Showing posts with label Matthew 24:30-31. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew 24:30-31. Show all posts

Thursday, August 14, 2014

THE RAPTURE

“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. 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” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, cf. Matthew 24:29-31).

Christians the world over are looking forward to a time when, interrupting their ordinary lives, they will be suddenly raptured into heaven with Jesus Christ. This sudden event won’t just take them away from their daily lives, it will also take them away from the coming of the Great Tribulation and massive trouble and destruction for earth.

Everyone left behind will go through this trauma, wondering what happened to the others who were raptured.

It’s a popular idea—one that’s been turned into movies and best-selling books picturing suddenly driverless cars crashing into one another and pilotless airplanes falling from the sky. The images are striking and the lesson strong: Be a good Christian, and you will be raptured and saved from the Great Tribulation.

But is it true?

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 (or rapture) believers prior to the period of end-time calamities leading up to His final coming.

Rapture is not a biblical term, therefore it is important that people clearly understand what is meant by it.

A study of the topic needs to begin in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Paul writes in verse 16 that when Christ returns, 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”.

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 (1 Corinthians 15:51-56). 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.

It seems that one of the most frequently asked questions concerning End-Times is, “When does the Rapture occur? The following Scriptures show that the rapture occurs when Christ comes (see also 1 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; James 5:7-9; and 1 John 2:28). [Emphasis added to the following passages.]

“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. 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. 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” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Christ Christ and our gathering together to Him...” (2 Thessalonians 2:1).

“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. 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” (Matthew 24:30-31).

“…and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Christ is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Christ Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).

“In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

This coming of the Lord is His promised return (John 14:3). Since the promise was given after His first coming to earth as a child born in Bethlehem, this coming of Christ will be His second time. Therefore, some people refer to this as the Second Coming of Christ. However, other people call the start of Christ’s millennial reign His second coming. (The Millennium occurs at least seven months after Christ comes). Some theories about the End Times incorrectly teach that the gathering of Christians (i.e., the Rapture) will occur sometime before (typically 3½ or 7 years before) the second coming of Christ. However, as shown in the Scriptures quoted above, the Rapture takes place at the coming of Christ (which is technically His second coming). The Bible does not use the term second coming. For more information see The Coming of the Lord.

Matthew 24:23-31 says that the coming of Christ and the gathering of His people (the elect) will take place immediately after the Great Tribulation. (See The elect of Matthew 24 for information about them.) It is extremely important to understand the difference between the Great Tribulation and the Wrath of God before attempting to understand the correct timing for the Rapture (see Tribulation or Wrath?). Much of the confusion about whether the Rapture occurs before, after, or in the middle of the Great Tribulation stems from confusion about which events occur as part of the Great Tribulation. It is also important to understand that the Rapture takes place when Christ comes to judge the earth.

The Rapture is described in several passages in the Bible. Probably the most familiar to Christians is that in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 (quoted above). This passage explains that when Christ comes, those Christians who have died (those who are asleep in Christ) will be resurrected and rise first to meet the Lord. Then those Christians who are still alive will rise up to join the others and Christ in the clouds. (According to Acts 1:9-11, these are literal clouds.) This passage also shows that the coming of Christ will be a very dramatic event with a shout, the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. Matthew 24 also describes the Rapture of the Church as follows.

“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. 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. 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” (Matthew 24:29-31).

This passage clearly explains that the Rapture will occur immediately after the Great Tribulation (compare verse 21 with 29). The Rapture also occurs after certain signs in the sun, moon, and stars (vs. 29). Christ will come on the clouds of heaven and send His angels to gather His people from all the earth (vv. 30-31). Christians will rise into the air (i.e., the heaven) and then be gathered.

Another description of the signs in the sun, moon, and stars is provided in Revelation 6:12-14. Soon after these signs occur, a very large number of people appear before the throne of God (Revelation 7:9-10). These people went through the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:14). This passage in Revelation shows that the Rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation, but before the Wrath of God (see Revelation 6:17, chapter 8 and following passages). Christians will be in Heaven (before the throne of God) during the plagues of the Wrath of God. (Some people teach that Christians do not go to Heaven at the Rapture. Instead, when they meet the Lord in the air, the Lord and the Christians return to reign on earth. This passage in Revelation 7:9-14 shows that this teaching is incorrect since people are in Heaven after the Rapture.) Following is another passage that describes the Rapture or gathering of the Church.

