There have always been several "theories" which are shown below. Do you know which is the correct one?

The logic of the pre-tribbers is actually quite good but rests on at least ONE major FALSE ASSUMPTION - namely, that they believe that the CHURCH and ISRAEL are TWO SEPARATE ENTITIES when they are NOT. Accordingly their reasoning goes something like this:

Since there is no mention of the "Church" during this important prophecy about Israel, then it "must" not be on the earth any more. But what if the Church and Israel are one and the same? Then the Church would be on the earth the whole time. The fact of the matter is that the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine is a fruit of the false Replacement Theory whereby the Church is presumed to have "replaced" Israel when it comes to Old Testament blessings (but not, oddly, its cursings, which are condescendingly "given" to the Jews).

When it is clearly understood that Israel and the Church are one and the same, the need for a pre-tribulation rapture doctrine to explain the Church's supposed "absence" simply vapourises. We do not need the convoluted arguments of the pre-tribbers to explain a very simple biblical doctrine - indeed, they are forced into the murky realm of "mysteries" to explain their teaching as illustrated below:

Thus the pre-tribbers are forced to somehow merge two supposedly different "strands" of prophecy in order to "explain" why there are "saved" people during the tribulation. They have major problems understanding where the "Law" fits into the picture which they assume has been abrogated entirely, and accordingly they arrive at a model as shown below:

The concept of a "Church Age" is not a biblical one and is based on certain protestant assumptions about the nature of the "Church". In actual fact the word "church" derives from the Latin meaning a CIRCUS and it is more accurate to describe it as an "assembly" or a "fellowship". It is therefore meaningless to talk about a "Fellowship Age" or an "Assembly Age" since God's people have always been an "assembly" and a "fellowship", the word "church" implying more than these concepts. To speak of a "Law Age" and a "Church Age" is therefore highly misleading.

Once we understand that there is no such thing as "the Church" but only the Assembly of Israel in either the Old or New Covenand dispensations it becomes easier to resolve the rapture problem. The true "Church" is in fact New Covenant Israel made up of New Covenant Israelites. At present they are scattered throughout the "churches" but soon are to be gathered into One Assembly of Yahweh. The "circus of the churches" will come to an end. It is for this reason what we are known both as the New Covenant Church of God (NCCG) and the more correct Israelite B'rit Chadashah Assembly of Yahweh. Once Israel is gathered we shall drop the NCCG designation entirely.

But even if you have problems rejecting the "Replacement Theology" teaching the scriptures are still sufficiently clear to show that ALL the Church - the true saints - will pass through the tribulation. There are millions of evangelical Christians who have been deluded by the false pre-tribulation rapture doctrine which is not biblical and who, because they believe they will be spared the difficult times ahead, have grown spiritually lazy. The articles in this register look at the history of this teaching (a doctrine unknown in early Christianity in either the apostolic or sub-apostolic times) and the bible teaching from the point of view of those who are not even members of NCCG and reflect some of their assumptions around Israel. The fact that they see the unscripturality of the pre-trib doctrine should make those who do not, wake up and think again.

Introduction to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Doctrine
The New Doctrine: A History of the Rapture Doctrine
Is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Doctrine True?
The Big U-Turn: Contradictions of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Doctrine
The Kingdom of God: A Balanced Perspective
As a Thief in the Night? A Brief Study on a Popular Endtime Misconception
Tribulation is a Night of Persecution but the Saints Will Be Victorious
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: A Modern Heresy
The Rapture Question (FAQ)
Rapturemania: Exposing the Escapist Myth (Art)
The Great Escape?
A Question on the Post-Tribulation Rapture