RAPTURE LESSON 1

TITLE: Rapture Part 1 (Introduction) Charting the Course

Our study on the rapture will consist of six lessons centered on a nautical theme.

1. In our first lesson we will review:

a. what is the rapture.
b. The three primary viewpoints: pre-tribulation, mid tribulation and post-tribulation.
c. The five primary tenets held by each of these three viewpoints.
d. What all three of these beliefs agree with.
2. In each of the subsequent five lessons, we will study three tenets in each lesson held by each of the
three viewpoints.
a. Each viewpoint will have a sailing ship assigned to it.
b. Each ship has five water lines drawn on to represent their five primary tenets.
c. We will not be comparing the three viewpoints against each other. Rather, we will place each
ship into the Scripture supporting their beliefs and see if the ship holds water.
d. If it fails to stand the test of Scripture for all or a percentage of any particular tenet it claims
as support, then we will put a corresponding amount of water into the ship.
3. In our sixth lesson we will study the remaining three tenets held by each viewpoint and draw some
final conclusions and see how our three ships held water against the Scripture. Then, you can decide
which ship you want to board as you sail toward the tribulation period.

What is the Rapture

1. The word “rapture” does not appear in any of our Bibles any more than the word “Trinity” appears.
However, just like the word “Trinity” is used to describe a biblical truth or concept, so also the word
“rapture” is used to describe a truth or concept.
a. The word “rapture” is a translation of the Greek word “Harpazō” found in 1st Thess. 4:17
which means “to snatch away” or “to seize” which is rendered “caught up” in most English
translations.
b. 1 Thess. 4:16-17 says this, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of
command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And
the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be “caught up”
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with
the Lord.”
2. Another description of the rapture can be found in 1 Cor. 15:51-52 “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be
changed.”
3. The doctrine of the rapture is that it some point in the future all true born-again Christians whether
dead or alive will be raised with brand-new spiritual bodies to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air
and forever be with him.
4. The rapture is an event, not a process. It happens in the “twinkling of an eye” which means in the
time of an atom. In other words, so fast that nobody will be able to actually see it.
Three Primary Viewpoints
1. Before we can discuss what the three primary viewpoints are, we need to understand what the
Tribulation Period is.
a. The Tribulation Period is a future seven-year span of time prophesied in both the Old and
New Testaments. It is a time of intense suffering, upheaval, and divine judgment marked by
unprecedented natural disasters, wars, persecution of believers, moral decay, and the rise of
a global leader referred to as the Antichrist. It is a time of terror the world has never seen
before and will never see again.
b. The Tribulation ends with the second coming of Jesus Christ to usher in the 1,000-year
Messianic Kingdom on earth (sometimes referred to as the “millennial kingdom”) where
Christ will reign on David’s throne in Jerusalem.
2. Among Christians, there are three viewpoints of when the rapture will come relating to the
Tribulation:
a. Before the Tribulation begins – called Pre-Ttribulation Rapture
b. Near or at the middle of the Tribulation – called Mid-Tribulation Rapture
c. And near the end of the Tribulation – called Post-Tribulation Rapture
3. Pre-tribulation. The Pre-tribulation view holds that the rapture will occur before the seven-year
tribulation period begins. According to this viewpoint, believers in Christ will be caught up to meet
the Lord in the air, sparing them from the wrath of God that will be poured out during the
tribulation. This view emphasizes the distinction between the church and Israel and sees the
tribulation as a time focused primarily on God's dealings with Israel.
4. Mid-tribulation. The Mid-tribulation viewpoint proposes that the rapture will occur at or near the
midpoint of the tribulation, after the first three and a half years but before the second half of the
tribulation, which is often referred to as the Great Tribulation. They believe that the church that is
alive at the start of the Tribulation will endure the first half of the Tribulation, which is seen as less
severe, but will be raptured before the more intense wrath of God (called the Great Tribulation) is
unleashed in the latter half.
5. Post-tribulation. The Post-tribulation viewpoint holds that the rapture and the second coming of
Christ will occur simultaneously at the end of the tribulation period. All believers, both alive and
resurrected (previously gone to Heaven), will meet Christ in the air and then immediately return to
earth with Him to usher in the Messianic Kingdom.

