Post Tribulation Rapture by Joel C. Graves

	NAVIGATION NOTE: Some of you came to this website from Gathering Over Jerusalem.com. This website has the excerpts from that book, so you are in the right place.

	The purpose of the rapture is for all saints, past and present, to gather over Jerusalem, with the angels, to welcome and worship the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Coming.
	PURPOSE: This website seeks to discuss all scriptures for the rapture and show conclusively that the rapture is not before the Great Tribulation but at the end. Read about the Church of Philadelphia first, then read The Second Coming. If these two sections don't interest you, leave this idea behind.
	COMMENTARY Do you believe that God's wrath on the earth is going to be so terrible, that Christians would not have to go through the Great Tribulation. Over and over in scripture, God's people do go through the wrath of God, BUT GOD PROVIDES FOR THEM. For example: The young prophet Daniel was among the captives taken to Babylon when Jerusalem fell. The scriptures plainly state that God will provide for Christians going through the Great Tribulation period. You can read anything into scripture when you want to prove your point, but you should be open to discussion about your interpretation. But the Pre-Tribulation Rapture interpretation is so popular and so emotionally charged, that most people are not open to discussion. No matter what the bible says, they 'just know' God wouldn't leave them on the earth during the Great Tribulation, so that's the end of the discussion. The bible does say some people are taken off the earth DURING the Great Tribulation; the CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA. But ONLY the Church of Philadelphia. The bible does say "WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO SUFFER GOD'S WRATH," but in that section of scripture, it is talking about damnation and nothing else. The place of suffering: Suffering is a vital part of the Christian life. …now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials [not only persecution, but “all kinds” of suffering]. These have come so that your faith…may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Pet. 1:6-7). Godly leaders know that sufferings produce spiritual maturity, brokenness, and genuine faith in God; thus, they do not shy away from the cross in their lives. Paul's cry was: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Phil. 3:10-11). Look closely: Paul said, “I want to know…the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.” Paul actually desired to suffer with Jesus! This was not because he enjoyed pain in some perverse way, but because he knew that the greatest place of union with God is found in the dark shadows of rejection and suffering. Paul knew that we only find God's deep presence when we have been united with Him in His sufferings and death. Paul knew that the cross precedes the crown, darkness precedes glory, brokenness precedes true victory, death precedes true life. Today, many Christian leaders are offered the temptation of power without suffering. In fact, in the Western world we devise entire theologies to justify our lack of suffering and our love of pleasure. “If you have faith you will never suffer.” “If you just believe and confess it, God will deliver you from adversity and suffering of every kind.” Jesus refused a “cross-less” leadership. He knew there is no true authority without sacrifice. There is no true spiritual maturity without suffering. There is no true leadership without the cross. If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. (Matt. 16:24-25) The GLOSSARY OF TERMS defines the subjects to ensure we are all talking about the same thing. Then we have to ask the key question: ARE WE IN THE END TIMES? If we are not in the end times, what difference does any of this make? Then we want to understand the workings of the terms: WHAT IS THE RAPTURE? WHEN IS THE RAPTURE? WHO IS NOT IN THE RAPTURE?

	Relevant Scriptures: Click on the one that interests you.

	GLOSSARY OF TERMS	ARE WE IN THE END TIMES?
	THE SEVENTH TRUMPET	WHAT IS THE RAPTURE?
	WHEN IS THE RAPTURE?	WHO IS NOT IN THE RAPTURE?
	CHURCH AGE	CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA
	OTHER SIX CHURCHES	WHAT IS THE SIGN OF HIS COMING?
	WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO SUFFER GOD'S WRATH	AFTER THESE THINGS - META TAUTA
	SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST	2 THESSALONIANS 2
	ISRAEL AT WAR	TWO GOG OF MAGOG WARS
	CHURCH UNDER PERSECUTION	TWO WITNESSES
	AFTER THE TRIBULATION	WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST?


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	The excerpts above are from the book, Gathering Over Jerusalem, by Joel C. Graves