Dear fellow Christians. I have studied this issue for over 20 years (My dad was a Baptist minister) and was taught as a young child through my 20s of the Pre Trib Rapture. So, the Pre-Trib belief was my view until recently. However, through careful reading of the Word and research into the man who is responsible for developing the theory, John Darby in 1830, I have concluded that the Pre Trib Rapture is FALSE and likely the work of SATAN as a means for; (1) causing Christians to fight, (2) not to prepare for the tribulation itself – not to watch as we are commanded to do, (3) to destroy the credibility of the church once the Trib starts and the church is still here, and (4) to bring about the falling away of the church - causing son to rises up against father, brother against brother etc as it is written, during the end times. That's right; this false doctrine is very dangerous. It will cause Christians to lose their faith, turn away from the Lord and even rat out their fellow believers to be persecuted and killed during the Tribulation.
There is only ONE SECOND COMING and it is at the end of the age (After the Tribulation). There isn't one verse that clearly places the second coming BEFORE THE Tribulation, NOT ONE!! There isn't even a verse that clearly puts the church in heaven during the Great Tribulation. All "Rapture" verses either are silent about the timing or place it at the END of the Tribulation. Those who blindly believe the majority of the pre-trib teachings of most churches today have forgot to FOLLOW THE CLEAR READING OF THE WORD and Not to rely on man's interpretations or inferences. That said I don't fault any believer for buying this FALSE belief as it has been so extensively taught. But I do encourage all to read the scriptures carefully, clearly and see for themselves.
The Bible is so clear about the second coming of the Lord that I find it shocking that so many believers have been deceived including many great men of God. If there was a Rapture before the Tribulation, don't you think Jesus would have mentioned it during His Olivet Discourse? Pre-Tribbers try to tell us that Jesus was talking to the Jews in Mat 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, therefore he left out the rapture and instead focused on the Day of the Lord which Jesus clearly puts at the end of the Tribulation. Pre-tribbers try to explain this as Jesus warning the future, newly believing Christians who convert during the Rapture. Pre-tribbers always use that argument for any mention of believers being on the earth during those days. But, Jesus wasn't asked by unbelieving Jews. He was asked by believing Jews, his own disciples. Therefore JESUS would have told them not to worry and not to fear if there was a rapture. Instead we have Him telling them that they will face Tribulation and warning those in Judea where and when to flee. 11 of his 12 disciples were killed for their faith so why should we expect better treatment when the Lord commands us to, "take up our cross and follow Him" and that, "we will be hated by all Nations, etc?"
Paul couldn’t be clearer in 2 Thessalonians, “Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that DAY will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition (ANTI-CHRIST), who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God…”
Paul isn't describing a second GATHERING!!! He is describing the only gathering. We are gathered to the Lord in the clouds, given glorified bodies and return to earth to reign with him for 1,000 years.
Read also Romans 11 where Paul discusses in depth the grafting of the Church into the wild olive tree (Believing State of Israel). God does NOT have separate plans for the church and Israel. God will unite His faithful, not treat them as two groups. The non believing Jews are ripped out and the believing Gentiles are grafted in their place. Then the remnant of the Jews who believe will be grafted back in and we all become the Bride of the Lamb. That is the clear teaching here. We join the Jews as God's people, not the other way around. Jesus himself teaches this.
Consider also John 6 where Jesus talks of the last day 4 different times in this Chapter. He has the judgment and the dead and Christ being resurrected on the same “last” day. This is impossible if there was a pre trib rapture, see 1 Thes 4:15. Consider also that Rev 7:9 puts a multitude FROM THE GREAT TRIBULATION in heaven after the 6th seal. These are NOT recently converted Christians killed by the Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ hasn't even been revealed at this point in Revelation. The Sixth Seal is a mass death event and it will kill untold hundreds of millions. That's why there are in heaven coming "OUT" of the Tribulation, because all Alive Christians were on earth at the time of the 6th seal and killed at the clear start of the Tribulation. (The previous 5 seals were part of the “days of sorrows” more on that later).
Consider also that the Lord's Day is also when He will receive glory. Doesn't everyone think that if Jesus came before the Rapture in the way it is described that everyone would know about it and immediately believe, as they do when He really comes? So why then would there be a falling away first BEFORE the Anti-Christ is revealed? If there was a Pre-trib Rapture with all the glory surrounding it, I would think there would be a HUGE revival, not a falling away.
There is a lot more I could say if I had space but let’s be clear, Jesus would have clearly taught a Pre Trib Rapture if there was one. Pre-tribbers contort the Word to support their view while the clear reading of the Bible supports ONE SECOND COMING, ONE RAPTURE, and ONE DAY OF THE LORD. This relatively new theory is flat out wrong.
There is only ONE SECOND COMING and it is at the end of the age (After the Tribulation). There isn't one verse that clearly places the second coming BEFORE THE Tribulation, NOT ONE!! There isn't even a verse that clearly puts the church in heaven during the Great Tribulation. All "Rapture" verses either are silent about the timing or place it at the END of the Tribulation. Those who blindly believe the majority of the pre-trib teachings of most churches today have forgot to FOLLOW THE CLEAR READING OF THE WORD and Not to rely on man's interpretations or inferences. That said I don't fault any believer for buying this FALSE belief as it has been so extensively taught. But I do encourage all to read the scriptures carefully, clearly and see for themselves.
The Bible is so clear about the second coming of the Lord that I find it shocking that so many believers have been deceived including many great men of God. If there was a Rapture before the Tribulation, don't you think Jesus would have mentioned it during His Olivet Discourse? Pre-Tribbers try to tell us that Jesus was talking to the Jews in Mat 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, therefore he left out the rapture and instead focused on the Day of the Lord which Jesus clearly puts at the end of the Tribulation. Pre-tribbers try to explain this as Jesus warning the future, newly believing Christians who convert during the Rapture. Pre-tribbers always use that argument for any mention of believers being on the earth during those days. But, Jesus wasn't asked by unbelieving Jews. He was asked by believing Jews, his own disciples. Therefore JESUS would have told them not to worry and not to fear if there was a rapture. Instead we have Him telling them that they will face Tribulation and warning those in Judea where and when to flee. 11 of his 12 disciples were killed for their faith so why should we expect better treatment when the Lord commands us to, "take up our cross and follow Him" and that, "we will be hated by all Nations, etc?"
Paul couldn’t be clearer in 2 Thessalonians, “Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that DAY will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition (ANTI-CHRIST), who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God…”
Paul isn't describing a second GATHERING!!! He is describing the only gathering. We are gathered to the Lord in the clouds, given glorified bodies and return to earth to reign with him for 1,000 years.
Read also Romans 11 where Paul discusses in depth the grafting of the Church into the wild olive tree (Believing State of Israel). God does NOT have separate plans for the church and Israel. God will unite His faithful, not treat them as two groups. The non believing Jews are ripped out and the believing Gentiles are grafted in their place. Then the remnant of the Jews who believe will be grafted back in and we all become the Bride of the Lamb. That is the clear teaching here. We join the Jews as God's people, not the other way around. Jesus himself teaches this.
Consider also John 6 where Jesus talks of the last day 4 different times in this Chapter. He has the judgment and the dead and Christ being resurrected on the same “last” day. This is impossible if there was a pre trib rapture, see 1 Thes 4:15. Consider also that Rev 7:9 puts a multitude FROM THE GREAT TRIBULATION in heaven after the 6th seal. These are NOT recently converted Christians killed by the Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ hasn't even been revealed at this point in Revelation. The Sixth Seal is a mass death event and it will kill untold hundreds of millions. That's why there are in heaven coming "OUT" of the Tribulation, because all Alive Christians were on earth at the time of the 6th seal and killed at the clear start of the Tribulation. (The previous 5 seals were part of the “days of sorrows” more on that later).
Consider also that the Lord's Day is also when He will receive glory. Doesn't everyone think that if Jesus came before the Rapture in the way it is described that everyone would know about it and immediately believe, as they do when He really comes? So why then would there be a falling away first BEFORE the Anti-Christ is revealed? If there was a Pre-trib Rapture with all the glory surrounding it, I would think there would be a HUGE revival, not a falling away.
There is a lot more I could say if I had space but let’s be clear, Jesus would have clearly taught a Pre Trib Rapture if there was one. Pre-tribbers contort the Word to support their view while the clear reading of the Bible supports ONE SECOND COMING, ONE RAPTURE, and ONE DAY OF THE LORD. This relatively new theory is flat out wrong.