Jesus Christ is Coming Soon!

[SovereignGrace]

But... The scripture must be fulfilled....

37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. - Matthew 24

First world - The flood came unlooked for
Flood - The death of the old world
Second world - Christ will appear unlooked for
Tribulation - The death of the current world

It must needs for words like the rapture dissipate away so we can continue to liken that event to the death of the first world.

I am glad you brought this up! Now, let us examine this passage together.

For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.[Matthew 24:37-41 NASB95]

Jesus uses Noah as His reference point. Who were the ones who remained and who were the ones swept away in judgment? It was the unbelievers [wicked] who were swept away in judgment via the flood, not believers. The rapture has this completely backwards. The wheat and tares, it was the tares cast into the fire, the wheat remained. This portion of Matthew 24 pointed to AD 70 and the destruction of the temple and judgment upon unbelieving Jews who denied Christ as their Messiah. The unbelieving Jews were taken away in AD 70.

 

[rockytopva]

I am glad you brought this up! Now, let us examine this passage together.

For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.[Matthew 24:37-41 NASB95]

Jesus uses Noah as His reference point. Who were the ones who remained and who were the ones swept away in judgment? It was the unbelievers [wicked] who were swept away in judgment via the flood, not believers. The rapture has this completely backwards. The wheat and tares, it was the tares cast into the fire, the wheat remained. This portion of Matthew 24 pointed to AD 70 and the destruction of the temple and judgment upon unbelieving Jews who denied Christ as their Messiah. The unbelieving Jews were taken away in AD 70.

Your material has nothing to do with preparing folk to meet their God. In which was the intent of the passages.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Your material has nothing to do with preparing folk to meet their God. In which was the intent of the passages.

And if soon means soon as the OP states, then that sets Revelation off into the biblical course it is set out for. Things which soon must take place because the time is near [Revelation 1:1,3].

They said it was soon decades ago and yet here we are on terra firma. I am trying to get you to think things through my friend.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Your material has nothing to do with preparing folk to meet their God. In which was the intent of the passages.

You were the one who emphatically stated in the OP title “Jesus Christ is coming soon!” You have no way of knowing this, yet averred it anyways. None of us know when it will be, tonight, tomorrow, next week, next year, 4,000 years from now. It’s true that we need to warn ppl of coming judgment upon the world, that Christ is coming again. As Apostle Paul wrote, For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.[2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 NASB95]

But you wrote a check you have no way of cashing when you said “Jesus Christ is coming soon.” None of us knows this for certain.

 

[th1bill]

Well... Not very popular teaching these days... But... Jesus is coming soon! In which we are warned time and time again in scripture...

Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.- Matthew 24:44

I was taught early on to look forward to the Lord Jesus coming as something that can happen any day now. And such teachings, I believe, helps keep one pure. And for me helps make for a more enjoyable day.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. - 1 John 3

I understand where you are coming from and I agree! On the other hand we live in a heavily Catholic influenced world. You need to thoughtfully modify your approach.

People do not understand that YHWH always has been and forever will be, They do not begin to grasp the idea that YHWH knows the past from the future. Many, even Evangelicals, do not grasp the idea that He is present in the past, present and, the future... fight now. You must be careful of sentence structure and of promising too much. This concept and the concept of YHWH's sense of time are matters that humans must deal with in faith and nothing more,

Most of all, forgive and pray for the nay sayers.
Shalom

 

[rockytopva]

Those who anticipate the appearing of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are much more sharper of disciples and human beings than those who are not. In which is why it is so hard to follow American ministries these days. The ministers are not at all sharp people.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Throughout church history, numerous individuals have predicted that Christ would return, that the saints would be caught up (the rapture), or that the end of the age would occur during their own generation.
One important distinction, especially when studying this from a historical and theological standpoint, is that predicting Christ's Second Coming is not necessarily the same thing as predicting a pretribulation rapture. The modern doctrine of a separate, secret, pretribulational rapture has a much more specific history.
Here is a chronological look at some of the more notable figures.

