Appendix C

From: Outline Of Prophetic Events: Chronologically Arranged From The Rapture To The Eternal State By: Stanley Bruce Anstey

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The Church Will Not Go Through the Tribulation

The following references from the Scriptures confirm that the Church will not go through the coming seven-year Tribulation period.

1) The Tribulation Is Never Spoken Of In Connection With The Church

There are eight main passages of Scripture that speak directly of the Tribulation (Matthew 24:3-29³And 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? ⁴And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. ⁵For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. ⁶And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. ⁸All these are the beginning of sorrows. ⁹Then 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. ¹⁰And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. ¹¹And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. ¹²And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. ¹³But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. ¹⁵When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) ¹⁶Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: ¹⁷Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: ¹⁸Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. ¹⁹And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! ²⁰But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: ²¹For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²²And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. ²³Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. ²⁴For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. ²⁵Behold, I have told you before. ²⁶Wherefore 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. ²⁷For 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. ²⁸For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. ²⁹Immediately 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: (Matthew 24:3‑29); Mark 13:4-24⁴Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? ⁵And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: ⁶For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. ⁷And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. ⁸For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. ⁹But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. ¹⁰And the gospel must first be published among all nations. ¹¹But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. ¹²Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. ¹³And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. ¹⁴But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains: ¹⁵And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: ¹⁶And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. ¹⁷But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! ¹⁸And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. ¹⁹For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. ²⁰And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. ²¹And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: ²²For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. ²³But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. ²⁴But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, (Mark 13:4‑24); Revelation 3:10; 7:14-17¹⁰Because 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. (Revelation 3:10)
¹⁴And 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. ¹⁵Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. ¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. ¹⁷For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:14‑17); Deuteronomy 4:30-31³⁰When 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; ³¹(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. (Deuteronomy 4:30‑31); Jeremiah 14:8; 30:4-7⁸O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? (Jeremiah 14:8)
⁴And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. ⁵For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. ⁶Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? ⁷Alas! 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. (Jeremiah 30:4‑7); Daniel 12:1¹And 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. (Daniel 12:1)). We would think that if the Church is to go through the Tribulation that at least one of these passages would say it, but there is not one reference to the Church being in the Tribulation, or having any connection with it! (When we speak of the Church we mean Christians which are the members of Christ’s body—Rom. 12:5⁵So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:5); 1 Cor. 12:13¹³For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13).) This in itself is significant. It means that those who believe this error have inferred their ideas into Scripture.

In Matthew 24 and Mark 13, the Lord was speaking to His Jewish disciples who are representative of the Jewish remnant of believers that will pass through the Tribulation. This is substantiated by the comments the Lord made to them. He spoke of what they should do when the temple and “the holy place” would be defiled by “the abomination of desolation” (vs. 15). He spoke about the land of “Judea” (vs. 16), about “the Sabbath” day (vs. 20), about “the tribes of Israel” being gathered together (vss. 30-31), and “the fig tree”—a well-known symbol of Israel (vs. 32). He also spoke of “the coming of the Son of Man,” which is a title used in Scripture for the Lord’s dealings with Israel and the Gentile nations of the earth—never the Church. (When His coming for the Church—the Rapture—is mentioned, He is referred to as the Lord, or as the Bridegroom.) All these things indicate that the Lord was not referring to Christians in regard to the Tribulation. Christians do not have to do with a physical temple and holy place to worship in. Nor do they have anything to do with the Sabbath day, etc. These things, quite obviously, apply to the Jews.

Revelation 3:10,¹⁰Because 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. (Revelation 3:10) speaks about the Tribulation coming upon the world, but not upon the Church. In fact, the Lord says in that passage that He is going to keep the Christians “out” of that “hour of trial!”

In Revelation 7:14,¹⁴And 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. (Revelation 7:14) the Tribulation is spoken of in connection with Gentile nations (Rev. 7:9⁹After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (Revelation 7:9)).

In Deuteronomy 4:30-31,³⁰When 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; ³¹(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. (Deuteronomy 4:30‑31) the Tribulation is spoken of in connection with Israel (Deut. 4:1¹Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. (Deuteronomy 4:1)).

In Jeremiah 30:4-7,⁴And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. ⁵For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. ⁶Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? ⁷Alas! 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. (Jeremiah 30:4‑7) the Tribulation is referred to as “Jacob’s trouble.” It does not say, “The Church’s trouble.” It specifies that these things are concerning Israel and Judah.

In Daniel 12:1,¹And 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. (Daniel 12:1) it says, twice, that “the time of trouble” (the Tribulation) will be upon “the children of thy people.” Daniel’s people were Jews.

These references show that the Tribulation has to do with Israel and the Gentile nations of the earth, but not with the Church. The fact that Church is never mentioned in connection with the Tribulation ought to be enough in itself to convince any willing mind that the Church will not be in, or go through, the Tribulation.

Israel and the Church—Two Different Companies

As we proceed, it will become increasingly evident that what is at the bottom of most of the difficulty that people have on this subject stems from not distinguishing between Israel and the Church. This is a very old trouble among Christians that can be traced back to the early centuries of the Church’s history when Judaizing teachers taught that Israel was merged into the Church at Pentecost, and that they are now one and the same company. In their erroneous teaching, the Church is said to be the new Israel that will inherit the earth. It is generally known as “Reformed Theology” or “Covenant Theology” today, even though it had its origins long before the Reformation of the 1500s. This system of teaching does not see the Church’s true nature, calling, and hope as being a special company of believers who belong to heaven. Scripture teaches that the Church will reign with Christ over the earth, as something distinct from Israel and the Gentiles nations who will have a portion of blessing on the earth.

As a result of this erroneous teaching, many have misunderstood God’s purpose to have, not one, but two great companies of redeemed of persons to share Christ’s glory in the day of His public reign (the Millennium). There will be a heavenly company of saints, composed of the “bride” of Christ (the Church) and those known as “the friends of the Bridegroom” (Old Testament saints), and then there will also be an earthly company of people consisting of a remnant of the 12 tribes of “Israel” and the Gentile “nations.”

Presently, God is calling the Church (Christ’s bride and wife) by the gospel of His grace. Those who rest in faith on Christ’s finished work on the cross are sealed with the Holy Spirit and are made part of the Church. This is an entirely new thing in the ways of God. It was not in existence in Old Testament times, or when Christ came preaching the gospel of the kingdom. When He was on earth, He said, “I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18¹⁸And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)). This clearly shows that it was yet a future thing. It did not begin until Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, 47; 5:11; 11:15¹And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ²And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1‑4)
⁴⁷Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:47)
¹¹And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. (Acts 5:11)
¹⁵And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. (Acts 11:15) “beginning”). The word Church (Ecclesia—Greek) means “called out,” and aptly describes what God is presently doing by calling out believers from among both the Jews and the Gentiles. By virtue of the Spirit of God descending into the world on the day of Pentecost and taking up residence in that company of believers, He has united them to Christ in heaven, Who is the Head of the Church (Eph. 5:23²³For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (Ephesians 5:23)). This is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5⁵For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. (Acts 1:5); 1 Cor. 12:13¹³For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)).

