[ footnote markers bolded ]
Does the rapture take place before the tribulation? Does it take place in the middle? After? Does it take place after the tribulation but before the day of the Lord? These questions and others still puzzle Christians. Is there an answer? If so, what is the solution? There is one thing to understand that will answer these questions. That is the nature of the mystery. Let us put it another way. The dispensation of the mystery, as revealed in Ephesians 3, is the most important concept we must comprehend to understand the chronology of the rapture and the tribulation. The mystery was never made known before it was revealed to the Apostle Paul. Ephesians 3:9 shows that explicitly. Paul said he was given a commission “to make all see what is the dispensation of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God[1] who created all things through Jesus Christ.” We see again in 1 Corinthians 2:7 that this mystery was hidden: “The hidden wisdom of God in a mystery was ordained before the ages for our glory.” Put another way, it “was kept secret since the world began”[2] (Rom 16:25,26). Finally, it was “hidden from ages and from generations” (Col 1:26). What characteristic of the mystery do we see from these scriptures? What is the nature of the mystery? More than anything else, it was a secret, hidden in God from ages and generations. It was never written about anywhere in God’s word until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul. In fact it says in Ephesians 3:8,9, that Paul was given the grace that “I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable[3] riches of Christ.” That means no prophecy made before Paul’s salvation concerns the mystery. In other words, all prophecy made before Paul received the mystery is silent about the people and things of the mystery. That is the nature of the mystery.
Believers in the dispensation of the mystery were baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ. They became part of something brand new. They became joint-heirs, a joint-body, and joint-partakers of a new creation (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15; Eph 2;14-16; Col 1;18-22). There was nothing written about them in the prophetic scriptures before Paul’s conversion. God called this new creation, the body Christ. Again, it was madeup of Jews and Gentiles as joint-heirs and joint-partakers. According to the content of this mystery, God broke down the discriminatory barriers. This truth causes us[4] to make a strong distinction between Israel and the church which is His body.
Israel was identified as the people of the tribulation by Daniel. First, let us look at a new translation of Daniel 9:24-27.[5]
Seventy heptads[6] are determined on your people[7] and on your holy city to eliminate violations and to end[8] sins, and to cover iniquity and to bring in eternal righteousness, and to seal the vision and prophecy,[9] and to anoint the holy of holies. 25 So know and discern[10] that from the issue of a decree to return and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince: seven heptads and sixty-two heptads; it will be rebuilt,[11] street and wall, even in time of distress.[12] 26 And after the sixty-two heptads, Messiah will be cut off, having neither the city nor the sanctuary. And the coming one will defile [destroy][13] the people of the Prince; and his end is in a flood, and until the end of battle desolations are determined. 27 And he will strengthen a covenant with the many for one heptad; and at the midpoint of the heptad he will stop sacrifice and grain offering; and on the summit[14] of abominations one who desolates,[15] until completion, and that which is determined shall be poured upon the desolator.
Next, we will see in two more passages in Daniel, that these end times prophecies concerned Israel, not the church which is the body of Christ.
Daniel 10:14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.
Daniel 12:1 At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.
Israel was also identified as the people of the tribulation by our Lord when Jesus mentioned Daniel’s abomination of desolation (Dan 9:27; 11:31) in the tribulation’s setting in
Matthew 24:15-21 Therefore when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
The purpose of the tribulation is to purify Israel for her kingdom reign (Dan 9:24 See above). Zechariah 13:9 also refers to this purification process,
I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, “This is My people,” And each one will say, “The Lord is my God.”
In addition to the purification, we see that the tribulation is specifically designated “a time of tribulation[16] for Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:7, “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” Therefore, since the tribulation is specifically designated “Israel’s” (lit., “for Jacob”), it has nothing to do with the church which is His body.
Historically, the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture has been a major distinctive of dispensational theology. However, dispensationalists in increasing numbers are shifting to a post-tribulation position. We believe that this realignment stems from a growing ignorance of the doctrine of the body of Christ as a distinct, new work of God for the dispensation of grace.
The pre-tribulation coming of Christ is a necessary conclusion of a theology which maintains a strict separation between Israel and the church. Since our Lord identifies the tribulation with Daniel’s 70th week by citing “the abomination of desolation” from Daniel 9:27 and 11:31 within the context of the tribulation (Matthew 24:15-21), we are forced to conclude that “[Daniel’s] people,” the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:24 and 12:1), not the body of Christ, is the exclusive subject of Daniel’s prophecy. As we have shown, the purpose of this period is to purge Israel for her kingdom reign (Daniel 9:24; Zechariah 13:9). We must reiterate. The tribulation is specifically designated “a time of tribulation for Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:7.
Paul wrote the comforting passage, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, to the body of Christ.
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
This whole thought was new to the Thessalonians. He had told them about many other things but not about the rapture. Notice, he wrote, “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren. ”[17] Since this was new, we know it was not revealed in the Old Testament or in Christ’s Olivet discourse.[18] Further, they seemed more concerned about the condition of their dead loved ones than a theology of eschatology. He wrote this to comfort them so they would have hope in the resurrection of their loved ones, “lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.” But Paul not only comforted them, he went further. He showed them an event where they would be united with their loved ones in the air. Notice, Christ’s resurrection is based on our justification,[19] and our hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.” Then he described the rapture. Please read it again.
