Why the Rapture Must Come First

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

• Early Church views

• What the Rapture is

• Overview of Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib/Pre-Wrath, and Post-Trib

• Early Church Fathers who held pre-trib ideas

• The difference between normal tribulation and the Great Tribulation

II. What is the Tribulation

• Purpose and Old Testament foundation

• The Tribulation as Jacob’s Trouble

• When the Tribulation begins

• Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls

• When God’s wrath starts

III. Why the Church Will Not Be in the Tribulation

• Promise to be kept from the hour (Rev. 3:10)

• Call to watch and escape (Luke 21)

• Jesus receiving His Church (John 14; Rev. 19)

• The wicked taken in judgment (Matt. 24; Luke 17)

• Israel gathered after the Tribulation (Mark 13)

IV. The Order of End-Time Events

• Purpose of the Tribulation

• Three “catching away” events

  1. Church

  2. Wicked

  3. Israel’s elect

• Wheat and Tares sequence

V. Complete Timeline Summary

• Rapture before the first seal

• Seven-year Tribulation

• Christ’s visible return

• Wicked removed

• Israel gathered

• Millennial Kingdom

• Church returns with Christ

VI. Recommended Resources

VII. References

I. Introduction

The teaching that there would be a coming tribulation aligned with dispensational doctrine was the view of the early Church, at least for the first 300 years of Church history. But with the rise of allegorical interpretation of Scriptures, the likes of Origen and Augustine, this fell out of favor in the 4th to 6th centuries. Within the first three centuries, the three rapture views were present: the Pre-Tribulation rapture, Mid-Trib/Pre-Wrath, and Post-Tribulation views.

Before moving forward, a few terms. What does the word Rapture mean? In short, the word Rapture is a "Christian term used to denote the ascension (or lifting up) of Christians.[1] But when will this lifting up occur? Three basic views were listed above, but what do the terms mean?

• Brief overview of the three major views:

  • Pre-Tribulation

    • The Pre-Tribulation is the thought that the Church will be taken up to be with Christ in heaven before the tribulation begins to fall onto the earth.

  • Mid-Trib / Pre-Wrath

    • This view teaches that the Church was only promised to be spared from the Wrath of God that will be poured out during the bowl judgment of Revelation 16.

  • Post-Tribulation

    • This view holds that the Church will go through the whole tribulation, being called up only at the second coming of Christ to meet Him in the air, then returning to earth as a sort of escort.

It should be noted that a good number of early Church Fathers help to a pretribulation view, including, according to Doc Marquis, Ephraem the Syrian (ca. 373), Victorinus (ca. 300), Cyprian (200–258), Irenaeus (130–202), Ignatius of Antioch (ca. 36–108), and Clement of Rome all wrote in ways that point to the Church being removed or "caught up" before the tribulation. Their collective testimony demonstrates that concepts resembling a pre-tribulation rapture were present long before the modern era.[2]

What is tribulation? According to Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, tribulation is defined as "adversity and anguish; intense oppression or persecution. Tribulation is linked to God's process for making the world right again."[3] But, the "exact phrase, "the great tribulation," is found only once in the Bible (Rev. 7:14). The great tribulation is to be distinguished from the general tribulation a believer faces in the world (Matt. 13:21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22). It is also to be distinguished from God's specific wrath upon the unbelieving world at the end of the age (Mark 13:24; Rom. 2:5–10; 2 Thess. 1:6)."[4]

The Bible speaks of tribulation that the members of the Church will face in life, as we read in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." This tribulation is not to be confused with the tribulation that will afflict the whole earth and all those who are on it as seen in Mark 13:24–25 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

II. What is the Tribulation

While the terms tribulation and great tribulation are primarily found in the New Testament, the concept is rooted in the Old Testament. The purpose for this time is plain: it is to "save the nation of Israel (and many Gentiles as well) and bring them under the new covenant, which is the covenant of salvation."[5] So while the tribulation is a future seven-year judgment of God on the earth, its primary focus is clearly Israel. As John F. Hart points out, "The prophet Jeremiah gives the tribulation period a distinctive description. He says of it, "How awful that day will be! There will be none like it! It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be delivered out of it" (Jer. 30:7 HCSB). This demonstrates that God's focus during the tribulation is on Israel—it is "a time of trouble for Jacob" (suggesting that the Church will have already been removed)."[6] For this reason, we should understand the tribulation through a Jewish lens, rooted in the Old Testament and clarified in the New.

