(1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
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.

II Corinthians 1:10:
Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us ;

I Thessalonians 1:10:
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

I Thessalonians 5:9:
For God hath not appointed us to wrath , but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Titus 2:13:
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Revelation of John 3:10:
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 CONTROVERSY

One of the biggest controversies in the Church today is the rapture. Many are now saying that, since it has not happened and, since many have predicted a date for it which was obviously wrong and, since "the word RAPTURE is not found in Scripture", and other various reasons, that it therefore will not happen until the end or, at the earliest, the middle of the Great Tribulation, spoken of by Jesus Himself.

These are certainly very weak and desperate arguments, since many things in Scripture took thousands of years to come to pass (i.e. the Gospel foretold in Genesis 3:15) and, since mankind, deliberately or accidentally, being wrong about a timing of the Rapture he has no knowledge of anyways, wrongly predicts it constantly and, since so many words used in Christianity today do not appear in Scripture in English, it does not follow that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture will not happen. But, alas, because we are in the last days, unbelief and apostasy are ever, very present, prevalent and growing in the Church.

There are many important doctrines we see in God's Word which are not explicitly written in the exact sentence, with the exact words, in the exact order we would like them to be in, so that we could explicitly, exactly, specifically and directly quote them. It does not mean it is or is not a doctrine. A teaching can be throughout, scattered among many books, cover to cover. Can you show me a verse which specifically says, with all of the words, in order, "You need to go to church"? "Denomination"? "Non-denominational"? Is the word "human" to be found there, in English?

When we add to that the increase of knowledge of biblically prophetic things in every way now in the last days, archaeological discoveries confirming Scripture, One Worldism, Israel's return to her land and preparation for the Third Temple, spiritual satanic activity on the rise, increased spiritual deception and blindness, intense increase of evil, the rise of the belief in evolutionism, the fast rise of Islam on the world stage and its alliance-forming with Russia, The European Union, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, the latest heretical edicts from Rome's popes on key biblical doctrines, coupled with the technology for making a mark on every worshiper of the beast and for worldwide broadcasts of the Great Tribulation live to all (even through their cell phones!) and, last but not least, the great falling away of the believers themselves (Revelation 3:14-22), it should be obvious to any true believer that the Rapture also cannot be far away.

People setting dates for the Rapture or Second Coming does not help, either. First off, Jesus told us that we could not, in Matthew 25:13:

Matthew 25:13:
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

If there were signs to watch for, we would be able to date it, with precision. Jesus said we cannot, making it imminent, even to the people in Paul's day.
Today, with the tiny nation of Israel as a main barometer, the technology for the mark of the beast in place, the calls for one-worldism coming from every country's leaders, the push for "The Great Reset", the whole control over all with "vaccine" mandates, lockdowns, etc. and the advent of a completely digital world currency, and all of the other signs of the last days, thoughts of the Rapture among believers are ever present. However, not all believers share those thoughts. Many of those events are happening all at once, more and more, faster and faster, like birth pangs. One thing any mother knows about birth pangs (labor pains) is, once they start, that baby is on its way, guaranteed, ready or not. It is clear that, without living in these last days, the writers of some prophecy would not, could not have completely understood all that the verses literally mean, not having seen the technology first hand. It simply was not possible then for them to even envision, let alone having the whole world see two dead people in the streets of Jerusalem, on a screen or hologram:

Revelation of John 11:3-12:
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

A TEXT WITHOUT A CONTEXT IS A PRETEXT

Before any clear, concise, and complete study can be done in God's Word, it must always, always be remembered that we need to do it the way God wants us to, the way those in the Bible itself did it, including Jesus. Not the way most mainstream Christians, pastors and authors do. The way God wants us to. This is only done by using the context of any word or verse to determine the meaning, and not allowing private interpretation.. We are called to READ God's Word, not READ INTO it. Read it with the eyes of faith, not with pre-conceived notions, often gotten from others.

Isaiah 28:10:
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Isaiah 28:13:
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
Deuteronomy 4:2:
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Revelation of John 22:18, 29:
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The above verses clearly state that the context of any verse in God's Word determines it's meaning, in any area of study. It further states that we must not add or subtract to that which is there, which we are given, neither with pen and paper nor with our mind. Failure to grasp this leads always to error.

THE CONTEXT

The proximal context (nearby, adjoining verses)
Distal context (the chapter, the book, in fact the whole of the rest of God's Word, in conjunction with the verse(s) read)
Historical context
Personal context-WHO is speaking and, if God is, TO WHOM exactly is God speaking and what about?
In addition to all of this, it has to be said that any important doctrine cannot be established, or overturned, by a single verse IF there are many verses dealing with a doctrine, which is what contexts are indeed even for. For instance, if there are 400 verses on a subject, and a person takes one or two which SEEM contradictory and uses (read ABUSES) them to "refute the interpretation" of the doctrine, ignoring the hundreds of other verses, then it is not a doctrine from the Word of God, it is a false doctrine, a prophecy of Scripture, privately interpreted (2 Peter 1:20).

2 Peter 1:20:
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Any verses used (read ABused) by post or mid-tribulation adherents are always, like all heresy, taken out of context and privately mis-interpreted to fit into a preconceived idea of what God meant.

A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A PRIORI ERROR:

The Jews believed that, since it said in their own Scriptures, that the Messiah was coming, they believed He was coming to save them-ONLY ONCE. They did not read or understand that, as it is written, because it clearly states and teaches that there MUST be two comings, the Suffering Messiah (First Coming, Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22) and the Conquering/Claiming Messiah (Second Coming). Why did they miss it? Because it did not specifically say the exact sentence, "The Messiah is coming twice for Israel"? God even combined the two in one verse for them, and they still missed it!

Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

The rejection of the imminent return of the LORD Jesus Christ is a clear, perfect example of this:

II Peter 3:3-4:
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? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

While these verses also speak of the theory of evolution and the concept of "millions of years" uniformitarianism, are there not people saying, "where is the promise of His coming?" and mocking the Pre-Tribulation proponents, saying,

"It's because the rapture is at the MIDDLE or the END, not the beginning!"?

Of course they are saying it.

The rejecters of the pre-Tribulation rapture claim that the Church will go through the Great Tribulation Judgment of God's Wrath upon the earth and the enemy, and will personally experience the anti-Christ's kingdom, some even claiming that Christians will have an opportunity to take the mark of the beast (and somehow "losing their salvation"? !!!) apparently somehow being shielded from God's Wrath. While God is certainly capable of doing this, it goes against His character, shown consistent throughout Scripture, not to mention what He specifically said He would do.

If this was true, then God has changed His character and dealings with His people somehow, since He has never done such a thing before now in history. It is obvious from our primary barometer, Israel, and her return to the land to become a cup of trembling, plus all current events prophesied about the last days being fulfilled now, that the seven year Tribulation period can not be too far off. It is certain that we are in the last days and that we are living in the days leading up to the start of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21, Revelation 2:22, Revelation 7:14).

OUT OF CONTEXT: BEHOLD ANOTHER PERFECT EXAMPLE

Matthew 24:29, 30:
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.

So let's stop right there, shall we? What further need have we of witnesses? Hey, it's what THEY do, the stop right there and go no further!!

The claim is that this set of verses teach a post-Tribulation "rapture". Here is a perfect example of unlearned and unstable men abusing Scripture, torturing Scripture, wresting Scripture, twisting it and removing it from its context, privately interpreting it so as to suit their pre-concieved notions. The post-tribbers claim that this clearly shows a post-trib scenario, with the clouds, with trumpets, with angels, gathering the elect. Perfect example of post-trib, right?

