A few years ago I began researching Bible verses I suspected were related to what is referred to as the "rapture" or "catching up". Some of these I discovered by looking at Bible number patterns (#999, 911, 29, 92...). It was so long ago I researched this that I don't remember how I found all the examples, but it seems very clear to me that the Bible has many, many references as to how the LORD places people in a "safe place" to avoid judgment or trouble.
For these and many other reasons, I personally believe in a pre-tribulation rapture.
I offer these notes as verses and thoughts you can examine yourself. These are simply unfinished notes of a research work I did years ago and never published...
When
the trouble came God saved his remnant in a temporary safe place
God decided to cleanse the earth of men, all except a
remnant which he temporarily kept safe in the ark…
Gen 7:1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Enter the
ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous
before Me in this time.
Gen 7:16
Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded
him; and the LORD closed it behind him.
Gen 7:17
Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and
lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth.
Sodom was condemned but God sent angels to rescue him
before calamity and keep him in a nearby city until it was safe…
Gen 19:19
"Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have
magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I
cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will
die;
Gen 19:20
now behold, this town is near enough to flee
to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my
life may be saved."
Gen 19:22
"Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do
anything until you arrive there." Therefore the name of the town
was called Zoar.
Joseph was condemned by his brothers, thrown in a pit and
saved by God for a time in Egypt…
Gen 37:28
Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph
out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty {shekels} of silver.
Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.
Gen 37:29
Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he
tore his garments.
Death was decreed for Moses and all first born sons…God
saved him in a basket among the reeds
Exo 1:22
Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you
are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive."
Exo 2:2 The
woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.
Exo 2:3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a
wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child
into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.
Israel was saved in a near town of Goshen from the hail
of the judgments…
Exo 9:26
Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail.
In Exodus The LORD rescued those who were safe in a house
marked by the Blood of the Lamb…
Exo 11:4
Moses said, "Thus says the LORD, 'About midnight
I am going out into the midst of Egypt,
Exo 12:12
'For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the
gods of Egypt I will execute judgments--I am
the LORD.
Exo 12:13
'The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no
plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Exo 12:23
"For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two
doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to
come in to your houses to smite you.
As Pharaoh came to destroy them, Israel was saved by another flood when the LORD kept the waters
from destroying them…
Exo 14:29
But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the
waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
On the 3rd month after Israel escaped from
Egypt, they were to be ready for the Lord to “come down”….
Exo 19:1 In
the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on
that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
Exo 19:11 and let them be ready for the third day, for
on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the
people.
The LORD promises to keep Moses safe in a cleft, on a
rock, when he passes by…
Exo 33:20
But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and
live!"
Exo 33:21
Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand
there on the rock;
Exo 33:22
and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in
the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
Nadab and Abihu burned up after offering strange
fire…Priests had to stay in doorway of tent of meeting to be saved
Lev 10:7
"You shall not even go out from the doorway of the tent of meeting, or you
will die; for the LORD'S anointing oil is upon you." So they did according
to the word of Moses.
In third year of Abimelech as king he came to destroy
Shechem…people saved in a strong tower (safe place) while the LORD fought for
them
Judg 9:51
But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and
women with all the leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and
they went up on the roof of the tower.
Judg 9:52 So
Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance
of the tower to burn it with fire.
Judg 9:53 But a certain woman threw an upper
millstone on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull.
Ruth was to stay close to Boaz’s servants (Jesus angels?)
for safety until the harvest was over…
Ruth 2:7
"And she said, 'Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the
sheaves.' Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has
been sitting in the house for a little while."
Ruth 2:21
Then Ruth the Moabitess said, "Furthermore, he said to me, 'You should stay close to my servants until they have
finished all my harvest.' "
Elijah protected in the “doorway” entrance to a cave as
the Lord was passing by…
1Kin 19:11
So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And
behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the
mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was
not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the
earthquake.
1Kin 19:13
When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in
his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And
behold, a voice came to him…?"
Just before Elijah was taken up to heaven, he blessed Elisha,
by dividing the waters and “crossing over” to a safe place…
2Kin 2:8
Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they
were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry
ground.
2Kin 2:11 As
they were going along and talking, behold, {there appeared} a chariot of fire
and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a
whirlwind to heaven.
At the Day of the Lord he will call his people up to
enter gates into a strong city and to enter their prepared rooms to be safe…
Isa 26:1 In
that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong
city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security.
Isa 26:2
"Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, The one that remains
faithful.
Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter into your rooms And close
your doors behind you; Hide for a little while Until indignation runs its
course.
On the Day of the Lord God’s people will be called to
worship the LORD in a holy mountain…to be kept safe
Isa 27:13 It
will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those
who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of
Egypt will come and worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
God’s Word tells us if we seek righteousness and humility
we can be hidden from the terrible Day of the Lord
Zep 2:3 Seek
the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek
righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the
LORD'S anger.
Mal 4:5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.