14b -17 God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
His whole point for giving them this information was comfort. He had a real pastor’s heart: “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
We can see from this portion of scripture in 1 Thessalonians that Christ is bringing with Him those who died. He will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first. The rapture is Christ’s coming and our going. We “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” We’ll all be changed at the last sound of the trumpet. What an event! But although these two passages describe the rapture, they do not give us the time when it will take place.
In considering the time of the rapture in relation to the tribulation, we must remember the concept we’ve already studied, the nature of the mystery. Since the nature of the mystery shows us that the body of Christ is never referred to in biblical prophecy prior to Paul’s conversion, we can make some conclusions about when it occurs.
They are:
Prophecy about the people in the tribulation would not refer to the body of Christ.
Prophecy about the day of the Lord would not apply to the body of Christ.
Prophecy about the people under the wrath of God would not apply to the body of Christ.
The rapture must take place prior to the prophetic program.
Another passage about the rapture occurs in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.[20] For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
This whole event is called a mystery, something hid in God, a secret. The secret in 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 is not the concept that some will not see death, for our Lord expresses this idea clearly in John 11:25-26: “He who believes in Me will live even if he dies, but he who lives and believes in Me will never die.” The secret is the event itself. Now, the second coming, including the gathering of the elect, is well prophesied in Matthew 24: 29-31,
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This event was no mystery to Paul. Let us recall here the precise definition of “mystery”. A musthvrion is not an ambiguous or mystical revelation but an unrevealed truth. The LXX of Daniel 2:19 employs musthvrion to render the Persian (Aramaic) raz, “secret”, in reference to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel did not receive from Nebuchadnezzar a vague or shadowy revelation of the dream. Rather, until the God of heaven revealed the secret to His prophet, the content of the dream was completely concealed to him. Likewise, the secret of the rapture was not the subject of ambiguous or shadowy revelation before Paul, but was concealed in God. This mystery was revealed to Paul early in his ministry, and Paul discusses the rapture in his earliest epistles, Galatians and Thessalonians. Further, the musthvrion of Ephesians is also discussed in Romans and 1 Corinthians. Since the rapture is a musthvrion, the disclosure of the church’s hope prior to the revelation of the secret church through Paul is also a mystery – not revealed.
God did not form the body of Christ by bringing believing Gentiles into the covenant blessings of His people, Israel. He did not bring Gentiles into equality with Jews, but equalized the two groups by concluding Israel in the same state of unbelief as the Gentiles because of her disobedience. The following Scripture from Romans 9:31-10:3; 11:32, establishes this:
But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 11:32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
Therefore, the church is an entirely new creation (Eph 2:15). Since the church was formed only after Israel was removed from her position of privilege, the body of Christ cannot be the result of including the Gentile believers in Israel’s blessings. The body of Christ is not an extension of Israel’s privileged status to the Gentiles. Likewise, the ministry of Paul, to whom the truth of the body of Christ was entrusted, was not an extension of the circumcision apostles’ commission. Paul’s gospel of grace and his apostleship to the Gentiles represented a new course of divine action (Gal 1:1, 11-12; 2:7-9). Therefore, a tribulation specifically applied to Israel has nothing to do with the church which is His body.
Under the law dispensation, which includes the tribulation and kingdom (Isa 2:3), Israel enjoyed a position of high privilege: “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deu 7:6). The law covenant brought about this special status (Deu 4:7-8; 10:15; 26:18-19; 32:8). The Abrahamic covenant accorded his descendants a unique access to God’s salvation (Psa 3:8; John 4:22; Eph 2:11-13). Even within the redeemed, the Jews are a royal priesthood, mediating between the Lord and the righteous nations (Isa 61:5; Zec 8:23).
In the dispensation of grace, God has abolished Israel’s privileged status. But we know He will never forsake His mercies to Abraham and to David. He will ultimately elevate Israel again to primacy over the Gentiles, but now, He declares that “there is no distinction.” In the world, Jews and Gentiles stand before God as equally condemned unbelievers (Rom 3:23). Now, they have equal access through the gospel of Christ (Rom 10:12; 3:22) to an equal salvation in His body (Eph 2). Speaking about the elect, Paul does not even find it sufficient to repeat, “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.” Why? Because, “in Christ, there is no Jew or Greek” (Col 3:11; Gal 3:28). In the church, God has gone beyond “separate but equal” in reconcilingboth into one new man. Now, circumcision is of no value either for our position in Christ (Gal 5:6) or for our walk in Him (1 Co 7:19). “The church of God” is distinguished from both Jews and Gentiles as a distinct new entity (1 Co 10:32). When the gospel of the kingdom and its companion gospel of the circumcision are again proclaimed during the tribulation, believers will be brought into the old order. It is impossible to harmonize the new creation within the old framework of Jewish primacy.
Dispensationalists agree that we cannot apply Israel’s law to the church. How then can we adopt her prophecy? The body of Christ was concealed in God until He revealed His secret through the apostle Paul (Eph 3:6). The tribulation saints are clearly the subject of Old Testament prophecy (Dan 7:27). The saints who endure the tribulation and inherit the kingdom cannot be members of the body of Christ, the unprophesied church. Further, we see no conclusive evidence of Old Testament prophecy fulfilled during the dispensation of grace. Our Lord’s prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction can only pertain to the time of the end, for only then will “all things written be fulfilled” (Lk 21:22).
