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I. The rapture of the overcoming believers:
А. The need.
B. The promise.
C. The facts.
D. The time.
E. The place.
F. The requirements.
II. The rapture of the majority of the believers:
А. The facts.
B. The persons raptured.
C. The time.
D. The place.
E. The requirement.
The rapture of the believers is a great matter in the Bible, and it directly relates to the believers’ future. While worldly people do not know about this matter, many newly saved brothers and sisters also do not know. However, the Bible clearly says that when the Lord Jesus returns, He will rapture those who are saved and belong to Him. This is a promise given to all who belong to the Lord. Therefore, it is a blessed hope to us.
Throughout the centuries Bible readers and expositors have held differing views concerning the rapture of the believers. Consequently, this matter has been a source of unending arguments among believers. Views concerning the rapture can be divided into three schools. One school argues that all the believers will be raptured before the great tribulation. This school has the greatest number of adherents, including J. N. Darby and those with him. C. I. Scofield, D. L. Moody, and R. A. Torrey also share this view, which is the most common among believers today. Another school argues that all believers will be raptured at the end of the tribulation. This school has the fewest adherents, but among them are George Müller, B. W. Newton, A. J. Gordon, and A. B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. The view of these brothers is not held by many. A third school argues that overcoming believers will be raptured before the tribulation, but defeated believers will pass through the great tribulation and be raptured at the end of the tribulation. This school includes Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, R. C. Chapman, Robert Govett, and D. M. Panton. The co-workers among us also believe this. We need to look at the Bible to see that this is the correct view.
1. “At that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until now, nor shall by any means ever occur” (Matt. 24:21).
Matthew 24:21 speaks of a time of great tribulation upon the earth. Based on verse 15 of this chapter, this time of tribulation will occur during the second half of the last seven years before the return of the Lord Jesus. Verse 15 speaks of what is prophesied in Daniel 9:27. At that time Antichrist, who is the prince (of Rome) in verse 26, the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and the beast in Revelation 13:1-8; 17:11-14; and 19:19-20 will oppose the Lord and stand against God. He will set up an abominable idol in the temple in Jerusalem, an image of himself. He will force people to worship him, and he will do as he pleases on the earth for forty-two months, or three and a half years. This will be a time of great tribulation on the earth, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until now, nor shall by any means ever occur again.
2. “That day come upon you suddenly as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling on the face of all the earth” (Luke 21:34-35).
The day of the great tribulation will come in upon all those dwelling on the face of the earth as suddenly as a snare. All those dwelling on the face of the earth will fall into the great tribulation, just as birds fall into a snare. No one will be able to escape. Today man regards the earth as a safe place for dwelling, but he has little realization that a great tribulation will suddenly come upon all those dwelling on the face of the earth. Revelation 8:13 speaks of those dwelling on the earth, saying, “Woe, woe, woe, to those who dwell on the earth!” However, believers are not dwellers but sojourners. If we are like those who dwell on the earth, it will be as difficult for us to escape the great tribulation as it is for the others who are dwelling on the earth.
3. “Trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10).
The day of the coming great tribulation will be a trial for all who dwell on the earth. Those who dwell on the earth will be tried by the great tribulation, and none will be able to escape. Those who are in the midst of a war want to find a safe place to dwell, but when the great tribulation comes to the inhabited earth, there will be no place of escape.
4. “When they say, Peace and security, then sudden destruction comes upon them, just as birth pangs to a woman with child; and they shall by no means escape” (1 Thes. 5:3).
Today people are seeking peace and security, but when people say, “Peace and security,” sudden destruction will come upon them, just as birth pangs to a woman with child, and they will by no means escape.
5. “Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you and has great rage, knowing that he has only a short time” (Rev. 12:12).
Based on the context of Revelation 12:6 and 14, the devil will come down with great rage at the beginning of the last three and a half years before the Lord’s return. At that time the devil will know that he has only a short time, and he will come down in a great rage to harm people, creating all kinds of destruction upon the earth. Therefore, verse 12 says, “Woe to the earth and the sea.”
