As high watch times come and go, weary saints sometimes ask, “How much longer, Lord? Why not now?”

The convergence of signs gets our hopes up; this must surely be the season (and it surely is). But still, we wait with the assurance that at some point, the Lord will reward our patience (2 Timothy 4:8).

It feels like the Tribulation is so close that we can almost reach out and touch it. Some speculate that it has already begun because they see so many of the conditions described in Revelation 6:1-8. These, however, are mere precursors to a time that will be far, far worse than anything we currently see. They are the Lord’s way of warning people of what lies ahead.

At times like these, the words of Scripture bring the most comfort to me, and I suspect they do the same for you. We endure because the words on the pages of our Bibles ring out with the good news that Jesus will take us home to glory before the start of the Tribulation.

Let me explain why I’m so confident of this hope.

The Rapture Is a Biblical Event

The Rapture is a biblical event. The late Dr. Ed Hindson, former professor at Liberty University, Bible scholar, and author, put it this way:

If you disagree on the timing of the rapture, please don’t tell people, ‘There’s never going to be a rapture.’ No, there must be a rapture, or the Bible is not true. There must be a time when the archangel shouts, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised, and the living are caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We may differ on the timing of the rapture but not the fact of the rapture. ^[1]

We also find references to this same event in John 14:2-3, 1 Corinthians 15:50-55, Philippians 3:20-21, Romans 8:23-25, Titus 2:11-14, John 3:2-3, and Colossians 3:4. Putting these passages together, we have a chain of events that describe Jesus’ appearing during which time He raises the “dead in Christ,” catches believers that are alive to meet Him in the air, and gives all His saints immortal resurrection bodies.

If the words of Scripture mean what the author intended, there must be a time when Jesus comes for His Church as described by both Jesus and the apostles.

However, this alone doesn’t tell us the timing of the Rapture with respect to the Tribulation. For that, we must dig deeper.

The Rapture Is a Unique Event

When we compare Bible passages that describe the Rapture with those of the Second Coming, we recognize that they cannot be the same event. Our “blessed hope” is a unique event that must happen at a time before Jesus’ return to earth at the end of the Tribulation. The many differences tell us they must be separate events. I list a few of those below.

At Jesus’ appearing, He raises the “dead in Christ” first (1 Thessalonians 4:16). When Jesus returns, the resurrection of the Tribulation saints occurs after several other events (Revelation 19:17–20:4); it likely happens several days later. The timing of the resurrection alone makes the Rapture unique.

The participants in the resurrection are also different. At the Second Coming, Jesus only raises a specific group of believers, but with the Rapture, He raises all the “dead in Christ” before catching us up in the air with glorified bodies.

In addition, the two events must be separated by a period of time in order for believers to enter the Millennium in their natural bodies. A sizeable gap in time must exist after the Rapture for those left behind to come to faith in Jesus and survive until He returns.

Imminency

In Philippians 3:20–21, Paul wrote:

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself.”

The Greek word for “await” in verse 20 points to an “intense anticipation” or an “excited expectation” of a future event. [2]

Luke used the same Greek word for “await” in Acts 17:16 to describe Paul’s restless “waiting” in Athens for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him. After the apostle’s distressing experiences in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, we know he intently watched and longed for a reunion with his fellow laborers. This is the same passionate yearning of the soul with which the apostle characterizes the waiting of the Philippians for the Lord’s appearing. [3]

Such an eager anticipation of the Rapture only makes sense if it can happen at any moment.

Expectations

Why did the Thessalonian saints grieve for members of their church that had died? (1 Thessalonians 4:13) If it had been a matter of doubting their resurrection with immortal bodies, the response of Paul would have been similar to that in 1 Corinthians 15, where he addressed that topic.

Instead, the apostle emphasized the prominence of the “dead in Christ” in the Rapture. The Thessalonians grieved because they believed their loved ones would miss out on Jesus’ appearing.

Not only was there a sense of imminency regarding meeting Jesus in the air, but they believed it could happen during their lifetime and felt despondent for those they thought would miss it.

