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Clement of Rome (30-100) spoke about the Rapture in his First Epistle to the
Corinthians. And, following the logical flow of his teaching from chapter to chapter yields the
result of a pretribulation Rapture of the Church. As Irenaeus did, Clement first gives Enoch as an
example and then mentions the Lord saving/delivering Noah (chap. 9). He mentions the Lord
saving Lot (chap. 11) and Rahab (chap. 12) also. Then, he speaks specifically to the Church in
chapter 23, [emphasis added] “Compare yourselves to a tree: take [for instance] the vine. First of
all, it sheds its leaves, then it buds, next if puts forth leaves, and then it flowers; after that comes
the sour grape, and then follows the ripened fruit. Ye perceive how in a little time the fruit of a
tree comes to maturity. Of a truth, soon and suddenly shall His will be accomplished, as the
Scripture also bears witness, saying, „Speedily will He come, and will not tarry;‟ and, „The Lord
shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Holy One, for whom ye look.”1 And following
directly after this in chapter 24, “Let us consider, beloved, how the Lord continually proves to us
that there shall be a future resurrection, of which He has rendered the Lord Jesus Christ the firstfruits by raising Him from the dead.”2
Putting these two quotes together with the previous
examples of the Lord delivering the righteous ones (Enoch, Noah, Lot, and Rahab), and
interpreting “His temple” to mean, “His body” (Body of Christ/Church) from his reference to
“first-fruits” as in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, speaks to the Rapture of the Church. This is confirmed
in chapters 34 and 35 by Clement addressing the rewards for those “who may be made partakers
of His great and glorious promises”3
and “Let us therefore strive to be found in the number of those that wait for Him, [emphasis added] in order that we may share in His promised gifts.”4
This logical process of thought by Clement is further expounded upon in the article by Michael
G. Mickey, “The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: A new idea?”
