Bible Doctrine

The Bible Doctrine Of The Pretribulation Rapture Of The Church As Found In The Book Of Revelation

This “new song” tells you exactly who this crowd of people in Revelation 5 is, for it can be no other. It is the only group in human history that was “redeemed by the blood of the Lamb”.

Published

11 years ago

October 21, 2015

Geoffrey Grider

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Had the Jews accepted the preaching of Stephen, instead of rejecting it and stoning him, the day of the Lord would have happened right there in Acts 7, and the Church Age would never have happened.

In our day and age, the Church Age, as inconceivable as it might sound, there are many Christians who assail and attack the Bible doctrine of the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ. Scoffers go on to say, and wrongly so, that this doctrine was not taught before Mary McDonald and John Nelson Darby spoke about it in the early 1830’s. Some even say it was an invention of CI Scofield in his reference study Bible.

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” Revelation 4:1,2 (KJV)

Again, these statements have no bearing on the truth of any kind, as this article will endeavor to point out. Part of the “confusion” for some comes because there is more than one rapture in the Bible, and there is more than one time the phrase “come up hither” is used. A healthy dose of 2 Timothy 2:15 is the sure antidote for this pressing malady. So let’s get started, shall we?

The three ‘Come Up Hithers’ and the three Raptures in the Bible

In God’s preserved word as found in the King James Bible, the phrase “come up hither” only appears three times, and here they are:

“For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.” Proverbs 25:7 (KJV)
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1 (KJV)
“And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” Revelation 11:12 (KJV)

And amazingly enough, there are three raptures in the Bible as well. Though I am sure this is just a “coincidence”. Here they are:

THE FIRST RAPTURE: This has already taken place, and it had nothing to do with the Church. “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” Matthew 27:50-54 (KJV)
THE SECOND RAPTURE: This is the one for the Church, and it will take place before the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7 KJV). Jacob’s Trouble is the same thing as the Great Tribulation mentioned in Matthew 24. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1 (KJV)
The THIRD RAPTURE: This will take place during the time of Jacob’s Trouble, while the Church is in Heaven. “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Revelation 11:11-13 (KJV)

The astute student of the Bible will notice that both the first and third raptures occur in the presence of an earthquake. Perhaps it has something to do with this:

“Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” Hebrews 12:26 (KJV)

God’s voice “shook the Earth” when Jesus was on the cross, and it will “shake it again” during the time of Jacob’s trouble. But for the Church’s rapture, no shaking at all. A voice like a trumpet that only saved believers can hear, and we are g-o-n-e gone. Are you starting to see the difference in God’s plan for the Jews and His plan for the Church? They clearly are not the same.

This is begins to make sense when we understand that building a church was not why Jesus came. He came for His people, the Jews. Creating the Church was the backup plan when they rejected. So in effect we are a 2,000 year comma inserted in between the sandwich of Israel lost and Israel redeemed. Peter declared in Acts 2 that the “day of the Lord” spoken of by “Joel the prophet” was already coming to pass in that day. And had the Jews accepted the preaching of Stephen, instead of rejecting it and stoning him, the day of the Lord would have happened right there in Acts 7, and the Church Age would never have happened. But it didn’t. Acts 8 the first gentile gets saved, and in Acts 9 Saul becomes Paul and…here we are! Now that we have “set the table”, let’s take a look at our Rapture, the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church, as found in Revelation chapters 4 and 5. We start with John.

John is a type of the Church and experiences a type of the Rapture

The apostle John was not like any of the other 11 apostles, he was special and the Bible says so. In fact, the Bible says it multiple times, look it up.

“Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.” John 21:7 (KJV)

The Church that Jesus eventually did create He loved very much, with a very special love that is likened unto the marriage between a man and a woman.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” Ephesians 5:25 (KJV)

Because of John’s special relationship with Jesus, he is the apostle that lived the longest, and is the only apostle that didn’t die at the hands of the Romans. Furthermore, Jesus hand picks him to receive the Revelation of the time of the end. Pretty special, don’t you think? Just like the Church, pretty special and very different. John had tribulation with a small “t” but he didn’t die like the others did, right? Likewise the Church, though it always has had tribulation will not go through THE Tribulation for much the same reason. Think about that.

