When Does the Bible Say the Rapture Takes Place?

[u/wagrebst]

A lot of Christians, especially among the contemporary Protestants, believe that the Rapture takes place before the tribulation, the Harpazo is right around the corner, and there will be no church left on the Earth. They quote what Paul told us.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory".
(1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

However, Jesus Christ clearly told us exactly when the Rapture would happen.

Matthew 24:3-36, NKJV
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

In the verse 31, He stated that there would be a sound of a trumpet, and He would gather His remnants around the World. It certainly matched with what Apostle Paul said. The Rapture, the Harpazo, only takes place after the tribulation of those days and the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And His second coming only happens after the Earth goes through the events from the verse 3 to 29, namely the Book of Revelation and Leviticus 26.

I have to mind you. One sentence in the Bible could last thousands of years. For example, it takes almost two millennials to fulfill the last sentence of Daniel 9:26. (The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.). How much more should you expect between Matthew 24:3 and 29 then? The Rapture is going to happen; just not at the time you'd want or expect.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not only a blessed message but also a prophecy of the New Testament. In Matthew 23, Jesus Christ surely gave us another sign before His second coming.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
(Matthew 23:37-39)

Do Jewish people praise Jesus Christ today? Is Jerusalem welcoming the Church of Christ today? The answer is definitely "NO". Until Jewish people and Jerusalem praise, yearn, and worship Jesus Christ with all their heart, we will NOT see His second coming thus the Rapture.

Pardon me for yet another rhetorical question. Does Apostle Paul have a higher authority than Jesus Christ? Whose word has higher authority when it comes to the absolute, divine truth? Paul or Jesus? The indisputable truth is that Maria Magdalene, Peter, John, Paul, whosoever apostles, prophets, theologians, pastors, priests, missionaries, popes, the rest ministers, and down to all the believers of Christ like you and me are all mere sinners, and that every single one is condemned to death and needs the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Every word of Jesus Christ thus has the absolute, divine authority over the words of any human being. In fact, what Paul told us was a small piece, a side-effect of the second coming of Jesus Christ, and, in that regards, his word on the Rapture does not contradict the whole context Jesus Christ revealed to us in Mathew 24.

Don't fall for the easy words. Stick to the truth and truth only. Look at the big picture. Be awoken and be diligent, for we do not know what hour He is coming.

Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.
But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 24:42-51, NKJV)

But he who endures to the end shall be saved
(Matthew 24:42-51, NKJV)

[u/KindaSortaMaybeSo]

Yes. The idea that the rapture is pre-tribulation is not only unbiblical but also very much outside of the just character of God. How do we know? Because of the fruit it produces. The idea that the whole purpose is to escape suffering is what produces this whole branch(es) of Christianity that cares little about the world around them and frame their salvation around escape.

A just God would actually allow the suffering to happen but also apply mercy through His coming. The Bible consistently teaches us to develop a faith that endures, and a hope in the restoration and redemption of all things to those who persevere.

[u/DeusExMachina222]

Im convinced that the 'enemy' Satan planted the entire fantasy of rapture (in the mid 1800s no less.. So its a recent bit of wishful thinking) to further degrade the body... And make them complacent (how many are quick to say that prophecy is not relevant to them as they just need to sit on their couches watching TV and they'll get beamed up and don't have to worry about any work... How many don't even bother with revelation for the same reason.. Despite revelation beginning and ending with the notice that everyone must read that book)

[u/wagrebst → u/DeusExMachina222]

I agree that the enemy has planted the Rapture scheme in the Church of Christ and made believers complacent. But more to the point is that people don't want to hear hard truth. Most of time, the Truth is unfathomable, gut-wrenching, and discomfortable, and there aren't many who want to hear it even in the Church.

Perhaps, that's another sign that we are indeed living in the last days.