Three Perspectives on The Concepts of The Rapture, Tribulation, and The Second Coming of Christ

The Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ

The topic of the Rapture, Tribulation, and the Second Coming of Christ are still being debated today. Along with the foundation laid in the Bible, there are several different views about how, when, where, and who are involved. Also there are different views of the rapture, the tribulation, and the second coming of Christ. This paper will show at least two or three different view of each and the support of each view.

The first question that arises is what does the Bible says or does not say about the rapture, tribulation, and the second coming of Christ. The first section of this topic is the rapture. The basic definition of the word rapture is ecstatic joy or delight; joyful ecstasy; an utterance or expression of ecstatic delight; the experience, anticipated by some fundamentalist Christians of meeting Christ midway in the air upon his return to earth, and the act of carrying off. According to Enns, rapture does not appear anywhere in the Bible and comes from the Latin word rapare (Christian Bible Reference). Wellman wrote in his article, “What is the Rapture? A Look at the Different Views”, that there are theologians who do not believe and do believe in the rapture. Of the theologians, teachers, and general Christians that believe in the rapture have different views of where the rapture will take place. Some believe that the rapture takes place before the Tribulation and are nicknamed the Pre-Tribbers, while others think that the rapture will happen in the middle and are nicknamed the Mid-Tribbers. But there are other people believe that the church will go through the Tribulation. The Pre-Tribbers’ belief is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:9 which says “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”

There are three main but different views about the millennium or the Second Coming of Christ. according to Smith. The first view is call the premillennial and is pretty self-explanatory. The second view is called the postmillennial view and is again pretty self-explanatory. The third view is called the amillenial view. The amillenial view can be taken two different ways. The first way is called the no millennial view and the second way is like the postmillennial viewpoint in that Christ will come at the end of the Tribulation (“Different Views…”).

The Tribulation is the time of a grievous trouble; severe trial or suffering, affliction and trouble and is mentioned in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some references include but does not pertain to the following references: Deuteronomy 4:30; Judges 10:14; I Samuel 26:24; Matthew 13:21; Matthew 24:21, 29; John 16:33; Mark 13:24; Acts 14:22; Romans 2:9, 8:35, 12:12; Revelation 2:9-10, 22, 7:14. The book of Revelation is one of the main books that talks about the Tribulation and Jesus talked a lot about the Tribulation while He was here on earth. The prophets and the disciples wrote about the Tribulation but not as much.

The Bible teaches that the Tribulation is a seven-year period in the future that God will use to complete the discipline of His Children and the final judgment of the unbelievers (Fairchild, “What is the Tribulation?”). “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring an everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophesy and to anoint the most holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens’, the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood; War will continue until the end, and the desolations have been decreed. He will confirm and 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 and abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” (Daniel 9:24-27, NIV). This passage is one of the many that support the belief that there will be a tribulation in the future.

In conclusion, there are many different beliefs and views on the topic of the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Second Coming of Christ. Although the Bible does not say the word “rapture”, it does support the belief that there will be a rapture in the future. There are many verses that support all three sections of this topic in the Bible but some people’s beliefs are not supported but specific verses even though some passages do support some of them.

Works Cited

1. Enns, P. (n.d.). Rapture. Christian Bible Reference.
2. Fairchild, M. (n.d.). What is the Tribulation? About Christianity. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-the-tribulation-700715
3. Smith, G. (n.d.). Different Views on the Millennium. Grace Valley Christian Center.
4. Wellman, J. (2016). What is the Rapture? A Look at the Different Views. Patheos. Retrieved from https://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2016/09/08/what-is-the-rapture-a-look-at-the-different-views/
5. BibleGateway. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com/
6. Daniel 9:24-27 (New International Version).
7. Deuteronomy 4:30 (New International Version).
8. Judges 10:14 (New International Version).
9. Matthew 24:21, 29 (New International Version).
10. Revelation 7:14 (New International Version).