http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-rapture-by-david-vaughn-elliott.html
THE RAPTURE
by David Vaughn Elliott
They tell us planes
will fall out of the sky. Automobiles will careen and crash. Surgeries
will be halted mid-way. Communications systems will be in shambles.
Husbands will frantically search for their wives. Why? Because all
believers instantly and mysteriously vanished. In spite of such chaos,
they tell us life on earth will continue for years. They call it the
rapture.
Some people emphasize that the word "rapture" is not found in the
Bible. This is true; but it is not the real problem. First Thessalonians
4:17 says that believers "shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord." "Caught up." The dictionary gives one meaning
of rapture as "the carrying of a person to another place or sphere of
existence." If by "rapture" one simply means that Christians will be
carried up to be with Christ, then there is little objection to the word
"rapture."
THE REAL PROBLEM
However, "rapture," as used by religious teachers today, means far
more than the simple definition given above. Indeed, there is a whole
body of doctrine wrapped up in today's word "rapture."
One obvious problem with the modern rapture theory is the portraying
of dramatic scenes of plane crashes, missing babies and all such. There
is not one verse in the Bible that hints at such a scenario. No verse
teaches that after the "rapture," regular life will continue in this
world. One of the most cited texts, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, is totally
silent about conditions on earth when the saints are lifted up.
Another frequently cited text is Matthew 24:37-42. But did Jesus have
the modern rapture scenario in mind? Let the context decide. Starting
just 5 verses earlier, Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away...
but as the days of Noah [were]... the flood came and took them all away,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two [men] will be in
the field: one will be taken and the other left." Jesus' return will be
like Noah's time. The flood was the end of that old world. Either you
were safe in the ark or you perished under the wrath of God. That is how
it will be when Jesus returns.
The context of "one will be taken and the other left" is "as the days
of Noah [were], so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." The
rapture will be like Noah's time. Did Noah mysteriously disappear? When
Noah entered the ark, did the world continue with normal daily life? We
all know better. "The world [that] then existed perished" (2 Peter
3:6).
Jesus did not have the modern rapture doctrine in mind. Rather, He said that when He returns, the earth will pass away.
WHAT JESUS "SHOULD" HAVE SAID
If the popular rapture theory were correct, Jesus would have used
totally different examples. Jesus would have said, "As the days of Enoch
were," "as the days of Elijah were." Righteous Enoch disappeared out of
this world and the world continued on. Elijah's case is even more
striking. After the whirlwind took him up into heaven, 50 men went
searching for him for three days. Now there is the flavor of today's
rapture doctrine! There is only one problem. Jesus never said, "as the
days of Elijah were"! Jesus said, "as the days of Noah [were]."
Jesus never said, "As the days of Enoch were." However, He did say,
"Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot... it rained fire and
brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all. Even so will it be in
the day when the Son of Man is revealed" (Luke 17:28-30).
The comparisons that Jesus made are with Lot and Noah. Both involved
the immediate destruction of the wicked, while the righteous were saved.
Both canceled out any possibility of second chances. Both were the end.
The case of Sodom, of course, was not the end of the world; but it
certainly was the end of Sodom and Gomorrah. Those cities have never
been found. Those people never lived long enough to wonder what happened
to Lot. There were no chariot wrecks or search parties. God simply
blotted them off the face of the earth with fire and brimstone. Jesus
said His coming would be like that.
"COME AS A THIEF"
The "secret rapture" theory uses as a proof the statement that Jesus
will come as a thief. Yes, but what does this mean? Figures of speech
can be tricky. Both Jesus and Satan are likened to lions. A red flag
goes up: "Interpret with caution." Jesus is called both a lion and a
lamb. Another red flag. We dare not wring every possible meaning out of
any figure of speech. To do so is to make the Bible a plaything for our
every imagination.
How do thieves come? Consider two ideas. A thief may come and go
secretly, without being detected at the moment. On the other hand, a
thief may come openly, but suddenly, without warning. Which of these two
ideas does the Bible teach regarding Jesus' coming? If the figure were
never explained in the Bible, your guess would be as good as mine.
Out of six New Testament texts that use this figure, only one does
not state which meaning is intended. In the other five, the idea is
always lack of warning. Secrecy is never an issue. Example: "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. Therefore you
also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not
expect" (Luke 12:39,40). The message is clear: Jesus will come as a
thief, when you least expect Him. Be ready at all times.
Notice 2 Peter 3:10: "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the
elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that
are in it will be burned up." "Thief... great noise... earth... burned
up." Hardly secret. It is the end of the world!
No Bible text hints that "coming as a thief" contains the idea of
secrecy. No Bible text hints that Jesus' coming will be hidden from the
eyes and understanding of the masses. When Jesus comes, there will be no
secrecy and no second chances. Eternity will have arrived. Everyone
will know it.
