BIBLICAL PROOF OF THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE:

                                                                                                   by Linda Kirby

 

 

 

First, there are those who say the word rapture is not in the bible. Well, it depends on which bible they read...In Latin, it is called Rapio or Raptus Latin for our word “rapture”. Then there's Strong's Definition of harpazo:(Greek, new testament)

726 harpazo har-pad'-zo

from a derivative of 138; TDNT-1:472,80; v

AV-catch up 4, take by force 3, catch away 2, pluck 2, catch 1, pull 1; 13

1) to seize, carry off by force

2) to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly

3) to snatch out or away

So, if you don't like the word rapture, just think of it's concept, it's meaning and call it the snatching away, the great assembly, the translation and all the other terms used for it that is in our English translation bibles. People don't realize that the bible we, in the west, read are merely an English translation of the original text so sometimes there are not good words that translate from Greek to English or Hebrew to English so the translators used the best one they could find.

 

Take into account that if you are going to throw out the idea of the rapture just because the word itself isn't in the bible, then are you going to throw out the entire bible? After all, the word bible isn't in the bible either! There are a number of words that aren't in the bible yet we accept those words. So, why do some not accept the word 'Rapture'? Could it be that Satan doesn't want people to know there is an escape from his time on earth?

 

Those of us who believe in the Pre Trib rapture usually do so because their church says so but do they even know why? Can they hold their own when being accosted by a Post Tribber wanting to say you are following Satan or that this is a heretical doctrine? If they tell you this is a new doctrine invented back in the 1800s can you refute that? Can you support your belief at all other than saying it's what I've been taught? Well, you should be able to and I hope to show you much, but not all, of the biblical proof of the rapture timing. My rapture study is 22 pages long so in the interest of time, I can't give you every scripture but I will give you the important “in your face” proof of the pre trib rapture as the only biblical timing for the rapture.

 

God does not bring judgement on the righteous:

 

( 2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:) The term 'temptations' is used referring to wrath or judgments from God. NOT temptations as tempting us to sin. People do not know how to do research on these things and thus end up misunderstanding the scripture.

God does NOT make the righteous go through wrath. The days of Noah, he and his family did not go through the flood because they were righteous, they were saved from the flood, they escaped it.

( Hebrews 11:7 : By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. ) Same with Lot, they escaped it . ( Gen.19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.) Remember when the angels told Lot to hurry out of the city because they could do nothing while they were there? That's proof that the righteous will NOT go thru the wrath of the Lamb or the wrath of God. So, what does Lot and Noah have to do with the tribulation? Because the Lord said, 'as in the days of Noah” ( Matt. 24: 37 )and “as in the days of Lot' ( Luke 17: 28-30 )....so just one of the meanings of that statement is, we also will escape the coming judgement. Of course those statements also have other meanings that elude to the reason for the destruction, I won't go into them here because they aren't about the rapture, it's more about the tribulation.

 

Exodus 12:23 speaks of the Hebrew people putting the blood over their doors and death went past them. They escaped death with their faith to obey and put the blood over the doors. Also, Rahab escaped from dying when she put the red scarf/thread out the window. The walls of Jericho came down but her house, which was on the wall, was not destroyed due to her faith in what to do to escape the death. ( the book of Joshua ) So, we see the righteous will escape judgement.

 

So, what we are seeing is, that God will not judge the righteous with the wicked. ( Psalms 71:2, Psalms 141:10, Isaiah 31:32 and 66: 19). Luke 21:36 'Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.' This teaches that there WILL be an escaping! It doesn't say, “pray always that you will be protected'.... NO! Now, if it's not possible to “escape” why would the Lord tell us to pray that we be found worthy to “escape”? See, the problem with many people is, they do not take the bible LITERAL enough! They tend to twist, add to, and take away from scripture to fit their own doctrine.

 

The tribulation is a “time of Jacob's trouble”....remember, Jacob was renamed Israel. The tribulation is for Israel to come to Christ, the true Messiah, NOT the church. The church has already taken Christ as their Saviour!