6. “The dragon became angry with the woman and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:17).
The woman spoken of in verse 17 is composed of all those who belong to God from both the Old Testament and New Testament ages. The rest of her seed refers to the people of God who will be left on the earth during the great tribulation. Some of these keep God’s commandments; they are the remnant of the Jews. Others have the testimony of Jesus; they are the believers who are left on earth at the time of the great tribulation. During the coming great tribulation, the devil, the cruel dragon, will fight with these two groups of people on the earth to torment them and to cause them to suffer.
7. “Permission was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Rev. 13:7).
Antichrist will do what he wills during the great tribulation, and God will give him permission to make war with the saints and to overcome them. This is a kind of destruction to the believers left on earth during the great tribulation.
The preceding verses show that a great tribulation will come upon the earth, such as has never been seen before and will never occur again. There will be a pouring out of God’s wrath on the earth, the devil’s violence and cruelty on the earth, and the killing and persecution of saints by both the devil and Antichrist. These calamities and sufferings speak of the need to be raptured in order to escape the tribulations that will come upon the earth.
1. “Be watchful at every time, beseeching that you would prevail to escape all these things which are about to happen and stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).
Luke 21:36 is a promise from the Lord to those who are in need of being raptured to escape the tribulations that will come upon the earth. In verses 25 and 26 the Lord spoke of the terrible tribulations coming upon the earth, and in verses 34 and 35 He spoke of the difficulty in escaping them. Despite these warnings, He promised that it would be possible to escape these tribulations. However, this promise is related to the requirement that the believers would be watchful at every time and would constantly beseech. To be watchful at every time is to be careful and alert so that one’s heart is not weighed down with debauchery, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life (v. 34). To beseech constantly is to approach the Lord and ask Him for an escape from the coming tribulations. If we do these things, the Lord will consider us worthy to escape the tribulations that are coming upon the earth, and we will stand before the Son of Man, which means we will be raptured to His presence. Not every believer will obtain this promise of rapture, because not every believer will fulfill the Lord’s requirements to be watchful at all times and to beseech constantly.
Although the Lord’s promise is available to every believer, the requirement for obtaining this promise is not related to being saved but to being watchful and beseeching constantly. It is not enough to be saved; we must be watchful at all times and beseech constantly in order to obtain the Lord’s promise. To be watchful at all times, beseeching constantly, is to live an overcoming life before the Lord. Therefore, overcoming is the requirement related to this promise. Only those who keep themselves from the desire to enjoy worldly riches and entertainment and who are not entangled by the anxieties of this life will stand before the Lord as watchful overcomers. Such ones will be considered worthy to escape the tribulations that are coming upon the earth, and they will be raptured to the Lord’s presence before the coming of these tribulations. They will be raptured and will escape the earth that will be struck with tribulations. They will stand before the Lord and enjoy the blessing of His presence. This promise shows that the view that all believers will be raptured before the great tribulation and the view that all believers will be raptured after the great tribulation are both inaccurate for the following three reasons.
First, the Lord does not promise that all believers will be counted worthy to escape the coming tribulation and will be raptured to stand before His face. His promise is to those who are watching constantly and praying always. In other words, the Lord’s promise is not related to salvation but to overcoming. Those who are merely saved cannot be counted worthy of this blessing; only those who are saved and who overcome are worthy. This should be a warning to us. This also proves that all the believers will not be raptured at the same time. There must be a difference between the watching and beseeching believers who are raptured to escape these tribulations and those who are raptured later.
Second, not all believers live an overcoming life before the Lord by watching constantly and praying always. Therefore, not all will be counted worthy to escape the coming tribulation to stand before the Lord. Since all are not worthy of being raptured to the Lord’s presence before the great tribulation, the view that all believers will be raptured in one group before the great tribulation is inaccurate.
