Introduction
    “Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy false dreams,” saith Yahweh, “and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all,” saith Yahweh. (Scripture references are from the Restored Name KJV, unless otherwise noted.)
   The desire to escape to Paradise in the third heaven, before the start of a not-so-pleasant chain of events which are described in the Scriptures as great tribulation – that is, a rapture – continues to captivate millions of Bible believers around the world. No doubt, many people, in ignorant innocence, preach it and believe it with all their hearts, without even asking basic necessary questions concerning the validity of this unfounded heresy.
   Some suggest that Yahweh is too kind to allow His ‘children’ to go through such a dreadful time as the great tribulation period. But a careful look at the Scriptures reveals that Yahweh’s people are protected on earth in times of devastating judgement. For example: Noah and his family were protected on earth while the wicked people of that generation perished in the deluge (Gen. 7:1-24). Lot and his two daughters were kept safe on earth during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:12-29). Ancient Israel was protected in Goshen while Yahweh poured down various plagues on the Egyptians (Exod. 8:20-24).
   So, will Yahweh (Who changes not) suddenly change His way in this last generation by evacuating people into heaven to enjoy special protection, while the rest of the world experiences great tribulation? The answer of Scripture, as we have found out, is, “NO” (Mal. 3:6).

Pre-Tribulation Rapture
   One may be surprised to learn that the word, “rapture,” does not appear anywhere in the Scriptures. Neither Yahshua, nor His apostles, ever taught the concept of a rapture. In spite of this, proponents of this error keep struggling to explain it with a philosophy that has neither precedence in, or credence of, the Scriptures. The fact that the word does not appear in the Scriptures makes such explanations weak and untenable.
   Pre-tribulation rapture is the false doctrine that says Yahshua the Messiah will return secretly to ‘snatch away’ His saints before great tribulation begins on the earth. It presumes that during the period of great tribulation, genuine believers in Yahshua will not be subject to the reign of the anti-Messiah.
   Rapturists, however, are not in agreement on the number of years they hope to spend in heaven. Some claim it will be three and a half years; others say, seven years while others, posit they will be in heaven for one thousand years before returning to earth. And then there are a fourth who believe they will spend eternity in heaven. However, all these are wrong, as we will discover from the Scriptures.

Misunderstood Verses
   For this we say unto you by the Word of Yahweh, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Master shall not prevent them which are asleep. For Yahshua Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of Yahweh: and the dead in the Messiah shall rise first: then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Master, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.
   Much of the argument in favor of this false doctrine of rapture is built on a misunderstanding of this passage. For this reason, it is important we take a close look at the Apostle’s words, with focus upon three key words that can help us unravel what Paul is saying here, and arrive at the correct interpretation.
   First of all, as we can see, the passage says we shall be caught up to ΜΕΕΤ, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, G.529 μεετ , meaning “a friendly (encounter) to Yahshua in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). It does NOT say, we shall meet Him in Paradise, or the third heaven, as many people wrongly assume. The Greek word translated AIR in this verse is G.109, αιρ which means “the air (particularly the lower and denser, as distinguished from the higher and rarer), the atmospheric region” … also known as the first heaven.
   Secondly, in Acts, Chapter 28, we read of Paul on a journey from Caesarea to Rome. The brethren there were so excited about his coming that they went to MEET Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, G.529 μεετ , meaning “a friendly (encounter) him on the way, at the Appii forum. Paul didn’t lead the brethren back to Caesarea. What did he do? he continued his journey to Rome (Acts 28:12-16).
   As we can see, there is parallel here, to what will happen at the second coming of Yahshua – ΜΕΕΤ, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, G.529 μεετ , meaning “a friendly (encounter) in the AIR G.109, αιρ which means “the air (particularly the lower and denser, as distinguished from the higher and rarer).
   Yes, whether first dead in Messiah, or alive, we will be caught up to MEET Him in the air from thence, He will continue His journey with us, to the earth. Paul is speaking here about A FRIENDLY ENCOUNTER with Yahshua in the air (particularly the lower and denser, as distinguished from the higher and rarer), the atmospheric region – a joyous gathering, to welcome the King of kings with Whom, we will, from that very moment, be forever.
   Where? one might ask. The Scriptures make it abundantly clear that we will be with Him in His kingdom which He will establish on this earth upon His return (Dan. 7:27; Rev. 11:15, 5:9-10; Luke 22:28-30).
   MEET … AIR … CAUGHT UP – this third, G.726 χαυγητ υπ (harpazo) means in various applications, “to seize: catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
   Some teach this “caught up” is synonymous with “rapture” and thus, validates the rapture doctrine. However, this view is grossly incorrect in the light of its context. Harpazo is a word used multiple times in the New Testament Scriptures and we shall examine two instances in which it is used.
   And the angel of Yahweh spake unto Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.” And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, “Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” And Philip ran thither to [him], and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” And he said, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the Scripture which he read was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth: in His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth.” And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, “I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Yahshua. And as they went on [their] way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, “See, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” And Philip said, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Yahshua is the Son of Yahweh. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of Yahweh CAUGHT AWAY Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea, Acts 8:26-40.
   Philip was led by the Angel of Yahweh to introduce an Ethiopian proselyte to Yahshua the Messiah. The man believes and is immersed in water. Shortly afterward, the Spirit of Yahweh CAUGHT AWAY Philip from there and he was later found at Azotus. Obviously, Philip was not CAUGHT UP to heaven, but was supernaturally transported (χαυγητ υπ, harpazo to another location on earth).
   When any heareth the Word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked [one], and CATCHETH AWAY (G.726, χαυγητ υπ harpazo means in various applications, “to seize: catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force) that which was sown in his hear. This is he which received seed by the way side, Matthew 13:19. Again, its (harpazo) use here has nothing to do with being caught up into heaven. Rather, Yahshua is showing us that the devil forcefully takes away the Good Word sown in the heart of men.
   So, returning briefly to 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 4: Paul is affirming that Yahshua descends from heaven on His way to the earth; the saints who have fallen asleep in Him will be resurrected first, after which they which are alive will be CAUGHT UP together with them to have a FRIENDLY ENCOUNTER with Yahshua in the AIR (1 Thess. 4:15-17).