 

The tribulation is a time to judge the NATIONS for their sins...NOT THE CHURCH. ( Rev. 11:18 ) The Bema is where the church will be judged, right or wrong. Some people will have rewards and others won't.

 

The tribulation is to destroy the earth of sinners. The church, the true church, are not the sinners, therefore, they don't need to be destroyed.

( Isaiah 13:19 )

 

The Lord has not appointed us to wrath...(1 Thess. 5:9)

 

 

Timing:

 

When Jesus said there will be eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,( Matthew 24:37-39)

that tells us that life as usual will be going on when the rapture happens. However, if the rapture happens mid or post trib, there will be so much destruction and running for your life, that there will be no “life as usual” during that time. So, it has to be before all “hell breaks loose” that the rapture happens, in order to make that and the other parallel passages make sense.

 

I've often been asked: “ give me just one scripture that proves pre trib rapture because there isn't one!” Ohhh, how little they know! I've got 22 pages of scripture for them! My favorite verses on this is Rev. 3: 10 , I will break that down for you here:

Remember, this verse was written for the Philidelphia church, the perfect church so when Jesus said 'you' He was talking about the perfect church...NOT everyone who claims to be a Christian.

10: Because thou hast kept the word of my patience ( we have kept his covenants, loved him, loved His appearing, lived a righteous life) , I also will keep thee ( those who have kept these things ) from ( away from, out of ) the hour ( before the time of ) of temptation, ( tribulation) which shall come upon all the world, ( if you are on the earth/ in the world, you will experience the tribulation. It says ALL, not some or part but ALL ) to try them that dwell upon the earth. ( so if you are on this earth, living, you will experience this. It doesn't say “them that are not protected”. This verse says nothing about protecting anyone during the trib.)

[Isa 26:20] Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee:

hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.(this speaks of the rapture directly) He's saying for us to come through the door (rapture, Rev. 4:1, etc.) until the indignation ( tribulation) be overpast. This is PRE TRIB. Without a doubt.

 

[Isa 57:1] The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away,

none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. How much plainer can it get? He says right here that the righteous will be taken away from the evil to come, aka the tribulation when Satan has free reign!

 

1 Thessalonian 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up <Strongs 726 harpazo> together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

In 1Thes.4 Christ is "appearing", not actually coming back. He appears in the clouds. Just as he went, so shall he appear again. ( Act 1:9 & 1:11 ) While at his second coming, he will stand on the Mount of Olives, physically returning (Zechariah 14:4)

Then Rev. 19, he's coming back to fight the war clothed in his vestments for war. Two Different occurrences. In 1 Thes. he's a "deliverer" in Rev. 19, he's a warrior! 1 Thes. he's coming "for" the church while in Rev. 19, the church is his warriors coming back with Him. 1 Thes. he's coming as the bridegroom but in Rev. he's coming back as "the king of kings." & “ Lord of Lords”, Hallelujah!!

 

 

1 Thessalonians 1:9,10

"For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."

It doesn't say to keep us safe through the wrath to come. It doesn't say to hide us from the wrath to come. DELIVER means to be taken out, removed to another place, to bring and hand over.

 

Romans 5:9: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved FROM

wrath through him. ( FROM not through) Notice none of these verses that speak of us being saved FROM the wrath to come, doesn't say it's God's wrath only! It simply says wrath. So, whether it's the wrath of the Lamb or the wrath of God it's still wrath and no distinction is made between them in these verses.

 

1 Thess. 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our

Lord Jesus Christ ( the entire 7 yrs of tribulation is wrath...yes, the last 3.5 yrs. Is the great tribulation and God's wrath, but the first part is the wrath of the Lamb. He starts up the trib. With wrath, not blessings. )

 

1 Thessalonians 5

5 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.(He's talking

to the saints who know the signs God has sent so they know perfectly that day.)

