The topic of the Rapture of the church is a doctrine that determines your mindset for the end days. You either are mentally prepared to leave, or prepared to stay and continue Elohim’s work….based on this doctrine.
There are so few Christians on the battlefield engaged in the war of saving souls. I believe the pre-trib rapture theory is damaging the body in Christ, making believers disengage in God’s work, because souls are no longer is a burden to them as soon as they are “taken out”.
The False Security Blanket leaves believers behind.
These same believers who are putting all their hopes in a pre-trib rapture are spectators sitting in a “safety zone” which allows them to believe that they won’t experience hard times.
We as a body CAN get through hard times ahead with Elohim leading the way. We can save millions of souls in the midst of the darkest times in history. We can do it with confidence, and a earnest desire to save as many from the flames as possible.
The following points were taken out of Michael Snyder’s “Rapture Verdict”
Save this list, print this out, and use it in your discussions with others concerning the time of the rapture. Michael beautifully explains these points in his book to give you a clearer understanding that this topic isn’t complicated at all.
We ARE staying….and the sooner many more know this, the better equipped we will be to handle those days ahead.
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101 Reasons To Believe In The Post-Trib Rapture
1. The “rapture” and “the resurrection” are two different terms that describe the exact same event. (1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15)
2. Revelation 20 tells us that the “first resurrection” comes immediately after the Tribulation is over. (Revelation 20)
3. In Revelation chapter 20, we are told that the “first resurrection” includes those that do not worship the beast or his image and that do not receive his mark on their foreheads or their hands.
4. There is a very important Greek word that shows up in rapture passages throughout the New Testament. That word is “parousia”, and it can be translated “coming”, “arrival”, “presence” or “official visit”.
5. Multiple passages tell us that the rapture will happen at the “coming” (“parousia”) of Christ, and the New Testament also makes it clear that this “coming” (“parousia”) will come immediately after the end of the seven year Tribulation period. (1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15, Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 2)
6. In Matthew 24, Jesus tells us that the rapture will happen “immediately after the Tribulation”. Similar passages can be found in Mark 13 and Luke 21.
7. In Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4 and Revelation 14 we are told that Jesus comes in the clouds in all three passages. That is because all three passages are describing the exact same event.
8. In Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 we are told that a great trumpet is blown when believers are raptured. That is because all three passages are describing the exact same event.
9. In 1 Corinthians 15, we are specifically told that the rapture will happen at “the last trumpet”.
10. In Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 the exact same Greek word for trumpet (“salpigx”) is used in all three instances.
11. The trumpet blasts of Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 all correspond to the blowing of the 7th trumpet in the book of Revelation.
12. When the last trumpet is blown in Revelation 11, we are told that it is “the time of the dead, that they should be judged” and that it is the time when Jesus will reward those that belong to Him. We are also told that this is the time when our Messiah begins to reign.
13. The seven year Tribulation period is also known as “Daniel’s 70th week” and “the Time of Jacob’s Trouble”, and it comes to an end when the 7th trumpet is blown. (Revelation 11)
14. Once the 7th trumpet is blown, the rapture takes place, and it begins a period of time known as “the Millennial reign”, “the last day” and “the Day of the Lord”. (Revelation 11)
15. In Revelation chapter 14, exactly where it should be. We find it described after the seventh trumpet is sounded but before the first of the vial judgments is poured out.
16. The Biblical feast days that take place in the fall provide a template for the events that immediately follow the Tribulation. Just as the spring feasts were “dress rehearsals” for the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of our Savior, so the fall feasts are also prophetically foreshadowing precisely what will happen during His second coming.
17. The “last trumpet” will be blown on Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets) on the day after the end of the Tribulation period during some future year.
18. Immediately following the rapture, in Revelation chapter 15 we see a great group of believers gathered around the throne of God giving Him praise. This group of believers includes those “that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name”. It is very interesting to note that from this point forward there are no more mentions of believers on the earth until we return with Jesus in Revelation chapter 19.
19. In Revelation chapter 16, the seven vials of God’s wrath are poured out. These judgments come in rapid fire succession, and none of them require an extended period of time.
20. The vial judgments are poured out during “the Days of Awe” that stretch from Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets) to when we victoriously return with our Lord and Savior to set up His kingdom on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
21. In Revelation 19, we find the marriage of the Lamb just where we would expect it to be. It comes after the rapture in Revelation 14 but before the return of Jesus for the battle of Armageddon later on in Revelation 19.
22. The victorious return of Jesus Christ with His army on Yom Kippur is described in vivid detail in Revelation 19, Joel 2 and other places throughout Scripture.
