Bill Salus, a renowned Prophetic end time researcher and writer, writes of this time ‘Gap’ calling it “The Post-Rapture Pretribulation Gap.” ‘Post’ because it is after the Rapture and ‘Pre’ because it is immediately before the 7-year Tribulation period.

Another unnamed writer expands upon this Gap which I have adapted and placed below:

There are reasons for a Gap period between the Rapture and the Great Tribulation Scripture. These then teach us that we look for no sign of the Rapture as the Rapture is imminent as it could happen at any time.

Many Bible teachers, however, assume that the Rapture will immediately precede the Great Tribulation (the final seven years of this age). But there are several reasons why a gap of time between the Rapture and the final seven-year period is quite likely as listed below. Time is required after the Rapture of “the church, the body of Christ” for several things to occur in preparation for the Antichrist’s emergence to begin the Tribulation period by confirming a covenant between the Antichrist, Israel and the nations around Israel.

1) After the Rapture there will be global chaos. If only 1000 people disappeared from a city there would be accidents and great turmoil. It would be the story of the century. But at the Rapture, millions of believers will be instantly translated to meet the Lord in the air. If only 1% of the population is removed, that would equate to 3 million in the US alone and 70 million globally. All will vanish in an instant! The resulting global turmoil will require time for things to settle down.

2) After the Rapture, the Antichrist will be revealed as a great leader (2 Thess. 2:5-9; Rev.6:2). However, no Scripture states that he will confirm the seven-year covenant immediately (Dan. 9:27). In fact, he will not dominate until the 3 ½ year midpoint of the Tribulation (Rev.13:5). His rise to power will take time – perhaps a few years (Dan. 8:23-25).

3) Daniel chapter 7 lays out the sequence of the world’s final kingdom before Christ returns. This fourth Gentile kingdom seen in the image of Daniel 2 will initially emerge as a global government that “shall devour the whole earth” (v. 23). Then we are told that there will be “ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom” (v. 24). They will be followed by the Antichrist as: “… another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.” (compare this passage with Revelation 13 and 17). As we see today the world is rapidly heading toward a global government and economic system. However, the presence of believers yet on earth, with the Hoy Spirit present in them, are hindering the emergence of a global government. But once “the salt” and “light” of the earth is removed, and chaos ensues, a global Marshall plan will be implemented. Of course, the rise of a ten-region global government, followed by the rise of the Antichrist will require time. Clearly the Antichrist will not dominate or enforce a peace covenant with Israel until after the ten-region world-wide system is firmly established. All this will take time.

4) The Harlot Woman, the religious and political system described in Revelation 17, rides the Beast into power. She is one holding the reins at the start of this period. Therefore, it is highly improbable that the Antichrist will dominate and confirm a covenant with Israel and the world immediately after the Rapture. The stage must be set first, by chaos and his miraculous leadership to be recognized.

5) The Hariot’s Babylonian-like religious system will come in Christ’s name, not the Antichrist’s name. She will present herself as Queen of the true church, but in reality, she will be a seductive counterfeit. Clearly, pulling together and organizing of her evil global religious system will require time to set up.

6) The two witnesses of Revelation 11 will preach for the first 3 ½ years of the final seven-year period. These men “have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire” (v. 6). This appears to coincide with the 3^rd and 4^th Seal Judgments of Revelation 6 and the warnings of Jesus in Matthew 24:4-7. If correct, then the 1^st and 2^nd Seal Judgments would occur before the two witnesses arise–which means they would have to appear before the final seven-year period. Again, a few years gap would be needed for these early prophecies to be fulfilled.

7) The Magog Invasion of Ezekiel 38 will occur during the gap and provide the impetus for the Antichrist to confirm the covenant which will start Daniel’s70thWeek (The 7-year Tribulation). But before this invasion, Ezekiel 38:8-13indicates Israel will become strong and very prosperous. The Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 Middle East war and Israel’s prophesied great victory followed by a period of peace and prosperity could well set the stage for the Magog invasion.

8) Three times during the Magog Invasion scenario God is calling the Jews “My people Israel” (Ezek. 38:14, 16; 39:7).

This beckons the question “Where is the Gentile church, the body of Christ?” In Ezekiel 39:7 God states that during this time “(I will) make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations [Gentiles] shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.”

Therefore, by this time “the church, the body of Christ,” who already knows He is the Lord, must be gone to heaven because believers are God’s witnesses to the world, but during this gap period God is once again going to use His people Israel as His primary witness to the nations [Gentiles].

Because it appears that the Magog Invasion precedes the final seven years, this provides even more evidence for a gap of time between the Rapture and final seven years.

9) The 5^th Seal saints of Revelation 6:9-11 ask “how long?”, suggesting they were martyred during Pre-Tribulation events. They are also listed before the Tribulation saints of Revelation 7 & 15. After the Rapture, as persecution ramps up, it appears the Revelation 6 martyrs may come to faith and be tested during this period preceding the seven-year Tribulation. The fact that they are crying out “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (v. 10), offers evidence that they are not in the Great Tribulation – otherwise they would probably know they are in the final seven-year period and they would know how much time was left before the Lord judges the earth.

10) This Gap would also give Israel time to build her prophesied third temple in Jerusalem and prepare to reinstitute temple sacrifices – which are in place before the first half of the Tribulation (Rev. 11:1-3). It also provides time for the Harlot Woman’s religious site to be erected in Babylon, Iraq (Zech. 5:11), and the ten-region global government to organize (Dan.7; Rev.13); etc.

In summary, there is no Scripture that states the Rapture will immediately precede the Tribulation.

Further, a short stage-setting gap of perhaps a few years followed by the final seven-year period seems to agree with the whole prophetic picture. This gap will likely be more than a few months because so much takes place during this time period. However, this gap will likely be relatively short because Jesus likened these signs to birth pangs –which always increase in frequency and intensity and tighten as delivery nears (Matt. 24:8). Because the stage-setting events are already positioning in rapid succession, it appears this gap will not be long (Rev. 22:20).While the final seven year period – known as the Great Tribulation –is well documented in the Bible (Daniel 7:25; 9:27 ; 12:7-11; Matthew 24:15; Revelation 11:3; 12:6, 13:5; etc.). While it is clear that a gap exists between the Rapture and the start of the 7-year Tribulation period, there is no specific Scripture that tells us the length of this possible gap between the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation.

This makes sense because God’s Word teaches that the Rapture is imminent –it could happen at any moment and we should always be watching and waiting (Mark 13:37; Rev. 3:3). However, as we have reviewed, the Lord has provided many clues.