This a period of time when evil will be abound and God’s divine judgments will be poured upon earth as prophesied in the Bible. Both evils and divine judgments will cause chaos and disasters in a scale so gigantic that the earth will be changed by the events forever.

Where in the Bible does it say that the Tribulation will last for 7 years?

Daniel 9:24-27

²⁴“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

²⁵“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

²⁶“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

²⁷“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

According to the above passage, God has declared “seventy weeks” for the Jews. This period is given to “finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.” (v 24)

The entire “seventy weeks” will be followed by the Millennium kingdom as prophesied in the Bible, which will last for a 1000 years with the Messiah Jesus Christ literally reigning on earth.

However, the “seventy weeks” isn’t a continuous period – it is consisted of seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and one week. Each week stands for 7 biblical years.

The seven weeks (49) and the sixty-two weeks (434) had already passed. It started from the degree of Persian Emperor Artaxerxes (Neh 2) to rebuild Jerusalem and ended at Jesus’ entering Jerusalem on a donkey (Palm Sunday).

Does that mean there were exactly 483 years (49+434= 483) between the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and Jesus’ entering Jerusalem as “Messiah the prince”? Sure, but it is prophetic year that we are talking about, not solar year that we use in our secular calendar, aka the Gregorian calender.

A prophetic year is 360 days and a solar year is 365.2422. That would make 483 × 360 = 173,880 days (24 hours) = 476 solar years + 25 days. The decree of Artaxerxes made the perfect starting point of the 483 prophetic years because, according to secular history, that decree was made in 445 BC and Jesus was crucified in 32 AD.

There were exactly 476 solar years + 25 days, which equal to 173,880 days, which also equal to 483 prophetic years, between the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and Palm Sunday.

How do we know that a prophetic year is 360 days?

We know there is one “seven” left that is waiting for its fulfillment in the near future. The Bible talks a lot about this last “seven”, and we can therefore soundly derive the number of days of an entire “seven” from the hints of the scripture that talks about this ‘seven’.

First hints (the last half of the ‘seven’ is 3.5 of times):

Daniel 7:25-26

²⁵ He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.

²⁶ ” ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.

Daniel 9:27

²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. “

Daniel 12:7

⁷ The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”

We can see from the above verses that the Antichrist will “confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’”, but he will cause the sacrifice and offering of the Jewish temple to stop in the middle of the ‘seven’.

We can see that during the first half of the ‘seven’, this Antichrist has no power over the ‘saints’, but God will hand the ‘saints’ over to him after the middle of the ‘seven’ for a ‘time, times, and half a time.’

Half of 7 is 3.5, which means that ‘a time, times, and half a time’ is 3.5 of times, but 3.5 of what time? 3.5 days? 3.5 month? or 3.5 years?

See the answer below:

Revelation 11:2

²But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

Remember, the Antichrist has no power over the ‘saints’ in the first half of the ‘seven’, so he and his Gentiles army couldn’t possibly trample the holy city during that time, so this 42 months have to be the second half of the ‘seven’.

So the second half of the ‘seven’ = 42 months, and 42 months are 3.5 years, so half of the ‘seven’ is 3.5 years!!!

To make it clear, we now find that ‘a time, times, and half a time’ = second half of the last ‘seven’ = 42 months = 3.5 years

Next, how many days do we have for this 42 months?

Revelation 12:5-6

⁵She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. ⁶The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

The woman is the nation of Israel. Israel will enjoy peace and control of her holy temple for the first half of the ‘seven’, but after that her holy city and temple will be trampled by the Gentile for 42 months, during which the Israelis have to flee.

She will flee for 1,260 days. So here we see that 1,260 days = 42 months.

Again, just to make it clear, so far we have: ‘a time, times, and half a time’ = second half of the last ‘seven’ = 42 months = 3.5 years = 1,260 days

To be double sure, let’s check out one more verse that confirm the conclusion we have:

Revelation 12:14

¹⁴The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.

This verse talks about the same woman who will flee to the desert for 42 months. Again, this 42 months have to be the second half of the last ‘seven’, because this woman, the Israel, will enjoy peace for the first half of the ‘seven’ and therefore she has no reason to flee during that period of time. So here again we see that ‘a time, times and half a time’ equal 42 months!

Let check out this final one to seal up the conclusion:

Revelation 13:5-7

⁵The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. ⁶He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

Daniel 7:25-26 and the Revelation 13:5-7 above talk about the same period of time, which is the second half of the ‘seven’, which confirm my conclusion that ‘a time, times and half a time’ = 42 months.

So, in conclusion, half of a ‘seven’ = ‘a time, times and half a time’ = 3.5 prophetic years = 42 months = 1,260 days, and each prophetic year is therefore 360 days. (1,260 days ÷ 3.5 years = 360 days)

How do we know that the first half of the last ‘seven’ is also 1,260 days?

What happens during the first half of the last ‘seven’? How long would that be?

Revelation 11:3-10

³And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” ⁴These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. ⁶These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast [the Antichrist] that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. ⁸Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. ¹⁰The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

The first half of the ‘seven’ is also 1,260 days, during which two powerful witnesses from the Lord will vex the world. With the televisions, Internet, and the Satellites, the whole world will be able to watch them preach day in and night out for 1,260 days.

How do I know this is the first half of the last ‘seven’?

The Antichrist will control Jerusalem the holy city and the temple during the second half of the ‘seven’, but if the two powerful witnesses are there during that period of time, this is not possible. They can’t coexist in the same city for the same period of time. Either the Antichrist stays while the witnesses are gone, or the witnesses stay and the Antichrist stays away.

I believe that Jerusalem is the main base of the two witnesses, because the above passage says that they will die there. (Revelation 11:8) Even if they don’t stay in Jerusalem most of the time during their 1,260 days of ministry, I don’t think they will let the Antichrist and his minions touch that city and the temple.

They will have to die before the second half of the last ‘seven’ years of Tribulation.

They will testify against the New World Order, the evil plan of Satan, and the identity and dark deeds of the Antichrist. Most importantly, they will preach the whole Gospel to the entire world, and explain every divine judgment that will fall upon earth during the Tribulation. They will explain that this is their last chance to receive salvation.

Because of their ministry, everyone who is willing believe in God and dies for Him will be able to choose to do so. By then everything will be plain and obvious— Life and death, light and darkness, heaven and hell, Christ and Antichrist, divine and evil.

Those who choose to remain evil in that period of time will know fully what their choice is about – to go against the biblical, trinity God who fully reveals Himself during the Tribulation and to face an eternity of Hell. Nevertheless, the evil people will think that they can overpower God by military force and they will listen to the Antichrist, the false prophet, and their fallen angels buddies.

There will be no middle ground. People have to choose either God or Satan.

Next, what will happen during the dreaded Tribulation?

Want to escape these horrible things that will come during the Tribulation? Make sure you are qualified for the secret Rapture! It’s a divine escape God planned for you

Why should we watch out for the secret Rapture?

Because disinformation about they Rapture will cost you and your loved ones dearly, and why are there so many disinformation about the Rapture? I will answer that at the end of this post.

