The last seven years of Daniel's prophecies will have passed before the Rapture takes place.

Many people call the last seven years before Armageddon "the tribulation."

Actually, according to the Bible, only the LAST HALF (3 1/2 years) are really "the tribulation," because the great tribulation really begins in the middle of the seven years when the antichrist commits the abomination of desolation.

That is clearly explained in Daniel 11 and Matthew 24. The "Day of Wrath" is actually a DAY that also includes the first resurrection and rapture.

Now, let's prove.

First of all, my article, "When is the Rapture?" provides a full description of the Biblical chronology leading up to the rapture. If you have not yet read it, please do so before you abandon ship. I will not attempt to rehash all those proofs here.

In a nutshell, there are no less than five places in scripture where the following sequence of events is plainly confirmed:

1. Antichrist revealed at the Confirmation of the Covenant
2. Mark of the Beast in the middle of the seven years
3. Abomination of Desolation in Jerusalem
4. 144,000 Jews flee
5. Worst tribulation of all the ages on remaining Israel
6. The Day of the LORD / Day of Wrath (Vials of Wrath)
7. First Resurrection & Rapture of Saints 
8. Second Coming of Jesus / Armageddon / Marriage Supper of the Lamb
9. Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ

Once you have seen and understand the chronology of those events, you will be able to see the following.

The RAPTURE / DAY OF WRATH is compared to:

1. Noah's entrance into the ark / the people outside drowning,
2. Lot's family fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah / fire falling on the remaining cities.

Look at Luke 17:26-30

"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, UNTIL THE DAY that Noe entered into the ark, and THE FLOOD CAME, and DESTROYED THEM ALL.

Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But THE SAME DAY that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, AND DESTROYED THEM ALL. Even thus shall it be IN THE DAY when the Son of man is revealed."

Take note of the fact that the FLOOD and the FIRE BOTH BEGAN IMMEDIATELY after the saints were out of the way.

How does this contradict popular "pre-tribulation rapture" teachings?

Because the last seven years before Armageddon are NOT the wrath of God, but rather the wrath of Satan upon the saints.

The wrath of GOD only comes at the END of the seven years, and the scriptures are clear to state that it is immediately preceding the wrath of God when the rapture occurs.

All of these events take place at the end of the seven years (of Daniel's "seventieth week").

The teaching that the RAPTURE is before the TRIBULATION serious conflicts with the scriptures. The sobering issue here is that most Christians expect that they will NOT be tested during the tribulation, when they actually will be.

I will show you what the scripture says.

If the rapture actually occurred before the tribulation, then we could fairly ask this question: "Will anybody be SAVED in the tribulation?"

That question now is moot. All the church will endure the tribulation.

Some will perish as martyrs under the persecution of the Antichrist, and others will survive as heroes of the faith.

There is NO RESURRECTION before the Mark of the Beast OR the Abomination of Desolation!

And there is no SECOND resurrection for 1000 years more. Nobody will be saved after the Rapture! Period.

The rapture happens immediately before Armageddon, which is immediately before the millennial rule of Jesus Christ on earth.

Read Matthew 24:15, 21, 29-31 for yourself. It is the chronology according to Jesus' own words.

Or read Revelation 20:4 and 5, where John PLAINLY says that the FIRST RESURRECTION is AFTER THE MARK OF THE BEAST!

Or study Daniel 11:45 and 12:1-3, where Daniel sees the Antichrist in his palace in Jerusalem BEFORE the first resurrection in verses 2 and 3.

Or (one more) Paul telling the Thessalonians that "our gathering together unto Him" (the rapture) will NOT COME except there be a falling away first and the MAN OF SIN BE REVEALED. (I Thessalonians 2).

It is exceedingly clear that the rapture will not take place before the Antichrist is revealed.

Paul declared that the Antichrist will be "sitting in the temple of God, showing himself that he IS GOD", before the rapture / first resurrection.

If you wonder why I repeatedly combine RAPTURE / FIRST RESURRECTION is because most people do NOT realize that the rapture of I Thessalonians 4:16 (the Lord descending with a shout and the voice of the archangel and the last trump) is ALSO the FIRST RESURRECTION spoke of in Revelation 20:4,5 which John said is AFTER the Mark of the Beast.

The only OTHER RESURRECTION is 1,000 years later, and it is the resurrection of the WICKED!