Third, the overcoming believers who are watching constantly and praying always as they live before the Lord will be counted worthy of escaping the coming tribulation and of being raptured to the Lord’s presence; that is, they will be raptured to the Lord’s presence before the great tribulation. Since only these will be worthy of being raptured to the Lord’s presence before the great tribulation, the view that all believers will be raptured in one group before the great tribulation is inaccurate.
2. “Because you have kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep you out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10).
The Lord promises to keep believers who have kept the word of His endurance out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth. To keep the word of the Lord’s endurance is to keep the Lord’s word on the earth that rejects Him; it involves suffering distress and persecution from the world. To escape the hour of trial that is about to come on the whole inhabited earth is to escape the coming great tribulation. The great tribulation will try those who dwell on the earth; they will pass through this time of great tribulation and be tested tremendously. If believers live on the earth in the same way as worldly people, they will pass through this time of great tribulation with them and be tested by it. However, if believers reject this world and keep the Lord’s word on the earth, suffering the distress and persecution of the world, they will be kept by the Lord from this hour of trial and escape the tribulation. They will escape not only the trial of the great tribulation but also the hour of this trial. Therefore, they will be raptured from the earth before the great tribulation.
If we keep the Lord’s word on the earth that rejects Him and endure sufferings and persecution, the Lord will keep us from the hour of trial that is to come. He will rapture us before the great tribulation to keep us from passing through this hour of trial. This promise shows that the view that all believers will be raptured before the great tribulation and the view that all believers will be raptured after the great tribulation are both inaccurate for the following two reasons.
First, since not every believer will keep the word of the Lord’s endurance, not every believer will be raptured before the great tribulation to escape its hour of trial. This clearly proves that the view that all believers will be raptured at one time before the great tribulation is inaccurate. Those who hold this inaccurate view, nevertheless, regard the Lord’s promise in Revelation 3:10 as a strong proof of their position because they focus only on the words keep you out of the hour of trial, while ignoring the fact that the conditions of the promise do not apply to all believers. The Lord’s promise here is not a proof but rather a condemnation of their teaching.
Second, according to the Lord’s promise, the overcoming believers who have kept the word of the Lord’s endurance will be raptured before the great tribulation to escape its hour of trial. This clearly proves that the view that all believers will be raptured at one time after the great tribulation is inaccurate. Those who say that all believers will be raptured at one time after the great tribulation say that everyone must pass through the tribulation. Thus, they have difficulty explaining the Lord’s promise here. They say that even though all believers must pass through the great tribulation before being raptured, those who keep the word of the Lord’s endurance will be preserved during the great tribulation and kept from suffering its tribulations, just as the Israelites in Goshen did not suffer from the plagues God sent upon Egypt (Exo. 8:21-24; 9:3-7, 22-26). However, the Lord’s promise to the believers who keep the word of His endurance is that they will be kept not only from the trials of the great tribulation but also from the hour of trial. It does not say that they will pass through the hour of trial but be kept from its sufferings; it says that they will be kept completely from the hour of trial. They will not pass through this hour. This proves that some believers will be raptured before the tribulation and will not pass through the tribulation before they are raptured. This truth is contrary to the teaching that all believers will pass through the tribulation and be raptured together at one time after the tribulation.
I once met a preacher who was very strong in teaching that all believers must pass through the great tribulation before being raptured at one time after the tribulation. I asked him about Revelation 3:10, and he confessed that this verse was quite difficult for him to explain because it speaks of escaping the hour of trial. Since some will escape this hour, they surely cannot pass through it. The teaching that all believers will pass through the great tribulation and be raptured together at one time after the tribulation is inaccurate.
In the preceding two portions in Luke 21 and Revelation 3, the Lord clearly promises that if we watch constantly, pray always, and keep the word of His endurance, we will be raptured to His presence before the great tribulation and be kept from the trial that comes upon the earth.