In Ephesians 3:6,⁶That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: (Ephesians 3:6) Paul explains this new and unique call of God, and shows that it is something that is entirely different from what was spoken of by the Old Testament prophets concerning Israel and the Gentiles. He states three things that characterize this present calling of God by the gospel:

Firstly, he says, “That they who are of the nations should be joint heirs” (J. N. Darby Trans.). Note: he did not say that the nations would be joint heirs, but that “they who are of the nations” would be joint heirs. This refers to a selection of certain elect persons from among the nations who have been chosen to be part of this special heavenly company—the Church (Eph. 1:4-6⁴According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: ⁵Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:4‑6)). The nations that these ones are called out of remain intact and continue on earth today as such, and will do so during the Millennium as well (Rev. 21:24²⁴And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. (Revelation 21:24)).

This special calling of God by the gospel is not the bringing of the Gentile nations to Jehovah en masse, as announced in the Old Testament, whereby they would have a place in the Messiah’s Kingdom under Israel (Zech. 2:11; 8:22-23¹¹And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. (Zechariah 2:11)
²²Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. ²³Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. (Zechariah 8:22‑23); Isa. 11:10; 14:1; 56:3-7; 60:1-5¹⁰And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10)
¹For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. (Isaiah 14:1)
³Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. ⁴For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; ⁵Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. ⁶Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; ⁷Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:3‑7)
¹Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. ²For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. ³And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. ⁴Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. ⁵Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. (Isaiah 60:1‑5); Psa. 22:27; 47:9; 72:10-11²⁷All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. (Psalm 22:27)
⁹The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted. (Psalm 47:9)
¹⁰The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. ¹¹Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. (Psalm 72:10‑11)). That which the Old Testament speaks of is an outward conversion of the Gentile nations that will take place in the future when Christ sets up His Millennial Kingdom. They will join allegiance to Israel’s God out of fear of judgment; there will not necessarily be a work of faith in their hearts (Psa. 18:44-47; 66:1-3; 68:28-31⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me. ⁴⁵The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places. ⁴⁶The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. ⁴⁷It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me. (Psalm 18:44‑47)
¹<<To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm.>> Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: ²Sing forth the honor of his name: make his praise glorious. ³Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. (Psalm 66:1‑3)
²⁸Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us. ²⁹Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee. ³⁰Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war. ³¹Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. (Psalm 68:28‑31); Isa. 60:14¹⁴The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 60:14)), although very many will be real (Rev. 7:9-10⁹After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; ¹⁰And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9‑10)). This present special calling of God must not be confused with the call to the Gentiles that is to come in the future.

Certain statements in the book of the Acts confirm this unique call of God that’s going on today. Luke, the writer of the book, says that when Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem, they stopped at certain places to tell the saints of the good news of “the conversion of those of the nations” (Acts 15:3³And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. (Acts 15:3)–J. N. Darby Trans.). Note again: it is not the conversion of the Gentiles, but a conversion “of those of” the Gentiles. He mentions it again in verse 14 of the same chapter, stating that in the gospel, God was (and is today) visiting the Gentiles to “take out of them a people for His name” (Acts 15:14¹⁴Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14)). And, it’s mentioned again in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. The Lord said to him, “Taking thee out from among the people [Israel] and the nations ... ” (Acts 26:17¹⁷Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, (Acts 26:17)–J. N. Darby Trans.). This shows that when Paul was saved, he was taken out of his former position as an Israelite and put into an entirely new creation of God as a member of the body of Christ (Gal. 3:28²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28); Col. 3:11¹¹Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11)). He was then sent to preach the gospel to those among the nations, that through believing in Christ, they too could be brought into this new heavenly thing.

As mentioned, Jews and Gentiles, as distinct entities, still remain on earth today while the gospel call goes out, but now, as a result of this present call of God, there is a third entity—“the Church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32³²Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: (1 Corinthians 10:32)). Hence, in this present dispensation of grace, God is calling believing Jews and Gentiles out of their former positions and bringing them into something new—the Church. As stated earlier, the meaning of the word Church is, “called out ones.” It very aptly expresses this special call by the gospel today.

“Reformed” or “Covenant” theologians will mistakenly use certain verses in the book of the Acts to prove that these two calls are one and the same. But a closer look at those references shows that they are not a fulfilment of those Old Testament passages, but are simply quoted to show that God has always had in mind His purpose to bless the Gentiles.

Secondly, Ephesians 3:6⁶That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: (Ephesians 3:6) says that believers from among the Gentiles today are made part of a “joint body” of believers composed of those who were once Jews and those who were once Gentiles. The mystery of Christ and the Church reveals that Jews and Gentiles who believe the gospel are formed into one living organism (a joint body) and that they share an equal footing and a common blessing in this new creation of God (Eph. 2:14-16¹⁴For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; ¹⁵Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; ¹⁶And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (Ephesians 2:14‑16)). This “one body in Christ,” (Rom. 12:5⁵So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:5)) is an entirely new thing of God’s making and is not found in the Old Testament. The Old Testament Scriptures do not speak of believing Jews and Gentiles sharing a common blessing and privilege as joined together in the nearest possible union. Furthermore, Scripture announces that Christ will reign over Israel and the over the Gentile nations (Psa. 93:1¹The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. (Psalm 93:1); Isa. 32:1¹Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. (Isaiah 32:1)), but it never says that He will reign over the Church, which is His body.

Thirdly, Paul says that this company of select Jews and Gentiles are “joint partakers of His promise in Christ Jesus.” This promise has no connection with the promises made to the Patriarchs in Old Testament times. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were given during their lifetimes, but this promise of “eternal life” was made “before the ages of time” (Titus 1:2²In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; (Titus 1:2)). “Eternal life” is distinctly a New Testament blessing involving a conscious relationship with the Father and the Son (John 17:3³And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)), and having the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 4:14¹⁴But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14)). Old Testament saints did not know of the relationship of the Father and the Son in the Godhead, and only looked forward to living forever on earth under a reigning Messiah (Psa. 8:1-9,¹<<To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.>> O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. ²Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. ³When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; ⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? ⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. ⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: ⁷All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; ⁸The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. ⁹O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1‑9) etc.), nor did they have the indwelling of the Spirit. Eternal life was first seen when Christ came into the world and manifested it; prior to that, it was “with the Father” in heaven (1 John 1:2²(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) (1 John 1:2)).

Hence, we see from these three things that the present call of God is not a spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies (as Covenant theologians will tell us), but something altogether different. The present heavenly call does not in any way interfere with God’s future plan to bless Israel and the Gentiles on earth under the reign of Christ. The conversion of the Gentiles will take place in a coming day, but a conversion of those out of the Gentiles is happening today by the gospel call. When reading the Scriptures, it is important not to confuse these distinct calls of God. The faithful “workman” will “rightly divide the Word of truth” and make this distinction in Bible teaching (2 Tim. 2:15¹⁵Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)).

