After preaching from Acts 2 about the situation we’re in — the “last days” that are leading to “the day” — a listener, no doubt more conscious of the coming judgment, asked, “Will people who become Christians post-tribulation be taken to heaven before the reckoning of the Day of the Lord?”

If you believe there is a “snatching away” (i.e., rapture of the church) before or during the tribulation period, then you also believe that those who become Christians and survive the horrendous persecution and martyrdom of the tribulation period will simply see Christ’s victory at Armageddon and move into his 1,000 year reign on the earth, known as the Millennium. There doesn’t seem to be an additional “snatching away.”

If you, however, believe that the church is “snatched away” after the full 7 years of tribulation period, yet just immediately prior to Christ’s return/Day of the Lord, then you would also believe all those saved up to that point will be “snatched away” (i.e., raptured) at that time.

The question at face value, though, is hard to answer, because I’m not sure there is a quantifiable amount of time between the tribulation and the Day of the Lord. In some aspects, they seem like one event, with the Day of the Lord being the final act in the 7-year play. So I’m not certain how to answer best as I’m not sure when to define the end of the tribulation and the beginning of the Day of the Lord. Why? Because they appear to happen seamlessly; the one leads right into the other. So I’m not sure how someone would be saved in the “time” between the two. I’m not saying it can’t or won’t happen, but rather I’m just not sure how.

How would you answer the question? I know this is an area where many opinions abound…what’s yours? And no, you can’t change the question. 🙂