In Revelation 4, versus one and two, John as a type of the Church is called up to Heaven in a type of the Rapture. What John experienced then is what the apostle Paul says will happen for the Church when the actual rapture takes place for us:

“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: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 (KJV)

It is at this juncture that most rapture debates get a “flat tire” and drive off into the ditch. People here will start to argue about the “trumpets” and “voices” mentioned in the Bible. But we are going to bypass that and focus on what most people miss. We are going to look at what John saw when he got there.

“And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” Revelation 4:2,3 (KJV)

John is not in Paradise, he is not in Abraham’s Bosom, John is in Heaven at the Throne of God Himself. Which, another amazing coincidence, is exactly where Paul says all saved believers go immediately when they die. Hmm…

“Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (KJV)

Who are the people singing this “new song”?

In Revelation 5, the wonderment continues and John sees an enormous throng of people and they are “singing a new song”. What are the words to that song you ask? Listen and see…

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5 9,20 (KJV)

This “new song” tells you exactly who this crowd of people in Revelation 5 is, for it can be no other. It is the only group in human history that was “redeemed by the blood of the Lamb”. The Christian Church! Furthermore, it says that these people God has made into “kings and priests” who “shall reign on the earth”. A huge time clue here is the use of the phrase “and we shall reign”, let me tell you why. If this is a vision of the Church in Heaven at the Rapture, then we would not be reigning with Christ, as the Bible says we will, until many years in the future from the moment when the Thousand Year Reign of Christ (Revelation 20) starts. And what about the “kings and priests”? Why, that is exactly how Peter describes the Church in the Age of Grace. Read it and see:

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9,10 (KJV)

Did you catch that? Peter says we are a “royal priesthood”, kings and priests indeed. The apostle Paul tells us right in 2 Timothy that saved believers will reign with Jesus Christ in the Millennium.

“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:” 2 Timothy 2:11,12 (KJV)

Furthermore, just to shut and lock the door on who the “kings and priests” of Revelation 5 are, allow me to call your attention to what John calls the Church in the opening chapter of the book of Revelation.

“And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:6 (KJV)

Certainly, if you are a Bible believer, you can clearly see that the it is the Church who are the “kings and priests” of God during the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ. And it is without a doubt the Church that John is seeing in chapter 5.

The word “Church” disappears and is never used again after this point

John mentions the word “church” 7 times in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, and after Revelation 4 starts, the word “church” is never mentioned again. The Church itself is not seen on Earth until the end of Revelation 19. And what happens between the start of Revelation 6 to the end of Revelation 19 is the time of Jacob’s trouble, which is a time of testing and refinement for the nation of Israel. The rapture the Jews get is the Third Rapture mentioned above, the same one mentioned in Matthew 24. But it is not our rapture, just like the first one was not either.

But the Church of Jesus Christ, the very same Church you and I are a part of right now, is mentioned in great, graphic detail in Revelation 5. If Revelation 4 is not the Rapture of the Church, then what is the Church doing up there in chapters 4 and 5? There is no other group that has been a). redeemed by His blood, b). made kings and priests of God, and c). get to rule and reign with Jesus in the Millennium. That is exactly how Paul and Peter describe the Church.

Obviously, and for the reasons we’ve shown here, the Rapture of the Church happens before the start of the Tribulation in Revelation 6. And when you “rightly divide” your Bible as Paul commands us to, this is exactly the conclusion you come to.

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Bible Doctrine

How Roman Catholic Fulfillment Theology Replaces Israel’s Literal Prophetic Future With A Spiritualized ‘Church System’ That The Bible Never Teaches

Published

3 days ago

April 25, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Fulfillment Theology Versus Dispensational Truth Shows The Critical Difference Between Spiritualizing Israel And Rightly Dividing Scripture

Fulfillment theology is the belief that the promises, prophecies, covenants, and kingdom expectations in the Old Testament are “fulfilled” in Jesus Christ and, often, in the Church. In simple terms, it teaches that many things God promised to Israel are now spiritually fulfilled in Christ and the Church, rather than requiring a future, literal fulfillment for national Israel. But the danger is that Fulfillment Theology can become a softer, more polished version of Replacement Theology. It may avoid saying “the Church replaced Israel,” but it still spiritualizes Israel’s land, kingdom, throne, and national restoration promises into the Church. That is absolutely not what the Bible teaches.

