Will There Be A Rapture

The word "rapture" never appears in the Bible, however there is a "catching up into Heaven" spoken of in 1 Thess. 4:15-17. The passage says, "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. Therefore comfort one another with these-words."

The Thessalonian saints were confused about what became of Christians who died before the Lord's return. They believed if a person died before the Lord's return there was no hope for them. Paul corrects this misunderstanding. He says when Christ returns the dead in Christ will rise (from their graves) and then we shall all ascend into the heavens to meet the Lord and be with Him forever. Verse seventeen says these words were intended to comfort those whose loved ones had died. It is amazing how words intended to teach and comfort people have been manipulated into teaching a doctrine never imagined by the apostle.

The rapture doctrine taught by religious s teachers throughout the world today is religious science fiction, These men teach that ! Jesus will soon come and silently take away all the true Christians in the world. You may have seen the bumper sticker that reads, "In case of the rapture this car will become driverless." Hal Lindsey calls this "project disappearance" in his popular book entitled The Late Great Planet Earth. Lindsey describes the rapture in terms of driverless automobiles darting across freeways and men and women vanishing into thin air. The rapture doctrine goes on to teach that the church will be "raptured" for seven years while the world is immersed in tribulation. At the end of the seven year rapture the church will return with Christ when He will set up His earthly kingdom.

I hope that you are asking about now, "what scriptures teach these amazing facts?"

The answer is, "There ain't none." In fact, Bible teaching about the second coming of Christ rules out the idea of silent rapture. The rapture theory of a two stage coming of Christ was never heard of until 1830 when it was first proposed by a young Scottish girl named Margaret McDonald.

No record of a silent seven year rapture or a two stage coming of Christ appears in any religious history prior to 1830. Neither the word rapture nor the theory based on it are found anywhere in the Bible. The rest of this article will cite scripture proving the rapture contrary to Bible teaching.

Rapture theorists propose two separate resurrections, one for the righteous, at the time of the rapture and another for the wicked at the end of the millennial kingdom. They teach that these two resurrections will] occur at least one thousand and seven years apart. Jesus said they will happen simultaneously, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice, and come forth those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29).

Rapture proponents say the rapture will be a secret and silent event. The Bible says that when Jesus comes again it will be any thing but silent, "...when the Lord Jesus 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 Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe... " (2 Thess. 1:7-10). The very passage from which the rapture teachers allegedly get their theory says the return of Christ will be audible and visible (1 Thess. 4:15-17). Matthew twenty-four is another chapter used by rapture teachers to "prove" their theory.

The problem with using Matthew twenty-four to predict events in modern times is that it was entirely fulfilled in the first century. Jesus set their time of fulfillment in verse 34 which says, "Assuredly. I ,say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. "The "things" Jesus refers to were the events to occur at the destruction of Jerusalem which happened in AD 70 . To apply these events to our day is to completely ignore the context of the passage. I look forward to one day being taken up to meet the Lord in the air, not for a mere seven years, but forever as the Bible says (1 Thess. 4:17). Don't fall for the religious science fiction of our day. Base your faith on the Bible- A book that says nothing about a silent seven year rapture

Lawrence Kelly