When does the tribulation begin? While post-trib believers believe that the Church will go through the entirety of this end-times event. Pre-tribulationists and Mid/Pre-wrath proponents believe that the Church will be taken out of it or from within it at some point. So, will the Church be taken from the entirety of the Tribulation? Or will she be taken out at some point within the tribulation? When is God's wrath poured out, with the bowls or with the breaking of the seals?

According to the book of Revelation, three sections of judgments will be poured out: The seven seals (Rev. 6:1–17; 8:1), the seven trumpets (8:6–9:21; 11:15–19), and lastly seven bowls (16:1–21). "The bowls, like the trumpets, draw from the plagues of Exodus to depict the pouring out of God's wrath on unbelievers." [7] Still, the question remains, when does God's wrath begin to be poured out, with the trumpets, bowls, or with the breaking of the seals?

To say that God's wrath begins with the trumpets or the bowls seems exegetically unsupportable. According to Paul Benware, when Christ takes the scroll and begins breaking its seals (Revelation 6–8), the judgments start to fall on the earth. This marks the beginning of God's wrath being poured out. All the judgments tied to the scroll—the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls- together reveal the full expression of God's wrath described in Revelation.[8] Benware goes on to quote Paul Feinberg on this matter, that "One cannot exegetically classify various kinds of wrath and distinguish their recipients, and thus avoid the conclusion that the whole seventieth week is a time of God's retributive wrath."[9]

Charles Caldwell Ryrie agrees and adds that Revelation 15:1 states that the last series of plagues (the bowl judgments) finishes, or completes, the wrath (literally, anger) of God being poured out on the earth.[10] And if the bowls are symbols of judgments that complete God's Wrath, then logic dictates that "the wrath of God does not begin with those judgments but has to begin before. The wrath of God will be finishing, not beginning, at the time of the seven bowl judgments."[11]

If this is true, that "All the judgments tied to the scroll—the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls—together reveal the full expression of God's wrath," and if it is true that God promised "to keep the church from His wrath on the whole earth, then the rapture must occur before the seventieth week begins and the pre-wrath view falls apart."[12] Therefore, if we are to take the promises of God seriously, that the Church will not take part in the trials that will try those who dwell on the whole earth, then the only view left standing is the Pre-Tribulational view. But what are these promises of the rapture of the Church before the tribulation?

III. Why the Church Will Not Be Present in the Tribulation

A. Promise of Deliverance From the Time of the Wrath

Revelation 3:10, in this passage, we are told that "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." The hour represented the whole of the tribulation period,[13] which will cover the whole earth, and come upon "those who dwell on the earth," indicating a worldwide tribulation (as it is indicated by "all the nations" in Rev. 12:5 and "the whole world" in 16:14).[14]

Mark Hitchcock and Ed Hindson argue that the Church is promised to be kept from the Hour, not saved through it. They go on to point out that the only other use of tēreō ek (kept from), as seen in Rev 3:10, in the New Testament appears in John 17:15: "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one." This identical phrase shows that ek means being kept out of something, not protected through it. God keeps His people from the evil one (1 John 5:18), keeping them beyond his reach. In the same way, Revelation 3:10 promises to keep the church outside the coming hour of testing—something only a pre-tribulation rapture fulfills.[15]

B. Call to Watch and Escape

In Luke 21:27-28, we find Jesus speaking about the tribulation. Jesus says, "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." Notice two groups: the "They" that will see the Son of Man coming, and "those" who will see the signs of these things begin to come to pass. Left alone and out of context, a case could be made that this supports a pre-wrath or even a post-tribulational point of view, but let's keep reading.

A few verses later, in Luke 21:34-36, we get more detail on this event. Here we read that this second group, those who are looking for their redemption, are to "take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." Notice the similar reading to Revelation 3:10, that those who are counted worthy will "escape all these things," which things? The 7-year tribulation: also note that Jesus did not separate this time into different judgments, but rather into a single judgment.

