All About The Rapture
All About the Rapture
As you’re walking through the produce section thinking how good the oranges look today, dozens of people simply disappear right before your eyes. The items they once held in their hands now litter the floor. In a panic, you rush for the door jostling with the remaining shoppers to make it outside. There’s a thundering explosion in the distance where you can see a downed passenger jet engulfed in flames. To your right you notice a bus that’s slowly rolling to a stop as passengers scream in fear but there’s no driver! Sheer chaos. This is what Christians envision the rapture will look like.
Theatrics aside, what’s important is what the Bible has to say about this monumental event.
The rapture is the belief that Jesus will secretly return to collect His believers just before the tribulation period begins in addition to His later second coming.
Surprisingly, the word "rapture" appears nowhere in the King James Bible or in the original Greek manuscripts. Its first appearance comes in the Catholic Latin Vulgate version of the Bible in the late 4th century where the word inserted is "rapiemur", meaning "we shall be raptured" or "we shall be caught up."
The word used in the Septuagint, however, is harpazo meaning "to seize” or “to catch away”. This was the word replaced by the word rapiemur in the Latin Vulgate Bible.
Harpazo is used several times in The New Testament for the English word caught. I Thessalonians 4:15-17 is the most used scripture for the rapture with that word:
15. “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord”.
Whether you use the term catching away or rapture, they do represent a real event. The question then becomes, when will it happen?
A majority of Christians believe Jesus will secretly come and remove believers from the earth before the Antichrist appears and before the final seven year period of this age. This is known as the pre-trib rapture theory.
Some believe the rapture will take place in the middle of the tribulation (mid-trib) and fewer believe it will happen at the return of Jesus (post-trib).
You may ask yourself, what difference does it make when the rapture takes place? It makes a big difference.
If you believe in a post-trib rapture and you’re wrong about the timing, no harm, no foul. However, if you believe in a pre-trib rapture and the Antichrist and tribulation are upon you, you may not recognize what’s happening because you’ve been taught that you’d be gone before any of this happens. You may be susceptible to the flood of lies that accompany the Antichrist. This could cost you your soul.
In Matthew 24 it states, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
If the lie is so good that even the elect can be fooled, how well will you fare if you thought you’d be gone by now?
Since the pre-trib and mid-trib theories both rely on a secret return of Jesus before the actual second coming, we’ll examine them together. We’ll start with when this distinct two-stage second coming became a theory. After all the phrase is “the second coming” not “the second and third coming”.
In 1937, a man named Alexander Reese wrote a book called The Approaching Advent of Christ. On page 227 he writes:
“Yet the undeniable fact is that this “any-moment” view of Christ’s Return only originated about 1830, when Darby gave forth at the same time the mistaken theory of the Secret Coming and Rapture; but all down the centuries there had existed Christians who longed for the Revelation of Christ, whilst expecting that Antichrist would come first”.
The Darby mentioned here is John N. Darby who founded a group of Christians called the Brethren. He is known as the father of dispensationalism.
Reese continues on page 240:
“All down the centuries the Church expected Christ’s Coming after the arrival of Antichrist, according to the teaching of Christ and His Apostles. Only in 1830 did a school arise that treats with intolerance, and often contempt, the attitude of those who had looked for Him in the manner just named. Not the slightest respect was paid to a view that held the field for 1,800 years”.
What happened in 1830? A seizure prone invalid woman named Margaret Macdonald of Port Glasgow, Scotland, had visions of a pre-trib rapture.
A few months later John Darby would alter her visions and begin popularizing the doctrine while taking credit for it.
In the book, The Incredible Cover-Up, author Dave MacPherson states:
“Since Margaret Macdonald was the first person to teach a coming of Christ that would precede the days of Antichrist, it necessarily follows that Darby-back to whom pre-tribism can easily be traced-was at least second or third or even farther on down the line. To date no solid evidence has been found that proves that anyone other than this young Scottish lassie was the first person to teach a future coming of Christ before the days of Antichrist. Before 1830 Christians had always believed in a single future coming..”
An eye witness to Margaret Macdonald’s revelations was Dr. Robert Norton who stated it was the first time anyone ever split the second coming into two distinct parts. This is when the pre-trib theory began.
More importantly, let’s look at what scripture says of a pre-trib rapture.
Let’s take another look at I Thessalonians 4:16-17:
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord”.
If you continue reading in I Thessalonians, you'll see chapter 5 is a continuation of thought from chapter 4 with the word "But", and the time frame given in verse 2 of chapter 5 is "the day of the Lord..." No pre-trib here.
Let’s now compare I Thessalonians 4:16-17 to another verse commonly used for a pre-trib rapture, I Corinthians 15:52, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
The common element in both of these scriptures is the trumpet. The trumpet comes from the book of Revelation and is a time marker. In I Thessalonians 4:16-17 it only says “trump” but in I Corinthians 15:52 it clarifies that the trumpet is “the last trump”.
There are only seven trumpets in the book of Revelation, so naturally the last one would be the seventh. Revelation 10:7 sates, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished…”.