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:32,33 (KJB)

God promised Israel a land, a kingdom, a throne, and national restoration. Fulfillment theology may say those promises are fulfilled spiritually in Christ and His people today. But the Bible says those promises still await literal fulfillment for Israel in the future kingdom. Fulfillment theology says that Israel’s promises are fulfilled in Christ and the Church. Dispensational theology says that Christ fulfills prophecy, but God’s literal promises to Israel remain intact and will be fulfilled in Israel, while the Church has its own distinct heavenly calling in this present dispensation. We see these things when we follows Paul’s command in 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJB) to ‘rightly divide’ the scriptures. If you don’t have a King James Bible, then it doesn’t say that in your bible because the Greek and Hebrew ‘scholars” removed it so you wouldn’t know to do it. This is why we stick with the God-honored King James Authorzied Version Holy Bible.

The Main Biblical Differences Between Fulfillment Theology And Dispensational Theology

“Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:” 1 Corinthians 10:32 (KJB)

The Bible recognizes three distinct classes of people in God’s dealings: the Jews, the Gentiles, and the church of God. Fulfillment theology tends to merge those distinctions by teaching that Israel’s promises are fulfilled spiritually in Christ and the Church. Dispensational theology rightly divides the word of truth and keeps God’s promises to Israel, the Church, and the nations in their proper biblical places. These three groups are not the same, they never were the same, and they will never be the same.

I. The Difference In How Each System Views Israel

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:25 (KJB)

“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:” Romans 11:26 (KJB)

“For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” Romans 11:27 (KJB)

“As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.” Romans 11:28 (KJB)

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Romans 11:29 (KJB)

Fulfillment theology says Israel’s promises are fulfilled in Christ and applied spiritually to the Church. Dispensational theology says Israel is presently blinded in part, but not permanently cast away. God still has a future national restoration for Israel because “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” But Israel’s unbelief did not cancel God’s covenant promises. God’s dealings with Israel are paused during this present dispensation, not abolished. The Church has not replaced Israel.

Do not become “wise in your own conceits” by spiritualizing away what God clearly and plainly promised to Israel.

II. The Difference In How Each System Views The Church

“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,” Ephesians 3:1 (KJB)

“If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:” Ephesians 3:2 (KJB)

“How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)” Ephesians 3:3,4 (KJB)

“Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;” Ephesians 3:5 (KJB)

“That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:” Ephesians 3:6 (KJB)

Fulfillment theology often views the Church as the continuation or fulfillment of Israel. Dispensational theology teaches that the Church is a mystery body revealed through Paul, made up of saved Jews and Gentiles in one body during “the dispensation of the grace of God.” The Church was not the subject of Old Testament prophecy in the same way Israel’s kingdom promises were. It was a mystery “not made known” in other ages. The Church is not Israel improved, Israel expanded, Israel spiritualized or Israel completed. The Church is the body of Christ, disctinct and seperate from the Jews and the nation of Israel.

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III. The Difference In How Each System Views The Kingdom

“When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6 (KJB)

“And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” Acts 1:7 (KJB)

Fulfillment theology often says the kingdom promises are fulfilled spiritually now through Christ’s reign in the Church. Dispensational theology says the kingdom will be literally restored to Israel in God’s appointed time. Notice carefully: the Lord Jesus did not rebuke the apostles for expecting the kingdom to be restored to Israel. He corrected their timing, not their expectation.

“Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” Matthew 21:43 (KJB)

The kingdom of Heaven is a literal, visible, Jewish, Davidic, and earthly kingdom. Christ will reign, Israel will be restored, and the promises of God will be fulfilled exactly as spoken. The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, given to the Gentile Church, and you must be born again to enter into it.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 (KJB)

IV. The Difference In How Each System Handles Prophecy

“Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:” 1 Corinthians 10:32 (KJB)

Fulfillment theology often uses a spiritualizing method: land becomes heaven, Israel becomes the Church, David’s throne becomes Christ’s present spiritual rule, and national promises become general Christian blessings.

