Post Tribulation Proof (edited)

Post Tribulation Proof

There are a few rapture views that have been circulating for centuries. First there is the pre-tribulation view.  Pre-tribbers claim that Christians will not have to face any of the tribulation and will be raptured before the tribulation period. This will happen at some point before the 7 year “peace treaty.” During a recent discussion with someone that holds to the pre-tribulation theory, I discovered that some in this category feel that believers will go through some of what I perceive as the tribulation, however, they do not call it the tribulation. So then this becomes an interpretation issue of what the tribulation period will actually consist of. Then there is the mid-tribulation view. Mid-tribber’s point of view shows that they will be taken half way through the tribulation. This will occur after the wrath of man but before the Great Tribulation. Again, this may be an interpretation issue as to what is considered the tribulation period. Finally we have the post-tribulation view, which states that everyone, including Christians will go through the entire tribulation period and be raptured just before or maybe just after the beginning of the wrath of God. I plan to focus on proving the post tribulation view as the most biblically supported view, and giving scriptural proof for why I believe this view to be true.

Will the Rapture be a Secret Event?

There are several theories that describe the rapture as a secret event and that people will just start disappearing. So what does the bible say about the rapture, and will people start vanishing without a trace? The main verses from the Bible that seemingly lead people to believe that there will be a “catching up” or rapture come from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4: 15-18. This excerpt reads….

-          1Thessalonians 4: 15-18 (NLV)

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¹⁵ We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. ¹⁷ Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ So encourage each other with these words.

There will be believers that are still living upon Yeshua’s return and those that are alive will not be raptured before those that have already died. So those that have died will be raised from their graves, followed by the rest of them who are alive to be taken to the clouds with Christ, to be with Him forever. It is quite apparent from this verse that this happens when Yeshua returns, not before.  

The follow up concerning the coming of Christ and also the Catching up is 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-4, which reads…..

-          2 Thessalonians 2: 1-4 (NLV)

Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.² Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. ³ Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction ⁴ He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

Again we see that the rapture happens along with the second coming, not before. We even see a sentence that reads, “that day will not come UNTIL there is a great rebellion against God AND the man of lawlessness is revealed”. This is describing the antichrist. So we cannot expect to be raptured until we know who that man is. We can even see how to know who he is by the last sentence in this verse. He will be the man that sits in the temple of God, claiming himself to be God.

These two excerpts show how the second coming will look and sound, and when it will happen. It doesn’t give an exact time or day, but rather it gives an order of events to look for. First Christ himself will come from heaven and he will come with a “commanding shout” made by an angel. There will also be trumpet sound. These two details show that this will not be a quiet, secret event, but rather quite noticeable. This is also elaborated later in Revelation 1: 7.

-          Revelation 1: 7

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all people of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

If every eye will see Him upon his return, and the rapture occurs upon His return, then there is no way that this could be a secret event.

It isn’t until after every eye will see Him, and the loud shout of the archangel, and the sound of the trumpet of God that those that remain alive will be “caught up” or raptured to the clouds to meet Yeshua (this is the given Hebrew name of Jesus). 1 Thessalonians clearly describes what the second coming and rapture will look and sound like.

What to watch for

2 Thessalonians gives an idea of when it will happen, “that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God AND the man of lawlessness is revealed.” This statement again shows what to look for and also describes the time in which His coming will happen. The second coming and rapture will not occur until AFTER a great falling away from God. This means that something must happen that will fool many Christians into no longer believing that the Bible is a true account. This idea is elaborated on in 2 Thessalonians 2: 9-12

-          2 Thessalonians 2: 9-12

⁹ This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. ¹⁰ He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. ¹¹ So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. ¹² Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

This excerpt is describing the antichrist. Notice that is says this MAN will come, not this spirit. There will be a physical man here on earth that has the work of Satan on his mind. This man will be given the power of Satan; he will perform what seem to the masses to be miracles. He will be able to show great powers and wonders to all the people on the earth. These things will be far greater than anything modern day man has seen, and they will easily be confused with the power of God. Once he has been able to fool the masses he will claim that Christ is not who He says He is. Unfortunately, many will fall for these lies.

 It is because of this that God sends His great deception on all those that choose to no longer follow the scriptures. Based on what the text says, it seems as if even some Christians may fall for this man’s evil deceptions. After this man has been revealed, but before the second coming, God causes those that believe the antichrist to fall deep into these lies. Because these people allowed themselves to be deceived, they must face the wrath of God and will not be raptured.

-          Ephesians 5: 6

⁶ Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Let no MAN deceive you. Again we can see that the antichrist will be a man, and again we see God’s warning to all believers to not be deceived. We must hold strong to the truth of His word. We will see these things coming, and we will need to be prepared for when they do, because this man of sin will be great. He will be able to spit convincing lies, and perform miracles before the masses. But to believe his lies and miraculous actions will cause or very own doom for all of eternity.

So far we have read that upon the second coming is when the rapture takes place. Not before. The second coming starts with a commanding shout from heaven, and sound of the trumpet of God, signs in the sky of His return. These are all followed by Yeshua sending out his angels to gather His people to be “caught up” or raptured. But even this does not happen until AFTER the great rebellion against God AND the man of lawlessness is revealed.