Uh, nope. This is why people get into error, easily. Ignoring the CONTEXT (ignored here, distal and proximal) means you can make it seem as though this supports a post-trib rapture. So easy a cave man can do it!!

2 Peter 3:16
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Acts 17:11:
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

It is a wrested set of verses, done without any further search of the Scriptures. Now let's add the actual ignored proximal context. The distal context is throughout this study and in the Word of God. Feel free to dive into it to check. Be a Berean, God invites you to be one.

Matthew 24:29-44:
¶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. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe 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. 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. 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.

"Let no man deceive thee....", "Now learn the parable of the fig tree"
Israel is to be back in their land, budding, like today (temple up, sacrifices instituted, etc.), not then, for Jesus to come back, shield her, save her, restore her.
AFTER the TRIBULATION...this is obviously the Second Coming that Jesus refers to here
Every eye will see it, around the world, all of the tribes of the earth, very visible (not secret), as in the Second Coming
Coming in the clouds of Heaven, as in Revelation 19:11
God's Word not passing away. Another error here for the "scholars", as in the makers of the "versions", with all of that "the original language" nonsense
No man knows THE DAY or the hour? At the Second coming? End of Tribulation? Exactly three and one half years after the breaking of the false peace covenant with Israel by the anti-Christ? Exactly seven years after the start, but no one can calculate it? What is this all about? An entire world without math skills?
The angels who, on a precise, exact schedule are blowing trumpets and emptying bowls of wrath, on cue, do not indicate when the end comes, having had the Word of God for thousands of years, with better understanding than we do, outside of salvation by Jesus Christ? Seriously?
Comparison to Noah, 120 years prepping, for "they knew not" (v.39) that it would rain, and mocked Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth for building this massive boat when it had never rained.
After 120 years of preaching, only eight souls entered that boat, the entire planet not expecting it to rain, as it had never rained before. Now compare that to the rapture, with millions, billions suddenly disappearing from earth, not moving away to some island, but being taken out suddenly, disappearing. Never happened before like that.
Eating, drinking. marrying, life as normal. Hardly a world in The Great Tribulation, unless, of course, you actually read about the Great Tribulation and not read INTO it. Kind of like today.
Who is in the field, harvesting? Read Revelation.....sound like normal times for farming? Who on earth would be working together with others grinding grain? And sleeping? Say what?
Jesus repeats you do not know what hour.
The Jews had Daniel 9:24-27 to know exactly what day the Messiah would be presented to them, and they missed it. The exact same goes for the Great Tribulation start and end! It was exactly 173,880 days (March 4, 445 B.C. to April 6, 32 A.D), to the day after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem by Artexerxes Longimanus!
- That decree was issued by Artaxerxes, King of Persia, in the month Nisan in the 20th year of his reign, i.e. B.C. 445.
- The city was actually built in pursuance of that decree.
- The Julian date of 1st Nisan 445 was the 14th March.
- Sixty-nine weeks of years – i.e. 173, 880 days – reckoned from the 14th March B.C. 445, ended on the 6th April A.D. 32.
Be ready? How will you be ready when you are chased all over creation by people trying to behead you?
Do post-tribbers think that Jesus comes in the clouds here because of a rapture? He is in Heaven, how else would He come to earth? Pop up out of the ground like a sprouting tree? Hey, why not just appear on earth? Who on earth thinks it is logical to come to earth, rapture everyone who is a believer, to bring them right back down, immediately? Does that even make sense? I trow not.
"in such an hour as ye think not" can logically only be the Pre-Tribulation time, not at the end, as all will know and expect the Second Coming, and be able to measure it, calculate it.

THE EXAMPLE OF NOAH'S FLOOD: MATTHEW 24 According to Jesus Himself:

120 years, so this idea is forgotten in most people's mind
Noah himself had no exact timing, no exact day, just approximate
The entire world was taken completely unaware, even when the animals were boarding the ark, as a flood had never happened, just like the worldwide rapture of the Church has never happened
Everything on earth was absolutely, completely "business as usual" in that day (eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage) until the exact day of the Flood

One reason for this widespread belief is what I like to call "mainstreamism". However, having been around streams pretty much most of my life, and Christians thirty five plus years, I can state with certainty that,

"IF YOU FALL INTO THE MAINSTREAM, YOU WILL FLOAT DOWNSTREAM".

One should base none of their doctrine on what anyone else says, no matter who, no matter how many say it. One should always base a doctrine of God, important as this one is, solely upon God's Word and prepare to use that Word to back it up when challenged.

This would also be true of the Creation account, the Gospel message, the attitude towards Israel and the Jews, the sign gifts for today, etc. basically any doctrine from the Word of God, important, vital or peripheral. The damage done with mis-interpretation and lifting verses from their context deliberately is always severe, leading to unnecessary behavior, in this case it is often used to "prep" for something which will never happen, ie. the Church going through the Great Tribulation spoken of by the LORD Jesus Christ Himself, but this is also often even fatal to that person's faith, or that person themselves, or to others (ie. anti-Semitism---->>>>>> Nazism). This is not to say, nor even imply, that the Church worldwide, including the American corporate church will not go through some persecution from the world or the enemy, and tribulation in this life for which we must prepare, personally or corporately, but that is not the same as "prepping" for The Great Tribulation, where God's Wrath is poured out on the world. Not even close to the same. God disciplines His children; He does not pour out His Wrath in Judgment, else the Cross is of "none effect".

I Corinthians 1:17:
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

TRIBULATION, IN GOD'S WORD(S)

Deuteronomy 4:30:
When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

Israel was told to turn to God in the end times and He would get them through it.

Judges 10:14:
Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

God literally sent them tribulation in His anger because they trusted other gods/idols

I Samuel 26:24:
And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.

David prayed to God to be delivered by God out of all tribulation in his future reign, after sparing Saul who was delivered into his hands by God.

Matthew 13:21:
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Tribulation causes us to stumble and walk away from the LORD if we are not faithFULL
OTHER END DAYS VERSES IN MATTHEW AND MARK ARE COVERED ELSEWHERE IN THIS STUDY

OUR TRIBULATION	THE GREAT TRIBULATION
Suffering for the faith, job loss, sickness, personal, familial, corporate persecution, satanic attacks, rejction by the world, family, friends, as a local body, imprisonment, trials, executions. Discipline from God, internal church judgment for controlling peaceful order. By the world against the Church.	Plagues worldwide, oceans, rivers, lakes dying, turned to poison worldwide, pestilences worldwide, evil leaders hiding in caves from the Wrath of Almighty God, beheadings worldwide, supernatural beings coming to sting men, not letting them die, but only to suffer. Judgment from God in His Wrath. By God against the world.

John 16:33:
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.

Jesus told the disciples they should expect it. Therefore, so we should. But that does not make it The Great Tribulation.

Acts 14:22:
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.

Again, it is a guarantee, an expectation, that we will encounter tribulation as believers. But that does not make it The Great Tribulation.

Romans 2:9:
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

All unbelievers can expect tribulation, eventually. And this IS the Great Tribulation for the unbelievers, Jew or Gentile. Wrath, tribulation is directly stated here.

Romans 2:5-9:
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

Romans 5:3:
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Romans 8:35:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 12:12:
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

II Corinthians 1:4:
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

II Corinthians 7:4:
Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

I Thessalonians 3:4:
For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

Revelation of John 1:9:
I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation of John 2:9:
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Revelation of John 2:10:
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Our personal struggles help us grow, mentioned here in these many above verses, are still not The Great Tribulation.

II Thessalonians 1:6:
Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

Whichever this is, it is reserved for the enemies of God, not the Church, the Bride, the Body of Christ.