The secret Rapture is a purifying hope. (1 John 3:3) Our Lord Jesus Christ will come in a sudden and conduct the Rapture when we lest expect Him. The godly fear of His sudden coming for the Rapture motivates us to prepare and watch:

Matthew 24:42-51

⁴²“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

If the Rapture is for every Christian, then there is no purification about it. We can just go on our merry way, being certain that every sin we commit after we became a Christian will only get us a verbal reprimand in heaven, but hey, since God is only going to rebuke us in heaven, so it has to be tearless and painless! (Heaven has no tear nor pain!)  And nothing bad will happen in the meantime while we are on earth, right?

The longer we delay the judgment for our sins, the more severe the consequences are going to be on earth and in the Day of reckoning.

The only way to avoid any reprimand from God and minimize consequences of sin is to repent immediately if we ever sin. (1 John 1:9)

You and I know there is a hidden price behind every great deal. The Bible does not say we can die in sin and still go to heaven, nor does it say the Rapture is unconditional for every believer.

Okay, if you click into the links above, you will find articles on what the Rapture is about and why it is conditional and secretive. If you want to make sure you are qualified for the Rapture, click into those links and you will find information on how to prepare for it.

Now, let’s think about our loved one. Don’t you want to meet with them during the Rapture and escape the Great Tribulation together?

Traps that were designed by Satan to keep you and your loved ones from the secret Rapture!!!

I am really concerned that the number of Christians who are going to be left behind after the Rapture is going to be huge. The problem is that there are so many schools of thought about the Rapture, and every interpretation has different implications that could lead to disqualification of the Rapture.

A wrong belief about the Rapture could be disastrous to those who believe in it.

Some believe there is no Rapture and the Millennium has already begun. Some believe every Christian is going to be raptured before the Tribulation. Some believe the Rapture takes place at the end of the Tribulation.

Without listing other schools of thoughts, let me point out some serious problems that the above theories have already created for the churches.

In the first theory, the implication is that Christians have to dominate the earth and convert everyone into a Christian in order for the prophesied New earth and New heaven to manifest in this world.  Since Christ is not going to physically and literally bring about the millennium of peace that the Bible says will come, the “Church” has to do it for Him.

They tend to be very optimistic about the end time. They think they will become mighty, super man and woman for God, and conquer and dominate the earth for Him.

In the second theory, the implication is that Christians will take things too easy and just go on their merry way, since Christ is a Mr Nice Guy He is going to rapture everyone who has ever called His name and prayed the sinner’s prayer, or made a decision to accept Him as savor no matter how he or she walked astray and became unrepentant afterward.

They probably also believe the “once saved, always saved” theory as well, so many people in this camp actually act like independent, free-spirited, and spoiled children who will never grow up to be mature Christians simply because they think they don’t have to. They think it is an option, but could do without.

In the third theory, it is kind of like the first theory, but is much more pessimistic. People in this camp seek to amass weaponry and ammunition, store up food, and build secret shelter, because they believe they will have to resist evil people and the Antichrist for the entire Great Tribulation and survive until Christ’s second coming.

How can a wrong belief leads to disqualification of the Rapture?

Satan deceives for a reason. A wrong belief on the Rapture, I afraid, has a much more sinister root than what appears to be just a theological mistake.

For those who don’t believe in the pre-Tribulation Rapture, they tend to believe they have to be conquerors, survivors, or martyrs.

Being a martyr is nothing wrong, but fighting for the right to be martyred while martyrdom is not necessary isn’t God’s perfect will. God’s perfect will is probably for us to preach the true Rapture, and avoid heroism and egotism, don’t you think?

This is a case when you get what you ask for. They preach there is no secret Rapture, so there is no Rapture for them. It takes a lot of elaborate efforts and intellectual pride to explain a pre-trib, secret Rapture away.

I believe there are honest, humble Christians for every Rapture theory, but I highly doubt that they can remain believers in a wrong one for long if they actually study the Bible.

For the die-hard believers who actively preach against the pre-Trib secret Rapture and go so far as to ignore credible arguments that prove otherwise because they just want to be right, I am afraid most of them will be left behind for being unwilling to accept the truth.

As for their followers, since they believe in a different Rapture theory, some of them will spend their time amassing food, building shelters, and storing weaponry, some of them will make merry and prepare nothing, some of them will imagine they will convert the entire earth and preach against the Book of Revelation and other biblical prophesies in their false optimism, instead of preparing for the Rapture spiritually.

What’s wrong with the opponents to the secret Rapture and those who want to physically fight the Antichrist and his thugs?

For those who are physically preparing for the Great Tribulation instead of the Rapture, they can’t really do it with part-time effort. A large chunk of their time and energy will have to be invested into it, for Jesus said:

²¹For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. ²²If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Matthew 24:21-22

Jesus said that the end time will be a period of great distress. I wonder if one can really prepare for that at all if God doesn’t provide supernatural protection for His children during that period. My guess is that, all their food, shelter, and weapon will fail them very quickly once the distress starts.

By the way, God does provide supernatural protection for His children who are left behind. (Revelation 12: 13-17)

If they spend most of their time preparing what they need to survive the Great Tribulation, how can they focus on seeking God’s will everyday and preach the Gospel to unbelievers? There is not a single Bible verse that instruct us to physically prepare for the Great Tribulation, but the scripture actually admonishes us to store up treasures in heaven and give what we have to the poor. (Matthew 6:19; Luke 12:33)

And what about the children, the elderly, and the sick? They can’t physically prepare for the Great Tribulation, can they? Mind you, in the end time the One World Government of the Beast is going to be filled with pedophiles, because the entire New World Order is occult and satanic in nature. Is it fair to the children that they have to somehow find weapons and build a bunker for themselves?

If the believers of post-Trib Rapture and other secret Rapture opponents are not following God’s instruction to watch out for the Rapture (Matthew 24:42-51), but are instead doing their own stuff (Weaponry, storage, and bunkers) and teaching other to do the same, what is the odd that the Rapture would include them?

Since they think the Lord is coming late, and that they are preparing for the Antichrist to manifest, instead of the Lord, chances are they are much more likely to fall into temptations than those who are watchful for the secret Rapture.

It makes so much sense to me that God designed the Rapture to be a divine escape for the believers, whereas other theories that call for physical preparation for the Great Tribulation makes no sense at all.

Here I am warning against Christians who own weaponry and who actually imagined they would use their guns against the enemies someday:

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Matthew 26:52

If you rather die than to be captured alive, you might actually get what you wish for, but are you sure you are going to heaven after you cross over? None of the apostles had used a sword against their persecutors, except Peter, who were rebuked by Jesus immediately with the above words after he cut an enemy’s ear. At the end of Peter’s life, he willingly gave up his life to his persecutors and they nailed him on the cross.

How can we protect our family if we don’t hurt our enemy physically?

The most powerful weapon against the enemies, humans or demons, is prayer. Guns can never accomplish what prayers can do, see testimonials and stories on deliverance and healing.

