The return of Jesus is pictured in Revelation 19. We see here He returns WITH His Bride.
In the Rapture passages listed above, the Bride is caught up to meet Jesus in the air, not on the ground!
WHEN THE RAPTURE WILL OCCUR IN RELATION TO THE “TRIBULATION”.
The “tribulation” has become a popular phrase to name the time of Jacob’s trouble or THE day of the LORD or THE day of Christ. It is not the most accurate, but we will use it.
- In Matthew 24:15-30 Jesus talks about this period of time that shall come. He refers to it as, “the tribulation of those days”.
- It is the time of Jacob’s (Israel’s) trouble: Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s (Israel’s) trouble (tribulation); but he (Israel) shall be saved out of it. (See also Romans 11:1-2, 5, 15, 25-29)
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Israel): (Romans 11:26)
- It is also known as THE day of the LORD or THE day of Christ.
- It’s Daniel’s 70th week: Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (The crucifixion), but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (The man of sin) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he (the antecedent is, “the prince that shall come”!)shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (7 years): and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, (2Thess. 2:4)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 9:25-27)
Week (shaw-boo’-ah Hebrew) means literally sevened.
The seventy weeks (sevens) deal with Daniel’s people (Israel) not the NT church!
To properly “rightly divide the word of truth” we must distinguish between Israel and the church! The final seven years of this prophecy is yet future.
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people (Israel): and there shall be a time of trouble (Tribulation), such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1)