The tribulation, the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are all topics that Christians vary on in regard to how events will play out. Now, in a passionate and compelling message, Kap Chatfield explores biblical patterns, prophetic illustrations and the message of salvation with an urgent call to preparedness.
Drawing from both scripture and ancient Jewish tradition, he builds a case for the pre-tribulation rapture of the church and highlights God’s consistent desire to rescue His people from wrath.
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“Imagine God was bipolar and he forgot that he said [‘It is finished’]… If he was wanting to take us through his own wrath… he would at least give us some instruction about how to endure it,” Pastor Chatfield says.
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One of the central arguments is found in Revelation 4:1, where John, the beloved disciple, hears a voice like a trumpet calling him to heaven. Chatfield poses the question: “Could this be more than just a historic narrative account? What if John is functioning as a symbolic stand-in for the church?” From this moment on, John observes the events of judgment from heaven, which Cap believes is a picture of the church being caught up before tribulation begins.
Chatfield also presents a rich prophetic analogy using the ancient Jewish wedding tradition. He describes how, in this tradition, “the groom would begin by leaving his home to purchase the bride with a costly price.” Drawing the parallel, he explains, “Jesus leaves his home in heaven and purchases the bride of Christ with… his own blood on the cross.” Afterward, the groom would return to his father’s house to prepare a place for the bride, who wouldn’t know the day or hour of his return.
This tradition mirrors Jesus’ own words in John 14:2–3: “I go to prepare a place for you… and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also.” At an unexpected hour, the groom would return with a shout and a trumpet, take the bride away privately for seven days—foreshadowing, Chatfield argues, the seven-year tribulation period. “Isn’t that so beautiful?” he exclaims.
Ultimately, Chatfield encourages viewers to have a sense of urgency, regardless of one’s rapture viewpoint. “Jesus’s command to you and to me was this: Be ready so you don’t got to get ready.” He urges those without a relationship with Christ to make a public declaration of faith, quoting Proverbs 28:18, “The blameless will be rescued from harm, but the crooked will be suddenly destroyed.”
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In a world filled with fear and uncertainty about the future, clarity from Scripture is more vital than ever. As believers wrestle with questions about the end times, teachings like this serve as a timely reminder to stay rooted in God’s Word. Rather than being driven by panic or confusion, we are called to walk in confidence, knowing that God has not destined His people for wrath but for salvation through Jesus Christ.
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