A theology is inconsistent which incorporates the body of Christ into Israel’s remnant in Acts, but subsequently distinguishes body members from the renewed remnant church in the tribulation. The NT distinguishes between the body of Christ and the Messianic Jewish remnant churches in the first century (Acts 15:19-21; 21:24-25; Gal 6:16), but we find only Jewish and Gentile believers during the tribulation (Rev 7:1-9; Mat 25:32 ff). We hold to a stricter dispensational theology which recognizes this Acts-period distinction and raptures the body from the world before the resumption of the old order.
As stated above, the purpose of the tribulation is the purification of Israel, so that “he who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy” (Isa 4:3). This purpose is illustrated by the difference between the salvation experience in the two dispensations. In Paul, eternal salvation is instantaneous upon belief (Eph 1:13) and assured by divine sealing (Eph 4:30). Justification is by God’s grace, provided entirely by the faithfulness of Christ (Rom 3:25) and realized by faith alone on the part of the individual, apart from covenant status or works (Tit 3:5; Rom 4:4-5).
In contrast, the circumcision Scriptures present the salvation experience as the culmination of an extended process of faith manifested in works. James asserts boldly that faith alone cannot save (2:14-26). We will cite the references of several examples of believers whose faith faltered and did not progress to salvation (John 8:30,31,45; Acts 8:13; Mat 13:20-22; Heb 10:38; John 2:23-25). In the circumcision dispensation, faith became saving faith only when expressed through repentance, baptism, law works, and endurance (Mat 24:13,14; Mk 16:16; Lk 3:8; 10:28; John 15:6; Acts 2:38). When our Lord was asked how one inherits eternal life, He consistently pointed to the keeping of the commandments (Mat 19:17; Lk 10:28). Certainly the keeping of the law cannot be an instantaneous experience, but must be borne out over a period of time.
Salvation, to the Jew, did not involve a point-action conversion from false religion to the true, but a progression from old covenant Judaism to Messianic Judaism. The Jewish believer is exhorted to separate himself from judged national Israel and identify himself with “the Way” (Acts 22:4), the “sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:14), the remnant (Isa 65:l ff), “the little flock” (Lk 12:32). They are exhorted to “go forth with Him, outside the camp” (Heb 13:13). The Lord Jesus abbreviated this sentiment when He exhorted His disciples, “You believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1). If the Jewish believer abandoned his faith before it brought forth mature fruit, he was cast away (John 15:6). The concept of progressive salvation is applied specifically to tribulation saints in Matthew 24:13: “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” The tribulation period is an endurance test for those whose salvation depends on their endurance (Lk 21:19). Since our justification is already sealed for eternity, this endurance test does not apply to us. The tribulation will purge rebellious Israelites from the believing remnant of overcomers. In contrast, we are already “superovercomers” through Christ our Lord (Rom 8:37).
God’s respective promises to the body and to the remnant illustrate the contrasting views of salvation described above. Paul assured us that Jesus Christ is already our deliverer from “the coming wrath” (1 Th 1:10).We are not destined for that wrath (5:9). He said that God’s plan for the body of Christ from the beginning was for us to be saved from it (2 Th 2:13). He instructed us not to make an issue of the day of the Lord, for it will not overtake us (1 Th 5:4). The certainty of our future deliverance is based upon the surety of our past justification (Rom 5:9). The Lord’s word to Israel, though, is conditional: “seek righteousness . . . perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zep 2:3). “Be vigilant . . . that you may be deemed worthy to escape . . . and to stand before the Son of Man” (Lk 21:36). “Because you have kept My command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of trial” (Rev 3:10).
The Pauline references cited above indicate that the church “will not suffer the wrath of God.” This point forces post-tribulationists to make a sharp distinction between the tribulation period and the day of the Lord, for that day is “the day of His fierce anger” (Isa 13:13). The post-tribulationist position must maintain that God’s wrath is absent from the seven-year tribulation. They must maintain that the day of the Lord does not commence until Christ’s actual return at Armageddon. This analysis restricts that day to a very short time frame, perhaps even a literal 24-hour day. It is our aim to show that this arrangement is wrong for the following reasons:
1. The day of the Lord is a period of substantial duration.
2. The day of the Lord and the tribulation coincide.
3. God will be in control during the tribulation. It’s His day.
4. The wrath of God is present during the tribulation.
If the day of the Lord were limited to Christ’s second advent, the Thessalonians could hardly have been led to believe it had already arrived. At least several months would have passed from the time they were troubled by false teachers until Paul dispatched his epistle to them (2 Th 2:2). Joel’s extended description of that day could not transpire within 24 hours: “The seeds rot under the clods . . . the grain has dried up . . . the livestock are perplexed for lack of pasture . . . for the rivers of waters have dried up” (1:17-20). He then describes a military campaign against Jerusalem which will require greater than one day’s time. Ezekiel extends the battle through Egypt to Ethiopia and Libya (30:3). Obadiah predicts that the “nations will drink continually” of God’s wrath (v.16). Zephaniah invokes a standard Old Testament curse to the effect that in that day they will plant vineyards, but not drink the wine, they will build houses, but not inhabit them (1:7-14). According to Zechariah 14:8, the day of the Lord will take place during summer and winter, implying at least a year’s duration, “And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.”
