The Rapture

The greatest Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, likened the “day of the Lord” to a woman writhing in the most severe pains of hard labor (Isaiah 13:8,9—see birth pains).  He also associated conspicuous cosmic disturbances (13:10, 34:4) with that general time period.

In another place, Isaiah gave a similar description of a woman writhing in labor pains (Isaiah 26:17), but in this case he associated with it a special type of deliverance for God’s people:

But your dead will live; their bodies will rise.  You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy.  Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.  Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.  See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins.  The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer (Isaiah 26:19-21).

Paul noted that “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).  I believe that most of the 70th Week, leading up to the Day of the Lord period, will not  consist of God’s wrath being discharged actively upon the world.  In heaven, during more than the initial half of the 70th Week, Jesus the Lamb passively will be removing the seven seals from the scroll, which will have been handed to Him (Revelation 5:1-9), rather than actively doling out punishment upon the earth.

Rather, I see the majority of the 70th Week as a time when God will remove His stabilizing, helping hand from the earth and mankind.  As a result, there will be great instability in and on the earth itself—manifested by such things such as frequent, intense earthquakes, famines, plagues, and catastrophic weather, as well as chaos in societies worldwide, most likely including widespread economic collapse and horrific acts of terrorism.  This will create a highly volatile environment in which the Antichrist (the “eleventh horn” of the first beast)—supported by bewildered, disoriented, panicked people everywhere—will rise to power.

In the Book of Revelation, the very first  occurrences of the word “wrath” are found after the description of the cosmic disturbances and tumult (following the opening of the Sixth Seal).  At this time, the people of the earth, from the great to the lowly, will flee to hide in caves in the rocks of the mountains, terrified of the visible appearance of the Lord (Isaiah 2:19-21; Revelation 6:15,16).  They will see the Lord Jesus coming on the clouds of the sky and will want to be hidden “from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (6:16,17).  It is at that point, I believe, that the Pre-Wrath Rapture will occur, just prior to the impending “great day of their wrath” (Day of the Lord), during which the wrath of the Father and the Son (the Lamb) will be doled out upon the earth.

Thus, after the intense cosmic disturbances have begun to take place, the primary Rapture event will take place.  Multitudes of believers who have died thoughout the centuries will be resurrected.  Together with believers alive at the time, they will be transformed into glorified, immortal, imperishable forms, or changed bodies—each being clothed with his or her “heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:1-4)—and instantly caught up (raptured) to be with Jesus in the clouds.  Then they will be taken into heaven, where they will praise God sitting on His throne (Revelation 7:9,10).  In this extraordinary manner, they will be delivered and protected from the terrible Day of the Lord period to follow, when God’s righteous wrath will be unleashed upon the earth.

Jesus noted, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).  I believe there is strong evidence to support the idea that the Rapture will take place on a Rosh haShanah (the Feast of Trumpets)—the year of which Rosh haShanah we do not  yet know, nor which day or hour on that Rosh haShanah, since traditionally it is celebrated for two days each year.

Rosh haShanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at the new moon.  Before methods were available to calculate the exact time of each new moon, no one knew the day or hour the new moon would occur until two witnesses, peering into the sky, detected the first minute sliver of the waxing moon.  Upon their announcement (just as the two witnesses of the future will prophesy and announce the Second Coming of Jesus in the clouds), Rosh haShanah officially would begin.

Thus, when Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour [of His return in the clouds]” (Matthew 24:36), He most likely was making a direct reference to Rosh haShanah—the first Jewish Fall festival, which Jesus will fulfill upon His Second Coming into earth’s atmosphere.  Which Rosh haShanah, and on which day and hour of that Rosh haShanah, only God knows.

Following what I believe to be the (primary) Rapture event during the cosmic disturbances and the earthly shaking of the Sixth Seal, John described the supernatural sealing of 144,000 from the tribes of Israel—12,000 from each tribe—for protection on earth, from that point forward (Revelation 7:1-8).  I think that, very possibly, all of these 144,000 sealed will have been “on a fence” concerning the acceptance of Jesus as Messiah and Lord.  If so, after they see that the Rapture clearly has occurred, these “servants of God” may be the ones to whom the “baton” of spreading the Gospel message to the world is passed (since later, after this group of 144,000 is “redeemed from the earth,” in what apparently is their own “private catching-up” episode, the Gospel message next will be proclaimed to the world by a flying angel—14:1-7).

It is immediately after the sealing of the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel that John described what I believe is the great multitude of newly-raptured saints in heaven.  They will be “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb,” holding palm branches (just as the great crowd had done during Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Passover—John 12:12,13) and praising God (Revelation 7:9-17).  This multitude of saved believers will have been caught up, dead and alive, out of the Great Tribulation (7:14).  As a result, they will not have to endure the wrath of God during the Day of the Lord period, most of which will consist of the Trumpet Judgments.  The Day of the Lord will begin, as written chronologically in the Book of Revelation, after the opening of the Seventh Seal (8:1–10:7), when God no longer will be “passive” (in opening the seals) but, rather, will take an active roll in directing angels to dispense His wrath upon the earth.