Surprise

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, Paul wrote that the “sudden destruction” of the “day of the Lord” would come as a surprise to people; it will arrive when many are saying, “There is peace and security.”

The “Day of the Lord” is an Old Testament term for a time when God pours out His wrath on the entire world. About 45 years after the apostle wrote to the Thessalonians, the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, in which he described the judgments of this time in greater detail (see chapters 6–18).

Since we know that this day will begin as a surprise, when in the series of seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments is that most likely to happen? For it to come without any warning, it must start before the seals bring death to nearly two billion people.

And that’s exactly what the Lord promises us through the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10:

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”

The “wrath” is that of the “Day of the Lord,” which includes the entire Tribulation. The Rapture must happen before the start of the Tribulation.

Jesus’ Promise

Jesus made this remarkable promise to the church at Philadelphia:

“Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10).

Let’s explore Jesus’ promise to see how it relates to our hope of placing the Rapture before the start of the Tribulation.

What is the “hour of trial”? We first see that it impacts the “whole world,” which identifies it as something far different than what would impact the local church at Philadelphia. “The period of distress that John describes in Revelation 6–18 fits especially well with the coming “hour of trial” that Jesus refers to in Revelation 3:10.” [4]

Next, we notice that this “hour of trial” is specifically for “those who dwell on the earth.” Looking at how John uses this expression later in Revelation, we see that the description either refers to people impacted by the Tribulation or to those refusing to repent of their sins during that time (6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8–12, 14; 14:6; and 17:8).

Jesus confirms His promise to keep us out of this time with His words in Revelation 3:11a, “I am coming soon.” (The Greek word for “soon” more accurately denotes an event that takes place “quickly,” such as the Rapture.)

The Church’s Absence

Evidence of the Church’s absence during the Tribulation is seen in the fact that John never mentions it during his eyewitness account of the judgments that hit the earth (Revelation, chapters 6-18). Why would a book addressed specifically to seven churches not mention them in its description of the Lord’s wrath on the earth if they were meant to endure it?

Perhaps even more significant is the presence of other witnesses during this time. If the Church is still present on the earth with the task of proclaiming the Gospel, why does God place two witnesses in Jerusalem? (Revelation 11:1–13).

In Revelation 14:6–7, John writes about an angel who will share the good news of salvation during the time of the Tribulation. If the Church was still present on the earth, why is this necessary?

The 144,000 Jews whom God will “seal” or protect as the world experiences God’s wrath (Revelation 7:1–8) will act as evangelists. Besides the fact that this is now the task of the church, this setting apart would contradict what we read about it in the New Testament.

In Colossians 3:11, Paul wrote about the Body of Christ:

“Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

In the current church age, it’s impossible to have a group of Jewish men that are distinct from the Church. This can only happen after Jesus removes us from the earth.

Church History

We must base our belief in the Rapture on the words of Scripture; this is the apostolic faith that we have in our hands, our Bibles. I refer to church history below only to point out a couple of errors that the scoffers repeatedly make in attacking the Rapture.

First, please know that Bible teachers during the past two centuries didn’t create a new doctrine but simply applied the word “Rapture” to an event thoroughly described on the pages of the New Testament. Again, in the words of Ed Hindson, “…there must be a rapture, or the Bible is not true. There must be a time when the archangel shouts, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised, and the living are caught up” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).” [5]

Second, contrary to what the scoffers claim, many writers in the early centuries of the church believed that Jesus would come for His saints before a time of extended tribulation on the earth.

In AD 180, esteemed early church theologian Irenaeus wrote the following in Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapter 29:

And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, “There shall be Tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.” ^[6]

Irenaeus used the same Greek word for “caught up,” harpazo, that Paul used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for the Lord catching up living believers to meet Him in the air. Irenaeus placed this event ahead of the time of “tribulation” that Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:21.

In my book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An Eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times. I cite several other references from early church history demonstrating a belief in what we today refer to as the Rapture. The early church didn’t combine Jesus’ appearing with the Second Coming but regarded them as two separate events.

Sanctified Groaning

The biblical basis for the pre-Tribulation Rapture is rock-solid because it’s based on the words of the New Testament. We know Jesus is coming for us before the start of the seven-year Tribulation.

