Understanding the Rapture: Examining Different Views on the End-Time Event

Of all the end-time events, the Rapture of the church seems to generate the most interest and discussion; since we live in the church age. There are various positions usually regarding the time of the rapture:

• Pre-tribulational rapture. The church is raptured before the last seven years of the 490 years of Gentile rule and God’s wrath and judgment upon the Gentile nations and Israel. The church is not destined for this wrath of God that is poured out upon the earth (1 Thes 5:9; Rev 3:10). This best accounts for the Judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10) and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19). People will have the opportunity to be saved during the tribulation period and either be martyred or live through the entire seven years. The church will return with Christ at the end of the tribulation period in the second coming of Christ.

Apart from the quotes from Hermas and Ireanus, the teaching of a pre-tribulational rapture began with the Plymouth Brethren movement from Dublin. A key proponent was John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). This was further developed on a broad scale from within the Niagara Bible Conference Era from 1875-1900. It took a major hold on the Christian community from 1900 on because of the scholarly leadership (Gaebelein, Scofield, Torrey, Gray, Ironside, Chafer, etc.). Modern proponents are Stewart Brisco, Paul Feinberg, John MacArthur, Charles Swindoll, and universities such as Dallas Theological Seminary, The Master’s College and Seminary, Grace Seminary, Moody Bible Institute, Liberty University, and Cedarville.

One weakness in this position is the division of Christ’s coming into two events, which is never seen in the Old Testament. This is true of almost every rapture position. Yet the church was a “mystery” during Old Testament times. That should not discount the New Testament’s teachings on the rapture.

• Mid-tribulational rapture. The rapture takes place when the two witnesses are resurrected from the dead and go up to heaven. The problems with this view: The whole world sees this event; so it cannot be referring to the rapture which is in the twinkling of an eye. Just the two witnesses ascend; not the church. If this were the case, then where did the believers under the altar come from under the 5th trumpet judgment?

In 1944, Norman B. Harrison presented the Mid-tribulation rapture, possibly because the church was still on earth and many believed that WWII was the tribulation period with Hitler as the antichrist. More recent exponents are James Buswell and Gleason Archer.

The primary purpose of this view was to reconcile the pre- and post-tribulation positions. The position believed that the church will enter the tribulation, but will be raptured before the last 3 1/2 years of God’s wrath. This is referred to by Gleason Archer as a pre-tribulational position because the church is raptured prior to the “real” wrath of God, or the “Time of Jacob’s trouble.”

The major weaknesses of this view is very poor biblical support. The Bible has nothing to do with this idea. The witnesses and the Biblical accounts of the middle of the tribulation are important, but do not suggest that this is the time of the rapture. This position has many difficulties which it cannot overcome.

• Pre-wrath rapture. This views only part of the 7 year tribulation as the wrath of God and not the entire tribulation. Only the very end of the 7 years is viewed as God’s actual wrath. The rapture will happen about the middle of the last 3½ years. 

The major weakness regarding the Mid-tribulational position as well as the pre-wrath rapture position is the prophecy of Daniel. In the book of Daniel, he states that all 490 years of this prophecy are God’s wrath; so if the first 483 years were God’s wrath; certainly the last 7 years must also be God’s wrath.

In the late 1980’s, Marve Rosenthal received money to promote this view. He left Israel My Glory and published his new magazine,  Zion’s Fire. The position is pre-tribulational. The difference is what is determined to be the time frame of the wrath of God. Since the entire 490 years of Daniel is the wrath of God, the last 7 years have to be the wrath of God. This is the biggest weakness of Rosenthal’s book.

• Post-tribulational rapture. This is often called the yo-yo theory by some. The belief that we will be raptured to then turn around and come back to earth with Christ at the 2nd Coming. The idea is the church acts as an escort for Jesus, raptured up to meet Him and to bring Him back to earth in triumph. The Weaknesses include. The church cannot be on earth during the wrath of God over the 7 year tribulation. Some say the church is still on earth, but protected. But the judgment of God is directed at Israel and the Gentile nations. When does the judgment seat of Christ take place? The marriage supper of the lamb? They say in the blink of an eye, but God tends to work with man in time.

There has been an attempt by Post-tribulationalists to trace this belief  back to the early church fathers who believed the church would suffer at the hand of anti-Christ. The position was not expounded until the late 1880’s as a doctrinal position. It actually was created as a reaction to pretribulationalism from the Niagara Bible Conference by Nathaniel West, a Presbyterian theologian, a charter member of the conference. This position wasn’t popular until George E. Ladd wrote in 1952 and later backed by Robert H. Gundry. It has a wife following today with proponents such as J Barton Payne.

The position believes the church will go through the tribulation and be raptured immediately before the return of Christ. The rapture is viewed as a meeting of Christ by the church to escort Him back to the earth. The tribulation is not viewed as the wrath of God. 

The problem with this position is that it doesn’t allow for specific time periods in the tribulation and millennial kingdom making it close to Amillennialism. It cannot account for the rebellion at the end or the tribulation and the marriage supper of the lamb and judgment seat of Christ. It tends to equate all believers and the church and doesn’t see a difference between Israel and the church.

• Partial rapture theory. As believers mature enough spiritually, they each then have their own rapture to Heaven. This is one of the weakest positions of all. My wife’s Dad, Rev. Richard C. Vile, use to say that their family was going to be raptured first (as a joke). Their last name is the French “Vile.” The Bible says that He will change our “vile” bodies to be like that of his glorious body! This was a joke, but you can see how easy it is to start false doctrines and have “apparent” scriptural backing!

This belief was first promoted by Robert G. Govett as early as 1852. In 1895, a Luthern minister from Ohio, George Peters pushed a partial rapture for those who faithfully watched for the Lord’s return. Modern proponents are George H. Lang, in “The Dawn” magazine.

The attempt of this view was to mediate between the pre-tribulational and post-tribulational positions. In this case, the rapture is no longer a part of redemption, but the believer’s reward. Those who are mature believers (those watching for the Lord, committed to Christ, and serving Christ) will be raptured, while those who are “carnal” Christians will go into the tribulation. As believers mature, they will be raptured as well. This position believes there will be multiple raptures taking place during the tribulation

The major weakness of this position is the total lack of Biblical support for the rapture as a reward rather than a part of our salvation. Except for the admonition to watch, there is nothing we can do to “earn” the rapture. And certainly there is no support for multiple raptures during the seven year tribulation period.

• No rapture theory. The A-millennial and Post-millennial positions say there is no rapture, especially since they claim “rapture” is not found in the Bible. But it is a weak argument. They hold that nothing is literal in eschatological time. “Caught up” is in the Bible and “rapture” is the word that translates “caught up” in the Latin Vulgate (rapturo); so yes the word “rapture” is in the Bible! It could easily be used to translate the Greek word found here as “caught up.”