Those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture must either believe:
(1) That the rapture is only
for a Gentile church, which is easily refutable (See #7), or
(2) That only part of the
body of Christ will be raptured, leaving at least the Jews to go through the
tribulation, or
(3) That the Jews and the
Gentiles who go through the tribulation are not part of the body of Christ at all.
This section will refute these errors by showing who Jesus comes back for, and
confirming that all of his people will be raptured at the same time.
JOHN 6:40 (Jesus)
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I
will raise him up at the last day.
JOHN 11:25
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
HEBREWS 9:28
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them
that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Note: Jesus is coming back to raise up "every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him," (John 6:40), which includes both Jews and Gentiles, and those who die during the tribulation. These scriptures therefore refute the error of both a pre-tribulation rapture and a mid-tribulation rapture.
JOHN 6:39 (Jesus)
39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
JOHN 6:44
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will
raise him up at the last day.
Note: These scriptures show that the righteous dead will be raised "at the last day" of this pre-millennial age, and not seven, or three and a half years before it. Jesus said that he would raise up " all which he hath given me" (John 6:39) on "the last day": this includes Jews and Gentiles, and those who die during the tribulation. These scriptures therefore refute coming in the clouds.
MATTHEW 10:38-39 (Jesus)
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
LUKE 20:34-36
34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the
children of the resurrection.
Note: Notice that in this scripture (Luke 20:35-36) the word "resurrection" is always singular, as it is elsewhere in the New Testament when it refers to the rapture. There is no mention of "resurrections" for the righteous, but only one resurrection which is also called, "the resurrection of the just." (Luke 14:14), "the resurrection of life;" (John 5:29), "a better resurrection:" (Heb 11:35), and "the first resurrection." (Revelation 20:5). This will occur on the last day of this present age (#3.13), at Jesus' second coming (#3.2), after the tribulation (#3.4), after the sun and moon have been darkened (#3.5), after the heavens are shaken, and the stars fall from heaven (#3.6), after the heavens be no more (#3.7), after the seventh trumpet judgement (#3.8), and refutes the errors of both a pre-tribulation rapture and a mid-tribulation rapture.
JOHN 6:53-54
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth1 my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Note: The word Whoso eatheth1 (Gr. o trwgwn, Gtr. ho trōgōn) literally means "the eating man", or "the man who eats", and refers to anyone who will study God's word (eat his flesh), and partake of Jesus' life (drink his blood). The spiritual meaning of "the blood" is "the life" (Lev 17:10-14). This does not refer to Jews or Gentiles specifically, but both, who will all be resurrected on the last day of this present age (#3.13), at Jesus' second coming (#3.2), after the tribulation (#3.4), after the sun and moon have been darkened (#3.5), after the heavens are shaken, and the stars fall from heaven (#3.6), after the heavens be no more (#3.7), after the seventh trumpet judgement (#3.8), and refutes the errors of both a pre-tribulation rapture and a mid-tribulation rapture.
DANIEL 12:1-3
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and
there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even
to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one
that shall be found written in the book.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt.
3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they
that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
MATTHEW 25:1-13 (Jesus)
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to
meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not
so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that
sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were
ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of man cometh.
Note: These scriptures do not differentiate between Jews and Gentiles, but refer to all those who have sufficient spiritual wisdom to be ready for Jesus' second coming. The parable of the ten virgins is about the second coming of Jesus, and shows only one entrance into the marriage (Matthew 25:10), which is equivalent to one rapture. This occurs after the bride has made herself ready (Revelation 19:7), which is after Babylon comes in remembrance before God (Revelation 16:19) as part of the seventh vial judgement (Revelation 16:17), after Babylon the great is destroyed (Revelation 18:1-8), after the earth mourns its destruction (Revelation 18:9-19), and when Jesus comes again at the end of this pre-millennial age (Revelation 19:11-21). Those who did not make that one entrance were shut out permanently (v12), refuting the idea that some will be raptured before the tribulation, while others go through it. The one entrance into the marriage (v10) will be when all of God's chosen people will be raptured, on the last day of this present age (#3.13), at Jesus' second coming (#3.2), after the tribulation (#3.4), after the sun and moon have been darkened (#3.5), after the heavens are shaken, and the stars fall from heaven (#3.6), after the heavens be no more (#3.7), after the seventh trumpet judgement (#3.8), and refutes the errors of both a pre-tribulation rapture and a mid-tribulation rapture.
JOHN 5:28-29 (Jesus)
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Note:
In this scripture (John 5:29) Jesus comes back for "they that have done good",
with no mention of whether they are Jews or Gentiles. It obviously includes
both. What does the scripture say about the 144,000 Jews of the last days?
(Revelation 14:4-5) "These are they
which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which
follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being
the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault
before the throne of God."
If they are "without fault" then surely they must have done many good
works, and must be included in those whom Jesus returns for. The word "resurrection"
is singular, as it is elsewhere in the New Testament when it refers to the
rapture. There is no mention of "resurrections" for the righteous, but
only one resurrection, which is also called "the resurrection of the just."
