted by both Johnson and Webster, theologians and preachers were still using it in the physical sense, as John Nelson Darby used it in his 1830 writings, and D.L. Moody used it in the 1880s. Then, when C.I. Scofield used rapture in the 1909 Scofield Reference Bible, the term, as used in the original physical sense of the Greek, Latin, and English, found widespread popularity within evangelical Christendom.
Regardless of the term one might choose, the concept of the Greek harpagēsόmetha is clear: we shall be seized, caught away, taken, raptured. Given the dictionary definition of both Johnson and Webster, we might argue that “rapture” is the perfect English term, for both its physical and metaphorical definitions apply to this glorious and joyous event when, in pure ecstasy, the saints of God will be physically caught away to meet Christ in the air. There is more to say about the timeframe of this event; however, before discussing the chronology, we must have a clear understanding of the Tribulation, the time of God’s wrath—what it is, why it is, and who it targets.
Israel’s Dispersion and Return
Many predictions by Moses and the prophets speak of the Jews being scattered throughout the nations, where they would be despised and suffer greatly because of their idolatry and rejection of the Messiah. However, as God’s chosen people, He has mercy on them and, in the last days, He will bring them back to the Promised Land for a final act of discipline and their conversion (De 28:64-68; Eze 36:16-24; Jer 39:23-29).
As history and the current state of global affairs reveal, these prophecies concerning Israel are being fulfilled right before our eyes. In 70 AD, the Roman General, Titus invaded Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, killed more than a million Jews, and led some 90,000 away in captivity; the rest scattered throughout the world, where they had remained until 1948, when a handful of Jews declared Israel’s independence as a sovereign state. Shortly thereafter, more Jews began returning to the Promised Land, so that of the world’s roughly 16 million Jews, nearly 8 million currently live in Israel.
For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it…. Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,… Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Jer 30:16-17; 31:3; 32:37-38).
Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God’ (Eze 11:16-20).
And, as predicted, having returned to their homeland, they are hated by the nations of the world, and especially by their neighbors.
Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it (Zec 12:2-3).
Perhaps more than any other prophecies of the last days, these, and many more like them, concerning the nation of Israel, reveal just how close we are to Christ’s soon return.
Daniel’s 70 Weeks
In the midst of Israel’s Babylonian captivity, nearly 500 years before John received Revelation, the angel Gabriel told Daniel that from the command to rebuild Jerusalem, there would be 70 weeks till the Messiah established His kingdom and fulfilled the Davidic covenant. He spoke of seven weeks of years, which was an essential sabbatical timeframe in the Jewish calendar. At the end of the seven weeks of years was the 50th year, the year of the Jubilee (Lev 25:8-9).
This command to rebuild Jerusalem is a well-documented historical event recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8. It was issued in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, on March 14th, 445 BC, in the Julian calendar.[1] However, Gabriel told Daniel that the countdown would be interrupted after the 69th week when the Messiah would be cut off (karath), executed; and the people of another prince would destroy the city and the sanctuary. That prince, the Antichrist, would rule the 70th week and orchestrate a 7-year peace treaty with Israel, which he will break 3½ years later by the abomination of desolation (Da 9:24-27).
On Palm Sunday, the 10th of Nissan, April 6th, 32 AD,[2] precisely 69 weeks-of-years after King Artaxerxes issued the command to rebuild Jerusalem, on the day the Passover lamb was presented for examination to see if it was worthy of sacrifice, Jesus rode a donkey through the streets of Jerusalem, officially presenting Himself as both the Messiah and the Lamb of God (Mt 21:6-11). Although many had hailed Jesus as King of the Jews, the nation at large rejected Him, and He was soon cut off, crucified. His meek entry as the Lamb of God occurred just as Zechariah and Isaiah predicted hundreds of years earlier (Zec 9:9; Isa 53:7).
A Grace Period Between the 69th and 70th Week
Clearly, there is a parenthetical period between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy. Jesus Himself alluded to this when He spoke of the abomination of desolation (which will occur in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week) as a future event that will mark the Great Tribulation.
So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place,… then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Mt 24:16, 21).