Dispensational theology uses a literal, grammatical, historical reading unless the Bible itself indicates otherwise. Israel means Israel. Jerusalem means Jerusalem. David’s throne means David’s throne. The Church means the Church.

Remember to always ask this one key question when reading prophecy: To whom is God speaking? Is He speaking to Israel? The nations? The Church? Tribulation saints? The apostles? Paul? The answer matters. If you miss who God is speaking to, you will invariably arrive at the wrong conclusion.

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V. The Clear Difference In Their End Result

Fulfillment Theology Produces:

A merged people of God, where Israel’s national future is minimized or spiritualized.
A present spiritual kingdom emphasis, often at the expense of a future literal kingdom.
A tendency to make the Church the heir of Israel’s covenants.
A prophetic system where many plain promises lose their literal force.

Dispensational Theology Produces:

A clear distinction between Israel, the Gentiles, and the Church.
A future restoration of Israel.
A literal Second Coming and earthly kingdom.
A proper understanding of Paul’s gospel, Paul’s apostleship, and the mystery of the body of Christ.A Bible that remains clear when rightly divided.

The issue is not whether Christ fulfills Scripture. He absolutely does. The question is whether Christ’s fulfillment cancels, transfers, or spiritualizes God’s literal promises to Israel. Dispensational theology says no. Christ is Israel’s Messiah, the Saviour of the Church, and the coming King over all the earth. Fulfillment theology often compresses those truths into one spiritualized program. Right division lets every truth stand in its own place.

Hold the line where the Bible holds it: Israel is Israel, the Church is the Church, and the Kingdom is the Kingdom. When those distinctions are lost, prophecy collapses into confusion. When they are kept, the Bible opens up exactly as God wrote it. We invite to join our online Radio Bible Studies every Sunday Night from 7:00 – 9:00 PM EST.

Listen as recent Roman Catholic convert Carrie Prejean Boller and Tucker Carlson declare that “Christians are the new chosen people” and that the “land of Israel has become meaningless”. This is not only heresy, this is Replacement Theology at it’s finest. Sadly, this belief is… pic.twitter.com/eJvhOyEfjQ

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) April 22, 2026

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Bible Doctrine

Politicians In Washington Have Spent Many Years Stealing 2 Chronicles 7:14, Pretending America Can Claim A Promise God Gave To The Jews And Israel

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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America Is Not Israel, The Capitol Is Not The Temple, And Washington Needs To Stop Hijacking 2 Chronicles 7:14 To Sell A False Hope Of National Healing

For years, politicians in Washington have been quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14 like God was speaking to the United States of America, but He was not. That promise was given to Solomon concerning Israel, the Temple, and the land God gave to the Jewish people. America is not Israel, the Capitol is not the Temple, and wrapping a Jewish covenant promise in the American flag does not make it true. It only makes the biblical confusion worse. When professing Christian steal a promise God gave to the Jews and Israel alone and apply it to the Church, that’s called Replacement Theology, and it’s deadly and demonic.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJB)

Every election cycle, every national prayer breakfast, every staged moment of patriotic religion eventually seems to come back to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Politicians love that verse because it sounds holy, hopeful, and nationalistic all at the same time. It gives them the language of humility, prayer, repentance, and healing without requiring them to rightly divide the word of truth. But no matter how often they quote it, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is not a promise to America. That verse was spoken by the LORD to Solomon after the dedication of the Temple. The context is Israel. The house is the Temple in Jerusalem. The people are the Jewish people. The land is the land God gave to Israel. The surrounding verses make it impossible to miss unless someone is determined not to see it. God warns that if they forsake Him, He will pluck them up by the roots out of “my land, which I have given them.” That is not America, and it never was.