1. Early church and medieval period​

Person or group	Prediction	What they expected
Montanus	AD 156–172	Expected the New Jerusalem to descend near Pepuza in Phrygia.
Hippolytus of Rome	Around AD 500	Associated the end of the age with chronological calculations based on Scripture.
Beatus of Liébana	Around AD 800	Associated the millennium with the fulfillment of biblical chronology.
Various medieval Christians	AD 1000	Expected Christ's millennial reign or the end of the age.
Spiritual Franciscans	Around 1260	Expected a new age associated with Joachim of Fiore's prophetic chronology.
Taborites	Around 1420	Expected apocalyptic judgment and the establishment of Christ's kingdom.

These were generally predictions concerning the end of the age, judgment, or Christ's return—not necessarily a modern pretribulation rapture.

Modern Reformation+1

2. The 1800s: The development of modern rapture expectations​

This is particularly interesting because the nineteenth century saw the development of the modern dispensational understanding of the rapture.
Margaret MacDonald (1830)
Lady Mariota Stuart

• A young Scottish woman who reportedly experienced a prophetic vision in 1830.
• Her vision included ideas about believers being taken before a time of tribulation.
• Whether her vision influenced the development of John Nelson Darby's theology remains disputed.

Edward Irving and his associates (1832)
EDWARD IRVING Scottish clergy Our beautiful Wall Art and Photo Gifts include Framed Prints, Photo Prints, Poster Prints, Canvas Prints, Jigsaw Puzzles, Metal Prints and so much more

• Irving and prophetic associates became involved in predictions concerning Christ's return.
• January 14, 1832, was reportedly identified as the date the Church would be caught up.
• The prediction failed.

John Nelson Darby (1800–1882)
John Nelson Darby - Father of the Rapture Theory

• Developed and systematized modern dispensational premillennialism.
• Taught a pretribulation rapture.
• Importantly, Darby did not establish a definite date for the rapture.

William Miller (1843–1844)
William Miller: Reviving the Hope of the Second Coming - AskAnAdventistFriend.com

• Initially expected Christ to return between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844.
• His followers subsequently settled on October 22, 1844.
• When Christ did not return, the movement experienced what became known as the Great Disappointment.

CPRC+3

3. The 1900s: Rapture predictions become increasingly popular​

Person	Predicted date	Details
Charles Taze Russell	1874, 1881, 1914	Expected Christ's return; later interpreted 1874 as an invisible return.
Chuck Smith	1981	Suggested Christ would probably return by 1981.
Edgar C. Whisenant	1988	Published 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.
Edgar C. Whisenant	1989	Revised his prediction after 1988 passed.
Harold Camping	1994	Predicted September 6, 1994, as the date of the rapture.

Modern Reformation+1

4. The 2000s and beyond​

Harold Camping, Controversial End Times Predictor, Dies at Age 92 | Church & Ministries



David Meade Speaker Agent | Hire Keynote Speaker



Preachers Predict Rapture in September 2025 – Bushbuckridge News

Person	Predicted date	Details
Harold Camping	May 21, 2011	Predicted the rapture and judgment day.
Harold Camping	October 21, 2011	Revised his prediction to this date.
David Meade	September 23, 2017	Predicted an apocalyptic event associated with Planet X and biblical prophecy.
Joshua Mhlakela	September 23–24, 2025	Claimed Jesus had revealed that the rapture would occur on those dates.

Wikipedia+1

An important historical observation​

There is a major difference between these two developments:

1. The expectation of Christ's return: Christians have anticipated Christ's return throughout church history.
2. The modern pretribulation rapture: The teaching that Christ will secretly remove the Church before a future seven-year tribulation became systematized in the nineteenth century, particularly through Darby.

The history of that development is discussed in the Encyclopedia of Christianity and scholarly treatments of millennialism.

St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology+2

Some useful historical reading​

• Specific Prophecies of Christ's Return, Unfilled – Modern Reformation
• Millenarianism – St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology
• The Genesis and Development of Dispensationalism in Nineteenth-Century England

Given your interest in biblical eschatology, one particularly interesting study would be comparing the failed predictions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with the development of dispensationalism.
Create image

 

[rockytopva]

And if soon means soon as the OP states, then that sets Revelation off into the biblical course it is set out for. Things which soon must take place because the time is near [Revelation 1:1,3].