It’s difficult to wait amid personal pain, the wickedness all around us, and our awareness that a much, much better day awaits us once the trumpet sounds. Jesus could come for us today, but it’s also true we might need to wait while the world grows darker and more foreboding for us.

Two times, Paul refers to our groaning ahead of the receipt of our immortal bodies (Romans 8:23-25; 2 Corinthians 5:4-5). It’s rather doubtful that the apostle was referring to complaining. The Greek word depicts a sighing because of grief and can even denote a quick inward prayer in the midst of discomfort.

Jesus is coming for us soon, and it can happen at any moment. In the meantime, we look up, knowing that the completion of our redemption is ever so close. In the meantime, perhaps a little sanctified groaning is appropriate as we compare our current circumstances to the overwhelming joy that awaits us when Jesus appears.

The good news is that we have a sure hope of immortal bodies and meeting our Savior in the air, and it will happen suddenly, perhaps in the near future.

***

Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/. Thanks!

Sources:

[1] Ed Hindson, Future Glory (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2021), p. 14.

[2] Colin Brown, ed., Dictionary of New Testament Theology Vol. 2, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1969) p. 244.

[3] Jonathan C. Brentner, The Triumph of the Redeemed (Crane, MO: Defender: 2021), p. 115.

[4] Ibid., p. 157.

[5] Hindson, p. 14.

[6] Irenaeus, “Against Heresies,” The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 vols., Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1979), p. 558.

On the fourth day of creation, God made the sun, moon, and stars. “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day” (Genesis 1:14-19).

The Hebrew word for “sign” is “ot” (Strong’s H226). The KJV translates Strong’s H226 in the following manner: sign (60x), token (14x), ensign/s (2x), miracles (2x), and mark (1x) for a total of 79 times in the Old Testament. Most of these “signs” in the Old Testament refer to the signs and wonders that God did when he sent the 10 plagues against Pharoah and the Egyptians during the time immediately before the exodus by the children of Israel from Egypt. The ninth plague or sign was when God caused darkness over the land of Egypt for three days. It was so dark it could be felt, and no Egyptian left their abode. This was definitely a supernatural event from God, as no solar eclipse lasts that long.

There are several biblical verses that mention heavenly signs. One is found in Jeremiah 10:2: “Thus says the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.” Another one is found in Isaiah 7:10-11: “Moreover the Lord spoke again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask for a sign of the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.”

One of the greatest heavenly signs or miracles in all of the Bible occurred during the time of Joshua. “Then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand you still upon Gibeon; and you, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day” (Joshua 10:12-13).

There are many passages of scripture in the Old Testament that refer to the darkness of the heavenly bodies as a “sign” of the Day of the Lord before Jesus returns to the earth, such as Isaiah 13:10, 24:23, 60:19-20; Joel 2:10, 31, 3:15. “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come” (Joel 2:31). These passages could be the result of a supernatural event from God (like the ninth plague of Egypt was). However, in the natural realm, the sun goes dark when there is a solar eclipse, and the moon appears (blood) red when there is a lunar eclipse. Solar eclipses only occur when the moon is in the new moon stage, and lunar eclipses only occur when there is a full moon.

Regarding Genesis 1:14, the Hebrew word for “season” is “moed” (Strong’s H4150). The KJV translates Strong’s H4150 in the following manner: congregation (150x), feast (23x), appointed (12x), time (12x), assembly (4x), solemnity (4x), solemn (2x), days (1x), sign 1x), and synagogues (1x) for a total of 223 times in the Old Testament. In this article, we will mostly be concerned with some of the seven Feasts of the Lord as described in Leviticus 23. A “moed” or “feast” is a holy congregation that is appointed at a particular time (season) of the year and is determined by the Hebrew lunar calendar.

The first of every month was to occur on the new moon. “Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob” (Psalm 81:3-4). The Hebrew word for “new moon” (and, by implication, a month) is “hodes” or “chodesh” (Strong’s H2320). The KJV translates Strong’s H2320 in the following manner: month (254x), new moon (20x), monthly (1x), and another (1x).