Donald Trump given 2 Chronicles 7:14 to read

US President Donald Trump is expected to contribute a recorded reading from 2 Chronicles 7:11–22 as part of the event. Organizers said the passage was specifically reserved for him due to its longstanding use as a call to prayer in the United States. His reading will be delivered from the Oval Office. source

President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS / @realDonaldTrump) will be reading Scripture for America Reads The Bible (@AmericaRTBible). He will
be reading 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 from the Oval Office on Tuesday, April 21 between 6 pm-7 pm ET. This will be a defining spiritual moment in the… pic.twitter.com/UOUPI6TfV8

— America Reads the Bible (ARTB) (@AmericaRTBible) April 18, 2026

And yet for decades Washington has treated this verse like a standing covenant promise to the United States. Why? Because it feeds the myth that America is somehow a modern Israel, a specially favored nation that can claim Old Testament promises made to the Jews. That is not Bible belief, that is theological fraud wrapped in civil religion. It is politicians using scripture they do not understand to create a false sense of national destiny. Or maybe they do understand, and the deception is intentional. Take your pick, it works either way.

America does not have a covenant with God like Israel did. America was never promised a holy land. America was never given a Temple. America was never placed under the blessings and cursings of the Mosaic covenant. So when a senator, president, governor, or public preacher stands up and applies 2 Chronicles 7:14 directly to this nation, he is not preaching revival, he is misusing scripture. That confusion has done enormous damage. It has taught generations of Christians to chase patriotic restoration instead of biblical truth. It has made them think that national healing comes by claiming Israel’s promises instead of preaching the gospel of the grace of God. It has replaced right division with emotional nationalism, or to be more specific, Christian Nationalism. This lie has convinced many sincere believers that if enough Americans pray, then God is somehow bound to heal this country under a promise He never made to it.

The Church is not Israel. The Body of Christ is not an earthly nation with land promises, a Temple, and kingdom covenants. The Church is a heavenly people, and our doctrine for this present age comes through Paul’s epistles. Yes, there are spiritual truths we can learn from 2 Chronicles 7:14 about the seriousness of sin and the importance of repentance. But the passage itself belongs to Israel, doctrinally and prophetically, and ought never to be hijacked for America. What this country needs is not another politician waving 2 Chronicles 7:14 from behind a podium. America does not need a misapplied covenant promise. America needs the gospel. America needs men in pulpits who will stop flattering the nation with stolen verses and start telling the truth. The answer is not pretending the United States has taken Israel’s place. The answer is preaching salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ to lost sinners while there is still time.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Bible Doctrine

Here Are The 5 Main Attributes About The Day Of The Lord Time Period That’ll Help You To Understand The Day Of Christ And The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble

Published

4 weeks ago

March 30, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The Day of Christ is the Rapture of the Church and the Day of the Lord as an event is the start of the time of Jacob’s trouble, they are not the same

There is some confusion today about the Day of Christ and the Day of the Lord, just as there is a similiar confusion between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. When we search the scriptures, comparing scripture with scripture, we see clearly both the difference and similarities between these things subjects that are so passionately debated in our day. So today we present you the first article in a series devoted to the topic of the Day of Christ and the Day of the Lord.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. “ 2 Timothy 2:15,16 (KJB)

The Kingdom of Heaven is the kingdom that the Lord Jesus Christ establishes as KING OF KINGS on this Earth at the Second Advent. It is a literal, visible and physical kingdom set up in Jerusalem on the throne of David, and it is for the Jews. The Kingdom of God, on the other hand, though it might sound similiar, is quite different. The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom that you must be born again to enter into, it is for the Body of Christ, and it is the gospel that Paul preached. I am talking about this because, in much the same way, people have also conflated the Day of Christ – for the Church, and the Day of the Lord – for Israel, and they cannot possibly be the same thing, either. For more detailed information, we refer you to our Radio Bible Studies on this topic about both the Day of Christ and the Day of the Lord.

