What happens to unsaved loved ones left behind after the rapture?

Chuck Smith, The Tribulation and the Church, chapter 11: Once we've been caught up, many of our loved ones who have been hassled by our witness and upset with our testimony will realize that they've actually missed the opportunity of being raptured with the Church. As a result, they'll become dead serious with God and will choose to be martyred during the Great Tribulation period by refusing to take the mark of the beast. They'll choose death in preference to the mark and, thus, they'll be saved (Rev. 20:4). Because of the teaching of Paul in II Thessalonians some doubt that anyone who has rejected the truth now will be able to believe the truth then. It definately is a question and when my eternal destiny is at stake I do not want any questions, only certainty. Scripture, King James Version: Revelation 20:4, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.". From Chuck Smith's books, used by permission of The Word For Today.

Verified. Every scripture quotation on this page has been checked word-for-word against the King James text. Last reviewed 2026-10-15.

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What happens to unsaved loved ones left behind after the rapture? → wsb.bible/answers/what-happens-to-unsaved-loved-ones-left-behind-after-the-rapture

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