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The
teaching on “the rapture” is a prime example of how someone can take
a few verses out of context and create a complete doctrine.
The
primary passage for the Rapture doctrine is 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are
alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no
means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the
Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ
will rise first. 17 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.
If
in verse 15 Paul refers to the Bible, as a whole, as the Word of the
Lord, than I would have to say that from cover to cover you will
find no mention of “The Rapture.”
If
Paul is claiming that Jesus Christ, the Word of the Lord (John
1:1-4, 14-16; Revelation 19:13) told Him this directly, I find it
strange that Jesus failed to convey this to His disciples when they
ask Him, “what
will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
(Matthew 24: 3. See also Mark 13:3 and Luke 21: 7).
Jesus gave us an excellent outline of events that would precede His
second coming. This information can be found in Matthew 24, Mark 13
and Luke 21. A comparison of these three chapters follows.
Note the number of times Jesus uses the word “then.” Keep in mind
that in English usage “then” usually means “next in order of time.”
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MATTHEW 24 |
MARK 13 |
LUKE 21 |
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1 Then Jesus went out and departed
from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the
buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said
to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say
to you, not one stone shall be left here upon
another, that shall not be thrown down.”
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives,
the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when
will these things be? And what will be the sign of
Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them:
“Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For
many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and
will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of
wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for
all these things must come to pass, but the end is
not yet. 7 For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be
famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of
sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to
tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all
nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then
many will be offended, will betray one another, and will
hate one another. 11 Then many
false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will
grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the
end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of
the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness
to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The Great Tribulation
15 “Therefore when you see the
‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him
understand), 16 “then let those who
are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let
him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out
of his house. 18 And let him who is in the
field not go back to get his clothes. 19
But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are
nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray
that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
21 For then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the
world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22
And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be
saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be
shortened.
23 “Then if anyone says to you,
‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not
believe it. 24 For false christs
and false prophets will rise and show great signs and
wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25
See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look,
He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He
is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
27 For as the lightning comes from the east
and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son
of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is,
there the eagles will be gathered together.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the tribulation
of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will
not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the
powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in
heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will
mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of heaven with power and great glory. 31
And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
and they will gather together His elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn this parable from the fig
tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts
forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
33 So you also, when you see all these things,
know that it is near—at the doors! 34
Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means
pass away till all these things take place. 35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no
means pass away.
No One Knows the Day or Hour
36 “But of that day and hour no one
knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so
also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38
For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day
that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not
know until the flood came and took them all away, so also
will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40
Then two men will be in the field: one will be
taken and the other left. 41 Two women
will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the
other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do
not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43
But know this, that if the master of the house had known
what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and
not allowed his house to be broken into. 44
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at
an hour you do not expect.
The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant
45 “Who then is a faithful and
wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household,
to give them food in due season? 46
Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he
comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I
say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But if that evil servant says in his
heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49
and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat
and drink with the drunkards, 50 the
master of that servant will come on a day when he is not
looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware
of, 51 and' will cut him in two and
appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. |
1
Then as He went out of the temple, one of His
disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones
and what buildings are here!”
2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do
you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be
left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives
opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked
Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these
things be? And what will be the sign when all these
things will be fulfilled?”
5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say:
“Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For
many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and
will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of
wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such
things must happen, but the end is not yet.
8 For nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in
various places, and there will be famines and troubles.
These are the beginnings of sorrows.
9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they
will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in
the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings
for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10
And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
11 But when they arrest you and
deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what
you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour,
speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy
Spirit. 12 Now brother will betray brother
to death, and a father his child; and children will
rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
13 And you will be hated by all for My
name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
The Great Tribulation
14 “So when you see the ‘abomination of
desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing
where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15
Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house,
nor enter to take anything out of his house. 16
And let him who is in the field not go back to get his
clothes. 17 But woe to those who are
pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
18 And pray that your flight may not be in
winter. 19 For in those days there
will be tribulation, such as has not been since the
beginning of the creation which God created until this time,
nor ever shall be. 20 And unless the Lord
had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for
the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
21 “Then if anyone says to you,
‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is
there!’ do not believe it. 22 For false
christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and
wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23
But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
The Coming of the Son of Man
24 “But in those days, after that
tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light; 25 the stars of heaven
will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 Then they will see the Son of Man
coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27
And then He will send His angels, and gather together
His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of
earth to the farthest part of heaven.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
28 “Now learn this parable from the fig
tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts
forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29
So you also, when you see these things happening, know that
it is near—at the doors! 30
Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means
pass away till all these things take place. 31
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no
means pass away.