The Five Tenets of Each Viewpoint

1. Pre-tribulation Tenets
a. Imminence of Christ’s Return. Jesus could return at any moment and Christians are to be
prepared, watching, and waiting for His return and not watching for prophetic events that
must occur before the rapture.
b. Sudden and Secretive Event. The rapture is a sudden and secretive event where, without
warning and without the ability to time the rapture.
c. Exemption from Wrath. The Church will be raptured before the outpouring of God's wrath
during the entire 7-year Tribulation period.
d. Purpose of the Tribulation. The Tribulation is viewed as a time of God's judgment on the
earth, distinct from the Church.
e. Distinction Between Israel and the Church. There is a clear distinction between Israel and the
Church and God deals with Israel separately from the church.
2. Mid-tribulation Tenets
a. 7th Trumpet of Revelation. Believers will be raptured near the midpoint of the Tribulation to
coincide with the blowing of the 7th Trumpet which is likely the same as the last trumpet
mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:52.
b. Time of Testing. The Church is seen as enduring the first half of the Tribulation, a period of
testing and purification.
c. Partial Exposure to Tribulation. the Church will witness and partake in some of the
Tribulation's challenges but be raptured before it faces God’s direct wrath.
d. Division of Daniel's Seventieth Week. This view often divides Daniel's prophecy of the
Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9:24-27, ESV) into two parts, with the rapture occurring at the
midway point.
e. 2nd Half: “Great” Tribulation”. The first half, often considered a time of tribulation but not
divine wrath, is distinct from the second half, known as the Great Tribulation, which involves
more direct expressions of God’s wrath.
3. Post-tribulation Tenets
a. Pre-requisites to Rapture. certain prophetic events, such as the rise of the Antichrist and the
Tribulation, must occur before the rapture.
b. Endurance Through Tribulation. The Church will remain on earth throughout the entire
Tribulation period fulfilling the call for endurance and faithfulness during times of trial.
c. Rapture Coincides with Second Coming. the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are
part of the same event.
d. Christian Suffering and Perseverance. This perspective underscores the biblical theme of
suffering for faith and the need for perseverance.
e. Amillennialism. Since the church endures the Tribulation, many post-tribulationalists
interpret the 1,000-year Messianic reign of Christ as a symbolic representing the current
church age including the Tribulation.

Where All Three Viewpoints Agree

1. Despite their differences, there are areas of agreement between the Pre-Tribulation, Mid-
Tribulation, and Post-Tribulation Rapture positions. These commonalities often revolve around core
Christian beliefs and broader eschatological (or End Times) themes. Here are 7 key areas of
agreement:
a. Belief in the Rapture Itself: All three positions agree on the fundamental event of the
rapture, where believers, both dead and alive, will be caught up to meet Christ. This is based
on passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
b. Return of Christ: All views affirm the Second Coming of Christ as a central and future event in
Christian eschatology.
c. Resurrection of Believers: Each position upholds the belief in the resurrection of believers.
This resurrection is tied to the rapture event, where deceased believers are raised, and living
believers are transformed.
d. Final Judgment: There is a shared belief in a final judgment where Christ will judge the living
and the dead. This is a foundational eschatological event in Christian doctrine.
e. God's Sovereignty Over End Times: All positions affirm God's sovereignty and control over
end-times events. They agree that God has a plan for the end of the world, and these events
will unfold according to His divine purpose.
 f. Imperative of Christian Readiness and Faithfulness: There is a common emphasis on the
need for Christians to be spiritually ready and faithful, living in a way that is pleasing to God,
irrespective of when the rapture will occur.
g. Church not mentioned from Rev. 6 thru 18. All viewpoints agree that the word “church” or
any word normally used for “church” nor any phrase common in the New Testament for the
church is used in the Book of Revelation where Revelation is covering the Tribulation Period
(Rev. 6:7 thru chapter 18).

At times, there can be passionate and rather animated disagreements between well-intentioned
Christians about these three viewpoints.

a. My objective is not to tell you which of these three to believe. Rather, I hope to show you
what the Scripture says about each of them and let you decide.
b. The Bible is not dogmatic on any of these positions and it would be unwise and even
contrary to Christ’s command for us to allow our opinions to be divisive to the church.
c. Nevertheless, it is important to know what you believe and why you believe it, because what
you hope for is what you live for and should be preparing for.