God has impressed upon me to write a prayer of blessings with abundant scriptures that target the evils and dangers we have to face in this present age, get your blessing from my prayer! After you receive the blessings you will need weapons no more.

What’s wrong with the belief of “No Rapture, we are in the Millennium already, so let’s conquer the earth”?

Those who hold this view are mostly the postmillennialists and the amillennialists, such as the Catholic, the Dominionist, and the folks of Kingdom Now Movement. They generally don’t believe in Christ’s literal reign for a 1000 years on earth after the Great Tribulation. They think the Millennium is figurative, not literal, and that a 1000 years just means a very long time.

The Amillennialists believe the Millennium has already started after Jesus’s ascension and will end at His second coming. They believe that the church will have to fight evil and hold up in the meantime.

The Postmillennialists, however, believe that the church will triumph over the kingdom of darkness one day, and convert the entire earth, which usher a glorious church age for a very long time (Millennium) before Christ’s second coming.

One problem with both camps is that they severely abused the scripture. The Bible clearly says that the earth will only become more and more hostile to Christians, and evil people will go from bad to worst, not the other way around:

¹²In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:12-13

They put too much confidences on their own institutional churches. The fruits of their theories are egotism, crusader-ism, empire-builderism, and heroism. But the Bible clearly says that in the end time, the remaining Christians on earth will fight a losing battle against Satan and the Antichrist:

¹⁷Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 12:17

⁵The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. ⁶He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. Revelation 13:5-7

The Bible also clearly says that the Millennium happens AFTER the Great Tribulation, which comes in the near future. I will explain this point in my next post: 7 Year Tribulation Timeline: How Will The World End?

Amillennialism and postmillennialism are very dangerous theories, because they ignore and twist large portions of Bible prophesies that are obvious and plain, and create entire theories that deny almost every major event that the Bible says will happen in the near future. They also claim that a lot of the prophesies had already been fulfilled. But the Bible says these theories are deceptive:

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 2 Thess 2:1-4

The theories have effectively denied every trap and enemy that the Bible warns us of and explain the obvious warnings away as symbolic of something else!

That’s why I am concerned that the believers of these theories will have a hard time figuring out important elements during the Great Tribulation: that the end time One World Government and its ruler– the Antichrist– are Satanic, that the false prophet and his “Global Church” is the demonic system of Babylon, and that the mark of the beast will doom those who takes it into the Lake of Fire forever.

Will the followers of these theories be left behind? I think the theories certainly generate complacency among their believers because they nullified the warnings of our Lord Jesus Christ to watch out for His secret Rapture.

To add salt to the wound, they also keep the believers in the dark about what is in store for them in the Great Tribulation, and thus deprive them of the crucial knowledge they need to resist evil in the last days.

Conclusion: Why are there so many disinformation?

Whenever I participate in forums or read Christians websites, I often see a correlation between disinformation and pride. Usually, the more condemning and prideful a person become, the more he or she is deceived and the more Satan is able to use that person to deceive others.

This is very tragic, such persons usually begin with hurling accusations and ridicules into their opponent, instead of giving a fair and objective analysis based on the scriptures. They can’t help but talking down to the person they disagree with.

This attitude alone, if not repented, will lead to disqualification from the Rapture. See the list of things that can disqualify a Christian from the Rapture.

Christian must be very careful with pride, because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”. (James 4:6)

To be prideful is to resist God’s grace, and without God’s grace one cannot grasp the truth. And I think without God’s grace it is impossible to make it to the Rapture!!!

However, today I see a lot of egotism, heroism, and Crusader-ism in many branches of Christianity (Are they really Christians?). There are entire Christian forums that are filled with an air of pride, accusations, judgments, and rudeness. I can’t help but think that maybe a lot of Christians don’t really understand the utmost importance of humility and the cost of pride.

I am afraid that Christians who fall under this category are going to be left behind. On the other hand, Christians in this category usually don’t believe in the secret Rapture anyway.

It goes both way: their pride causes spiritual blindness, and being too spiritual blinded to see the truth causes them to be unrepentant of their pride. The more they are deceived the more they are deceived!

If there is no secret Rapture, or that the Rapture is for every believer, then even I would allow myself to sin a little bit here and there and be a “stand tall” Christian, and repent later, since I think I can take things for granted.

What you and I need to do is to warn other of the dangers and traps that can disqualify them from the Rapture. The Great Tribulation is not going to be a piece of angel’s cake.

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The English word “rapture” was derived from the Latin word, rapio, which means “caught up”.

In the Latin Bible, the related word “Rapiemur” was used in a Bible verse that talks about this “caught up” phenomenon, which is the “Rapture” we talk about today. It was in the 5th-century Latin Bible Vulgate, in 1 Thessalonians 4:17:

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up [Rapiemur in Latin] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

The same word has appeared in the following verse as well, which described the supernatural transportation of apostle Philip.

And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:39

The biblical Greek word for “Rapture” is harpazo, which means “snatch away”, “carry off”. In the context of its usage in the Bible, it usually involves an object being physically or figuratively transported from earth to heaven, or from one place to another, by external forces.

So what is “Rapture”?

Rapture is a supernatural event in which God snatches up part of His Church to heaven in “the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52), before the 7 years Tribulation that is prophesied in the Bible begins.

The Tribulation is the final seven years of earth as we know it now, but after that, everything on earth will be changed forever. Christ and His followers will reign for a thousand years on earth, follow by another conflict with Satan and his followers, and then a new heaven and a new earth will replace the old ones after the last evil is dealt with.

Some believe that Rapture will happen in the middle of the Tribulation (mid-trib), some believe that Rapture happen after the sixth seal (pre-wrath), and some others believe that it will happen right before Jesus’ second coming (post-trib), when He and His heavenly army will eliminate every wicked men on earth and bring in the end of the Tribulation.

Some even believe there are multiple raptures that begins with a pre-tribulational, secret, conditional, and sudden Rapture, and after the Tribulation begins other raptures will follow. I think this theory is more plausible than other rapture theories that deny a pre-trib rapture all together.

I will further analyze the possibility of a second and even a third rapture in the next post.

Scriptural Support For The Rapture Phenomenon/Phenomena (Regardless of its timing)

“¹⁵According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever..” (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17)

“²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:20-21)

“⁴⁹And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we^[a] bear the likeness of the man from heaven.⁵⁰I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵²in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”^[b]55“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”^[c]” (1 Corinthians 15:49–55)

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” (Matthew 24:36-41) (Post-trib proponents think this verse isn’t about Rapture, but it is about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The verse that actually talks about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is Luke 17:35, not this one)

When is the Rapture?

I have every scriptural reason to believe that the (first?) Rapture will happen before the 7 years Tribulation, which will be the most horrible period of the entire history of earth.

As for the exact date of the Rapture, no one is supposed to know (Matt 24:36). The Bible says not even the angels and Jesus Christ Himself know when it’s going to happen.

The post-tribulational Rapture theory doesn’t make sense (if there is only one rapture), because once the Tribulation starts, the timing of Jesus’ second coming to end the Tribulation will be measurable, which is 7 years from its start.