1. “So also will the coming of the Son of Man be. At that time two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left” (Matt. 24:39-41).
These verses speak of facts related to the rapture of the believers and prove that some believers will be raptured and others will be left. The two men and two women spoken of here refer to believers. We should not regard the first man and first woman as believers and the second man and second woman as unbelievers. The Bible does not consider the situation of believers and unbelievers as being the same and, therefore, does not compare them with each other in this portion. Also, according to verse 42, the Son of Man is described as being the Lord of the men in the field and the women at the mill. Therefore, verses 39 through 41 compare the situation of believers who are watching with believers who are not watching. When the Lord returns, the believers who are watching will be raptured, and the believers who are not watching will be left.
2. “She brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne” (Rev. 12:5).
The man-child brought forth by the woman will be caught up to God’s throne. This is a fact related to the rapture of the overcoming believers. The woman represents all God’s people from the Old Testament and New Testament ages. However, in the Bible a man-child refers to a strong one. Thus, the man-child brought forth by the woman will be the strong ones from among God’s people throughout all the ages. This man-child will shepherd the nations with an iron rod. This corresponds with what is said concerning the believers who overcome the degradation associated with the church in Thyatira in Revelation 2:26-27. In Revelation 12:5 the man-child is described as shepherding the nations with an iron rod. This indicates that the man-child in chapter 12 bears the characteristics of the overcomers in chapter 2, and it also proves that the rapture in chapter 12 is a rapture of overcomers.
According to verse 6 of chapter 12, the rapture of these overcomers occurs before the last three and a half years, which is a thousand two hundred and sixty days, the time of the great tribulation. Furthermore, according to the context of verse 17, after these overcomers are raptured, there will still be believers on earth who “have the testimony of Jesus.” Therefore, this portion shows that the overcoming believers will be raptured before the great tribulation and other believers will be left behind in the great tribulation.
The verses in Revelation 12 related to the rapture of the man-child present a problem that cannot be resolved by the group that teaches that all believers will be raptured before the tribulation or by the group that teaches that all believers will be raptured after the tribulation. With the exception of a few overcomers, who are raptured before the great tribulation, most believers will be left on the earth during the tribulation. These verses show that not all believers will be raptured before the tribulation. These verses, however, also show that some believers will be raptured before the great tribulation. Since neither of the views related to a rapture before the tribulation or a rapture after the tribulation can be reconciled with these verses, we must reject both views. According to verse 5 and other portions of the Bible, we should acknowledge only that there will be a rapture of overcoming believers before the great tribulation and a rapture of the believers who have passed through the tribulation at the end of the tribulation.
When I spoke to the preacher who strongly taught that all the believers would be raptured at the end of the tribulation, I asked him about the verses in Revelation 2:26-27 and chapter 12. I said, “There are many thoughts about the identity of the man-child, but based on these verses, no one would say that the man-child does not refer to overcomers among the believers. Since the man-child displays the characteristic of an overcoming believer and since the man-child is raptured before the three and a half years of the great tribulation, it would be wrong to say that no believer will be raptured before the great tribulation. How can you say that all believers must pass through the great tribulation and be raptured at one time after the tribulation?” This preacher had no answer. Then I said that I could only believe that all believers would be raptured after the great tribulation if Revelation 3:10 and Revelation 12:5-6 did not exist. But these two portions tell us clearly and definitely that some believers will be raptured before the tribulation, and others will be left on earth to pass through the tribulation before being raptured. When I got to this point, this brother admitted that these portions of the Bible posed a great difficulty for him. These verses are difficult for people like him because they clearly show that a group of believers will be raptured before the tribulation. The teaching that all believers will pass through the tribulation and be raptured together at the end of the tribulation is too strained. According to the Bible, we must believe that a group of overcoming believers will be raptured before the great tribulation and that the rest of the believers will be left on the earth during the tribulation to be raptured at its end. There is no need to strain to believe this.
