Part 9 – Logic Applied to Scripture as to the Rapture’s Timing

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called Proving the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

In the New Testament, the clearest indication we get in the timing our departure (Rapture) relative to “the wrath to come” is found here.

… ye [Thessalonian Gentiles] turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to Wait For His Son From Heaven, whom he [God the Father] raised from the dead, even Jesus, which [has] DELIVERED US FROM THE WRATH TO COME (1 Thes. 1:9b-10 (KJV).

The Greek word translated “from” in this passage is “apo.” When taken literally, it means we of “the body of Christ” are to be ‘Delivered Away From’ … ‘the time of,’ ‘the place of,’ and anything related to ‘the wrath to come.’ This denotes both our Departure From and Separation From theTHE WRATH TO COME.” This is supported by Paul in 1 Thes. 5:9, declaring, “For GOD HATH NOT APPOINTED US TO WRATH, but to Obtain Salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Thes. 5:9 (KJV)

Some folks say that you can’t use God’s wrath interchangeably with the Great Tribulation.” They’re not the same, they say. And they’re right, the two terms are not synonymous. Actually, God’s wrath concerns the entire 7-year Tribulation period of which the “Great Tribulation” is only the 2nd 3-1/2 years long portion of God’s wrath is details with Rev. chapters 11-13. Yet, the “Great Tribulation” is introduced here back in Rev 6:17. “For the Great Day [of age] of His [God’s] Wrath Is Come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17 (KJV).

The advocates of a Post-Tribulation Pre-Wrath Rapture, such as Marv Rosenthal, try to deny this but the Scripture is clear. The time of God’s wrath begins with the FIRST of the Seven Seal Judgments extending for the whole of the 7 years of the Tribulation. The Bowl or Vial Judgments that come later do not begin the time of His wrath; they conclude it; filling up the wrath of God” (Rev. 15:1). Our being delivered from the time, the place and any relation to God’s Wrath means the Church has to depart and disappear from planet earth before the Rev. 6 initial SEVEN SEAL Judgements.

A Test from the Old Testament Scripture and Paul’s Words;

Now let’s apply a test. Consider this; could a believer, sitting alone on the proverbial desert isle with nothing but the Scriptures, and having no pre-conceived ideas, conclude that there is such a thing as a Pre-Tribulation Rapture just from reading about it.

  1. Well, from Isaiah 13:9-13 and Amos 5:18-20 (below), he would learn that God is in fact going to judge the Earth for its sins in a terrible time called “the Day of the Lord” when He will pour out His wrath upon mankind.

“Behold, The Day Of The LORD Cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in THE WRATH OF THE LORD OF HOSTS, and in THE DAY OF HIS FIERCE ANGER.” (Isaiah 13:9-13 (KJV)

Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?” (Amos 5:18-20 (KJV)

  1. Then, reading Matt. 24:21-22 would tell him that this time of God’s wrath would be so bad that ‘if the Lord didn’t put a stop to it no one would survive.’ But the Lord will put a stop to it by returning in power and glory. Since he would know that the Lord hasn’t returned yet, he would know that God’s wrath is still in the future.

 

  1. When he gets to Paul’s 1 Thes. 1:9-10 he would see a pretty clear statement. Jesus delivers the people of “the body of Christ” from the coming wrath. In the “who, what, where, when, and why” methodology of the investigative reporter he would have the Who,’ (Jesus), the ‘what,’ (rescues “His body”), and the ‘when’ (from before the time of the coming wrath). Reading on he would come to 1 Thes. 4:15:17 and get the ‘where’ (from Earth to the clouds) and in 1 Thes. 5:9 he would learn the ‘why’ (because those of “His body” are not appointed to wrath.”

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we [the grace believers] which are alive and remain [alive] unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep [dead in their graves]. 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.” (1 Thes. 4:15-17 (KJV)

From the verses immediately above our hypothetical Bible student could also answer another of the investigative reporter’s question asking ‘how exactly will the Rapture happen?’

4) From the verses immediately below our hypothetical Bible student could also answer another of the investigative reporter’s question asking ‘When does the Rapture relative to the Antichrist appearing?’

3Let no man deceive you [grace believers] by any means: for that day [the Tribulation Period] shall not come, except [until] there come A Falling Away [the physical departure of “the body of Chrst”] First, and that man of sin [Antichrist] be revealed, the son of perdition;” (2 Thes. 2:3 (KJV) - (See Part 6 of this Study Series for a full explanation.)

From there he would logically conclude that;

  1. since a people group will be rescued around the time of the coming “day of God’s wrath
  2. and before the appearance of the Antichrist
  3. and since we are Not Appointed To Wrath,
  4. then the grace believer’s Rescue Has To PRECEDE The Time of the Day Of God’s Wrath.

Thus, the resurrected Lord Jesus himself will come down from Heaven into our earth’s atmosphere and suddenly Snatch the Dead and Living Believers Up and Away from plant Earth before the Antichrist. Thus, they join Him to dwell and reign with Him “in the heavenly places” forever (cf. 2Tim 2:12, 2Cor 5:1b).

Then from 1Thes. 5:1-5 our hypothetical Bible student would learn that as a child of “the LIGHT he would never know the exact timing of the coming Rapture, but that the Rapture would PRECEDE the coming “NIGHT” of the Lord’s day of wrath.

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them [the unbelievers of the night], as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye [you grace believers], brethren, are NOT in darkness [the coming night], that that day should overtake you as a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 (KJV)

Below we note in verse 3 how that during the prophesied “day of the Lord” the masses of the world will have assumed the Antichrist to be a peacemaker, as he ‘confirms the covenant’ of Dan. 9:27 with Israel and its neighbor countries… to supposedly protect Israel for seven years.

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they [Antichrist’s submissive followers] shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them [upon Antichrist’s submissive followers], as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4 But ye, brethren [believers], are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” (1 Thes. 5:1-5 (KJV)

Of course, there are many more passages we could reference but I think we’ve made the point and answered the question.

I believe that since our hypothetical Bible student has no one to persuade him differently, he would assume that what he’s reading is to be taken contextually, and literally. And if that’s the case, then the Pre-Tribulation Rapture position is the only conclusion he could logically come to, because every other position would require a moderate to massive re-interpretation of Scripture.

I contend that left alone to work this out with only the Holy Spirit as his guide he would expect to be Raptured Before The Wrath Of God Begins in Rev. 6.

You see, God didn’t write the Bible to confuse us, but to inform us. It’s mankind that has gotten everything all mixed up. If you give the Holy Spirit a clear minded student, uncontaminated by man’s opinions and denominational prejudices, He would bring that person to the understanding of the Rapture that’s most consistent with a literal interpretation of Scripture. And that requires a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

- This is adapted by Art Licursi, largely from https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/defending-the-pre-trib-rapture-again/ by Jack Kelly