Just as the Messiah presented Himself at the end of the 69th week-of-years, He will appear again immediately after the 70th week-of-years; however, this time He will come as the warrior King rather than the lowly sacrificial Lamb of God. While mourning the imminent destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus spoke of His return and of Israel’s eventual conversion.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mt 23:37-39).
Thus, a parenthetical period necessarily occurs between the 69th and 70th weeks, between the Messiah’s first and second appearances. This current parenthetical period is a time of grace and evangelism, during which the Lord is calling saints from every nation, both Jew and Gentile. Whereas the children of Abraham were to separate themselves from the ungodly Gentile cultures who had abandoned the Lord, believers in this current parenthetical period of grace and evangelism are to go forth into the ungodly world and spread the gospel of Christ.
Such chronological gaps are not foreign to prophetic passages. Indeed, it is rather standard to mention only the pertinent highlights, while the details and events that transpire in the intervening years go unmentioned. We might liken many OT prophecies to viewing the Rocky Mountain peaks from 140 miles away. From there, it is impossible to judge the distance from one peak to another, which could be a few miles or tens of miles, as they seemingly seamlessly blend into one magnificent horizon. But for those close to the peaks, and certainly for those between them, the distinction is quite evident. Such is the case with many prophecies concerning Christ’s first and second comings, so that many did not distinguish between the coming of the sacrificial Lamb of God and that of the conquering warrior king. We see evidence of these highlighted peaks in several OT prophecies.
Peter’s understanding of Joel’s prophecy demonstrates the reality of this parenthetical period between the two appearances of Christ. Forty days after the resurrection, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the believers, and they began speaking in languages in which they had never spoken. Some observers mocked them, claiming they were drunk, but Peter quickly came to their defense by quoting Joel’s prophecy concerning the coming of the Lord (Ac 2:16-21). While Joel’s prophecy does not distinguish between the prophetic highlights—the mountain peaks that seem to blend—Peter understood that only part of Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled at that very moment.
Joel begins by speaking of the Messiah’s first appearance,
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit (Joe 2:28-29).
Then he leaps forward to the Messiah’s second appearance,
And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of Yahweh comes (Joel 2:30-31),
Then the prophecy returns to the Messiah’s first appearance,
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh shall be saved (Joe 2:32a)
And finally, the prophecy returns once again to the Messiah’s second appearance,
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as Yahweh has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls (Joe 2:32b).
Similarly, Micah began his prophecies by speaking of Christ’s victorious second coming (Mic 1:3-4); then he spoke of Christ’s lowly birth (Mic 5:2); and a few verses later he spoke of Christ’s victorious second coming once again (Mic 5:10-15). That these separate events are merged in many OT prophecies was demonstrated when Jesus stood before the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth and quoted a passage from Isaiah.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Lu 4:18-19).
After which He closed the book and said, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Yet, as we continue reading the Isaiah passage, it immediately speaks of the events immediately preceding and following Christ’s second coming.
To proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that He may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of Yahweh; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory, you shall boast (Isa 61:2b-6).
As such, there should be no difficulty understanding the current parenthetical grace period of Christendom or Evangelism between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel’s prophecy, during which the Lord is calling Gentiles as well as Jews to salvation.
The 70th Week, the Tribulation
The 70th week in Daniel’s prophecy is the time of God’s wrath. It is the seven-year Tribulation; a time of intense suffering for the whole world, which is discussed many times in the Old and New Testaments. Long passages are devoted to it, including fifteen of the twenty-two chapters of Revelation. This period is referred to by various names: the Day of Yahweh, or as some translate it, the Day of the LORD, the Day of Wrath, the Day of His wrath, the Day of Trouble, the Hour of Temptation, the Day of the Lord’s Vengeance, the Tribulation, the Great Tribulation, or the Time of Jacob’s Trouble or Distress—which specifically is the last 3 ½ years of the 7-year Tribulation. It is a time period during which the wrath of God’s vengeance is poured out upon the unbelieving world.
The great Day of Yahweh is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the Day of Yahweh is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against Yahweh; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the Day of the Wrath of Yahweh. In the fire of His jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end He will make of all the inhabitants of the earth (Zep 1:14-18).
