RAPTURED- COMPILED BY SOBORI K FRANCIS

RAPTURE

DEFINITION/MEANING OF RAPTURE: It is an end time event, which refers to the transformation and catching up of all Christians, dead or alive, to meet Christ in the air. It is derived from a Latin verb (rapere, to snatch, seize) which was used in the Latin Bible to translate the Greek verb "caught up" (harpaz) in 1 Thessalonians 4:17-- "Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP [raptured] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." It is very interesting to see how this verb "caught up" is used in the New Testament. Study the following verses: Acts 8:39 ("caught away"), 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4 ("caught up"), Revelation 12:5 ("caught up"); John 10:28-29 ("pluck out of"), etc.

The rapture is not in the English bible.

A Brief History of the Rapture

• The term "Rapture" first became popular in the United States toward the end of the 19th century (1801 – 1900) through the teachings on premillennialism and dipensationalism by John Nelson Darby, an Irish evangelist. The rapture theory continued to grow in popularity among evangelicals largely due to a preacher named William Eugene Blackstone (1841-1935).
• In the late 1960's and 1970's, during the Jesus Movement, the Rapture theory made its way into many popular secular songs such as Are You Ready?  By Pacific Gas & Electric.
• The Rapture theory gained even greater interest during this time due to the books of Hal Lindsey. In The Late Great Planet Earth Lindsey predicted an imminent Rapture based on global conditions at the time.

• In 1972 Russell S. Doughten produced a four-part movie series beginning with A Thief in the Night. The film recorded the events surrounding the Rapture in a terrifying way, creating widespread public interest in the theory.
• In 1991 the film The Rapture, with Mimi Rogers was released. It recorded one woman's experience through the Rapture.
• Currently, the popular Christian book series based on the events surrounding the Rapture is the Left Behind series [Buy on Amazon] by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

 

Not All Christian Faiths Accept the Rapture Theory

• Roman Catholics do not accept the Rapture theory. They believe the concept is a confused understanding of the Second Coming of Christ.
• Eastern Orthodox also reject the Rapture theory. From the beginning it has never been taught by any of their bishops.

• Other mainline Protestant faiths and ministers have challenged the idea of the Rapture because of inconsistencies and various interpretations of Scripture.

VARIOUS VIEWS OF RAPTURE

The fact that the saints will be raptured is clear in scripture and there has not been much debate on that fact. However, the timing of the rapture has been hotly debated for centuries. So, the question is, when will the rapture occur?

There are three major views as to when the rapture will occur.

1.      The Pre-Tribulation position is that the rapture will occur at the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week. In fact, those that hold to this view see the rapture as initiating the 70th Week.

2.      The Mid-Tribulation position is that the rapture will occur at the mid-point of the 70th Week when Antichrist demands the world worship him.

3.      The Post-Tribulation position is that the rapture will occur at the end of the 70th Week. This position is that the second coming is exactly that - the second coming, that Jesus will return at the battle of Armageddon and rapture his saints. Let us look at each of these views in greater detail in reverse order.

Post-Tribulation Rapture

According to the Post-Tribulation view, the rapture will happen at the battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:14 and 16). All during the 70th Week, God's wrath will be poured out upon this world. In the post-tribulation premillennial position, the rapture would be identical to the second coming of Jesus or as a meeting in the air with Jesus that immediately precedes his return to the Earth before a literal millennium (Rev_20:4-6). The post-tribulation position places the rapture at the end of the tribulation period.

 NOT JUST A RAPTURE. . . .
BUT A COMBINED RESURRECTION-RAPTURE.
So when we look into the prophetic Word of God and those scriptures we laid out in 1Thes. 4:15-17 and 1Cor. 15:51-52 we see that the Rapture is tightly bundled up with the Resurrection. This combined "end of age" event is the ResurrectionRapture, and this is what it should be called. Our Apostle Paul gives us the sequence in very clear and unmistakable terms. He tells us that the Resurrection of the righteous dead immediately precedes the Rapture of the living . And so once the timing of the Resurrection has been determined that time slot will also be the timing of the Rapture. The Rapture, which immediately follows the Resurrection, can be placed very accurately on our time-line of the final seven years of this age, (the future 70th Week of Daniel).
WHEN IS THE RESURRECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD?
So when will the graves open? And when will the sea give up the righteous dead? Our Savior tells us quite clearly. It will be a miracle of epic proportions and unfold on a single day and hour in the same way the past resurrection of Christ our sacred Head occurred. It will be an epic divine act of God that will occur in a moment and on a special future day in world
history. And when shall we see the Resurrection of the righteous dead? Four times in John 6 Jesus tells us when this First Resurrection will occur. Four times Jesus declares that this glorification of the righteous dead, this Resurrection of the Body of Christ, this raising up of "those who are in Christ", would come at the "last day".
Jesus Himself tells us plainly when He will be raising up His precious saints from the grave.
Four times in John 6 Jesus states categorically that He will "raise" His people "up" at the "last day". So this glorious Resurrection of those that are Christ's will occur at the "last day".
John 6:39 "This is the will of the Father who sent Me,
that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing,
but should raise it up at the last day."
John 6:40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life;
and I will raise him up at the last day.""
John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;
and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life,
and I will raise him up at the last day."
Is our Lord Jesus trying to get a message to us here? If He saw fit to tell us four times in the one message that He will raise His people up at the "last day" then His Word on the matter should be final. And who would dare tamper with the message the Holy Spirit has so clearly laid out for us in the Holy Scriptures? Jesus tells us that the Resurrection of the righteous dead will occur at the 'last day". Therefore it must come at the end of the 7 year period at the tail end of Daniel's 70th week. And therefore the Resurrection must be a Post-Tribulation event. It must come after the Great Tribulation.