23. If you look at Matthew 24:29 in many versions of the Bible, you will notice that there is a little footnote pointing you to Joel 2:10. Joel chapter 2 is an extended description of the coming of the Day of the Lord, and in Matthew 24 Jesus is indicating that this is the exact period of time during which the rapture will take place. It is important to remember that while the rapture and the return of Jesus with His army are very close together, the do not both happen within the same 24 hour time period. The rapture is on Rosh Hashanah, and we return with the Lord on Yom Kippur.
24. In the end, the Antichrist will be totally defeated, and the Lord Jesus Christ will reign from Jerusalem over the whole planet for 1000 years. (Revelation 20)
25. There is not a single verse in the Bible that tells us that Christians will be raptured before the Tribulation.
26. There is not a single verse in the Bible that tells us that Christians will be raptured in the middle of the Tribulation.
27. The church is going to go through the entire Tribulation period. (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Revelation 14, Revelation 20)
28. In 1 Thessalonians 5, the Apostle Paul links the timing of the rapture with the coming of the Day of the Lord. In that passage, Paul says that the Day of the Lord comes “as a thief in the night”.
29. 1n 2 Peter 3, the Apostle Peter also tells us that the Day of the Lord comes “as a thief in the night”.
30. Zechariah 14 describes the coming of the Day of the Lord, and it specifically mentions that it will be at this time that Jesus will once again set foot on the Mount of Olives.
31. Joel 2 also described the coming of the Day of the Lord. In that chapter, we are told that at that time the Lord will personally lead the greatest army in the history of the world back to Jerusalem.
32. In Matthew 24, Jesus makes reference to Joel 2 while He is speaking about the timing of the rapture.
33. Isaiah 13 also speaks about the coming of the Day of the Lord, and it also has language that very closely parallels Matthew 24.
34. Daniel 9:27 tells us that the abomination of desolation happens in the middle of the Tribulation, and in Matthew 24 Jesus tells us that the rapture comes after that event.
35. In Matthew 24, we are also told that the abomination of desolation starts a period of persecution unlike anything the world has ever seen before. Believers in Israel are instructed to flee to the mountains where there will be a place of protection.
36. Revelation 12 and other passages tell us that believers in this place of protection will be kept safe for a period of approximately three and a half years.
37. Immediately after the tribulation (“thlipsis”) of those days the rapture will take place.
38. On Rosh Hashanah, traditionally there is a series of 100 shofar blasts. The very last of these trumpet blasts is known as the “Tekiah Gedolah” or “the last trumpet”.
39. At the blowing of the last trumpet in Revelation 11, we are told that the time has come for the dead to be judged.
40. At the blowing of the last trumpet in Revelation 11, we are told that the time has come for Jesus to begin His reign. This marks the beginning of “the Day of the Lord” also known as “the last day” and the Millennial reign.
41. In John 6, Jesus tells us four times that those that believe in Him will be resurrected “at the last day”.
42. In Revelation 14, we see one described as “the Son of Man” with a golden crown on his head coming on the clouds and harvesting the earth.
43. The same Greek word (“nephele”) that is used to identify clouds in Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4 is also used in Revelation 14.
44. In Revelation 15, we find the vast multitude of believers that were raptured in Revelation 14 standing before the throne of God giving him praise. This group of believers includes those “that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name”.
45. In 2 Thessalonians 2, we are given specific signs that must happen before the rapture takes place. One of those signs is the revealing of the Antichrist.
46. 2 Thessalonians 2 also tells us that we will know who the Antichrist is when he goes into the temple of God and proclaims himself to be God. This is a reference to the abomination of desolation which comes in the middle of the Tribulation.
47. In Revelation 13, we are told that the Antichrist conducts a war against the saints. How is that possible if all of the saints had already been raptured?
48. In Revelation 13, we are told that the war against the saints lasts for 42 months. This breaks down to about three and a half years.
49. In Daniel 7, we are also told that the war against the saints will last for approximately three and a half years.
50. In Matthew 24, we learns that the war against the saints begins in the middle of the Tribulation, and that we are raptured immediately after those days are over.
51. In an attempt to square their theology with what the Bible actually says, the pre-Trib crowd has come up with the concept of “Tribulation saints”. But nowhere in the Bible is the term “Tribulation saints” ever used, and there is no mention of masses of people getting saved after a rapture event. This is a doctrine that theologians have made up out of thin air.
52. If there was going to be a pre-Tribulation rapture, you would expect to find the marriage of the Lamb near the very beginning of the book of Revelation. Instead, you find it in Revelation 19.
53. Every one of the festivals of the Lord represented a “dress rehearsal” for future events. The spring feasts are a prophetic template that foreshadowed the major events of the first coming of Jesus, and the falls feasts are a prophetic template that foreshadow the major events of the second coming of Jesus.
