One thing all Christians agree upon is that Jesus will come back one day. There is, however, much debate about when he will come back, specifically in reference to the Great Tribulation (Rev. 7:14). In this article, I will argue why I think that Jesus will come back after the Great Tribulation.

The position I’m going to put forward is called “posttribulationalism” and it differs from the “pretribulational” position in one primary way. The pretribulational position says that Jesus returns before the tribulation to gather the church, but does so secretly, and then he returns again after the tribulation visibly for all to see. This position was popularized by the Left Behind books and movies. The posttribulational position says that Jesus only comes once, after the tribulation, that it is visible for all to see, and that he gathers his people to himself at that time.

Let me give you five reasons, in no particular order, why I think posttribulationalism is the view that best represents the teaching of Scripture.

First, it is possible for God to protect his people from his wrath during the tribulation. The tribulation is a time when the wrath of God will be poured out on the world. But we know that God’s people are exempt from his wrath. 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So how can the church be on the earth while God’s wrath is being poured out? The answer is that there is biblical precedent for the protection of God’s people during times of God’s wrath. Isaiah 26:20-21, “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.”

We also see this in the plagues that God sent upon Egypt during the exodus. For example, when God sent swarms of flies, he “set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there” (Ex. 8:22). When God sent hail upon the land of Egypt, “The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail” (9:25-26).

These passages present a compelling case for the principle that God’s people can be present during a time of his wrath. This refutes the pretribulational argument that God’s people cannot be present during the time of his wrath. God can protect his people while he pours out his wrath.

Second, John 14:3 makes more sense on a posttribulational understanding. Jesus says, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” The pre-trib view takes this to mean that believers will go to heaven with Jesus as soon as Jesus returns. But the idea that believers will go to heaven with Jesus for a short time and then come to earth with Jesus seems to be stretching what this text teaches. One scholar says, “The pretribulational interpretation would require us to believe that the church will occupy heavenly mansions for a short period of seven years, only to vacate them for a thousand years.”

There is no inherent difficulty involved in a scenario where believers rise to meet the Lord in the air and immediately return to earth with him. The text does not say that believers will go directly to heaven with Jesus, but only that they will always be with the Lord.

Third, Jesus and Paul’s reference to a trumpet at the end of time suggest a posttribulational return of Jesus. Jesus refers to a “loud trumpet call” when he returns in Matthew 24:31, “And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one of heaven to the other.” This “trumpet call” is after Jesus’ return, which is after the tribulation according to Matthew 24:29ff.

Paul refers to a trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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 shall be changed.”

The parallel of Jesus’ use of “trumpet” and Paul’s reference to “the last trumpet” is hard to ignore. Jesus says the trumpet will sound after the tribulation. Paul says that when it sounds, the dead will be raised and “we shall all be changed.” This suggests that Jesus’ return will coincide with the raising and changing of God’s people. All this takes place after the tribulation, not before it.

Fourth, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 hints at a posttribulational return of Christ. The clue is found in the word used by Paul to describe the “meeting” between the saints who’re alive and the Lord (v. 17). Scholar Douglas Moo says that this word apantesis occurs “in references to the visit of dignitaries and generally implies that the ‘delegation’ accompanies the dignitary back to the delegation’s point of origin.” This would imply that after the saints meet the Lord in the air, they then go with him back to the earth instead of going to heaven. Jesus returns and gathers his people to himself and brings them back to the earth.

My fifth and final reason is found in Mark 13:24-26, “After that tribulation….they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels to gather his elect.” The order is clear: tribulation, return of Jesus, gathering of the elect. Jesus does not return secretly, but visibly. He returns after the period of tribulation. And after his return, he gathers his people to himself. For these five reasons, I think that Jesus will come back after the Great Tribulation. Until then, we wait and watch for his coming (Mk. 13:33-37).

May God Help Us Stay Faithful to Jesus through Every Tribulation,
Pastor John