Do not confuse the several individuals being raised from the dead  with the FIRST RESURRECTION / RAPTURE. It is true that Elijah raised the Zarephath widow's son, (I Kings 17:20-24), Elisha raised the Shunammite woman's son , (2 Kings 4:32-37). The dead man who touched Elisha's bones revived in 2 Kings 13:21. Jesus raised Jairus' daughter in Mark 5:41-43, and Lazarus in John 11:43-44. Peter raised Dorcas in Acts 9:40-41, and Paul raised Eutychus in Acts 20:9-12. Many of the dead who were buried in Jerusalem were raised the day Jesus died (Matthew 27:51-54). Unfortunately, for every one of these people, they were forced to return to the grave eventually. None of these were permanent resurrections.

Some people count Enoch and Elijah as resurrections, but neither of them died. They were taken into heaven alive. These are not true resurrections. Only Jesus is alive forever more. All other saints are still awaiting what John called the first (general) resurrection. In this sense, Jesus is the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18).

The first resurrection will take place in the last days, according to Revelation 20:4-6.

If there is only ONE RESURRECTION of the righteous, you'd better be in it! There is no "second load going".

Now, let's finish the subject of the Day of Wrath.

Read carefully in the Revelation 14:14-16

And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

THESE VERSES describes JESUS CHRIST reaping the harvest of the earth. This is the RAPTURE / FIRST RESURRECTION. If it is not, then what could it be?

It takes place THE SAME DAY as the DAY OF WRATH, which follows in the next few verses (Revelation 14:17-20).

And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

This SECOND HARVEST, is not Jesus performing it, but an ANGEL.

Jesus has JUST COMPLETED the rapture harvest, and would logically be with the saints in heaven preparing for their descent at Armageddon!

Meanwhile, the ANGELS finish the dirty work on earth. They gather all the wicked together as GRAPES into the WINEPRESS of the WRATH of GOD!

This is at the very end of Daniel's seventieth week, or the seven years.

If you continue reading into the FIFTEENTH CHAPTER of Revelation, you will see the SAINTS IN HEAVEN, and the angels receiving the SEVEN VIALS of the WRATH OF GOD. Then in the SIXTEENTH CHAPTER, you will see the angels on earth POURING OUT THE WRATH OF GOD.

Notice the FIRST VIAL is boils and sores on everyone who has the Mark of the Beast.

The THIRD VIAL is judgments on those who SHED the blood of the saints. Some people argue that those saints are EARLY CHURCH Saints, but remember that none of THEIR murderers are still alive! THESE murderers have JUST finished murdering ENDTIME saints! That is the Church in the Tribulation period!

Why are these points important to know?

One of the greatest delusions in Christendom today is the deception that the church will NOT see the tribulation nor the Antichrist, nor the Mark of the Beast.

The result of that grievous ERROR is that multitudes of otherwise stalwart Bible-believers are going to be caught TOTALLY unprepared for the awful difficulties that are about to come upon all men.

The TRUTH is that, as John said, Babylon is about to fall. And WE ARE GOING TO SEE IT FALL! The Endtime Church will SEE Babylon FALL!

Look at Revelation 14 again.

An ANGEL flies in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth.

Rev 14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

A SECOND ANGEL announced the FALL OF BABYLON!

8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

A THIRD ANGEL warns against TAKING THE MARK OF THE BEAST!

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

I submit to you that the FALL OF BABYLON will immediately precede the MARK of the BEAST.

This is entirely possible when you realize that the SIXTH TRUMPET is a war emanating from the EUPHRATES RIVER that involves 200 million soldiers and kills one-third of mankind. That is clearly a global holocaust with two billion casualties!

It is time for people all around the world to recognize the fact that THIS GENERATION HAS REBELLED AGAINST the God of Heaven and Earth, (the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob -- His name is Jesus Christ) and PAYDAY has COME!

Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

Even the good old United States of America is headed for judgment. (See "The Bible on the Future of America")

Meanwhile, the church is not appointed unto the WRATH of GOD, at the last day, but will be raptured immediately BEFORE the Wrath of God, but NOT BEFORE the Devil has his heyday.

You can clearly see the collapse of civilization is prophesied in Isaiah 24. Please take the time to read this whole chapter.

Isaiah 24:1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

In verse thirteen, after civilization collapses, you can see the olive tree shaken, (that alludes to the Great Tribulation of the second 3 1/2 years) and the grapes of wrath of the Day of Wrath.

Isaiah 24:13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.

Lastly, the LORD comes to punish the evil rulers of our day at Armageddon,

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

And Jesus rules and reigns in Jerusalem -

23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

We have come to the end of the age, and there is no way to miss it. We will all be here to watch it happen.

Ken Raggio

Saints in Tribulation
So God won’t allow his children to suffer? Look again!

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