Revelation of John 2:22:
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Revelation of John 7:14:
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Out of...as in removed, raptured, in Heaven. As in the Church. The twelve tribes are on earth, representing God, 144,000 of them.

THE RAPTURE

The Doctrine/Definition/Meaning
The Claims, and Verses used
The Importance
The Literal Interpretation
The Timing and Location
The Purpose
The Nearness/Imminence/Urgency
The Past Occurrences
The Way God Works
The Secrecy of the Rapture versus the public display at the Second Coming
The Focus: Israel vs. the Church
The Salvation
Removal for Protection from Judgment

THE DOCTRINE

The doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture states that the Church, the body and bride of Christ, will be suddenly, without warning and secretly snatched/removed from the earth and changed, transformed, translated into our new glorified bodies, which will create utter chaos on earth, with millions/billions gone in a twinkling of an eye, ushering in the anti-Christ kingdom, currently in preparation, awaiting the timing of our Sovereign God's schedule.

From the Scriptures, the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, to Us:

Is Imminent, Sudden, Unpreceded by any prophecy fulfillments
The Timing is Unknown, Unknowable, In calculable To All
Is Heralded By Trumpet Blasts
Is a Mystery
Is Our Deliverance
Is Our Salvation from God's Wrath
Is Our Blessed Hope
Is His and our Glory
Is To be Patiently Awaited
Is Our Transformation, Translation
Is sudden, unexpected, abrupt, secretive, without warning
Is very fast, instantaneous
We are removed from earth to Heaven
Jesus comes in the air, not to earth
Is When we are changed/transformed/translated into our glorified, heavenly bodies
Is a Comforting Thought
Is Something that Has Happened Before, In Different Manners
Is an Instrument To Usher in the Wrath of God in the Great Tribulation
Will Return the Focus from God Back to Israel

(1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
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.

It is a mystery. Not everyone dies. When the Rapture happens, there are trumpets blown. The Rapture is a comfort, a hope, a welcome expectation, not a time of fear, judgment, persecution, which will precede it, as it is now doing, worldwide, soon here in America.

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

We meet the LORD in the air, not on the ground, unlike all the world will at the end of the Tribulation

(2 Thessalonians 2:1-8)
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

The Holy Spirit (he who now letteth) will be "taken out of the way". In order to take out the Holy Spirit residing in the church for over 2,000 years now, the church must also be removed. Only THEN shall the anti-Christ be revealed. This is very important, as it says specifically, "then shall that wicked be revealed"....not before.

(1 Thessalonians 1:10)
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

And:

I Thessalonians 5:9:
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

We are not under God's Wrath, as Jesus delivered us from that wrath on the Cross. These sets of verses are only a few of the overall amount of verses, but they illustrate a couple of key points:

Since the church is not under God's Holy Wrath, Judgment and punishment (something Jesus took from us on the Cross), we cannot be here during the time of judgment of and on the earth
It is a mystery; the Second Coming is not
Not all believers will die. Some will be instantly changed
The dead rise first, then living believers
This meeting happens in the air, not on the ground
It makes zero sense for this to happen while Jesus returns to earth (go up, instantly reverse direction and descend down)
God is logical, consistent, and the rapture is explicit in Scripture
It is a mysterious, unique, distinct event, just like Paul said he was showing us.

THE DEFINITION

RAP'TURE, n. [L. raptus, rapio.] From Latin "rapturo," or “rapere ", a translation of the Greek verb "caught up", which is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

A seizing by violence. [Little used.]
Transport; ecstasy; violence of a pleasing passion; extreme joy or pleasure.
Music when thus applied, raises in the mind of the hearer great conceptions; it strengthens devotion and advances praise into rapture.
Rapidity with violence; a hurrying along with velocity; as rolling with torrent rapture.
Enthusiasm; uncommon heat of imagination. You grow correct, that once with rapture writ.

THE MEANING: BECAUSE THE TRIBULATION IS GOD'S WRATH

It is not complicated. First, the Church will be snatched away suddenly and without warning from the earth to meet Jesus in the air, and leave with Him to our new home, ushering in the Great Tribulation. It will usher in rather quickly a time of total chaos, never before seen like this in the world's history, as vehicles, machines, planes, boats, trains crash due to no drivers. People's loved ones, associates, friends will witness the disappearance of many millions in an instant, with no explanation, except that prepared by the enemy of this world for the world, broadcast worldwide to every electronic device with a screen, which enemy will then be revealed to the worldm to emerge and appear, in order to take over the world in the chaos.

Tribulation in the last days in the form of persecution is FROM the world and FROM the enemy UPON the Church; whereas The Great Tribulation in the book of Revelation in the form of judgment FROM GOD HIMSELF upon the WORLD AND THE ENEMY!

From the Scriptures, the The Second Coming:

Is Preceded By Many Prophecy fulfillments
Not Preceded IMMEDIATELY By Trumpet Blasts (done before this, with bowls of wrath
Overt, Visible Worldwide to ALL On Earth
Calculable, Predictable, And That Quite Easily
After a Time of Wrath, ANger, Rage , Revengeof God, Destruction, Holy Fear, Panic
The Day of the LORD
After a period For Israel, Exclusively In Focus, and the World of the Gentiles
After a Time of Worldwide Visual Revelation For the anti-Christ
After a Time of Intense Persecutioon of Believers, Jew and Gentile
Jesus Coming To Earth, With His Bride (the Church)
Does Not Entail Translation, Transformation of Believers

THE WRATH OF GOD

(Isaiah 13:9)
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

(Revelation 6:16)
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:

(Revelation 6:17)
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

(Revelation 11:18)
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

The DEAD are judged; we are alive through Christ and no longer spiritually dead.

(Revelation 14:8)
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

A certain, specific anger and Holy Wrath is especially reserved for Babylon, Mystery Babylon.

(Revelation 14:10)
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Yet another certain, specific anger and Holy Wrath is especially reserved for the anti-Christ worshippers.

(Revelation 14:19)
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

(Revelation 15:1)
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

(Revelation 15:7)
And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

(Revelation 16:1)
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

The entire earth is ripe for God's wrath.

(Revelation 16:19)
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

(Revelation 18:3)
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

(Revelation 19:15)
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

(Jude 1:5)
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

THE IMPORTANCE

To determine the importance of any biblical subject, look at how much time God uses discussing it with us. How much Scripture talks about the last days? Prophecy? Prophecy and the last days? The Second Coming? The subject of the rapture is not a cause for division, but neither a subject to be avoided so as to avoid controversy, since it is so important to God Himself, the author of His Word and the Author and Finisher of our faith.

The very concept of the Rapture speaks to God's character, consistency and history with His believers. God has a history of raptures and removals of believers, several times throughout the Bible, right before the judgment of the world or a nation of unbelievers where His people live. When God judged Israel, He brought them away into captivity into a pagan nation, their enemy. At that time the pagan nation was not yet destroyed. AFTER He released Israel from their captivity, they were ushered away, THEN that nation that held them was destroyed. This was true in Egypt under Pharaoh, Assyria, Babylon, etc. In other words, Scripture shows us clearly that God never judged a nation where His people were, without removing them first. To suggest HE would suddenly do this with the Church while judging the entire planet makes Him inconsistent in His character and dealings with His people and it says that God's wrath was not satisfied on the Cross of Christ, which is rank heresy. If the Church is not under judgment for sin, if Christ truly took all of our punishment on Himself at the Cross, 100%, then there is no reason for the Church to be here during the Great Tribulation. After all, this worldwide judgment will be even worse than the Flood of Noah's day, since the enemy will be bound 1,000 years, none of the unbelieving, pagan nations will be free to try yet again to form a OneWorld system of any type, God Himself will be on earth with mankind, and on it goes. Besides all of this...

