The Rapture and The Great Tribulation Revealed: Which is First?

By Beverley Malcolm

The Rapture or The Great Tribulation, which will be first? Think you know the answer? Well, hope you are correct because many have it all wrong. The Rapture and the Great Tribulation are two of the major end time prophesies in the Bible yet to be fulfilled. Others are the War of Armageddon and the final Judgment.
Today, if the question should be asked of many, “ The Rapture and the Great Tribulation, which is first?” The answers would vary. Some would even say, “Its world without end. Amen. None will ever happen.”
The answer to this remarkable question is outline inside, supported by biblical scriptures for your enlightening. The entire book will bring a wide awakening to some facts and clarification of the bible on a whole, and its relationship to man.

Some Preachers, Scholars, Theologians and ordinary Christians are saying that we are currently going through the Great Tribulation and the Rapture will be coming soon. The other theory is that currently we are not going through the Great Tribulation, but eventually it will come and the Rapture will follow. Others are saying that Jesus will Rapture the Christians anytime now and the Great Tribulation will follow thereafter. The scriptures that were analyzed will be used to determine which of the two events, whether the Rapture or the Great Tribulation will come first. This will clearly set the record straight and end the debate concerning the two events.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beverley Malcolm
• Release date: Sep 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301637102

Book preview

The Rapture and The Great Tribulation Revealed

Which is First?

By Beverley Malcolm

Copyright 2013 Beverley Malcolm

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All scriptures quoted are taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: Oxford Edition: 1769; King James Bible Online, 2008. http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/. Permission granted.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction

PART 1 – THE JOURNEY

The Creation Story

The Creation of Man

Sin Entered the World

Who is the Devil?

The First Attack by the Devil

The need for a Messiah

The first destruction of Man because of sin

Man given a second chance/A new beginning

The Twelve Tribes of Israel - God’s chosen people

From Egypt to the Promised Land

Turmoil in the Promised Land

The Messiah has come

Prophesies of the Messiah Fulfilling in Jesus Christ

PART 2 - THE REDEMPTION OF MAN

The Mission and Message of the Messiah

Mission Accomplished

Christianity – The new religion going forward

PART 3: THE END OF TIME

Prophecies by the Messiah

A Brief History of Jerusalem

The Rapture and the Great Tribulation Examined

What is the Great Tribulation?

What is the Rapture?

The Scriptures Examined

The scriptures in the Gospels examined

The scriptures in Daniel examined

The scriptures in Revelation examined

Conclusion

Which is first - The Rapture or the Great Tribulation?

Exhortation

Acknowledgement

Author’s Message

Other Titles by Author

Introduction

Throughout generations and even today, there have been many discussions, assumptions, speculations and confusions pertaining to two of the most anticipating events predicted in the Bible, namely, the Rapture and the Great Tribulation. The Bible contains many prophecies, some of which have already been fulfilled while the others are yet to come. One thing for sure though, is that the words of God are true and if they have not yet happened, the day or period of time is coming when they will. The scriptures in Revelation prophesied that the fulfilment of both events will eventually give rise to a new beginning.

The prophets as far back as the Old Testaments have foretold much about the Rapture and the Great Tribulation. They also foretold one of the greatest prophecies of all in the Bible, which was the coming of the Messiah. Joy to the world, the Lord did come. Jesus Christ came and fulfilled his mission, but during the process, he too had prophesied about the Rapture and Great Tribulation and the world waits in mixed emotions on the fulfilment of those prophecies.

Many Persons today fear the coming of the Great Tribulation, since it is the period during which they will be greatly prosecuted; a time of misery, that the world has never seen before. During that particular period, many will have to endure great trials for the sake of their belief in Jesus Christ and their soul’s Salvation. On the other hand, the event of the Rapture will bring great joy and happiness, as well as the long awaited opportunity to meet and then live with Jesus, at that precious place which he had promised he had gone to prepare for those who love, obey and serve him here on earth.

Theologians, as well as ordinary Christians, have various views on both the Rapture and the Great Tribulation. The difference in views, is not so much on the ‘happenings’ during both events, but is on deciding on which of the great events will come first. Many are of the view that God will not allow his people to go through the pain and suffering that are synonymous with the Great Tribulation. Therefore, they believe that the Rapture will happen before the Great Tribulation. Others are of the view that The Tribulation will be before the Rapture, during which the Christians’ faith in Jesus Christ will greatly be put to the test.

In the Bible, the order of the events can clearly be found and scripture will be examined to dismiss the confusion that exists between the two events. Some areas of the bible are written in a way that is not easily understandable and so the interpretation sometimes varies. The opposite can be said for others. However, God is Almighty and full of wisdom. He knows why some things are quoted in parable or hidden as a mystery and will reveal his truth in his time. He also blessed some persons with spiritual gifts, and they are able to discern and understand what God so choose to reveal to them.

However, the scriptures that will be examined are fairly understandable, which will allow a clear conclusion to be formed on the subject. Although no one will be able to specify the date or the hour when the events will happen, scriptures will reveal some of the signs that will clearly point in that direction. The focus however is not on when the events will happen, but on the order in which they will.

Although these events will be a critical focus point, it is also essential to gain background knowledge on why they are regarded as End Time Events. Hence, a journey back in time is outlined, to reveal what had happened in the beginning, the road to salvation, leading to the final events happening in the end.

Only the King James Version of the Bible was used in the scriptures quoted.

