In a recent episode of his podcast, John Bevere sat down with his son Arden to tackle one of the most pressing questions in eschatology: Will the church go through the wrath of God during the day of the Lord?
“This is the first time publicly I have ever said this—that I believe the church is going to be taken away prior to the seven-year tribulation,” Bevere declared.
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The father-son duo dove deep into 2 Peter and 1 Thessalonians, unpacking what Scripture says about the Second Coming, the day of the Lord and the difference between tribulation and wrath. “The day of the Lord is actually the day of His wrath,” Bevere said, citing Isaiah 13 and Revelation 6. “Now the question becomes—where are we, the faithful followers of Jesus, going to be during the time of His wrath?”
The Purpose of the Rapture
Bevere emphasized the importance of 1 Thessalonians 1:10: “And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
And again in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Paul writes: “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
According to Bevere, that’s not something to fear—it’s something to celebrate. “We’re going to meet the Lord in the air,” he said. “Comfort one another with these words. It doesn’t say torment one another with these words.”
He also broke down the Greek word “harpazo,” translated as “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. “It means to grab or seize by force with the purpose of removing,” he explained. “This Greek word is found 14 times in the New Testament.”
Three Signs That Will Precede Christ’s Return
Throughout the conversation, Bevere noted that the Bible gives us several key signs that point to the Lord’s return. “We started talking about the things that would lead up to the return of Jesus,” he said.
Here are the three Bevere listed:
- “The apostasy” – a great falling away from the faith.
- “The latter rain” – a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
- “The Elijah anointing” – a move of God that calls the prodigals back: “Calling those people—the millions that have walked away in the apostasy—back to the Lord.”
Bevere added, “God loves people so very much, He’s going to give them every chance to come back.”
A Call to Be Ready
More than pinpointing dates or arguing timelines, Bevere urged believers to focus on readiness. “The more I study, the more I realize how much I don’t know,” he admitted. “I am so crying out to the Holy Spirit.”
He pointed to 1 John 2:28 as the key: “Abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
Whether you’re pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib, Bevere was clear about one thing: this conversation shouldn’t divide the Church. “If somebody’s listening to us right now and they say, ‘No, I believe that the saints are going to be taken at the end of the seven-year’—you’re my brother and sister in Christ,” he said. “And there is no way I’m dividing over this with you.”
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
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