At the link below is one of the clearest explanations (in text and video) of a Scriptural basis for believing that believers will be raptured before the Tribulation.

GotQuestions.Org article

Revelation Chapter One

19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 

    These are the three divisions of the book that David Jeremiah outlines. 

The things you have seen: What John just saw in chapter one and some introduction

The things that are: the next two chapters consisting of letters to the 7 churches in the Mediterranean region. They are letters not just to those churches but to us and Jesus takes the time to emphasize this saying for us to “listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” We get the benefit of seeing the ups and downs of the church that came before and SHOULD learn from them. 
The third chunk of Revelation is “the things that will take place after this” and goes from chapter 4 to the end, chapter 22. The church is not mentioned again as we know it because it’s been taken up in the Rapture and isn’t present for what happens on Earth in the tribulation. 

Acts 1

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

We live with the hope of His return

2 Thessalonians 1

5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

2 Timothy 4

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

Jesus will return as judge after the 7 year Tribulation

2 Thessalonians 2
​​9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

POINT OF CORRECTION:
I had said that some will come to believe during Tribulation that had heard before but David Jeremiah says that those who come to believe will be those who had never heard before. Those who heard and rejected before will not get a second chance but will be under delusion so they continue in their unbelief. See 2 Thessalonians 2:11 above.

After this will come the Millennial reign of Jesus for 1,000 years. There will be righteousness from those believers who return with Jesus but still some unrighteousness from SOME of the children. Having the choice to believe or not some will reject. 
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The Great White Throne Judgement concludes the millennium and ushers in eternity.


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Last night at the study we said that we believers will return and reign with Christ and there will no more sin. At least from us. But also that the devil will be around still for a time to tempt people. Now...who is he going to tempt if we are righteous...? According to David Jeremiah's blog he says children will be born during that time period and they will have the capacity for rebellion. They can make a personal decision for or against Christ. Just as the devil fights for our children now, he will fight for the children of the future during Christ's Millenial reign. It seems strange that anyone would rebel against Christ during this time, but history and our own personal experience shows us that we rebel against God despite knowing Him every day

Feb 1: Chapter One

Feb 8th off for meal and mission presentation

Feb 15th: Chapter Two

Feb 22nd off for Ash Wednesday

March 1: Chapter Three

We will find out a date for a March Family Night Meal before publishing more dates

Thanks everyone who attended and if you missed the first one don't worry were' about to catch you up below. By the way we moved the tables and chairs around after study to accommodate more people and also so you don't have to turn your neck quite as hard to see the screen. 

The printout we shared is HERE and we are printing out some more copies since we ran out.
The website with clips we watched is HERE

Some notes from tonight:

Jesus revealed to John (the Beloved disciple) His revelation for not only the seven churches in the book but for all who will listen and learn from it. Jesus promised His disciples while on earth that He would undergo persecution and they would too. John was poisoned but this was not sucessful in killing him, most other disciples were killed. He was exiled to the island of Patmos with other prisoners where he could still send mail.

How do you get out a Christian letter to people who would monitor the prison mail for that sort of thing? Use Christian imagery and symbolism. There are symbolic things, literal things, and often those are the same thing. A Christian might understand this book, a non-believing Roman guard probably wouldn't. 

John wrote to pastors of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 what Jesus told him to and John wrote to the persecuted as one persecuted himself. 

The rapture is the time where Jesus will return to take believers to be with Him. First the dead in Christ will rise then those who are alive during that time will meet them and Jesus in the air. Some people don't believe in a rapture though it is clear in Scripture. Some believe it comes at the end or mid point of the seven year "Great Tribulation." Scripturally we take a pre-tribulation view that Christians, though they may go through "tribulations" or "trials" during this life will be spared the GREAT tribulation.

We asked the question, if you were raptured and your loved ones searched your phone, computer, and belongings for signs of what happened will your physical and digital trail lead them to or away from Christ? How about the life you lived and what you spoke about?

After the "literal" seven years of Tribulation, we will return with Christ to reign with Him. We certainly are not deserving of this but it is based on JESUS'S righteousness not our own. We don't know what we will be doing for Jesus when He brings us back to Earth for 1,000 years but the idea of no pain or suffering in our bodies and serving Jesus sure sounds good!

After the millenial reign will be the Great White Throne Judgement. This does not occur in heaven but a separate place. There are no tears in heaven but I believe we will weap tears for those condemned to hell that we either couldn't reach or didn't try. This judgement is for nonbelievers, we are secured by the blood of Christ. Again...HIS righteousness not our own.

Many plagues during the Tribulation mirror the time of Exodus
There will be new believers made during the Tribulation, and it will be harder to be a Christian during that time of awful persecution. God will use believers during that time but it will not be easy. 

God will remake heaven and earth. As He created materials and then created the world, (he made the ingredients before He made the cake,) there is some speculation that He will reduce it all back to "the ingredients" and make everything as it should be without the influence of sin. 

Jesus told us in the Olivet Discourse that we will hear of wars and rumors of wars but not to be afraid these things (and others) must take place and then the end will come.

Last night, a group moved the "Doomsday Clock" 90 seconds to midnight due to the war in Ukraine and global warming. They believe we are inching closer to nuclear annihilation but have not laid out any metrics for what events determine where we are on that clock. We needn't be afraid, we know what the end will look like from God's Word. Even if nuclear war occurs and missles land on us, that is not the end of time. Maybe the end for us specifically but even then if we are in Christ we know where we are going. What matters is when the roll is called up yonder we are there and we try to bring as many people along with us as we can by telling them about Jesus.

If you don't yet have a book let Pastor Travis know. We have ordered some extras but it helps to know how many are still needed.

​HERE is a link to a prophecy chart print out we will be covering, provided at the study. 

The website with clips that we will watch will be linked after the study HERE. 

Don't worry if you haven't read anything yet, lets get everyone a book and then we will cover chapter one NEXT time.