5 Main Attributes Of The Day Of The Lord

Is the Day of the Lord an actual day on the calendar? Yes. Is the Day of the Lord also the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble? Yes. Is the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church, the Day of Christ, the first event that takes place at the start of the Day of the Lord time period? Yes. Is the Millennial Reign also the Day of the Lord? Yes. So we see that the Day of the Lord as a period of time, different from the Day of the Lord as either a 7-year event or a singular calendar day, encompasses all the end times events for Christians and the Church, as well as for the Jews and Israel. It’s a prophetic package deal. Now, I’ll grant you it’s a lot to swallow at one time, which is one of the reasons why Isaiah calls this – all of this – God’s ‘strange work’ and His ‘strange act’. “For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” Isaiah 28:21 (KJB)

1). THE DAY OF THE LORD IS A PERIOD OF TIME: All the Old Testament prophets talk about the Day of the Lord, leaving out the ‘mystery’ of the Church Age Rapture of course, but this is dealt with in the New Testament by Paul. The Day of the Lord at its highest level is a period of time where God is visibly inserting Himself into the affairs of men, beginning with the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church, and lasting all the way to the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the Millennium. All these events that take place during this 1,007+ year period all fall under the heading of the Day of the Lord time period. If you miss that, every conclusion you come to hereafter will be off. “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.” 1 Corinthians 15:24,25 (KJB)
2). THE PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE KICKS IT OFF: The very first event of the Day of the Lord is actually the Day of Christ, also called the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church. For the first time in 2,000 years, God shows Himself visibly to his born again children, and pulls them up into the clouds to be with Him. The Day of Christ is the first in a long series of end times events called the Day of the Lord. The prophets do not mention this event, but Paul with the revelation given him of this mystery, tells us everything we need to know about it. “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: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 (KJB)
3). THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE IS NEXT: After the Body of Christ, the Church is removed, God then turns His attention to the Jewish people and Israel in a 7-year long event called the time of Jacob’s trouble that includes the great Tribulation in it’s last 3.5 years. “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7 (KJB)
4). THE CALENDAR DAY OF THE LORD HAPPENS NOW: We must also remember that the Day of the Lord, in addition to being a period of time, also has an exact calendar day attached to it. On this Day, King Jesus mounts up with His Body on white horses, and we return with Him to Earth at the Second Advent. The purpose of this trip is to fight the Battle of Armageddon, rescue the believing Jewish remnant, and to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on the Earth for a 1,000 period of perfect rule and reign. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” Revelation 19:11,14 (KJB)
5). GOG AND MAGOG & THE GREAT WHITE THRONE: When the 1,000 years are over, the battle of Gog and Magog takes place, the Great White Throne Judgment happens, and everything on every level is finally set right. This concludes the entire Day of the Lord time period, Jesus having now said and done everything the apostles and prophets said He would do, and He ushers in Eternity. “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.” Revelation 20:12 (KJB)

The Day Of Christ Is To Be Desired

Here are just a few of the many Bible verses about the Day of Christ being the ‘blessed hope’ and ‘comfort’ of the born again believer:

“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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (KJB)
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:1-3 (KJB)
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” Philippians 2:16 (KJB)
“That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;” Philippians 1:10 (KJB)

The Day Of The Lord Is To Be Feared

The Day of the Lord is the polar opposite of the Day of Christ, as you can see in these verses:

“Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?” Amos 5:18-20 (KJB)
“Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.” Isaiah 13:6 (KJB)
“Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” Joel 1:15 (KJB)
“And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” Joel 2:11 (KJB)
“The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.” Zephaniah 1:14 (KJB)

The Day of Christ is similiar to the Day of the Lord (Jacob’s trouble) in the sense that the first is the culmination of everything the born again believer has been waiting for since they got saved, while the second is the culmination of all the promises made to the Jewish people by the prophets. The are both monumental and irrevocable events that forever change the participants. The main theme in your King James Bible is the coming King and the coming Kingdom. All the events connected to it, whether for the Church or for the Jews, are all part of the overall Day of the Lord in the preparation of His coming kingdom. Also please remember that at the Second Advent, King Jesus comes with His Body – the Kingdom of God – to establish His kingdom on Earth – the Kingdom of Heaven. The Day of Christ perfects and redeems the Body of Christ, and the Day of the Lord, as a 7-year event, perfects and redeems the Jews. With this, we have perfect scriptural harmony and excellent understanding of the time period known as the Day of the Lord.

In a follow-up article to this one, Lord willing, we will address the argument that the Day of Christ does not apply or refer to the Rapture of the Church, but instead refers to the Jews in the Tribulation.