God's character says that His people who are true believers are not under His judgment and wrath any longer, since Jesus Christ Himself took ours from us. Our judgment was turned into justification. In some instances, such as Elijah and Enoch, it was done simply because that is what God wanted to do, perhaps just to illustrate a type of Rapture. Whatever the reason, it was done in the past in Scripture.

I Thessalonians 4:15-18:
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

THERE CAN BE NO COMFORT WHATSOEVER IN KNOWING WE WILL BE HERE DURING THE TRIBULATION, UNDER GOD'S WRATH!!!! NONE!!!!

Go ahead and read the Revelation. A moment's thought while reading Revelation and all prophecies concerning God's Wrath in the Day of the LORD will bring fear, not comfort, as nothing in there is pretty with beheadings, famines, pestilences, wild beasts killing and tearing apart people, plagues, dead animals, dead oceans, dead rivers, dead vegetation, vultures circling, deadly poisonous drinking water, etc.

(Isaiah 53:4-5)
¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

(Romans 5:18)
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

(Romans 4:25)
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

(Romans 5:1)
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

(Romans 5:9)
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

The Tribulation is God's Wrath poured out, without dilution, on the earth.

(Hebrews 7:25)
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

If Jesus did not take all of our judgment, we are then not saved, and are without hope still. If He did, then we are not under God's wrath and judgment. The Great Tribulation is God's time of wrath and judgment upon the entire earth so, as believers, we are not part of this wrath and judgment. So what has God consistently done with the innocent when He would judge a large group, nation, the earth? He always removed His people who were to be spared.

Persecution is Tribulation, but it is certainly NOT the Great Tribulation. As was stated, Tribulation in the last days in the form of persecution is FROM the world and from the enemy UPON the Church; whereas The Great Tribulation in the book of Revelation is judgment FROM GOD HIMSELF upon the WORLD AND THE ENEMY!

THE IMMINENCE

We are taught to watch for it at any time
There is nothing that precedes the event, no warnings, signs, no prophetic fulfillments, etc.
We are told to watch, wait, expect, hope, at any time, not to try and time it
It will be unannounced, unexpected, sign-less, sudden and fully impacting on the earth, to usher in the Tribulation

I Corinthians 1:7:
So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Philippians 3:20:
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Titus 2:13:
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Hebrews 9:28:
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

I Thessalonians 1:10:
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

I Thessalonians 4:18:
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

I Thessalonians 5:6:
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Revelation of John 22:20:
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

SOME OBJECTIONS TO THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE POSITION

"The word 'rapture' is not found in the Bible"
It was a mystery
The early church did not believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture
The Bible does not teach that the Church will be raptured from the earth before the Great Tribulation
The trumpets of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are the same trumpets found in Revelation 11:15-18, Joel 2:1, and Matthew 24:31which, of course, all are sounded during the Great Tribulation.
"Pre-Tribbers" are convenient escapists who simply do not want to believe we are going to go through it, so they do not have to prepare for any evils coming.

Belief can be taken as a reason to stop all activity for the LORD and was admonished by Paul.
The Pre-Trib position is preposterous!"

1. "The word 'rapture' is not found in the Bible"

This is really an extremely ridiculous argument, easily dismantled with simple logic, since the word "Bible" appears in no place in the Bible!
Think of this. Where in the Old Testament does it say that the New Testament would be in Greek? Since it does not, then all of the words in Greek do not contain any of the words in Hebrew, therefore all of those in the New Testament words are "not in the Bible". Not a single Hebrew or Greek Word in existence then, or now, appears in any English Bible so, therefore, all Words in English do not appear in the Bible, including Jesus Christ, salvation, Flood, Blood, washing away sin, Creation AND -oh, and Rapture! In other words, "Because God's Word was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, one could truthfully say that no English words are in the Bible." . This is consistency in our thinking. By the way? The Word YAHWEH is a pagan term, appears no place in Scripture and yet, most "scholars" do not hesitate to use it, constantly, most preachers preach it, most Christian authors and media broadcasters use it daily. Nor does the word "TRINITY" appear any place in Scripture. Ever hear any Christian, over time, NOT use it? No, simply because no true born-again Christian rejects the concept which is clearly taught cover to cover. Have you ever seen the word "dinosaur" in Scripture? How about "bacteria"? The word "marsupial"? How about "platypus"? The word "technology"?

Now, for those who abhor the Word of God in their own English language, and love it in foreign, dead languages, here is the Latin Vulgate:

"Deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus.
-1 Thessalonians 4:17 (Latin Vulgate)"

"Rapiemur is the proper tense of the verb rapio: Our English words rapt and rapture come from that past partciple of rapio. "

So, since the English Bible arose out of, of many others, the Latin Vulgate, the word "rapture" is translated out of the Latin Vulgate here. It must be further stated that the Latin Vulgate is one of the oldest translations out there. The Middle Latin word is "raptura". How close do you need to get to our English word "rapture"? Closer? Fine. In addition to this, the word "rapture" appears with the exact same spelling in the French Bible in Middle French. This means seizing, kidnapping, or snatching, and comes from the Latin "Raptus", meaning "a caarrying off" or "a carrying away". Hmmmmm...

DO YOU LIKE THE GREEK?

Same Greek word, "harpazo" is used in Acts 8:39 (PHILLIP), 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (PAUL), 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (the CHURCH) and Revelation 12:5 (JESUS)! The verb for this in Greek is "harpargisometha"., meaning "caught up" or "taken away" very suddenly.

2. It was a mystery

1 Corinthians 15:51-54:
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. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

So what we see here is that it is, in fact, a mystery. That is 100% correct! Of course it is! It says it is a mystery, so what else would one expect? God specifically SAID it is a mystery, so why would we think or even imagine otherwise? It is a NEW Testament, not the OLD Testament. It is the Church age, not the age of Israel (not yet). How many words and concepts are not in the Old Testament? Born again? Tongues? Washed in the Blood? Think about that.

3. The early church did not believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture

"The idea of the pre-tribulation rapture started with a girl named Margaret MacDonald, who started this theological view back in 1830. "

Except that it did not. It originated in Scripture, and was talked about the last 2,000 years. The problem with this line of argument is that it does not matter who believed what, and when. What matters is what God teaches us. Authorities and majorities should not impress us in the least.

Science is a perfect example of this:

ONE ARGUMENT MADE IS THAT

"MOST EVOLUTIONISTS BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION BECAUSE
MOST EVOLUTIONISTS BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION"!

NEWSFLASH: Here are a few examples of times when the "Crowd" was wrong.

Adam Thompson of Cinccinatti invented the bathtub. Doctors said it's use would lead to all kinds of medical maladies, from rheumatism to lung problems. Today every house has a bathroom.
At the time of early cars, England made it illegal to drive faster than four miles an hour unless there was a person with a red flag running in front of them.
Everyone laughed when Westinghouse wanted to stop a train using the wind. Yet today all forms of transportation use air brakes.
Mr. Charles Goodyear and his wife tried for eleven years to Vulcanize Rubber. Everyone called them "crazy". Today millions ride on Goodyear tires.
Zane Grey was told he would never be able to write. People today still read his books.
Musicians and critics mocked and laughed when Richard Wagner wrote music. But his compositions transformed the music world. The crowd was wrong.
"What is Radium?" the crowd jeered at Madame Curie. Today it is a valuable asset in fighting disease.

IN EVERY CASE, THE CROWD WAS VERY WRONG!

Therefore, the argument that the early church's belief matters to ours is meaningless, irrelevant. Most of Israel rejected their God most of the time therefore, using that reasoning, we should also?