3. “I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand...These are they who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He may go. These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth no lie was found; they are without blemish” (Rev. 14:1, 4-5).
According to these verses, one hundred and forty-four thousand are on Mount Zion, which is the heavenly Mount Zion (Heb. 12:22), as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. In order to be standing on Mount Zion in the heavens, their entire being must have been raptured to the heavens because the spirits and souls of the dead cannot enter into the presence of God in heaven. This point was clearly seen in chapter 58. Therefore, those who are on the heavenly Mount Zion cannot be unclothed spirits and souls but must be entire persons with bodies who have been raptured to the heavens. Revelation 14:4 says that they were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. Firstfruits refers to a harvest that starts in a field, and the field is the world (Matt. 13:38). The firstfruits were growing in the world, but now they are on Mount Zion in the heavens because they are ripe. Therefore, they were reaped into the heavens. To be reaped into the heavens is to be raptured into the heavens. Therefore, these verses refer to the rapture of the believers.
Those who are raptured are virgins; that is, they have never been defiled. They follow Christ wherever He goes, and there is no lie in their mouth; hence, they are without blemish. They are the firstfruits among God’s harvest because this is their condition before the Lord. Since they are the firstfruits of God’s harvest, they also are overcomers among the believers. Revelation 14:9 shows that after the firstfruits are raptured to the heavens, Antichrist is still able to work on earth. Furthermore, verse 12 shows that there are still believers on earth who keep the Lord’s word after the rapture of the firstfruits. On the one hand, the overcomers are raptured to the heavens as firstfruits before Antichrist appears, that is, before the great tribulation; on the other hand, the remaining believers as God’s complete harvest are reaped, or raptured, to the air after Antichrist appears, that is, after the great tribulation begins. Revelation 14 clearly shows that some overcoming believers are raptured before the great tribulation, whereas most of the believers will pass through the great tribulation and only be raptured at the end. This portion proves that those who teach that all believers are raptured before the great tribulation and those who teach that all are raptured after the great tribulation are not correct.
1. “I also will keep you out of the hour of trial” (Rev. 3:10).
Since the overcoming believers are kept out of the hour of trial by rapture, this rapture must occur before the hour of trial, that is, before the great tribulation. If overcoming believers are not raptured before the great tribulation, how could they be kept from the hour of trial? Revelation 12 shows that the overcoming believers are raptured before the last three and a half years, that is, before the great tribulation (vv. 5-6, 14, 17), and Revelation 14 shows that Antichrist begins his actions during the great tribulation only after the overcomers are raptured as the firstfruits (vv. 1-5, 9-12). This clearly shows that the overcoming believers will be raptured before the great tribulation.
1. “Stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).
When the overcoming believers are raptured, they will stand before the Son of Man. This means they will be raptured to the heavens to stand before the ascended Lord.
2. “Caught up to God and to His throne” (Rev. 12:5).
The overcoming believers are raptured to God’s throne. God’s throne is in heaven (4:2), that is, in the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). Therefore, the overcoming believers are raptured to God’s throne in the third heaven.
3. “On Mount Zion” (Rev. 14:1).
As the firstfruits, the overcomers will be with Christ on Mount Zion, which is the heavenly Zion (Heb. 12:22), not the earthly Mount Zion. This shows that the overcomers will be raptured to God’s dwelling place on the heavenly Mount Zion.
These verses in the Bible clearly show that the overcoming believers are raptured to the heavens, that is, to the place where God lives and rules. It is the place where the Lord Jesus ascended. This is completely different from the rapture of the majority of the believers who will be raptured to the air. The rapture of the overcomers not only occurs at a different time than the rapture of the majority of the believers but also to a different place. The overcoming believers will be raptured before the great tribulation, whereas the majority of the believers will be raptured after the tribulation. The overcoming believers will be raptured to the third heaven, whereas the majority of the believers will be raptured to the air.