“He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knows his going down” (Psalm 104:19). Once again, seasons means “appointed times,” such as the Feasts of the Lord. Nisan 1 (in the spring season) is the start of the ecclesiastical calendar, and Tishri 1 (in the fall season) is the start of the civil calendar. Nisan begins the counting of months, and Tishri begins the counting of years.

Although Nisan 1 isn’t a Feast of the Lord, it is important, nevertheless, as it is always observed and celebrated every year. The Tabernacle of the tent of meeting was erected and arranged on the first day of the first month (Nisan 1) in the second year of the exodus from Egypt. Tishri 1 is the first day of the seventh month of the ecclesiastical calendar and also the 5th Feast of the Lord, known as Rosh Hashanah or Trumpets.

The two Feasts of the Lord that begin during the middle of the months, when the moon is full, are Unleavened Bread, which occurs on Nisan 15 (the 1st day of the seven-day Feast), and Sukkot or Tabernacles, which occurs on Tishri 15 (the 1st day of the 7-8 day Feast). The Jews call Nisan 15 the Passover, as they have combined Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

An eclipse is a natural phenomenon that occurs when one heavenly body, such as a moon or planet, moves into the shadow of another heavenly body. In some ancient and modern cultures, solar eclipses were attributed to supernatural causes and were regarded as bad omens. The Talmud tells us that the solar eclipse is a sign or omen for the Gentiles, who base time on the solar calendar, and a lunar eclipse is a sign or omen for the Jews, who calculate the duration of the months (and Feast days) according to the cycles of the Moon.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on Earth that either partially or fully blocks the Sun’s light in some areas. This happens when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned, coinciding with a new (dark) moon phase. This alignment occurs approximately every six months.

A solar eclipse can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world. As such, although total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every 18 months on average, many people never witness one because so much of Earth’s surface is water. A total solar eclipse usually only recurs at any given place once every 360 to 410 years.

The Sun goes completely dark during a total solar eclipse. It is only partially obscured when there is a partial eclipse. When the Sun appears as a very bright ring (ring of fire), or annulus, surrounding the dark disk of the Moon, it is called an annular solar eclipse. A hybrid eclipse is a rare type of solar eclipse that changes its appearance from annular to total and back. Solar eclipses usually only last for 2-10 minutes.

What if the same place on the planet had two solar eclipses in under six months? That’s what will soon happen in southern Texas. There are to be two consecutive solar eclipses, separated by nearly six months, in 2023 and 2024. Their point of intersection will occur in south Texas. There will be an annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023, and a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, in which both travel across many states in the U.S. See a map at Where to stand in Texas to see 2 solar eclipses in under 6 months | Space

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into Earth’s shadow (Earth is between the Sun and the Moon), causing the Moon to be darkened. Instead of light hitting the Moon’s surface, Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. This can only occur when the Moon is full. This makes the Moon appear red (thus the name “blood moon“). Lunar Eclipses usually only last for a few hours. Total lunar eclipses are relatively rare, while partial lunar eclipses occur at least two times every year. A penumbral eclipse is so faint it is sometimes unnoticeable. A lunar eclipse can be viewed from a large area of the world. Approximately one-sixth of all lunar eclipses will occur during Passover or Sukkot (Tabernacles) on the calculated Jewish calendar.

Eclipses occur in repeating cycles. A Saros is a period of exactly 223 synodic months, approximately 6585.3211 days, or 18 years, 10, 11, or 12 days (depending on the number of leap years), and 8 hours, that can be used to predict eclipses of the Sun and Moon. One saros period after an eclipse, the Sun, Earth, and Moon return to approximately the same relative geometry, a nearly straight line, and a nearly identical eclipse will occur (although not in the exact same area) in what is referred to as an eclipse cycle. Due to the ellipticity of the orbits of Earth and the Moon, the exact duration and number of eclipses in a complete Saros is not constant. A series may last 1226 to 1550 years and is comprised of 69 to 87 eclipses, of which about 40 to 60 are central (i.e., total, hybrid, or annular).