2) The Church is not the Subject of Prophecy

The fact is that prophecy, properly speaking, does not have to do with the Church, but with Christ and His dealings with Israel and the Gentile nations that will pass through the Tribulation and into the Millennial Kingdom. Daniel’s seventy weeks (Dan. 9:24-27²⁴Seventy 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. ²⁵Know 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. ²⁶And 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. ²⁷And 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. (Daniel 9:24‑27)) clearly show that events concerning Israel, and prophecy, have come to a stop at the end of the 69th week when the Jews “cut off” their Messiah in death. There are still seven years (the 70th week) to be fulfilled in prophecy regarding Israel, which will not be fulfilled until God takes up with them again in a future day. We are now in the “due time” of God’s grace (1 Tim. 2:6⁶Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6)) when God is calling believers out of both the Jews and the Gentiles to be a heavenly people for Himself (Acts 15:14¹⁴Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14)). Prophecy regarding the Tribulation does not have to do with this present time. It is a misunderstanding of the prophetic Scriptures to try to correlate events happening today—when the Church is still on earth—with events foretold in prophecy, supposing that they are being fulfilled now.

3) The Outline of the Book of Revelation Shows the Church Will not be on Earth During the Tribulation

By having a simple outline of the book of Revelation we learn several points that clearly show that the Church will not be on earth when the Tribulation judgments are poured out.

There are three general divisions to the book given in chapter 1:19:

• “The things which thou hast seen”—refers to what the Apostle John saw in chapter 1.

• “The things which are”—refers to chapters 2 and 3, which contain the Lord’s addresses to the seven churches, being a moral history of the professing Church on earth from just after the apostles’ time to its last days.

• “The things which shall be hereafter”—refers to chapters 4 to 22, wherein the Tribulation is described. This third division is called “hereafter” (Rev. 4:1¹After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1)) because it deals with things which will take place after the Church has finished its history on earth.

It is instructive to see that after chapters 2 and 3, a door in heaven opens and John is called “up hither” (Rev. 4:1¹After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1)). This is a little picture of the Church being called away to heaven after it has finished its course on earth, by the coming of the Lord (the Rapture). From chapter 4 to the end of the book, the Church is no longer seen on earth as in chapters 1-3. When the Tribulation judgments are poured out in chapters 6 to 19, the Church is not once mentioned!

Also, those who will be martyred for their faithfulness during the Tribulation indicate by the character of their prayers that they are not Christians (Rev. 6:9-10⁹And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: ¹⁰And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? (Revelation 6:9‑10)). Firstly, the way in which they address God, as “Sovereign Ruler,” shows that they cannot be Christians. Christians do not address God in that way; they speak to God as their Father (Eph. 1:2²Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2); Col. 1:2²To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1:2)). Secondly, they pray for vengeance on the earth-dwellers who have persecuted them. This is right and proper for a Jew (i.e. imprecatory Psalms), but it is surely not the attitude of a Christian. A Christian blesses those that curse him and prays for them who despitefully use him (Luke 6:27-28²⁷But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, ²⁸Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. (Luke 6:27‑28)), but he does not invoke judgment upon his persecutors (Rom. 12:19-21¹⁹Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. ²⁰Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. ²¹Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19‑21)).

In chapter 7, we are told who will come out of the Tribulation in the end—the elect of Israel (vss. 1-8) and a great multitude of Gentiles (vss. 9-17). But there is no mention of Christians! They do not come out of the Tribulation because they do not go into the Tribulation. As mentioned already, they are called up to heaven before it begins.

Notice also, that when the Church is seen on the earth (in chapters 2 and 3), the expression, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches,” is repeated many times. But after the Church is seen as taken out (Rev. 4:1¹After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1)), when the Tribulation is going on, the expression is somewhat altered. It says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear” (Rev. 13:9). The phrase, “what the Spirit saith to the churches” is purposely dropped! The obvious reason for this is that the Church is considered as already taken out of the world and the Spirit is no longer addressing it.

Then finally, in chapter 19:11-21 at the end of the Tribulation, we see the Church as part of the armies of heaven (the heavenly saints) coming out of heaven with the Lord in His war judgments. For them to be able to come out of heaven with the Lord (1 Thess. 3:13; 4:14¹³To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (1 Thessalonians 4:14); Jude 14,¹⁴And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, (Jude 14) etc.) they would have had to be taken up earlier. The only thing that correlates with this is the Rapture which—as we have shown—will take place before the Tribulation begins.

Besides, if all the believing saints are taken up to be with the Lord at the end of the Tribulation, as some people believe, then who would be left to populate the millennial earth? With the wicked sent away into everlasting punishment, the earth would be left empty of people! (The saints caught up to be with the Lord in the air will not come back to live on earth—they will reign over the earth in “the high places”—Dan. 7:22, 27²²Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:22)
²⁷And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. (Daniel 7:27); 2 Cor. 5:1¹For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1).)

4) The Church’s Deliverance is Different From Israel’s

In Revelation 3:10,¹⁰Because 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. (Revelation 3:10) the Church is promised that it will be saved “out” of the coming hour of trial. The next verse (11) shows how—”Behold I come quickly.”—this is the Rapture. But note: no such promise is made to Israel. Israel is spoken of as being saved “in” the time of trouble (Jer. 14:8⁸O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? (Jeremiah 14:8)). God will graciously preserve a godly remnant of them through the Tribulation.

5) The Church Has Been Promised Deliverance From the Coming Wrath

Christians are told to “await His Son from the heavens, whom He raised from among the dead, Jesus, our Deliverer from the coming wrath” (1 Thess. 1:9-10⁹For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; ¹⁰And 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 1:9‑10)). There is “wrath” coming upon this world; it’s the judgment that will fall during the Tribulation. This “wrath” is mentioned 10 times in the book of Revelation. Chapter 6:16, 17; 11:18; 14:10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 19:15. Notice, all references are after chapters 2 and 3, which depict the time of the Church being on earth. This shows that the Church will be gone when the Tribulation judgments are poured out. The Lord Jesus will deliver them from it before the wrath falls (Rom. 5:9⁹Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:9)).

6) God Has not Appointed the Church to Wrath

First Thessalonians 5:9-10 says, “God hath not appointed us to wrath (the coming judgment), but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The aspect of salvation, in this verse, is not the eternal salvation of the soul; that, Christians have already. There is, however, another aspect of salvation in the Bible that is a future thing. For instance, the Word of God says, “For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:11¹¹And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11); Rom. 5:9; 8:23-25⁹Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:9)
²³And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. ²⁴For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? ²⁵But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Romans 8:23‑25); Eph. 4:30³⁰And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30); Heb. 9:28²⁸So 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. (Hebrews 9:28); 1 Peter 1:5⁵Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5)). This aspect of salvation is the salvation of our bodies, when the Lord comes and takes us out of this world. “We await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour: Who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to His body of glory, according to the working of the power which He has even to subdue all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:20-21²⁰For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ²¹Who 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. (Philippians 3:20‑21); 1 Cor. 15:51-56⁵¹Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²In 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. ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴So 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. ⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (1 Corinthians 15:51‑56)).

The verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:9⁹For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:9) tells us that the Church has been appointed to obtain this salvation, and not the wrath that is to come on the world.

7) The Shout is Before the Proclamation of Peace and Safety

The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Thessalonians, clearly puts the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:15-18¹⁵For 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. ¹⁶For 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: ¹⁷Then 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. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18)) as happening before the time of the Tribulation, when “peace and safety” will be promised by the Beast and the Antichrist through the false protection of the newly revived the revived Roman Empire (1 Thess. 5:1-3¹But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. ²For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. ³For 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. (1 Thessalonians 5:1‑3)).

Furthermore, a closer look at the passage will show that those who are “caught up” at the Rapture (in chapter 4) are addressed as a different class of persons than those who are promised “peace and safety” in the Tribulation (in chapter 5). This is indicated by the change from the first person plural, to the third person plural. The words change from “we” and “us” when referring to those caught up at the Rapture, and to “they” and “them” when referring to those who are promised false peace and safety in the Tribulation. This change is not by accident; the Spirit of God is indicating two different classes of persons. The raptured saints—the Church (1 Thess. 4:15-18¹⁵For 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. ¹⁶For 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: ¹⁷Then 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. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18)), and those who will be left behind to enter the Tribulation.

Paul, being a Christian, put himself among those who might be on earth when the Lord comes (the Rapture), saying, “we” (1 Thess. 4:17¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)). It is significant that he did not refer to himself among those who would be on earth during the time when “peace and safety” will be promised by the Beast. This, of course, is because he did not see himself as being among those who will experience the Tribulation.

8) The Catching Away is Before the Falling Away

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5,¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, ²That 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. ³Let 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; ⁴Who 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. ⁵Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? (2 Thessalonians 2:1‑5) the Apostle Paul again puts “the coming of our Lord and our gathering together unto Him” (the Rapture), as happening before the rise of the Antichrist and the great “falling away” that will occur in the Great Tribulation. The order is simple. First there is the catching away of the Church (vs. 1), then there is the falling away of professing Christendom after the “man of sin”—Antichrist (vss. 3-4).

The Thessalonian believers were passing through persecutions for their faith in Christ (2 Thess. 1:4-5⁴So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: ⁵Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (2 Thessalonians 1:4‑5)). False teachers had come in among them (vs. 2), teaching that “the day of the Lord” and the judgment connected with it was at hand. This teaching troubled them—they thought that they had to go through the horrors of the Tribulation. Paul wrote this second epistle to expose the evil teaching. He taught them that “the day of the Lord” could not come upon them because two things have to happen first; the revealing of “the man of sin” (Antichrist) and then the great falling away of merely professing believers after him.

Some people have the idea that “the day of the Lord” is the Rapture. There is, however, no Scripture to support this idea. “The day of the Lord” is a day of judgment that will begin at Christ’s appearing at the end of the Tribulation. At that time, the Lord will publicly intervene upon the ways of man by asserting His universal power and dominion over both the heavens and the earth. “The day of the Lord” will continue for the entire duration of the 1000 year reign of Christ; at which time (the very end of the day of the Lord) the heavens and the earth will be dissolved (2 Peter 3:8-10⁸But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:8‑10)).

9) The Spirit of God Must First be Gone

Second Thessalonians 2:6-12, shows this same order from another perspective. It says, “The mystery of lawlessness already works; only there is He who restrains now until He be gone, and then the lawless one shall be revealed.” These verses show that the course of evil in this world today is being restrained from reaching its culmination by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit on earth. When the Spirit is “gone” from the earth, at the Rapture, then, and only then, will “the lawless one” (Antichrist) arise to lead many away. Again, the order is simple. There is first a taking away (vs. 7) of the Spirit at the Rapture, then a leading away of many by the Antichrist in the Great Tribulation.

Some may ask the question: “How do we know when the Spirit will be taken out of the way and be gone?” It is evident by the following three Scriptures that it is at the Rapture:

Firstly, the Lord promised His disciples on the night of His betrayal that when the Spirit of God came to take up his abode in the Church, it would be forever (John 14:16-17¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; ¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:16‑17)). When the Church is called out of this world at the Rapture, the Spirit of God will go also, because the Lord said He (the Spirit) would never leave them.

Secondly, in the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, when the Church is viewed as on earth, the Spirit is seen speaking to the churches over and over again. But after the close of chapter 3, when the Church is no longer viewed on earth, the Spirit is not mentioned again until chapters 14:13 and 22:17, which refer to a time after the Tribulation.

Thirdly, in Genesis 24, a bride (a type of the Church) is sought for Isaac (a type of Christ) by the servant (a type of the Spirit of God). Once the bride was secured by the servant, he took her all the way home to Isaac who was waiting for her. As the servant went home with the bride, so will the Holy Spirit go home to heaven with the Church when the Lord comes for us.

This does not mean the Spirit of God will cease to work on earth after the Rapture. He will continue to work on earth from heaven, as He did in Old Testament times, by quickening souls, etc. These three passages show that when the Church is called out of this world at the Rapture, the Spirit will no longer be resident in the earth.

10) Christ’s Coming For His Saints Occurs Before the End-time Events Happen

First Corinthians 15:23-24 says, “Christ the first-fruits, afterward they which are Christ’s at His coming, then cometh the end.” Notice the order. Christ is raised first, followed by those who are His at His coming (which happens at the Rapture—1 Thess. 4:15-18¹⁵For 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. ¹⁶For 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: ¹⁷Then 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. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18)); then comes “the end.” The “end” refers, in a general way, to all end-time events—including, of course, the Tribulation and the Millennium which follow it (Matt. 13:39; 24:3-14³⁹The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. (Matthew 13:39)
³And 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? ⁴And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. ⁵For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. ⁶And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. ⁸All these are the beginning of sorrows. ⁹Then 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. ¹⁰And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. ¹¹And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. ¹²And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. ¹³But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:3‑14); Dan. 11:40; 12:4, 8, 9, 13⁴⁰And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. (Daniel 11:40)
⁴But 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. (Daniel 12:4)
⁸And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? ⁹And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. (Daniel 12:8‑9)
¹³But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:13)). What could be clearer? The Lord’s people are taken to heaven before “the end” comes.

11) There Are no Instructions For Christians In the Tribulation

In Matthew 24:16-26¹⁶Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: ¹⁷Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: ¹⁸Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. ¹⁹And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! ²⁰But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: ²¹For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²²And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. ²³Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. ²⁴For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. ²⁵Behold, I have told you before. ²⁶Wherefore 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. (Matthew 24:16‑26) and Mark 13:14-18,¹⁴But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains: ¹⁵And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: ¹⁶And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. ¹⁷But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! ¹⁸And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. (Mark 13:14‑18) in regard to the Tribulation days, those who are told to flee are clearly Jews, and not Christians. If Christians are to pass through the Great Tribulation, then why are there no instructions given to them as to how they should prepare for it, and how they should conduct themselves in it, as the Lord gave the believing Jews? The obvious reason is that there will be no Christians in the Tribulation.