“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped” (Revelation 14:14-16).

This passage describes Christ (“one like the Son of Man”) sitting on a cloud wearing a golden crown and carrying a sharp sickle. The harvest is ripe indicating that it is time to gather the people of God from the earth. This reaping or gathering (the Rapture) is described using the illustration of a harvester (Christ) who uses a sickle to gather the grain (the people who belong to God).

Evidence that this passage is describing the Rapture rather than some other event is provided by comparing the surrounding verses with parallel descriptions provided in Revelation 6:12 through 11:19. First, this gathering of the harvest occurs after the Great Tribulation (Revelation 14:9-13). Immediately after this harvest, those who remain on the earth (the grapes) are gathered and thrown into the winepress of the wrath of God (Revelation 14:17-20; 15:1). Next, a great multitude of people who obtained victory over the Beast are shown worshipping God before the throne in Heaven (Revelation 15:2-4). This is describing the same scene shown in Revelation 7:9-17 where a great multitude is shown who came out of the Great Tribulation. Finally, events of the Wrath of God are described following this great multitude’s appearance before the throne (Revelation 15:1, 5-8, 16:1-21).

As mentioned earlier, it is extremely important to understand the difference between the events of the Great Tribulation and those of the Wrath of God. Failure to understand the differences can lead to three of the more common erroneous theories about when the Rapture occurs. These three theories are sometimes called the pre-trib, mid-trib, and post-trib rapture theories.

These three rapture theories appear to have their roots in a failure to correctly distinguish the difference between the Great Tribulation and the Wrath of God. While the following explanations are over-simplified, they can help show how each theory can be derived by mistakenly mixing the events of the Great Tribulation and Wrath of God.

Pre-Trib Rapture. This theory teaches that Christians will be raptured before the Great Tribulation. The following two Scriptures are sometimes used to support this popular theory.

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Christ Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). 

“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Christ, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

The problem is a failure to distinguish the difference between the Great Tribulation and the Wrath of God. Those who hold this theory typically include the seven plagues (of the Wrath of God) in with the Great Tribulation. Then they reason that since we are not destined for wrath, we must not be here during the Great Tribulation. It is true that Christians will not suffer the Wrath of God. However, the plagues of the Wrath of God are not part of the Great Tribulation (see Tribulation or Wrath?).

Mid-Trib Rapture. This theory teaches that Christians will go through the first half of the Great Tribulation. They will be raptured to avoid what is taught as the more severe second half of the Great Tribulation. Often, the total length of the Great Tribulation is given as seven years with the Christians going through three and one-half years of it. Some people call the first 3½ years the Tribulation and the last 3½ years the Great Tribulation.

The problem in this theory is also caused by a failure to distinguish the difference between the Great Tribulation and the Wrath of God. In this case, the plagues of the Wrath of God are included as the last half of the Great Tribulation. This rapture theory teaches that Christians will be taken out of the earth before the plagues, but they will suffer some under the Beast. This theory is correct in its teaching that Christians will suffer under the Beast. It is also correct in teaching that Christians will not suffer during the seven plagues. However, it is incorrect in claiming that the Great Tribulation is seven years long and that the seven plagues are part of the Great Tribulation.

Post-Trib Rapture. This theory teaches that Christians will be raptured after all of the so-called Great Tribulation is completed. The events of the Great Tribulation and Wrath of God are incorrectly lumped together and called the Great Tribulation. This theory is incorrect when it teaches that Christians will go through the seven plagues of the Wrath of God. (Note: Many who consider themselves post-trib also correctly believe in a pre-wrath Rapture. This can be confusing at times.)

Each of these three incorrect theories about the rapture can be logically traced to a failure to distinguish the difference between the Great Tribulation and Wrath of God. (Even though there are probably other factors that contribute to the confusion.) Therefore, it is vitally important that a clear distinction is made between the Great Tribulation and Wrath of God.

So when does the Rapture occur? The Rapture takes place after the Great Tribulation but before the Wrath of God. This teaching is sometimes called the Pre-Wrath Rapture to prevent confusion between it and the Post-Trib Rapture theory. As established in the early part of this chapter, the Rapture takes place at the coming of Christ. The coming of Christ takes place immediately after the Great Tribulation and before the Wrath of God (see The Coming of the Lord  and Chronological Relationships). Therefore, the Rapture must take place after the Great Tribulation and before the Wrath of God.

