RAPTURE

The rapture is when Jesus Christ returns to remove the church (all believers in Christ) from the
earth. The rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.
Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with believers who are still
living, will meet the Lord in the air. This will all occur in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye.
PARTIAL RAPTURE VIEW
There are some believers who hold that only faithful Christians will be taken in the rapture, with
unfaithful Christians left on earth to suffer through the tribulation. The problem is that the Bible
does not support such a concept. The passages which describe the rapture (1 Corinthians
15:50-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) definitely seem to apply universally to all Christians, mature
and immature, faithful and disobedient. Verses like Romans 8:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9 tell us
that God does not pour out His wrath on Christians. There is no biblical evidence whatsoever for
a partial rapture. Every believer will be taken to heaven in the rapture.
MID-TRIBULATION VIEW
The mid-tribulation rapture proponent believes that the rapture will occur prior to the "great
tribulation" which is the last three and a half years of the seven year tribulation period. This
places three and a half years between the rapture of the church and the Second Coming of
Jesus Christ.
One problem with the mid-tribulation rapture timing view is that it believes that the church will go
through the Tribulation period for three and a half years but be removed before the great
tribulation starts. This would assume that the church will undergo some of God's wrath but not
the worst of it.
POST-TRIBULATION VIEW
Postribulationists maintain that the coming of Christ for His church will not take place until the
conclusion of the great tribulation.They avoid to use the term rapture because (1)it is not a
bibilical expression and (2)it suggests that the church will escaped or be delivered from the
tribulation, a notion w/c runs contrary from the essence of posttribulationism.
According to posttribulationism, the church will be present during and experience the great
tribulation. The term elect in Matthew 24(after the tribulation, the angels will gather the elect
--.29-31) should be understood in the light of its usage elsewhere in Scripture,where it means
believers.
PRE-TRIBULATION VIEW

II.SECOND ADVENT
POST MILLENIALISM VIEW
The Millenium ,a term meaning thousand, refers to the thousand year reign of Christ.Some
Christians believe the Millenium will be an age of blessedness on the earth.Some believe the
Millenium is the present church agea period of indefinite length,or that the Millenium is a way
of reffering to the eternal state.Postmillenialists expect Christs visible return after the Millenium.
AMILLENIALISM
Amillenialist interpret Christs Millenial reign in an ideal or spiritual sense.While believing in the
second coming,they reject the idea of a literal thousand year reign on earth.Some see Christs reign
as having begun during His earthly ministry or at the time of His resurrection.They cite Peters
declaration that Christ now rules from the right hand of God(Acts 2:33-36).Israel and the church
viewed as forming one people of God, and the kingdom promises to Israel are seen as applying to
the church age, or to the eternal existence in the new heavens and new earth.
PRE-MILLENIALISM
Premillenialist believe that Christ will return before the Millenium.Interpretting Revelation 20 literally,
they hold that Christ will reign on earth for a literal thousand years.According to this view ,the church
will be raptured prior to a seven year Great tribulation.Following the tribulation,Christ will return to
establish a thousand-year millennial kingdom centered in Jerusalem and involving the reinstitution of
the Old Testament sacrificial system.The millennial kingdom will end with a futile rebellion by the
forces of evil,after w/c will come the final judgement and beginning of the eternal reign.