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If any man desires to do God's will, he will have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from myself and on my own accord.  John 7:17 

 

The Secret or Pre-Tribulation Rapture  

 

The word “rapture” does not appear in the Bible, but it is a term frequently used in reference to the “Second Coming of Yahushua."   The terms “Secret Rapture" and "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" refer to the idea that the coming of Yahushua will take place in two separate stages.  The first stage will be a secret rapture – or "a carrying away" of the “saved” to heaven – at the beginning of a seven-year period of tribulation, during which time the “Antichrist” will appear.  At the close of this time of tribulation, Yahushua will return to the earth in triumph and glory.  Is the idea of a “secret rapture” supported Biblically?  Let us see what the Bible has to say on these subjects with a seven-year period of tribulation.

Yahushua promised He would return to this earth to take His people to be with Him.  He said, “Let not your heart be troubled:  you believe in Elohim, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions:  if it were not so I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:1-3, emphasis added). 

Did Yahushua say He would return “secretly” and “rapture” His people from the earth before the beginning of “the time of trouble," or what is referred to as the tribulation by some, mentioned in Daniel 12:1, leaving behind those who are not yet saved and are left to wonder where their friends and relatives have gone?  This is what those who hold to the idea of a secret rapture believe.  In the above verses, Yahushua does not say how He will return – secretively or otherwise.  But other Bible texts make it plain what will happen when He returns.

Forty days after His resurrection, Yahushua returned to heaven, and His disciples witnessed it as He rose into the sky.  The Bible says, “While they [the disciples] beheld, He [Yahushua] was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men [angels] stood by them in white apparel; which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? this same Yahushua, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11, emphasis added).

Two points stand out in these verses.  First, the Yahushua Who returns to the earth the second time will be the very same Yahushua Who lived here on the earth with humanity and went back to heaven following His resurrection. 

And second, He will return to the earth the same way – “in like manner” – as He went back to heaven.  How did Yahushua go to heaven following His resurrection?   Did He go back secretly?  No.  The disciples watched Him rise from the earth, literally, bodily, into the air until a cloud hid Him from their sight.  So these verses tell us Yahushua will return the same way – visibly and not secretly. 

Another Bible text is even clearer in showing us Yahushua will not return secretly.  “Behold, He [Yahushua] comes with clouds [‘in like manner’]:  and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him:  and all kindred of the earth shall wail because of Him” (Rev. 1:7, emphasis added). 

In the book of Daniel, we are told about a special resurrection that will take place “prior” to the return of Yahushua for the purpose that those who are resurrected will be able to behold for themselves the spectacle of His return. “And many of them that sleep in the earth [what happens to humanity when they die – see my study entitled The State of the Dead] shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2).  Among those raised “to shame and everlasting contempt” will be those who will “see Him, and they also which pierced Him" (Rev. 1:7). 

If every eye shall see Him – everyone on the earth – will see Him, is it a secret?  That does not sound like He is coming secretly!  I have been unable to find one verse in the Bible where it says “He will come secretly.”

In the book of Matthew, Yahushua said His coming will be as visible as the lightning that flashes from one end of the sky to the other.  “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:27, emphasis added).  Lightning where I live comes from the west and moves towards the east, but when Yahushua returns He will be coming from the east.

The Bible says Yahushua will come in glory with the angels.  “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works” (Matt. 16:27, emphasis added).  He shall “reward every man” at His coming and not just those who are going to be saved.

He will come with the shout of the archangel and a blast from the trumpet of Elohim.  “For the Master Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of Elohim:  and the dead in Messiah shall rise first:  then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Master” (1 Thess. 4:16, 17, emphasis added).

The wicked shall see His coming and cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from His face.  “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was an earthquake; and the sun became as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.  And the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:  for the great day of His wrath is come:  and who shall be able to stand?” (Rev. 6:12-17).  Looks like there are a lot of visible things taking place when He returns!

He will return as King of kings, leading the armies of the heavenly angels.  “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.   And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:  and His name was called The Word of Elohim.  And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations:  and He shall rule them with a rod of iron:  and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty Elohim.  And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:11-16).

All these portions of Scripture make it very clear that Yahushua’s coming is anything but secret!  “Every eye shall see Him.”

Does not the Bible say Yahushua will come like a thief in the night?  Yes it does.  “But the day of Yahuwah will come as a thief in the night; in the which [when He comes] the HEAVENS SHALL PASS AWAY WITH A GREAT NOISE, AND ELEMENTS SHALL MELT WITH FERVENT HEAT, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10, emphasis added).  When we examine this verse we see “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise," and so on.  There will be visible occurrences and the acoustics to go along with it.  This will not be a secret event!  For those who are not watching for it, it will come unexpectedly as does “a thief in the night.”

