When will the rapture happen?

​I am still relatively new to the faith and when I was younger in the faith I learned the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture.  I do not break fellowship over this doctrine's truth, as we don't know exactly what's going to happen until it comes to pass (and even then we might not understand it if we don't have the right historical information).  But I eventually came across other arguments against it that I'm convinced were very scriptural and they persuaded me to change my view.  I'll present a few of those for your consideration.
Update - Because of verses like those immediately below, I'm leaning towards the great tribulation being dual-fulfillment (somewhat fulfilled in 70 A.D. and completely fulfilled in the near future):
  • For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:27-28)
  • That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:35-37)
  • So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. (Matthew 24:33-34)
  • Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64)
  • 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. 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: 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. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)
Please do not take me to be an authority on this subject.  I just find it very interesting to see that there seem to be claims of armies in the sky (among many other compelling possible fulfillments of Daniel's 70th week) surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., and that's documented by Josephus (an unbeliever) along with other unbelieving historians.
Back when I believed in the pre-trib rapture, Matthew 24 was often referenced as a summary of the end of the world and the rapture.  Starting with verse 29 it says "immediately after the tribulation," and then you'll see the rapture event after that (where the elect are gathered together).  But compare the qualities surrounding the rapture verses in Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24, and Luke 21:25 with Revelation 6:12 and 7:1 and you'll see they align:
  • 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: 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. 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. (Matthew 24:29-31)
  • But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. (Mark 13:24-27)
  • And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:25-28)
  • And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (Revelation 6:12-13)
  • ¶ And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. (Revelation 7:1)
And then after the sixth seal is opened you see a great multitude in heaven:
  • 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; (Revelation 7:9)
The pre-tribulation rapture teaches that the rapture occurs before the first seal is even opened, which conflicts with the sequence of events we see above.  So, if you believe this argumentation, we can say with some confidence that the rapture won't happen until the sixth seal for a start.


To build on Matthew 24:31, let's discuss the trumpet in that verse.
  • 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. (Matthew 24:31)
That trumpet is blown at the resurrection of the dead, as we can see elsewhere:
  • ¶ Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
And the saints who are alive won't precede the saints that have already died (in getting glorified bodies) when the resurrection occurs:
  • 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. 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: 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. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)
And when does the resurrection take place?
  • And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:39-40)
  • No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)
  • Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)
  • Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (John 11:24)
So the order of events is:  when it's the "last day" the trumpet is blown, then dead in Christ rise, then those who are alive rise as well.  The seemingly most likely explanation of the "last day" follows next.
(Sidenote: those who disagree with the pre-wrath timeline may point out the "last trump" above and say it correlates with the seventh angel's trumpet, but I believe this can simply be the last trumpet believers will hear.)


We learned the rapture or resurrection happens at the last day in the paragraph above.  We can hone in with more precision to determine when this last day must be, if everything is correctly understood.
The "last day" certainly seems to be one and the same as the day of Christ (seeing how it seems to be the end of the overall earthly journey for the saints, because that's when they'll be raptured):
  • So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, [that ye may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:7-8)
  • Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)
  • That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; (Philippians 1:10)
  • Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. (Philippians 2:16)
We are then presented with an ordering of events which lays out that it begins with the falling away first, and that man of sin being revealed, and then the day of Christ (at which point the rapture/gathering together happens):
  • ¶ Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, 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. ¶ 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; 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. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)
And just as it looks like the man of sin is revealed when he's in the temple of God showing that he is God (whatever that means exactly) we find a likely placement of that event in Daniel:
  • And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)
  • 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:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:15-21)
Which many agree happens at the middle (midst) of "Daniel's 70th week" (when the sacrifice and oblation cease).  Which many also claim is 3.5 years into that 7-year "week".
So the order of events would be a falling away, then the antichrist being revealed (the start of the "great tribulation" 3.5 years after this all begins), then (at some point later) the day of Christ during which God raptures the dead in Christ and then the living saints.


Those things said, I don't believe the saints will be here for the trumpet and vial judgements.  As you can see after the sixth seal is opened...
  • And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; (Revelation 6:12)
...Or sometime near or after the post-trib, pre-wrath timeline indicates the rapture has happened, that the day of His wrath has come:
  • And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:13-17)
And are believers appointed to God's wrath?
  • Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:9)
  • And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
  • For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
  • 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. (Revelation 3:10)
  • 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. (Luke 21:36)
But believers are appointed to tribulation, though He will use it for our benefit:
  • For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. (1 Thessalonians 3:4)
  • These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
  • Confirming the souls of the disciples, [and] exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22)
  • Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. (Ephesians 3:13)
  • Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; (Romans 12:12)
  • And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; (Romans 5:3)
  • Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Romans 8:35)
  • Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Corinthians 1:4)
  • 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. (Revelation 7:14)
Take note how those in Revelation 7:14 are those mentioned after the sixth seal, which we've previously established is when the rapture happens.  It's said that they came out of "great tribulation," which we've seen above is useful in sorting these events.


Putting this all together, what I think is a likely ordering of events is as follows:
  1. A falling away (the start of Daniel's 70th week).
  2. The man of sin is revealed (3.5 years after this all begins).
  3. Great tribulation.
  4. The sixth seal is opened.
  5. There are heavenly signs.
  6. The trumpet is blown, the day of Christ and the rapture take place.
  7. The wrath of God begins.


I can't at all take credit for this research, though.  Just like the rest of this website, I've mostly done compilation and presentation for the purpose of education, and hopefully I've hit that goal without too many mistakes.
In Kent Hovind's What on Earth is About to Happen series (the first of which is the video below) he proffers, through a number of free videos, his interpretation of the timeline of events surrounding Daniel's 70th week.  You can also pay to get a digital copy of his ebook or physical book on his ministry's store that covers the same subject material.  I bought a copy of the ebook and digital poster and I'm quite impressed.

From what comparatively little study I've done compared to Christians like Kent, his assembly of the future timeline reconciles more than what I've seen previously.  That said, we won't know until we get there how this will all play out.  I try to remind myself:
  • Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)