It is not uncommon to find many educated people in the churches completely deny the Rapture at all, particularly in Reformed-type churches. And of course, there are educated people who will place the Rapture at different points surrounding the Tribulation. That is what I will briefly address.
There are verses found in the OT that could possibly be a future look or a foretelling of the Rapture. Now we understand that there are “secrets” or “mysteries” in the OT that the writers had not been fully disclosed at the time of the inspired writings. Psalm 27:5 says, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon his rock.” What time of trouble is David writing? The time of trouble is often a reference to the Tribulation. In Jeremiah 30:7 it is called “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” Of course, Jacob is a reference to Israel. Then he says that God will “hide me.” “Hide” (6845) means exactly that. And even mentions “secret places” or “hidden ones.” So, obviously there is a protection from something bad, i.e. “trouble.” As David wrote this, he probably did not fully understand it. This is clearly a picture (to me) of a foreshadowing of the pre protection of the Church prior to a time of trouble. Yet, the Church was not in the OT, and neither did the Church replace Israel in any matter.
Zephaniah 2:2, 3 states, “…before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’s anger upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgement…seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” His fierce anger has been identified, and it has not happened, yet. It is clear, once again, that God will protect His children prior to His full anger and indignation becomes on display. Does this mean that this scripture is about the Rapture/ No, but it is a picture of it to come.
Granted, there is no exact timeline between the Rapture of the Church and the Tribulation, but the question should be asked: Why would God allow or want His Church to go through the devastation and wrath of the Tribulation? Jesus Christ wants to protect His Church, i.e., His Bride, not let her get beat up before the wedding. There are some who believe that the Church will not be raptured until the opening of the sixth-seal. Does that make sense that they are still going through the beginning of the Tribulation? The post-Trib group still wants to send the Church through the whole of the Tribulation. Again, why punish the Church? And why Rapture the Church then only boomerangs her back when Jesus Christ returns with them as found in Zechariah 14:5, Jude 14; Revelation 19:14. All of those scriptures specifically mention the saints returning with Jesus Christ. So, to return with Him means that they are somewhere else, and not on earth waiting to be raptured.
Perhaps the first verse in the NT to mention of a future pre-trib Rapture is found in John 14:1-3. Itreads, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Jesus Christ clearly states that He is about to leave this sinful world and return to the Father. And once there, He will prepare a place for us, the Church. Also, He says to not let your heart be troubled. Does that sound like He is going to allow His Church to go through a time of great distress and death and destruction? Titus 2:13 comforts us by saying, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” The word “looking” (4327) actually would be better translated “waiting” since that it what it means. If the Rapture is going to happen post-trib, why would we be waiting? Because if that was true, then we would not be waiting for the Rapture, but we would be waiting for the Tribulation to end. And how is there a “blessed hope” in looking forward to going through the Tribulation.
I Thessalonians 1:10, “And to wait for his son from heaven…Jesus, which delivered (4506, to rescue, to rush or draw) us from the wrath (3709, punishment, anger, indignation) to come.” Paul assures his readers that the wrath has not come but will come. And Jesus Christ from heaven will protect His Church from the certainty of wrath…Revelation 6.
I Thessalonians 4:17, 18 says, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.” Again, how can we “comfort one another” if we are about to go through Jacob’s Trouble? Has any post-trib student not read Revelation 6, 7, 8, etc.? The other point to mention is the first-person pronoun “we.” Why does that matter? Because Paul is the one speaking and he includes himself in the “we.” In other words, Paul knew that the Rapture would happen before the Tribulation because of its imminency, without any signs and suddenly. That is why he could tell the Thessalonians to “comfort one another” because it has not happened, yet, but possibly could happen soon. Paul was including himself in the “we.”
One more…
Revelation 3:10 assures us from the words of Jesus Christ Himself, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” The hour of temptation is obviously the Tribulation that will come upon on those that dwell upon the earth at that (future) time. But Jesus Christ says that He will keep some from that hour. The word “from” is translated from the Greek word ek. We find the same word, ek, in the Greek word for Church, which is ekklesia. And that means called out assembly, which can also refer to a general assembly as found in Acts 19:32 – “… the assembly was confused…”, further in Acts 19:39, 41. In the aforementioned scripture in Revelation, it should actually read “out of” the hour of temptation. Therefore, the Church will be removed out of and prior to the Tribulation, i.e., a pre-trib Rapture.
Too many post-trib adherents also believe in Dominionism or the 7-Mountain Mandate. They believe, of themselves, that they can make the world better and good enough to usher in the Kngdom to present it to Jesus Christ. However, to their detriment, the world is not and will not get better. Jesus Christ is very clear on that as found in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. Paul also warned of that in II Timothy 3:1 when he told us, “This know also, that in the last days perilous (5467, furious and fierce) times shall come.” Are things getting better in this world or are we living in perilous times? How often do we see or hear the fulfilling of II Peter 3:3-4a, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of His coming…?”
Let the scoffers scoff. Let the deniers deny. Jesus Christ is coming again, but not to the earth. We will meet Him in the air (I Thessalonians 4:17). And at the end of the Tribulation, we will return with Him to earth (Zechariah 14:5, Jude 14; Revelation 19:14). What a glorious day that will be knowing that He has fulfilled His promise of protecting His Church from the things to come.