PART 1 – THE JOURNEY

In order to get a good understanding and appreciation of the whole essence of this mission, it is necessary to start at the beginning and then embark on a journey. Since Jesus Christ was among those who prophesied about the Great Tribulation and Rapture, we will look on a few of the reasons why we should believe in the words he had spoken about the events, because of who he was while on earth and the authority he had. There are others who have also prophesied about the events and they too will be mentioned. However, since the events have everything to do with Jesus Christ, it is essential to centre much focus on him, establishing who he was and still is, as well as demonstrate his importance and greatness as the Lord and Saviour of the world.

The Creation Story

As mentioned before, it is necessary to start at the very beginning, in order to understand why so much focus is placed on The Rapture and The Great Tribulation, scheduled to take place at the end of time. The beginning started with the creation and the plans God had for what and who he had created.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1). God is the Creator of the earth we are living on today. It is truly amazing of his greatness and power. We need not question who put the earth into existence because of a fact, the ability and power of Man is limited. Nature in itself also tells its own story. In spite of the marvellous things that Man had created, there is no doubt that the complexities and the mysteries that are exhibited by nature, could only exist because of a Mighty God.

Genesis Chapter One declares that God took six days to create the entire universe. The Bible reveals that the earth was without form and was in great darkness and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2). God in all his marvellous wisdom, set out to work, bringing fort nature, as well as everything else that are now on the earth in its natural form, in a particular order, bearing in mind that one depends greatly on another, or others, in order to exist or survive.

Day 1 - On the first day, God spoke light into being. Since there was darkness everywhere, light was necessary to bring radiance to the beautiful picture he was painting in his formation. Darkness is black and gloomy but light glows to clearness. A world without light would be one whereby its inner beauty could not be appreciated. It would be a world whereby many would all stumble and fall, feeling about in thick darkness, getting lost and unable to exercise protection from danger. It is therefore obvious why light was the first to appear. Everything else that emerged thereafter, depend greatly on it. Next, God separated the light from the darkness and called them day and night. (See Genesis 1:3-5)

Day 2 - Now that there was light, God continued his mission, creating into existence Heaven in the midst of the waters (Genesis 1:6-8) and separated it from what he would later called Earth. Everyone needs a special private place of his/her own and so it was obvious here that God intended to have his own abode. Every home is created with some form of privacy in mind or else there wouldn’t be much need for windows and doors. There wouldn’t be the need to have different rooms to which different member/members of the family lay claim. Later on in the Bible, it is revealed that Heaven is where God lives. This can be seen clearly in the scriptures, Ecclesiastes 5:2, Isaiah 66:1 and Matthew 6:9 just to name a few. Therefore God spoke the firmament into being, which He would call his home.

In his wisdom, a separation was made, with the heaven above the rest of the waters, from which the earth was created. There are still many persons today who are not sure where heaven is. Genesis 1: 6-8 shows God, in his separation, placing the Heaven above the Earth. There are also many other scriptures that testified of this, two of which are Jeremiah 31:37 and Psalm 103:11.

Day 3 – After the creation of heaven, God did not stop there. On the third day, He gathered the waters below the heaven, to one side and the dry land appeared. To this day, our planet is covered with waters (seas) and dry land. God then focus on decorating the land with a vast variety of grass, herbs and trees. In order to preserve the different species of plant to exist throughout generation, God ensured that they produced beautiful flowers that bloomed and also contained seeds in their fruits, to continue replenishing the earth (Genesis 1:9-13). Many times, we take for granted the many plants around us, but they themselves attest that there is a great big and mighty God. These plants will later serve as food, shelter and a multitude of other purposes for God’s other creations. Today, Man has gone ahead to engraft plants to form similar specie but that’s the most that Man can do. God had already done the greater work.

Day 4 - God continued his work on the fourth day, creating the wonderful spectacle of lights in the firmament or sky under the heaven so that they will give light to the earth, whether it was day or night. The greatest of the lights which was the sun, was made to shine during the day and the moon and stars to rule at nights. The lights also were formed to serve other purposes. They were formed as signs and for seasons, days and years (Genesis 1:14-19). It is because of these that time was determined and measured. Therefore, the time of day was able to be determined and calculated. From there, a full day, week, years, decades and centuries, which are vital in everyday activities, were able to be established.

Day 5 - God was not finish. The beauty he had set out to create was not completed. He looked in the water and it was bare and so he created the different species of living creatures that are in the sea today, the fish, whales, sharks, eels etc. He also created the variety of birds that fly in the sky (Genesis 1:20-23)

Day 6 – On the sixth day, God continued his mission by making the animals and everything else that move or creep on the face of the earth (Genesis 1:24-25). He made the animals in a variety of wonderful species, having different characters and sizes. Zebras with beautiful stripes, huge elephants with long trunks, giraffes with longs necks, lizards, worms and the list had just started, with endless more that could be added. When He was finished creating the animals, God blessed them and commanded them to multiply throughout the earth.

Living Creatures of the World

After his creation each day, God looked at them and was satisfied that they were perfect; they were very good. Now that the earth was furnished with living creatures, God was very pleased with himself. The earth was how he wanted it, a beautiful spectacle to behold. The sky was decorated with a multitude of shinny lights, the seas were filled with moving creatures and the land too was filed with various birds, animals, grass and trees. It was indeed a wonderful paradise as beautiful as a painting and God loved it. God then decided it was time to make a final creation.

The Creation of Man

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after