The Great Tribulation
    And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate, Daniel 11: 31.
   And from the time [that] the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, [there shall be] a thousand two hundred and ninety days, Daniel 12:11. 
   When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: … For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be, Matthew 24:15-16, 21. 
   And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of Thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. … Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And [one] said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, “How long [shall it be to] the end of these wonders?” And I heard the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that [it shall be] for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these [things] shall be finished, Daniel 12:1, 5-7.
   And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, “Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months, Revelation 13:4-5.
   The Scriptures describe the great tribulation as a time of unprecedented difficulty, and coming in the near future during which time, Almighty Yahweh will pour out His judgment upon the disobedient people of this world for their continuing in lawlessness (Rev. 6:1-17, 8:6-13).
   During this period, the man of sin, known also as the anti-Messiah will rule the world and attempt to stop men from worshipping Yahweh … arrogating worship to himself by situating himself in Yahweh’s Temple in Jerusalem. (We understand that a physical temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem in these last days and the commanded daily sacrifices will be restored and that later, the anti-Messiah will end the daily sacrifice and proclaim himself Elohim Whom men should worship, 2 Thess. 2:3-4.)
   The great tribulation, during which the anti-Messiah rules, will last for three and a half years, from the time he terminates the daily worship of Yahweh in the Temple and institutes what the Scripture calls, the abomination of desolation. In those days, Yahweh will, in His mercy, send two witnesses to proclaim the Word of Yahweh in Jerusalem, and to warn men of impending judgment against their continuing in lawlessness (Rev. 11:1-3).
   Throughout their ministries, neither Yahshua, nor any of His apostles ever even hinted on a two-phase second coming of the Messiah. One that would feature both a secret return to evacuate believers from earth in order to escape the coming great tribulation and the other one establishing His millennial reign on earth. Rather, they taught that believers will experience some trials and tribulation in this present world, before entering into the Kingdom of Yahweh. Indeed, history attests to this having been the believer’s experience all along (Matt. 13:20-21; Acts 14:21-22; 2 Thess. 1:3-4; Rev. 1:9).
   We now proceed to prove from the Scriptures that Yahshua’s return will occur only after the great tribulation.

