Today, there is a growing debate about when the Rapture will happen in relation to the Tribulation. The traditional and historical view is that the Rapture will take place prior to the Tribulation and the believers will not see the events depicted during the 7 years that will follow. It is based on the Scriptures that would support the fact that the church will not be a part of the 7 years of the Tribulation which are believed to be the culmination of the last 7 years of the prophetic calendar outlined for Israel that leads up to the revelation of the Millennial Kingdom by the return of Jesus to the Earth. The other view is a mid-tribulation Rapture view which proposes that Christians will be raptured during the Tribulation but before the outpouring of God’s wrath at the end. It draws on some verses that suggest that the church will go through some of the tribulation as trials that will cleanse her and prepare her for the return of Jesus Christ. The latter view may seem to be growing in support as we see a deterioration of our country specifically and the world in general. In addition, we also see the beginnings of a cashless economy which will force people to join or be left out of the ability to “buy and sell”. We also see the subjugation of society by the government to a degree not seen before, not to mention the out and out rebellion of people against God’s design for marriage, sex, social authority, etc. This is causing many to consider whether we are actually entering the Tribulation by the “signs” that we are seeing all around us.

So, let’s take the approach that Jesus is not coming to collect his “bride, the church” until somewhere in the middle of the 7 years of tribulation prophesied by Scripture. Let’s also remember the fact that the Scripture talks about 144,000 Jewish evangelists that will be supernaturally called to begin the mass evangelization of the Earth. In addition, there is the mention of the two witnesses that will be preaching in Israel during the Tribulation. So, my question would be…if Jesus comes during the Tribulation to take away believers, do the 144,000 evangelists go also? Are they considered believers and therefore, part of the church? If the church is left for part of the 7 years, why does God need 144,000 Jewish evangelists to preach throughout the whole Earth?  Is that not the job of the church? If they are taken at the Rapture, what about the people that will be left for the last 3 ½ years? Is there no one left to preach until the end? What about the two witnesses? If they appear at the beginning of the Tribulation, will they go at the Rapture? Scripture says that they will be martyred in the streets. Does that mean it will happen during the first 3 ½ years? If the 144,000 Jewish evangelists and the two witnesses stay, does that mean that there is a difference between Jew and Christians? I thought that the Scripture said there is no Jew nor Greek but one in Christ? If they stay and we go, would that be a violation of Scripture? How about any Jew who comes to Christ during the first 3 ½ years, will they go at the Rapture or stay to possibly face martyrdom or maybe enter the kingdom as human beings that will marry and have children and raise families fulfilling Scripture about the coming Kingdom? If a lot of people come to Christ during the first 3 ½ years, will they go at the Rapture and thus deplete the number of humans that will survive the Tribulation as believers to enter the Kingdom and raise families?

Well, I think that there are enough holes in the idea that the church will be raptured during the Tribulation to cause a lot of problems theologically. You would have to answer all those questions plus a few more and make sense from Scripture. The definition of apologetics is a belief systems ability to “hold water from one end to the other”. I don’t think that the mid-tribulation rapture theory holds water when addressing the other issues raised by the Scriptures. Therefore, I am of the opinion based on Scripture, that the Rapture of the church will happen prior to the Tribulation. In addition, the Tribulation does not start with the Rapture of the Church, it starts by the signing of the peace treaty with Israel by the antichrist. Just like the Church, which did not start at the cross, but started at Pentecost. There was a time difference. How much time between the Rapture and the peace treaty? We don’t know. But I can say for sure, that we are closer now than when Hal Lindsey wrote his book, “Late, Great, Planet Earth”!