3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (He's talking about those who were left behind, not deemed worthy to be raptured. Notice, he's saying "them" all the time here...but he's talking about "you, brothern", in verse 4.)

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Seems those little pronouns got over looked in some people's “study”?

 

[2Thess 2:3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [tribulation--the day of Christ]

shall not come, except there come a falling away [apostacy--or departure (considering the context of this letter it means departure from the earth, as in rapture. Proper Greek translation in this context is "THE DEPARTURE" )] first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Note: ( 2 Thess 2: 3: “falling away first...)" Greek: apostasian e.g. Greek root word: aphistemi: i.e. to remove, to go away, depart, to be removed (raptured), Today's church is teaching that to mean the falling away from the faith. That has been happening since the apostles left us! We have long since fallen away from the faith. Every year we fall further and further away! This year we are much further than any of us ever dreamed we would witness with the false teaching that all gods are the same one God….or the false teaching that homosexuality is something we should tolerate When God, himself, will not tolerate it. Or, how about this one, a practicing homosexual can be a Christian and still go to heaven. So, if we take this in context with the rapture, then the “departure” makes much more sense here.

(Now, if they were troubled that the rapture had passed, Paul is assuring the Church that they

didn't miss anything, saying that the tribulation that they feared is proceeded by several

important key events: First, the rapture, which reveals the antichrist...)

 

[2Thess 2:4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped;

so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

(The anti-christ doesn't even sit in the temple until 3.5 years into the tribulation... See Rev (which they

didn't know at the time, because the book of Rev. hadn't been written yet and John hadn't had the revelation yet. )-- But this is why this point, of the anti-christ being revealed after the

rapture--who goes on to sit in the temple, is proof that they hadn't missed the rapture. There is

no anti-christ revealed yet. This is also why the Perderist view is dead in the water. Of course, they may say that one of the pagan rulers was the A/C but I don't recall them receiving the head wound and coming back to do the rest of the 3.5 years of trib. Also, if we have been living in the perfect garden of eden world of the millennial reign for the last 2000 years, this is not perfect and we are past the 1000 yrs.)

 

[2Thess 2:7] For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until

he be taken out of the way.

(Christians are the "He" who letteth will let because of the Holy Spirit in us, and will be taken out of the way. Once we are removed/raptured, then the anti-christ will have the freedom to fulfill his plans. After all, the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church. Here's another thought for you to chew on. Since the Holy Spirit is in the true believer, and the Holy Spirit, Jesus, God are one, then why would Jesus who already paid the price of sin on the cross, allow himself to be crucified yet again by enduring the tribulation as the church? Didn't he say “it is finished” on the cross? So, we do not have to prove anything in the tribulation, we do not have to pay for the sins during the tribulation, works will not save us so works of being honed in the tribulation won't do it...so why is it some think that going through the tribulation will work our way to heaven? If the rapture happens after the tribulation, then they miss the marriage supper of the Lamb and the Bema seat judgment, which will be going on during the tribulation. Also, what about the dead who don't get to go through the tribulation to be “tried in the furnace”, or “honed”, or any other euphemism? Does that mean, mom, dad, granny, don't get raptured or taken to heaven because they didn't get to go through the tribulation?  

( this was Pastor Patrick Winfrey's thought on this )

 

[Mal 3:16] Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD

hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that

feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

[Mal 3:17] And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my

jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. AGAIN, another passage saying he will spare us before the judgment.

 

[Rom 5:9] Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through

him.

 

Here is one verse they use to “debunk” the pretrib rapture...our very own rapture verse too: 1st Corinthians 15:51-53 says v51; Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not ALL sleep, But we shall ALL be changed. 52; In a Moment; In the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and we shall be changed. 53 for this corruptible must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortally. They are saying that the last trump in Revelation, is the one in 1 Cor 15. Well, what they don't realize is, that “last trump” in 1 Cor. 15 IS NOT the last trump in Revelation 11:15 as they contend. See, the book of Revelation wasn't written until about 35 to 40 yrs. AFTER 1 Cor. ( Rev. was written about 96 AD and 1 Cor. about 57 AD )   So how was the Rev. last trump known? They didn't know about John's revelation that early because he didn't have it then. So, that argument is put to rest also. It is NOT the last trump mentioned in the book of Revelation!

