Just the Bible
F a l s e t e a c h i n g s e x p o s e d
Pre-rapture
Matthew 13,24-30
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Jesus explains that there is only one harvest, which will take place at the end of this age. The harvest of the wheat (= resurrection and rapture of the righteous) occurs simultaneously with the harvest of the tares (= wrathful judgment upon the wicked).
Matthew 24,3-14
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Even the first Christians lived in constant anticipation of the return of their Lord, Jesus Christ. In this chapter, Jesus speaks about the signs of his return and the end of this world that will accompany Jesus' return. Jesus mentions great temptations, wars and rumors of wars, famines and natural disasters, the appearance of false prophets, increasing lawlessness, and distress and persecution of his disciples. Therefore, the rapture cannot take place before the great tribulation. Jesus uses the Greek word "telos," meaning "end," twice. Jesus explains that only those who endure to the end will be saved. The word "end" can refer to both the return of Jesus and the death of the saints. Before the day of the Lord, and thus the end, comes, the gospel will be preached throughout the world. This assumes that there are still believers in the world, since only they can proclaim the good news. The believers are not converted Jews who supposedly remain on earth after the rapture of the church. The word "believers" includes both Jewish and non-Jewish Christians. They will all be resurrected together or, as it were, be caught up together with Christ at his second and final appearing.
Matthew 24,15-22
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him understand: 16 then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
In this passage, too, Jesus clearly speaks of persecutions that affect all believers. If the saints were raptured before the beginning of the tribulation, the statement that the period of tribulation would be shortened for the sake of the elect would make no sense.
Matthew 24,27
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
The Bible teaches that the return of Jesus is a unique event that will never be hidden from any person on earth. However, there are no statements about an invisible return of the Lord or a supposedly secret rapture of the church before the great tribulation.
Matthew 24,29-33
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Here, too, tribulation and persecution for believers are clearly mentioned. Only afterward will the sign that heralds the return of Jesus and the judgment of the wicked appear in heaven.
Luke 21,34-36
34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
The Bible teaches that believers and unbelievers will still be on earth when Jesus returns for the second time. Consequently, both groups will experience the Great Tribulation and the final wrath of GOD. Jesus' instructing his disciples to watch and pray to escape this does not refer to a secret pre-rapture, but rather to the temptations and trials that believers will face during this time to avoid falling. For only those who keep their faith to the end will stand before Jesus as redeemed when he returns.
1st Thessalonians 3,12 f.
12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before GOD, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
Jude 1,14 f.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
The Bible teaches that all people who have fallen asleep in Christ rest in their graves until their resurrection. They are not in heaven, since no one except Jesus has ascended to heaven. When Jesus comes with his angels, he will raise the dead saints. Together with the living saints, they will be caught up to Jesus in the air and be in his presence. Then there will be two groups of people: 1. The redeemed, who are (above) with Christ, and 2. the damned, who remain (below) on earth and are killed by Jesus and his angels. In this sense, the Lord "comes" with his saints to execute judgment on the wicked.
1st Corinthians 15,22-24
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to GOD, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
The Bible teaches that the dead in Christ will not be raised until His return. This means that at this time, no one has yet been raised from the dead to immortal life except the Lord Jesus.
1st Thessalonians 4,13-18
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will GOD bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of GOD: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Since, according to biblical teaching, the dead rest in their graves, the statement that Christ brings the dead with Him is not to be understood in a physical sense. Rather, it is about Jesus bringing the departed saints back to life at His return. This is the consolation for those left behind. Only then will they be with the Lord forever. There is no mention here of Jesus bringing with Him the disembodied souls of the dead, whom He had already raptured to Himself. This would directly contradict the statement that some believers will still be alive and remain when Jesus returns. Furthermore, it would be nonsensical to speak of a resurrection if the souls of the dead are truly alive. When the Bible speaks of resurrection, it always refers to the whole person and not just to the body of a dead person. Furthermore, the return of Christ is described here as an event perceptible to all.
1st Thessalonians 5,9-11
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
The Bible teaches that everyone who is reconciled to GOD through faith in Jesus will be saved from GOD's judgment. This is not about a supposed rapture of the church before the Great Tribulation. The entire history of Christianity up to the present day has been marked by suffering and persecution. If GOD wanted to spare believers, he would have done so from the beginning. But GOD does not protect his people by taking them away, but by overcoming and persevering. In the Old Testament, we read that the Israelites witnessed the plagues GOD brought upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians, even though they themselves were not affected by them. The same will be true of the great wrathful judgment at the end of this age. Believers who survived the persecutions of the Great Tribulation will witness GOD pouring out the final plagues on unbelievers. They themselves will be spared. After the plagues are completed, the Lord Jesus will appear to gather His faithful ones to Himself and put an end to the rest of the wicked.
2nd Thessalonians 1,4-10
4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: 5 which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of GOD, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of GOD, for which ye also suffer: 6 seeing it is a righteous thing with GOD to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not GOD, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day.
This passage also describes the return of Jesus and the wrathful judgment upon the wicked as one and the same event. Nowhere in the Bible is there any reference to either a previous (secret) or a subsequent coming of the Lord.
2nd Thessalonians 2,1-8
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called GOD, or that is worshipped; so that he as GOD sitteth in the temple of GOD, shewing himself that he is GOD. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.
This passage clearly states that the return of the Lord Jesus will be preceded by a great apostasy and the reign of the Antichrist. Paul explains that this Antichrist will be destroyed by the appearance of Jesus. Here, too, the term "Day of the Lord" refers to both the return of Jesus and the judgment. After all, there is only one Day of the Lord, not several. Likewise, the two Greek words "parousia" (= arrival) and "episynagoge" (= union) refer to one and the same event. The one who stops the coming of the Antichrist and must first be removed is neither the church nor the Holy Spirit, as is often falsely taught. For neither the church nor the Holy Spirit, who dwells in believers, has the mission to stop the Antichrist. Most likely, this statement refers to a governmental order that must first be abolished so that the Antichrist, or lawless one, can carry out his ungodly work unhindered and fight the saints.
Revelation 1,7
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
The Bible teaches that Jesus will return to redeem the saints and judge the wicked. All people alive at that time will see him.
Revelation 3,10
10 Because 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.
This passage also refers to the protection of believers from temptation, similar to the people of Israel and the 10 plagues, and not to a secret pre-rapture.
Revelation 7,9 + 13-15
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands (...) 13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of GOD, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
This passage clearly speaks of believers who come out of the great tribulation. They were not raptured before the tribulation, but rather proved themselves during the tribulation despite death and persecution. Therefore, they stand before the throne of GOD, clothed in white robes.
Revelation 13,6-10
6 And he (the beast) opened his mouth in blasphemy against GOD, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 8 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. 9 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 10 If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Wherever the New Testament speaks of "saints," it refers to the church of GOD, consisting of Jews and non-Jews. The beast, or Antichrist, whose kingdom will extend over the entire earth, will be granted power over all people. Furthermore, verse 7 states that he will fight against the saints and overcome them. Verse 10 further explains what this means: namely, tribulation, imprisonment, and death for all who remain faithful to GOD. This, too, is clear evidence against the theory of a pre-rapture. Furthermore, believers are warned about the mark of the beast. This would make no sense if the church were to be raptured before the great tribulation.