1. “Be watchful at every time, beseeching” (Luke 21:36).
One requirement for being raptured before the tribulation and escaping the great tribulation is to be watchful at every time, beseeching. This means that we should not be entangled in the affairs of the world but constantly live before the Lord and that we specifically beseech the Lord concerning being raptured to escape the great tribulation. This beseeching is not ordinary, general prayer but specific prayer for a certain matter: being raptured to escape the tribulation that will come upon the whole earth. In order to beseech the Lord in this way, there should not be anything between us and the Lord, nor should we be loose in any way. We must live before the Lord every moment and walk with the Lord every day. We must not say or do anything lightly, and all of our intentions and actions must be searched and restricted by the Lord. If this is our experience, we will constantly beseech the Lord concerning being raptured to escape the tribulation that is coming upon the earth. Only such persons will be considered worthy of escaping the coming tribulation and being raptured to stand before the Lord.
2. “Watch...be ready”; “Waiting for their own master when he returns” (Matt. 24:42, 44; Luke 12:36).
If we want to enjoy the pretribulation rapture, we must not only watch and beseech; we must also watch and be ready for the Lord’s coming. It is not enough just to beseech; we must also be ready. We must be ready to be raptured, to be taken away by the Lord at His coming, and to go forth and meet the Lord. All sins should be cleared up through confession, all matters should be cleared up, all that is required of us should be completed, all gifts for function should be fully used, and all ministries should be accomplished. We should not have any matter between us and the Lord, nor should we owe anything to any man. We should be ready in everything, waiting for the Lord to come. We should be ready to go as soon as the Lord calls. We should have nothing that binds or concerns us. Only those who are ready and waiting for the Lord can be raptured by the Lord before the coming of the great tribulation. Many believers, who are captivated by the affairs and things of the world, will not be ready.
3. “Those who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8).
A believer who is watchful and ready, waiting for the Lord, must be one who loves the Lord and who loves His appearing. When a wife loves her husband, she loves to see him every day. It is the same with us and the Lord. If we really love the Lord, we will love His appearing every moment. This is a requirement related to being raptured to escape the great tribulation.
4. “You have kept the word of My endurance” (Rev. 3:10).
Keeping the word of the Lord’s endurance will keep us out of the hour of trial that is about to come on the whole inhabited earth. Therefore, keeping the word of the Lord’s endurance is a requirement related to being raptured to escape the great tribulation.
While we live on the earth, keeping the Lord’s word is very important. We must do everything according to the Lord’s word. Whether we are a full-time servant of the Lord or serve the Lord in a job, it is not easy to keep the Lord’s word in everything. Endurance is needed because everything on the earth is against the Lord’s word. Thus, if we would keep the Lord’s word on this earth, we must endure all things. Keeping the Lord’s word is equal to keeping the word of the Lord’s endurance. This is a necessary requirement in order to be raptured to escape the great tribulation. If we would escape the tribulation that will come on the earth, we must endure the difficulties that this world imposes on us today. If we want to be raptured to the Lord’s presence before the great tribulation, we must keep the word of the Lord’s endurance in the midst of a troubling world today. This is the only way for us to be worthy of being raptured to see the Lord and to escape the tribulations that will come upon the earth.
5. “He who overcomes and he who keeps My works until the end” (Rev. 2:26).
Since the overcomers in this verse are equal to the overcomers spoken of in Revelation 12:5, who are raptured to God’s throne before the great tribulation, being an overcomer is a requirement for being raptured before the great tribulation. Such an overcomer also keeps the Lord’s works until the end. If we want to be worthy of being raptured to the Lord’s presence to escape the great tribulation, we must keep the Lord’s works until the end as an overcomer today.
May we pay attention to these five requirements to be raptured before the great tribulation. May we learn to be overcomers living before the Lord by watching, preparing, and waiting for Him to come!
Now let us consider the rapture of the majority of the believers.