The emphasis in this view is that the church will undergo the tribulation. Matthew 24:29–31 - "Immediately after the Tribulation of those days...they shall gather together his elect..." - is cited as a foundational scripture for this view. Post-tribulationists perceive the rapture as occurring simultaneously with the second coming of Christ. Upon Jesus' return, believers will meet him in the air and will then accompany him in his return to the Earth. In the Epistles of Paul, most notably in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ("the dead in Christ shall rise first") and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, a trumpet is described as blowing at the end of the tribulation to herald the return of Christ; Revelation 11:15 further supports this view. Authors and teachers who support the post-tribulational view include Pat Robertson, Walter R. Martin, John Piper, George E. Ladd, Robert H. Gundry, and Douglas Moo.

There are some scriptural problems with this view. The first problem is that according to this view, God's people endure His wrath. There are many scriptures that teach the opposite...
Romans 5:9 (NIV) Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! (Emphasis added)
1 Thess 1:10 (NIV) and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus,who rescues us from the coming wrath. (Emphasis added)
1 Thess 5:9 (NIV) For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Emphasis added)
Rev 3:10 (NIV) Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. (Emphasis added)
Luke 21:36 NIV) Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (emphasis added)

There is also a problem about the timing of the rapture. According to the scripture, no one knows the day or the hour when the rapture will occur - not even Jesus - only the Father. Now if the rapture occurs at the battle of Armageddon, then the day is predictable. Once the 70th Week begins one must only wait 7 years plus 30 days.
Mark 13:32 (NIV) No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. A third problem is the mere fact that there is not one scripture that clearly specifies this timing for the rapture.

A fourth problem is that there is a conflict in the timing of the Bema Judgment and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb that will follow the judgment. If God's saints are still on earth - how can they participate in the Bema Judgment or the Marriage Supper?

A fifth problem is also a conflict in timing and is indicated in 1 Thessalonians 3:13.
1 Thess 3:13 (NIV) May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (emphasis added)

 If God's people are in His presence WHEN Jesus returns with His holy ones, then it is impossible for His people to be on the earth when Jesus returns!

Mid-Tribulation Rapture

The mid-tribulation position espouses that the rapture will occur at some point in the middle of what is popularly called the tribulation period, or during Daniel's 70th Week. The tribulation is typically divided into two periods of 3.5 years each. Mid-tribulationists hold that the saints will go through the first period (Beginning of Travail), but will be raptured into Heaven before the severe outpouring of God's wrath in the second half of what is popularly called the great tribulation. Mid-tribulationists appeal to Daniel 7:25 which says the saints will be given over to tribulation for "time, times, and half a time," - interpreted to mean 3.5 years. At the halfway point of the tribulation, the Antichrist will commit the "abomination of desolation" by desecrating the Jerusalem temple. Mid-tribulationist teachers include Harold Ockenga, James O. Buswell (a reformed, Calvinistic Presbyterian), and Norman Harrison. This position is a minority view among premillennialists.

Pre-Tribulation Rapture

By far, the most popular view is the Pre-Tribulation position. This is what has been called the "left-behind" view. According to the Pre-Tribulation view, Jesus will rapture His people at the beginning of the 70th Week. God's people are completely absent from the earth during the 7 years (except those who are saved during the 7 years) while they are going through the Bema Judgment and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Meanwhile, on earth God's wrath is being poured out upon mankind. Many see God's people returning with Jesus at the battle of Armageddon. Pre-tribulation educators and preachers include Jimmy Swaggart, J. Dwight Pentecost, Tim LaHaye, J. Vernon McGee, Perry Stone, Chuck Smith, Hal Lindsey, Jack Van Impe, Chuck Missler, Grant Jeffrey, Thomas Ice, David Jeremiah, John F. MacArthur, and John Hagee

CONCLUSION

1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.