54. The Feast of Trumpets (“Rosh Hashanah”) has also been known since ancient times as “the Hidden Feast”. The reason it is called this is because in ancient times nobody ever quite knew when it was going to begin. The Feast of Trumpets falls on the first day of the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar, but the new month could not begin until the new moon was spotted. Once the new moon was finally spotted, then the Feast of Trumpets could officially commence. That is why even today the Jewish people allocate two days for the celebration of this festival.
55. The phrase “no man knows the day or the hour” was commonly used to refer to the Feast of Trumpets in ancient Israel. So when Jesus used this phrase, He was pointing us to this holiday.
56. The Day of Atonement (“Yom Kippur”) will be the day when Jesus returns with His army, defeats the forces of the Antichrist, and sets down on the Mount of Olives.
57. Passages in the book of Joel that call for fasting and a solemn assembly are keys that help us connect the physical return of Jesus to this planet to the festival of Yom Kippur.
58. In Revelation 19, we see Jesus wearing a robe dipped in blood and the army of heaven wearing white. These are other key details that link the festival of Yom Kippur to these prophetic events.
59. The final fall festival, the Feast of Tabernacles, is a time of great rejoicing. The theme of the festival can be described as “God dwelling with man”, and many believe that it will be the time when Jesus takes His place on the throne in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 43) to rule over this world for a thousand years (Revelation 20). In fact, Zechariah 14 specifically mentions the fact that Jesus will require the whole world to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles once He returns.
60. When the Bible tells us that we are not appointed to wrath, it is not telling us that we are going to get pulled out of here before the Tribulation begins. It is simply telling us that because we have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ we are not destined for hell. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)
61. In John 16:33, Jesus promises us that we “shall have tribulation” while we are in this world.
62. In 1 Peter 4, we are instructed to “think it not strange” when we have to endure fiery trials.
63. In Acts 14, we are told “that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God”.
64. In Matthew 24, Matthew 25 and Mark 13, Jesus told His disciples that no man knows the day or the hour of His coming. In all of those instances, the only “coming” that was discussed in those conversations was the coming of Jesus immediately after the Tribulation. It is impossible for those verses to be referring to a pre-Tribulation rapture, because in each instance Jesus had just told His disciples that He is coming after the Tribulation.
65. It is also important to note that in Matthew 24, Matthew 25 and Mark 13, Jesus was speaking in the present tense when He stated that no man knows the day or the hour. We cannot take a statement made in the present tense and apply it indefinitely.
66. Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets) was always called the “day and hour which no man knows” in ancient Israel. The reason for this is the fact that Rosh Hashanah always falls on the first day of the seventh month, and the holiday could not be officially declared until the new moon was spotted. In ancient Israel, the authorities were never quite sure when that would be.
67. In 1 Thessalonians 5, we are told that the Day of the Lord comes as a “thief in the night”, and in verse 4 we are also specifically told that since we are believers that this day should not overtake us as a thief.
68. If Jesus comes as a “thief in the night” before the Tribulation, then why does He say “I come as a thief” in Revelation 16:15 at the end of the Tribulation?
69. In 2 Thessalonians 2, the identity of “the Restrainer” is never revealed. But even if the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit, it is not at all necessary for the Holy Spirit to be totally removed from our planet for Him to stop restraining the Antichrist. In fact, we find the Holy Spirit very active in the book of Revelation long after the Antichrist has been revealed.
70. It is exceedingly important to remember that the passage about “the Restrainer” in 2 Thessalonians 2 comes immediately after verses where the Apostle Paul specifically warns us that the rapture will not occur until after the Antichrist is revealed and the abomination of desolation takes place.
71. Titus 2 tells us about “the blessed hope”, but nowhere in that passage does it say anything about a pre-Tribulation rapture. To equate “the blessed hope” with a pre-Tribulation rapture is simply not consistent with Scripture.
72. In 2 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul warns us that all who seek to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
73. In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul specifically tells us that we are appointed to persecution.
74. In Revelation 4, the Apostle John is told to “come up hither”. Pre-Trib advocates say that this is a picture of the rapture, but that is simply an attempt to read something into Scripture that simply is not there. And such an interpretation would directly contradict the rest of the book of Revelation and the remainder of the Bible.
75. The word “church” is never used after Revelation 4, but numerous references are made to believers living on the earth all throughout the book of Revelation (Revelation 7:3-8; 11:3-6; 12:11; 12:17; 13:7-10; 14:12).
76. In Revelation 7, we see a great multitude around the throne of God that had just come “out of the great tribulation”. Pre-Trib advocates imagine that these are believers that were raptured before the Tribulation began. But in order to “come out” of something, you have to already be in it, and this gathering does not happen until the sixth seal. In addition, there are no indications in the surrounding context of a “rapture” or a “resurrection” taking place. The most logical explanation is that these are believers that were among the hundreds of millions of people that died during the preceding seal judgments. Such an explanation is consistent with Revelation 11, Revelation 14, Revelation 20 and the rest of the rapture passages that we find all throughout the Bible.
77. In Revelation 6, we see the sun being darkened and the moon becoming as blood. Many want to tie this passage to a similar passage in Matthew 24, and at first glance that seems to make sense. But upon closer examination we see that there are fundamental difference between Revelation 6 and Matthew 24. One example is that the moon gives no light at all in Matthew 24, but in Revelation 6 the moon becomes “as blood” meaning that it appears to be red. But in order for the moon to be red, light must be coming from the moon.
78. There is a perfect match between Matthew 24, Joel 2 and Isaiah 13. All three instances speak of the sun being darkened and the moon giving no light. And all three instances point to the coming of the Day of the Lord at the end of the Tribulation period.
79. The doctrine of the pre-Tribulation rapture was popularized by some extremely questionable people less than 200 years ago. Before Margaret MacDonald, the Irvingites and John Darby came along, the dominant position all throughout church history was that the resurrection would happen at the return of Jesus at the end of the Tribulation period.
80. Four separate times in John 6, Jesus explains that those who follow Him will be raised up “at the last day”.
81. In 2 Peter 3:8, we are told that the Lord considers “a thousand years as one day”.
82. Genesis 6:3 seems to indicate that the Lord will strive with man for 120 jubilee cycles, which would work out to precisely 6000 years.
83. 2 Peter 3, Joel 2, Isaiah 13 and other passages tell us that the coming of the Day of the Lord (the 7th thousand years) will be a time of great turmoil. This is precisely what we see in the book of Revelation.
84. According to ancient Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets) is “the birthday of the world”. I am convinced that was the beginning of the “first day”, and it is when God’s prophetic clock started. Moving forward 6000 years from that date, it brings us to another Rosh Hashanah, which is exactly when I believe the rapture will take place. And I am also convinced that the seven year Tribulation period will also start on a Rosh Hashanah exactly seven years earlier.
85. In Revelation 11, we see the announcement of the beginning of “the 7th day” of human history. At this point the 7 year Tribulation ends, and the Millennial reign (also known as “the Day of the Lord” and “the last day”) begins.
86. In Daniel 12, we are also told that the resurrection of believers immediately follows a period of great tribulation.
87. In both 1 Thessalonians 4 and Daniel 12, we see the archangel Michael discussed in conjunction with the rapture.
88. In both Daniel 12 and Matthew 24, the abomination of desolation starts off a period of great tribulation unlike anything the world has ever seen before. Daniel tells us that this period of time will last for approximately three and a half years, and both Daniel and Matthew tell us that the rapture of God’s people will take place after the time of tribulation is over.
89. Revelation 1:7 refers to the second coming of Jesus, and we are told that “every eye shall see him”.
90. Other passages that completely rule out a “secret rapture” include 2 Peter 3:10, Luke 17 and Matthew 24.
91. When Christians start realizing that there is not going to be a pre-Tribulation rapture, many of them will become extremely upset with the preachers that had been promising them one.
92. When global events start spinning out of control and everyone starts saying that the Tribulation is here, the mocking of those that believe in a pre-Tribulation rapture is going to reach epic proportions. (2 Peter 3:3-4)
93. Any Christian leader that chooses to teach about the events of the last days and the timing of the rapture is taking on a great deal of responsibility. If you are one of these leaders, you should know that people are making decisions on whether or not to get prepared based on what you are telling them.
94. As it stands, there are millions upon millions of believers that are utterly unprepared physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually for what is ahead.
95. As global events spiral out of control over the next few years, it is going to become very popular to say that we have already entered the seven year Tribulation period. But the truth, of course, is that the Tribulation has not started yet, nor are we about to enter that period of time.
96. There are still certain things that must happen before the Tribulation begins. One of them is the rise of the ten-horned one world government that is described in the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation.
97. Another thing that we are watching for is the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. This has to be completed by the midpoint of the Tribulation period so that the Antichrist can commit the “abomination of desolation” mentioned in Matthew 24.
98. The judgment of God on America is imminent. I believe that 2015 was a year when America was pronounced guilty. Now the judgment of God is coming, and we are going to deserve every ounce of what is about to happen to us.
99. God is raising up a Remnant that will keep His commandments, that will bring in the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever seen, and that will move in the power of the Holy Spirit in ways that we have not seen since the first century. God is in the process of restoring all things, and we are going to be the generation that finally gets things right. The greatest move of God of all time is going to happen right before the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and we are going to become the kind of bride that He deserves. On our own, this is impossible, but with Him all things are possible.
100. God has a plan, and there is going to be somewhere for the Remnant to go. This place of protection is mentioned in Matthew 24 and numerous other passages.
101. Jesus is coming back soon, there is a great deal of work to be done, and the fate of billions of souls hangs in the balance.