Why I Believe in a Post-Tribulation Rapture (and Why Dispensationalism is a Dangerous Deception)

For years, American Christians have been fed a comfortable lie: that we will be raptured out of this world before any real suffering or persecution takes place. This belief, called the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, is one of the central teachings of Dispensationalism. But after studying the Bible for myself, I cannot find a single verse that supports this theory. In fact, the Scriptures teach the exact opposite: Christ’s people will endure tribulation before He returns.

Not only is the Pre-Trib Rapture unbiblical, but Dispensationalism itself has deceptive origins and was engineered to keep Christians unprepared for what’s coming. Let me explain.

 

1. The Bible Clearly Teaches a Post-Tribulation Gathering of the Saints

Jesus Himself gave us the timeline in plain words:

Matthew 24:29-31 – “Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days… they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds.”

There is no secret coming before the tribulation—there is one second coming, after the tribulation.

Paul confirms this in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3:

“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you… that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed.”

This means the Church will see the Antichrist rise before being gathered to Christ.

The Book of Revelation also shows saints enduring tribulation:

Revelation 7:14 – “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Revelation 13:7 – “It was given to [the beast] to make war with the saints and to conquer them.”

Jesus warned us repeatedly to endure to the end (Matthew 24:13). If the Church was gone before the tribulation, these warnings would be meaningless.

 

2. One People of God—Not Two Separate Plans

Dispensationalism teaches that God has two distinct plans: one for Israel and one for the Church. But the Bible says there is only one people of God—Jew and Gentile united in Christ:

Ephesians 2:14-16 – “For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down the dividing wall… that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two.”

Galatians 3:28-29 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

The true “Israel of God” is everyone who belongs to Jesus (Galatians 6:16). There is no separate prophetic destiny for a modern political state called Israel.

 

3. The Origins of Dispensationalism – A 200-Year-Old Deception

For nearly 1,800 years, the Church never taught a Pre-Trib Rapture. This doctrine appeared only in the 1800s, promoted by John Nelson Darby, leader of the Plymouth Brethren movement.

Darby’s teachings were later popularized in America by the Scofield Reference Bible (1909). But here’s where it gets disturbing:

Cyrus Scofield was a convicted criminal and conman before becoming a preacher.

His reference Bible was funded and heavily promoted by Zionist backers who wanted Christians to see the modern state of Israel as prophetically essential.

Scofield’s commentary (not the Bible itself) twisted passages to fit a Zionist agenda, convincing generations of Christians to blindly “bless Israel” and to expect a secret rapture.

This was not ancient Christianity; it was a modern, politically motivated theology.

 

4. Why the Pre-Trib Rapture is Dangerous

The greatest danger of Dispensationalism is that it leaves Christians unprepared for tribulation. If you believe you’ll be rescued before persecution, you won’t be spiritually or mentally ready to stand firm when suffering comes.

Jesus warned us:

Matthew 24:9-10 – “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will fall away.”

Many will fall away because they believed a false promise of escape.

Paul also warned about this falling away:

2 Thessalonians 2:3 – “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first.”

The pre-trib lie conditions people to be passive, to wait for rescue instead of enduring faithfully.

 

5. How to Prepare for What’s Coming

Instead of clinging to a false hope of escape, we should do what Jesus told us:

“Be on guard, keep awake.” (Mark 13:33)

“You will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:13)

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer… Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

 

We prepare by:

✔ Strengthening our faith through prayer, fasting, and Scripture

✔ Learning to live without fear of persecution or death

✔ Encouraging other believers to stand firm

✔ Refusing to compromise with the Beast system, even if it costs us everything

 

I believe in a Post-Tribulation Rapture because the Bible plainly says Jesus gathers His people after the tribulation. Dispensationalism is a modern invention with Zionist roots, designed to lull Christians into complacency and blind loyalty to a political state instead of to Christ.

I would rather be prepared to endure and not need to, than to expect escape and be caught off guard. Jesus told us to be faithful, not fearful. The tribulation will separate the true Church from the false, and I choose to be among those who endure to the end.