How are these counted worthy to escape all these things? By keeping God's Word, thereby showing that they belong to Christ and are a part of His Church. They will not be safe though it, but taken away so they will not see a moment of this trial. Note also where they will be taken to after they are removed from the Earth? They are to stand before the Son of Man.

C. Jesus' Promise to His Church

Where will the believers be taken to escape all these things? John 14:1–3 tells us: "Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." The Church will not be called up into the air, then turn around and come back down to Earth, but they will spend time with Christ in Heaven. What will the Church be doing in heaven? Part of it is to make herself for her return to Earth to take part in the marriage supper of the Lamb, Revelation 19:7-9. This will be the first snatching away, but there are two others.

D. The Catching up of the Wicked

Matthew 24:36-44 is often read as a rapture of the Church, specifically because Jesus says, "One will be taken and the other left." But the parallel account in Luke 17:25–37 adds essential clarity to this passage. When the disciples ask where the ones "taken" are going, Jesus replies, "Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered." Craig A. Evans points out that this language points to judgment, not rescue: "The answer is grim. Where the body is—where the slain lie—there the vultures gather." This illustration fits with Revelation 19:17-21, which speaks of "the supper of the great God" as the birds consume the flesh of the wicked. In this setting, those who are "taken" are taken in judgment for punishment, not Christians being gathered to Christ. This snatching up will be performed by Angels at the end of the tribulation, who will take them to the place of Judgement. Whereas Christ comes, He comes Himself for His own, calling the Church up, before the tribulation ever begins, taking her to be with Him in heaven.

E. The Gathering of The Elect Nation, Israel.

Mark sheds light on what happens to the faithful remnant of Israel at this time in Mark 13:24-27. Here, Jesus explains that after that tribulation, when those still living "see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory," He will "send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven."

The sequence of these snatchings up comes to mind: does the removal of the wicked happen first, or the gathering of the elect? Jesus anwsers this in the parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36–43). In verse 30, He declares, "Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers,' (that is His angels), 'First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

So, in Luke 21:27, when we read "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." The they being spoken of are the tares and the wheat, the children of the wicked one and the elect nation. The tares will be moved from among the wheat, into judgment. After this, the wheat will be gathered into His Barn. The Barn is the millennial kingdom, after the marriage supper of the Lamb.

IV. Establishing the Order of Events

The Tribulation's Purpose and Identity

The purpose of the tribulation is to bring Israel back to God; it is that great day, the day of Jacob's trouble, Jeremiah 30:7.

The 3 Catching away

The Rapture of the Church (Catching Away #1)

Revelation 3:10 — The Church is kept out of the "hour of trial" coming on the whole world (tēreō ek = kept out, not kept through).

Luke 21:28, 34–36 — Believers are told they will "escape all these things" and stand before the Son of Man.

John 14:1-3 — Jesus takes His followers to the Father's house, not back to earth, indicating a heavenly removal.

Therefore, the Church is:

• Removed before the Tribulation begins,

• Taken to heaven,

• And kept outside the time of wrath, the day of Jacob's Trouble

The Removal of the Wicked (Catching Away #2)

Matthew 24:36 44 / Luke 17:25–37 — "One taken, one left" refers not to the Church but to the wicked taken in judgment. "Where the body is…" shows:

• The "taken" are taken to judgment, not rescue.

Revelation 19:17-21 confirms this gathering is the judgment of the wicked at Christ's return.

The Gathering of Israel (Catching Away #3)

Mark 13:24-27 — After the Tribulation, Jesus sends His angels to gather His elect (Israel) from the ends of the earth and heaven.

This is not the rapture of the Church but the gathering of the faithful remnant of Israel after Christ's return.

The Sequence Clarified by the Wheat and Tares

Matthew 13:24 30, 36–43 — Jesus gives the order:

First, the tares (wicked) are gathered for judgment.

Then the wheat (righteous—Israel's redeemed remnant) is gathered into His barn (the kingdom).

Therefore, at Christ's visible Second Coming:

• First: Wicked removed to judgment.

• Then, Israel's elect gathered.

Final Placement

The wicked are taken away to judgment.