It is true that thousands will turn to God in faith during that time (Rev. 7:9⁹After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (Revelation 7:9)), but they are not Christians. The multitude of Gentiles who will come into blessing then, will be born again and will have a place in Christ’s Kingdom on earth (Rev. 7:10-17¹⁰And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. ¹¹And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, ¹²Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. ¹³And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? ¹⁴And 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. ¹⁵Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. ¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. ¹⁷For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:10‑17)). Christians, on the other hand, will have been called away from the earth by the Lord to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

12) The Fact That the Gospel of the Grace of God Will not be Preached in the Tribulation Shows the Rapture Will Have Taken Place

“The gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24²⁴But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)) that is preached today and “the gospel of the kingdom” (Matt. 4:23²³And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23);

24:14) that will be preached during the Tribulation period are entirely different. They are two distinct gospels preached for two distinct purposes. The gospel of the grace of God calls people out for heaven: the gospel of the kingdom calls people for blessing on earth. The gospel that is going out today holds out a heavenly hope, calling, and destiny for those who believe (Col. 1:5⁵For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; (Colossians 1:5); 1 Peter 1:4⁴To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:4); Phil. 3:20²⁰For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Philippians 3:20); 2 Cor. 5:1-2¹For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ²For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (2 Corinthians 5:1‑2); Heb. 3:1¹Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (Hebrews 3:1)); whereas the gospel of the kingdom preached in the Tribulation, holds out an earthly blessing under the reign of Christ in the Millennium (Matt. 24:14¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14); Psa. 96).

The gospel of the kingdom announces the good news that the kingdom promised in the Old Testament (2 Sam. 7:16¹⁶And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. (2 Samuel 7:16); Dan. 2:44-45; 7:9-27⁴⁴And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. ⁴⁵Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. (Daniel 2:44‑45)
⁹I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. ¹⁰A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. ¹¹I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. ¹²As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. ¹³I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. ¹⁵I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. ¹⁶I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. ¹⁷These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. ¹⁸But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. ¹⁹Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; ²⁰And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. ²¹I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; ²²Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. ²³Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. ²⁴And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. ²⁵And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. ²⁶But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. ²⁷And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. (Daniel 7:9‑27)) is about to be set up, and that those who receive the King in faith will have a part in its earthly blessing. It was first preached by John the Baptist at the time of the Lord’s first coming (Matt. 3:1-2¹In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ²And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:1‑2)). The Lord and His disciples also preached it (Matt. 4:23; 10:7²³And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23)
⁷And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 10:7)). Their preaching was to call the nation to repentance so that it would be in a state to receive the King, and had they received Him, He would have established the kingdom as promised by the Old Testament Prophets. But sadly, Israel rejected their King, and thereby forfeited the opportunity of having the kingdom set up in all of its power and display. When Israel rejected their King, the gospel of the kingdom was no longer announced because the kingdom was no longer being offered to them. God, instead, has sent out the gospel of His grace to the Gentile world to call out of them a people for His name (Acts 13:44-48; 15:14⁴⁴And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. ⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. ⁴⁶Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. ⁴⁸And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:44‑48)
¹⁴Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14); Rom. 11:11¹¹I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. (Romans 11:11)). This gospel is still being preached today. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached again by the Jewish remnant after the Church has been called away to heaven. At that time, God will pick up His dealings with Israel where He left off almost 2000 years ago. Israel will be saved in a coming day (that is, a remnant from among them—Rom. 9:6-8; 11:26-27⁶Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: ⁷Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. ⁸That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (Romans 9:6‑8)
²⁶And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: ²⁷For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. (Romans 11:26‑27)), and the kingdom will be brought in by power (Rev. 11:15¹⁵And 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. (Revelation 11:15)).

The point we need to see in this, is that there is no mention of the gospel of God’s grace being preached during the Tribulation—only the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 24:14¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)). The obvious reason is because this gospel calls out believers to be part of the Church, and since the Church will not be on earth during the Tribulation, it will not be announced.

God will not send out two different gospels at the same time. It would be confusion, and it would be confounding the heavenly calling with the earthly calling along with their respective hopes and destinies. Understanding this point shows us that it’s impossible to have the Church and the believing Jewish remnant on earth during the Tribulation period at the same time. If, during the Tribulation, the gospel of God’s grace called believers out of the Jews and Gentiles and placed them in the Church, each time a Jew believed the gospel he would be taken out of his Jewish position and made part of the Church (Rom. 11:5⁵Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. (Romans 11:5); Gal. 6:16¹⁶And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:16)—“the Israel of God”), then there would never be a believing Jewish remnant! A careful consideration of this fact proves that the Church and the Jewish remnant couldn’t be on earth at the same time.

OLD TESTAMENT TYPES THAT CONFIRM THE CHURCH WILL NOT GO THROUGH THE TRIBULATION

There are many Old Testament types which confirm the fact that the Church will not go through the Tribulation. To teach otherwise, destroys the truth that the Spirit of God intends to convey in these beautiful pictures.

13) Enoch And Noah (Genesis 5:21-9:17²¹And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: ²²And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: ²³And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: ²⁴And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. ²⁵And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: ²⁶And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: ²⁷And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. ²⁸And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: ²⁹And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. ³⁰And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: ³¹And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. ³²And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ¹And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, ²That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. ³And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. ⁴There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. ⁵And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. ⁷And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. ⁸But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. ⁹These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. ¹⁰And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ¹¹The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹²And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. ¹³And 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. ¹⁴Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. ¹⁵And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. ¹⁶A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. ¹⁷And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. ¹⁸But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. ¹⁹And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. ²⁰Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. ²¹And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. ²²Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. ¹And 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. ²Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. ³Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. ⁴For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. ⁵And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him. ⁶And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. ⁷And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. ⁸Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, ⁹There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. ¹¹In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. ¹²And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. ¹³In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; ¹⁴They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. ¹⁵And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. ¹⁶And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in. ¹⁷And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. ¹⁸And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. ¹⁹And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. ²⁰Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. ²¹And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: ²²All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. ²³And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. ²⁴And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. ¹And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; ²The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; ³And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. ⁴And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. ⁵And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. ⁶And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: ⁷And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. ⁸Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; ⁹But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. ¹⁰And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; ¹¹And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. ¹²And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. ¹³And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. ¹⁴And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. ¹⁵And God spake unto Noah, saying, ¹⁶Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. ¹⁷Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. ¹⁸And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: ¹⁹Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. ²⁰And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. ²²While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. ¹And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. ²And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. ³Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. ⁴But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. ⁵And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. ⁶Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. ⁷And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. ⁸And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; ¹⁰And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. ¹¹And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. ¹²And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: ¹⁵And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. ¹⁷And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. (Genesis 5:21‑9:17))

Enoch is a well-known type of the Church. He walked in fellowship with God and warned the world of coming judgment (Jude 14-15¹⁴And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, ¹⁵To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 14‑15)), and then he was taken to heaven. Enoch had the distinction among the Patriarchs of not seeing death; he was translated to heaven alive (Heb. 11:5⁵By 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. (Hebrews 11:5)). The thing to see here is that Enoch was translated to heaven before the flood of God’s judgment came upon the earth. The flood is a foreshadow of the judgment that will come on the world during the Tribulation (2 Peter 3:3-10³Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, ⁴And 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. ⁵For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: ⁶Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: ⁷But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. ⁸But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:3‑10); Luke 17:26-27²⁶And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. ²⁷They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26‑27)). Noah and his family passed through the flood in the ark; they are a picture of the spared Jewish remnant that will be preserved by God in the Tribulation.

