Rapture Timing
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The word rapture means "to snatch up quickly". It is used by christians to describe God comming back for his people. Christians of modern history have twisted verses of the bible to promote their theory that the Rapture takes place before the tribulation, and seven years before the Judgement. Today, less then two hundred years after its conception, the pre-trib rapture is the dominate belief. It has gotten to the point where it is considered un-christian to promote any other theory. Modern christians ignore prophesy as if this third of the bible is somehow irrelevant. Even though God commands us to study the prophesies and be prepared, most christians boycott these sections saying ,"its to criptic", or ,"I can't understand it". Some verses are metaphoric, (not meant to be understood until the last days), while others clearly show a sequence of events.
Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinking of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51,52 KJ)
Is the last trumpet spoken of here the last trumpet in Revelation? It's true, Revelation had not been written at this point, but, Jesus knew the future.
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Revelations 10:7 KJ)
This verse refers back to Corinthians. The "mystery of God" is of course the rapture, which occurs at the seventh or last trump.
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. (Mathew 24:29-31 KJ)
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. (Mark 13:24-27 KJ)
It is easy to see the sequence of events. After the tribulation, at the sound of a trumpet, the sun and the moon darken, (as in Revelation) and the Second Coming of Christ occurs. Therefore, the Second Coming and the rapture are shown to be the same event.
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on there seats, fell upon there faces, and worshipped God, saying, we give thee thanks, o lord God all mighty, which art, wast, art to come; because thou has taken to thee thy great power, and has reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath has 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. (Revelation 11:15-18 KJ)
Again, we have the second coming taking place at the seventh trumpet, with judgement following immediately thereafter (The bowl judgements) .The tribulation then, is not God's wrath or judgement, rather it is the result of the: environmental, social, and economical calamities which the human race has brought upon itself. The judgement or, "Great Tribulation", refers to the bowl judgements only.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection. 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. (Revelation 20:4-6 KJ)
There could not have been a pre-trib rapture, because the first rapture/resurrection includes the christians who were killed during the tribulation for not taking the mark. We know that the Anti-christ forces everyone to take his mark at the mid point of the tribulation. Therefore, the first resurrection and rapture occurs more than three and one half years into the tribulation.
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, Showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 KJ)
Clearly "The Day of the Lord"(rapture and judgement), occurs after the anti-christ reveals himself by claming to be God and seating himself in the temple of God(mid-way through the tribulation). Note also that the "falling away" is brought on by the anti-christ or great deceiver.
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, tthat ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:34-36, KJ)
Verse 36 is often quoted to show our escape, (rapture), from the things that come to pass. In verse 34 we are told to be careful of ourselves, or we might forget to watch for the coming day, because we are too busy surfeiting (eating) and drinking, or that we may become depressed with the day to day worries of life. We should keep watch or the day will surprise us. Not an imminent rapture at all because christians are commanded to prepare themselves for that day . Verse 35 tells us that 'that day" will come upon all who live upon the earth. All! Clearly the rapture and judgement are one in the same, with the christians standing before God after escaping the "great tribulation".
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, KJ)
In verse 3 we see that the christians will not be surprised by the Lord's coming, instead they are watching for it. Again, the Lord's coming is an escape from the tribulation and the pouring out of God's wrath (the bowl judgements) upon the wicked.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (Revelation 16:15 KJ)
A Jew would recognize the reference to the thief in the night, and to being caught asleep and losing their garments. Each night in the temple, one priest was left to tend to the altar fire to make sure it did not go out during the night. Each morning the High Priest would return just before dawn. It was said that he would enter the temple as a "thief in the night." His first duty was to check the altar fire to see if it had gone out. If it had, the High Priest would re-light the altar (only he could) and would take some coals in a fire pan and go looking for the sleeping priest. When the High Priest found him, he was to awaken him by lighting his clothing with the coals. The priest would awaken with his clothes on fire! He would therefore have to walk home naked, so that everyone could see his shame. Likewise, God will not be pleased if he catches us "sleeping" upon his return.
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:1-2, KJ)
After the tribulation, a resurrection/rapture will take place take place followed by judgement. "The dust of the earth" term shows that they have not died recently. People who had been killed recently, during the first half of the tribulation, would not have been described in this manner.
Many shall be purified and made white, and tried: but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time [that] the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, [there shall be] a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed [is] he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end [be] : for thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:10-13, KJ)
The many who are purified and made white are the martyrs of the triublation. The anitchrist is revealed three and one half years into the tribulation and the rapture/ressurrection occurs a month and a half later. This is the first resurrection as it includes Daniel. "Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the... " these are the Christian survivors.