1. “He who sat on the cloud thrust His sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped” (Rev. 14:16).
The rapture of the majority of the believers involves God’s reaping of His harvest on earth. The believers are God’s crop on the earth that has grown out of the seed that the Lord sowed while He was on the earth (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43). Since that time, His harvest has been growing, and it will continue to grow until it is reaped when the majority of the believers are raptured. A small part of this harvest will be reaped first; that is, some will be raptured to the heavens before the beginning of the great tribulation as firstfruits to God and to Christ. They will be the first to be reaped and raptured because they will ripen first. The remaining part of the harvest, that is, the majority of the believers, will remain on the earth until the end of the great tribulation when the remaining harvest will be reaped and raptured. At this time the Lord will leave His throne in the heavens and descend to the clouds in the air (cf. 26:64; Rev. 1:7; Acts 1:9-11). From this cloud the Lord will thrust His sickle upon the earth; that is, He will send His angels to the earth (Matt. 13:30, 39). Then He will reap the remaining majority of His crop.
1. “The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are living, who are left remaining, will be caught up together with them” (1 Thes. 4:16-17 see also 1 Cor. 15:51-52).
The rapture of the majority of the believers will include all the believers from all the ages who are resurrected from the dead and all the believers who are alive and remain at the time of His second coming. With the exception of a small number of overcoming believers, the rest of the believers, both dead and living, will participate in this rapture.
1. “At the last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:52).
Most of the believers will be raptured at the last trumpet, which is the trumpet of God spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. This trumpet is also the last of the seven trumpets spoken of in Revelation 8:2. At the last trumpet refers to the sounding of the seventh trumpet. At this time the great tribulation will be near its end (10:7; 11:14-18). Thus, most of the believers will be raptured at the sounding of the last trumpet, which occurs at the end of the great tribulation.
2. “With regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him...It will not come unless...the man of lawlessness is revealed” (2 Thes. 2:1, 3).
Before the rapture of the majority of the believers, Antichrist must be revealed. This corresponds with Revelation 14:9-13, which shows that Antichrist will oppose the Lord on earth before the majority of the crop is reaped (vv. 14-16). The verses in 2 Thessalonians also show that Antichrist will be revealed and will oppose the Lord before the majority of the believers are raptured. These portions clearly prove that the majority of the believers will not be raptured until the end of the great tribulation.
According to the Bible, the majority of the believers will be raptured after the great tribulation, not before it. Teaching that all the believers will be raptured before the great tribulation is not accurate, because the Bible clearly says that Antichrist will be revealed and will oppose the Lord before the majority of the believers are raptured. Antichrist will oppose the Lord during the last three and a half years before Christ’s return, which is the great tribulation. Therefore, most of the believers will be left on earth to pass through the great tribulation before being raptured at its end.
1. “We...will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thes. 4:17).
The majority of the believers will be raptured to the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. At this time the Lord will descend from the heavens and sit upon a cloud. According to Revelation 14:14-16, the Lord will rapture them to meet Him in the air. This is completely different from the rapture of the overcoming believers to the heavens.
1. “The harvest of the earth is ripe” (Rev. 14:15).