We must all be on the lookout for a great falling away from the belief in God’s word. We also must be very suspicious of any man that has the ability to perform great wonders. Even if this man is claiming that he does all he does for the good of the world or people. We absolutely must take the things said by any miraculous man and compare them to scripture. No doubt, the things claimed by the antichrist will NOT match up with scripture, but if they do they will be twisted in some way. Just as Satan twisted scripture in his tempting of Christ.

More Proof of the Elects Presents during Tribulation

We have been through several scriptures that point to the rapture taking place after tribulation. Does the bible come right out and say that the elected or chosen people are still here on earth during the tribulation period?

-          Matthew 24: 21-22

 ²¹ For there will be greater tribulation than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.²² In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.

Here is what has to be the most sobering passage in the entire Bible. Yeshua says that unless the tribulation days are shortened, not a single person would be left alive, even His elect. This implies that the elect are still here during the tribulation period. If His chosen people were not still on the earth during the tribulation period, then there would seem to be no reason for those days to be shortened. Yeshua says that the tribulation period is shortened because His chosen people ARE still on the earth, and had He not shortened this time then even they would not survive. Verse 22 would not make any sense if God’s elect were already ruptured at during the great tribulation.

-          Matthew 24: 29-31

²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

This section of the book of Matthew uses the words of Yeshua himself. He says that AFTER the tribulation the sign of the second coming appears in the sky. This verse alone should be enough to prove that all Christians will be here throughout the tribulation period. Once the signs of His coming are in the skies, He sends out his angels to gather the chosen, or believers, from all over the world.

So the events that will happen before the rapture go like this, there will be a loud shout, most likely heard all around the world, immediately after, if not coinciding with, every person in the world turning their eyes toward the sky and seeing a magnificent cloud carrying Christ. Once every eye sees Him, there will be a mighty blast from the trumpet of God, and His angels will be sent out to gather together (or rapture) all the chosen people. If we are to believe that there is only ONE second coming of Christ (I have yet to see anything proving otherwise), then based off these scriptures the rapture happens AFTER that second coming, which proves that the elect will still be here throughout the tribulation period.

A final piece of evidence is from the Book of Revelation. These verses have John speaking with one of the elders in heaven during John’s spiritual vision and/or trip, into heaven.

-          Revelation 7: 9 and 14

⁹ After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.

¹⁴ And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.

In these excerpts John is talking about seeing millions of people standing before the throne of God. They are all wearing their new white robes. So this is indicative of the fact that all of their sin has been forgiven. After this the elder explains that these people are “the ones who died in the great tribulation.” If the elect are NOT on earth during the tribulation then that makes the elder a liar. How could these chosen people die in the tribulation if they were raptured? But again, based on the text, and all the supporting evidence, he is not lying and all the chosen were still here on earth during this time.

-          Revelation 14: 9-12

⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, ¹⁰ they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” ¹² This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

These verses seem to be indicating that there are still people on the earth that have not received the mark of the beast or worshiped the beast and its image; if that is the case, who are these people? This verse follows the two other angels, the first being one that goes throughout the earth proclaiming the gospel of Christ and the other claiming that Babylon has fallen. This seems to be saying that the great deception has something to do with the mark of the beast, and even the believers will be denied their place in heaven if they accept this mark and/or worship the beast and his image. “This calls for patient endurance of the part of the people of God,” the people of God are the believers. Why would they need patient endurance if they were not here during this part of the tribulation? It is only logical to suggest that all people believers and others will still be on the earth during the days of the Antichrist's reign. Believers will still be here after the fall of Babylon. All believers will be tempted during this great tribulation period. This time will be like no other time in history. It will be very difficult to survive without the mark of the beast, making the temptation to receive this mark great. It is possible that people will be starving, left without shelter or clothing. People will be killed for not taking the mark. I believe THAT is why verse twelve says there is a need for “patient endurance.”

-              Revelation 20: 4-5

⁴ And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵ But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

            Again we see that it is possible for believers to have accepted the mark of the beast. Believers will still be on earth during a time that would cause them to be murdered and during a time that they could potentially worship the beast and its image. If all believers are taken before the reign of the antichrist, how could it be possible for any of them to accept the mark, or worship the beast or its image? I do understand that in certain places around the world, there are Christians being beheaded, so I cannot go into too much argument there. However, the second part concerning receiving the mark would make no sense if there were no believers left. I believe that is the reason Christ will shorten the tribulation days. There will be too many people falling for the lie that the mark gives.

Verse five says that only those that have either been raptured and those that died in the name of Christ will rise and reign for the 1000 year period. It won’t be until after that period that the rest of the dead will rise for judgment. Then, based on whether their names are written in the Book of Life, they will be granted entrance into the New Jerusalem, or be cast into the Lake of Fire.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is an abundance of evidence that points to all believers of Christ still being on the earth during the time of the tribulation. Yeshua’s own words indicate that believers will not be raptured until after His return, or at least during His coming. There seems to be too many occurrences throughout the Bible that mention believers still being on the earth during the tribulation period. Too many verses seem to not make sense if believers had already been taken. Therefore, all people, believers and otherwise, will be on the earth throughout this horrible time period.  

Although there are a few other theories about how and when this catching up will occur, the Bible seems to point toward the post-tribulation view far more than any of the others. In fact, I see no evidence for any other view. That being said, all believers need to strap in for the long, hard road ahead. We all need to be prepared for what will happen, and know what to be on the lookout for.