Wail, for the Day of Yahweh is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore, all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. Behold, the Day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of Yahweh of hosts in the day of his fierce anger (Isa 13:6-13).
It is not only a time of God’s wrath being poured out upon the unbelieving Gentile world, but it is also a time of punishment for the house of Israel—for their idolatry and for having rejected Christ. Two-thirds of the Jewish population will die during this time. Yet, at the same time, it will be a time of conversion. Israel, at last, will recognize Jesus as the Messiah and become God’s witnesses; many Gentiles will also be converted (Rev 17:9-15). The converts who survive till Christ returns will enter His kingdom.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Speaking of the house of Israel the prophets wrote:
In the whole land, declares Yahweh, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon My name, and I will answer them. I will say, “They are My people,” and they will say, “Yahweh is my God” (Zec 13:8-9).
For behold, days are coming, declares Yahweh, when I will restore the fortunes of My people, Israel and Judah, says Yahweh, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it…. Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob. Yet he shall be saved out of it. And it shall come to pass in that day, declares Yahweh of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him. But they shall serve Yahweh their God and David their king, whom I will raise for them (Jer 30:3; 7-9).
Jesus also warned the Israelites,
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake (Mt 24:9).
As we see, the 70th week, the Tribulation, the time of God’s wrath, is a specific time period, directed toward specific populations, with very specific distinguishing features.
· It is a time in which God will release His wrath and judgment upon the unbelievers, both Gentiles and the house of Israel (Re 6:12-17).
· It is the time during which the Lord will bring the Time of the Gentiles to an end (Lu 21:24; Rev 17 & 18).
· It is a time of judgment upon the house of Israel, during which two-thirds will not survive (Jer 30:7; Zec 13:8-9).
· It is a time of Israel’s conversion when at last they realize that Jesus is the Messiah (Mt 23:37-39; Rev 7 & 14).
· It is a time of mass conversion among the Gentiles (Rev 7:9-14).
· It is a time of worldwide calamity, destruction, and death such as has never occurred (Mt 24:21).
· It is a time that culminates in Jesus’ victorious return with the armies of heaven to establish His earthly kingdom (Rev 19:11-21).
· It is a time when Jesus shall separate the surviving population into the righteous and unrighteous. The righteous, both Jew and Gentile, will enter and populate His kingdom; the unrighteous will be sent to hell (Mt 25:31-46; Jer 3:17-19; Hos 3:4-5).
The Ecclesia is not Appointed to this Time of God’s Wrath
About 20 years after Jesus’ ascension, Paul also confirmed this parenthetical grace period when he encouraged the Thessalonians to take comfort in the fact that they shall escape this time of God’s wrath, the Day of the Lord, the Tribulation; for it is a time appointed for the children of darkness, not the children of light.
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. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. 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, 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. 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. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you, for you yourselves are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 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. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 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…. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1Th 4:13-5:2; 4-5; 9).
Not long after this first letter, Paul received word that the Thessalonians had become confused and worried about the Tribulation because false teachers had told them they were in the midst of it. Although he had already explained, both in person and by letter, that they would be caught up together with the Lord in the air, for they are not appointed to this time of God’s wrath, he addressed the issue again. He reassured them that they had not missed the gathering of the saints. He also reminded them that before the man of sin (the Antichrist) could be revealed, a great apostasy must take place, and the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit, Jn 16:7-11) must first step aside before this evil man can exalt himself. Finally, he reminded them once again that believers are promised salvation from this terrible time of God’s wrath.
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the Day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only He who now restrains it will do so until He is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this He called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2Th 2:1-14).
The Rapture versus The Day of Yahweh and Christ’s Physical Return to Earth
Believers residing in this current parenthetical age of Christendom have the hope of resurrection.
Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Tit 2:13).
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 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 imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality (1Co 15:50-54).
The believer’s expectation is a completely different event than either the Day of Yahweh or Christ’s physical return to earth in power, as a conquering warrior, to establish His kingdom on earth.
Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why would you have the Day of Yahweh? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of Yahweh darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? (Am 5:18-20).
Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore, all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. Behold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of Yahweh of hosts in the day of his fierce anger (Isa 13:6-13).