So Matt 24:36-41 can’t be talking about Jesus’ second coming. Jesus’ second coming will be a timed, calender marked, and public event once the Great Tribulation starts.

By calculating the obvious timeline and major events of the Tribulation that are clearly prophesied in the Bible, the Bible reading believers who remain on earth for any reason will know when their own version of Rapture will come if the event is to take place at mid-trib, prewarth, or post trib.

But the Bible says that “no one knows about that day or hour” (Matt 24:36) when the Rapture will take place, and therefore we have to “keep watch!” (Matt 24:42)

Therefore, the only logical timing for the Rapture, if we read the Bible carefully and if there is only one Rapture, is pre-tribulation.

If the above scripture passages I just quoted on the secrecy of the Rapture don’t convince you, let me add some more passages here:

³⁴“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. ³⁵For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36

¹Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ²for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

The above passages should put an end to any argument about the timing of the Rapture– it has to be before the Tribulation.

Otherwise, how can that day close on people unexpectedly like a trap, while people still have the luxury and wealth to be “weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness…”? How can people say “peace and safety”? During the 7 year Tribulation, there are famines, disasters, gigantic wars, mass slaughters, and divine wafts from heaven, and people will not be merry their way like that and no one with a sane mind can say “peace and safety”!

To make the big picture a little bit more clear, let me add one more passage to seal the deal:

¹⁹ But your dead will live; their bodies will rise.
You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy.
Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.

²¹ See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.  Isaiah 26:19-21

Now I guess it can’t be more obvious. The above passage says that there will be resurrection, that God’s people will hide themselves in rooms while His divine wrath pass by, and that God will come out of heaven to punish evil people on earth.

What does that sounds like? It sounds like the Rapture with it’s resurrection (1 Thess 4:15-16), the escape from divine wrath in secret chambers/rooms (i.e. heaven), and God leave His heaven to punish evil people on earth. (The Battle of Armageddon, see Revelation 16:16 and 19:11-21)

In fact, there are more parallels to the Rapture in this passage than what I just listed above. I will develop this point further in future posts if I have a chance.

An Inclusive Rapture For Every Christian?

No, I believe the Rapture is conditional and secret. Most pre-tribulation Rapture believers believe that every Christian will be included in the Rapture, but the Bible says very clearly that there are conditions for Rapture. Here are some obvious Bible verses that talk about the conditions:

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” Revelation 3:10

Not every Christian has keep Christ’s command to endure patiently, and the above verse only speaks to one of the seven Churches in the Book of Revelation, but for the other Churches, the Holy Spirit usually has something to rebuke them about.

If anyone fulfills the command to endure patiently, God will keep him from “the hour of trail that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” The only way God can keep us from the time of the worldwide Great Tribulation is to keep us away from earth.

^“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36

“that you may be counted worthy” – it’s not unconditional gift. Anyone who participates in the Rapture has to be counted worthy.

If you want more scriptural proofs that the Rapture is secret, and conditional, please click into my article: Rapture Of The Saints: Will Some Christians Be Left Behind?

After The Rapture, People May Deny That It Happened, Or They Call It Aliens Mass Abduction

The population that will be caught up during the Rapture might be so little that the world will deny it ever really happened. They might even blame it on the ET Aliens abduction.

The Church that has been left behind might be disillusioned and therefore many will give up on their faith (Matt 24:24; 1 Tim 4:1), and join Satan’s side in the final struggle during the Great Tribulation. Other Christians will wake up to the fact that they will have to face the Antichrist, Satan, and a hostile world, and that they have been left behind.

Some of them will be very angry with their pastors, who teach them an all inclusive pre-trib Rapture, which do a major disservice to them because it fails to teach them to be alert,  nor does it prepare them for the conditional Rapture.

Many will realize they have been sinning and refused to repent before the Rapture, and that they have no one to blame but themselves for being left behind, and this time they will be willing to die for Christ when the Antichrist and his one world government force them to worship him instead of the biblical God. They will go through a great deal of temptations and persecutions, but they will overcome (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 20:4-5).

Those left behind Christians who believe in Mid-Trib and Post-Trib might realize that they have mistaken, and therefore some of them will be disillusioned and join the enemy like the other, and some of them will repent and remain faithful till the end.

Many of them might actually believe that the Rapture is yet to come since they don’t believe in the pre-trib Rapture to begin with.

The genuine Rapture is a conditional, secret one that happens before the Tribulation, so believers of Mid-Trib and Post-Trib Rapture might not even realize that the Rapture has already taken place until mid way through the Great Tribulation, or even till the very day when Jesus descends from heaven to end the Tribulation.

I am not saying that believers of Mid-Trib and Post-Trib will be left behind because of their doctrines on the Rapture. Everyone will have to meet the same conditions to be qualified to the Rapture in order to “be counted worthy” for it (Luke 21:36).

Conclusion: There Is A Pre-Tribulation, Secret Rapture For Those Who Are Counted Worthy!

Whether there is a second Rapture or not, we know one thing for sure, that is, there will be a pre-Trib, secret Rapture for those who are worthy. I will show you in the next post why a second Rapture, though plausible, is not clearly guaranteed by the scripture.

And there are hints that may suggest that a second Rapture doesn’t even exist, let alone a third one.

So if we want to escape the Great Tribulation, and enjoy the honor for being a VIP in heaven for 7 years, we better get on the first train.

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Relevant Article:

An excellent article that defends the Pre-Trib Rapture theory. (But they believe the Rapture is for every Christian, I disagree)

Go to the next post of What Is The Rapture: Is there a post-tribulation Rapture?

However, there are many less obvious bible verses that might give hints that a rapture event might actually happens after the Tribulation begins.

I find the pre-tribulation, secret, and conditional Rapture very easy and obvious to defend, so I just settle on that, and from there, I am going to investigate other possibilities – what if other rapture theories can be right at the same time? Maybe there are multiple raptures?

The more I research the arguments from every school of rapture theory, the more I am convinced that the majority of them must be wrong!

Am I being proud to say that? No, if interpretations of scriptures from every school of thoughts contradicted with one another and sometime even themselves, then at least half of them must be wrong.

Some arguments are based on sound logic, but many more are based on assumptions and poorly supported scriptures. Occasionally, I would find some gems from their arguments, but many times I just couldn’t accept the quality of the exegeses that were done by many.

It became more and more confusing and hard to organize the information. Thank God, I found a solution to do this! Reasoning by elimination seems to be the best way to handle this mud pit.

By eliminating arguments that are stretchy and preserving the gems, we will find a clearer picture. If we don’t know what’s certain, then at least we need to know what’s not.

Is There A Second Rapture? The Last Trumpet? Would It Be The Post-tribulation Rapture?

Post tribulation theorists believe that the Rapture will happen after the Tribulation. Partial rapture theorists believe in a secret pre-trib rapture, but they also think the post-tribulation can be right too, because of the “last trump”, see the following verses.

