Where Does the Rapture Occur in the Book of Revelation?

"I looked, and saw a white cloud, and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle... He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped."

(Revelation 14:14-16)

Now is the time to pray. Where ever you are, I have prayed that you will come into the intimate presence of your Lord right now... Please ask Him to open your ears to hear. Ask Him to open your eyes to see.

(Pause for Prayer)

(Pause for Prayer)

Now, if you have done as I asked, please continue in a state of prayer and prayerfully read on.

The rapture is when God's children ascend into the sky, to meet Christ in the air, at the last trumpet, as prophesied in 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. This occurs at the second coming. I believe that the fulfillment of the prophesy of the rapture is present in the seventh and final trumpet in the book of Revelation. Please prayerfully read on...

Six Sections in this Page:

Seven Elements of the Rapture

A Quick Glance

A Short Simple Read Identifies the Rapture

Only One Possibility

Will Christians Go Through the Tribulation?

Is Revelation 14:14-16 the Rapture?

Seven Elements of the Rapture

Seven elements about the rapture are presented in the scriptures. There is only one passage in the book of Revelation which is consistent with all seven elements. The seven elements are:

• Last trumpet
• Jesus in the clouds

• Ascent of saints to Jesus in the clouds
• End of the age
  
• Voice of the archangel
  
• Only the Father knows the day
• The last day

The only verse in the book of Revelation which correlates with all seven elements is Revelation 14:14-16. This is explained in detail, from the scriptures, in subchapter 5.5 titled, "Will the Rapture Come Before the Tribulation?". Click here to read that subchapter.

A Quick Glance

I will repeat the passage:

• "I looked, and saw a white cloud, and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle... He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. Revelation 14:14-16)

What is the rapture? As I said before, the rapture is when God's children ascend into the sky, to meet Christ in the air, at the last trumpet, as prophesied in 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. This occurs at the second coming of Christ. The one "like a son of man" is a prophetic phrase that refers to Christ (Revelation 1:12-17 for example). In Revelation 14:14-16 above, we see Christ, on a cloud, harvesting the earth. That does seem to fit with the rapture, since God's children meet Him in the air. Furthermore, Revelation 14:14-16 occurs in the second sign in the seventh and final trumpet in the book of Revelation. So, it occurs after the last trumpet, like the prophesy of 1 Corinthians. 

I will repeat the passage again:

• "14 I looked, and saw a white cloud, and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!" 16 He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped" (Revelation 14:14-16).

Did you notice how many times God put the word "cloud" into this passage?  One time is all that was necessary to describe the scene. But the word "cloud" was used Four times in Revelation 14:14-16. That is significant because prophesies state the Jesus will come with the clouds in His second coming. The book of Revelation tells how Jesus will come in one of the very first sentences of the book:

• "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen" (Revelation 1:7).  

Since God used the word "cloud" four times in Revelation 14:14-16, do you think that God wanted to make sure that we noticed the word "cloud"? Seems pretty obvious that He did. The same prophetic language is used in Daniel 7:13-14. This clear evidence that God wanted us to know that 14:14-16 is the rapture.

The word "cloud" is only used two other times in the book of Revelation. In 10:1 an angel came down out of heaven clothed with a cloud. In 11:12 the two witnesses who were dead and resurrected went up into heaven in a cloud. Both uses of the word "cloud" had to do with someone coming coming down from or going up into heaven. This is more evidence that 14:14-16 is the rapture.

That is really enough evidence. But for the doubters, lets take a deeper look.

A Short Simple Read Identifies the Rapture

First please prayerfully read Revelation 13:1-18. Observe that the beast is represented by the number 666 (13:18) and kills Christians (13:7,10,15,17). If you will now read Revelation 13:18 through 14:20 and observe my general commentary as you read, the rapture will be obvious.

Please begin reading at 13:18.

