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What You Need to Know About the Rapture
“Listen, I will tell you a mystery…we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye…” —1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Mysterious yet intriguing, the rapture is one of the most fascinating prophetic subjects in the Bible. But what is it? When will it take place? Why does it seem so hard to understand?
Dr. Charles C. Ryrie, compiler and author of the Ryrie Study Bible, clarifies diverse views on this complex topic in a reader-friendly manner. As you engage this comprehensive guide, you will discover answers to these important
How does prophecy benefit people today? Why are the same Scriptures interpreted so differently? What events surround the rapture? What is the millennium? How do we benefit from a clear understanding of the rapture?
Using concise language and helpful diagrams, Ryrie explores the key events that surround the last days from a pretribulation perspective. As you immerse yourself in this straightforward study, you will not only grow in knowledge of the rapture and its key role in future events – but also experience the profound joy of knowing God’s glorious plan for the future!
Mysterious yet intriguing, the rapture is one of the most fascinating prophetic subjects in the Bible. But what is it? When will it take place? Why does it seem so hard to understand?
Dr. Charles C. Ryrie, compiler and author of the Ryrie Study Bible, clarifies diverse views on this complex topic in a reader-friendly manner. As you engage this comprehensive guide, you will discover answers to these important
How does prophecy benefit people today? Why are the same Scriptures interpreted so differently? What events surround the rapture? What is the millennium? How do we benefit from a clear understanding of the rapture?
Using concise language and helpful diagrams, Ryrie explores the key events that surround the last days from a pretribulation perspective. As you immerse yourself in this straightforward study, you will not only grow in knowledge of the rapture and its key role in future events – but also experience the profound joy of knowing God’s glorious plan for the future!
127 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 3, 2024
About the author
Charles C. Ryrie
153 books63 followersCharles Caldwell Ryrie (born 1925) was a Christian writer and theologian. He graduated from Haverford College (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., Th.D.) and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (Ph.D.). For many years he served as professor of systematic theology and dean of doctoral studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and as president and professor at Philadelphia College of Bible, now Philadelphia Biblical University. He was a premillennial dispensationalist, though irenic in his approach. He was also the editor of the popular Ryrie Study Bible.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 21, 2024
I was a little bit, disappointed in the fact that this book was totally about comparing the three rapture theories… Pre-trib, mid trib, and post trib. It was a very detail comparison of those Three concepts… And basically proved the pre-trib idea as the logical choice.
However, I was hoping to learn a few more fun theoretical details about the rapture… And not so much a comparison of the three types. Still a good read… And the very quick read.
However, I was hoping to learn a few more fun theoretical details about the rapture… And not so much a comparison of the three types. Still a good read… And the very quick read.
April 15, 2026
This was a decent overview of the pre- and post- tribulation rapture ideas. The author heavily favors a pretribulation stance, and it could be argued he isn't entirely fair when it comes to expressing the post-tribulation arguments, but it would be a fleeting argument. The man does a decent job, post-tribulation appears to struggle on its own without some very generous heavy lifting from eisegesis and straining Bible verses. Again, that may not be fair, but that's what this book gives you.
The author starts with an understanding that this is not a salvation issue. Christians can hold either viewpoint, but they should be ready to defend and argue their point. More importantly, he argues that all Christians should study eschatology because it is a part of God's revealed Word and as such has an inherent value within all Christians. Fair enough, as someone who has avoided the topic, I was willing to give it a read and start this very brief discussion about the end times.
This topic hadn't really been a topic of discussion until the 1800's, when end times started to be discussed by the church. One of the most important issues within eschatology is the idea of imminence. How immediate is the rapture?
I'll admit I was a bit more curious as to the Millennium debate that started the book. I was more interested in where amillennialists find the argument for a symbolic millennium, but that is not the purview of this book. Fair enough.
There are four arguments that surround the rapture. Two of them hold very little water.
The mid-tribulation view argues the church will be taken up to God halfway through the tribulation. While trying to ride the fence between pre and post tribulation, this view actually ends up having all the problems of both of them and doesn't really offer adequate solutions.
The gradual rapture idea holds that there will be a series of raptures that each take a portion of the church to heaven. This creates even more problems, not the least of which is a "have" v. "have not" division within the church which is always going to be a problem. Hard to be a unified body when we are divided among different raptures.
This leaves two main views when considering the rapture.
Either the church will be raptured pre-tribulation or post-tribulation.