The major post-tribulationist argument to restrict the day of the Lord is based on Joel 2:31, which places a series of great heavenly signs “before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” Our Lord, in Matthew 24:29, places these signs at the conclusion of the tribulation. This order is confirmed by the sixth seal of Revelation 6:16-17. On this basis, it is reasoned that the Lord’s day cannot begin until the end of the tribulation. Yet Joel 2:10 and 3:9-14, as well as Isaiah 13:9-10, place the great heavenly signs during, not before, the day of the Lord. How can this be explained?
Joel begins his presentation of the day of the Lord with a description of general tribulation judgments: famine, drought, flame (1:15-20). After an extended description of the armies which converge on Jerusalem, theday culminates with the heavenly signs (2:10), and finally reaches the crescendo: “The Lord will give the command to His army . . . for the Lord’s day is great and very awesome – who can abide it?” Although God is always supreme, He has delegated sovereignty on earth to man under “man’s day” (1 Co 4:3). The Lord’s day is when God, in the person of Jesus Christ, moves to reclaim direct sovereignty over the earth, “for the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isa 2:11). However, Joel applies the day of the Lord not only to the climactic return but to the series of events which culminate in His return. Subsequently, “the great and awesome day of the Lord” is used to denote specifically the day of His advent in Joel 2:31 and Malachi 4:5.
The seal judgments in Revelation 6 clearly show God is in control in the tribulation, the day of the Lord. It is God’s day. His agents, the living creatures that are before His throne, command each one of the four horsemen to go! They give the first horseman his crown. They give the second horseman the ability to take peace from the earth. They also give him a great sword. The third horseman reaped the harvest of the first two – famine. They give the fourth horseman the authority over one fourth of the earth to kill by the sword, famine, and the beasts of the earth. This is God’s wrath being poured out on the earth. However, because there is so much textual criticism on these passages, I want to retranslate verses 1-8 giving you the textual support in the footnotes:
I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Go!” 2 And I saw, and behold,[21] a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow. And a crown was given to him. And he went out conquering even that he might conquer. 3 And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Go!”[22] 4 And another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, that they should slaughter one another. And a great sword was given to him. 5 And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Go!” And I saw,[23] and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A daily ration of wheat for a day’s wages[24], and three quarts of barley[25] for a day’s wages; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” 7 And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, “Go!” 8 And I saw, and behold,[26] a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed him. And authority was given to him over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
Zechariah presented the day of the Lord as commencing prior to Christ’s return. God will “gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle . . . and half the city will go forth into captivity . . . then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations . . . and His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of olives” (14:1-4). Christ’s return is not the initiation of that day, but its climax. John sees all the nations already gathered [Greek perfect] at Armageddon (Rev 19:19), but the armies are still in the process of being gathered during that day (Joel 3:9-14). Israel will battle the nations in that day (Eze 13:5), but Christ will fight at Armageddon without human assistance (Isa 63:6).
Because the day of the Lord begins prior to Christ’s return, it must coincide, at least in part, with the tribulation. The use in Scripture of parallel terminology indicates further that this day encompasses the entire tribulation. The day of the Lord is called “the time of the Gentiles” in Ezekiel 30:3. Our Lord designates the tribulation period the fulfillment of “the times of the Gentiles” in Luke 21:24. In Revelation 1:9,10 the apostle John becomes his readers’ “brother and partner in the tribulation” by being transported spiritually to “the day of the Lord”.[27] The content of the Apocalypse, “the things you saw and what they are and what is about to happen after these things,”[28] concerns the tribulation and ensuing kingdom. This places the entire tribulation within the day of the Lord. In addition, by comparing Daniel with Jeremiah (30:7,8),
Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. 8 “For it shall come to pass in that day,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That I will break his yoke from your neck, and will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them.”
Daniel (12:1,2) extends Israel’s “time of tribulation”[29] to the time of the resurrection. This must be identical to the great tribulation of Matthew 24:21, for each is described as a judgment without equal. Daniel’s is “a time of tribulation, such as never existed since the existence of the nation;” Matthew’s is “such as has never occurred since the beginning of the world.” (Cf. also Joel 2:2.) This includes the Armageddon judgment within the tribulation period, and thus invalidates the post-tribulationist delineation between the tribulation and the day of the Lord’s wrath.
Since the tribulation falls within the day of the Lord, we know that God’s wrath is executed during the tribulation. In fact, Jesus Christ called the tribulation a time of “wrath upon this people [Israel]” (Lk 21:23). He encouraged His disciples to rejoice when they see this wrath, for “your redemption is drawing near” (v.28). The tribulation saints are still on earth during the outpouring of God’s wrath in the bowl judgments, for Christ exhorts them from heaven to endure (Rev 16:15). With all of this information, it should be possible to see that God promised to deliver Christ’s church, the body of Christ, from His wrath with the pre-tribulation rapture.