No One Knows the Day or Hour
32 “But of that day and hour no one
knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only
the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray;
for you do not know when the time is. 34
It is like a man going to a far country, who left his
house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his
work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35
Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the
house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing
of the rooster, or in the morning— 36
lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37
And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” |
5
Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned
with beautiful stones and donations, He said, 6
“These things which you see—the days will come in which not
one stone shall be left upon another that shall not
be thrown down.”
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age
7 So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but
when will these things be? And what sign will there be
when these things are about to take place?”
8 And He said: “Take heed that you not be
deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am
He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go
after them. 9 But when you hear of wars
and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must
come to pass first, but the end will not
come immediately.”
10 Then He said to them, “Nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 And there will be great earthquakes in
various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will
be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 12
But before all these things, they will lay their hands on
you and persecute you, delivering you up to
the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings
and rulers for My name’s sake. 13 But it
will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.
14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not
to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15
for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your
adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents and
brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some
of you to death. 17 And you will be hated
by all for My name’s sake. 18 But not a
hair of your head shall be lost. 19 By
your patience possess your souls.
The Destruction of Jerusalem
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded
by armies, then know that its desolation is near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her
depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.
22 For these are the days of vengeance,
that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those
who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be
great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.
24 And they will fall by the edge of the
sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And
Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of
the Gentiles are fulfilled.
The Coming of the Son of Man
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in
the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and
the expectation of those things which are coming on the
earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27 Then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28
Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up
your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
The Parable of the Fig Tree
29 Then He spoke to them a
parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
30 When they are already budding, you see and know
for yourselves that summer is now near. 31
So you also, when you see these things happening, know that
the kingdom of God is near. 32 Assuredly,
I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away
till all things take place. 33 Heaven and
earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass
away.
The Importance of Watching
34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest
your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and
cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
35 For it will come as a snare on all
those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36
Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted
worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of Man.”
37 And in the daytime He was teaching in
the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the
mountain called Olivet. 38 Then
early in the morning all the people came to Him in the
temple to hear Him. |
From one “then” to the next, Jesus mentions nothing about a
“rapture.” I would have expected some mention right before or after
the verses pertaining to the Great Tribulation; yet, Jesus remains
silent on the subject.
Next let’s check the book of Revelation to see what it has to say.
Let’s begin in chapter 5.
Revelation chapters 5 and 6 sound amazingly like Matthew 24, Mark
13, Luke 21 and in the exact order Jesus gave to the disciples.
Revelation 5:1-14
“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a
scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud
voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?”
3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the
earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy
to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5
But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the
scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
6 And I looked, and behold, in the
midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the
midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of
God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came
and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the
throne.
8
Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp,
and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the
saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“ You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings
and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”
11
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the
throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them
was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice:
“ Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
13
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the
earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard
saying:
“ Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
14
Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four
elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
Revelation 6
First
Seal: The Conqueror
“ Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I
heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like
thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and
behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was
given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Second
Seal: Conflict on Earth
“When
He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature
saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery
red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take
peace from the earth, and that people should kill one
another; and there was given to him a great sword.
Third
Seal: Scarcity on Earth
“When
He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say,
“Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who
sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And
I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A
quart of wheat for a denarius, and three
quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the
wine.”
Fourth
Seal: Widespread Death on Earth
“When
He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living
creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked,
and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was
Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over
a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death,
and by the beasts of the earth.
Fifth
Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs
“When
He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which
they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice,
saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge
our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11
Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them
that they should rest a little while longer, until both the
number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be
killed as they were, was completed.
Sixth
Seal: Cosmic Disturbances
“
I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there
was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of
hair, and the moon became like blood. 13
And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its
late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14
Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every
mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15
And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the
commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free
man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from
the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His
wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Revelation 7
The
Sealed of Israel
“After
these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the
earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not
blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2
Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of
the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to
whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3
saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have
sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4
And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and
forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel
were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were
sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand
were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand
were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand
were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
A
Multitude from the Great Tribulation
9
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no
one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and
crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to
our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11
All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four
living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and
worshiped God, 12 saying:
“ Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
13
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these
arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are
the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the
throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall
neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike
them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the
midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living
fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear
from their eyes.”