They said it was soon decades ago and yet here we are on terra firma. I am trying to get you to think things through my friend.

Throughout church history, numerous individuals have predicted that Christ would return, that the saints would be caught up (the rapture), or that the end of the age would occur during their own generation.
One important distinction, especially when studying this from a historical and theological standpoint, is that predicting Christ's Second Coming is not necessarily the same thing as predicting a pretribulation rapture. The modern doctrine of a separate, secret, pretribulational rapture has a much more specific history.
Here is a chronological look at some of the more notable figures.

1. Early church and medieval period​

Person or group	Prediction	What they expected
Montanus	AD 156–172	Expected the New Jerusalem to descend near Pepuza in Phrygia.
Hippolytus of Rome	Around AD 500	Associated the end of the age with chronological calculations based on Scripture.
Beatus of Liébana	Around AD 800	Associated the millennium with the fulfillment of biblical chronology.
Various medieval Christians	AD 1000	Expected Christ's millennial reign or the end of the age.
Spiritual Franciscans	Around 1260	Expected a new age associated with Joachim of Fiore's prophetic chronology.
Taborites	Around 1420	Expected apocalyptic judgment and the establishment of Christ's kingdom.

These were generally predictions concerning the end of the age, judgment, or Christ's return—not necessarily a modern pretribulation rapture.

Modern Reformation+1

2. The 1800s: The development of modern rapture expectations​

This is particularly interesting because the nineteenth century saw the development of the modern dispensational understanding of the rapture.
Margaret MacDonald (1830)
Lady Mariota Stuart

• A young Scottish woman who reportedly experienced a prophetic vision in 1830.
• Her vision included ideas about believers being taken before a time of tribulation.
• Whether her vision influenced the development of John Nelson Darby's theology remains disputed.

Edward Irving and his associates (1832)
EDWARD IRVING Scottish clergy Our beautiful Wall Art and Photo Gifts include Framed Prints, Photo Prints, Poster Prints, Canvas Prints, Jigsaw Puzzles, Metal Prints and so much more

• Irving and prophetic associates became involved in predictions concerning Christ's return.
• January 14, 1832, was reportedly identified as the date the Church would be caught up.
• The prediction failed.

John Nelson Darby (1800–1882)
John Nelson Darby - Father of the Rapture Theory

• Developed and systematized modern dispensational premillennialism.
• Taught a pretribulation rapture.
• Importantly, Darby did not establish a definite date for the rapture.

William Miller (1843–1844)
William Miller: Reviving the Hope of the Second Coming - AskAnAdventistFriend.com

• Initially expected Christ to return between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844.
• His followers subsequently settled on October 22, 1844.
• When Christ did not return, the movement experienced what became known as the Great Disappointment.

CPRC+3

3. The 1900s: Rapture predictions become increasingly popular​

Person	Predicted date	Details
Charles Taze Russell	1874, 1881, 1914	Expected Christ's return; later interpreted 1874 as an invisible return.
Chuck Smith	1981	Suggested Christ would probably return by 1981.
Edgar C. Whisenant	1988	Published 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.
Edgar C. Whisenant	1989	Revised his prediction after 1988 passed.
Harold Camping	1994	Predicted September 6, 1994, as the date of the rapture.

Modern Reformation+1

4. The 2000s and beyond​

Harold Camping, Controversial End Times Predictor, Dies at Age 92 | Church & Ministries



David Meade Speaker Agent | Hire Keynote Speaker



Preachers Predict Rapture in September 2025 – Bushbuckridge News

Person	Predicted date	Details
Harold Camping	May 21, 2011	Predicted the rapture and judgment day.
Harold Camping	October 21, 2011	Revised his prediction to this date.
David Meade	September 23, 2017	Predicted an apocalyptic event associated with Planet X and biblical prophecy.
Joshua Mhlakela	September 23–24, 2025	Claimed Jesus had revealed that the rapture would occur on those dates.

Wikipedia+1

An important historical observation​

There is a major difference between these two developments:

1. The expectation of Christ's return: Christians have anticipated Christ's return throughout church history.
2. The modern pretribulation rapture: The teaching that Christ will secretly remove the Church before a future seven-year tribulation became systematized in the nineteenth century, particularly through Darby.