On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward…. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him…. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and His name one (Zec 14:4-9).
A Necessity of a Pretribulational Rapture
Although Paul clearly explained that present-day saints in this parenthetical age of Christendom will escape the time of God’s Wrath upon the children of darkness, there is an important issue of chronology that demands a pre-tribulation rapture. We know that the gathering of the saints to meet the Lord in the air includes both the dead and those living at that time (1Th 4:13-18). And we know that when Christ returns with His saints to establish His kingdom at the end of the Tribulation, He will divide the righteous from the unrighteous. The unrighteous are sent to hell, but the righteous, both Jew and Gentile, will enter and populate His kingdom.
If, as some suppose, the Rapture occurs immediately prior to Christ’s physical return to the Mount of Olives, who would enter to populate His kingdom? For there would be no righteous left on earth, and once the unrighteous are sent to hell, the earth’s population would be zero. Furthermore, a mid-Tribulation Rapture is also not possible because, as Paul pointed out, the restraining power (the Holy Spirit and, by extension, all believers in whom the Holy Spirit dwells) must be removed before the man of sin, the Antichrist, can be revealed, which marks the beginning of the Tribulation (2Th 2:6-11).
The chronology is very clear.
· The current saints are raptured (1Th 4:13-5:10; 1Co 15:51-57).
· The nations attack Israel, either just before or after the Rapture—though, most likely, immediately after the Rapture to seize the perceived opportunity in the wake of the global turmoil and Israel having lost the support of the Western nations that had largely been fueled by Christendom (Eze 38:11-39:7).
· God will defend Israel from the attacking armies, at which time the Jews and many among the nations will turn to the Lord, now realizing that Jesus is the Christ (Eze 38:11-39:7).
· The Antichrist, having been revealed after the Rapture, will make a 7-year peace treaty with Israel (Da 9:27; 2Th 2:1-12).
· After 3 ½ years, the Antichrist breaks the treaty and commits the abomination of desolation by entering the temple and claiming to be God (Da 11:31; Mt 24:15).
· The Jews reject the Antichrist, and he begins persecuting them. He also demands allegiance from the whole world, killing anyone who refuses him.
· While Israel has become God’s evangelists and many are being converted during this time, at the same time many nations are growing weary of the Antichrist, and they finally gather in the Valley of Armageddon to battle him (Re 16:12-16).
· At this time Jesus shall return and destroy all of these armies, and stand upon the Mount of Olives (Zec 14:4; Re 19:11-21).
· The Beast and the false prophet will be sent to the Lake of Fire, and Satan will be bound for 1,000 years (Re 20:1-3).
· Then, everyone who has survived the Great Tribulation will be gathered for judgment. The unrighteous will be sent to hell while those who have converted to Christ, both Jew and Gentile, will enter and populate Christ’s kingdom (Mt 25:31-46).
· At the end of the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth, Satan is loosed, and he deceives one-quarter of the world’s new population to rebel against the Lord (Re 20:8-9).
· The Lord brings this to a quick end, sending all of them, including Satan, to the Lake of Fire (Re 20:10).
· Then comes the Great White Throne Judgment, and whoever is not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Re 11:20-15.
· Finally, the present heaven and Earth are destroyed, and God creates a new heaven and Earth (Re 21:1).
If we adhere to a literal interpretation of Scripture and do not attempt to relegate prophetic passages to past events (for which there is no evidence, nor does it agree with Jesus’ own teachings), and if we do not discount these passages as some sort of symbolic allegories without certain meaning, then these prophecies are very clear: Soon the saints of God will be raptured, the Tribulation will follow immediately thereafter, then Christ will return and establish His kingdom on earth.
[1] According to the Julian calendar. Because the Jewish calendar follows a 360-day year and the Julian calendar has 365.25 days, conversion is required. To make the conversion, we calculate the actual number of days for the prophecy in the Jewish calendar: thus, 69 weeks of years is 173,880 days. This equals 483 years in the Jewish calendar, or 476 years in the Julian calendar.
[2] From 445 BC to AD 32 (minus 1 for year 0) is 173,880 days.