T. Allen Burr Ministries

Since the dawn of Christianity, believers have been wondering about when Jesus will return. In Matthew 24:30, Jesus tells us that “there will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” At the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, the angels told the disciples: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” This second coming of Christ is what Paul calls the “blessed hope,” and generations of Christians have looked for His coming.

 On more than one occasion, however, Christians have argued about the specifics of Christ’s return: how, when, where… Denominations have split over the minutia surrounding the Second Coming. The most common difference concerning the Second Coming is when, not necessarily date and time (though that is another issue to deal with) rather the period of time in which He will come again. There are three primary camps of thought concerning this: Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, and Post-Tribulation. These three terms refer to when, inexactly, Christ is to show up. The Tribulation, for those who may not be familiar, is a 7 year period of time in which God pours out His judgement on earth. Christians have argued, on the merits of Scripture, that the rapture (or the “taking up”) of the church will happen either before, in the middle of, or after the Tribulation, also termed pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation.

Pre-Tribulation

The argument for a pre-tribulation Second Coming asserts that the church will be raptured from the earth prior to the Tribulation and that Christ will come after the seven-years-long period of God’s wrath. This view of the Rapture and Second Coming is fairly recent. It was first popularized in 1827 by John Nelson Darby, a clergyman associated with the Plymouth Brethren. In his Seven lectures on the second coming of the Lord delivered in Toronto in 1863, he makes an initial argument for the pre-tribulation understanding of the word. He begins his argument by quoting from 1 Thessalonians 4:

"And in chap. 4, vs. 13, 18,  'But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first : Them 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'"

He further supports his argument by quoting from the Gospel according to Matthew:

"Matt. 24: 30, 31, 'And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.'"

Darby’s argument is based on Christ’s description of His Second Coming. He described it as being like it was in the days of Noah, with mankind being so consumed in their sins that they fail to see the writing on the wall, so to speak. Darby said, “As soon as Noah entered into the ark the flood came and destroyed them all. As soon as the Church is taken up, Satan having filled men’s hearts with lies, judgment will come.” Darby’s explanations concerning pre-tribulation understandings of the Rapture and the Second Coming are among the first of their kind, though some scholars believe there to be a more ancient understanding.

Some pre-tribulation proponents attribute their view to early Christian writer and poet Ephraem the Syrian. Ephraem lived from 306 to 373 A.D. in Nisbis, near present day Edessa, Turkey. As stated, he was a writer and a poet, but he was also a theologian in the early Eastern-Rite Catholic Church. This notion of Ephraem’s pre-tribulationist views comes from the early church document known as the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Ephraem. This document details a view of the end times and the Second Coming of Christ, as most apocalypses do. In the Apocalypse, there is a passage that seemingly indicate a pre-tribulation rapture:

“For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins. And so, brothers most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of the world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord.”

The Apocalypse of Pseudo-Ephraem Section 2

Now, this text is pseudonymously attributed to Ephraem the Syrian. Most scholars date the text as being written between the late 6th and early 7th centuries, and Ephraem died at the end of the 4th century. That said, this document is still one of the earliest witnesses to a pre-tribulation understanding of the Second Coming. The other comes from another 4th century document titled The Apocalypse of Elijah, which has an anonymous author. A passage in chapter 5 gives the impression of a pre-tribulation rapture:

On that day the Christ will pity those who are His own. And He will send from heaven his sixty-four thousand angels, each of whom has six wings. The sound will move heaven and earth when they give praise and glorify. Now those upon whose forehead the name of Christ is written and upon whose hand is the seal both the small and the great, will be taken up upon their wings and lifted up before his wrath.

The Apocalypse of Elijah 5:2-4

Both of these documents date back to the earliest days of the Church and reflect the thoughts of some in the Church at the time. There is plenty of scriptural evidence to support this view, as well. I’ll share some of those scriptures briefly:

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…

1 Thessalonians 5:9 (ESV)

This scripture is used by pre-tribulationists to show that God does not intend for the Church to suffer His wrath and so they would be raptured before the beginning of the Tribulation.

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

Revelation 3:10 (ESV)

This scripture is used by pre-tribulationists to show that because of the Church’s faithfulness to His Word and law, the Church would be raptured before God enacts the 7 years of trial upon the earth.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Romans 5:9 (ESV)

Lastly, this scripture is used by pre-tribulationists to show that due to Christ’s justification of His Church that the believers on earth will be saved from the outpouring of God’s wrath.

This view certainly has a great deal of historical and scriptural evidence to back it up, however, there were and are two other positions that have been taken up by scholars and laypeople alike.

Mid-Tribulation

Mid-tribulationism has a less firm scriptural or historical base, but it has one nonetheless. To start with, it would do well to understand this position. Mid-tribulationists believe that the church will be raptured at the half-way point of the Tribulation, approximately 3 1/2 years into the period of judgement. There is a distinction that is made by mid-tribulationists that the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation are characterized by God’s judgement while the second 3 1/2 years, after the church has been raptured, are characterized by God’s wrath.

Again, there is very little support for this view in the biblical record and even less in church tradition. The scriptures used to support this view are as follows:

He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

Daniel 7:25 (ESV)

This scripture is used by mid-tribulationists to show that God will allow the Church to be handed over to the Antichrist for a time prior to their being raptured.

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-6 (ESV)

This scripture is used by mid-tribulationists to show that some will falter in their faith prior to the Rapture and that the Church will only be raptured once the Antichrist has been revealed and has defiled the Temple.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Matthew 24:29 (ESV)

And this scripture is used by mid-tribulationists to show that there will be a tribulation before the wrath of God is poured out.

Again, there isn’t a great amount of historical or scriptural support for this argument. That said, there is another view of the Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church…

Post-Tribulation

Post-tribulationism is an interesting view of the events in question as the Rapture and the Second Coming would be nearly synonymous, with the Church meeting Christ in the air immediately preceding His return to the Earth. There’s actually a good deal of scriptural support available for post-tribulationist views.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 24:29-31 (ESV)

This scripture is used by post-tribulationists to illustrate that the Church will remain through the Tribulation and be present to behold Christ’s “coming on the clouds.”

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

Malachi 3:2 (ESV)

This scripture is used by post-tribulationists to show that the Church will endure through the Tribulation like metal being refined in fire.

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 11:15 (ESV)

And lastly, this scripture is often used by post-tribulationists to show that Christ will not come again until the seventh trump is sounded and Christ is ready to establish His earthly kingdom.

So, yes. This view has quite a bit of scriptural support. Interestingly, this view has much in common with the beliefs held by the Early Church Fathers. The Church Fathers, such as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and Papias, mostly held to a historic premillennialist view which entailed the belief in a post-tribulational rapture.

Is The Timing of the Rapture Worth Arguing Over?

There have been so many debates about this topic, and nearly every argument I’ve heard made for each position has its merits. However, the question I’ve often found myself asking is, “If we all agree that Jesus is coming back, does it matter when?” The answer is no. It simply does not matter. Jesus is coming back. Period.

There’s no point in arguing about the specifics. All of the points that can be made for and against each position have been made. If Jesus is coming back, then why would we waste time arguing about the specifics? Isn’t there more important work to be done? Furthermore, Jesus Himself said in the Gospel according to Matthew:

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Matthew 24:36 (ESV)

It’s time to put aside the minutia, the denominational distinctions, and the hard-hearted response to believers unlike ourselves and get to work. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 24 that the earth will become as it was in the days of Noah, full of wickedness and strife. Shouldn’t we, as the Body of Christ, be more concerned with being about the Father’s business than trying to figure out a timetable for Christ’s return? After all, Jesus told us that “you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”