When Jesus
was born and being sought to be killed, God called them to “get up” and go to a
safe place
Matt 2:13
Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared to Joseph in a
dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt,
and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child
to destroy Him."
As jesus was “passing by”, he called to Matthew and said
“follow me”…
Matt 9:9 As
Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax
collector's booth; and He *said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up
and followed Him.
Jesus sent his “disciples” ahead to the other side (a
safe place), sent others away, and stayed behind himself
Matt 14:22
Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the
other side, while He sent the crowds away.
And
the same reference in Mark…
Mrk 6:45
Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to
the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away.
The subject of chapter 24 is the terrible Day of the Lord
(verse 42) – in verses 40-41 the catching up of the faithful to a safe place
Matt 24:40
"Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will
be left.
Matt 24:41
"Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be
left.
Matt 24:42
"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is
coming.
Matt 24:44
"For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at
an hour when you do not think He will.
Jesus called his disciples to immediately “come away” to
a safe place –There way no time to eat (Matt 24)
Mrk 6:31 And
He *said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a
while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not
even have time to eat.)
Jesus took his most faithful up the mountain where they
were in the presence of God – a preview of the catching up to a safe place
Mrk 9:1 And
Jesus was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who
are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God
after it has come with power."
Mrk 9:2 Six
days later, Jesus *took with Him Peter and James and John, and *brought them up
on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; (ver 9:2=92 is a clue this is about Jesus
return)
?????????
Luke 2:9 And
an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
Speaking of Jesus “departure” to heaven is a reference to
being “caught up”
Luke 9:31
who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to
accomplish at Jerusalem.
?????????
Luke 13:29
"And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will
recline at the table in the kingdom of God.
It appears in these verses the “catching up” (calling up)
will occur on the day the destruction begins (Day of the LORD)
Luke 17:27
they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given
in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and
destroyed them all.
Luke 17:34
"I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken
and the other will be left.
Luke 17:35
"There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and
the other will be left.
Luke 17:36
"Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be
left."
Those who trust in the LORD will not perish (in the Day
of the LORD?)
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Related to the ten virgins who were to be ready when the
bridegorrm unexpectedly came for them…
John 3:29
"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom,
who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.
So this joy of mine has been made full.
Jesus appeared walking on the sea (3 or 4 might be a
reference to 3.5 years?). Note they were instantly taken to the other side
John 6:19
Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they *saw Jesus walking on
the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened.
John 6:21 So
they were willing to receive Him into
the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
John 6:40
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and
believes in Him will have eternal life, and
I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
No one can “come up” to Jesus unless Jesus calls him up –
on the final day (Day of the LORD)
John 6:44
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will
raise him up on the last day.
Jesus will “come down” from heaven to save those that
have truly accepted Jesus
John 6:49
"Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
John 6:50
"This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of
it and not die.
John 6:51
"I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of
this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the
life of the world is My flesh."
?
John 9:1 As
He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.
Jesus went up to heaven to prepare a place for us – a
safe place?
John 14:3
"If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to
Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
?
John 21:19
Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And
when He had spoken this, He *said to him, "Follow Me!"
?
Act 1:9 And
after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on,
and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
Act 1:10 And
as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men
in white clothing stood beside them.
Act 1:11
They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?
This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the
same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."
Philip was “caught up” and immediately found himself at
Azotus
Act 8:29
Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."
Act 8:39
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip
away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.
Act 8:40 But
Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the
gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.
?
Act 9:3 As
he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a
light from heaven flashed around him;
?
Act 10:16
This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the
sky.
?
1Cor 15:51
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be
changed,
1Cor 15:52
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
?
2Cor 12:4
was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not
permitted to speak.
?
1The 2:19
For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the
presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
?
1The 4:14
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with
Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
1The 4:15
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and
remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen
asleep.
1The 4:16
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first.
1The 4:17
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
?
1The 5:2 For
you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a
thief in the night.
?
Heb 2:3 how
will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first
spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,
?
Heb 11:5 By
faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND
BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being
taken up he was pleasing to God.
?
2Pet 1:19 So
we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay
attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the
morning star arises in your hearts.
?
2Pet 2:6 and
if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing
them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly
lives thereafter;
2Pet 2:9
then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the
unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
?
Rev 3:3 'So
remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore
if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what
hour I will come to you.
?
Rev 3:10
'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from
the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to
test those who dwell on the earth.
?
Rev 4:1
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and
the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with
me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after
these things."
?
Rev 11:12
And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up
here." Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies
watched them.
?
Rev 12:6
Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God,
so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty
days.
?
Rev 12:10
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the
power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come,
for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them
before our God day and night.
Rev 12:14
But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could
fly into the wilderness to her place, where she *was nourished for a time and
times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
?
Rev 21:9
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last
plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the
bride, the wife of the Lamb."
?
Rev 22:7
"And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the
prophecy of this book."
Rev 22:14
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the
tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