The Apostle Paul says “but you, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief.  You are all the children of light, and the children of the day:  we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:4-7). 

Yahushua's coming will be unexpected, as when a thief comes in the night, for those who are not watching and waiting for Him.  But His people – who are “not of the night, nor of darkness” – will be looking for Him.  They will be aware of the signs and timing of His coming and will know when it is near. Yahushua's coming will not overtake them like the unexpected appearance of a thief.  The second coming of Yahushua will be unexpected for those who are not watching and waiting for Him.

Does not Matthew 24:37-42 say that Yahushua comes, some people will be snatched away and others will be left behind?   Let us take a look at what it does say in the book of Matthew.  “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one taken and the other left” (Matt. 24:37-42, emphasis added).  Was it the “saved” or the “lost” that was taken away?

Those who teach the idea of the secret rapture say these verses show that when Yahushua comes, there will be people working side-by-side, and one will be raptured to heaven while the person beside him or her will be left, unsaved on earth.  Is this what it is saying in Matthew 24:37-42?  Let us look at these verses more closely.

It says in Matthew that when Yahushua comes it will be like it was in the time of Noah and the worldwide flood – some people will be saved and other people will be destroyed.  It also says in Matthew that before the flood people were going about their daily activities just like they will be before Yahushua returns, unaware that His coming is near.  Then it says that when Yahushua does come, one person “will be taken” away and another beside him “left."  What does that mean?  Who is taken away?

Those who believe in the idea of a secret rapture say those who are “taken away” are those who are taken to heaven, while those who are “left” are those who will be left on earth to suffer through “tribulation” for seven years.  But what does it say in Matthew chapter twenty-four?  These same verses – describing the time of Noah and the flood – tell us people were unaware that a flood was coming until it “took them all away."  So who are the ones who are “taken away” when Yahushua comes? And who are the ones who are “left?" 

If we follow the scenario in Matthew chapter twenty-four, those who are “taken away” when Yahushua comes are those who are lost; who have not been watching.  They are “taken away” and destroyed by the brightness of His coming – like those who were “taken away” and destroyed by the flood. 

Those who are “left” when Yahushua returns are those who are left alive and who will go to heaven with Yahushua, saved from the destruction which falls on the wicked – like those who were left alive when the flood came.  So we see these verses in Matthew chapter twenty-four do not support the idea of a secret rapture of the saved.

Those who hold to the idea of a secret rapture also believe there will be seven years of tribulation following the rapture and that during that time individuals who were left behind on earth will have another opportunity to accept Yahushua and be saved.  Is there any Biblical evidence for this belief?  Where do they get those seven years?

There is no Biblical evidence for a seven-year period of tribulation following Yahushua's return to the earth.  This seven-year period they use is taken from the context found in Daniel 9:24-27 which was fulfilled at the time of Yahushua's first coming and tells us of His crucifixion and the eventual destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70.  See my study on Daniel 9:24-27. 

The Bible is very clear that when Yahushua returns, every person’s fate has been decided; individuals who are lost will not be given a second chance to be saved. Yahushua said, “And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, To give every man according as his work shall be” (Rev. 22:12, emphasis added).  To the good and to the bad. 

The Bible presents Yahushua's second coming as the great climatic event of the ages when men and women are either saved or lost for eternity.  There is no seven-year period to reconsider and change one's destiny.  People, for the most part, will have had a lifetime to make their decision.  “For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2, emphasis added).

Yahushua pictured the separation that will take place at His coming between the righteous and the wicked – the saved and the lost – in these words:  “When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:  and before Him shall be gathered all nations:  and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides His sheep from the goats:  and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world . . . then shall He say also unto them on His left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:31-34, 41).  No mention of a second chance!

However, there will be a "time of trouble" as the Bible describes it (Dan. 12:1) before the return of Yahushua, but not for seven years.  The Bible certainly foretells the soon-coming “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time” (Dan. 12:1) before the return of Yahushua.  However, the Scriptures do not support the interpretations that Christians will be raptured, and taken away before the "time of trouble," leaving only the wicked to go through it.