When four consecutive lunar eclipses are all total (no penumbral or partials), the series is called a tetrad. In other words, it is four total “Blood Moons” in a row, about six months apart. The term comes from the Greek word tetras, which means a group of four. Tetrads are not particularly rare, although they come in interesting cycles of around 600 years. For about 300 years, there are no tetrads at all. This is followed by a period of roughly 300 years where a tetrad occurs every 15 years or so.

There have been many articles and videos on YouTube lately regarding the re-appearance of the Revelation 12 constellation sign, tetrads (four total lunar eclipses in a row, separated by six months each), and solar and lunar eclipses that are believed by many to be heavenly “signs” or precursors to significant biblical eschatological events and prophecies, especially regarding Israel and/or the Rapture. Here are a couple of popular ones that many of you have probably already seen: The Revelation 12 Sign Reborn: Don’t Look Up! – YouTube and *PROVING* The Revelation 12 Sign – It’s about to get Supernatural By Design!! – YouTube. We will examine these theories in part II of this article.

In 2013, John Hagee wrote the book Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change. Shortly after, in 2014, Mark Biltz wrote Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs. The books were about the upcoming tetrads that occurred on the Feast days of Nisan 15 and Tishri 15, which were to appear beginning in April 2014, when the first total lunar eclipse was to make its appearance. There were two total lunar eclipses in 2014 and two in 2015. Both years aligned with the first day of Passover (actually Unleavened Bread) and the first day of Tabernacles. The next tetrad to do that will occur in 2032-2033.

Note: For the rest of this article, I will refer to any lunar eclipse of Nisan 15 as Passover and any lunar eclipse of Tishri 15 as Tabernacles.

The tetrad of 2014-2015 was the second tetrad in the 21st century (the first was in 2003-2004 –a non-alignment with Jewish Feast days). Hagee and Biltz believe the tetrads of 2014-2015 were the beginning of the end times as described in the Bible in the Book of Joel, Acts 2:20, and Revelation 6:12. Hagee’s book did not claim that any specific “end times” event would occur but claimed that every prior tetrad of the last 500 years coincided with events in Jewish and Israel’s history that were originally tragic, yet followed by triumph.

I would think that anything significant regarding Jewish history that coincided with these Feast day lunar eclipses would be visible from Israel. However, out of the four Feast days of 2014-2015, only the lunar eclipse of 2015, on Tabernacles, was visible from Israel.

According to my research, there have been 53 total tetrads since the 1st century AD. 9 tetrads had both years in alignment with the two Jewish Feasts (Passover and Tabernacles). 9 tetrads had only 1 year that aligned with the Feasts. So, out of 106 (53 x 2) total years, only 27 years had lunar eclipses that aligned with both the Feasts of Passover and Tabernacles. Of course, this is using the calculated Metonic cycle Jewish lunar calendar (19-year cycle with intercalary year added periodically). That’s only about ¼ of the total years.

There were five tetrads in the 20th century, 1909-1910, 1927-1928, 1949-1950, 1967-1968, and 1985-1986, and two in the 21st century (2003-2004 and 2014-2015). The only years that aligned with the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles were 1949, 1950, 1967, 1968, 1986, 2014, and 2015. The next tetrad will be in 2032-2033, with 2033 aligning with the two Feasts.

The lunar eclipses within these tetrads that were visible from Israel were Passover in 1949, the two in 1950 (a total eclipse on Passover and partial on Tabernacles), a penumbral one on Passover in 1968, a total lunar eclipse on Tabernacles in 1986, and a total lunar eclipse on Tabernacles in 2015. There will also be a total lunar eclipse on Passover in 2033 that will be visible from Israel.

Does something historically significant regarding the Gentile nations occur every time there is a solar eclipse? Of course not. Likewise, does something significant regarding Israel occur every time there is a lunar eclipse (or especially a tetrad) that is aligned with either of the two full moon Feast days? I would say no, especially if it isn’t even visible from Israel. However, I believe that on rare occasions, they just might, especially for the Jews. “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:22).

In Part II, we will discuss lunar and solar eclipses in the 21st century and their Saros cycles, and also go back in history to the time of Christ to look for heavenly signs. Also, more on the Revelation 12 sign.

Randy Nettles

rgeanie55@gmail.com