The history of that development is discussed in the Encyclopedia of Christianity and scholarly treatments of millennialism.

St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology+2

Some useful historical reading​

• Specific Prophecies of Christ's Return, Unfilled – Modern Reformation
• Millenarianism – St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology
• The Genesis and Development of Dispensationalism in Nineteenth-Century England

Given your interest in biblical eschatology, one particularly interesting study would be comparing the failed predictions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with the development of dispensationalism.
Create image

Even if the Lord Jesus Christ waits until the year 4020AD to come again that does not change the fact that we are to look-for and anticipate his coming as something that could happen today...

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. - 1 John 3:3

 

[rockytopva]

Throughout church history, numerous individuals have predicted that Christ would return, that the saints would be caught up (the rapture), or that the end of the age would occur during their own generation.
One important distinction, especially when studying this from a historical and theological standpoint, is that predicting Christ's Second Coming is not necessarily the same thing as predicting a pretribulation rapture. The modern doctrine of a separate, secret, pretribulational rapture has a much more specific history.
Here is a chronological look at some of the more notable figures.

1. Early church and medieval period​

Person or group	Prediction	What they expected
Montanus	AD 156–172	Expected the New Jerusalem to descend near Pepuza in Phrygia.
Hippolytus of Rome	Around AD 500	Associated the end of the age with chronological calculations based on Scripture.
Beatus of Liébana	Around AD 800	Associated the millennium with the fulfillment of biblical chronology.
Various medieval Christians	AD 1000	Expected Christ's millennial reign or the end of the age.
Spiritual Franciscans	Around 1260	Expected a new age associated with Joachim of Fiore's prophetic chronology.
Taborites	Around 1420	Expected apocalyptic judgment and the establishment of Christ's kingdom.

These were generally predictions concerning the end of the age, judgment, or Christ's return—not necessarily a modern pretribulation rapture.

Modern Reformation+1

2. The 1800s: The development of modern rapture expectations​

This is particularly interesting because the nineteenth century saw the development of the modern dispensational understanding of the rapture.
Margaret MacDonald (1830)
Lady Mariota Stuart

• A young Scottish woman who reportedly experienced a prophetic vision in 1830.
• Her vision included ideas about believers being taken before a time of tribulation.
• Whether her vision influenced the development of John Nelson Darby's theology remains disputed.

Edward Irving and his associates (1832)
EDWARD IRVING Scottish clergy Our beautiful Wall Art and Photo Gifts include Framed Prints, Photo Prints, Poster Prints, Canvas Prints, Jigsaw Puzzles, Metal Prints and so much more

• Irving and prophetic associates became involved in predictions concerning Christ's return.
• January 14, 1832, was reportedly identified as the date the Church would be caught up.
• The prediction failed.

John Nelson Darby (1800–1882)
John Nelson Darby - Father of the Rapture Theory

• Developed and systematized modern dispensational premillennialism.
• Taught a pretribulation rapture.
• Importantly, Darby did not establish a definite date for the rapture.

William Miller (1843–1844)
William Miller: Reviving the Hope of the Second Coming - AskAnAdventistFriend.com

• Initially expected Christ to return between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844.
• His followers subsequently settled on October 22, 1844.
• When Christ did not return, the movement experienced what became known as the Great Disappointment.

CPRC+3

3. The 1900s: Rapture predictions become increasingly popular​

Person	Predicted date	Details
Charles Taze Russell	1874, 1881, 1914	Expected Christ's return; later interpreted 1874 as an invisible return.
Chuck Smith	1981	Suggested Christ would probably return by 1981.
Edgar C. Whisenant	1988	Published 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.
Edgar C. Whisenant	1989	Revised his prediction after 1988 passed.
Harold Camping	1994	Predicted September 6, 1994, as the date of the rapture.

Modern Reformation+1

4. The 2000s and beyond​

Harold Camping, Controversial End Times Predictor, Dies at Age 92 | Church & Ministries



David Meade Speaker Agent | Hire Keynote Speaker



Preachers Predict Rapture in September 2025 – Bushbuckridge News

Person	Predicted date	Details
Harold Camping	May 21, 2011	Predicted the rapture and judgment day.
Harold Camping	October 21, 2011	Revised his prediction to this date.
David Meade	September 23, 2017	Predicted an apocalyptic event associated with Planet X and biblical prophecy.
Joshua Mhlakela	September 23–24, 2025	Claimed Jesus had revealed that the rapture would occur on those dates.

