Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20
While mainstream Christianity has varied views on the Rapture the most common view is that the Rapture is a pre-tribulation event where believers are taken away to heaven before a period of intense tribulation and judgment on those left behind.
Christians hope to be taken away while others fear being left behind, but what does the Bible say on these things?
Speaking of the time of the end Jesus gave the parable of the tares and the wheat:
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus goes on to explain the parable of the tares and the wheat:
He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:37-43
The harvest in the parable of the tares and the wheat is the end of the world and both the tares, representing the wicked, and the wheat, representing the righteous, grow together until the very end when, in verse 30, we are told the wicked are gathered first!
Jesus goes on to compare the time of the end of the world to the days of Noah:
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:37-39
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Matthew 24:40,41
We plainly see in verse 39 that it is the wicked who are taken way, not the righteous.
Should there still be any doubt that those taken away are wicked, when his disciples ask where those being taken away are being taken to, Jesus answers:
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. Luke 17:34-37
Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Matthew 24:25-28
Those taken away are killed at the second coming of Jesus at the end of the world and become literal food for scavengers!
Jesus goes on to explain that it is only after the tribulation that He returns to gather His elect:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:29-31
Already we see a clear pattern emerging where the Rapture and the 2nd coming of Jesus are the same even and that they happen at the very end of the world, after the time of the tribulation.
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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
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: 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. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
There is only one resurrection, or catching up of the righteous. It happens at the 2nd coming of Jesus when those who remain at the end, never tasting death, meet up with those who have died in the faith are first risen from their graves. All this commences at the last trump of God.
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. … And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. Revelation 8:1, 2, 6, 7
There are seven trumpets in total, each being followed by a plague being poured out upon the earth. God’s people are “raptured” after the sounding of the seventh and final trumpet.
We read in Exodus, chapters 7 through 13, how God’s people were still very much present as the ten plagues fell of God’s judgment fell on Egypt. But God protected His people during those terrible plagues. Likewise, God’s people will be present during the seven last plagues at the end of the world as a witness that God protects and delivers His people.
Multiple times in God’s Word we are told how we will go through tribulation:
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22 (See also 1 Thess 3:3; 2 Tim 3:12; Romans 5:3-5; 1 Peter 4:12; James 1:12; Romans 12:12; Phil 4:12-13)
Even Job knew that the righteous sleep in the grave and do not rise up to the change that makes the righteous incorruptible and immortal until God’s wrath is past at the end when even the heavens are no more.
But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. Job 14:10-15
But Christ promises His people deliverance:
Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive; Psalm 41:1-2
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Revelation 6:14-17
We should want to be left behind to stand in the day of the wrath of the Lamb while with wicked are taken away in judgment and ultimately eternal destruction.
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isaiah 28:10-13
In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. 1 Corinthians 13:1
You cannot make doctrine out of one verse taken out of context ignoring the pattern established by all the other verses. Like a puzzle, you can’t just look at the once piece but have to look at the big picture to understand what is being shown.
The doctrine of a secret rapture where the church is taken away before the tribulation is a dangerous doctrine as it fails to impress on believers to make sure they are prepared for when Jesus returns and gives the false and deadly hope that they can have a second chance during the tribulation should the miss the rapture. But we see that by the time of the tribulation the judgments of God are already falling thus probation is closed.
Being deceived about when and how Jesus returns also opens people up to being deceived about the identity of the Beast, the Beast’s image and his mark!
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:42-44
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Matthew 24:45,46