"For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."
-Epharaem the Syrian, 373 AD,

"Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh."
-Didache, dated about 100-120 A.D., Ante-Nicene Fathers VII: 382.

"In the history of Christianity three main forces are found to have acted as auxiliaries to the gospel. They have elicited the ardent enthusiasm of men whom the bare preaching of the gospel would never have made decided converts. These [include] a belief in the speedy return of Christ and in His glorious reign on earth .... First in point of time came the faith in the nearness of Christ's second advent and the establishing of His reign of glory on the earth. Indeed it appears so early that it might be questioned whether it ought not to be regarded as an essential part of the Christian religion."
-Adolph Harnack, "Millennium," Encyclopedia Britannica (ninth edition), XVI, 314

"They expected the return of the Lord in their day .... They believed the time was imminent because their Lord had taught them to live in a watchful attitude." And concerning the Ante- Nicene Fathers, he says: "By tradition they knew the faith of the Apostles. They taught the doctrine of the imminent and premillenial return of the Lord."
-Jesse Forest Silver, in his excellent book The Lord's Return, Fleming H. Revell Co., New York, 1914, 62-63.

It must be stated here and now that we are not to trust any doctrine by who believed it (appeals to authority), how many believed it (appeals to majority), or when they believed it. These above citations are merely a handful of those extant, showing that the argument that the early church did not believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the church is false, for those who do not accept internal evidence, which is hardly scant.

Now add to that the dozens more discovered talking about it since that first false accusation was made, and yet another argument completely collapses.

4. The Bible does not teach that the Church will be raptured from the earth before the Great Tribulation

OK. Terrific. Except that, no place in Scripture are we told that the Church will go through the Great Tribulation, nor does it even imply that she is under God's Wrath, nor that she is under/subject to His Judgment (only discipline), since Jesus took all of that from us. The fact is, it is not even implied that the Church is under judgment (except internally, called Church discipline), or the Gospel is false. That would be our Gospel.

I Peter 4:15-17:
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Judgment beginning at the house of God is called "Church DISCIPLINE". In context it shows this clearly. This is not God's Wrath, The Great Tribulation!

Persecution against most of the church, in most of the world, through most of the time in the last two thousand years, was persecution due to wrath from the world and the enemy. The fact is, in God's Word, the church was promised persecution and tribulation.

PERSECUTION: NORMAL, PROMISED AND DELIVERED

John 15:20:
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

John 16:33:
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.

Matthew 13:20-21:
But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Acts 8:1:
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles.

Acts 11:19:
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.

Acts 13:50:
But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

Romans 8:35:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

GOD'S FINAL WRATH: UNIQUE

The Great Tribulation is wrath coming on the world from the LORD HIMSELF, a vast difference! The only exception is the woman (Israel) in Revelation twelve, persecuted by the dragon and the beast. Not the Church, but Israel. The Church Body, the Bride of Christ Who the world hated and hates even until today and into the future is not entitled to avoid any p[ersecution, suffering, personal, family or corporate persecution or tribulation. I have yet to meet a pre-tribber who believes that, since we all live in a fallen world and understand that it must happen. It has happened every place else, why not in America? Why are we, not listed as a natioon, in God's Word, so special? But alas, this is not THE GREAT TRIBULATION on the entire earth, directed at God's enemies, both physical and spiritual, it is normal.

Basically, to compare the two is not honest. They are easily distinguishable, unrelated in scope and time.

5. The "trumpets" argument

The trumpets argument goes something like this:
"The trumpets of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are the same trumpets found in Revelation 11:15-18, Joel 2:1, and Matthew 24:31 which, of course, are all sounded during the Great Tribulation."

What is forgotten or ignored is the fact that, in God's Word, not all trumpets are blown for the same reason, in either testament.

GOD'S TRUMPS/TRUMPETS IN SCRIPTURE:

Exodus 19:13:
There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

Exodus 19:16:
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

Exodus 19:19:
And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

Exodus 20:18:
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

Leviticus 25:9:
Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.

Numbers 10:4:
And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.

Joshua 6:5:
And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

I Corinthians 15:52:
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.

I Thessalonians 4:16:
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:

Reasons For trumpets/trumps

It called the children of Israel up to the mount Sinai
To show God's Glory and put fear into His people Israel
To announce the jubilee
To call Israel to assemble together
For God to cause the walls of Jericho to fall
For the sabbath year of the land, for a holy convocation/assembly
As a congregational gathering sound for memorial
To gather Israel to battle
THE RAPTURE

When exactly in either testament, outside of the verses talking about the return of the Messiah, did a trumpet signal the dead rising? People afterwards meeting them in the air? This is a unique event for the trump, for sure.

----------------------------------------------------------------- < (Revelation 11:3-13)
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

One cannot read this and get the sense that, watching it on TV or the internet, they cannot say when the Seecond Coming is. One would have to not pay attention or not know how to count. Any calender, Jewish or Gregorian, lunar or solar, you will know when the Messiah comes for Israel. For certain the Jews in Israel will, at that point, be counting carefully, at least the saved ones.

(Revelation 13:15)
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

THE DATE SETTERS: PROBLEMS WITH USING BEHAVIOR AS AN EXCUSE

Televangelist phonies, charlatans and weirdos are why unbelievers do not get saved
People deceived, stolen from by both hypocritical Christians and "Christians" are why people are hard to reach
Baptist preachings and screaming, yelling "AMEN!" every ten seconds are why people do not go there
Date setting heretics who claim the LORD will return on a particular day are why people reject the pre-Trib rapture

Not one of these reasons is valid, but often used.

Noah and His Family-RAPTURED

(Genesis 6:8-14)
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ¶ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

(1 Peter 3:20)
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

The World was ripe for judgment
Noah only was righteous, with his family
God waited for him 120 years to build the ark
This was to spare them of the wrath of God by removal

Righteous Enoch-RAPTURED

(Genesis 5:24)
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

(Hebrews 11:5)
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

TRANSLATED, pp. Conveyed from one place to another; removed to heaven without dying; rendered into another language.

Righteous Lot-RAPTURED

(Genesis 19:12-19)
¶ And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. ¶ And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. ¶ And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

Elijah-RAPTURED

(2 Kings 2:11)
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

(Romans 5:9)
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

(Genesis 18:25)
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

The LORD Jesus Christ HIMSELF-RAPTURED

(Acts 1:9-11)
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 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.

Mark 16:19:
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Revelation of John 12:5:
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Phillip-RAPTURED

Acts 8:39:
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

Paul-RAPTURED

2 Corinthians 12:4:
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

John-RAPTURED

Revelation of John 4:1:
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpettalking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

ISRAEL: REMOVED FROM EGYPT BEFORE JUDGMENT

(Exodus 5:1)
And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

(Exodus 7:16)
And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

(Exodus 8:1)
And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 8:20)
¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 8:21)
Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

(Exodus 9:1)
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 9:13)
¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 10:3)
And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

(Exodus 10:4)
Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:

(Exodus 12:31)
¶ And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.

(Exodus 12:37)
¶ And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

(Exodus 12:41)
And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

(Jude 1:5)
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

REMOVAL FROM EGYPT, PRE-JUDGMENT-PSALM 106

(Psalms 106:7)
Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.

They were at the Red Sea because they were removed from Egypt

(Psalms 106:8)
Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.

His Name is at stake if God does not remove His people (who are not under judgment) before judging the wicked (who are under His judgment)

(Psalms 106:9)
He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.

(Psalms 106:10)
And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

Yes, God preserved them. Yes, God protected them alone during the plagues-but God never wiped out Pharaoh and his army until He removed His people Israel.

(Psalms 106:11)
And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.

