End-Times (3) – The Time Between the Rapture and Tribulation

Speculative License

In my Children of Light books, it is almost seventy years since the rapture. Yet, the tribulation has not come. Clearly, I am exercising some artistic license and being speculative, but you will see why shortly. In Children of Light, some people by this point believe that the tribulation will never happen, others believe they are living during the tribulation and that its duration was underestimated. Others do not believe in God at all and are just going on with their lives.

God is at Work all the Time

Yet God is at work all the time, all around us. Not just in my books, but in our own daily lives. This may be an excellent post for another day, where I can discuss Dr. Blackaby’s Experiencing God, in greater detail.

What happens between the rapture and tribulation?

So, what happens between the rapture, when the church is removed from the earth, and the start of the tribulation? As you can imagine, the world would be in tremendous turmoil following the rapture and resurrection of believers. A very large percentage of the world’s population just disappeared. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins portrayed an excellent example of this turmoil. This is found in their Left Behind series of books (1). The very first book begins with the rapture and its aftermath.

However, according to scripture, several things are to happen prior to the start of the time of testing, otherwise known as the tribulation:

1   The restrainer is removed – 2 Thes 2:7-8.

The Holy Spirit is the restrainer, who is given to every believer, is active in our world today, and works to restrain the work of Satan and his demons. Once the church is raptured, from the earth the restrainer is taken away as well. Now, Satan has fairly free reign.

2 Thessalonians 2:7
For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. (Jesus Bible)

2   A coalition of armed forces will be formed

This coalition will be between several countries for the sole purpose of attacking and annihilating Israel. Many speculate that Russia will be the instigator of this coalition and that several Muslim countries will join it. (See Ref #2)

Ezekiel 38:15-16
15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. (Jesus Bible)

3  God will protect Israel during this attack.

Israel will be victorious and the opposing forces will be decimated. This can only happen with God’s help and protection. Ezekiel prophesied this in two books of the Bible, Ezekiel 38 and 39. God will execute His victory through the working of His miraculous powers and His ability to influence creation:

• he will cause an earthquake (Eze 38:19-20);
• infighting among the coalition forces (Eze 38:21);
• diseases among the amassed forces (Eze 38:22a);
• torrential rains, hailstones, fire and burning sulphur (volcanic eruptions) (Eze 38:22b)

4   The Antichrist

Also called in scripture as the ‘man of sin’ will be revealed and rise to power. He, under Satan’s influence, will be instrumental in the persecution of tribulation saints, that is all people who will accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord, as well as all Jews who will now recognize him as the Messiah.

2 Thessalonians 2:3
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. (Jesus Bible)

2 Thessalonians 2:8
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming. (Jesus Bible)

5  The rebuilding of the Jewish temple

Rebuilding will begin either during the intervening time or immediately after the start of the tribulation. It must exist and be fully operational. This includes the sacrifices required by Mosaic Law. They must complete the temple for it to be desecrated by the Antichrist three and half years after the start of the tribulation.

I have a difficult time imagining that such a structure could be built in less than 3.5 years, even with modern technology. Therefore, I imagine its rebuilding will start immediately after the unsuccessful invasion of Isreal. With the defeat of the opposing forces, many of them Muslim, Israel will have free access to the Temple Mount and begin the reconstruction.

6  A massive cleanup

Will be required after the defeat of the coalition army. In scripture, it states that it will take 7 months to bury all the dead, and an entire valley will be used as the burial site.

Ezekiel 39:11
11 “ ‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travellers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog. (Jesus Bible)

Ezekiel 39:12
12 “ ‘For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. (Jesus Bible)

7  Gathering and burning of enemy weapons

Will take 7 years. This must be completed by the mid-point of the tribulation, so it will start at least three and a half years before the tribulation starts.

Ezekiel 39:9
9 “ ‘Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. (Jesus Bible)

8.  The signing of the peace treaty with Israel by the Antichrist … Daniel 9:27.

This man, who will rise from relative obscurity will accomplish seemingly the impossible and will solve the middle-east crisis. The signing of the treaty will trigger the start of the tribulation period of seven years.

Daniel 9:27

27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” (Jesus Bible)

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, as I planned by the Children of Light series, I realized that there most likely is an undetermined span of time, between the rapture and the start of the tribulation.

One aspect I did not mention is my theory (heavily influenced by Ron Rhodes book (2), that immediately after the rapture, there is a worldwide cataclysmic war and not the invasion of Israel we discussed earlier. This is as a result of the massive political and military instability that results because of the disappearance of millions upon millions of people, many of them in powerful positions.

 

Christian countries will be heavily at a disadvantage, both politically and militarily, and therefore open to attack. But, this attack will not be restricted to just Christian countries, but rather will result in a Global World War.

This will weaken if not decimate some of the ‘world powers’ we know right now, mainly the United States. Therefore the European Union, or whatever it will be called by then, will have a far greater influence on the political and military landscape post-rapture.

 

References:

1. Tim LaHaye, and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind. 
2. Ron Rhodes, End Times in Chronological Order. 
3. Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, Charting the End-Times.