Featured Did Paul teach the Pre-Trib view?

1 Thessalonians 1: 10 “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

Is Paul mentioning a Rapture a catching away of the bride to the Thessalonians which is to occur before the Tribulation in 1st Thessalonians 1:10? Or is a Catching away a part of the coming at the end of time or is he speaking of a general resurrection and there will be no Kingdom?

Let’s look first at the fact that all believers have been delivered from the wrath to come. The wrath to come is the Tribulation according to Revelation 6 -19, God pouring out His judgment upon mankind.

We see Paul answering a question posed to him by the believers in Thessalonica in 1st Thessalonians.

We see he answers them about the dead. Now if he were speaking of a general resurrection why would they have posed the question? There would not be a question if all are resurrected in the general resurrection view. Evidently Paul had taught them of the return of the Lord for the church and he seems to be saying it would happen before God's wrath would be poured out.

1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 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: 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.

Their question seems to be when the Lord returns for us what about those who have died did they miss His return for the church? To which Paul says they will be raised first, then we who are alive and remain will meet you in the air. Notice Paul didn’t say we would meet Christ on Earth which would mean at His second coming. Secondly Paul said we would meet them in the clouds and would ever be with the Lord. Paul doesn’t say Christ comes all the way to earth as Revelation 19 clearly states. So the church is taken out before the wrath to come and the dead in Christ go before those who are alive and remain.

What does this show us a Rapture or a General Resurrection?

 

Ephesians 4:9-10, 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
first we see Jesus descended into paradise of which we know from His teaching was separated by a Great gulf and those in torments could talk to those in Paradise, we see this in the story of Lazarus and the rich man.

Then we see 1st Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
Peter says Christ preached unto the spirits in prison, that would be those in torments, they all heard everyone who was in the grave heard Him. When did this occur, Paul said when He descended so that "the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice", The hour came and those in the grave heard his voice. Then he carried the souls in Paradise to Heaven, how do we know this we see Paul again, 2 Corinthians 5:8 "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." Paul made it very clear that when we die we go to Heaven to be with Christ. The souls in prison stayed in prison until He returns to the earth and completes His mission of the Kingdom.

As for the 7 year Tribulation we see,

Revelation 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
42 months that would be 3 1/2 years,

Revelation 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
42 months = 3 1/2 years and I believe that makes 7 years.

Then too we have this from Jesus,
Luke 21:24. 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.” We know that Jesus said the time of the Gentiles would end when the abomination that maketh desolate appeared, Matthew 24:15-22, 15"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 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.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Jesus said and Revelation bears it out Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
That image stays for 3 1/2 years. Except the time of tribulation be shortened, that a short 7 year period no flesh would be saved.

Then they will return for the final week of Daniels 70 weeks, which as proven out by fulfillment of prophecy will be 7 years.

Jesus foretold the events of Revelation 6-19 we see in : Luke 25-28, 25 "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."


Every thing Jesus prophesied here is seen in Revelation 6-19.

One final thing we see which says Christ is coming physically back to earth to set up His Kingdom which shows literal is Revelation 19:19,19 "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army."

Wonder how they know He is coming at that specific time, because of them knowing that the Tribulation would last 7 years from the church having been removed. They are gathered to war against Jesus, who is coming to earth. This is followed by the Kingdom set up in Chapter 20 which will last for 1000 years.

 

One more you ask why should we look past Chapter 3 if the church is snatched away in Chapter 4 so that we are encouraged to witness, to keep others from ending up in the Lake of fire, so that the Holy Spirit can convict them and they then must choose to accept or reject Christ. That is why we should teach it as an encouragement to believers first that we will not go through that period and two that we become stronger witnesses to try to keep family, friends and enemies from ending up in the Lake of fire.

 

The Resurrection of the dead is not in debate! The dead will be resurrected. The just will be resurrected, the believers of the Church will be resurrected and become the Bride of Christ. The Tribulation will take place and at the end those Saints who lost their lives for the sake of Christ will be resurrected but Jesus makes a clear statement to John the Revelator, Revelation 20:5 "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection." that you see is the resurrection of the Lost. John 5:29. "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

Very clear after the 1000 years of Christ reign on earth. The ones who come forth to Damnation are seen her in Revelation 20 verse 5. We see their fate 1000 years later in,

Revelation 20:11-15, 11"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

It is very clear the Resurrections of the just and the unjust don't take place at the same time. Made clear here in "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Revelation 1:1"

So to keep saying John 5 as taught by Jesus shows a general Resurrection contradicts what Jesus says in Revelation 20 verse 5. There will not be a general resurrection Jesus made it clear through John.

 

Darby's might confuse you. But the premillianism and dispensationalism that Paul taught is quite clear.