Does the rapture take place before the tribulation? Does it take place in the middle? After? Does it take place after the tribulation but before the day of the Lord? These questions and others still puzzle Christians. Is there an answer? If so, what is the solution? There is one thing to understand that will answer these questions. That is the nature of the mystery. Let us put it another way. The dispensation of the mystery, as revealed in Ephesians 3, is the most important concept we must comprehend to understand the chronology of the rapture and the tribulation. The mystery was never made known before it was revealed to the Apostle Paul. Ephesians 3:9 shows that explicitly. Paul said he was given a commission “to make all see what is the dispensation of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God[1] who created all things through Jesus Christ.” We see again in 1 Corinthians 2:7 that this mystery was hidden: “The hidden wisdom of God in a mystery was ordained before the ages for our glory.” Put another way, it “was kept secret since the world began”[2] (Rom 16:25,26). Finally, it was “hidden from ages and from generations” (Col 1:26). What characteristic of the mystery do we see from these scriptures? What is the nature of the mystery? More than anything else, it was a secret, hidden in God from ages and generations. It was never written about anywhere in God’s word until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul. In fact it says in Ephesians 3:8,9, that Paul was given the grace that “I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable[3] riches of Christ.” That means no prophecy made before Paul’s salvation concerns the mystery. In other words, all prophecy made before Paul received the mystery is silent about the people and things of the mystery. That is the nature of the mystery.
Believers in the dispensation of the mystery were baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ. They became part of something brand new. They became joint-heirs, a joint-body, and joint-partakers of a new creation (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15; Eph 2;14-16; Col 1;18-22). There was nothing written about them in the prophetic scriptures before Paul’s conversion. God called this new creation, the body Christ. Again, it was madeup of Jews and Gentiles as joint-heirs and joint-partakers. According to the content of this mystery, God broke down the discriminatory barriers. This truth causes us[4] to make a strong distinction between Israel and the church which is His body.
Israel was identified as the people of the tribulation by Daniel. First, let us look at a new translation of Daniel 9:24-27.[5]
Seventy heptads[6] are determined on your people[7] and on your holy city to eliminate violations and to end[8] sins, and to cover iniquity and to bring in eternal righteousness, and to seal the vision and prophecy,[9] and to anoint the holy of holies. 25 So know and discern[10] that from the issue of a decree to return and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince: seven heptads and sixty-two heptads; it will be rebuilt,[11] street and wall, even in time of distress.[12] 26 And after the sixty-two heptads, Messiah will be cut off, having neither the city nor the sanctuary. And the coming one will defile [destroy][13] the people of the Prince; and his end is in a flood, and until the end of battle desolations are determined. 27 And he will strengthen a covenant with the many for one heptad; and at the midpoint of the heptad he will stop sacrifice and grain offering; and on the summit[14] of abominations one who desolates,[15] until completion, and that which is determined shall be poured upon the desolator.
Next, we will see in two more passages in Daniel, that these end times prophecies concerned Israel, not the church which is the body of Christ.
Daniel 10:14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.
Daniel 12:1 At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.
Israel was also identified as the people of the tribulation by our Lord when Jesus mentioned Daniel’s abomination of desolation (Dan 9:27; 11:31) in the tribulation’s setting in
Matthew 24:15-21 Therefore when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
The purpose of the tribulation is to purify Israel for her kingdom reign (Dan 9:24 See above). Zechariah 13:9 also refers to this purification process,
I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, “This is My people,” And each one will say, “The Lord is my God.”
In addition to the purification, we see that the tribulation is specifically designated “a time of tribulation[16] for Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:7, “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” Therefore, since the tribulation is specifically designated “Israel’s” (lit., “for Jacob”), it has nothing to do with the church which is His body.
Historically, the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture has been a major distinctive of dispensational theology. However, dispensationalists in increasing numbers are shifting to a post-tribulation position. We believe that this realignment stems from a growing ignorance of the doctrine of the body of Christ as a distinct, new work of God for the dispensation of grace.
The pre-tribulation coming of Christ is a necessary conclusion of a theology which maintains a strict separation between Israel and the church. Since our Lord identifies the tribulation with Daniel’s 70th week by citing “the abomination of desolation” from Daniel 9:27 and 11:31 within the context of the tribulation (Matthew 24:15-21), we are forced to conclude that “[Daniel’s] people,” the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:24 and 12:1), not the body of Christ, is the exclusive subject of Daniel’s prophecy. As we have shown, the purpose of this period is to purge Israel for her kingdom reign (Daniel 9:24; Zechariah 13:9). We must reiterate. The tribulation is specifically designated “a time of tribulation for Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:7.
Paul wrote the comforting passage, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, to the body of Christ.
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
This whole thought was new to the Thessalonians. He had told them about many other things but not about the rapture. Notice, he wrote, “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren. ”[17] Since this was new, we know it was not revealed in the Old Testament or in Christ’s Olivet discourse.[18] Further, they seemed more concerned about the condition of their dead loved ones than a theology of eschatology. He wrote this to comfort them so they would have hope in the resurrection of their loved ones, “lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.” But Paul not only comforted them, he went further. He showed them an event where they would be united with their loved ones in the air. Notice, Christ’s resurrection is based on our justification,[19] and our hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.” Then he described the rapture. Please read it again.