Israel's redeemed are gathered into the marriage supper of the Lamb and enter into the Millennial Kingdom ("the Barn")

The Church, previously raptured and in heaven, returns with Christ for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Complete Timeline in Order

1. The Purpose of the Tribulation is established (primarily for Israel).

• The First Gathering: The Church is raptured before the time of the Tribulation.

2. Tribulation begins when the first seal is broken = beginning of God's wrath.

3. First gathering: Church raptured before the first seal (kept out of the hour).

4. Seven-year Tribulation unfolds (Seals → Trumpets → Bowls).

5. Christ returns in glory after the Tribulation.

6. Second gathering: Wicked removed in judgment (Matt 24 / Luke 17).

7. Third gathering: Elect of Israel gathered by angels (Mark 13).

8. Wheat and Tares fulfilled — judgment first, then the remnant of the Elect nation is gathered.

9. Church returns with Christ, having been in heaven during the 7 years.

10. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb and The Millennium ("the barn").

The Church's removal before the Tribulation, combined with the order of judgment and Israel's gathering, confirms that the Rapture must come first.

Summary

The early Church, at least in its first three centuries, recognized a coming tribulation. The term Rapture refers to the ascension of Christians to be with Christ, but the timing of this event differs among the views. Many early Church Fathers, including Ephraem the Syrian, Victorinus, Cyprian, Irenaeus, Ignatius, and Clement of Rome, wrote in ways that suggest the Church would be removed before the tribulation.

Tribulation, defined as intense persecution or adversity, has both a general application to believers' struggles and a distinct "great tribulation" of the end times, primarily focused on Israel. The Book of Revelation shows how God's Wrath is poured out chronologically, beginning with the seals, then the trumpets, and finishing in the pouring out of the bowls. All of which the Church is promised to be kept from.

For the Church to be kept from the wrath of God, the Rapture must occur before the 70th week begins, supporting a Pre-Tribulation view. There will be two more catching ups of two different groups of people, the tares and the wheat, one for judgment, the other group is gathered up and taken to the Marriage supper of the Lamb, with the Church, after which they enter into the Millennial Kingdom.

VI. Recommended Resources

• Videos

  • https://youtu.be/K63qRjXEqaQ

  • https://youtu.be/I0vkxijZNyM

  • https://youtu.be/aLsMULMmlGE

• Articles

  • https://www.gotquestions.org/rapture-of-the-church.html

• Websites (Behold Israel, GTY,

  • Pre-Trib Research Center

    • https://www.pre-trib.org/

  • Behold Israel

    • https://beholdisrael.org/?s=Rapture

  • By The Light of Truth

    • https://bythelightoftruth.com/

References

[1] Walter A. Elwell and Philip Wesley Comfort, Tyndale Bible Dictionary, Tyndale Reference Library (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 1112.

[2] Doc Marquis, The Final Rapture: What We Know About the End Times Only Scratches the Surface (Lake Mary, FL: Frontline, 2017).

[3] Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995).

[4] Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995).

[5] Paul Benware, Understanding End Times Prophecy: A Comprehensive Approach (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2006), 199.

[6] John F. Hart, Evidence for the Rapture: A Biblical Case for Pretribulationism (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 257.

[7] J. Daniel Hays, J. Scott Duvall, and C. Marvin Pate, Dictionary of Biblical Prophecy and End Times (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2007), 73.

[8] Paul Benware, Understanding End Times Prophecy: A Comprehensive Approach (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2006), 223.

[9] Paul Benware, Understanding End Times Prophecy: A Comprehensive Approach (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2006), 223.

[10] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, What You Should Know about the Rapture, Current Christian Issues (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1981), 111.

[11] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, What You Should Know about the Rapture, Current Christian Issues (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1981), 111.

[12] Jim Showers, “Pre-Wrath Rapture,” in The Harvest Handbook of Bible Prophecy, ed. Ed Hindson, Mark Hitchcock, and Tim LaHaye (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2020), 325.

[13] John F. Hart, Evidence for the Rapture: A Biblical Case for Pretribulationism (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 264.

[14] John F. Hart, Evidence for the Rapture: A Biblical Case for Pretribulationism (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 264.

[15] Mark Hitchcock and Ed Hindson, Can We Still Believe in the Rapture? (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2018), 149.