Note 28 at 1 Th. 5:9: This is another passage of scripture that those who teach a rapture (see note 15 at v. 17, p. 1240) lean heavily upon. The reasoning is that the book of Revelation shows an unprecedented wrath of God released on the earth during the tribulation. Therefore, the believers must be gone because, "God hath not appointed us to wrath?"

There are at least two things wrong with this thinking.

First, the book of Revelation does show there are believers who are present on the earth during the tribulation (ex. Rev. 6:11; 7:2-4; 11:3; 13:7-8; 14:13). Regardless of what kind of believers you say these are, some Christians will go through tribulation. That renders this reasoning invalid. But that doesn't mean they are experiencing God's wrath.

Secondly, the Christians will be miraculously spared the plagues of God just as the Israelites were during the ten plagues in the land of Egypt. They went through the plagues but the plagues didn't touch them. Likewise, Christians will be miraculously spared the wrath of God during the tribulation. They will be on the earth but that doesn't mean they will experience God's wrath. No! That is reserved for His enemies (Nah. 1:2).

The motivation of many for believing in the rapture theory is a misunderstanding concerning the judgments of God in the book of Revelation. They miss the fact that Revelation is showing the judgment of God on the ungodly only. Believers will be able to be sustained supernaturally just as they have always been. There will be persecution, but if one thinks the Lord would never allow His people to go through persecution, he is sadly misinformed about Church history. Every day Christians around the world are being martyred.

We cannot fabricate a way of escape just because we don't like what's coming. We need to put our faith in Christ and endure until the end just as countless generations of believers before us have done.