Why I Believe The Rapture Comes Before The Tribulation

Mark 13:32-37, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

The Rapture is a much debated subject. The word “rapture” itself does not appear in the Holy Bible, but we find the phrase “CAUAGT UP” appears in 1st Thessalonians 4:17. The saints will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This is quite different than Acts 1:9-11 where the Lord ascended into heaven. Acts 1:11, “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” The promise is that Jesus will someday return and descend upon the earth, just as He departed but in reverse. So we see that at the Rapture the saints are GOING UP, but at Jesus' Second Coming He is COMING DOWN.

The greatest debate is over the timing of the Rapture event. Our text passage from Mark 13:32-37 teaches that NO MAN, not even the angels in Heaven, know the time nor the hour of the Lord's return. There is controversy over whether this passage applies to the Rapture or Jesus' Second Coming. Since the Apostle Paul first called the Rapture a “mystery,” some theologians believe that the Bible prior to this mention cannot refer to the Rapture. 1st Corinthians 15, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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.”

My humble opinion is that Jesus had foreknowledge of the future. The Lord prophesied of specific events which will happen during the Tribulation period (see Matthew 24 and Mark 13). There is no doubt that Jesus DID know about the coming RAPTURE. If the Lord wasn't referring to the Rapture, but His Second Coming in Mark 13:32-37, then we have a big theological problem, because we WOULD know the time of His return.

For example: Daniel 12:11 teaches that from the event called the Abomination Of Desolation (i.e., the Antichrist breaks the peace agreement with Israel and professes to be God), there will be 1,290 more days until the end. Daniel 12:11, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” So we KNOW that from the middle of the Tribulation when the Antichrist claims to be God that Jesus will return in 1,290 days. This would contradict Mark 13:32-37 and render the passage useless. How can we not know the time of Jesus' return if the exact time is known? The ONLY logical conclusion is that Mark 13:32-27 is speaking about a pretribulation Rapture!

Pastor Max Younce made this helpful Bible chart explaining The Days of Daniel...

The ONLY doctrinal position that fits everything is a Pretribulation Rapture. Nothing else works! I made the following helpful chart a few years ago. It will seem confusing if you don't take the time to think it through and look up all the Scripture passages. In this chart I explain from the Bible why Pastor Steven Anderson's PreWrath Rapture Theory simple doesn't work...

Smaller Chart | Larger Chart

Please understand that this is a highly debatable theological topic, so no one is going to hang you out to dry for believing either way. Well, they shouldn't...lol. Thankfully our assurance of salvation has nothing to do with minor doctrinal disagreements. If your faith is in Jesus Christ alone, then you are saved. The Bible is very clear on the Gospel.

There are many more reasons why I believe in a Pretribulation Rapture, but this one is the biggest. The Bible says that NO ONE knows the time of Jesus' return. Anything other than a Pretribulation Rapture and we would know.

Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Friend, why would we LOOK FOR JESUS CHRIST if the Antichrist must appear first? Proponents of a PreWrath or PostTribulation Rapture all believe that the Man of Sin, the Antichrist, but come first. That makes no sense. If the Antichrist must appear first, then we have no reason to look for Jesus. So why would Titus 2:13 tell us to LOOK for the GLORIOUS APPEARING of Jesus Christ?

I have an open mind. If someone can convince me from the Bible that the Rapture won't happen until a later time, I will change my views. The Bible is like solving a puzzle. We have thousands of pieces all disarranged.  By comparing Scripture with Scripture we can form conclusions and solve the puzzle. But if we leave out pieces, by overlooking Scripture passages or wrestling others, then our end result will be flawed and incorrect. I am firmly convinced after 41 years of being saved, that if you take the King James Bible at face value you can only conclude a Pretribulation Rapture.