Although the word "rapture" does not appear in the
Bible, the concept appears numerous times. Rapture does not mean "ecstasy"
though it will be one of the most thrilling sensations ever to be known. The
word was coined from the Latin rapio or rapere which means to
"catch up or snatch away." 1 Thes. 4:13-18 is the only place in the NT where a
"rapture" is clearly referred to.
"For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: 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."
[1 Thessalonians 4:16-17]
This event is known as the rapture. Clearly, this passage teaches that the dead in Christ will rise first, after which we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds. Yes, the graves of believers will be emptied first, and then those believers among us who are still living will join them to meet Christ.
No biblical passage states precisely what day or hour the Rapture will occur, but when it does happen, multitudes who are ready will be taken. Imagine the choas that will occur throughout the world when suddenly all the followers of Christ disappear. Their removal will cause a mysterious world crisis, confusion and panic, such as:
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Driverless car, bus, truck and train wrecks. |
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Airplane crashes due to missing crew members. |
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Mass confusion of the radio and TV news media. |
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Telephone circuits overloaded, operators missing. |
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Numerous and uncontrollable fires and looting. |
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Rampaging lawlessness, crime and mobs, which the remaining police are not able to control. |
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Packed churches of liberal religious and false cults seeking answers from their ministers. |
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Families terrified and in shock over missing saved family members, while the unsaved family members are still left on the earth. |
When Will The
Rapture Happen?
Nobody knows the day or the hour when this rapture
will occur. Despite the many predictions of its timing throughout the ages, the
fact that "date-setters" do NOT know the date is always made obvious in due
time.
Such was the case with William Miller in 1844. It was also the
case with the Watchtower organization (Jehovah's Witnesses) in 1914, 1918, 1925
and 1975. In more recent history we have witnessed the same "dissapointments"
in the failed predictions of Edgar C. Whisenant (1988 and again in 1989), an
obscure group of Korean believers (Oct. 28, 1992), the Harold Camping Rapture
of 1994, or M. J. Agee's rapture (May 31, 1998).
The timing of the Rapture is one of the more controversial subjects
and is one of the more divisive issues of Christianity. Because of its divisive
nature many people don't talk about it - nor do they study the scriptures pertaining to it. They see the
rapture and indeed most prophecy as a subject that cannot be understood. Some
say that prophecy and specifically the end time events surrounding the rapture
are non-essential teachings and thus its not important what beliefs people hold
about it.
Sadly, because of this lack of concern, much of the church
today is unprepared for this momentous event.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17
It says, "All Scripture," and that includes passages dealing with prophecy, end-time events, and the rapture. Neglecting those passages that are more difficult to understand or deal with will surely diminish our effectiveness in teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness and will leave us ill-equipped for every good work.
We do not need to be unaware... as Scripture tells us everything we need to know. We do not need to be confused... as Scripture breathed into our hearts by the Holy Spirit will take away all confusion.
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and
our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled
or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us,
saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
Don't let anyone
deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs
and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will
oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is
worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to
be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these
things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed
at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but
the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of
the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will
overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his
coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of
Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders. - 2
Thessalonians 2:1-9
We all know that the Second Coming of Christ is found often in the Bible, both in the Old and the New Testaments. We also know there is a period of tribulation spoken of and also a millennial period. The controversy among Christians generally revolves around the timing or sequence of these events. There are several schools of thought regarding the timing of these events. For the novice, getting and keeping all this straight can be a bit of a challenge. I will try to explain and clear up some of the confusion in the articles contained here.
First of all, there are three general views that need to be understood.
Premillennialist
There will be a literal
Golden Age in history, but it cannot occur until after Christ returns bodily to
this earth and rules with coercive force from the earthly Jerusalem - Christ
must physically return to earth before there can be a Golden Age or millennium.
The present Church Age would end with a seven year period of Tribulation,
followed by a thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth. Eternity would be
spent in glorified bodies on a new Earth, not in an ethereal Heaven.
Postmillennialist
Applies these Golden Age
passages to history in the current age before Christ returns -- Christ will
return after the Golden Age or millennium. The Westminster Larger Catechism
espoused an eschatology mostly in harmony with postmillennialism. Today not a
single evangelical seminary is committed to postmillennialism. The strongest
postmillennial influence in America today comes from the Chalcedon group, who
are disciples of
Rousas J. Rushdoony. Frequently used terms for this current
belief are are Christian Reconstruction, Kingdom Now Theology and Dominion
Theology.
Amillennialist
The Golden Age in history
is limited to the spiritual realm, and that there will be no literal Golden Age
on earth. St. Augustine formulated this viewpoint around A.D. 400, holding that
the current Church Age will end abruptly with the Rapture of the Church, with
the unrighteous consigned to Hell, the Redeemed resurrected in spiritual bodies
to take up residence with God in an ethereal Heaven, and the material universe
ceases to exist. The present Church Age is both the Millennium because the Holy
Spirit is restraining evil in the world and also the Tribulation because the
Church suffers persecutions.
Whenever it
happens, it will be too late for the unsaved.
Regardless of the
scenario, the time, or methods God uses we can be confident that Jesus will
save us and take us to the place He has prepared for us.
"In My Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." [John 14:2-3]
Hope for the Best,
but Prepare for the Worst
It is all too often easy to focus on the
sequence of events or methods and take our eyes off Jesus. We cannot know the
details of God's plan but we can know the person who will reveal that plan to
us. Our focus must be on Jesus and we must listen for His voice and follow Him.
That alone will bring us through whatever the future holds and He alone can
save us.
My theology best fits that of the premillennialist and the main
focus of the articles found here will be from a premillennialist viewpoint.
Apart from the "timing" issue, I believe also there are some valuable insights
from the postmillenialist camp that all Christians should pay attention to (for
example, the application of the Mosaic law to the present time). Furthermore, I
believe the Pre-Wrath Rapture best fits what Scripture teaches and that all of
the prophecies have been fulfilled that have to be fulfilled before Jesus comes
again.
It could be very soon! Are you
ready? Is your heart right with God? Don't you want to miss the great time
of tribulation and judgment that is coming upon the
earth?
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