Wikipedia+1

An important historical observation​

There is a major difference between these two developments:

1. The expectation of Christ's return: Christians have anticipated Christ's return throughout church history.
2. The modern pretribulation rapture: The teaching that Christ will secretly remove the Church before a future seven-year tribulation became systematized in the nineteenth century, particularly through Darby.

The history of that development is discussed in the Encyclopedia of Christianity and scholarly treatments of millennialism.

St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology+2

Some useful historical reading​

• Specific Prophecies of Christ's Return, Unfilled – Modern Reformation
• Millenarianism – St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology
• The Genesis and Development of Dispensationalism in Nineteenth-Century England

Given your interest in biblical eschatology, one particularly interesting study would be comparing the failed predictions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with the development of dispensationalism.
Create image

Your material in my mind encourages terribleness in life and has no meaning to me.

 

[SovereignGrace]

“Soon” in Revelation 1:1 τάχος tachos

From Dr. William Mounce:

tachos

quickness, immediateness; (in pp. phrase) quickly, immediately, soon
GK 5443 · Strong's 5034 · Morphology: n-3d(2b) · Frequency: 8x

swiftness, speed, quickness; ἐν τάχει, with speed, quickly, speedily; soon, shortly, Lk. 18:8; Acts 25:4; hastily, immediately, Acts 12:7; 22:18; Rom. 16:20; 1 Tim. 3:14; Rev. 1:1; 22:6*

Concordance (8 entries)​

Luke 18:8
I tell you, he will vindicate them without delay[other versions use “quickly”]; but will the Son of Man, when he comes, find faith on earth?”

Acts 12:7
And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared, and a light shone in the cell. He struck the side of Peter and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.

Acts 22:18
and I saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’

Acts 25:4
So then Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea but that he himself intended to go there shortly.

Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

1 Timothy 3:14
I am writing these things to you, even though I am hoping to come to you quickly,

Revelation 1:1
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Revelation 22:6
And he said to me, “These words are reliable and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show to his servants what must soon take place.”

None of those usages of tachos can in any way mean anything other than soon, nearness.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Even if the Lord Jesus Christ waits until the year 4020AD to come again that does not change the fact that we are to look-for and anticipate his coming as something that could happen today...

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. - 1 John 3:3

I’ve never averred anything to the contrary. We are to live each second like it could be our last. We are to be ready at all times. I’m just cautioning you against making claims you cannot support. We, none of us, knows He is coming soon. I’m not saying He isn’t, but none can emphatically claim He is coming soon.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Your material in my mind encourages terribleness in life and has no meaning to me.

“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” Many have proclaimed the Lord is at hand, the rapture will soon occur, only to end up with egg on their faces. History is replete with errors ppl have made claiming the Lord is at hand.

 

[rockytopva]

“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” Many have proclaimed the Lord is at hand, the rapture will soon occur, only to end up with egg on their faces. History is replete with errors ppl have made claiming the Lord is at hand.

So... You don't believe in the rapture
So... You don't believe in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ

You can comfort yourself as you are in the majority these days and nothing like we few who still look for the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ as something that can happen today.

 

[SovereignGrace]

So... You don't believe in the rapture
So... You don't believe in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ

You can comfort yourself as you are in the majority these days and nothing like we few who still look for the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ as something that can happen today.

I believe in the rapture, as that happens on the last day of history. I believe the Lord will return at the end of history. I am not saying He will not say return today, but many have said He would soon return and rapture the church, prior to the great tribulation, only to end up with egg on their faces.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Fatherr, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”[John 6:35-40]

Notice He said He will raise BELIEVERS on the last day, not some pre-tribulation rapture.

 

[SovereignGrace]

So... You don't believe in the rapture
So... You don't believe in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ

You can comfort yourself as you are in the majority these days and nothing like we few who still look for the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ as something that can happen today.