14) Abraham and Lot (Genesis 18-19)

Abraham, dwelling on the mountain in fellowship with the Lord, is a picture of the heavenly minded Christian living in communion with God. Lot, absorbed in the things of Sodom, is a picture of the earthly minded Christian living for the interests of this world. God was about to pour out judgment upon Sodom, but He would not do it until Lot was first taken out of it. The angel said to Lot: “Haste thee, escape thither, for I cannot do anything till thou be come hither” (Gen. 19:22²²Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. (Genesis 19:22)). Likewise, judgment is coming upon this world. It is going to happen in the coming Tribulation period, but God will not allow one stroke of it to fall until He has first taken every Christian out of it, regardless of how worldly they may be living—as Lot sadly illustrates (2 Peter 2:7-8⁷And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: ⁸(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) (2 Peter 2:7‑8)).

15) Leah and Rachel (Genesis 28-30)

Jacob, sent forth by his father, is a picture of God the Father sending His Son the Lord Jesus Christ into this world (1 John 4:14¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14)). Jacob went out from his father’s house for two reasons: firstly, on account of sin (Gen. 27), and also to secure a bride for himself (Gen. 28:15¹⁵And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. (Genesis 28:15)). When Jacob came into the far country, he saw Rachel in the field (who is a type of Israel), and desired to have her for his wife. In love for her, Jacob agreed to purchase her through his own personal toil. This is a figure of the work and toil the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross in order that He might have Israel in a relationship with Himself on the ground of redemption.

When it came time for Jacob to receive Rachel, her father Laban treacherously deceived him so that he did not get her. He was given Leah instead. Leah is a type of the Church. God allowed this to happen to Jacob so that we might have this marvellous foreshadow of His ways with Israel and the Church. It tells the story of God’s dispensational ways; when the Lord came (His first coming), it was for Israel whom He loved, but when they were not brought in to Him (Isa. 49:4-5⁴Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. ⁵And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. (Isaiah 49:4‑5)) God gave the Church to Him instead so that He might have a bride. After Jacob was given Leah, he later received Rachel. This points to the time when the fullness of the Gentiles will be brought in and the calling of the Church will be complete (Acts 15:14¹⁴Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14); Rom. 11:25²⁵For 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. (Romans 11:25)). God will bring Israel to the Lord so that He may have her as His earthly bride (Hos. 2:6-17⁶Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. ⁷And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. ⁸For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. ⁹Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. ¹⁰And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. ¹¹I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. ¹²And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. ¹³And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord. ¹⁴Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. ¹⁵And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁶And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. ¹⁷For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. (Hosea 2:6‑17); Isa. 62:4-5⁴Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. ⁵For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. (Isaiah 62:4‑5)).

Jacob had two brides: Leah (typical of the Church) was received first, even though he made his advances toward Rachel (typical of Israel) first. While Leah’s womb was open and fruitful in bearing children, Rachel’s womb was barren (Gen. 29:31³¹And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. (Genesis 29:31)). This answers to the present day. While the Church is bearing fruit for God, Israel has been barren (Isa. 54:1¹Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 54:1); Hos. 3:4⁴For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: (Hosea 3:4); Matt. 21:19-21¹⁹And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. ²⁰And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! ²¹Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. (Matthew 21:19‑21)).

The point to see in this is that Leah had all seven (a number that signifies completion) of her children before Rachel began to travail to bring forth her children (Gen. 30:22; 35:16²²And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. (Genesis 30:22)
¹⁶And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. (Genesis 35:16)). Rachel’s travail is a picture of Israel’s future trial in the Tribulation (Isa. 66:7-8⁷Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. ⁸Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (Isaiah 66:7‑8); Jer. 30:6-7⁶Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? ⁷Alas! 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. (Jeremiah 30:6‑7); Mic. 4:9-10; 5:3⁹Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. ¹⁰Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. (Micah 4:9‑10)
³Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. (Micah 5:3); 1 Thess. 5:3³For 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. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)). What marvellous accuracy there is in these types! (Psa. 119:161¹⁶¹SCHIN. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word. (Psalm 119:161)) This shows that the Church will finish its course and testimony of fruit bearing in this world, before Israel (the Jews really) passes into their time of travail during the Tribulation.

16) Joseph and Asenath (Genesis 37-50)

Joseph (or Zaphnath-paaneah, meaning “Saviour of the world”—J. N. Darby Trans. footnote in Gen. 41:45⁴⁵And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:45)) is another well-known type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was rejected by his brethren, who are typical of the Jewish nation (Gen. 37), and carried abroad among the Gentiles (Gen. 39-41). After he was carried into Egypt among the Gentiles, there was a period of blessing in that land, followed by a time of famine. The time of blessing answers to the present dispensation of grace. The time of famine answers to the coming Tribulation period. It is interesting to note that while Joseph was estranged from his brethren (typical of the Jews) he received a Gentile bride, Asenath (Gen. 41:45⁴⁵And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:45)). He got her in the time of plenty before the famine! She is a type of the Church. She was brought into his house to share his royal place on the throne of Egypt before the time of famine began. This again, points to the fact that the Church will be brought home to the glory before the time of Tribulation. During the time of famine Joseph worked to restore his brethren to himself (Gen. 42-45). So Christ will also deal with Israel during the Tribulation to restore them to Himself. First, the ten brothers of Joseph (typical of the Jewish remnant) who were guilty of rejecting him were restored to him (Gen. 45:1-15¹Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. ²And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. ³And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. ⁴And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. ⁵Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. ⁶For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. ⁷And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁹Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: ¹⁰And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: ¹¹And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. ¹²And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. ¹³And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. ¹⁴And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. ¹⁵Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. (Genesis 45:1‑15)); then, the whole family was brought in and re-united with him (Gen. 46). They are a type of the tribes of Israel that will be restored to the Lord after the Jews are restored to Him (Matt. 24:30-31³⁰And 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. ³¹And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:30‑31)).

