Taken Out Before The Tribulation

If you have ever wondered if born-again believers will have to go through the seven-year tribulation, wonder no more. I have listed ten points from scripture that verify that the church will be caught away, or raptured (from the Latin word that means to catch away), BEFORE the seven year period called the great tribulation.

1.  Revelation 4:1 (KJV): After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.  John represents believers.  He is called up to heaven in chapter 4, then in chapter 6 the Antichrist enters the world stage, ushering in the tribulation period.  The church leaves before the Antichrist arrives.
2. Christ already took all the wrath of God in place of sinful man.  As we receive Christ, we escape God's wrath (from eternal damnation as well as the wrath released during the tribulation).  Romans 5:8-11 (KJV) states: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 
3. God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation.  I Thessalonians 1:10 (KJV) bears this out: And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
4. The church is mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3, but not mentioned again until Revelation 19.  Why?  Because the church is in heaven during the tribulation, not on earth when the wrath of God is being poured out.  (Note that the book of Revelation is a chronological book, meaning that the events of Revelation are written in chronological order).  
5. Revelation 3:10 (KJV) says: Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.  In the original Greek language, "the hour of temptation" refers to the tribulation period.  
6. The church has to be raptured before the tribulation period, because we come back with Him at His second coming at the end of the tribulation.  I Thessalonians 3:13 (KJV) says: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.  Also see Revelation 19:11-21.
7. The Antichrist cannot be revealed until the church is raptured.  II Thessalonians 2:7-8 states: For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.
8. The church is in heaven at the wedding supper of the Lamb while the tribulation is taking place on earth.  Revelation 19:1-9 (KJV): And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
9. The last trump that is mentioned at the rapture refers to the final trump that is sounded during the Feast of Trumpets, not the trumpets sounded in the book of Revelation during the judgements.  I Corinthians 15:52-53 (KJV): In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
10. Titus 2:13 (KJV): Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.  The blessed hope means a confident expectation, because we will be delivered from going through the seven year tribulation.  I Thessalonians 4:16-18 (KJV) says: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.  We will be caught up, or raptured, to meet the Lord in the air.  We will be taken to heaven where we will be safe and sound during the tribulation period.  Verse 18 says to comfort one another with these words, and there is no greater comfort than to know we will be escaping the wrath to come and spending that time in the presence of our God and King.

Take comfort and be in expectation.  Look up my friend, for your redemption draweth nigh.