Plus, I noticed you avoided post # 30 like the plague.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.[John 5:28-29]

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”[Matthew 25:31-46]

In both of these Jesus unmistakably states that both believers and unbelievers will stand before Him in judgment, not 1,007 years apart.

 

[SovereignGrace]

I asked ChatGPT this: What verses explicitly teach a pre-trib rapture? I don’t mean infers, but explicitly teaches it?

Its response:

If we're being strict with the wording of Scripture, I don't believe there is a verse that explicitly teaches a pre-tribulation rapture.
There are certainly verses that explicitly teach a rapture (a catching away of believers), but that's a different question from whether the rapture occurs before the seven-year tribulation.
That distinction is important, particularly when discussing this with someone who holds the pre-tribulation position.
Let's separate what the Bible actually says from what is concluded through interpretation.

1. Verses that explicitly teach a catching away​

1 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:
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.

This is unquestionably the clearest passage describing the catching away of believers.
But notice what it does NOT say:

• It doesn't say the event occurs before the tribulation.
• It doesn't say it occurs seven years before Christ's visible return.
• It doesn't say Christ comes secretly.
• It doesn't identify two separate stages of Christ's second coming.

It teaches a catching away. The timing is not specified.
1 Corinthians 15:51–52

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump...

Again, this explicitly teaches the transformation of living believers and the resurrection of the dead. It does not establish a pre-tribulation date.
John 14:1–3
Jesus promises to return and receive His disciples unto Himself.
Pre-tribulationists argue that this describes Christ taking the church to heaven before the tribulation. However, Jesus doesn't specify when this happens in relation to the tribulation.

2. The principal verses used to argue for pre-tribulationism​

These are probably the most important passages to examine.

Passage	What it explicitly says	What must be inferred
1 Thessalonians 1:10	Jesus delivers us from coming wrath	That this means removal before the tribulation
1 Thessalonians 5:9	Believers aren't appointed to wrath	That the entire tribulation is God's wrath and believers must be absent
Revelation 3:10	Christ will keep believers from the hour of testing	That this requires removal from earth before it begins
Luke 21:36	Believers may escape coming things	That this escape is a pre-tribulation rapture
John 14:1–3	Christ will come and receive His people	That this happens seven years before His visible return
Titus 2:13	Believers await the blessed hope	That the hope must be fulfilled before the tribulation

The strongest pre-tribulation arguments are generally built around Revelation 3:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9–10.
But neither passage explicitly identifies a pre-tribulation rapture.
Even a scholarly defense of pre-tribulationism acknowledges that the rapture passages don't give a specific temporal designation.

3. Passages that present a chronological difficulty for pre-tribulationism​

There are also passages worth putting alongside the pre-tribulation proof texts.
Matthew 24:29–31
Jesus says:

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened...

He then describes the Son of Man appearing and gathering His elect.
The chronological wording is significant: immediately after the tribulation.
Pre-tribulationists generally argue that this gathering is distinct from the church's rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4. But Matthew doesn't explicitly make that distinction.
2 Thessalonians 2:1–3

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled...

Paul connects the coming of Christ and our gathering together unto Him. He then says that the day will not come unless there is first a falling away and the man of sin is revealed.
This is another important passage to consider when examining the proposed chronology.

4. My conclusion​

I would distinguish three propositions:

1. The rapture is biblical. Absolutely. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 plainly teaches believers being caught up to meet Christ.
2. Believers are not appointed to God's wrath. Absolutely. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 plainly teaches that.
3. The rapture takes place before the seven-year tribulation. That is where an interpretive argument is necessary.

I think this is the most important question to put to a pre-tribulationist:
Can you show me one passage of Scripture that explicitly places the catching away of the church before the tribulation, rather than passages from which that chronology is inferred?
That's a fair question, and it doesn't require denying the rapture, the second coming, or God's deliverance of His people from wrath.
For further reading, here's an interesting resource from a pre-tribulation perspective that lays out the arguments: Why a Pretribulational Rapture? – The Master's Seminary.
And here's a contrasting examination: The Rapture – Bible.org.

 

[SovereignGrace]

And yes, I’m well aware AI is not the end all to be all and has its limitations. But even it cannot find explicit proof the rapture is before the alleged future great tribulation.