Also, in Revelation 11:15, “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ…”
Are these well used scriptures for a pre-trib rapture actually showing a distinct, two-stage second coming of Jesus? No. At the seventh trumpet it’s all over.
Further scriptural documentation that Jesus does not come back twice, nor before the Antichrist, is in II Thessalonians 2:3, "Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."
The "son of perdition" is the Antichrist and Jesus plainly tells you here not to be deceived. The day of the Lord and His return will not come until after the Antichrist is revealed as stated again in verse 9, "Even Him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders."
Another verse showing a single return after the tribulation is Mark 13:24, "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light," Verse 26, "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory."
Another assertion of the pre-trib belief is that John is raptured in Revelation 4 when he’s told to “Come up hither” and the church of believers and Holy Spirit are no where to be found after this, so this must also be proof of a pre-trib rapture. But is this true?
First of all, nowhere in the Bible does John symbolize or represent the church.
Secondly, he doesn’t go anywhere. It states only that he “was in the spirit”. After John’s revelation, he’s still on the island of Patmos where he started.
Here are some verses that contradict the belief of the church or Holy Spirit not being found in the book of Revelation after chapter four.
Revelation 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life”.
Revelation 2:25-26 25 “But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
26. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations”:
Revelation 3:10”Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”.
Let’s clarify this verse. The word “from” is used by pre-tribulation believers to mean you’ll be kept out of or raptured from the tribulation. The word “from”, ek in Greek, is translated out of the midst of, immunity from or brought safely through and is not clearly defined as being removed by the rapture.
In chapter 7, God pauses things to seal up the 144,000 elect. These surely are part of the church of believers and have the Holy Spirit since they’re sealed by God Himself.
If we continue in chapter 7 starting in verse 13:
13. “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14. And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.
Verse 9 says there are so many of these people that they can’t even be numbered. Who are they? They are people who were in the tribulation and became Christians. Certainly they are of the church and have the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 11:3-4 3 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth”.
The two witnesses are universally thought to be Elijah and Moses who are present in the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation. They are undoubtedly of the church and have the Holy Spirit.
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”.
To have been beheaded for being a witness to Christ (being a Christian) and to have refused the mark of the beast, worship his image or to have worshipped the Antichrist, they would have to be present at the time of the Antichrist during the tribulation period and not raptured, proving again the church is present during the tribulation.
These other scriptures clearly show the rapture will happen at the second coming and not before.
Daniel 12:9-12 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10. “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
11. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days”.
These “thousand three hundred and five days” are the last three and a half years of the tribulation.
Daniel 11:32-35 32 “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
33. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed”.
Matthew 10:22 “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be save”.
Matthew 24:3-13 3 “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”.
The word “afflicted” in verse 9 means tribulation. Those being delivered up are in the tribulation and you can’t be delivered up or killed for being a Christian at the end of the world if you’ve been raptured already.
Matthew 24:21-24 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”.
Notice that not only are the elect here during the tribulation, but God’s warning all of us not to be deceived even though the deception is so strong God has to shorten the tribulation.
Matthew 24:45-46 45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing”.
Mark 13:11 “But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost”.
The “hour” of temptation is during the tribulation just as Matthew 24:9 is. How can this event take place if you’ve already been raptured?
Mark 13:13 “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”.
Mark 13:24-27 24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25. And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven”.
His elect are certainly part of the church and yet here they are “after the tribulation” on earth, not raptured”.
Luke 12:10-12 10 “And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
11. “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
12. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say”.
Again this “hour” is during the tribulation. This witness of the Holy Spirit through Christians can’t be performed if we’re gone.
I Corinthians 15:20-24 “20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power”.
Ephesians 6:13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”.
Hebrews 3:6 “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end”.
Hebrews 6:11 “And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end”:
Hebrews 9:28 “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation”.
This verse shows there is no rapture before the second coming, it’s at the second coming.
Not one of these verses infer a secret coming of Jesus before the Second Coming.
One of the problems I always had with the pre-trib theory, other than it wasn’t biblical, was that it gave the impression that, especially in the West, all Christians had to do was sit around sipping lemonade waiting for the moment to fly away. Throughout history Christians suffered great persecution and died horrendous deaths for their faith but we get to be flown out of here not enduring any duress nor having to defend our faith in Jesus? I want to fight and show my self worthy to God.
This brings us to an interesting point brought up by Brian Hennessy in an article he wrote for The Jerusalem Post in June of 2010. We, as Christians, pour out our undying support for Israel but as Mr. Hennessy states,
“Are we just going to be happy-clappy cheerleaders for Israel as long as the skies are sunny, but when dark clouds come will we start looking for the Rapture bus to get us out of here, fast? If we are going to be solidly in Israel’s corner as we promised, we can’t also be planning an early exit. Their fight is our fight”.
Why should we think that when it hits the proverbial fan that we get the first flight out of here according to the pre-trib rapture theory? Jesus wants to find us defending the faith and fighting for the Kingdom until He returns. While you’re here, make it count and fight the good fight to the very end. God’s counting on you.