Many Christians ask, “Shall we ascend before the tribulation, or must we go through it?” Jesus said, “…Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is…35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming SUDDENLY He find you sleeping (unprepared). And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mk. 13:32-33, 35-37).
Views among Christians are divided on whether the church will go through the 7 years Tribulation with three primary positions held by theologians and believers:
1. The Pre-tribulation Rapture: This view holds that the Rapture of the church must take place before the seven-year Tribulation begins.
2. The Mid-tribulation Rapture: This view holds that the Rapture of the saints will take place during or at the end of the first three and half years of the tribulation period.
3. The Post-Tribulation Rapture: This view holds that the Rapture of the saints must take place at the end of the Great Tribulation.
Hear this: The first view talks about the Rapture of the Church while the second and the third views talk about the Rapture of the Tribulation saints.
What is the Tribulation? The tribulation is a period of 7 years of the wrath of God, of the most dreadful nature that will come upon the wicked people in this world who rebelled against God and forsook the path of faith.
The tribulation is an expression of the wrath of God. God’s wrath involves the whole 7-Years of Tribulation. Realize that the last trumpetof 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 is blown for believers whereas the seven trumpets of Revelation 8, 9 and 11 are sounded for the unbelievers. Many saints will be beheaded during the Tribulation (Rev. 20:4).
The Scriptures make it categorically clear that the Church is not meant to experience God’s wrath:
1. Look at the promise of Christ to true believers represented by the Church of Philadelphia (Rev. 3:10; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess. 5:9; Rom. 5:9).
2. The Apostle Paul himself taught a pre-tribulation “rapture” (1 Thess. 4:13-18, NLT).
3. Because we are in Christ, we cannot be judged a second time. Our sins borne by the sinless Saviour were judged on the Cross at Calvary (Rom. 8:1-2). When Jesus went to the Cross, we went to the Cross. So, when he was judged, we were judged. By offering His own body as a sacrifice, He JUSTIFIED and PERFECTED all who believe in Him.
Here is the point: If the church were to go through the tribulation, we would be undergoing a second judgment, as if Jesus’ sacrifice was not sufficient to justify us, and that’s impossible.
Therefore, the Holy Spirit must translate the church before the tribulation.
4. The Old Testament and the book of Revelation leave the Church out of the Tribulation. In any biblical content concerning the Tribulation, the Church cannot be found. The Book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3 cover the Church Age, but then there is no mention of the Church again until after the Tribulation (Rev. 6-18). In Chapter 19, the Church returns to the texts and can be found, not suffering, but celebrating with Christ at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and preparing to return to earth with Jesus.
5. The church is somewhere else during the tribulation. While the 7-year Tribulation is going on, the Bible records that the Church will be busy with three events. And none of the three events has to do with suffering in a world being destroyed.
i) The first event that the raptured Church will participate in is a judgment by God — the Judgment of the Righteous. This judgment on works is not to determine your eternal destiny, but to determine the degrees of reward due to you (2 Cor. 5:10).
ii) The second event is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This feast celebrates the spiritual marriage of the Church to her Savior (Rev. 19:7-9)
iii) The third event is the Church’s preparation to follow the King of kings to the Battle of Armageddon at the conclusion of the Tribulation. This very event is called “the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.”
Revelations 19:14 identifies the Church in their “fine linen, white and clean,” which was given to them during the first event - the Judgment of the Just. The Church and the angelic forces will follow the King of kings in His Second Coming to the earth, but only Jesus Himself will engage in battle, and with mere words He will defeat the nations in their siege against Jerusalem.
6. There ought to be sheep to separate from the goats. If the Church is raptured at the end of the Tribulation, receives their glorified bodies, and then immediately returns to earth with Christ for the Second Coming as the Post-Tribulation Rapture view holds, then which believer in Christ will be available for the Sheep and Goats Judgment of Matthew 25:31-46? The only people left on earth at this time would be unbelievers, called goats.
No believer - sheep - would be available for God to put into the sheep category. Since those who are in glorified bodies will be like the angels in that they aren’t given in marriage or reproduce (Matt. 22:30; Mk 12:25), then a believing, unglorified, human remnant must make it into the sheep category and go on to produce the nations during the Millennial reign of Christ (Ezek. 43:13-27; Isa. 19:21; Isa. 65:20-22; Rev. 20:7-10). This would mean that people would need to come to Christ during the Tribulation yet after the Rapture of the church to produce this millennial population.
7. We have the promise of Jesus in Luke 21:34-36. Verse 36 says, (a) Watch ye therefore, and (b) 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.” Which things? These things include those things recorded in Matthew 24:4-26, Luke 21:4-19, and Revelation 6-18.
8. The rapture MUST precede the revelation of the anti-Christ. Tribulation will start only after the anti-Christ has been revealed (2 Thess. 2:6-8).
Conclusion: Are you ready for this glorious departure? Time is running out! (Prov. 27:1). Hurry beloved! Don’t be caught unprepared when the trumpet sounds because Christ is the only One that can bring you to Heaven (Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5; Jn. 14:6). So, hurry and make peace with God right now!
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
· Your friend, I. I. Madubunyi (Senior Pastor) 06.09.2026 @ HQs
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