From the beginning of chapter 5 till the end of chapter 7 there are
only two groups of people that are mentioned. One might think that
if the “church” was to be “raptured” before the great tribulation
chances are the “church” would be mentioned somewhere in these three
chapters.
What does Revelation say about these two groups of people?
It
appears the first group is found under the altar before the Great
Tribulation takes place. These were “slain
for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.”
Revelation 6:9-11
“When
He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slain for the word
of God and for the testimony which they held.
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How
long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on
those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white
robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they
should rest a little while longer, until both the number of
their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as
they were, was completed.
The
second group comes out of the Great Tribulation.
Revelation 7:9-11
“After
these things I looked, and behold,
a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes,
peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the
throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on
their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12
saying:
“ Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
13
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these
arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
So he said to me, “These are
the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15
Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and
night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among
them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore
nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne
will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
There’s no mention of the “church” being caught up in the clouds to
meet the Lord.
Another major Book on end-time prophecy is the Book of Daniel. So
let’s check there. Daniel 12 seems to describe the Great Tribulation
period. Prior to Chapter 12 there’s nothing that speaks of the
“church” being raptured; but once again, the picture is persecution
and martyrdom for the people of God. No easy outs here either.
Daniel 12:1-10
“At
that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your
people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
2 And many of those who sleep in the dust
of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.
4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal
the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall increase.” 5 Then I, Daniel,
looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the
other on that riverbank. 6 And one said to
the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the
river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?”
7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who
was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right
hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives
forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a
time; and when the power of
the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things
shall be finished.
8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I
said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for
the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10 Many shall
be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked
shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the
wise shall understand.
Now
let’s look again at 1 Thessalonians 4:16
“For
the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first.
Following are two passages in the Book of Revelation declaring the
return of Christ Jesus.
This first passage is recorded as occurring after the second woe is
past, which occurs some time after the Great Tribulation.
Revelation 11:15-19
“Then
the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven,
saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God
on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17
saying:
“ We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath
has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the
saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His
covenant was seen in His temple. And there were
lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
This second passage describes Jesus returning as the King of kings.
Revelation 19:11-16
“Now
I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on
him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He
judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like
a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had
a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is
called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in
heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed
Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes
a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the
nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He
Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His
thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
No where can I find Christ coming to snatch away the “church” to
protect them while the rest of mankind goes through a series of
horrors.
What about 1 Thessalonians 4:17? What, if any thing does the
Word have to say about us being caught up in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air?
1 Thessalonians 4: 17
above states,
“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.
Caught
Up
(726)
arpazw,
—
har-pad’-zo;
from a derivative of
(138)
(aireomai - haireomai);
to
seize
(in various applications): — (Translated
in King James version as)
– catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
Following are additional Bible passages pertaining to the return of
Christ. Each fills in a little more
of the puzzle regarding the order of events.
Acts 1:9-11
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11
who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into
heaven? This same Jesus,
who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner
as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Matthew 16:24-27
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after
Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and
loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his
soul? 27 For the
Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels,
and then He will reward each according to his works.
Matthew 24:30-31
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all
the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of
Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will
send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will
gather together
His
elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mark 13:24-27
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25
the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be
shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man
coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27
And then He will send His angels, and
gather together
His
elect
from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest
part of heaven.
Gather Together
(1996)
episunagw,
—
ep-ee-soon-ag’-o;
from
(1909)
(epi - epi)
and
(4863)
(sunagw
- sunago);
to
collect upon
the same place: — (Translated
in King James version as)
– gather (together).
Elect
(1588)
eklektoV,
—
ek-lek-tos’;
from
(1586)
(eklegomai
- eklegomai);
select;
by
Implication
favorite:
— (Translated in King James
version as)
– chosen, elect.
What did the Prophet Zechariah prophecy regarding this subject.
Zechariah 14:1-17
“ Behold, the day of the LORD is coming,
And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2 For I will gather all the nations to
battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the
city.
3 Then the LORD will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
4 And
in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.
5 Then you shall flee through My
mountain valley,
For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.
Yes, you shall flee
As you fled from the earthquake
In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.
Thus the LORD my God will
come,
And
all the saints with You.
6 It shall come to pass in that day
That there will be no light;
The lights will diminish.
7 It shall be one day
Which is known to the LORD—
Neither day nor night.