14b -17 God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
His whole point for giving them this information was comfort. He had a real pastor’s heart: “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
We can see from this portion of scripture in 1 Thessalonians that Christ is bringing with Him those who died. He will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first. The rapture is Christ’s coming and our going. We “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” We’ll all be changed at the last sound of the trumpet. What an event! But although these two passages describe the rapture, they do not give us the time when it will take place.
In considering the time of the rapture in relation to the tribulation, we must remember the concept we’ve already studied, the nature of the mystery. Since the nature of the mystery shows us that the body of Christ is never referred to in biblical prophecy prior to Paul’s conversion, we can make some conclusions about when it occurs.
They are:
Prophecy about the people in the tribulation would not refer to the body of Christ.
Prophecy about the day of the Lord would not apply to the body of Christ.
Prophecy about the people under the wrath of God would not apply to the body of Christ.
The rapture must take place prior to the prophetic program.
Another passage about the rapture occurs in 1 Corinthians 15:51-54.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.[20] For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
This whole event is called a mystery, something hid in God, a secret. The secret in 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 is not the concept that some will not see death, for our Lord expresses this idea clearly in John 11:25-26: “He who believes in Me will live even if he dies, but he who lives and believes in Me will never die.” The secret is the event itself. Now, the second coming, including the gathering of the elect, is well prophesied in Matthew 24: 29-31,
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This event was no mystery to Paul. Let us recall here the precise definition of “mystery”. A musthvrion is not an ambiguous or mystical revelation but an unrevealed truth. The LXX of Daniel 2:19 employs musthvrion to render the Persian (Aramaic) raz, “secret”, in reference to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel did not receive from Nebuchadnezzar a vague or shadowy revelation of the dream. Rather, until the God of heaven revealed the secret to His prophet, the content of the dream was completely concealed to him. Likewise, the secret of the rapture was not the subject of ambiguous or shadowy revelation before Paul, but was concealed in God. This mystery was revealed to Paul early in his ministry, and Paul discusses the rapture in his earliest epistles, Galatians and Thessalonians. Further, the musthvrion of Ephesians is also discussed in Romans and 1 Corinthians. Since the rapture is a musthvrion, the disclosure of the church’s hope prior to the revelation of the secret church through Paul is also a mystery – not revealed.
God did not form the body of Christ by bringing believing Gentiles into the covenant blessings of His people, Israel. He did not bring Gentiles into equality with Jews, but equalized the two groups by concluding Israel in the same state of unbelief as the Gentiles because of her disobedience. The following Scripture from Romans 9:31-10:3; 11:32, establishes this:
But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 11:32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
Therefore, the church is an entirely new creation (Eph 2:15). Since the church was formed only after Israel was removed from her position of privilege, the body of Christ cannot be the result of including the Gentile believers in Israel’s blessings. The body of Christ is not an extension of Israel’s privileged status to the Gentiles. Likewise, the ministry of Paul, to whom the truth of the body of Christ was entrusted, was not an extension of the circumcision apostles’ commission. Paul’s gospel of grace and his apostleship to the Gentiles represented a new course of divine action (Gal 1:1, 11-12; 2:7-9). Therefore, a tribulation specifically applied to Israel has nothing to do with the church which is His body.
Under the law dispensation, which includes the tribulation and kingdom (Isa 2:3), Israel enjoyed a position of high privilege: “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deu 7:6). The law covenant brought about this special status (Deu 4:7-8; 10:15; 26:18-19; 32:8). The Abrahamic covenant accorded his descendants a unique access to God’s salvation (Psa 3:8; John 4:22; Eph 2:11-13). Even within the redeemed, the Jews are a royal priesthood, mediating between the Lord and the righteous nations (Isa 61:5; Zec 8:23).
In the dispensation of grace, God has abolished Israel’s privileged status. But we know He will never forsake His mercies to Abraham and to David. He will ultimately elevate Israel again to primacy over the Gentiles, but now, He declares that “there is no distinction.” In the world, Jews and Gentiles stand before God as equally condemned unbelievers (Rom 3:23). Now, they have equal access through the gospel of Christ (Rom 10:12; 3:22) to an equal salvation in His body (Eph 2). Speaking about the elect, Paul does not even find it sufficient to repeat, “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.” Why? Because, “in Christ, there is no Jew or Greek” (Col 3:11; Gal 3:28). In the church, God has gone beyond “separate but equal” in reconcilingboth into one new man. Now, circumcision is of no value either for our position in Christ (Gal 5:6) or for our walk in Him (1 Co 7:19). “The church of God” is distinguished from both Jews and Gentiles as a distinct new entity (1 Co 10:32). When the gospel of the kingdom and its companion gospel of the circumcision are again proclaimed during the tribulation, believers will be brought into the old order. It is impossible to harmonize the new creation within the old framework of Jewish primacy.
Dispensationalists agree that we cannot apply Israel’s law to the church. How then can we adopt her prophecy? The body of Christ was concealed in God until He revealed His secret through the apostle Paul (Eph 3:6). The tribulation saints are clearly the subject of Old Testament prophecy (Dan 7:27). The saints who endure the tribulation and inherit the kingdom cannot be members of the body of Christ, the unprophesied church. Further, we see no conclusive evidence of Old Testament prophecy fulfilled during the dispensation of grace. Our Lord’s prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction can only pertain to the time of the end, for only then will “all things written be fulfilled” (Lk 21:22).