In 13:1 you will see the beast, the Christian killer, who overcomes the saints (13:7), who is named 666 (13:18). Then in 14:1-5 you see 144,000 blameless ones on Mount Zion with Christ (possibly the 144,000 sealed from Israel in 7:1-8). Then you see the Gospel preached (14:6-7), unbelievers warned (14:8-11), saints persevering and dying for their testimony (14:12-13), followed by the rapture (14:14-16) and Armageddon (14:17-20), with lots of blood (14:20).  

Note: Just in case you read ahead: 

The bowl judgement presentation begins with 15:1, bowls not occurring after the seventh trumpet which we just read from but occurring with the trumpets as pairs, as explained in "Chronology and Organizational Structure in the Book of Revelation". Click here to read. The first trumpet and first bowl correlate with each other. The second trumpet and second bowl correlate and so on, with the third through seventh also occurring as pairs.

Please prayerfully read Revelation 14:14-20 again.

In Revelation 14:14-16 and Revelation 14:17-20 we see two individuals, each having a sickle. The first is the Son of Man, Jesus on a cloud, who swung His sickle "on" (Greek word epi) the earth and the result was a "harvest". The second individual is an angel, who swung his sickle "into" (Greek word eis) the earth and the result was God's wrath, with lots of blood. 

It is clear that the harvest of Christ (14:14-16) is good fruit, the children of God. The result of the angel's reaping (14:17-20) is also clear. In 14:19 the angel swung his sickle and threw them into the "great winepress of the wrath of God" . This phrase was already defined just ten verses earlier:

• "... If anyone worships the beast... he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God... He will be tormented in fire and sulfur... forever and ever..." (Revelation 14:9-11

Revelation 19:15 uses the similar "winepress of the wrath of God" language when Christ defeats those who assemble an army against God (19:11-21). Chapter 14 is in the seventh trumpet and chapter 19 is in the seventh bowl. The seventh trumpet and seventh bowl correlate with each other as pairs, as mentioned earlier. So, 14:17-20 and 19:11-21 can describe the same event. So, it is obvious that Christ reaps the children of God, but the angel reaps the children of Satan. 

Let me Review:

In Revelation 14:14-16 and Revelation 14:17-20 we see two individuals, each having a sickle. The first is the Son of Man, Jesus on a cloud, who swung His sickle "on" (Greek word epi) the earth and the result was a "harvest". The second individual is an angel, who swung his sickle "into" (Greek word eis) the earth and the result was God's wrath, with lots of blood. 

We have talked about the obvious elements of the passage. What may not be obvious about the harvest of Christ and the reaping of the angel is the difference in where each swung their sickle. The holy words of scripture did not use the same word. Christ swung His sickle "on" the earth. The angel swung his sickle "into" the earth. Even though your translation may be different from mine, they are all translating the Greek words epi and eis. A difference was communicated by the Holy Spirit. God used epi when Christ swung a sickle and eis when the angel swung his sickle. 

Epi from a Greek dictionary means on, to, against.

Eis from a Greek dictionary means into, in, among.

The most likely meaning is first: "on" for epi and "into" for eis. Look at the range of meanings for the two words and observe the difference. Epi is on the perimeter. Eis is within.

Please try to visualize:

Imagine that you are standing next to Jesus, who is sitting on a cloud. You are both looking down at the earth. Then picture Jesus, who while remaining seated on a cloud, swings a sickle to harvest a group of people who were on a house. Then picture the angel, immediately thereafter, swinging his sickle from a standing position to reap people who were inside the house. Doesn't that look like the people whom Jesus harvested were rising "to meet Him in the air", just like the prophesy of the rapture from 1 Thessalonians 4:17.  Jesus didn't even stand up. He does harvest the earth while sitting down on a cloud, as if the people are already near the cloud. One can't swing down while sitting. Any farmer knows this. One can only swing out. He just reaches out with His sickle and pulls them to Himself. So, the use of the word "epi" as Christ swings His sickle "on" the earth is evidence that the harvest of Christ from the cloud is the rapture.

But the reaping of the angel unto eternal fire is different. He swings his sickle "into" the earth. This communicates a downward, deeper thrust than we observed when Christ harvested the earth. 

Only One Possibility!

The harvest of Christ Revelation 14:14-16 does not fit the judgement of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25:31-46. Revelation14:14-16 also does not fit the Great White Throne judgement from Revelation 20:11-15. In both of those judgements, the judge is sitting on a throne (Matthew 25:31, Revelation 20:11). Revelation 14:14-16 has Jesus SITTING ON A CLOUD... just like the rapture prophesy "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). If the harvest of Christ in Revelation 14:14-16 is not the judgement of the sheep and goats from Matthew 25... and if it is not the Great White Throne Judgement from Revelation 20, then what else can it be besides the rapture? There really are no other options. The harvest of Christ in 14:14-16 is the rapture! But for those of you who would like more evidence, please prayerfully read on...

Will Christians Go Through the Tribulation?

You may have heard some say that the church is not mentioned in the book of Revelation after chapter 3 and therefore Christians do not go through the tribulation which is presented after chapter 3. You may also have heard that Christians do not incur the wrath of God and therefore Christians will not be present during the great tribulation. 

I suggest that you prayerfully read the book of Revelation. Unless God reveals its contents directly to your mind, you will not know what is in the book unless you read it. And if you read the book, it will be readily apparent that Christians will be present during the tribulation, will not suffer the wrath of God, but will suffer the wrath of Satan and his followers. In the very last verse of Revelation 12, those who testify of Jesus are being persecuted: 

• "The dragon grew angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep God's commandments and hold Jesus' testimony. " (Revelation 12:17). 

Then the very next verse, 13:1, introduces us to the beast, 666. His identification by the number 666 is not revealed until 13:18. But, Revelation 13:7 tells us what the beast does: 

• "and it was given to him (the beast) to make war with the saints and to overcome them" (Revelation 13:7). 

There is more: 

• "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is to go into captivity, he will go into captivity. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, he must be killed. Here is the endurance and the faith of the saints" (Revelation 13:8-10).

Verse eight tells us that those whose names were not written in the book of life will worship the beast. Verse 10 speaks of the perseverance of the Saints. That's because the Saints are present when the beast is persecuting the Saints. How can the beast persecute the Saints if the Saints are not present? Revelation 13:15 tells us that those who refuse to worship the beast will be killed. The Second beast from Revelation 13:11 will: "cause as many as wouldn't worship the Image of the beast to be killed" (Revelation 13:15). So, the Saints, who were specifically mentioned in 13:10 are being killed for refusal to worship the image of the beast in 13:15. But there is much more: 

• "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on" (Revelation 14:13).

So it is abundantly and obviously clear, that the saints are present on the earth in Revelation 14:13. Then, the next few verses, Revelation 14:14-20, show that the saints are raptured in Revelation 14:14-16... and those remaining on the earth because they were not included in the rapture are reaped in 14:17-20 and thrown into the "great wine press of the wrath of God" (14:19). Let's look at those passages again. 

• "14 I looked, and saw a white cloud, and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!" 16 He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped" (Revelation 14:14-16).

In these three verses, the Saints are taken up to Christ. And it's a good thing… Because those who remained on the earth after the harvest  by the Son of Man in  14–16, are the subject of the reaping by an angel in verses 17-20, and are thrown into the wine press of the wrath of God. 

• "17 Another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven. He also had a sharp sickle. 18 Another angel came out from the altar, he who has power over fire, and he called with a great voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Send your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for the earth's grapes are fully ripe!" 19 The angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20 The wine press was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out of the wine press, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one thousand six hundred stadia*" (Revelation 14:17–20). 

* 296 kilometers or 184 miles

For additional clear and convincing proof, from the scriptures, that Revelation 14:14–16 is the rapture, see the next section!

Is Revelation 14:14-16 the Rapture?

If you will prayerfully consider the scriptures in this section, then you will prayerfully understand that the answer is yes. Briefly set aside what some theologians have taught and prayerfully consider what the scriptures actually say... so that you may be ready (Matthew 24:44). 

• "13 I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them." 14 I looked, and saw a white cloud, and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!" 16 He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped" (Revelation 14:13-16).

Verses 14 through 16 come immediately after verse 13 and immediately before verses 17-20. Verse 13 clearly establishes that Christians are present. Verse 13 says "Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord from now on". So, Christians are present in the harvest of verses 14-16. Immediately after the rapture of 14–16 comes the reaping of those who were not raptured into the wine press of God's wrath (verse 19) with blood to horses and bridles for roughly 200 miles, (Armageddon). For further details about Armageddon and the consummation of God's wrath , see the seventh bowl, Revelation 17:1-20:15, as the seventh trumpet and the seventh bowl occur as pairs. So, Christians must be raptured in versus 14-16 or else they would be reaped into the wrath of God, including Armageddon. We know that only those who take the mark of the beast will drink of this wrath of God (Revelation 14:9-10) and will be tormented forever (Revelation 14:11). This is enough proof to establish that Revelation 14:14-16 is the rapture. But I will continue presenting more proof from God's holy Word, the Scriptures: 

Please consider again Revelation 14:14–16. 

• "14 I looked, and saw a white cloud, and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!" 16 He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped" (Revelation 14:14-16).

Please prayerfully observe the facts presented in 14-16. The "one like a son of man" is Christ. We know that this is Christ because he clearly refers to himself in this way, as the son of man. For example: Matthew 8:20, 9:6, 10:23, 11:19, 12:8, 12:40, 13:37, etc., etc., etc. Furthermore, he is described in this way in Revelation 1:13. So the one sitting on the cloud is Christ. Note that Christ does not set foot on the earth, but remains on the cloud. This is not the second coming of judgement since he does not set foot on the earth, but remains on the cloud and reaps from the cloud. That he is on the cloud is very significant. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 reveals that, in the rapture, both the living and dead saints will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord Christ in the air. 

• "16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God's trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, 17 then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Do you see it? Believers, both living and dead, rise up in the air, into the clouds in Revelation 14:14-16.  From there, raptured saints watch as the angel reaps the earth into the wrath of God in Revelation 14:17-20, Armageddon. Now, please prayerfully examine Revelation 14:14-16 again to see how it fulfills 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. 

• "14 I looked, and saw a white cloud, and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!" 16 He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped" (Revelation 14:14-16).

Christ is on the cloud. He reaps. He doesn't set foot on earth. The harvest  comes to Him. But there is more. Please note that an angel tells Christ in verse 15 to reap because the time has come. Apparently the angel is giving the Father's instruction to Christ to "harvest" the earth, as only the Father knows the time (Matthew 24:36). Please note that this harvesting of the Saints, Revelation 14:14–16, is occurring within the seventh and final trumpet. 

I will briefly review the subsection above titled, "Structure Connecting the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls" in the major section titled "Organizational Rhythm". The seventh trumpet begins in Revelation 11:15, with a summary of the seventh trumpet in verses 15-19, with details of the seventh trumpet being presented from 11:20-14:20. The point is, that the harvesting of the Saints, Revelation 14:14-16, occurs in the seventh and final trumpet. This is significant since 1 Corinthians 15:52 tells us that the rapture will occur in the final trumpet: 

• "51 Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep (die), but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). 

This passage is a companion passage to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. In both passages you see the dead, the living, the last trumpet and the rising of the dead in the rapture. 

If you wonder if there may be a trumpet occurring after Revelation's seventh trumpet, consider the following: There is no eighth trumpet in the book of Revelation. But there is more... Revelation 10:7 says:

• "but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as he declared to his servants, the prophets" (Revelation 10:7).  

The fulfillment of the revelation of the prophets about the rapture from both 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, which you read above, must occur "in the days" of the voice of the seventh angel, because "the mystery of God is finished" in those days. For the rapture to occur after the events of the seventh trumpet would mean that some mystery (the rapture) was finished after the mystery was already finished... since, the mystery was finished in the seventh trumpet. The rapture can not have occurred in the days of the first six trumpets, because those are not the "last trumpet" of 1 Corinthians 15:51.

There is even more proof that Revelation 14:14–16 is the rapture: There is no other passage in the book of Revelation which fulfills the prophesies of other books in the Bible regarding the rapture: Only Revelation 14:14-16 presents Christ, the son of man, on a cloud, harvesting the earth, remaining on the cloud at the blast of the last trumpet... creating the setting prophesied about the rapture so that the harvest may come to him, the ascending of the Saints into the air. If Christ were to harvest souls that were on the ground, He would be pictured as being on the ground. But since the prophesies say that the saints "will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" Revelation 14:14-16, appropriately pictures Christ "on the cloud". The second angel (Revelation 14:17-20) is not pictured on the cloud. This second angel throws souls into the winepress of the wrath of God.

Detailed Correlation of Revelation 14:14-16 with Rapture Prophesies

Remember, the rapture is when God's children ascend into the sky, to meet Christ in the air, at the last trumpet, as prophesied in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. This occurs at the second coming (1 Thessalonians 4:15). The fulfillment of the prophesy of the rapture is present in the seventh and final trumpet in the book of Revelation. 

I will reveal this to you in this way:

• First I will show you the text from 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians. 
• Then I will show you relevant text from the seventh trumpet in the book of Revelations. 
• Last I will show you again the text from the above passages about the rapture. But this time I will insert, in the text, the reference for the verse in Revelation that fulfills it. I will also insert footnotes to show correlations:

Here are the scriptures which prophesy the rapture:

• "16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God's trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, 17 then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).

• "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed" ( 1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

Here are the scriptures in Revelation that fulfill those rapture prophesies: 

• "I  saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them" (Revelation 8:2).
• "14 I looked, and saw a white cloud, and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!" 16 He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped" (Revelation 14:14-16).

• "15 The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!...18 The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints, and those who fear your name, to the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:15-18).

I will show the reference and text from the seventh trumpet of Revelation which fulfills the prophesy within parenthesis().

Here is an example using 1 Thessalonians 4:16,

• "16 For the Lord⁴ himself will descend from heaven¹ with a shout (11:15 "great voices"), with the voice of the archangel²

Footnote 4 above explains that the word "Lord" in the 1 Thessalonians passage is Jesus. Footnote 1 explains how Revelation 14:14-16 meets the 1 Thessalonians prophesy criteria that Christ will "descend from heaven". The text within parenthesis after the word "shout" indicates that Revelation 11:15  meets the 1 Thessalonians prophesy criteria that there will be a "shout" at the rapture. It indicates that the exact wording in Revelation 11:15 which meets this criteria is "great voices".

So, read below and see how consistent Revelation 14:14-16 is with the rapture prophesies from 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians:

• "16 For the Lord⁴ himself will descend from heaven¹ with a shout (11:15 "great voices"), with the voice of the archangel² (11:15 "seventh angel") and with God's trumpet (8:2 "trumpets were given to them"). The dead in Christ will rise first, 17 then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up³  together with them in the clouds (14:14 "on the cloud"), to meet the Lord in the air³. So we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).

• "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye⁵, at the last trumpet (11:15 "seventh trumpet" is the last one). For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed" ( 1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

¹ Christ is now at the right hand of the Father. So, He must have come down to be sitting on a cloud.

² Though the passage in Revelation doesn't expressly identify this angel as the Archangel. It does identify this angel as the seventh of the seven angels "who stand before God" of Revelation 8:2.  The seven angels who blow the seven trumpets of wrath in the book of Revelation (Revelation 8:2) are the "seven Spirits who are before his throne" (Revelation 1:4), which are "sent out into all the earth" (Revelation 5:6), whom are also the "seven lamps" (Revelation 4:5), whom are also the "seven eyes" of the Lamb (seven eyes of Christ, Revelation 5:6). My point is that these seven angels have the highest rank in the angelic hierarchy.  The seventh angel is the one who announces the end of the end... judgement of the enemies of God and final reward of the saints (as announced in Revelation 11:18 above). I would expect the Archangel to blow the last, final and most important trumpet in the history of mankind. So, I believe that this text from Rev 11:15 about the seventh angel is the archangel of 1 Thessalonians 4:16). 

³ The Revelation passage doesn't expressly state that believers are "caught up" to "meet the Lord in the Clouds". But Christ swings from the cloud. He doesn't set foot on earth to harvest (14:15) and reap (14:16) the earth. So, the harvest must come to Him.   

⁴ In the Thessalonians passage, context clearly shows that "the Lord" is Christ. Revelations 14:14 describes the one on the cloud as one like "a son of man", which is the title which Christ endorsed for Himself. What other "man" would be on a cloud, harvesting the earth at the sound of the last trumpet.

⁵  Revelation14:16 says he  "thrust his sickle into the earth and the earth was harvested". Sounds quick... like the "twinkling of an eye" in 1 Corinthians 15:52. Harvest is the word Jesus used for bringing souls into the kingdom (Matthew 9:37-38). You may need to read that passage and the next three chapters of Matthew to understand.

The prosperity gospel fills pews and bank accounts, but it doesn't prepare you for suffering which has been promised to God's children (2 Timothy 3:12, Philippians 1:29). Child of God, open your eyes!...Our brothers and sisters are murdered all around the world every day because they profess Christ. This has been going on for two-thousand years. Take no comfort in the teaching of some who say that no believer living today will pass through the great tribulations of the book of Revelation. Please prayerfully consider the words of Christ:

Jesus said... 

• "Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man will come.  "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has" (Matthew 24:44-47).

It is easy to give those in your sphere "food in due season". Jesus said that it is easy, as is presented, from the scriptures, in the subchapter 2.3 titled, "The Easy Yoke of Christ".

Next time you hear someone say that "we won't be here" when the beast of Revelation begins to persecute the children of God... ask these two questions: 

• What verse in the book of Revelation reveals the timing of the rapture better than Revelation 14:14-16?
• What verse in the book of Revelation correlates with all seven elements of the two foundational scriptures describing the rapture, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and other scriptures? Click here to learn about those seven elements and how they relate to Revelation 14:14-16.

How to Overcome:

"They overcame him because of the Lamb's blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn't love their life, even to death" (Revelation 12:11).  In other words, they overcame by making disciples...  Click here to see that all Christians are supposed to make disciples. For a complete explanation of Revelation 12:11 above, click here.

Where Are We Now?

We may be living in the continuance of the first five seals... conquering, war, famine, death, martyrdom... until:

• Those who are to be martyred "complete their course" (Revelation 6:11)
• 144,000 bond servants of God are sealed (Revelation 7:1-4).

If we are living in the first five seals now, I don't contend that the fourth seal, death, is complete. In the fourth seal, one-fourth of the earth is killed by sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts. I can not prove that this has or has not happened. We only know what we can verify for ourselves... and for nearly all of us, we can verify very little. I expect the word "sword" can apply to any weapon of warfare.

The sixth seal contains:

• 144,000 bond servants of God are sealed and then four angels bring harm to the earth, sea and trees (Revelation 7:1-4). 

• Earthquake, black sun, blood moon, falling stars (Revelation 6:12-13). All those remaining on earth (unbelievers) understand that irreversible judgement has come to them (Revelation 6:16-17). 
  
• Praise from saints of the great tribulation (Revelation 7:9-17, especially verse 14).
• Tribulation (7:14), Rapture* and Judgement (6:15-17)

*Rapture is revealed in the sixth seal since 6:15-17 reveals that all who remain on the earth at that time suffer the "great day of their wrath" (wrath of God and Christ).  The sixth seal (6:12-7:17) appears to be a preview or summary of events in the days of the seventh seal and the New Jerusalem. The seventh seal contains the seven trumpets and seven bowls. I believe that Revelation 14:14-16, in the seventh trumpet, shows the rapture.  Click here to read "Chronology and Organizational Structure in the Book of Revelation". 

So, where are we? 

As you saw in subchapter 5.6, the book of Revelation is a book of signs. Click here to read. I believe that multiple fulfillments of the events indicated by the signs are possible (also in subchapter 5.6). So, events prophesied may have occurred over the last 2000 years. But the rapture, Armageddon, the millennial kingdom and the great white throne judgement have not occurred.