The Rapture will be such an extraordinarily stupendous and unique event in human history that one certainly would have expected Jesus to have foreseen, and John to have viewed, its future happening.  I believe Jesus did so when He described the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of the sky (Matthew 24:30,31), and John did so during his description of the Sixth Seal events (Revelation 6:16), as well as of the “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” soon thereafter in heaven (7:9).  The fact that Jesus did not, at the beginning of His Olivet Discourse, describe such a great event to occur, nor did John see a great multitude of people in heaven at or just prior to the opening of the First Seal, are merely two elements that call into question the “Pre-Tribulation” Rapture view.

Unlike those who believe in a “Pre-Tribulation” Rapture, I do not see the Rapture as being a “silent, unexpected” event.  Jesus’ disciples specifically had asked Him what would be the “sign” of his coming and of the “end of the age” (Matthew 24:3).  Jesus likened His coming to lightning flashing from the east to the west (24:27).  I believe He indicated that the cosmic disturbances of the Sixth Seal will portend His coming and that “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.”  They will mourn, I believe, because

1. everyone will see the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God and the Son of Man, “coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory,” gathering His elect (saved believers) from the earth (Matthew 24:29-31), and
2. all who are not raptured will lament that they have been left behind—to face the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:16,17).

Paul stated, “for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” and urged, “let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled” (1 Thessalonians 5:2,6).  He also stated, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him” (5:9,10).  On the surface, these three passages seem to imply the following:

• Jesus can return at any moment, without notice;
• every second of every day, we should be disciplined and expectant of His immediate appearance; and
• following His sudden, imminent appearance, believers will be shielded (via the Rapture) from God's impending wrath, which will begin, without warning, for the rest of humanity.

This does not  mean that believers should not be self-controlled in their actions, as Paul advised that they should be (1 Thessalonians 5:8).  But I do believe it means that when the cosmic disturbances of the Sixth Seal are occurring, saved believers will be looking up expectantly for Jesus to come on the clouds and redeem them; whereas, lost unbelievers will be absolutely terrified, horror-struck, and aghast at what is about to come upon the world.

Being convinced that the Pre-Wrath Rapture is the first and main “catching-up” event for believers, and that it is not preceded by any other rapture events, one phrase written by Paul concerns me.  He spoke of the “rebellion” or “apostasy” which would take place, prior to the revelation of the man of lawlessness (Antichrist) at the midpoint of the 70th Week (2 Thessalonians 2:3).  Actually, the word is correctly translated “apostasy” (from the Greek ), indicating a loss of faith and a falling away from one’s religious or spiritual beliefs.  The word “rebellion” indicates more of a forceful and active revolt or uprising, resulting from intense disenchantment and disillusionment.  Certainly, a rebellion can result from apostasy, but not necessarily.

I believe it is quite possible that some—maybe a great many—people will apostasize (fall away) from the Christian faith after realizing that the 70th Week has begun but that they have not yet been caught up from the earth to be with Jesus.  It could be that a significant number of these disenchanted people, having been led to believe that a “Pre-Tribulation” (that is, a pre-70th-Week) catching-up would occur, but suddenly finding themselves facing insurmountable trials and hardships, will think something like this:  “Hey!  We had been assured  that Jesus would be coming for us before this point, but it hasn’t happened!  Maybe Jesus has abandoned  us—or maybe there is no Jesus after all!”  Perhaps this even could cause many marginal Christians to join the ranks of Islam.

Considering this possibility, I believe that it is important for those who embrace a “Pre-Tribulation” (or even a “Mid-Tribulation”) Rapture view to make sure they understand all aspects of the Pre-Wrath Rapture view.  Whether or not they wish to embrace the Pre-Wrath view now, at least they will know Jesus has not abandoned them, when they realize that the 70th Week is progressing while they still remain on the earth.

Although I have stated that the Pre-Wrath Rapture will be the primary or initial Rapture event, I acknowledge the possibility that there could  be a “Pre-Tribulation” (that is, a pre-70th-Week) catching up of a select few believers.  If this were to be true (the likelihood of which I do not  believe to be very high, considering that the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy may indicate that the 70th Week already has begun), I would consider this small group to be a “firstfruits” of all who will be caught up through the end of the 70th Week.  I would see this relatively tiny assemblage of people to be those whose intimate relationship with God, and special understanding of His ways, is unmatched in the collection of believers as a whole.  Perhaps those who have had a very special friendship with God in their lives would be included.

The belief of those who embrace the “Pre-Tribulation” Rapture view is that John’s being caught up into heaven (Revelation 4:1,2), to begin his prophetic vision, is symbolic of the pre-70th-Week Rapture of the Church, and that the twenty-four elders, viewed by John in heaven (4:4,10, 5:8), are representative or symbolic of the “completed” Church of believers who have been taken up into heaven.  Although I completely disagree with these premises, I entertain the remote possibility of a catching up of a very small group of “firstfruits” believers, at some point prior to the opening of the Sixth Seal.  I would suspect that such an event would be silent and unexpected.