 

[Revelation 4:1] After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice

which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will

shew thee things which must be hereafter. (A type of rapture when John was called up) The church is

not mentioned anymore until the end of the book, chpt. 19. That “door” mentioned in this book is also that which represents the door in many other rapture scriptures including the 10 virgins.

Also, the voice John heard was as if it were of a TRUMPET...as you can see, the trumpet is used in reference to God's voice and other things in the bible. That's a short study unto itself.

 

[Pss 27:5] For in the time of trouble(Hebrew means, the day of evil) he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle (Hebrew is tent) shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.(Hebrew: he will take me out and put me in the rock (tent or Christ) ...so as we can see, even in the old testament, in many of the places I've mentioned we see the pre trib rapture being mentioned. This verse is saying that before the day of evil, aka the tribulation, he shall hide me in his pavilion...that's not a room here on earth, not a tunnel, not anyplace on earth. If you read scripture you will see that pavilion is used to describe where Jesus is outside of earth. It's also reflected in the Jewish wedding which itself is a picture of the pre trib rapture. I wish I had the time to teach that to you because it is a fascinating study!!)

 

There are many, many more verses that show that God saves his people during all kinds of trouble

and tribulation. In fact, you could say that God's mercy and deliverance is a major theme of the

Bible. There are no less than 6 examples of the pre-tribulation rapture in Genesis alone;

(Noah and Lot are only two). Not to mention the examples from the stories and accounts of Joshua, Esther, Ruth, David, Sampson, Jacob, and more!

 

 

THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS:

 

Post tribbers always use this verse but they never thought it thru. If all Christians are raptured at post trib. then who are the sheep? All "sheep" were raptured at the end of the trib, according to the post trib belief, so there are no Christians left on earth to be the sheep in this parable. Because the sheep are the ones who go into the millennium to repopulate the earth. So, I have actually heard people just ignoring, omitting scripture just so their doctrine will work...this is one of those.

 

 

REPOPULATION AT THE MILLENNIUM:

 

Also, who would populate the new earth during the millennium to marry and have babies if all the

saints are taken at post trib.? It's the trib. saints, mostly Jews, who populate the millennium so they

can't be raptured and get new heavenly bodies cuz those bodies don't have babies.

REV. 19: NO RAPTURE DISCRIBED!! If there were a post trib. rapture, wouldn't there be mention of

it in Rev. 19? There sure is one in Rev. 4:1, which is pre trib. This chapter also talks about the angels coming down with Him. That would be the raptured saints, us, "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. etc".... there is no mention of the rapture before that second coming. We would have to go up then come right back down. No time for the Bema seat, no time for the marriage supper. Just up then u-turn back down. Also, there's no instructions to the saints who will be post trib raptured on how to survive til the rapture at the end of the Trib. If He will protect them until the end, surely there would be mention on how to survive. No mention of survival. The trib. saints will die during the trib. Not all but most. So, this again disproves the post trib. rapture, cuz He said he would protect us from the hour of trial.

 

 

Who taught the pre trib rapture doctrine:

 

All these taught pretrib. Philip Doddridge (1738) James Macknight (1763) Thomas Scott (1792)

Epistle of Barnabas (AD 100) Irenaeus (AD 202) Hippolytus (2nd Century) Justin Martyr (AD 100) St.

Victorinus (270) Manuel de Lacunza (1731 - 1801) Ephrem the Syrian (306- 373) Brother Dolcino (d.

1307) Increase Mather (1639-1723) Edward Irving (1816) Peter Jurieu (1687) John Gill (1748) Morgan

Edwards Founder of Brown U. (1742) Hugh Latimer (d. 1555) and Apostle Paul as we already have discussed, taught it too.