“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.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17)

“⁴⁹And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we^[a] bear the likeness of the man from heaven.⁵⁰I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵²in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”^[b]55“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”^[c]” (1 Corinthians 15:49–55)

Some say that the “last trumpet” is the last of the seven angelic trumpets in the Revelation. The seventh trumpet is sounded at the last half of the Great Tribulation (Rev 11:15-18), and so believers of post-trib Rapture believe that the Rapture should happen after the seventh trumpet is sounded or even later at the day of Jesus’ second coming.

Those who believe in partial Rapture, aka the two raptures or even multiple raptures, believe that both the conditional, secret pre-trib Rapture theory, the pre-wrath Rapture theory, and post-trib Rapture theory can be right at the same time.

Under this belief system, the Rapture Bible verses that mention the “the trumpet” would be the “trumpet Rapture”, and the verses that only talk about an escape for the worthy when Jesus will come to snatch them like a theft would be the “pre Trib escape Rapture” (Luke 21:36).

There Were Many “Trumpets” In The Bible, Not Just the Seven Trumpets in the Great Tribulation

The problem with the “trumpet Rapture” is that the “last trumpet” could also mean the last trumpet of the Church age. There is also hint that indicates that Paul wasn’t talking about the trumpet in the book of Revelation.

At least there is one thing I am sure, which is the seventh trumpet isn’t the “last” trumpet in any sense, because on the very last day of the Great Tribulation when the Lord will come down from heaven with His saints and heavenly army there is yet another sound of the trumpet! See below:

²⁹ “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. Matthew 24:29-31

Beside, apostle Paul wrote to the first century churches about the “last trumpet” as if everyone in the church understood what he meant, but the 7 trumpets in the Revelation were unheard of by any Christian at the time, because the book of Revelation hadn’t been written yet at the time.

The author of Revelation hadn’t received the visions of the end time as of the writing of Paul regarding the “last trumpet” and the Rapture, so Paul was very likely to mean something else when he wrote “last trumpet”, and that he was expecting the readers to understand it without the knowledge of the book of Revelation.

Therefore, there are only two remaining possibilities for the true meaning of the “last trumpet”: either it is the last trumpet of the Church age (symbolic with the Feast of the trumpets), or it is the last trumpet at the second glorious global appearance of Christ.

Possibility 1: “Last Trumpet” could be the last trumpet of “the feast of the Trumpets”, which symbolizes the things to come (Col 2:16-17), and the Christians at the time were familiar with the concepts and symbolism of the feast.

For more analysis on the “last trumpet” from the pre-tribulation camp, you may want to read this forum post. Although I don’t agree with everything in the post, such as an all-inclusive pre-Trib Rapture, I think her analysis on the “feast of the Trumpets” is excellent.

Possibility 2: “Last Trumpet” could also be the sound of trumpet on the day of Jesus’ second coming (Matthew 24:31).

I think this possibility is less likely, because if the Rapture happens that day, the bodies of believers will be changed into immortal bodies forever (1 Corinthians 15:49–55). It means they will never reproduce (Matthew 22:30).

However, during the Millennium that follow after the Great Tribulation (Revelation 20:1-10), there are mortal people (Isaiah 65:25; Rev 20:8-9), but where do these mortal come from if everyone who survive the Great Tribulation is transformed into immortal at the “post-trib” Rapture, and the wicked are slaughtered and eliminated entirely from earth (Isaiah 34:1-3; Matt 13:40-43; Matt 13:49-50)?

Since the mortal men on earth during the Millennium are most likely the offsprings of the Tribulation saints, it implies that those saints who survive the Tribulation will remain mortals. Their mortality implies that the Rapture does not happen at the end of the Tribulation, since the “last trumpet”Rapture will transform the bodies of believers into immortal bodies.

Conclusion

Either a second post-tribulation rapture, or a one time post-tribulation Rapture, is implausible. The “last trumpet” probably isn’t the seventh trumpet in the Revelation, nor is it the trumpet on Christ’s second coming.

There is yet another point for post-trib rapture that is worth tackling, which is the “first resurrection” argument:

If Revelation 20:1-6 mentions the “first resurrection” after the Tribulation has ended, doesn’t it imply that the Rapture can’t happen before the Tribulation? (Remember the “Trumpet Rapture” comes with a simultaneous resurrection)

Find your answer here: The First Resurrection

Yes, I mean even the genuine Christians will be left behind, not just the people who think themselves are Christians.

So what exactly can keep you from being “caught up” in the Rapture? (1 Thess 4:17)

By reading the scripture carefully, I have come up with the following Bible verses and explanations why certain attitudes and sins can disqualify us from the Rapture.

Rapture In The Bible: What Can Keep Us From Being Caught Up In The Rapture?

Although the list may seem long and elaborate, these sins cannot hinder us from participating in the Rapture if we simply:

1. Loves Jesus and obey His commands (John 14:21; 1 John 2:3-6; 1Peter 4:8)
2. Be humble and always willing to confess sins and repent(1 John 1:9; Jame 4:6; 2 Corinthians 7:10)

We can commit anything on the rapture-disqualification list only if we do it intentionally, but you will find the sins on this list pretty common for today’s Christians. (Including you and I at certain points of our life, if this list convicts you, consider this a loving warning. There’s nothing to be ashamed of if one repents   )

Here’s The List And Explanation For Each One:

1. I Hold Grudges Against Someone

Matthew 18

. ³² Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ ³⁴ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
³⁵ “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”^[f]

We must forgive, even if the offender continue to sin. We may distant ourselves from the offender if he or she continue in his or her offenses, but we must forgive from our heart. The consequences of the offenses may not deserve any pardon (waiver of punishments), but we must still forgive (Not pardon, you have every right to not pardon an offender).

The consequence of unforgiveness is torment. The Lord will deliver us to the torturers, Satan and his demonic forces, to be tortured, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

Many cases reported that unforgiveness tied to health issues, which indicate that unforgiveness open doors to “torturers”.

Bitterness and grudges cause one to miss God’s grace (Hebrews 12:15), which in turn block one from growing spiritually and receiving the power and desire to do God’s will.

Missing God’s grace, in turn, will open door to a number of offenses that can block one’s entry to the Rapture, see the other points below.

2. I Offended Someone But Refuse To Ask For Forgiveness

Matthew 5:23-25:²³“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

²⁵“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.^[d]

If we offended someone by our words or attitude, but in our heart we think “I am only accountable to God so I just confess to God”, this pride will cost us. The victims of our offenses may appeal to God, who is the righteous judge, and He will not settle the matters carelessly.

Sometime we offended someone greatly, but forgot about it, the nagging guilt will linger (Psalm 32:3-4) unless we ask God to search our heart and bring those hidden sins to light. (Psalm 139:23-24)

We will get stuck in “prison” until we get our conscience clean.

3. I Bully Other Christians

Matthew 18:6

⁶ “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 24:48-50

⁴⁸But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

2 Corinthians 12:20

²⁰For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.

Perhaps you have never seen one Christian bully in your entire Church life. Maybe that’s because you are still new in your heavenly journey, or maybe God has shielded you from seeing some of these dark sides of His family.

