Evangelist Perry Stone recently devoted an entire teaching to explaining why he believes Scripture points to a pre-tribulation rapture, arguing that God’s prophetic timeline consistently places the catching away of believers before the seven-year Tribulation.
Rather than focusing on current events, Stone walked viewers through biblical prophecy, the feasts of Israel and what he called “100% proof” that the Church will be removed before God’s wrath is poured out on the earth. Here are the primary arguments he presented.
Stone begins with the three major views
Stone acknowledged that Christians hold different beliefs about the timing of Christ’s return.
According to Stone, the three primary views are:
- Pre-tribulation — Christ gathers believers before the Tribulation begins.
- Mid-tribulation — Christ returns around the midpoint of the seven years.
- Post-tribulation — Believers meet Christ in the air before immediately returning with Him to establish His kingdom.
He also urged believers not to divide over the issue.
“Heretical teaching is not … your opinion of when the rapture is going to take place. Heretical teaching is to say Jesus is not the Son of God, or He was not born of the virgin Mary.”
1. The Old Testament reveals Christ’s kingdom. The New Testament reveals the rapture.
Stone argued that the Old Testament repeatedly foretells Christ reigning as King on the earth, while the New Testament introduces an additional event: Christ coming for His Church before returning to reign.
He pointed to John 14 as one of the clearest examples.
“The Old Testament revelation is Christ ruling on earth. The New Testament revelation is Christ returning for the Church to take them to heaven for a period of time, and then returning back… to rule on the earth.”
Stone’s key distinction
- Old Testament → Christ’s earthly kingdom
- New Testament → Christ gathers the Church
- Revelation 19 → Christ returns with His saints to reign
2. Israel and the Church have different promises
Stone next argued that Scripture distinguishes between God’s promises to Israel and His promises to the Church.
According to Stone:
Israel’s promises
- The Promised Land
- Jerusalem
- An earthly kingdom
The Church’s promises
- Heaven
- The Judgment Seat of Christ
- The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
As Stone explained:
“All the promises given to the Jews… were earthly promises… The Church’s promises… are heavenly promises.”
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3. Exodus 19 foreshadows the rapture
Stone then turned to Mount Sinai, arguing that Moses’ encounter with God contains a prophetic picture of the rapture.
He highlighted several parallels.
Stone’s comparisons
- A trumpet sounds.
- God speaks with a voice.
- The Lord descends.
- Moses is called upward.
Stone concluded:
“Exodus 19:19-20 is a picture of the rapture.”
4. The seven feasts reveal God’s prophetic calendar
According to Stone, Israel’s annual festivals do more than commemorate historical events—they also reveal God’s prophetic timeline.
Spring feasts
- Passover
- Unleavened Bread
- First Fruits
- Pentecost
Stone said these were fulfilled through Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Fall feasts
- Trumpets
- Atonement
- Tabernacles
He argued these point to future prophetic events that have not yet reached their complete fulfillment.
5. Why Stone believes Trumpets represents the rapture
Stone devoted much of his teaching to the Feast of Trumpets.
He said several details correspond to the New Testament description of the rapture.
He pointed to:
- The blowing of the trumpets
- The “last trump”
- The mystery surrounding the feast
- The fact that no one knew precisely when the feast would begin until witnesses observed the new moon
Stone connected this to Jesus’ statement that “no man knows the day or the hour.”
“The last trumpet sounded is the T’Qiah Ha G’Dolah… it’s called the last trump, and Paul talked about the last trump when the dead would be raised to meet the Lord in the air.”
6. Stone’s “100% proof” for a pre-tribulation rapture
Stone said his strongest evidence comes from the order of Israel’s festivals.
“The seven festivals cannot be taken out of order.”
According to Stone’s interpretation, God’s prophetic calendar follows this sequence:
- Pentecost → The Church Age
- Trumpets → The Rapture
- Atonement → The Tribulation
- Tabernacles → Christ’s millennial reign
Stone argued that placing the rapture in the middle or at the end of the Tribulation would require changing the order God established for the feasts.
“It is impossible… to take any festival and put one in front of the other.”
Stone’s conclusion
Stone concluded that we are currently living in the Pentecost or Church Age, with the Feast of Trumpets representing the next major event on God’s prophetic calendar.
He argued that because the biblical festivals always unfold in the same order, the prophetic sequence must likewise remain unchanged: the rapture, then the Tribulation, followed by Christ’s return to establish His millennial kingdom.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
