Question: How can you believe in a Rapture and Resurrection at the beginning of the Great ...

Question: Christ said, “No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” In view of such scriptures, how can you believe in a Rapture and Resurrection at the beginning of the Great Tribulation? Doesn’t Revelation:20:4-5 [4] And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. [5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
See All... teach that the “first resurrection” takes place after the Battle of Armageddon?

Response: Beware of teaching built on one isolated verse. What do “first resurrection” and “last day” mean? The answer can only be found in the context of all Scripture. In John:5:28-29 [28] Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, [29] And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
See All..., Jesus spoke of two resurrections: “The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the [1] resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the [2] resurrection of damnation.”

Undoubtedly Revelation:20:4-5 [4] And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. [5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
See All... refers to the resurrection of life. That the reference is not to the resurrection of all believers, however, but only those martyred by Antichrist during the Great Tribulation, is clearly stated: “them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark. . . .”

Then what about Abraham, David, Peter, Paul, Spurgeon, Moody, and Christians who have died more recently, none of whom was slain by Antichrist? When are they resurrected? At the Rapture, as 1 Thessalonians:4:16-17 [16] 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: [17] 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.
See All... declares, “the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together . . . to meet the Lord in the air.” No mention of that in Revelation 20, so it must have already occurred—another argument for a pretrib Rapture.

The only resurrection after Revelation:20:4-5 [4] And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. [5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
See All... takes place 1,000 years later and must be what Christ called “the resurrection of damnation.” Those who are raised then are still “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph:2:1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
See All...; Col:2:13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
See All...): “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened . . . and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books . . .” Rv 20:12). This is the Great White Throne Judgment of the lost. As for Christians, they have already “appear[ed] before the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom:14:10But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
See All...; 2 Cor:5:10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
See All...) right after the Rapture.

In Revelation:19:7-9 [7] 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. [8] 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. [9] 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.
See All..., we read of “the marriage supper of the Lamb” involving, of course, His bride, the church (Eph:5:23-32 [23] For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. [24] Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. [25] Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; [26] That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, [27] That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. [28] So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. [29] For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: [30] For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. [31] For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. [32] This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
See All...). When and how did she get to heaven? Obviously, at the pretrib Rapture! She is clothed in fine linen, white and clean (v 8). Next, Christ descends with “the armies which were in heaven . . . [also] clothed in fine linen, white and clean” v 14) to confront and destroy Antichrist at Armageddon. Surely the church comprises that army.

Enoch prophesied that Christ would return to this earth “with ten thousands [i.e., an innumerable company] of his saints, to execute judgment: upon antichrist and his followers (Jude 14-15). Zechariah:14:4-5 [4] And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. [5] And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
See All... states that when Christ comes to earth to rescue Israel and “His feet stand in that day upon the mount of Olives . . . all the saints” come with Him. Surely these are not disembodied spirits waiting to be resurrected! The saints who accompany Christ from heaven (Rv 19) to reign on earth must be in their glorified bodies—and they must have been taken to heaven previously in order to descend from there with Him at Armageddon.

That this resurrection in Revelation 20 involves only “the souls of them” who were martyred by Antichrist is a clear indication that all other saints have been previously resurrected. Then why wait until after Armageddon for these martyrs to be raised? We are told why.

Some of these same souls are seen earlier: “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God . . . and it was said unto them, that they should rest . . . until their fellowservants also . . . that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled: (Rv 6:9-11). Since all Great Tribulation martyrs are resurrected together—and Antichrist kills believers to the very end—their resurrection must await the end of Armageddon.

If the resurrection of believers who lived and died prior to the Tribulation took place seven years previously, why is the resurrection in Revelation 20 of those slain by Antichrist called “the first resurrection”? Clearly, it is in order to show that these martyrs are part of that company which has already been resurrected, the church. It specifically says that they “reign with him [Christ] a thousand years” (Rv 20:6) as do the saints of all ages.

What about Christ raising all believers “at the last day”? This “last day” is surely not the 24-hour period in which these martyrs are raised, for there are many more days that follow. The “last day” is a lengthy period of time called “the day of the Lord [God]” (Is 2:12; Jer:46:10For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
See All...; Ezek:30:3For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.
See All...; Jl 1:15, etc.) or “the day of Christ” (1 Cor:1:8Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
See All...; Phil:1:10That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
See All...; 2 Thes:2:2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
See All...). It “comes like a thief in the night” when men are saying “peace and safety” (1 Thes:5:2-3 [2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. [3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
See All...) and do not expect Christ to return or God’s judgment to fall but boast that “all things continue as they were from the beginning” (2 Pt 3:3-4, 10).

Clearly this day cannot begin with the Millennium, for it involves God’s wrath upon mankind prior thereto. Nor can it begin “as a thief” in the midst of the Tribulation, for by Revelation 6 the world is in ruins and men are crying out to the rocks to hide them from God’s wrath. It can only start at the beginning of the Tribulation with the Rapture and resurrection. It must also last until the end of the Millennium and the destruction of the old universe, for Peter says, “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away . . . the day of God, wherein the heavens . . . shall be dissolved . . . we . . . look for new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pt 3:10-13).

There are many more reasons why the Rapture must come before the Tribulation. These points are included in the book How Close Are We?