Scripture offers abundant evidence of God's pattern of preserving His faithful during times of judgment. To those skeptical about the rapture in the Bible, consider the consistent typologies throughout Scripture that demonstrate how God protects His remnant during periods of divine wrath. Enoch was taken before the flood (Genesis 5:24, Hebrews 11:5). Noah and his family were safely sealed in the ark (Genesis 7:1-16, 1 Peter 3:20), while Lot was removed from Sodom before its destruction (Genesis 19:15-22, 2 Peter 2:7-9). The Israelites were spared during the Passover in Egypt (Exodus 12:21-30), and Elijah was taken up before judgment came (2 Kings 2:11). Moses instructed people to leave the tents of Korah before judgment fell (Numbers 16:23-27). Rahab and her family were saved from Jericho's destruction (Joshua 6:17-25), and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were preserved in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:24-27). These examples represent just a fraction of this divine pattern.
The New Testament affirms that the church will be kept from the hour of trial (Revelation 3:10): "Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth." Similarly, in Revelation 12, the woman—symbolizing Israel—receives divine protection in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6, 12:14). These examples illustrate a consistent pattern: God secures His own before unleashing His wrath.
This principle is reinforced in several passages. First Thessalonians 5:9 declares, "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Romans 5:9 affirms, "Much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, we will be saved through him from wrath" (Romans 5:9). First Thessalonians 1:10 instructs believers to "wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath" (1 Thessalonians 1:10). While God's wrath serves a purpose, it is not directed at His people. His intention for the faithful has always been salvation, not destruction (John 3:16-18; 1 Peter 1:5).
The contrast between judgment on the wicked and deliverance for the righteous threads throughout Scripture, revealing God's consistent character (Psalm 37:39-40; Isaiah 13:9). The church appears prominently in Revelation chapters 1 through 3 (Revelation 1:4, 1:11, 2:1, 2:8, 2:12, 2:18, 3:1, 3:7, 3:14). Yet starting in chapter 4, when John is called up to heaven at the sound of a trumpet (Revelation 4:1), the church is no longer mentioned on earth. God's wrath begins in chapter 6 with the opening of the first seal (Revelation 6:1-17; 16:1).
Revelation 14 provides a powerful illustration of this separation: one "like the Son of Man" comes on a cloud to gather believers first (Revelation 14:14-16), while a second harvest by angels results in the remainder being thrown "into the great winepress of God's wrath" (Revelation 14:17-20).
In Titus 2:13, we are told to be "looking for that blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." If believers were destined for wrath, this would not be a blessed hope but a coming terror. Jesus's promise in John 14:1-3 is meant to comfort us: "I go to prepare a place for you, and I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, you may also be."
This directly connects to Isaiah 26:20, where God speaks of preparing chambers of protection: "Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by." This phrase "little while" echoes the promise in Revelation 3:10 where believers are kept from "the hour of testing"—both suggesting a temporary period of divine protection during judgment. Jesus is not describing his descent in judgment to wage war at the end (Revelation 19:11-16), but rather his personal gathering of believers to himself (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This scripture depicts a reunion, not a battlefield.
If Jesus's only future coming were His return to earth for final judgment, how could He prepare a place for us in heaven? This doesn't align with Scripture. John 14:2-3 clearly describes believers going up to Him, not Him coming down to remain with us. This perfectly matches the wedding feast imagery—Christ the bridegroom coming to take His bride to the Father's house (Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 19:7-9). The second coming, by contrast, depicts Him returning in glory to judge and wage war (Revelation 19:11-21; Matthew 24:29-31). These are two distinct events with different purposes: one brings comfort and promise (1 Thessalonians 4:18), while the other brings wrath and judgment (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).
Hebrews 9:28 confirms this: "So Christ once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear a second time, but without sin unto salvation." Here, His coming is described as salvation for those awaiting Him (Philippians 3:20-21), not the day of judgment associated with the second coming. The major prophets consistently portray that day as one of judgment, war, and vengeance—the great and terrible day of the Lord (Isaiah 13:6-13; Joel 2:1-11; Zephaniah 1:14-18). How can His second coming be both salvation and wrath? The answer depends on who is experiencing it. For the unrepentant, it brings terror (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10), while for those who are saved and sealed for redemption (Ephesians 4:30), it brings salvation (Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
Scripture isn't contradicting itself but distinguishing between two groups. Modern translations of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 say, "The Lord will not come until the falling away occurs and the man of sin is revealed" (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The Greek word "apostasia" is translated as "falling away" or "rebellion." However, the Latin Vulgate (AD 400) translated it as "desio," meaning "departure." Early English Bibles, from Wycliffe to Geneva, maintained this meaning, stating the day wouldn't come until "a departing" occurred first. Only with the King James Version (1611) did it become "falling away." Later, Theodore Beza transliterated it into "apostasia," which came to mean spiritual rebellion—but this wasn't the original meaning. The Geneva Bible's footnotes even describe it as a "wonderful departing," connecting it to 1 Thessalonians 4, where believers are caught up (harpazo) before the Lord's wrath (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9).
When we reexamine these verses, they become clearer. It would be contradictory to claim that a spiritual rebellion must precede the revelation of the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). Understanding "apostasia" as "departure" aligns perfectly with Scripture's pattern where God removes His people before judgment falls (Genesis 19:22; Exodus 12:23; Joshua 6:17). Ultimately, convincing others of this blessed hope isn't our task but the Holy Spirit's (John 16:13). Scripture clearly testifies that before judgment falls, God removes His people (Genesis 7:1; Luke 17:26-30; Revelation 3:10).
If someone chooses to believe they'll experience the tribulation, that remains between them and God. But I, along with many others believers, trust His promise to return and receive us to Himself (John 14:3)—not for wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9) but for salvation (Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Romans 5:9).
Recommended Readings
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When Babel Becomes Beautiful: The Parable of Cultural Blend and the Death of Distinction
The Silence of the Saints: Why the Church No Longer Speaks Against the Powers of the Age
The Oracle of Deception: When Did Divination Enter the Sanctuary and the Saints Call It God?
Birth Pangs and Beast Crowns: Operation Rising Lion and the Luciferian Midwife of World War III?
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