17) Moses and Zipporah (Exodus 1-12)

Moses is another type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was God’s appointed deliverer for the children of Israel who were under the tyrannical bondage of Pharaoh in Egypt (Ex. 3:10¹⁰Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:10); Acts 7:35³⁵This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. (Acts 7:35)). Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, is a type of Satan, the god and prince of this world. Moses yearned for his people and longed that they might be delivered. When he came to them, he slew one of their Egyptian oppressors, thus showing his desire to vanquish their enemy and deliver them from their bondage. But his efforts were all misunderstood by his brethren, who said, “Who made thee a ruler and judge over us?” (Acts 7:35³⁵This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. (Acts 7:35); Ex. 2:14¹⁴And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. (Exodus 2:14)) Consequently, they rejected him. This is typical of the Jews rejecting the Lord at His first coming. In essence, they said the same thing: “We will not have this Man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14¹⁴But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. (Luke 19:14); John 1:11¹¹He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (John 1:11)).

Being rejected, Moses fled from his people into the land of Midian (Ex. 2:11¹¹And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. (Exodus 2:11)—4:19). During the time of this estrangement from his brethren he received a Gentile wife, Zipporah (Ex. 2:21²¹And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. (Exodus 2:21)). She is another type of the Church. Zipporah bore Moses a son and they named him Gershom, which means, “A stranger here.” This speaks of the character that the Church should have in this world as a pilgrim and stranger (1 Peter 2:11¹¹Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Peter 2:11)).

18) The Judgment of Jericho (Joshua 2-6)

The sentence of judgment was pronounced on Jericho and the people of Canaan (Ex. 23:27²⁷I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. (Exodus 23:27)). Before judgment fell upon that city, God provided a way of shelter under “the line of scarlet” for those who had faith (Josh. 2). This typically foretells the story of the judgment that is about to fall on this guilty and doomed world. God in mercy has provided a shelter for all who believe the gospel—under the blood of Christ. In chapter 6, the judgment fell on Jericho as warned. But before it took place, Joshua first brought the wilderness journey of the children of Israel to a close by bringing them into their promised land. It is significant that the chapters dealing with Israel being brought into the land of Canaan (Josh. 3-4) come before the judgment fell on Jericho (Josh. 6). Before judgment falls on this world, the Lord Jesus Christ, like Joshua, will bring the Church’s long wilderness journey in this world to an end by calling them to their heavenly Canaan. It is remarkable that Jericho’s judgment happened at harvest time (Josh. 3:15¹⁵And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) (Joshua 3:15)). The judgment of this world is also called a harvest (Matt. 13:39-42³⁹The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. ⁴¹The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; ⁴²And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:39‑42); Rev. 14:15-20¹⁵And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. ¹⁶And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. ¹⁷And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. ¹⁸And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. ¹⁹And 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. ²⁰And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. (Revelation 14:15‑20); Joel 3:9-16⁹Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: ¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. ¹¹Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. ¹²Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. ¹³Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. ¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. ¹⁵The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. ¹⁶The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. (Joel 3:9‑16)).

Three Scriptures Wrongly Used to Support the Error That the Church Will Go Through the Tribulation

In an effort to be a help to any who may still have difficulty on this point, we have selected the three main Scriptures that have been erroneously used to teach that the Church will go through the Tribulation. In each of these passages our desire is to show, with the Lord’s help, how the error has occurred and what the true meaning of the passage is. Most of the confusion on this point has arisen from Christians not carefully and prayerfully reading the Scriptures.

1) 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3²That 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. ³Let 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; (2 Thessalonians 2:2‑3)

“Be not shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as the day of the Lord 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.” This Scripture has been taken to mean that the day the Lord comes for His Church (the Rapture) will not take place until the Antichrist and the falling away during the Great Tribulation has occurred. Since the Antichrist arises in the Tribulation, and “the day of the Lord” happens after that, then the Church will have to be in the Tribulation.

The error here, is assuming that “the day of the Lord” is the Rapture. Scripture says that the day of the Lord begins at the Appearing of Christ, but not the Rapture. It says, “Before the great and gloriously appearing day of the Lord come” (Acts 2:20²⁰The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: (Acts 2:20)). There are about 20 references to “the day of the Lord” in the Word of God. Some of them refer to its commencement at the Appearing of Christ (2 Thess. 2:2²That 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. (2 Thessalonians 2:2); 2 Peter 3:10¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10); 1 Thess. 5:2,²For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2) etc.). Others are a warning of it being “at hand,” signalled by the attack of the King of the North, which will take place just prior to its commencement (Joel 1:15; 2:11¹⁵Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. (Joel 1:15)
¹¹And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? (Joel 2:11); Zeph. 1:7-20; Zech. 14:1-2,¹Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. ²For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:1‑2) etc.). But there are no Scriptures that say that the catching away of the saints occurs at “the day of the Lord.” If our objectors insist that the Lord does take the Church to heaven at the day of the Lord, then let them give us the Scripture that says so. Such assumptions come from not carefully searching the Scriptures (Acts 17:11¹¹These 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. (Acts 17:11); 2 Tim. 2:15¹⁵Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)).

“The day of the Lord” is a day of judgment that begins at the Appearing of Christ (2 Peter 3:4, 8-10⁴And 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. (2 Peter 3:4)
⁸But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:8‑10)); it does not begin at the Rapture. “The day of the Lord” is the time when Christ will publicly intervene in the ways of man on earth asserting His universal power and authority in judgment. It will extend for 1000 years (2 Peter 3:8-10⁸But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:8‑10)), which will be the Millennium. The Lord will not publicly assert His rights in the earth by intervening in judgment at the Rapture; He will take the Church to heaven and then let the world go on with its evil, at which time the western world will receive the Antichrist. The Rapture is never looked at as a day of judgment for this world, but rather, as a time when the Bridegroom and the bride are joyfully united.

Understanding these simple and basic things about “the day of the Lord,” we can see at once that Paul was not even speaking about the Rapture in 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3²That 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. ³Let 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; (2 Thessalonians 2:2‑3). He was showing the Thessalonians that “the day of the Lord,” and its attending judgments, could not be presently upon them because the Antichrist’s rise and the great falling away of professing Christendom had to happen first.

Sad to say, there are people who are still propounding the same error that was bothering the Thessalonians. They are upsetting Christians by telling them that they must prepare for the Tribulation because the Church is going to go through it. And, ironically, they are using the same three methods (in principle) to propound their error as the false teachers were doing in Paul’s day!

• First, “by spirit” (vs. 2)—the false teachers claimed they had received it through a spiritual revelation given to them from the Lord.

• Secondly, “by Word” (vs. 2)—the false teachers were misapplying Old Testament Scriptures to support their erroneous teaching.

• Then lastly, “by letter as from us” (vs. 2)—they actually had gone so far as to produce an epistle with their erroneous ideas in it, and claimed it was from Paul.

Those who teach this erroneous doctrine today often claim that they have received it through some special revelation from God, and they are also trying to use the Scriptures to support it, and are even taking Paul’s ministry (such as this passage) and teaching that Paul taught that the Church must go through the Tribulation.

