midtribulation

Midtribulation is a dispensationalist Christian view regarding the timing of the rapture of the church in relation to a future seven-year period of tribulation, often associated with the Book of Revelation. Adherents of midtribulation believe that the church will be raptured in the middle of this seven-year period, specifically after three and a half years, and before the final three and a half years of intense divine judgment.

This perspective differs from pretribulationism, which posits the rapture occurs before the seven-year period begins, and posttribulationism, which holds that the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation. Midtribulationists often interpret certain biblical passages, such as the sounding of a trumpet in 1 Thessalonians 4 and the events described in Revelation, as indicating a mid-point rapture event. They may point to passages suggesting the church is not appointed to God's wrath. The specific timing is often debated among theologians, with various interpretations of prophetic scriptures. This belief system is a part of broader eschatological discussions within Christian theology.