Christians play politics too. When there are people, there will be power struggle. Some people want to get the things they want, but instead of praying for them they manipulate their ways through to get them. (James 4:1-3)

How dare them? Because they think God is good and love, so He is not going to punish them, which is clearly not what the Bible teaches.

Like I said in the previous post Rapture In The Bible: Will Christians Be Left Behind (Movies True)? Such Christians will be ashamed when Jesus come and find them bullying other Christians in the Church.

Today, mature Christians and servants of God are working hard to follow God’s will and therefore are very productive in the kingdom of heaven, while immature Christians, constantly create problems and heartaches for the true servants of God and for those who genuinely seek the Lord. They are sources of dissensions, gossips, quarrels, and all the confusions that happen in the Church and many people refuse to become a Christians because of their poor examples.

Without the troubles they create for the Church, the true servants of God and sincere young Christians could have done more for the kingdom of God, instead of channeling a large chunk of their energies to deal with the stresses and pains that these carnal Christians create for them.

4. I Am a Spiritual Baby When I Should Have Already Been A Master

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Matthew 25:26-30

²⁶“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ³⁰And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

God expect us to bear fruits and be profitable with what He has given us: time, grace, and gifts. If the Rapture happens the hour after we have become Christian, then I think God is going to be more generous with our entry into the Rapture.(Luke 12:47-48)

However, as our Christian age progress, the Lord expect us to mature as well, but we can intentionally refuse spiritual growth.

You can actually hear a lot of excuses from Christians who refuse to grow. They refuse to love, forgive, obey, and surrender. They don’t want to humble themselves, and don’t care if they have created troubles and heartaches for others in the Church. They only care about what they want, what they feel, and what please them.

No wonder Jesus calls them “wicked servants” and disqualify them for the Rapture, and rewards in heaven. (Matt 25:26-30)

I found two relevant articles on this: Why Christians Remain Babies? and You Might Be A Spiritual Babies

5. I Commit Adultery

Rev 2:22

²²Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Matthew 5:27-28

²⁷Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

²⁸But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Many Christians have addictions with porn, prostitution, and masturbation. If you don’t think so, then I encourage you to simply put this aside and keep on keeping on in your heavenly journey.

For those of us who agree what I am talking about, the only solution for those who are in bondage is to pray sincerely for deliverance and embark on the journey to purity and freedom NOW.

If we are sincere and truly want holiness, God knows our heart and will have mercy on us. But if we try to hide our sins and cover them with excuses, we will not get away with them unpunished (Psalm 32:3-5).

If the Rapture happens the moment while we are in the middle of adultery such as watching porn, imagine how shameful it will be? When the “Last trump” and “shout of Archangel” are heard by everyone in the world during the Rapture (1 Thess 4:14-18; 1 Cor 15:48-55), we would be like “Ouch! It’s happening! Arrrrhhh Noooo! It’s too late” . Whenever I imagine this picture, a sense of holy fear would urge me to keep on pursuing holiness and fight against sins.

Revelation 16:15

¹⁵“Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

Don’t let Jesus catch you naked!

6. I Commit Idolatry

Rev 2: 21-22

… because you allow^[c] that woman^[d] Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce^[e] My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ²² Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their^[g] deeds.

Idolatry is the same as adultery.

Anything that compete for your affection to the Lord is an idol. That includes family member, boyfriend/girlfriend, accomplishments, money, pet sin, and anything other than God.

7. I Tolerate Sins

Galatians 5:19-21

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,^[c] fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders,^[d] drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

²⁴ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. ²⁵ And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. ²⁶ Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

The above verses are self-explanatory. We can be disqualified from Rapture and even Salvation. If you want to know how to get salvation,  see the statement of belief that I endorse. You can’t lose your salvation if you don’t have one to begin with.

8. I Am Spiritually Asleep

Mark 13:36

³⁵Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: ³⁶Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. ³⁷And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

I explained what “sleeping” means in the previous post.

9. I Owe Debts And Am Not Going To Repay It

Psalm 37:21

The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.

Matthew 5:25

²⁵“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.^[d]

Ecclesiastes 5:5

It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

If we mismanage our finance, and evade our financial responsibility for any reason, according to the Bible we become the wicked. You know what the Lord does to the wicked!

If we deny our responsibility and say to our conscience, “I will pay, just not now, later!” The Lord may actually give us extra time to repay the debts, such as 7 years. *Wink Wink* (Hm, the Great Tribulation last 7 years too)

The key is to be humble and sincere. If we have financial hardship, ask God for help, but don’t evade our responsibilities.

10. I Am Too Busy For God

Luke 21:34

³⁴“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.

Be careful what you ask because the Lord may actually give it! If we want more time with the world and serve God later, or pray later, then God may give us more time with the world indeed. Is 7 years of extra time enough? *Wink Wink*

11. I Postpone Serving God With What I Have Now

Matthew 25:26-29

²⁶ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷²⁸ So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
²⁹ ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

V29, “outer darkness” describe “the days of the Lord” (Zeph 1:15). In that period of time, the Church is supposed to hide in the heavenly chamber (Isaiah 26:20-21) that Jesus has prepared for us (John 14:1-3) But the “wicked servants” will remain on earth to experience the Tribulation (see my previous post), which refine their faith.

12. I Refuse To Follow God’s Calling And Disobey His Will

Matthew 12:30

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

Matthew 7:21-24

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

2 Timothy 1:8

.. who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

1 Samuel 15:23

For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

If we rely on our own strength to serve God, our work won’t count. In fact, we are working against the will of God by doing our own will instead of His. We will stand in the ways of people who truly obey God, and create unintentional consequences that affect others for eternity.

For example, churches or ministries might suffer because one person disobeys God’s will and chooses to do it his way; another example, a Christian marry a non-Christian, thinking that he/she can lead the spouse to Christ, and this decision can affect generations who have to decide which parent to follow. (I heard a story of a Christian woman who married a unbelieving husband, and later she regretted it after bearing two child. The kids also won’t accept Christ, and she felt she had spent her life breeding non-Christians)

If God has sent His servants to teach you about obeying His will, but you resist it because of pride and denial, you maybe in danger of disqualification from the Rapture and the heavenly rewards that could have been yours, because the more you know or refuse to know, the more you are responsible. (Luke 12:47-48)

Many Christians today are still in control of their life, rather than surrendering it to God. It’s not that they don’t know God’s will, but they don’t want to obey.

For more information on this topic, see The Full Surrender

13. I Shut My Ears to His Voices

Rev 3:20-22

²⁰Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²²He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

John 15:6

⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

“I will listen later!” “I will remain in Christ, but later!” Sure, is 7 years later late enough? *Wink Wink*

Christ is standing at the door. We must be ready to hear Him out and careful not to occupy ourselves with other priorities that are higher than Him.

14. I Pick And Choose Christ’s Words To Obey

Rev 3:10

¹⁰Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Rev 3:2-3

²Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. ³Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

We can’t pick and choose what to obey. We must obey the full commands of Christ, and never deliberately avoid some of them. If we do pick and choose, the Lord will “have not found (our) deeds complete in the sight of my God” (Rev 3:2), and we know what He may do in that case!