A theology is inconsistent which incorporates the body of Christ into Israel’s remnant in Acts, but subsequently distinguishes body members from the renewed remnant church in the tribulation. The NT distinguishes between the body of Christ and the Messianic Jewish remnant churches in the first century (Acts 15:19-21; 21:24-25; Gal 6:16), but we find only Jewish and Gentile believers during the tribulation (Rev 7:1-9; Mat 25:32 ff). We hold to a stricter dispensational theology which recognizes this Acts-period distinction and raptures the body from the world before the resumption of the old order.
As stated above, the purpose of the tribulation is the purification of Israel, so that “he who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy” (Isa 4:3). This purpose is illustrated by the difference between the salvation experience in the two dispensations. In Paul, eternal salvation is instantaneous upon belief (Eph 1:13) and assured by divine sealing (Eph 4:30). Justification is by God’s grace, provided entirely by the faithfulness of Christ (Rom 3:25) and realized by faith alone on the part of the individual, apart from covenant status or works (Tit 3:5; Rom 4:4-5).
In contrast, the circumcision Scriptures present the salvation experience as the culmination of an extended process of faith manifested in works. James asserts boldly that faith alone cannot save (2:14-26). We will cite the references of several examples of believers whose faith faltered and did not progress to salvation (John 8:30,31,45; Acts 8:13; Mat 13:20-22; Heb 10:38; John 2:23-25). In the circumcision dispensation, faith became saving faith only when expressed through repentance, baptism, law works, and endurance (Mat 24:13,14; Mk 16:16; Lk 3:8; 10:28; John 15:6; Acts 2:38). When our Lord was asked how one inherits eternal life, He consistently pointed to the keeping of the commandments (Mat 19:17; Lk 10:28). Certainly the keeping of the law cannot be an instantaneous experience, but must be borne out over a period of time.
Salvation, to the Jew, did not involve a point-action conversion from false religion to the true, but a progression from old covenant Judaism to Messianic Judaism. The Jewish believer is exhorted to separate himself from judged national Israel and identify himself with “the Way” (Acts 22:4), the “sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:14), the remnant (Isa 65:l ff), “the little flock” (Lk 12:32). They are exhorted to “go forth with Him, outside the camp” (Heb 13:13). The Lord Jesus abbreviated this sentiment when He exhorted His disciples, “You believe in God, believe also in Me” (John 14:1). If the Jewish believer abandoned his faith before it brought forth mature fruit, he was cast away (John 15:6). The concept of progressive salvation is applied specifically to tribulation saints in Matthew 24:13: “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” The tribulation period is an endurance test for those whose salvation depends on their endurance (Lk 21:19). Since our justification is already sealed for eternity, this endurance test does not apply to us. The tribulation will purge rebellious Israelites from the believing remnant of overcomers. In contrast, we are already “superovercomers” through Christ our Lord (Rom 8:37).
God’s respective promises to the body and to the remnant illustrate the contrasting views of salvation described above. Paul assured us that Jesus Christ is already our deliverer from “the coming wrath” (1 Th 1:10).We are not destined for that wrath (5:9). He said that God’s plan for the body of Christ from the beginning was for us to be saved from it (2 Th 2:13). He instructed us not to make an issue of the day of the Lord, for it will not overtake us (1 Th 5:4). The certainty of our future deliverance is based upon the surety of our past justification (Rom 5:9). The Lord’s word to Israel, though, is conditional: “seek righteousness . . . perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zep 2:3). “Be vigilant . . . that you may be deemed worthy to escape . . . and to stand before the Son of Man” (Lk 21:36). “Because you have kept My command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of trial” (Rev 3:10).
The Pauline references cited above indicate that the church “will not suffer the wrath of God.” This point forces post-tribulationists to make a sharp distinction between the tribulation period and the day of the Lord, for that day is “the day of His fierce anger” (Isa 13:13). The post-tribulationist position must maintain that God’s wrath is absent from the seven-year tribulation. They must maintain that the day of the Lord does not commence until Christ’s actual return at Armageddon. This analysis restricts that day to a very short time frame, perhaps even a literal 24-hour day. It is our aim to show that this arrangement is wrong for the following reasons:
1. The day of the Lord is a period of substantial duration.
2. The day of the Lord and the tribulation coincide.
3. God will be in control during the tribulation. It’s His day.
4. The wrath of God is present during the tribulation.
If the day of the Lord were limited to Christ’s second advent, the Thessalonians could hardly have been led to believe it had already arrived. At least several months would have passed from the time they were troubled by false teachers until Paul dispatched his epistle to them (2 Th 2:2). Joel’s extended description of that day could not transpire within 24 hours: “The seeds rot under the clods . . . the grain has dried up . . . the livestock are perplexed for lack of pasture . . . for the rivers of waters have dried up” (1:17-20). He then describes a military campaign against Jerusalem which will require greater than one day’s time. Ezekiel extends the battle through Egypt to Ethiopia and Libya (30:3). Obadiah predicts that the “nations will drink continually” of God’s wrath (v.16). Zephaniah invokes a standard Old Testament curse to the effect that in that day they will plant vineyards, but not drink the wine, they will build houses, but not inhabit them (1:7-14). According to Zechariah 14:8, the day of the Lord will take place during summer and winter, implying at least a year’s duration, “And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.”