After Israel was removed from them and separated by an impassible roadblock of fire, then water.

The point is simply this. God COULD have left all of these people on earth, in that exact spot or in that exact area, that exact city, and protected them, preserved them in that spot, since they themselves were not the object of His wrath. Instead, God chose to remove them far away, before judgment could be accomplished.

THE BAROMETER: ISRAEL THE FIG TREE

(Isaiah 49:14-16)
But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

(Jeremiah 30:7)
Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Israel is the barometer for the Rapture, Last Days, the Great Tribulation and the Triumphant Return of the LORD Jesus Christ.

Return of the Jews to the Land of Israel is a last days fulfillment
Preparations for rebuilding the Temple, preparation for the Temple Sacrifice, in times of troubleis also a last days fulfillment
Precise, calculable, seven year timing of the Tribulation (false peace, abomination of desolation)
Focus of events is solely on Israel in Revelation after chapter three

ISRAEL'S INGATHERING: THE PROPHECIES

(Isaiah 11:12)
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

(Ezekiel 11:16-17)
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

(Ezekiel 20:33-36)
¶ As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.

(Ezekiel 20:41-44)
I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

(Ezekiel 28:25-2)
Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

(Ezekiel 37:21-22)
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

(Ezekiel 39:27-28)
When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

(Amos 9:11-15)
¶ In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.

(Zechariah 8:4-8)
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

(Obadiah 1:19-21)
And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

(Isaiah 27:6)
He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.

(Jeremiah 16:15)
But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

(Jeremiah 23:3)
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

(Jeremiah 23:8)
But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

(Jeremiah 29:14)
And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

(Jeremiah 30:3)
For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

(Jeremiah 32:37)
Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:

There are many other verses in regards to the return of Israel to her land in the last days, the blooming of the desert, preparations for the Third Temple, etc. Suffice it to say that we entered that era when she returned to her land in 1948. She is there to stay, forever.

THE LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF THE RAPTURE

The only method that works is the one that the people IN Scripture, including Jesus Himself, used. It is the one that God said to use. Are there symbols in Scripture? Yes. Are there allegories? Yes. But, figures though they are, in each mention, they represent something literal, not allegorical. Israel is not literally a fig tree, but it is the fig tree that represents it, not a spiritual fig tree, but a literal, physical nation called Israel.

REVELATION AFTER THE RAPTURE

The Focus: Israel vs. the Church

In Revelation, from chapters two through three, there are seven churches, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Once Jesus ends His letters to them, the church is not much spoken of, they are not on earth and they are only spoken of in Heaven. From then on, God's people Israel and her enemies are all that are spoken about on earth, as the Church, the Bride of Christ, is only seen in Heaven, until eternity starts:

IT'S ALL ISRAEL

(Revelation 5:5)
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

(Revelation 7:3-8)
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

(Revelation 11:1-8)
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

(Revelation 12:1-6)
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

(Revelation 12:13-17)
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

(Revelation 14:1-5)
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

(Revelation 16:14)
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

(Revelation 20:9)
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

(Revelation 21:2-3)
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

(Revelation 21:10-14)
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

(Revelation 22:14)
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

(Revelation 22:16)
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

(Revelation 22:19)
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

While all of the references given do not specifically mention Israel by name, so do; the rest are Old Testament Jewish practices, symbols, references etc. Much of the correlations also come from the book of Daniel, like direct cross references.

After chapter three, the Church is never again mentioned on earth in any terminology (Christians, Church, etc.)
In chapter five, verse five, Jesus is now referred to as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David-completely Jewish Name
In chapter seven, verses three through eight, the sealed are twelve thousand from each Jewish tribe of Israel (Jacob), excluding Dan, including Jospeh's son Manasses: "all the tribes of the children of Israel-the tribe of Juda, the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, the tribe of Aser, the tribe of Nepthalim, the tribe of Manasses, the tribe of Simeon, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of Issachar, the tribe of Zabulon, the tribe of Joseph, the tribe of Benjamin"
In chapter eleven, verses one through eight, the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem is measured, there is a court of the Gentiles, as in the Old Testament, and no church is present or mentioned
In chapter twelve, verses one through six, the nativity scene is repeated to show that the Messiah is a Jewish Messiah, who came for His people. The retold story mentions Herod trying to kill the baby Jesus, and His flight via His parents to Egypt to avoid death.(Matthew 2, Jeremiah 31:35), the time frame of 1,260 days is straight out of Daniel chapter nine:

(Daniel 9:24-27)
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
A "week" is a seven, and in this case seventy years, consisting of sixty nine seven year periods (483 years until the Messiah) and one more, last week (The Great Tribulation) halfway through which the anti-Christ will break his covenant of peace and commit the abomination of desolation.
In the same chapter (twelve), in verses thirteen through seventeen, the woman who gave birth to the Christ child (Israel as a nation) is persecuted and chased down by the enemy, only to be protected, preserved and saved by God, supernaturally.
In Revelation chapter fourteen, verses one through five, Jesus is standing on Mount Zion with the 144,000, 12,000 from each tribe of Israel. No mention of the church here, once again.
In chapter sixteen, verse fourteen, the Battle of Armageddon in the Valley of Armageddon, today called in Israel the Valley of Megiddo.
In chapter twenty, verse nine, the New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven, just a Jewish term for a Jewish city on earth.
This is also in chapter twenty one, verses one through three.
Then in the same chapter, twenty one, verses ten through fourteen, we see the description of this city, which now has the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on the twelve gates, and the foundations, all twelve, have the names of the twelve Jewish apostles. Still no mention of the Church here since chapter three.
The same city is then referenced in chapter twenty two, verse fourteen.
In chapter twenty two again, in verse sixteen, Jesus calls Himself again "the root and offspring of David", David being God's king for Israel after man's king, Saul
Finally, in chapter twenty two one last time, the city is mentioned. The name is the New Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.

THE JEWISH WEDDING SCENARIO (Parable of the Ten Virgins)

In the Old Testament, and at the time of Jesus
1. Betrothal, espousal contract/covenant, by the bridegroom, involving money as the purchase price
2. The bride is now set aside solely to be his. They are committed, but not married yet, and apart one from another
3. They both drank wine as a symbol of this contract
4. Bridegroom goes to his father's house to build a home for the two
5. She would prepare for him to return, unannounced, any day, any time of day, often late at night, or midnight, in the future. This is deliberate. She had to wait only.
6. He would leave his father's house and lead a torchlight processioon to her home to get her.
7. His arrival preceded by a shout
8. The wedding happens
9. They are then whisked away to a separate chamber, like a tent, and she remains veiled
10. Only bride and groom enter bridal chamber
11. Consummation of mariage
12. Groom announces consummation to wedding party
13. Wedding feast/supper for all attendees, for seven daysas mentioned in Judges 14, Matthew 9, Matthew 22
14. Fulfilled in the Church:
1. Covenant Established (1 Corinthians 11:25)
2. Purchase Price Established (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
3. Bride is then Sanctified, Set Apart (Ephesians 5:25-27, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Hebrews 10:10, Hebrews 13:12)
4. The Bridegroom has now left and is in the Father's House, building a place for us (John 14:2)
5. The Bridegroom will have an escort to return and get His Bride (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
  1. Changed bodies in the resurrection/marriage(two become one body)
  2. Bride snatched away suddenly, secreted away

THE GENTILE TIMES/THE CHURCH AGE

(Luke 21:24)
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

(Romans 11:25)
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

ISRAEL: REMOVED FROM HER LAND BEFORE FINAL JUDGMENT OF THE ANTI-CHRIST'S SEAT

REVEALED AS THE WOMAN IN REVELATION 12

Revelation chapter twelve, verse one is from Joseph's dream:

(Genesis 37:9-10)
¶ And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

Revelation chapter twelve, verse two is Mary, the mother of Jesus the man, the King of Israel:

(Luke 2:6-7)
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
It also represents Israel here, as Mary was a Jewish woman whose nation of Israel ultimately gave birth to their Jewish Messiah prophecied in the Old Testament, and Mary is no longer on earth in Revelation, but her nation Israel is, and is being persecuted here by the dragon/the beast.
Revelation chapter twelve, verse three is about how the anti-Christ will persecute and try to annhilate Israel from the earth once and for all
Revelation chapter twelve, verse four is a recount of Herod's attempt to destroy Jesus as a newborn:

(Matthew 2:16-8)
¶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Israel the Woman here gave us the Messiah, the Ruler of all, who was "caught up to God" (RAPTURED/REMOVED in a type), to reign today from Heaven,

(Isaiah 9:6)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
WE will reign with Him on His Throne

(2 Timothy 2:12)
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

(Revelation 20:6)
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

ISRAEL THE WOMAN: THE REMOVAL

(Revelation 12:6)
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

(Revelation 12:14)
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

The Church-RAPTURED

(Revelation 3:10)
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 churches in Revelation represent actual churches in Asia at the time it was written, plus the history of the Church, Philadelphia representing the Reformation age, and the true church. We are currently in the last church, the church of Laodicea, the apostate church. But the churches also represents the seven basic types of churches throughout church history, and seven basic personalities of Christians as well.

(Genesis 5:21-24)
¶ And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

(Genesis 7:1)
And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

For the past two thousand years, many Christians did not think much about the Rapture at all, simply because the events of the last days as described in Sripture had not yet begun to unfold. On top of that, Paul told them through his letters that, although it was imminent, the Day of the LORD was not yet, until a great "Laodicean" falling away happened, which did not in his day, like it is today.

Paul is telling them to not worry about seeing the anti-Christ here. ("Not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. ")
There is no reason whatsoever to tell them this if they are going to go through The Great Tribulation!
The "he" repeatedly used here

(Revelation 3:10)
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.

(1 Thessalonians 1:10)
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Matthew 24:3
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

The disciples themselves thought that the Messiah, Jesus, was coming once to establish His Reign upon earth and wipe out their enemies.
Enoch was raptured, Elijah was raptured, and Jesus was raptured. It is impossible to explain these events without a belief in the Rapture of the Church
God always removes His innocent people from the area of widespread judgment
Noah and his family are another example
The true church is not under God's judgment and wrath
The focus is on Israel from Revelation 4-22
Israel is not the church
Jesus has a physical and spiritual, glorified body
We will be like Him
The thief coming in the night
No one knows the day or the hour, and cannot even calculate it
The Second Coming is foretold on the tribulation time-line, and can be precisely calculated once the Tribulation starts and especially the Abomination of Desolation happens half way through
The Holy Spirit will be removed
We are to be comforted by the awaiting for the Rapture............there is no comfort waiting to go through the Tribulation
It is called our "blessed hope"
We are caught up in the clouds
The Church of Philadelphia in Revelation will not go through the Tribulation
We are in the time of the Church of Laodicea, but we are not that church
We are not under God's judgment
The Rapture is a mystery; the Second Coming is overt, public, seen worldwide
In the Rapture, we meet Jesus in the air (He does not come to earth). In the Second Coming, He comes to the Mount of Olives with His saints

From Scripture itself, in its context, it is impossible to claim that the Rapture and the Second Coming are the exact same event at all.

(John 14:3)
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 continues later...

John 16:7:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

What we see here is that Jesus must go, so that the Holy Spirit can come. What we see in the Rapture is the opposite of this, that he Holy Spirit must leave so that Jesus can come. The Holy Spirit is resident in the Church; therefore the Church must be removed for Jesus to return to earth.

MATTHEW 24

(Matthew 24:1-51)
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 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.
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. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe 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.
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. 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. 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. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

VERSES:

Genesis 5:24
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

2 Kings 2:11
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

1 Thessalonians 5:9
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

John 14:1-3
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. Rapture

COMPARISON: The Rapture vs. The Second Coming

While both the Rapture and the Second COming deal with last days/end times, they are not the same, nor dealt nor described the same way in Scripture. This makes it easy to distinguish to the serious student, even the unbelievers, casual observers, on a cursory check. This is why rejection of it is irrational, emotional, often based upon "mainstreamism.

THE RAPTURE	THE SECOND COMING
Sudden, unknown, unpredictable, unexpected, as a thief in the night	Very predictable, especially from the start of the second half of the tribulation
Imminent, any time, nothing has to happen for it to occur	No imminency, with many events have to be fulfilled in Revelation
We meet in the air/clouds	Jesus comes to earth
Movement from earth to Heaven	Movement from Heaven to earth
Jesus comes FOR us	Jesus comes WITH us
Jesus comes FOR His bride	Jesus comes WITH His bride
Jesus comes for the Church	Jesus comes for Israel
Time of Deliverance	Time of Judgment
Hidden/Secret	Visible to the entire world's eyes
Saints removed; sinners remain on earth	Sinners removed; saints remain on earth
Dead in Christ, living in Christ resurrected	Beheaded/martyred saints' bodies of The Great Tribulation are resurrected
The twinkling of an eye speed	Coming on horses galloping, trotting, cantering, or walking
Glorified bodies given to all	Fleshly bodies enter millennial kingdom, marry, have children, die
Translation of believers	No translation of anyone
Saints go to Heaven	Saints come to earth
Earth is not judged at that moment	Earth is judged for three and a half years, and then at this Second Coming
NOT in the Old Testament specifically (a mystery-1 Corinthians 15:51-54)	Written about many times in the Old Testament
Believers only	Affects the entire world
Before the Day of the LORD'S Wrath	Concludes the Day of the LORD'S Wrath, starts the Millennium
The enemy not mentioned	Mentioned as bound for 1,000 years
The start of The Great Tribulation	The END of the Great Tribulation
Not hard to harmonize all of end time prophetic Scripture	Very hard to harmonize all of prophetic Scripture, often not even attempted
Church not present first sixty nine weeks of Daniel	All seventy weeks spoken of are exclusively, explicitly about Israel
The pre-tribulation position/viewpoint does not have a problem of who will populate the millennium.	Third, post-tribulation position/viewpoint has a significant problem of who will populate the millennium if the rapture and second coming occur at the same time. Since all believers will be translated at the rapture and all unbelievers judged, because no unrighteous shall be allowed to enter Christ’s kingdom, then no one would be left in mortal bodies to start the population base for the millennium.
The sheep and the goats are separated on the earth	The post tribulation position/viewpoint has a problem again trying to explain "the sheep and goats judgment" after the second coming in Matthew 25:31-46. Again, how would there be any believers in mortal bodies, if they were raptured at the second coming, who would be available to enter into Christ’s kingdom?
Precedes, ushers in a huge amount of evil on earth	Precedes, ushers in peace on earth
A time of joy for the believers	A time of sadness, mourning for the world of unbelievers
Christ comes to take believers out	Christ comes to judge the wicked unbelievers
Believers taken out, unbelievers remain	Unbelievers taken out, believers remain
We are told to expect to be kept from the Tribulation (Revelation 3:10: 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.	No such promise is made, or it is ignored in Scripture
Resurrection takes place during the descent of Christ to earth	Resurrection takes place after Christ arrives on earth
Jesus takes His bride to the Marriage supper of the Lamb	Jesus comes to judge the earth, great supper of the bodies for the birds (Rev. 19:7), establish His Kingdom
Jesus gives a shout and the trump of God sounds suddenly, no white horse	No shout, no trumpet, just arrival on a white horse of Jesus with His saints
Comfort, hope, joy, peace	Expectation of evil wrath, tribulation, persecution, martyrdom, war, etc.
Worldwide deception	Deception ends, satan bound
Starts the Great Tribulation: two thirds Israel killed (Zechariah 13)	All Israel regathered, saved (Jeremiah 23:5-8)
Start of 100% control by anti-Christ of government, one world religion, one world economic system	Government is 100% of Jesus Christ
The LORD gathers the saints	The angels gather the elect
Both living and dead saints gathered	Living saints gathered
Historical grammatical (strictly literal) interpretation of Scripture	Open to interpretation, allegorical, figurative, metaphorical, end times prophecies cannot always be taken literally
Impossible to ever claim Tribulation has started, anti-Christ identified	Tribulation can be happening now, anti-Christ revealed at any time, maybe soon
Church cannot know, meet, see or worship anti-Christ	Church will know, see, can take the mark of the beast, worship the anti-Christ, meet anti-Christ
Israel and the Church two separate entities, peoples, always.	Distinction between ISrael and the Church blurry at best, confused and confusing at worst
The Rapture relates to the Church
The dead in Christ shall rise, the living will be translated to meet the Lord in the air	The Second Coming is to earth
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture deals primarily, exclusively and solely with the saints	The Second Coming of Christ deals primarily with the evil, wicked sinners
Chaos starts on earth, leading to the Armageddon War	Armageddon is ended, saving humanity from self destruction
Israel has not accepted their Messiah	Israel accepts their Messiah