In such a case, God, in His infinite wisdom, would have chosen to remove a select few believers prior to the worst sorrows and trials of the 70th Week.  I believe it is possible that the “male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter” and being “snatched up to God and to his throne” (Revelation 12:5) has a double meaning.  Not only does this probably indicate Jesus, Who clearly will rule with an iron scepter (19:15), but also it may be a reference to overcoming believers at that time (2:26,27), since Christians have been “grafted” into the “tree” of Judaism (Romans 11:16-20).

It is at that point that “the woman” (a remnant of Israelis) will flee to the desert, to be protected by God for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6)—the last half of the 70th Week.  Therefore, if  a “firstfruits” Rapture takes place at this time, it would qualify as a “Mid-Tribulation” Rapture.  It would not consist of the completed Church of believers (who will be caught up following the opening of the Sixth Seal) but, rather, of a remnant of believers, perhaps to parallel the remnant of Israelis escaping Jerusalem into the wilderness.  Maybe, then, this proposed Rapture event would take place on the Feast of Firstfruits (Easter) during Passover Week, since this is the day Jesus rose from the dead—the Firstfruits of those who never would die again (1 Corinthians 15:20).

I believe that the Pre-Wrath Rapture, occurring after the opening of the Sixth Seal described by John in the Book of Revelation, will be the primary (initial) Rapture event during the 70th Week.  Moreover, I also believe that there will be subsequent rapture (“catching-up”) events, until the very end of the 70th Week.

As noted before, the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel, who will be sealed for protection (Revelation 7:1-8) immediately after the initial Rapture, were seen by John in heaven at a later time, presumably after their own event of being raptured into heaven (14:1-7—see 144,000 caught up).

The two witnesses clothed in sackcloth, who will prophesy for 1,260 days during the second half of the 70th Week (Revelation 11:3), later will be killed (11:7).  After 3½ days, they will be taken “up to heaven in a cloud” while their enemies look on (11:11,12).

At possibly the very same time that the two witnesses are ascending to heaven, there will be those who will be caught up (“harvested”) at the end of the 70th Week (Revelation 14:14-16), just prior to Jesus’ physical return to earth to destroy the enemies of Israel and Jerusalem.  I agree with those of the “Post-Tribulation” persuasion who point to this as a Rapture occurrence; however, I maintain that the Pre-Wrath Rapture, not  the harvest of believers at the end of the 70th Week, will be the first and primary Rapture event.

At the initial, Pre-Wrath Rapture, angels will be the ones who will gather the elect (Matthew 24:31); whereas, at the catching-up event at the end of the 70th Week, Jesus (the Son of Man) Himself will be the one who will gather the final harvest (Revelation 14:16) of believers.  I believe that all of the events in which saved believers are gathered, near the end of the 70th Week and at the beginning of the Millennium, can be considered part of the “first resurrection” (20:5b,6a); whereas, the “second resurrection” (20:5a), when the unsaved are condemned to the second (eternal) death, will take place at the end of the Millennium (20:11-14).  All of those taking part in the “first resurrection” will not be affected by the second death (20:6b).

Once the main Pre-Wrath Rapture event has been placed at Matthew 24:30,31 and at Revelation 6:16, it is worth looking at earlier passages in Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 to see if they are similar.  Indeed they are.

It already has been shown that the cosmic disturbance descriptions by both Jesus (Matthew 24:29) and John (Revelation 6:12,13) are comparable.  Further analysis will show that Jesus’ brief descriptions of previous portions of the 70th Week match closely with those of John’s.

Below, I will indicate what John saw when, in the future, the first six seals of the heavenly scroll will be opened (Revelation 5:1-5) and then, in each case, what I believe are the parallel events described by Jesus (see also Chronology of the Olivet Discourse):

First Seal:  I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. ...  I looked, and there before me was a white horse!  Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest (Revelation 6:1,2).

Jesus:  Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many (Matthew 24:4,5).

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Second Seal:  When the Lamb opened the second seal,...another horse came out, a fiery red one.  Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other.  To him was given a large sword (Revelation 6:3,4).

Jesus:  You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew 24:6,7).

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Third Seal:  When the Lamb opened the third seal,...there before me was a black horse!  Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.  Then I heard...a voice...saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” (Revelation 6:5,6).

Jesus:  There will be great earthquakes, famines... (Luke 21:11).

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Fourth Seal:  When the Lamb opened the fourth seal,...I looked and there before me was a pale horse!  Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth (Revelation 6:7,8).

Jesus:  [There will be]...famines and pestilences [plagues] in various places... (Luke 21:11).  All these are the beginning of birth pains [sorrows] (Matthew 24:8).

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Fifth Seal:  When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained (Revelation 6:9).

Jesus:  Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ...  For then there will be great distress [great tribulation], unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.  If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened (Matthew 24:9,21,22).

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Sixth Seal (part 1):  I watched as he opened the sixth seal.  There was a great earthquake.  The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.  The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place (Revelation 6:12-14).

Jesus:  Immediately after the distress [great tribulation] of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies [powers of the heavens] will be shaken (Matthew 24:29).

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Sixth Seal (part 2):  Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.  They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17).

Jesus:  At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.  They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.  And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet [shofar] call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other (Matthew 24:30,31).

The 70th Week and Extensions: “Pre-Wrath” Rapture