Yahushua does not leave us in the dark and sheds light on the event that will be the most glorious climax to the last six thousand years.  “For then shall be a great tribulation (Dan. 12:1), such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:  but for the elects' sake those days shall be shortened.  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Messiah, or there; believe it not.  [Yahushua will do all things openly and known by all and not in secret.  He will be completely transparent just as He was when He walked upon the earth.]  For there shall arise false Messiahs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  [If the ‘elect’ are already raptured they would not be in any danger of being deceived.]  Behold, I have told you before.  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as lightening comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:21-27, emphasis added).

Nothing will be done secretly or in an underhanded manner. It is a very pleasant teaching to be told that you will not have to face tribulation and that the wicked will have a second chance to get things right.  We are told in 2 Timothy 4:3-4:  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." (New American Standard, emphasis added).  Throughout the Bible, we are given examples of Elohim’s people being saved in the middle of tribulations; not being removed before the tribulation occurs.

1.  The Israelites were captives in the midst of the plagues that devastated Egypt.  Just as Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage after the plagues, so Elohim's church will be protected through the plagues and will be delivered from the hand of the oppressor.  “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples:  and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Cor. 10:11, emphasis added).  See Psalms 46 and 91 for great promises to those who are going through trial and tribulation! 

2.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego entered the flames when they refused to yield to the universal death decree of Babylon’s king.  Their death-defying faith enabled them to face the flames of tribulation without fear, and in those flames Elohim miraculously delivered them. See Daniel 3:16-28.

3.  Daniel's decision to be faithful in his daily prayers caused him to be thrown into the lion's den.  Elohim saved Daniel while he was going through tribulation, not before it came.  See Daniel chapter six.

4.  In Psalm 91:4-12, we are told the following:  "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust:  His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.   Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.   A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.  Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.   Because thou hast made Yahuwah, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone" (emphasis added).

These are precious promises to the righteous contained in this passage; for those who are going through “the time of trouble” before the return of Yahushua. The terror, and pestilence, and destruction, and the plagues mentioned are occurring during the "time of trouble."

Similarly, right before Yahushua returns, the faithfulness of the elect will cause them to be the target of the ungodly and of Satan himself during the time of persecution and “time of trouble." However, just as throughout all Biblical history, Elohim will preserve His elect even though some will fall to the headman’s axe. 

“I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Yahushua, and for the word of Elohim, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Messiah a thousand years [in heaven]” (Rev. 20:4).  The same Yahushua, Who was with the Hebrew men in the fire and in the lion’s den, will go with us through our trials.  When “the seven last plagues” are poured out upon the world, Elohim will be a shield to those who follow Him.  “Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling” (Ps. 91:10).  “They loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev. 12:11).

"For Thou, O Yahuwah, hast proved us:  Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.  Thou broughtest us into the net; Thou laidest affliction upon our loins.  Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through [not around] fire and through water:  but Thou broughtest us into a wealthy place" (Ps. 66:10-12).  "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isa. 48:10).

The notion the tribulation will occur after Messiah comes for the church is glaringly inconsistent with 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, which makes it plain that anti-Christ (Messiah) (Satan) is revealed before Yahushua comes and is destroyed by the brightness of His coming.  “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Master Yahushua Messiah, and by our gathering together unto Him, that you 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 Messiah is at hand.  Let no man deceive you by any means:  for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first [Many will fall away who have been taught a lie when things do not play out like they have been falsely taught.], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition [Satan appears on the earth during the last half of the New World Order’s reign in power which is “forty and two months” in length (Rev. 13:5),  See my study on Revelation chapter thirteen.]; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim, or that is worshipped; so that he as Elohim sits in the temple of Elohim, showing himself that he is Elohim” (2 Thess. 2:1-4). 

Satan’s greatest deception is when he places his throne in the city of Jerusalem at the end of time and is referred to as “the abomination that makes desolate.”

I hope from what has been presented, you will see the “secret rapture” is not sustained by the Word of Elohim, the Holy Bible.  The second coming of Yahushua will be a literal, audible, and most glorious event climaxing the end of “the time of trouble” spoken of by Daniel, the prophet.  Elohim has promised us that He will give us His Spirit to guide us into all the truth and show us things to come (John 16:13).  “Let no man deceive you by any means” (2 Thess. 2:3).

“When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:  when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee" (Isa. 43:2, emphasis added).   The troubles that we will encounter will serve to purify us of all the dross in our characters.  "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried" (Dan. 12:10, emphasis added). 

"For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Heb. 2:10, emphasis added).  If our Savior was made perfect through suffering, how is it that we will be made perfect?  Are we to escape suffering when suffering is for our perfecting?