Guys, i feel this is a topic that is strongly worth rightly dividing and sorting out because like it or not, the tribulation days are coming, and you either believe in a pre trib rapture (which means you dont think you will be here for the tribulation days) or you bleieve the rapture is after the tribulation days (which is what the bible teaches) in which case you would (presumably) be spiritually preparing for this time of great testing. My absolute proof that the rapture is after the tribulation days is as follows: The PROOF that the rapture is AFTER the tribulation is in the following verses. These verses also prove that its IMPOSSIBLE for the rapture to be before the tribulation! This is the rapture… 1 Thessalonians 4 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words. So we can see that: - the dead saints rise - those saints who are still alive at the time are caught up with them to meet Jesus in the air - we will always be with God from then on However, notice these two things: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. He comes back at the SOUND OF THE TRUMPET we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air The Saints are GATHERED TO MEET WITH JESUS. That was the rapture. Now hold points 1 & 2 in your head as we discover the mystery of WHEN the rapture happens. Before, during or after the tribulation?! We can see so far that the rapture happens when Jesus comes back. Now all we have to do is find out in the bible WHEN he comes back? Before, during or after the tribulation. Matthew 24 The Coming of the Son of Man 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. 30Then 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. 31And 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. So again we have a description of when Jesus comes back. And again we have the same points 1 & 2 we just saw in Thessalonians. He comes back at the SOUND OF A TRUMPET He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet The saints are GATHERED TO MEET JESUS He will send His angels… and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. So clearly we have the same event described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. But the question still remains: WHEN does the rapture happen? Verse 29 which we just read clearly shows… Matthew 24 29 IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION of those days the sun will be darkened… they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. So we have a clear and simple answer to this big mystery! The rapture happens AFTER THE TRIBULATION. This information is a key to piecing all the end times Scriptures together. If you have been deceived into thinking the rapture is before the tribulation, your entire understanding of the events that will occur in the end times will be out of whack! Why? Because those who teach pre-tribulation rapture teach that Jesus comes back and we meet Him BEFORE the tribulation, so they teach that we Christians are not around to experience the tribulation. Consequently they don’t study or prepare Christians for the difficult the events of those years of tribulation, because they think we won’t be here to go experience them! Clearly this is a lie, because we just read that we will be here for the FULL tribulation period, and don’t get to be with God, until he comes back AFTER the tribulation. However, there are still even greater proof’s that the rapture is AFTER the tribulation, and these are as follows! 1 Corinthians 15 51Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- 52in 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. There are seven trumpets going off in Revelations. Cleary Paul states here that we will be rapture at the LAST trumpet. This is the SEVENTH trumpet! And its clear as you read Revelations that the LAST (7th) trumpet is AFTER and not before the tribulation! John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believes on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. See how clear it is? I will raise him up at the last day. So the rapture (when the saints come out of the grave to meet Jesus) happens at the LAST DAY. (Clearly the last day is AFTER the tribulation, not before!). How can a pastor get something which is so clear, how can they get it soooo wrong by saying the rapture is before the tribulation??? The ultimate proof that the rapture is after the tribulation and that its IMPOSSIBLE for the rapture to be before the tribulation is found in the following scripture. Job 14 12So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep. Here the LORD gives us a POINT OF REFERENCE as to when the rapture is! The point of reference is when it says the dead don’t rise, UNTIL, the heavens are no more!!! When are the “heavens no more”?? As we read above in Matt 24:29-31 is AFTER the tribulation days when the sun and moon go dark and the stars fall from heaven! And revelation adds to that and says that when the stars fall, the sky is then rolled up like a scroll!! This is when the heavens are no more!! The rapture won’t happen (the dead wont rise) till the heavens are no more! Clearly the heavens are no more only AFTER the tribulation! SO we can see that a pre tribulation rapture is IMPOSSIBLE, because the heavens are STILL HERE before the tribulation! And Job clearly states that the dead don’t rise UNTIL the heavens are no more! There can’t be a rapture until the heavens are no more! There CAN’T be a pre-tribulation rapture! And we know this job verse is talking about the rapture, because in the verse below job talks about his “CHANGE” at His resurrection!!! Clearly this is the change Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (mentioned above) where our bodies are changed at the rapture / resurrection at the last trumpet on the last day! Job 14 14If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. 1 Corinthians 15 51Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed 52in 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.