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Epharaem the Syrian said in 373 AD -

"For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."

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Irenaeus in: Against Heresies:  “…WHEN in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, there shall be tribulation such as not been since the beginning…”. The above quote comes from Irenaeus in the SECOND CENTURY... Darby was MUCH LATER. much, much later 16 CENTURIES LATER.

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Justin Martyr in:  Dialogue With Trypho:  “…after we knew the truth of God, are testified to by God, that, together with the most righteous, and only spotless and sinless Christ, we are taken away out of the earth.  For Isaiah cries,…” [then Isaiah 57:1 is quoted which says] “Behold how the righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart; and righteous men are taken away, and no man considers it that the righteous is taken away FROM THE EVIL TO COME.” The Holy Spirit taught me this one = Isaiah 57:1 = THE BRIDE... showing me that those RIGHTEOUS are the RIGHTEOUS BRIDE taken FROM the EVIL TO COME... that's when the H.S. showed me the souls under the altar are there because ALL EARTHLY graves have ALREADY been emptied DURING THE TRIBULATION when these souls forfeit their OWN lives FOR CHRIST.  They can NO LONGER go to earthly graves for the earthly graves NO LONGER contain ANY of the RIGHTEOUS DEAD who were called to Heaven at the COME UP HITHER of Rev 4:1.  Praise the Holy Spirit sent to teach us ALL TRUTH!

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So, you see, it's not a new doctrine. It wasn't a vision some young catholic girl, Margret McDonald,  had or John N. Darby, in the 1800s started teaching. John Darby is on record as saying what Margret McDonald said was a demonic utterance.  McDonald wasn’t even teaching pre trib, she was actually uttering post trib with a partial rapture!! Darby was rediscovering the biblical truths after the Catholic church had forbidden, for centuries, the true bible being read by the average person.  So, when the real bible was finally being printed and sent out and people started studying it, they found out that there was a pre trib rapture. Sure, it had been taught before but the masses couldn't hear it. Not until the masses could hear it, was it a doctrine, thus the post tribbers are saying it was a new doctrine. No, it's just that they didn't do their homework or they have been deceived from the truth. Satan doesn't want us to be taken in the rapture. He wants us to take the mark and spend eternity with him in his nice warm cozy lil hideaway. So, to keep us from believing in the truth, he had to invent the opposite...remember him, he is the deceiver and he always copies what God does by creating the opposite stories? So, since the Post trib is the opposite of the pre trib, he came up with that. After all, it's the post trib that is the new doctrine! Paul didn't teach it. No where do you find any of the apostles teaching it.  If one is believing in one of the other timings of the rapture, you are looking for the Anti-Christ, not Jesus Christ. You are relying on your own abilities to make it to the end of the tribulation and not relying on the truth that Jesus will snatch you up to be with him so you can escape the things that are coming upon the earth.  You are relying on your works during the tribulation to get you raptured at another timing other than pre trib.  Your works, or you being "honed" will not get you anywhere....except perhaps the 7 yrs. of hell on earth.  Jesus did the work on the cross and nothing you can do can supersede that work!

 

 

One last thought....

 

1 Thes. 4:18 it says to comfort one another with these words. How can one be comforted knowing the horror they will be going through when the tribulation starts? Where is that blessed hope spoken about in Titus 2:13: Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

(the blessed hope is the rapture of the church and Jesus coming for us. It says, "glorious

"appearing"...not return, as in the second coming, but APPEARING. That is what Jesus will do, He will APPEAR IN THE CLOUDS AND BRING US TO HIM at the rapture.)

John 14: 1-3.

 

So, I have hope, I am comforted. I have a crown for loving His appearing. I will not be deceived by false doctrine because I did my homework. I walk as close to God as I possibly can so I might be found worthy to escape the things that are coming on this earth....do you? Take a good look at your walk for time is very short. If you have one foot in the world and one in the church, you will be vomited from Jesus' mouth! ( Rev. 3: 16 )

By Linda Kirby