The major post-tribulationist argument to restrict the day of the Lord is based on Joel 2:31, which places a series of great heavenly signs “before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” Our Lord, in Matthew 24:29, places these signs at the conclusion of the tribulation. This order is confirmed by the sixth seal of Revelation 6:16-17. On this basis, it is reasoned that the Lord’s day cannot begin until the end of the tribulation. Yet Joel 2:10 and 3:9-14, as well as Isaiah 13:9-10, place the great heavenly signs during, not before, the day of the Lord. How can this be explained?
Joel begins his presentation of the day of the Lord with a description of general tribulation judgments: famine, drought, flame (1:15-20). After an extended description of the armies which converge on Jerusalem, theday culminates with the heavenly signs (2:10), and finally reaches the crescendo: “The Lord will give the command to His army . . . for the Lord’s day is great and very awesome – who can abide it?” Although God is always supreme, He has delegated sovereignty on earth to man under “man’s day” (1 Co 4:3). The Lord’s day is when God, in the person of Jesus Christ, moves to reclaim direct sovereignty over the earth, “for the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isa 2:11). However, Joel applies the day of the Lord not only to the climactic return but to the series of events which culminate in His return. Subsequently, “the great and awesome day of the Lord” is used to denote specifically the day of His advent in Joel 2:31 and Malachi 4:5.
The seal judgments in Revelation 6 clearly show God is in control in the tribulation, the day of the Lord. It is God’s day. His agents, the living creatures that are before His throne, command each one of the four horsemen to go! They give the first horseman his crown. They give the second horseman the ability to take peace from the earth. They also give him a great sword. The third horseman reaped the harvest of the first two – famine. They give the fourth horseman the authority over one fourth of the earth to kill by the sword, famine, and the beasts of the earth. This is God’s wrath being poured out on the earth. However, because there is so much textual criticism on these passages, I want to retranslate verses 1-8 giving you the textual support in the footnotes:
I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Go!” 2 And I saw, and behold,[21] a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow. And a crown was given to him. And he went out conquering even that he might conquer. 3 And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Go!”[22] 4 And another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, that they should slaughter one another. And a great sword was given to him. 5 And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Go!” And I saw,[23] and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A daily ration of wheat for a day’s wages[24], and three quarts of barley[25] for a day’s wages; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” 7 And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, “Go!” 8 And I saw, and behold,[26] a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed him. And authority was given to him over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
Zechariah presented the day of the Lord as commencing prior to Christ’s return. God will “gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle . . . and half the city will go forth into captivity . . . then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations . . . and His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of olives” (14:1-4). Christ’s return is not the initiation of that day, but its climax. John sees all the nations already gathered [Greek perfect] at Armageddon (Rev 19:19), but the armies are still in the process of being gathered during that day (Joel 3:9-14). Israel will battle the nations in that day (Eze 13:5), but Christ will fight at Armageddon without human assistance (Isa 63:6).
Because the day of the Lord begins prior to Christ’s return, it must coincide, at least in part, with the tribulation. The use in Scripture of parallel terminology indicates further that this day encompasses the entire tribulation. The day of the Lord is called “the time of the Gentiles” in Ezekiel 30:3. Our Lord designates the tribulation period the fulfillment of “the times of the Gentiles” in Luke 21:24. In Revelation 1:9,10 the apostle John becomes his readers’ “brother and partner in the tribulation” by being transported spiritually to “the day of the Lord”.[27] The content of the Apocalypse, “the things you saw and what they are and what is about to happen after these things,”[28] concerns the tribulation and ensuing kingdom. This places the entire tribulation within the day of the Lord. In addition, by comparing Daniel with Jeremiah (30:7,8),
Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. 8 “For it shall come to pass in that day,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That I will break his yoke from your neck, and will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them.”
Daniel (12:1,2) extends Israel’s “time of tribulation”[29] to the time of the resurrection. This must be identical to the great tribulation of Matthew 24:21, for each is described as a judgment without equal. Daniel’s is “a time of tribulation, such as never existed since the existence of the nation;” Matthew’s is “such as has never occurred since the beginning of the world.” (Cf. also Joel 2:2.) This includes the Armageddon judgment within the tribulation period, and thus invalidates the post-tribulationist delineation between the tribulation and the day of the Lord’s wrath.
Since the tribulation falls within the day of the Lord, we know that God’s wrath is executed during the tribulation. In fact, Jesus Christ called the tribulation a time of “wrath upon this people [Israel]” (Lk 21:23). He encouraged His disciples to rejoice when they see this wrath, for “your redemption is drawing near” (v.28). The tribulation saints are still on earth during the outpouring of God’s wrath in the bowl judgments, for Christ exhorts them from heaven to endure (Rev 16:15). With all of this information, it should be possible to see that God promised to deliver Christ’s church, the body of Christ, from His wrath with the pre-tribulation rapture.
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