The “Pre-Trib Rapture” Biblically Refuted
We could keep a refutation of the pre-trib rapture to one sentence So here it is: There is not a single verse in the Bible that teaches the pre-trib rapture, nor could such a doctrine be gathered from the Scriptures without many unwarranted and unprovable conclusions being imposed upon the Scriptures.
But here are some of the other Scriptures which make the thought of the pre-trib rapture impossible to reconcile with Scripture (and even without these Scriptures the pre-trib rapture doctrine would still have no positive case from the Scriptures).
Jesus taught that the righteous would leave the earth on the day the wicked are destroyed. The pre-trib rapture teaching denies this. “26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” (Luke 17:26-30)
We see in the Book of Revelation how there will be righteous believers on earth during the final Tribulation period who remain right up until the time Christ comes. “6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” (Revelation 13:6-7)
– See Revelation 14:9-13 and Revelation 15:1-4 also:
“12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.” (Revelation 16:12-17)
The Bible only knows of one coming of Christ. And we see people being exhorted right before the battle of Armageddon to keep their garments. Unbelievers obviously don’t have garments that they’d be blessed to watch and keep. So here we see Christians on the earth right up to Armageddon and Christ’s coming. This would also negate the idea of a “pre-wrath rapture”, along with the verses seen in Luke 17 above, unless by “pre-wrath” you mean an escape from the wrath on the very day it is poured out.
In 1 Corinthians 15 we’re told about the Christian’s who yet live at Christ’s coming being changed into incorruptible bodies, as well as the resurrection and glorification of dead Christians. When will this be? At the last trumpet. Obviously the seventh and final trumpet in the Book of Revelation (see Revelation 11:15- at which point Christ also comes back to judge and rule the world). Obviously this is also the trumpet referred to in Matthew 24:31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 where we likewise see believers being taken out of the world. Since it is the last trumpet, there surely could be no trumpet afterwards- and to say there is an insult one’s intelligence and a denial common sense.
“50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:50-53)
So would it be inconsistent or strange of God to send His people through the final tribulation and require them to partake of the afflictions the world will go through and suffer the brutal persecution which will be unleashed? I can’t see how any could say it would be (though I don’t deny that God’s people will likely be delivered from the judgments on the earth during this time that are directly from God’s hand -like the Israelites were likewise delivered when in Egypt as it was plagued directly by God). There are Christians right now in countries like China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, etc suffering such brutal affliction and suffering right at this very moment. The pre-trib concept that God will deliver His people from tribulation is a lie of the devil!
The Apostle Paul exhorted Christians:
“21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:21-22).
“3 That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.” (1 Thessalonians 3:3-4)
Jesus prayed for His disciples “14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” (John 17:14-15)
The pre-trib rapture doctrine is a clever scheme of Satan, along with his various forms of unconditional and/or automatic eternal security, to lull Christians to sleep, take them off-guard, and give them a false sense of security in the world as they’re duped into believing that they can have friendship with the world (James 4:4) and cut corners in walking in the living, obedient faith in Christ that leads to genuine holiness. They’re given the guarantee that they’re just going to be taken to heaven anyways without really having to be obedient to Jesus’ Word and suffering for it. They’re deceived into believing that if anything actually leads them to tribulation, that it could not possibly be from God.
“There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution. In China, the Christians were told, ‘Don’t worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated – raptured.’ Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly,’We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution, rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes, to stand and not faint.”- From Corrie Ten Boom’s: Beware of False Teaching of Pre-Tribulation Rapture