He gives us the word to keep, not to mock. (Gal 6:7)

15. I Am “Useless” to Christ

Rev 3:15

¹⁵I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

James 1:26

²⁶ If anyone among you^[b] thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

John 15:6

⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

In my previous post I explained why being lukewarm means useless.

If Christ comes at the Rapture and find us in the useless condition, He said He will spit us out of His mouth! Meaning, out to the Tribulation! To be purified.

If we want to be useful to Christ, simple, remain in Him! Obey His commands based on what we know now.

Do Not Worry!

So you see, although the list of reasons that can disqualify us for the Rapture seems long, the root causes are the same: pride, disobedience, non-repentance, and love of sinful pleasure.

As long as we have the following, we will do fine.

1. Loves Jesus and obey His commands (John 14:21; 1 John 2:3-6; 1Peter 4:8)
2. Be humble and always willing to confess sins and repent(1 John 1:9; Jame 4:6; 2 Corinthians 7:10)

If there is any question, email me. If you find this post urgent, please tell your friends and family about it.

Yes, unfortunately.

Question 2: Will I be left behind?

It depends…

Let me explain.

There Is A Barrier Of Entry To Rapture

A lot of us are probably not going to make it to the Rapture. This is going to be a huge surprise for those who won’t make it, but as we speak many of us still live in ignorance, and some even have an arrogant attitude too, partly because of the assumption that everybody in the Church is going to be raptured.

Another reason why they are ignorant, or even arrogant, is because many Christians haven’t really read the Bible closely enough and simply carry on their daily life as if the most terrible time in history, the 7 years of Tribulation, isn’t coming within a very short time.

If we all read Jesus’ words very carefully, then we will know that there is a tough barrier to entry for the Rapture.

Let me show you the Bible verses that talks about the barrier to entry and explain why I said that the Rapture is going to be conditional.

Where In The Bible Does It Say That The Rapture Is Conditional?

Here is a list of Bible passages that say the Rapture is conditional, but this is not the entire list. For the purpose of simplicity, I will use the key ones that bring the point across, and then move on to the next sections that include other verses.

The Days Of Noah – Matthew 24:36-51

³⁶“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[f] but only the Father. ³⁷As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.⁴²“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

V36-38 Talks about the end of Church age when the Rapture is about to happen. These are the days like the days of Noah, when people were eating, drinking, and business as usual, right before the flood came. Likewise, our age is similar to the days of Noah, when people are thinking everything is ok, and then Jesus suddenly come and bring in the Rapture.

V42 was speaking to Christian. We have to be ready for the Rapture. What if we don’t? If Rapture is going to include all Christians, then why did Jesus ask us to keep watch and be ready?

If you happen to think that a Christian who commits serious sins isn’t a true Christian to begin with, then I would say you are probably doing fine, because you are too innocent to know that a genuine Christian can indeed commit serious sins, and that many have already committed them, and some are continuously, actively sinning. However, later in this post, and the next one, I am going to list other sins and traps that can disqualify even an average Christian from the Rapture.

V 45-48. Jesus was speaking to Christians because He was talking about His servants. There are servants who are wicked! A wicked servant cannot be a non-Christian, because a non-Christian isn’t a servant, but is an enemy.

V42. “Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come!” If Jesus is coming to take every Christians during the Rapture, then whether we know He is coming or not isn’t relevant, and Jesus didn’t need to tell His disciples to keep watch so many times. Jesus wasn’t a man of many words, so if He says something more than once, it must be important.

That Day Will Close On You Unexpectedly – Luke 21:34-36

³⁴“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. ³⁵For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21 and Matthew 24 are both sides of the same coin. They addressed the same speech that Jesus delivered, which talked about the Tribulation, and the time that comes before it.

V34, “that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap” means the day when Jesus comes at the Rapture (Matt 24:42)

V36, Again, Jesus warned us to “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen”. Note that He used the words “may be“, which indicate there are prerequisite conditions to be met.

One of the prerequisite to escape the Tribulation is to be always on watch and pray.

This means if we are not always on the watch, we can miss the Rapture. If the Lord finds us being weighed down with dissipation (pleasures of sin), drunkenness (addictions, undisciplined life), and the anxieties of life (fame, wealth, success, career), then the day Rapture takes place it will be like a trap, rather than deliverance.

The Foolish and Wise Virgins – Matthew 25:1-13

¹“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹” ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

¹²“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

¹³“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Speaking of the Jewish marriage in Matt 25:1-13, the Lord mentioned about a “bridal chamber/heavenly mansion” (John 14:1-3), which, according to Jewish tradition, is where a Jewish bride will enter at the start of the bridal week.

This “bridal chamber/heavenly mansion” is the one that Jesus promised He would prepare for us in heaven. (John 14:1-3)

V 12-13 Those who are unprepared are not allowed into this chamber/heavenly mansion.

What is this chamber/heavenly mansion’s for?

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms
and shut the doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until his wrath has passed by.

²¹ See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling
to punish the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her;
she will conceal her slain no longer. Isaiah 26:20-21

This chamber is for us to hide ourselves “for a little while until his wrath has passed by“. How long is this little while? 7 years of Tribulation!

The 10 virgins are all describing Christians, and this parable isn’t about salvation, but is about permission to join the Rapture. Those Christians who aren’t ready will remain outside of the heavenly chamber that Jesus has prepared for us. (John 14:1-3)

Where else could these unready Christians be? earth.

Update 2010 Nov 14: I find a more accurate interpretation of the parable of virgins in this book on pre-tribulation. I misinterpreted the virgins to be pre-tribulation Christians, but in fact they are all people who are left behind in the Tribulation. The bridegroom is the second coming Jesus. See here

Spitting Christians Out To Tribulation – Revelation 3:15-16

¹⁵I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Jesus was rebuking the Church in Laodicea, one of the 7 Churches in the first chapters of Revelation, which are the symbolic Churches that represent today’s Churches.

What does it means to be lukewarm? Lukewarm is neither cold nor hot, but Jesus would rather it be either one or the other! Why is that?

Because lukewarm water is good for nothing. Either cold or hot is useful – Cold is refreshing, and hot is useful for other purposes such as washing, cooking, and brewing.

Jesus was saying that this Church is good for nothing.

v16. Spit out. Jesus will spit out this church if it continues to be useless. It means Jesus will spit us out to the Tribulation and let it purifies our faith.

Jesus will treat us the same if He finds us useless. What does it means to be useless? Compromising God’s command; Serving God halfheartedly; Calling our own shots instead of living according to God’s plan for our lives (Knowingly); Serving God out of selfish ambitions; Being a poor Christian example to others (And be arrogant about it, instead of being heartbroken about it); Refusing to serve or go to Church; Relying on our own strength instead of God’s; Living an empty life without daily fellowship with God.

I will explain in more detail later in the post.

Casting Immoral Christians Into Great Tribulation – Rev 2:20-22

²⁰ Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ²¹ And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.²² Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.

Jesus was speaking to the Church in Thyatira. Can you imagine it? Christians can in fact commit sexual immorality and idolatry. You can’t argue that they aren’t Christians to begin with because Jesus was calling those who sinned his “servants”.

V22, Here Jesus used the words “great tribulation”, which means the 7 years of Tribulation.

One thing is sure here – the Rapture isn’t for every Christians. Rapture is a conditional reward for Christians.

If Christ Find Us Sleeping – Mark 13:36

³⁵Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: ³⁶Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. ³⁷And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Sleeping – everyone needs it, so it’s not talking about normal sleep, but is a condition that is the absence of: prayers, fellowship with other Christians, obedience to God’s call, or any crucial spiritual exercises that keep one spiritually active and healthy. Sleeping also means ignorance of one’s sinful condition, and lack of urgency to repent.

How Do You Make Sure The Lord Will Include You At The Rapture?

Keep The Word Of Christ – Rev 3:10

¹⁰Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Keep the word of Christ! But unfortunately…

A lot of Christians haven’t really read what Jesus had said, or simply brushed off some of his teaching because it’s uncomfortable to follow. For example, Matthew 5:23-25:

²³“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

²⁵“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.^[d]

It’s very easy to offend someone, but it’s very hard to see anyone actually apologizes to one another and seeks reconciliation. Many Christians act like kids (sorry kids, it’s just an expression. Jesus actually teach us to be like kids) and point their fingers outward. “Why doesn’t she/he apologize first?”

This is so mocking God! For they know what Jesus commanded us to do in this situation, but they brushed it off. See Galatians 6:7:

⁷Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Sure, we can pick and choose what we want to listen and obey, but we will have to pay the price for it. If we simply disobey what Jesus plainly said, it’s like going to grocery store and grab whatever we want without looking at the price tags.

The price to ignoring God’s word is huge, always.

Today, many Christians misinterpret God’s love. God is love, but it doesn’t necessarily mean soft love in its entirety. God’s love also has a tough side. (Revelation 3:19)

We do not want God to show tough love to us more than it needs to be.

Be Careful, Be Always On The Watch, And Pray – Luke 21:34-36

³⁴“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. ³⁵For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

“Being always on the watch” is literal.

If we are always on watch for Christ’s sudden visit, will we watch cable TV that has graphical, violent content? Will we be watching porn thinking no one will knows? Will we be holding grudges against someone as if Christ isn’t going to mind when He comes? Will we be dating casually and play the marriage game outside of marriage (kissing and touching are moral only within marriage)? Will we be allowing ourselves to do shameful things so when He comes He may catch us “naked” (literally or figuratively)? (Rev 16:15)

Encourage One Another

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I am also guilty of some of the sins I mentioned in this post! There were times, too many times, when I was sure that if the Rapture was to come I would probably be left behind. Fortunately, God was able to bring me up to speed again with this blog ministry. By encouraging my readers, I am blessed too.

Yes, I know it’s hard to be on watch, but let’s encourage one another and pray that that day won’t befall us like a trap.

Obey, Repent, and Wake Up – Rev 3:3

³Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Sin makes one asleep. Sin is deceiving. Once we commit any sin, it can deceive us and numb our sensitivity to it. It’s very easy for those of us who have been to Church for many years to become complacent and think that some of the basic commandments aren’t so important anymore.

They think they are above consequences of violating simple, basic commandments of Christ because they are now more sophisticated and have advanced knowledge. In fact, the longer we have been to Church, the heavier the responsibilities we have. Luke 12:47-48:

⁴⁷“That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Luke 12:47-48 was talking about the Rapture also (See the entire content in Luke 12). For those who think they know better, but refuse to act on their knowledge, Jesus will give them punishment that is proportional when He comes.

If we repent of our sin, we will once again see clearly, for the deceptions of sins are removed.

Experiences and knowledge won’t save a Christian from the Tribulation, only consistent and constant obedience and repentance do. This is going back to the basic.

Cleansed By The Word Of God – Ephesians 5:25-27

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing^[b] her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

We are to anticipate Christ as a bride. A “marriage” between Christ and the Church will take place in heaven (Rev 19:7-9; Rev 21:1-2). To prepare for this ceremony, we have to be holy and blameless, being washed with water through the word.

We have to allow sanctification to take place in our life, see this article on sanctification, which I find helpful.

If anyone isn’t living up to the grace and time that he is given, such as the ones who refuse to be sanctified and mature (Hebrews 5:11-14), he or she is in danger of being left behind.

Shame, Caught Naked, and Arrogance

Being left behind is shameful. There will be a lot of pains, fears, tears, and losing battles. Christians who find themselves in that age are not going to accomplish anything of significance other than enduring persecutions and disasters that come wave after wave, according to the book of Revelation.

In the present age, which is the pre-Rapture age, is when the Church given the authorities over Satan. (Luke 10:19; Mat 16:19 ) However, during the Tribulation, power and domination are given to Satan and the Anti-Christ (Rev 13:7; Dan 7:21).

There will be two great witnesses, angels, and 144,000 Jews who will carry out the final task of evangelizing the world. The contribution from those who are left behind is insignificant, at least I don’t see in the Bible any major accomplishments from these saints other than losing their battles with the Anti-Christ (Rev 13:7) and being beheaded for their faith (Rev 20:4)

These words were used in the book of Revelation to describe those who are left behind and those who become Christians during the Tribulation Rev 7:16-17:

¹⁶Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

These are words of consolation, not words of praises. Sure the Tribulation saints are given white robes (Rev 7:13-14) because of the blood of Christ, but that does not mean the Tribulation is necessary for them to go through. They could have met Jesus earlier at the Rapture if they keep watch or accept Christ earlier.

They have gone through hunger, thirst, and scorching heat. They have shred many tears.

Unlike the pre-Rapture saints who died for Christ, and whose blood and tears were necessary because of the gospel, the blood and tears of the Tribulation saints could have been saved.

Are We Asleep? Or Are We Arrogant?

If you are confident in your answers, then good for you. Let hope that we will meet each other at the Rapture!

I personally have witnessed Christians who act very arrogantly in the Church. There were condemnation, gossips, slanders, outburst, factions…(2 Cor 12:20) Such Christians act as if the Lord can’t do anything about it.

Why would they behave in such a way? Because they think their salvation and the Rapture are guaranteed! They got it wrong on both – once saved isn’t always saved, and the Lord will discipline every Christian as He deem necessary. (Revelation 3:19)

On top of regular discipline and consequences of sins, the Rapture is coming very close and if it happens today a lot of Christians will find it a trap.

I don’t want to be caught naked! (Rev 16:15) The day of the Rapture will come very suddenly during good time so that the, arrogant, immature, and sleepy Christians will be so shocked as if they are being caught naked, literally or figuratively. (I worry about that too, none of us is totally immune to the possibility of being caught naked (literally) right?   )

Next I am going to list some major Bible verses that show what could hinder a Christian from participating in the Rapture.