The one requirement related to the rapture of the majority of the believers is maturity in life. The believers are God’s crop on the earth, and the rapture of the majority of the believers is the reaping of God’s crop. In order to reap a crop, it must be ripe. The harvest being ripe implies the fullness of life and the loss of earthly water. The less there is of earthly water, the riper a harvest will be. An unripened harvest is lacking in the fullness of life and is full of earthly water. When the overcoming believers are raptured as the firstfruits, the majority of the believers will not be ripe. They will not be full of God’s life. Instead, they will be full of earthly water; that is, they will still be dependent on an earthly supply. Since they are not weaned from earthly milk, God will leave them on the earth to pass through the trial of the great tribulation in order to cause them to ripen. The sufferings of the great tribulation will be like the shining of the hot sun that forces a crop to ripen. Even though they will be full of earthly water, and their connections to the earth will be deep, the hot sun of the great tribulation will shine on them and dry up the earthly water in them. It will shine on them until they no longer rely on the things of the earth. They will be forcibly weaned from the earthly milk. Today when we exhort such ones to love the Lord, they hesitate. When we exhort them to consecrate themselves, they weigh the costs. When we exhort them to deal with certain matters, they delay. When we exhort them to give up the world, they love it even more. But in that day they will not hesitate or weigh the costs. They will love the Lord absolutely and consecrate themselves without reservation. They will be forced to deal with the things that must be dealt with and give up what must be given up. On the one hand, they will know that some have been raptured, and on the other hand, the sufferings on the earth will force them to break their ties with the things on the earth. Therefore, their growth in life will be rapid, and they will spontaneously mature in life. By passing through the trials of the great tribulation, they will thoroughly ripen and meet the requirement for being raptured.
We must see that we are God’s crop, and as His crop, we must thoroughly ripen before we can be reaped. No farmer reaps an unripened crop. We must be mature in life before we can be raptured. We must be ripe, or we cannot be reaped. If we do not ripen before the great tribulation, we will ripen later. If we do not love the Lord today and give ourselves to Him, we will love the Lord and give ourselves to Him later. If we do not deal with certain matters and give up the world today, we will deal with them and give up the world later. We must do these things, whether we do them earlier or later. We must ripen, whether we ripen earlier or later. If we do not ripen, the Lord cannot bring us into the enjoyment of His presence. The path to seeing the Lord’s face requires ripening. If we do not take this path, we will not be raptured to enjoy the Lord’s presence. We should never think that the Lord will rapture us to His enjoyable presence even if we do not pursue Him or grow and ripen. This will never happen. The Lord will wait for us to ripen before He brings us into His heavenly storehouse, and the Lord will cause us to ripen so that He can reap us into His heavenly storehouse. If we do not allow Him to ripen us today, we will need to ripen in the future. If His grace in us today cannot accomplish this purpose, He will use trials in the future to accomplish it. His trials will cause us to ripen. They will force us to love and pursue Him and to give our all and leave the world. They will force us to reject the earthly water and be weaned from the world so that we can take Him as our everything. In this way our life will be completely filled with Him. We must be ripened in this way before He can reap us.
Most believers consider the Lord’s second coming and our rapture simply as matters to be prophetically fulfilled in time, but the Bible shows that the Lord’s second coming and our rapture are also matters of life. They are related not only to time but also to our maturity in life. More than the passage of time is needed in order for the Lord to return and for our rapture to occur. Growth and maturity in life are needed to hasten the day of the Lord’s coming and our rapture. Can the Lord come back to believers who are in a general condition of immaturity? Can such believers be raptured? The Lord will return to reap a ripened crop. However, if the harvest is still green and if we are not ripe, how can He reap us as His harvest? If He comes when we are immature and unripe, what could He reap? He must wait for a loud voice from heaven to shout, “The harvest of the earth is ripe.” Only then will He thrust His sickle down to the earth, that is, send His angels to the earth to reap, or rapture, us. Being completely mature is a requirement for rapture. We must ripen, and we must ripen completely before we can be raptured.
We have spoken of two kinds of believers being raptured, but this does not mean that there are only two times of rapture. The Bible shows that there are several times of rapture. In addition to two kinds of rapture, the rapture of the overcomers and the rapture of the majority of the believers, the Bible also speaks of at least three different times of rapture: Revelation 7:9; 11:12; and 15:2. Three of the portions we quoted in this chapter concerning the rapture of the overcoming believers — Matthew 24:40-41; Revelation 12:5; and Revelation 14:1-5—also reveal differences in relation to one another. These portions were included to show, at the very least, that there are two different kinds of rapture, namely, the rapture of the overcomers and the rapture of the majority of the believers.
