Information Related to "Countering the Rapture Error"
| Audio/Video |
The idea of a rapture of believers up into heaven before the prophesied tribulation of the last days is widely taught and believed in Christianity today.
Popular books and movies spin themes around this doctrine that essentially teaches Christ will come back twice -first coming into the atmosphere to snatch believers away to heaven and later returning with them to confront God's enemies at Armageddon and render final judgment.
Regrettably, we live in a time when most are content to get their knowledge of religion secondhand, preferably through dramatic presentations-including stage, screen, movies and novels.
But you can't afford to neglect your responsibility to prove the truth!
Those willing to take a careful look at the Bible will see that the popular rapture theory doesn't stand up to the scrutiny of God's Word.
The rapture teaching was popularized in the 1970s by Hal Lindsey's writings ( The Late Great Planet Earth, etc.) and more recently by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins in their Left Behind fictional books and films. But where did this concept of the rapture originate?
Credit for the idea generally goes to John Darby, a 19th-century theologian who labored to correct common false teaching related to the second coming of Christ.
Darby correctly believed that Jesus Christ would return to the earth to establish the Kingdom of God and literally rule the world for 1,000 years. In his zeal for countering error, Darby promoted the idea that Christ would come to catch away believers prior to the period of end-time calamities leading up to His final coming.
A study of the topic needs to begin in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 [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.
. Paul writes in verse 16 that when Jesus returns with the sound of a trumpet, those believers who've already died will be resurrected. He goes on to say: "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (emphasis added throughout unless otherwise noted).
The original Greek phrase "shall be caught up," "combines the ideas of force and suddenness seen in the irresistible power of God" (Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, 1984, p. 94). It's from the Latin translations that we derive the English words "rapt," "raptor," "rapture" and "enraptured." To be raptured in English literally means to be suddenly caught up.
Technically speaking, there is a "rapture" of sorts, in the sense of a sudden catching up of Christ's followers at His return. The Bible calls it the resurrection. The debate is over the nature of this event and when it occurs. The common rapture teaching places it years before the world will witness Christ's triumphant coming, which is definitely not biblical.
Scripture speaks of "the day of the Lord" and "the day of Christ." Both terms refer to the time when Jesus will intervene to judge and ultimately reward His saints and rule over all the earth. "The day of the Lord Jesus Christ" and "the Lord's Day" are similar phrases. This great "day" is not confined to 24 hours. (Please see the chart in the center of this study aid for an in-depth comparison of these terms and related scriptures.)
Isaiah 34:8For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. refers to "the day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion." Introduced by the heavenly signs of Revelation 6:12-17 [12] And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
[13] And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
[14] And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
[15] And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
[16] And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
[17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
, the following chapters reveal this time to be one of cataclysmic events. And it culminates with Jesus coming in glory with His then-resurrected saints to destroy the armies gathered against Him and stand on the earth (Zechariah 14:1-5 [1] Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
[2] For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
[3] Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
[4] And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
[5] And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
; Psalm 149:5-9 [5] Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
[6] Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
[7] To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
[8] To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
[9] To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.
; Jude 1:14And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,). (See our booklet The Book of Revelation Unveiled for further information.)
Rapture believers are quick to point out that Jesus said no one will know the day of His return for His followers (Matthew 24:36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.) while other prophecies reveal the length of the final tribulation period leading up to His coming. For instance, Daniel 12:11And 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. says we will be able to count 1,290 days from an end-time event leading into the Great Tribulation (called "the abomination of desolation") until His return. So the point is made that for us to not know the day it must come before that event-thus the rapture. Yet Daniel was told that he would be resurrected at "the end of the days" (Daniel 12:13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.)-the end of the two series of days just mentioned, including the 1,290. That places Daniel's resurrection after the tribulation period. This is contrary to the common rapture doctrine.
Along with the statement about not knowing the day, Christ also said: "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:40-41 [40] Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
[41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
). The rapture argument is that, without warning, some people will just vanish-being secretly raptured by Christ. Since this is compared to people living life as usual and not knowing they were on the brink of disaster, as in Noah's day (Matthew 24:37-39 [37] But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
[38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
[39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
), the argument is made that this disappearance of believers can't be amid the hard times of the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord.
But was Jesus even talking about people being caught up in the air to Him, or was He saying one would be taken and another left? Note that the people of Noah's day "did not know until the flood came and took them all away" (Matthew 24:39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.). So being taken here was a bad thing-being taken in calamity and death. Likewise it would seem that those who are "taken" in the end time are those who are swept away by the swirl of catastrophic events. Those who are "left" are spared. This has nothing to do with the rapture.
Despite the lack of biblical evidence for the common rapture doctrine, many still cling to it. Some denominations even refer to it as "the blessed hope." They take this phrase from Titus 2:13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;, where Paul writes that we should be "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."
As they see it, the word "appearing" conveys something secretive and sudden-that is, the rapture. Therefore "blessed hope" becomes a sort of shorthand for this rapture in literature and films on the doctrine. A few other New Testament references that mention "the appearing of Christ" are also often cited, as if these scriptures strengthen the case.
But all of these are simply referring to Christ's coming, either the first time as a perfect sacrifice for sin or the second time as the invincible King.
Nothing in any of the verses has anything to do with a secret rapture of believers to heaven before the end-time tribulation period-despite the attempts of many evangelical theologians to read the passages this way. We will indeed be caught up into the air to be with Christ-but this will come at the end of the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord.
©1995-2022 United Church of God, an International AssociationRelated Information:
Table of Contents that includes "Countering the Rapture Error"
Origin of article "Countering the Rapture Error"
Keywords: Darby, John left behind rapture day of the lord
Rapture: