Midtribulation rapture
A view held among orthodox Christians
The premillennial view that the church will be raptured halfway through a seven-year tribulation, before its worst judgements.
Also called: midtrib, mid-tribulation rapture, midtribulationism
What it means
The midtribulation view agrees with the pretribulation view that the rapture and Christ's visible return are separate events, but places the rapture in the middle of the seven-year tribulation. Daniel speaks of a covenant broken in the middle of the final week, and both Daniel and Revelation speak of a period of three and a half years ("a time, times, and half a time" or 42 months).
Midtribulationists hold that the first half of the tribulation is a time of persecution and testing that the church will face, while the second half is the outpouring of God's wrath, from which believers are spared. Many link the rapture to the "last trumpet" Paul mentions and to the seventh trumpet of Revelation.
This is a minority view, even among premillennialists. Like the other rapture positions, it is a question of timing held among believers who confess Christ's bodily return, the resurrection, and the final judgement.
In Scripture
A covenant is made for one week and broken in the middle of the week.
The saints are given into the hand of a persecuting power for a time, times, and half a time.
The dead are raised and the living changed at the last trumpet.
At the seventh trumpet loud voices announce that the kingdom of the world has become Christ's.
God did not appoint believers to wrath.
Where it comes up
On this site: End times
Related terms
PremillennialismA view held among orthodox Christians
The belief that Christ will return before a literal thousand-year reign on earth.
Pretribulation raptureA view held among orthodox Christians
The premillennial view that Christ will take the church from the earth before a seven-year tribulation.
Prewrath raptureA view held among orthodox Christians
The premillennial view that the church will endure the Antichrist's persecution and be raptured just before God pours out his wrath near the end of the tribulation.
PosttribulationismA view held among orthodox Christians
The view that the church will go through the tribulation and be gathered to Christ at his one visible return at its end.