These contrasts should be glaring, making it very evident that the two events are very different. Justthink about our translation. Non-glorified bodies entering the millennium is not what it teaches, and in the millennium there will be fleshly bodies (earth's susvivors of the Great Tribulation and glorified ones (Church saints) on earth.

Fine linen, the righteousness of the saints

Philippians 3:21:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Revelation of John 19:7-8:
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Revelation of John 19:14:
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Second Coming

Seven years from the start of it, 3 1/2 from the abomination of desolation

(Daniel 9:27)

John 14:1-3

Daniel 2:44-45

Romans 8:19

Daniel 7:9-14

1 Corinthians1:7-8

Daniel 12:1-3

1 Corinthians 15:1-53

Zechariah 14:1-15

1 Corinthians 16:22

Matthew 13:41

Phillippians 3:20-21

Matthew 24:15-31

Colossians 3:4

Matthew 26:64

1 Thessalonians 1:10

Mark 13:14-27

1 Thessalonians 2:19

Mark 14:62

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Luke 21:25-28

1 Thessalonians 5:9

Acts 1:9-11

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Acts 3:19-21

2 Thessalonians 2:1

(3?)
1 Thessalonians 3:13

1 Timothy 6:14

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

2 Timothy 4:1

2 Thessalonians 2:8

Titus 2:13

2 Peter 3:1-14

Hebrews 9:28

Jude 14-15

James 5:7-9

Revelation 1:7

1 Peter 1:7, 13

Revelation 19:11-20:6

1 John 2:28-3:2

Revelation 22:7, 12, 20

Jude 21

Revelation 2:25

Revelation 3:10

In Daniel chapter twelve, verse four we read:

(Daniel 12:4)
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

(Zechariah 14:4)
¶ And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

The Rapture	The Second Coming
Jesus Returns for His Church/Bride (Luke 21:36) Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (John 14:2-3) 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. (1 Thessalonians 1:10) And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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 5:9) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, (Revelation 3:10) 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.	(Luke 21:27) And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.Zech 14:5; Col 3:4; Rev 19:7-8,14, 21:9-10; Matt 24:29-31; Jud 1:14,15; 1Thess 3:13
Caught up with Him in the air, in the clouds, 1Thess 4:13-18; Appears to Believers only. Mat 5:8, John 11:40, Heb 9:28	Jesus' feet touch the earth Zech 14:4; Rev 19:11-21, and he brings war, then peace. Every eye will see him,including unbelievers. Rev 1:7, Zech 12:10, Mat 24:30 Luke 3:6 John 19:37
Christians taken first, unbelievers are left behind a shut door. Mat 25:1-13; Rev 3:8-10; Rev 4:1, 1Thess 4:13-18	Wicked are taken first, Mat 13:28-30 the righteous (Tribulation saints) are left to populate the millinnium
Purpose: To present the Church to Himself and to the Father in Heaven, 2 Cor 11:2; Rev 19:6-9	Purpose: To execute judgment on earth and set up His Kingdom on earth. Zech 14:3-4; Jud 1:14-15; Rev 19:11-21
Purpose: to cast satan out of heaven (Rev 12) down to the earth, which will reveal Satan for the Tribulation as the man of sin 2Thess 2	Purpose: to cast Satan to the bottomless pit, to bind Satan after the Tribulation. Rev 20:1-7
Happens in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, no war, globally. 1Cor 15:52	Slow coming, at war, to specific locations, from Edom, to Bozrah, to Meggido or Armageddon, to Jerusalem. Isa 63:1-3, Rev 16:16, Zech 12:9-10
Christians are changed, and get spirit bodies, go to heaven and do not marry, and become immortal; Mat 22:30; 1Cor 15:52; 1John 3:2	People populate the earth during the millinnium, some people still die, not being changed to immortality as at the rapture. Isa 65:20
Jesus descends with a shout (for resurrection) and trumpetnoise. 1Thess 4:16	No shout mentioned Rev 19:11-21
A resurrection takes place of all saints to immortality, to rule as kings and priests in Heaven over Earth 1Cor 15:51-54; 1Thess 4:13-18	Resurrection of the tribulation saints to immortality who worship day and night in the temple of God. Rev 7:15, Rev 20:4-6,
Occurs as a thief in the night, at the 'no man knows the day or hour' festival of the Feast of trumpets. Mat 24:43; 1Thess 5:4-6; Rev 3:3	Occurs at end of 7 years of Tribulation; exact day predicted; 3.5 years or 1260 days after the abomination of desolation: Dan 9:24-27, 12:11-12; Rev 11:2, 12:6,14, 13:5
Is likened to the abduction of the bride during the Jewish Wedding, and the union of the bride and groom, which occurs at the start of the 7 day bridal week. Gen 29:22-28, Judges 14:1-18	Is likened to the marriage feast, which occurs after the 7 day bridal week, returning from the wedding. Luke 12:36; Rev 19
The dead in Christ rise and together with then living will be changed into their new bodies and leave Earth with Jesus. 1Thess 4:14-16	Christians return with Jesus in already resurrected bodies riding on white horses. Rev 19:11-21
Jesus returns as a savior from wrath Luke 21:36; Rom 5:9; 1Thess 1:10, 5:9; Rev 3:10	Jesus returns on a white horse, full of wrath. Rev 19:11
For the Church only (those in Christ) 1Thess 4:14-17	For redeemed Israel & Gentiles Mat 25:31-46; Rom 11:25-27
A message of hope and comfort 1Thess 4:18; Titus 2:13; 1John 3:3 Like the days of Noah and Lot, which show deliverance and salvation from judgement. 2 Peter 2:7-9, Mat 24:37-44	A message of terror, panic, abject fear, pain, suffering, death, martyrdom, judgment and woe Joel 3:12-16; Amos 5:18; Mal 4:5; Rev 19:11-21 Like the plagues of Egypt, many of which are mirrored in Revelation, pouring out his Wrath, and He comes after the judgements.

(Matthew 2:16-18)
¶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

(Matthew 27:3-9)
¶ Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;

Luke 20:35-38:
But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.