The Great Tribulation and the Return of Christ Pt. 3: The Post-Tribulation View

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. – Matthew 24:29-31

In our two previous articles, we have explored the pretribulation and the mid-tribulation views.  I won’t go into them again here, but if you haven’t read these articles or you are unfamiliar with these views, you may read about the pretribulation view here and the mid-tribulation view here. Today, we’ll look at the final of these three, the post-tribulation view.

What is the Post-tribulation View?

Remember, these views deal with the timing of the removal of the Church from the earth.  The term that is used for this removal is “rapture.”  It comes from the Greek word harpozo, meaning to be snatched away.  All of the views agree that the Church will be removed before the destruction of both the earth and God’s enemies.  It is just a matter of timing.  As you’ve probably guessed by the prefix post, in this view, the Church is not removed until the time of tribulation is finished.  The basis for this is the verses above from Matthew 24 where Jesus explains the events of this Tribulation to His disciples.  Proponents of this view rightly point out that Jesus says He will not return until immediately after the Great Tribulation, where He will send His angels to gather His elect (the Church) from the four winds (The whole earth). 

Additionally, it is pointed out that God’s people are never spared suffering, tribulation, and persecution. Noah endured the Flood, Israel was enslaved by Egypt and was present during the Ten Plagues, Israel was exiled, and the Church in Rome was persecuted and has been continually persecuted throughout history.  There is no reason to believe that we will be spared these at the end of the age.  Further, as we stated in the article on the pretribulation view, the Bible only mentions one return of Christ. Post-tribulationists claim that any view where the Church is removed before the return of Christ to the earth is, in fact, a second return of Christ, and that the removal of the Church coincides with the return of Christ. These are not distinct events, they argue, but a single one. It should also be noted that it was this view that has been historically held by the Church until the rise of dispensationalism in the 1800s.  This is noteworthy. 

There is what I will call a subcategory of post-tribulationism, however, called “pre-wrath.”  In this, the Church suffers the entirety of the Great Tribulation under the Antichrist, meaning the Church is persecuted and many are killed for their faith.  However, before God’s wrath is poured out on His enemies and the earth is destroyed, the Church is taken away. Therefore, the Church is spared God’s wrath.

Weaknesses of the Post-tribulation View

Post-tribulationists critique the two other views as having two returns of Christ, which they claim won’t be the case.  If a post-tribulationist holds to the pre-wrath view, then they defy their own standard as there will be two returns of Christ.  If a post-tribulationist does not hold a pre-wrath position, then the Church will be here to suffer the wrath of God on the earth. There are some aspects of God’s wrath directed at the unrepentant, but there are also general examples of His wrath during the Tribulation which will affect the whole earth such as earthquakes, famines, falling stars, etc. While we need not worry about being destroyed by God if we are in Christ, God’s wrath is still poured upon creation in the end (Revelation 16).  This would seem to contradict Romans 8:1 which states, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”

As it relates to the claim that the people of God have always suffered at the hands of wicked people (Egypt, Rome, etc.), this is true, but when God’s wrath is poured out on them, the people of God are shielded from it.  When the earth was flooded, God spared Noah and his family.  Yes, he endured the flood, but God did not destroy him.  When God poured out the plagues in Egypt, the Israelites were spared in the land of Goshen.  When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He first removed Lot.  Israel’s exile was a result of their apostasy, so we can argue that this is different. Simply put, while God’s people will suffer under human wickedness and may be disciplined for their sins, His wrath leading to destruction is reserved for His enemies. 

In addition to this, is what is called the “argument from absence.” In Revelation chapters 4-21, we have what appears to be a depiction of the Great Tribulation, and the Church, the elect, etc. are never mentioned.  The conclusion is that they have been removed from the earth.  However, caution should be exercised when making an argument for or against something based on its absence from a biblical text.  The best way to interpret a biblical text is to go off of what is present, not what is absent. 

Summary

The post-tribulation was the view held by the Church up until the rise of dispensationalism in the 1800s. It leaves room for the Church to suffer persecution and tribulation before Christ’s return, which God has allowed as a means of purification. Further, the Olivet Discourse from Matthew 24 is the best biblical support for this view, since it places the return of Christ at the end of the Tribulation.  However, it still leaves some questions regarding God’s wrath and the Church being present.  In the end, regardless of which view we hold, we are called to persevere, to preach Christ, and to eagerly await His promised return. 

Soli Deo Gloria