Another reason why this interpretation is in error is that it destroys the imminence of the Lord’s coming. The Lord’s coming (the Rapture) is always presented in Scripture as something that could take place at any moment. Those who think the Church must go through the Tribulation decry the idea that He could come at any moment because they think it is direct violation of their interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3²That 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. ³Let 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; (2 Thessalonians 2:2‑3) which says that the Antichrist has to arise first. However, Paul and the other apostles laboured to put the nearness of the Lord’s coming before the Church so that it would be its present hope. Paul said, “Our conversation is in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21²⁰For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ²¹Who 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. (Philippians 3:20‑21)). He also said, “For yet a very little while and He that shall come will come and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37³⁷For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (Hebrews 10:37)). And, “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:11-12¹¹And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. ¹²The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:11‑12)). And again, “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” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). In this last verse, Paul put himself among the number of those who were looking for the Lord to come, saying, “We.” See also 1 Corinthians 15:51-52⁵¹Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²In 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. (1 Corinthians 15:51‑52)—“We.” It was something he hoped for even back in those early days of the Church. James too, said, “The coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:7⁷Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (James 5:7)). Peter said, “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7⁷But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. (1 Peter 4:7)). John said, “Little children, it is the last time” (1 John 2:18¹⁸Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. (1 John 2:18)). This shows that the apostles ministered in such a way as to set the Lord’s coming before the saints as an imminent thing.

To teach that certain events must take place before the Lord will come, such as, the rise of Antichrist and the Tribulation horrors, would be a direct contradiction to the teaching of the apostles, and it also destroys the imminence of the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13¹³Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Titus 2:13)).

The sad effect of taking the “blessed hope” away from the Church is to cause it to settle down in this world. This is just what has happened, to a large extent. It is, essentially, saying that “my Lord delayeth His coming” (Matt. 24:48⁴⁸But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; (Matthew 24:48)). For this very reason, the Lord never told us when He would return. But He did say, “Surely, I come quickly” (Rev. 22:20²⁰He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)).

2) Revelation 11:15¹⁵And 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. (Revelation 11:15)

Another Scripture adduced to prove that the Church must pass through the Tribulation is Revelation 11:15¹⁵And 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. (Revelation 11:15). “The seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.” This verse shows us that when the seventh and last trumpet is blown at the end of the Great Tribulation, the Lord will come (His Appearing) and take possession of the kingdoms of this world through judgment. It has been supposed that this is “the last trump” spoken of at the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:15-18¹⁵For 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. ¹⁶For 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: ¹⁷Then 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. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18); 1 Cor. 15:51-52), and therefore, the Church will be on earth to pass through that hour of trial described in Revelation 6-11, which precedes the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15¹⁵And 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. (Revelation 11:15). It is taught that the Church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, just as the Lord comes out of heaven to judge the world.

This interpretation is very problematic, because the Word of God teaches us that a number of things must happen between the time the Church is taken to heaven and when the Lord comes back out of heaven to judge the world—as Revelation 11:15¹⁵And 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. (Revelation 11:15) shows. It would be impossible for all those things to happen in that short moment of time (“the twinkling of an eye”—1 Cor. 15:52⁵²In 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. (1 Corinthians 15:52)) that this interpretation allows. After taking His people to the Father’s house above (John 14:2-3²In 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. ³And 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. (John 14:2‑3)) at the Rapture, the Lord will have them sit down at His table where He will serve them heavenly happiness and joy unspeakable (Luke 12:37³⁷Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. (Luke 12:37)). Then, the judgment seat of Christ will be set and the believers’ lives will pass into review and be rewarded accordingly (2 Cor. 5:10,¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10) etc.). The saints will also have a time of praising God and the Lord Jesus Christ around the throne in heaven; at that time they will cast their crowns at His feet in humble adoration of Him (Rev. 4-5). Then, the marriage of the Lamb will take place in heaven, which will be followed by the marriage supper with the many guests of heaven (the friends of the Bridegroom) attending it (Rev. 19:7-8⁷Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. ⁸And 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 19:7‑8)). These things all must take place after the Lord takes His people to heaven at the Rapture, and before He returns at His Appearing. How could all these things happen if the saints are taken up in the air and then immediately brought back down again with the Lord at His Appearing?

3) Matthew 24:29-31²⁹Immediately 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: ³⁰And 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. ³¹And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29‑31)

Another Scripture that is used is Matthew 24:29-31²⁹Immediately 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: ³⁰And 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. ³¹And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29‑31). “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 heaven 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 the trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds.” It is thought that the coming of the Lord, in this passage, refers to the Rapture, and consequently, people fix the time of the Rapture as being “immediately after the tribulation.” They conclude that the Church will, therefore, go through the Tribulation.

At the bottom of this misunderstanding is the confusing of the Rapture with the Appearing. Some of the main differences are:

• The coming of the Son of Man is never referred to as the Rapture; it is always the Appearing of Christ.

• The Rapture is the Lord’s coming for His own (John 14:3³And 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. (John 14:3)); whereas, the coming of the Son of Man is the Lord’s coming with His own at His Appearing (1 Thess. 3:13; 4:14¹³To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (1 Thessalonians 4:14); Jude 14¹⁴And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, (Jude 14)).

• The Rapture is a mystery not made known until New Testament times (John 14:2-3²In 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. ³And 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. (John 14:2‑3); 1 Cor. 15:51-52⁵¹Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²In 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. (1 Corinthians 15:51‑52); 1 Thess. 4:15-18¹⁵For 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. ¹⁶For 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: ¹⁷Then 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. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18)); but the coming of the Son of man is something that was well-known by the Old Testament saints because the prophets spoke of it (Dan. 7:13-14¹³I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13‑14)).

• The Son of man is a title that the Lord takes when He comes to judge the world. At the Rapture the Lord does not come to judge the world, but to take His bride to heaven.

• At the Rapture, the Lord does not send His angels to gather His saints (the bride); He comes to take her Himself (1 Thess. 4:16¹⁶For 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: (1 Thessalonians 4:16); 2 Thess. 2:1¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2 Thessalonians 2:1)).

The Partial Rapture Idea

Some Christians believe that there will be a partial Rapture. This is absurd and not necessary for us to comment on. Could we imagine the Lord taking only part of His bride to heaven? What would He do in heaven with half a bride? How could the marriage of the Lamb take place with only half the bride present? Anyway, what Scripture is there for it?

Let us “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thess. 5:21²¹Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)).

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Outline Of Prophetic Events: Chronologically Arranged From The Rapture To The Eternal State

• Outline of Prophetic Events, An

• Rapture (The Blessed Hope of the Church), The

• Things Hereafter (in Heaven)

• Things Hereafter (on Earth)

• Indignation (75 Days), The

• Millennium (The 1000 Year Reign of Christ), The

• The Eternal State

• Appendix A — The Indignation

• Appendix B — Indications of the Lord's Coming

• Appendix C

Appendix C

Outline of Prophetic Events: Third Edition [Paperback]