The Gathering of the Elect
   Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other, Matthew 24:29-31.
   “One end of heaven to the other,” means “the farthest parts of the earth (Deut. 4:31-33; Mark 13:24-27). This becomes clearer when this passage is read from other Bible translations.
   Right after those days of suffering, the sun will become dark, and the moon will no longer shine. The stars will fall, and the powers in the sky will be shaken. Then a sign will appear in the sky. And there will be the Son of Man. All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. At the sound of a loud trumpet, He will send His angels to bring his chosen ones together from all over the earth, Matthew 24:29-31, Contemporary English Version. 
   Right after the trouble of those days, this will happen: The sun will become dark, and the moon will not give light. The stars will fall from the sky, and everything in the sky will be changed. Then there will be something in the sky that shows the Son of Man is coming. All the people of the world will cry. Everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky. He will come with power and great glory. He will use a loud trumpet to send His angels all around the earth. They will gather His chosen people from every part of the earth, Matthew 24:29-31, Easy-to-Read Version.
   But immediately after those times of distress the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the forces which control the heavens will be disordered and disturbed. Then will appear the Sign of the Son of Man in the sky; and then will all the nations of the earth lament, when the see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with great power and glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet-blast, and they will bring together His own people to Him from north, south, east, and west – from one extremity of the world to the other, Matthew 24:29-31, Weymouth New Testament.
   As we can see from these various translations of the same passage, Yahshua will be coming back to earth after the great tribulation, and NOT before it. Faithful believers will still be here then, and they will be gathered from wherever they may be on the face of the earth to MEET the Messiah with a FRIENDLY ENCOUNTER when He returns after the tribulation period.

Anti-Messiah Reigns before We are Caught Up
    For this we say unto you by the Word of Yahweh, that we which are alive and remain unto THE COMING OF THE MASTER shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Master himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of Elohim: [and] the dead in Messiah shall rise first: then we which are alive remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Master, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.
   Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Master Yahshua Messiah, and [by] our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Messiah is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called elohim, or that is worshipped; so that he as Elohim sitteth in the temple of Elohim, shewing himself that he is Elohim. … And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Master shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 8.
   In these two passages, we understand that our gathering together unto Yahshua, that is, our being CAUGHT UP to MEET Him in the AIR at His return to the earth cannot occur without two major events first happening.
      • a falling away (apostasy … a departure from the faith) which began following the death of the apostles, and
      • when the man of sin (the anti-Messiah) is revealed, sitting in Yahweh’s Temple; claiming he is Yahweh, but opposing Yahweh’s worship.
   Believers will evidently be here during this time, if there are some who are lost by falling away.

Resurrection of the Saints Follows the Great Tribulation
    For this we say unto you by the Word of Yahweh, that we which are alive and remain unto THE COMING OF THE MASTER shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Master himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of Elohim: [and] the dead in Messiah shall rise first: then we which are alive remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Master, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.
   And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Yahshua, and for the Word of Elohim, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Messiah a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of Yahweh and of Messiah, and shall reign with Him a thousand years, Revelation 20:4-6.
   Is there a clearer way Yahweh can make the truth known to us than by what He has already done through these passages? The first resurrection will include, but is not limited to, the faithful believers who will be killed by anti-Messiah during the great tribulation for their refusal to worship him (the anti-Messiah). Keep in mind, the Scriptures tell us the saints who are asleep in Messiah will be resurrected before those of us who are alive, and that we, together with them, shall MEET Yahshua with a FRIENDLY ENCOUNTER in the AIR upon His return to the earth.

Conclusion
    The Scriptures speak extensively about the second appearance of Yahshua the Messiah and His soon-coming Kingdom. But not once are we informed from the Bible that He will return secretly to snatch us to heaven so that we will not experience the great tribulation that will occur in the end of this age. Rather, we are admonished to endure to the end that we might be saved (Matt. 24:13; Rev. 13:8-10, 14:9-12). We are also told that all eyes will see the Messiah’s return, and that the disobedient people of this world will weep when they behold the Savior coming in great glory and power (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7).
   The rapture doctrine, dating only from the 19th century, is a false hope many people today tenaciously hold. But it is a heresy, capable of destroying their faith when the prophesied events of the great tribulation begin to unfold, and they are still here!
   As we witness a surge of unscriptural doctrines being taught by men whose understanding is darkened, we must arm ourselves with the truth as taught by Yahshua and His apostles, as well as the holy prophets. We must be vigilant against these, and other, erroneous doctrines of men and bear in mind the admonitions of the apostle Paul who foretold that in the end of days, some will not longer accept wholesome Words and sound Doctrine, but will, on the contrary, be turned unto false doctrines inspired by the adversary (1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 4:2).