(Luke 14:14), "the resurrection from the dead," (Luke 20:35), "a better
resurrection:" (Heb 11:35), and "the first resurrection." (Revelation 20:5).
This will occur on the last day of this present age (#3.13), at
Jesus' second coming (#3.2),
after the tribulation (#3.4),
after the sun and moon have been darkened (#3.5),
after the heavens are shaken, and the stars fall from heaven (#3.6),
after the heavens be no more (#3.7),
after the seventh trumpet judgement (#3.8), and
refutes the errors of both a pre-tribulation rapture and a mid-tribulation rapture.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-53 (Paul)
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption.
51 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 the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:15-17 (Paul)
15 For this we say unto you by
the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of
the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Note:
Who are the dead "in Christ" who rise at the rapture? It included the
Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:2), the churches of Judaea (Gal 1:22; 1 Thessalonians 2:14), Titus
and Paul (Gal 2:3-4), Jews, Greeks, bond, free, male, and female (Gal 3:28),
circumcised and uncircumcised (Gal 6:15), the Ephesians (Ephesians 1:1; 2:10), the
Philippians (Phps 1:26; 3:3), the Colossians (Colossians 1:2; 1:4), the Thessalonians
(1 Thessalonians 1:1; 5:18), Timothy (2 Tim 2:10), and Paul (2 Tim 1:9), Philemon,
Apphia, Archippus (Philemon 1-2, 6), and the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocea, Asia and Bithynia (1 Peter 1:1; 3:16).
One of the errors in the pre-tribulation rapture theory is that because the
words "in Christ" do not appear between Revelation chapter 4 and chapter
18, that it is proof that the church is not there on the earth. Again, beware
when anyone argues from what the scripture does not say: it is almost always
false. We must ask then, "Who are those who die " in the Lord"
(Revelation 14:13), which the context shows to be during the tribulation?" The phrase
"in the Lord" is often used of the church in the New Testament:
(Romans 16:2) "That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints,"
(Romans 16:8) "Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord."
(Romans 16:10) "Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which
are in the Lord."
(Romans 16:12-13) "Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which
laboured much in the Lord.
Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine."
[The word translated "chosen" in this last verse is the same one
translated "elect", often referring to the church (See #6.8).]
(Romans 16:22) "I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord."
(1 Corinthians 4:17) "For this cause have
I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord,"
(1 Corinthians 7:22) "For he that is called in the Lord, being a
servant, is the Lord's freeman:"
(1 Corinthians 7:39) "The wife is bound
by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is
at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord."
(1 Corinthians 9:1) "are not ye my work in the Lord?"
[See also 1 Corinthians 9:2; 11:10; 15:58; 16:19; 2 Corinthians 10:17; Ephesians 2:21; 4:17; 5:8;
6:1; 6:10; 6:21; Phps 1:14; 2:29; 4:1; 4:2; 4:4; Colossians 3:18; 4:7; 4:17; 1 Thes
3:8; 5:12; Philemon 1:16; 1:20(2)]
All theses scriptures show that the terms "in Christ" and "in the Lord"
are synonymous. So the dead "in Christ" (1 Thessalonians 4:16) includes both
Jews and Gentiles, and those who die "in the Lord" (Revelation 14:13), which is
during the tribulation, and so refutes the idea of a Gentile church being
raptured before the tribulation, just as the rest of this section does.
MATTHEW 24:31 (Jesus)
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect1 from the four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other.
MARK 13:27 (Jesus)
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect1 from the four winds,
from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Note: These scriptures both show that Jesus sends his angels to gather "his elect" at
the rapture, but who are "his elect"? The adjective translated elect1
(Gr. eklektoj, Gtr. eklektos) (Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27) is often used as a noun. It means "picked
out" or "chosen", and can refer to Jesus (Luke 23:35), angels (1 Tim 5:21), or to all those whom God has chosen to rise at the first resurrection
(Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27). Jesus said, "For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:14), so how then are we chosen? Some are
chosen directly by Jesus, such as his disciples (Luke 6:13; John 6:70), or the apostle Paul (Acts 9:15), for the purpose of suffering for his name's sake
(Acts 9:16). Others may be chosen in the furnace of affliction (Isa 48:10), but the "elect" is one way of referring to those who are part of the church of God.
(Romans 8:33) "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?"
(Romans 16:13) "Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
(Colossians 3:12) "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of
mind, meekness, longsuffering;"
(Titus 1:1) "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's
elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;"
(1 Peter 1:1-2) "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."
However we are chosen, it always seems that those chosen by God must suffer some kind of
tribulation, such as persecution (#4.2).
Beginning with Abel (Gen 4:8), this has been so for righteous people throughout all history, because "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
(2 Tim 3:12). When does this gathering of Gods elect happen? After the tribulation (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24), and so on
the last day of this pre-millennial age (#3.1).
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This is the end of this Bible Study about who Jesus comes back for at the rapture