Christ will come to gather (rapture) God’s people and to bring judgment (i.e., wrath) on the other people like what occurred in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:36-39). Noah and his family in the ark rose above the waters of judgment. When the judgment was completed, Noah and his family returned to the earth’s surface. In a similar manner, Christians will rise above God’s wrath in the Rapture. They will return to the earth’s surface after the judgment is completed—at the beginning of the Millennium.

When Christ comes, it will also be like the days of Lot (Luke 17:26-29). As soon as Lot was safely outside the city, God’s judgment rained down from heaven destroying Sodom and Gomorrah with all their inhabitants (Luke 17:29; Genesis 19:12-29). In a similar manner, as soon as Christians are removed from the earth, God’s wrath will fall on all the earth’s inhabitants (Revelation 14:14-20; Revelation 15:1-8; Revelation 16:1-21).

SUMMARY

Term Definition:

The Rapture is a non-biblical, but commonly used term that refers to the gathering of Christians from the earth when Christ comes.

Significance of the Rapture:

The Rapture is very significant in that it marks the end of suffering for Christians during the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10). It also marks the end of mortal life for Christians (1 Corinthians 15:50-52). For the Beast and non-Christians, the Rapture marks the beginning of the judgment poured out on them during the Wrath of God (Revelation 14:14-20).

Source of the Rapture:

Christ is the one who sends His angels to gather the Christians (Matthew 24:30-31).

Length of the Rapture:

The exact length of the Rapture is not given in Scripture. However, it appears to occur in a very short time, possibly less than a second (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). However, its effects will last through eternity (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Events Prior to the Rapture:

The Rapture occurs at the coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; 1:7-8; Matthew 24:30-31; John 14:2-3). The Rapture will not occur until after there is a major falling away of believers (see Matthew 24:12; 1 Timothy 4:1-3). The Beast is also revealed before the Rapture (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4). The Beast is exposed for who he is when he establishes the Abomination of Desolation (see page 7). Therefore, the Rapture will not occur until after the Abomination of Desolation. Scriptures demonstrate that the Rapture occurs between the Great Tribulation and Wrath of God (see beginning of this chapter and The Coming of the Lord  and Chronological Relationships).

Events of the Rapture:

Dead Christians will be resurrected, and living Christians will be given new bodies at the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:50-52). Both groups will rise up to meet Christ in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

God During the Rapture:

Christ will be very active as He returns to gather His Church (Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 14:14-16).



Christians During the Rapture:

Christians are removed from the earth and taken to Heaven (i.e., before the throne, Revelation 7:9-17; Matthew 24:29-31). There will be 144,000 people sealed to protect them from the plagues of God‘s Wrath (Revelation 7:1-8). Apparently, these 144,000 people will participate in the outpouring of the Wrath of God (Revelation 14:1,4,7; 19:13-15).

Satan During the Rapture:

Scripture does not indicate what Satan is doing during the Rapture.

Beast During the Rapture:

Scripture does not indicate what the Beast is doing during the Rapture.

Non-Christians During the Rapture:

When Christ comes back to gather the Christians, His return will be as visible as the lightning that lights up the entire sky (Matthew 24:27). The non-Christians will see Christ and great fear will come upon them. They will seek to hide from the anger of the Lord (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 6:15-17).

Events Following the Rapture:

Following the removal of God’s people from the earth, they show up in Heaven (Revelation 7:9-17). Also, 144,000 people from the twelve tribes of Israel are sealed to protect them from the plagues of the Wrath of God (Revelation 7:1-8). After these events, the seven plagues of the Wrath of God are poured out on the Beast and those people who were not removed from the earth (i.e., the non-Christians, see in The Wrath of God).

Scripture references for Rapture:


Matthew 24:23-31; Matthew 13:36-43; Matthew 13:47-50; Matthew 24:42-51; Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:21-27; Mark 13:32-33; Luke 17:22-24; Luke 21:25-28; Luke 21:34-35; John 14:2-3; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:11, 23; 1 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 15:50-56; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9, 23; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 8; James 5:7-9; 2 Peter 3:4, 7, 10-13; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 3:3; Revelation 6:12-17; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 14:14-20; Revelation 15:1-4; Revelation 16:15; Isaiah 27:12-13; Daniel 12:1-3; Joel 3:13-16; Zechariah 14:4-5.