In our previous two articles, we have talked in some detail about the Rapture. The Rapture is a miraculous event enacted by God during the Last Days which Paul describes as a mystery (1 Corinthians 15:51). In the Rapture, the living and resurrected dead believers in Christ will be caught up to meet with Him in the air. In the process, we will receive glorious new bodies. The Bible describes it as a permanent event: “And so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17b).
Most Christians are in agreement about these facts regarding the Rapture. However, there has been much dispute about the exact time the Rapture will occur. Different interpretations argue for a Pre-tribulation (before the Tribulation), Mid-tribulation (midway into the Tribulation), and Post-Tribulation (after the Tribulation) occurrence.
The Subject of Eschatology
Eschatology is a subject that has been studied with great interest by us Christians for a long time. Because of the cryptic language used in describing the events of the Last Days, there have been various understanding and much discussion and debate around this subject. One of the perennial debates centers around where the Rapture fits in the chronology of eschatology.
Pre-Tribulation vs Post-Tribulation Rapture
We won’t go too much into the debate between the pre- and post-tribulation rapture beyond explaining the context of both perspectives.
In the simplest term, pre-tribulationists believe that all righteous and faithful Christians (both living and dead) will be caught up to meet Jesus before the Tribulation period begins. The main Biblical text of reference is found in Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians. It is the rapture we described in the previous article. In alignment with this, pre-tribulationists believe that Christians will be spared from the events of the Tribulation, which begins with the AntiChrist’s rule, but that there will be people turning to Christ during the Tribulation. In this view, the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are two separate events.
Pre-tribulationalism traces an early root as far back as AD140, to a literary work known as The Shepherd of Hermas, in which is alluded that believers of Christ will not suffer the tribulation. The deep familiarity of the author of Hermas with Revelations as well as the timeline makes him a possible contemporary of the apostle John, possibly in his 60s when he wrote it. The Shepherd of Hermas was considered a valuable book by many Christians and was very well-known and -regarded during the 2nd-4th centuries. Many early church fathers such as Irenaeus considered it canonical Scripture.
Post-tribulationists believe that there will be one combined resurrection and gathering of the saints – both living and dead – after the Tribulation and just before the Battle of Armageddon. Because of the chronology in this perspective, Christians will remain on Earth throughout the whole period of the Tribulation. Biblical texts that post-tribulationists use to support their perspective include Revelation 20:4-5 which refers to the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus, their faithfulness during the tribulation, and for not receiving the mark of the beast. Another notable reference is to the multitude from the tribulation, clothed in white robes and worshiping God in Revelation 7:9-17.
There is an aspect of martyrdom for the sake of the testimony of Jesus in this perspective. The saints will be gathered up just before the Battle of Armageddon between the forces of Christ Jesus and Satan. Following that, the saints will come back with Christ to usher in Jesus’s Millennial Reign. Post-tribulationists believe that the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ is one identical event.
Reconciling the Pre-Tribulation and Post-Tribulation Rapture
The two perspectives just described in some detail above seem diametrically opposed. How do we reconcile these two perspectives? We took a look at Scripture and at how certain events and references align with each other. We believe that these references are not accidental but passed down through God’s grace for our edification. We also believe that eschatology was never meant to be cryptic. Just as Jesus taught Nicodemus about the Second Birth, God did not leave us to grope in the dark, especially in a crucial matter like this that governs our ultimate destinies.
While we recognise that interpretations may differ from believer to believer, we are convinced that these references have aided us to see that the aforementioned pre-tribulation and post-tribulation views are in fact reconcilable. Neither one need to negate the other; they are both true! One of the central questions then – if we believe that all born-again Christians are raptured before the Tribulation – is who are the saints referred to as remaining on Earth during the Tribulation?
Who Are The Saints Described in Revelations?
In our last article, we mentioned that we will bring some of the aspects mentioned in it into future articles. Some of those aspects are pertinent to the question of the identities of the saints in Revelation.
The first aspect was Paul’s role as an appointed apostle to the Gentiles. In fact, he got into many arguments with the early leaders of the church such as James and Peter who identified more with the Jewish community. The epistles that Paul wrote mentioning the Rapture were addressed to the Gentile/Greek Christians at Thessalonica and Corinth.
The second significant aspect is the tiny population of Christian Jews even today when we are so close to the end times. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul refers to the ‘dead in Christ’ being resurrected and taken up first, before being followed by all the living believers. This makes it very likely that there will be many (non-believing) Jews who remain on Earth after the Rapture. Current surveys show that there are only 2% of believing Jews today. If the status remains static when the rapture happens, 98% of the Jewish population will remain on Earth to fight against the AntiChrist during the Tribulation.
The third aspect is the description of the 144,000 witnesses in Revelation 7 as coming from the 12 tribes of Israel. In addition, there are many references in eschatology made to such elements as the Song of Moses and to the nations of Judea and Israel. In Revelations 15:3, the overcomers sang the song of Moses. The Song of Moses is a reference to the song of delivery that Miriam, the sister of Moses, composed as a celebration of God(Yahweh) delivering the Israelites out of Egypt and oppression. This is a song that has great significance in the history of the Jews and has an important symbolic meaning for them even to this day. It is proof of a Jewish event during the Tribulation. In Revelation, it’s accompanied by the Song of the Lamb (a reference to Christ Jesus).
Who are the saints described in Revelation? We believe that the apostle John, being a Jew, wrote from a heart for the Jews. Out of His covenant with Israel as His people (Deuteronomy 7:6; Ezekiel 34:30) and Apostle John’s particular position as Christ Jesus’s most beloved disciple, God(Yahweh) revealed to John what would happen in the Last Days. Apostle John saw what would befall the Israelites at the end of history and recorded his visions down so that they could be passed down through the generations of his people.
We believe that Revelation was written for the edification of the Jewish people and that the end times event as described in Revelation is primarily a Jewish and Israeli event. We are convinced that the nation of Israel will have an important role in those days of upheaval and great happenings. Among others, through the ministry of the 144,000 witnesses, there will be a great multitude who will turn to Christ even in those days.
Besides the 144,000 witnesses, two prophets will be appointed by God to prophesy to the people in Israel for 1260 days (Revelation 11:3). These prophets are customarily identified as Moses and Elijah, prominent leaders from Jewish history, because of their appearance at the transfiguration of Jesus. As written in Joel 3:14, multitudes of people will have to choose on which side of the divide they will be standing in: “For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision”.
We believe that the Spirit of God will still be at work in those days, and because of this, the AntiChrist will not hold full and complete sovereignty. We also believe that God is covenantal and that the full significance of this will come into view in the Last Days.
Pre-tribulation and Post-tribulation Rapture Are Both True
Bringing everything together, we can see two raptures. The first rapture will be the one described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4 for faithful and born-again believers of Christ that are already existing before the Tribulation.
In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul wrote about the Day of the Lord, also known as the Second Coming. Jesus’s Second Coming will not be like the first. Before He comes, the world (then under the reign of the AntiChrist) will experience six ‘bowls’ of God’s wrath. Before the seventh and most terrible one of all, Jesus will come and gather the saints (the Messianic Jews) into a safe refuge (analogous to the Ark of Noah).
In 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9, Paul wrote:
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the blessed hope of salvation and the breastplate of faith and love we are called to put on as the completion of history draws near.
During the Tribulation, there will be many who turn to Christ Jesus, particularly many Jews. Matthew 24: 37-41 mentions that during the Second Coming, one will be taken up to a place of safety while another is left behind. It makes no mention of church or rapture and there are many significant differences between Matthew 24: 37-41 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, which we won’t go into here because of article length considerations. We only state that we believe that this passage in Matthew’s Gospel refers to the second ‘rapture’ that will occur during Jesus’s Second Coming.
Jesus will gather or rapture the saints (Messianic Jews and people who suffered for Jesus’s testimony during the Tribulation, while those with the mark will be left) before coming again with them to usher in the Millennial Reign.
There is, therefore, both a pre-tribulation, as well as a post-tribulation, rapture.
What We Believe Will Happen in The Last Days
Because of Christ Jesus’s great grace, we will be lifted up to meet Him and given new bodies before the Tribulation (the first rapture). To be caught up, however, we must have a relationship with Jesus. We will be taken to our mansions in Heaven. After the Rapture, the world will be left open for the ascendance of the AntiChrist. Many people will be left behind, including lamentably, many Jews. The AntiChrist, through the influence of Satan, will want to annihilate Israel and impose on them the mark of the Beast.
However, because of God’s covenant with Abraham, He will still want to give them an opportunity. Israel will play its special role in the Tribulation and many Jews will turn to Christ, becoming saints. They will minister to many and bring many to Christ (the multitude mentioned in Revelation 7). Christ Jesus will come again without warning (Revelation 16:15) before God’s seventh bowl of wrath is poured on the world. He will gather the saints (resurrecting some) to a safe haven (the second rapture), defeat Satan and his forces in a climactic battle, and establish the Messianic Reign.
We embarked on this series because we felt pangs in our hearts for the Jews and pre-believers. Though we believe that salvation is still possible during the days of the Tribulation, no one really wants ourselves or our loved ones to undergo the events that are described that will be taking place in those days. While we acknowledge that this may be one of many interpretations, there is reason to believe that events will transpire in such sequence. The pre- and post-tribulation rapture are both true.
First, there will be a pre-tribulation rapture where the pre-existing born-again Christians will be raptured before the Tribulation. Later, at Jesus’s Second Coming, there will be a second rapture where the saints (Messianic Jews and those who suffered for Jesus’s sake during the Tribulation) will be gathered/raptured.
It would be a great pity to miss the first rapture when it happens.
Disclaimer: This article was written from our understanding of eschatology as described in the Bible, and in relation to current day events. It takes a neutral stance and is not meant to impinge or offend any belief.
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