Rapture of the church in relation to the tribulation
In eschatology, it is important to remember that almost all Christians agree on these three things:
1) there is coming a time of great tribulation such as the world has never seen,
2) after the Tribulation, Christ will return to establish His kingdom on earth, and,
3) there will be a Rapture—a translation from mortality to immortality—for believers (John 14:1-3;1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
1 Thessalonians 4:17 says: 'After 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.' In the original Greek text the word harpazo ἁρπάζω is used. That word means "seize, catch up, or snatch away" (Strong's Concordance number 726). The direction is not down, but upwards. Titus 2:13 says: '... while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ...". This blessed hope is referring to the rapture that the believers hope for.
The question is when does the Rapture occur in relation to the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ? Through the years three main theories have emerged concerning the timing of the Rapture: pre-tribulationism (the belief that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation begins), mid-tribulationism (the belief that the Rapture will occur at the midpoint of the Tribulation), and post-tribulationism (the belief that the Rapture will occur at the end of the Tribulation). Jesus says to His most faithful followers that they will be kept from the hour of trial (the tribulation) that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth; see Revelation 3:10. This is a strong argument for the pre-tribulation rapture position.
1) there is coming a time of great tribulation such as the world has never seen,
2) after the Tribulation, Christ will return to establish His kingdom on earth, and,
3) there will be a Rapture—a translation from mortality to immortality—for believers (John 14:1-3;1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
1 Thessalonians 4:17 says: 'After 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.' In the original Greek text the word harpazo ἁρπάζω is used. That word means "seize, catch up, or snatch away" (Strong's Concordance number 726). The direction is not down, but upwards. Titus 2:13 says: '... while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ...". This blessed hope is referring to the rapture that the believers hope for.
The question is when does the Rapture occur in relation to the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ? Through the years three main theories have emerged concerning the timing of the Rapture: pre-tribulationism (the belief that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation begins), mid-tribulationism (the belief that the Rapture will occur at the midpoint of the Tribulation), and post-tribulationism (the belief that the Rapture will occur at the end of the Tribulation). Jesus says to His most faithful followers that they will be kept from the hour of trial (the tribulation) that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth; see Revelation 3:10. This is a strong argument for the pre-tribulation rapture position.
Movie "Before the Wrath", Ed's movie database no 255, plus Dutch version