But at evening time it shall happen
That it will be light.
8 And in that day it shall be
That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,
Half of them toward the eastern sea
And half of them toward the western sea;
In both summer and winter it shall occur.
9 And the
LORD shall be King over all the earth.
In that day it shall be—
“ The LORD is one,”
And His name one.
10 All the land shall be turned into a plain from
Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised
up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of
the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of
Hananel to the king’s winepresses.
11 The people shall dwell in it;
And no longer shall there be utter destruction,
But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
12 And this shall be the plague with which the
LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:
Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,
And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
13 It shall come to pass in that day
That a great panic from the LORD will be among them.
Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor,
And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;
14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.
And the wealth of all the surrounding nations
Shall be gathered together:
Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
15 Such also shall be the plague
On the horse and the mule,
On the camel and the donkey,
And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.
So shall this plague be.
16 And it shall come to pass that everyone
who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go
up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to
keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be
that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to
Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will
be no rain.
Note – verse 4 is the fulfillment of Acts 1:9-11
Note - Verse 5, the saints are coming back with the Lord
Note - Verses 16-17, where will they go to worship the king?
There’s no mention in the above verse that we will meet the Lord in
the air and be carried off to heaven. These verses speak of a
gathering together of the Lord’s chosen people for the purpose of
returning with Him to the earth. His reign and His kingdom will be
on the earth. To be with Him, Jesus Christ, means we will be on the
earth.
Revelation 30:4-6
“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed
to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not
worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his
mark on their foreheads or on their hands.
And they lived and reigned with
Christ for a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead did not live again
until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who
has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has
no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with Him a thousand years.
It
is recorded in Revelation 2 that Jesus said,
Revelation 2:26-27
“And
he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will
give power over the nations—
27 ‘ He shall rule them with a
rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—
as I also have received from My Father;
Even in Jesus’ parables He spoke of these things. For example, Luke
19:11-27
Luke 19:11-27
“Now
as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was
near Jerusalem and because they
thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.
12 Therefore He said: “A
certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a
kingdom and to return.
13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to
them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation
after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over
us.’
15 “And so it
was that when he returned, having received the kingdom,
he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to
be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained
by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying,
‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ 17 And
he said to him, ‘Well done,
good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have
authority over ten cities.’
18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina
has earned five minas.’ 19
Likewise he said to him, ‘You also
be over five cities.’
20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is
your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21
For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what
you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22
And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you
wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what
I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23
Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I
might have collected it with interest?’
24 “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the
mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’
25 (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten
minas.’) 26 ‘For I say to you, that to everyone
who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he
has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here
those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and
slay them before me.’”
The receiving of His kingdom was foretold in the Book of Daniel.
Daniel 7:9-14
“I watched till thrones
were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened.
11 “I watched then because
of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I
watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given
to the burning flame. 12 As for the rest of the beasts,
they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged
for a season and a time.
13 “ I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and
a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
CONCLUSION
I
believe we are truly in the last days and the time of Christ’s
return is nearer than when we first believed. I too would love a
quick fix. An easy exit off this planet when the time came; but is
the “rapture” truth, according to the Word of God, or just another
deception? You decide.
This study was by no means exhaustive. There is far more to learn on
this subject if we will prayerfully ask the Lord to show us in His
Word.
I
hope this study is a help to you. I hope you also see the dangers in
:
1)
Taking verses out of context
2)
Misapplying and adding your own interpretation
3)
Not taking the time to prayerfully study for yourself
4)
Trusting more in others than in God to teach you the Word of
truth
In
the book of Genesis, God did not remove Noah when He decided to
destroy the rest of His creation; yet, Noah was protected. God
provided him with a place of safety, the ark.
In
like manner, The Lord tells us that if we dwell in Him and in His
Word, He is our protector, our place of safety. Can we take Him at
His Word? Yes!
John 14:12-18
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that
I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will
do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you
ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in
the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will
do it.
15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I
will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He
may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of
truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him
nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be
in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will
come to you.
John 15:5-8
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me,
and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out
as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them
into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and
it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is
glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most
High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge
and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks
in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at
noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD, who is
my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Links to articles on the Rapture
Rapture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture
History of Rapture doctrine by azindy
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/08/08/234333/-History-of-Rapture-Doctrine
Outline Studies On The
Rapture Question
http://www.theologue.org/OSRQ-A2.html
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