Pre-Tribulation argues that the church will be taken to heaven before the 7 years of tribulation begins. This means the rapture is imminent, it is the next thing to happen within the timeline of the Bible. This best fits the ideas presented in the Bible, especially if the Millennium is a literal kingdom which requires unredeemed bodies. Those who become Christians during the Tribulation (and survive the tribulation) will be there to populate the kingdom. This also keeps the church away from the judgments at the end of the age, as the church is already in heaven and is no longer present to be part of the Great White Throne. This also more easily keeps the promises of God not pouring His wrath on the church. Finally, the most interesting argument was the the church is never mentioned in Revelation 3-21. It is mentioned continually before then, but never mentioned specifically in those chapters, as Daniel's 70 week commences, the focus is on the Jewish nation, just like all of Daniel's weeks. That was a good argument, one I hadn't noticed in my reading of Revelation. While the earth is going through the tribulation, the church will be receiving rewards in heaven. After the tribulation, Christ's second coming will establish the Millennium Kingdom, and will end in Armageddon and the end of the world.
One of the hardest things to understand is that post-tribulation is a response to pre-tribulation. They appear to struggle to answer a lot of the questions, because the whole point was to be against pre-trib. Their identity was simply to be "not those guys." Post-tribulation argues that the church will be raptured at the end of the seven year tribulation, be taken into the sky, and then immediately turn around to come back to earth with Christ. The rapture and the second coming are one event. This view struggles to explain who will populate the Millennium Kingdom (people who have rejected Christ their entire lives will instantly accept Christ right after the Rapture, after the rapture, so they aren't saved, but not too far after that they are judged and do not get into the Kingdom), how God will keep His wrath from the church (some kind of protection), and where the church is during the Great White Throne Judgment (unknown). The idea of post-tribulation really only seems to work with an amillennialism view, but the idea is never explored.
By the end, many of his arguments become confusing.
Matthew 24:40 (one man is taken, the other left), is used to mean that someone is taken to judgment while the other is left for the Kingdom. He tries to compare it to Noah (as the verse does) but the people of Noah's time were left behind, not taken up to judgment. The wording is confusing, and the opposite of what I had always heard and been taught. The ones left were the ones meant for judgment. I was confused and it may have been a diction problem.
His ultimate example of a teacher letting students off the hook for a test was also confusing. I had teachers offer that in school, and if any of them had used the wording Jesus uses "I'm going to save you from that hour." I would not have known if I should be at class or not. It was a poor use of Jesus words.
He even made an argument about the sheep and goat judgment from Matthew 25, and instead of the moment being a much broader example of the type of judgment Jesus will do, or instead of using the verse in the intended meaning Jesus has (that acts of kindness are acts of service to Jesus) the author instead focuses on how this will be a literal judgment from God. I think at the end of the Millennium Kingdom, Christ will gather all the professed followers and judge them in this manner. But, isn't this how He judges all professing believers.
By the end, I really wasn't sure why anyone would hold to a post-tribulation view. It lacked a lot of the Biblical backing, and created more problems than answers.
I also struggled even more with how much time and effort we should be putting into eschatology. The only argument that really needs to be made is imminence. The Lord could come back at any moment, and we need to be ready for Him. Or, we could go meet the Lord at any moment, and we should be ready.
The argument of pre and post trib. feels even more unnecessary, the need to share the gospel is what matters.
The author starts with an understanding that this is not a salvation issue. Christians can hold either viewpoint, but they should be ready to defend and argue their point. More importantly, he argues that all Christians should study eschatology because it is a part of God's revealed Word and as such has an inherent value within all Christians. Fair enough, as someone who has avoided the topic, I was willing to give it a read and start this very brief discussion about the end times.
This topic hadn't really been a topic of discussion until the 1800's, when end times started to be discussed by the church. One of the most important issues within eschatology is the idea of imminence. How immediate is the rapture?
I'll admit I was a bit more curious as to the Millennium debate that started the book. I was more interested in where amillennialists find the argument for a symbolic millennium, but that is not the purview of this book. Fair enough.
There are four arguments that surround the rapture. Two of them hold very little water.
The mid-tribulation view argues the church will be taken up to God halfway through the tribulation. While trying to ride the fence between pre and post tribulation, this view actually ends up having all the problems of both of them and doesn't really offer adequate solutions.
The gradual rapture idea holds that there will be a series of raptures that each take a portion of the church to heaven. This creates even more problems, not the least of which is a "have" v. "have not" division within the church which is always going to be a problem. Hard to be a unified body when we are divided among different raptures.
This leaves two main views when considering the rapture.
Either the church will be raptured pre-tribulation or post-tribulation.
Pre-Tribulation argues that the church will be taken to heaven before the 7 years of tribulation begins. This means the rapture is imminent, it is the next thing to happen within the timeline of the Bible. This best fits the ideas presented in the Bible, especially if the Millennium is a literal kingdom which requires unredeemed bodies. Those who become Christians during the Tribulation (and survive the tribulation) will be there to populate the kingdom. This also keeps the church away from the judgments at the end of the age, as the church is already in heaven and is no longer present to be part of the Great White Throne. This also more easily keeps the promises of God not pouring His wrath on the church. Finally, the most interesting argument was the the church is never mentioned in Revelation 3-21. It is mentioned continually before then, but never mentioned specifically in those chapters, as Daniel's 70 week commences, the focus is on the Jewish nation, just like all of Daniel's weeks. That was a good argument, one I hadn't noticed in my reading of Revelation. While the earth is going through the tribulation, the church will be receiving rewards in heaven. After the tribulation, Christ's second coming will establish the Millennium Kingdom, and will end in Armageddon and the end of the world.
One of the hardest things to understand is that post-tribulation is a response to pre-tribulation. They appear to struggle to answer a lot of the questions, because the whole point was to be against pre-trib. Their identity was simply to be "not those guys." Post-tribulation argues that the church will be raptured at the end of the seven year tribulation, be taken into the sky, and then immediately turn around to come back to earth with Christ. The rapture and the second coming are one event. This view struggles to explain who will populate the Millennium Kingdom (people who have rejected Christ their entire lives will instantly accept Christ right after the Rapture, after the rapture, so they aren't saved, but not too far after that they are judged and do not get into the Kingdom), how God will keep His wrath from the church (some kind of protection), and where the church is during the Great White Throne Judgment (unknown). The idea of post-tribulation really only seems to work with an amillennialism view, but the idea is never explored.
By the end, many of his arguments become confusing.
Matthew 24:40 (one man is taken, the other left), is used to mean that someone is taken to judgment while the other is left for the Kingdom. He tries to compare it to Noah (as the verse does) but the people of Noah's time were left behind, not taken up to judgment. The wording is confusing, and the opposite of what I had always heard and been taught. The ones left were the ones meant for judgment. I was confused and it may have been a diction problem.
His ultimate example of a teacher letting students off the hook for a test was also confusing. I had teachers offer that in school, and if any of them had used the wording Jesus uses "I'm going to save you from that hour." I would not have known if I should be at class or not. It was a poor use of Jesus words.
He even made an argument about the sheep and goat judgment from Matthew 25, and instead of the moment being a much broader example of the type of judgment Jesus will do, or instead of using the verse in the intended meaning Jesus has (that acts of kindness are acts of service to Jesus) the author instead focuses on how this will be a literal judgment from God. I think at the end of the Millennium Kingdom, Christ will gather all the professed followers and judge them in this manner. But, isn't this how He judges all professing believers.
By the end, I really wasn't sure why anyone would hold to a post-tribulation view. It lacked a lot of the Biblical backing, and created more problems than answers.
I also struggled even more with how much time and effort we should be putting into eschatology. The only argument that really needs to be made is imminence. The Lord could come back at any moment, and we need to be ready for Him. Or, we could go meet the Lord at any moment, and we should be ready.
The argument of pre and post trib. feels even more unnecessary, the need to share the gospel is what matters.
August 10, 2025
Are you wondering when the Rapture will happen? Have you heard conflicting theories about where it falls in the timeline of Revelation events? May I point you to this book as a place to start getting answers to those questions and others? Ryle takes the Word of God and carefully compares it with the three leading theories about the timing of the Rapture. By the end you will know where the author stands and what I also believe Scripture teaches.
I would strongly recommend it to every Christian.
I would strongly recommend it to every Christian.
October 24, 2024
Heard about it on the Jack Hibbs podcast so I knew I needed to get it. It is very easy to understand, yet does not withhold from the important topics which can be very hard to describe. This book is Pre-Trib centered, but the late author describes Post-Trib views as well. He is coming quickly 🤍
September 16, 2024
A wonderful and biblically accurate teaching of the rapture!!!
October 19, 2024
Interesting comparison of pre mid and post tribulation periods. Interesting read, short book but took my time reading a chapter each day or so to digest his thoughts.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews