Sequence of the Rapture Revealed in the Dark Sayings of Job
Job 14:14 "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come."
Once but very rarely, I was asked why I reject the "pre-tribulation rapture" doctrine that so many Christians all over the world and so many churches have accepted as eschatological truth. Well, obviously there are more than one reason, and to be very upfront about it, I don't usually know where I should begin to explain to someone who ask me of a reason why. My current preference is to start the conversation based on Scriptures showing us the clear sequence of events.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 "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:"
What was Job referring to when he spake by inspiration of the Holy Ghost "till my change come?" The answer may be found in 1 Corinthians 15:52, when Apostle Paul spake by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, "and we shall be changed," referring to the rapture. However, the rapture cannot happen till "the dead in Christ shall rise first" according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
Furthermore in 1 Corinthians 15:52, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound." Job confirms Apostle Paul with these words: "Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee" (Job 14:15). But Job also gave two very important clues concerning the timing of the resurrection for the dead in Christ and the rapture, in Job 14:12-13:
"... till the heavens be no more"
"... until thy wrath be past"
So "... till the heavens be no more" and "... until thy wrath be past," the dead in Christ should not be raised out of their sleep, and until the dead in Christ shall rise first, there should be no rapture according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. This presents a very serious conundrum for those who believe in the pre-tribulation rapture theory. Also, will God's children, those which are alive and remain unto the coming of the LORD, witness the wrath of God poured out unto the unbelieving world?
#1 "... till the heavens be no more."
According to Job 14:12-13, this is one of the criteria that must precede the resurrection and the rapture. In Matthew 24:29-30, we find an exact match which clearly shows us things that must take place in the heavens before the Son of man comes in the clouds of heaven:
Matthew 24:29-30 "¶ 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."
In fact, we also see a reference to this passage in Mark 14:24-26 and Luke 21:25-27, and the timing of the events are exactly matching to that given in Job 14:12-13 in that these things: 1) the sun shall be darkened, and 2) the moon shall not give her light, and 3) the stars shall fall from heaven, and 4) the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, must take place before the rapture can happen. It is like what Job said in Job 14:12 "... till the heavens be no more" before the dead in Christ can rise, and it is after that dead in Christ shall rise first according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and then the rapture can take place.
Simply put, this is the sequence of the events that must take place are as follows:
Mat 24:29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..."
Job 14:12 "... till the heavens be no more"
1 Th 4:16 "... the dead in Christ shall rise first"
The dead in Christ must be raised back to life before the rapture can happen.
#2 "... until thy wrath be past."
According to Job 14:12-13, this is the second criteria that must be precede the resurrection and the rapture. Compare the three passages below talking about the same event but narrated a little differently one from another:
Matthew 24:19-21 "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."
Mark 13:17-19 "But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be."
Luke 21:23-24 "But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
Luke 21:23-24 precedes Luke 21:25-27 that talk about the signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars given in Matthew 24:29-30 which must take place before the Son of man comes in the clouds. There will be a period of "great tribulation" according to Matthew before signs in the sun, the moon and the stars show up. Mark calls it "affliction" and Luke calls it "great distress." In addition to the great distress in the land, Luke also tells us that there shall be wrath upon the people: the wrath of God will be poured out at the same time the children of God undergo great tribulation.
Recall a similar event that was recorded in the Bible - in the Book of Exodus, and how the LORD delivered the children of Israel from their cruel bondage in Egypt. To Egypt, that was Almighty God's wrath being poured out onto them in ten successive judgments, as in:
Exodus 15:7 "And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble."
But to the children of Israel, it was a time of great tribulation imposed upon them by their Egyptian masters even as God's wrath was presently being poured out upon Egypt. However, throughout that period of tribulation, the children of Israel did not suffer from the wrath of God even though God's wrath was presently upon the land of Egypt, right where they lived.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"
It is true that God did not appoint the children of Israel unto wrath, which is why they were kept safe when God's wrath was poured out on the land of Egypt. So, we add this to the sequence of the events leading to the rapture:
Mat 24:29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..."
Job 14:12 "... till the heavens be no more"
Job 14:13 "... until thy wrath be past"
1 Th 4:16 "... the dead in Christ shall rise first"
1 Th 4:17 "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."
Ecclesiastes 1:9 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."
Indeed, the thing that hath been, it is that which shall be, "... as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." (Revelation 10:7) But, will there be a pre-wrath rapture? Of course the answer is a firm 'No' based on Job 14:13. The rapture will take place based on the sequence of events that God has said it would happen according to his word. There will be no pre-tribulation rapture and no pre-wrath rapture.