"SHOUT... VOICE... TRUMPET"
The well-known text that speaks specifically of being "caught up"
(raptured) makes it clear that it is anything but a covert operation.
"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" (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17). Shout! Voice of an archangel!
Trumpet of God! Jesus coming certainly will not be secret.
In fact, Jesus specifically warned us not to believe those people who
claim His return is a private, secret, hidden affair. "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]. For as the
lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the
coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:26,27).
If someone tries to explain to you that Jesus has come again, don't
believe it. If he tries to convince you that Jesus came in 1914, don't
believe him. If he tries to convince you that Jesus will secretly
rapture away the believers and the world will not know what happened,
don't believe him. No TV newsperson will have to tell anybody of the
return of Jesus. Neither will any self-appointed prophet have to explain
it to anybody when Jesus returns. It will be like the lightning from
the east to the west. All will see for themselves. Everyone will know.
TWO "SECOND" COMINGS?
Today's rapture theory says that Jesus is going to return to earth
two more times: once before and once after "the tribulation." Some refer
to the supposed two future events as "the rapture," followed by "the
second coming." Others prefer to teach "two phases" to the "second"
coming. None seem willing to openly admit that they really believe in: a
"second" and "third" coming.
Various arguments are used to sustain the concept of two future
comings. For example, it is said that two comings are required because
the Word says that Jesus will come "for the saints" and also that He
will come "with the saints." They say "for the saints" refers to the
next time He comes, to take Christians to heaven. They say that "with
the saints" refers to seven years later when He returns with those same
saints.
Although no text uses the exact expression "for the saints," there is
no problem here. All believers have as their hope that Jesus will
return to receive us unto Himself.
But 1 Thessalonians 3:13 talks about "the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ WITH all His saints." Jude 14 also says, "Behold, the Lord comes
WITH ten thousands of His saints" (upper case emphasis supplied). The
problem is to understand what coming "WITH His saints" means. Does it
mean that Jesus will first come to get His saints and then bring them
back with him seven years later? Or, is there some other explanation?
With the Souls of the Dead Saints. Some
believers find in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 the explanation of Jesus coming
"with" the saints. "Even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in
Jesus." They believe Jesus will come to earth bringing with him the
souls of the departed saints in order to unite those souls with their
bodies in the resurrection.
Some, however, object to this view of "bring." The Thessalonians text
does not say that "Jesus will bring with Him to earth." It says, "God
will bring with Him." "Bring" depends on the viewpoint involved. Jesus,
not the Father, returns to earth. The Father will bring the resurrected
saints with Jesus to heaven. Just like John 14:3: "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." Both expressions--"bring" and
"receive"--are from the viewpoint of heaven.
With the Holy Angels. This
may be a better explanation of "with the saints." In 2 Thessalonians
1:7, Paul speaks of "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with
His mighty angels." Mark 8:38 says, "when He comes in the glory of His
Father with the holy angels." Clearly Jesus will come with the angels
and the angels are "holy."
For the benefit of "the common man," I seldom appeal to the original
Greek. In this case, however, it is especially helpful for English
readers. Spanish, by the way, requires no Greek explanation here,
because the Spanish closely follows the Greek. The Greek word "hagios"
is always translated into Spanish "santo(s)." But in English, it is
sometimes translated "saint(s)" and sometimes "holy." In other words,
the two English words, "saint" and "holy" come from just one Greek
word.
Angels are "holy." Thus, they are saints (same word in the Greek).
Therefore, when Scripture says that Jesus will come WITH the saints--the
holy ones--we have a book-chapter-and-verse clarification that this may
well refer to His holy angels.
It is debatable whether Jesus will come "with the souls of the dead
saints." It is not debatable whether Jesus will come "with the holy
angels." Whichever view seems the best, Jesus' coming "for" and "with"
the saints in no way necessitates two more comings. "For" and "with"
easily harmonize with just one future second coming of Christ.
No verse of Scripture says that Jesus will come a third time,
bringing "with" Him human saints whom he came "for" some seven years
earlier. The Bible clearly says of Jesus, in Hebrews 9:28, that "He will
appear a second time." No verse says he will appear a third time.
TWO RESURRECTIONS?
According to the rapture theory, there will be several future
resurrections of the body from the grave. They claim 1 Thessalonians
4:16 teaches that Christians will be raised long before the wicked are.
Paul indeed wrote that "the dead in Christ will rise first." But,
"first" what?
If I tell you, out of the clear blue sky, "I am going to the mall
first," you have no clue about where I will go next. But put some
context to it. Such as, "Are you going to the post office?" "Yes, but I
am going to the mall first." Now "first" has meaning.
So with Paul's text. Do not try to guess what is second unless you
look at the context. "The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who
are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds." "First. Then... " Paul is not talking about dead saints and
dead sinners. He is talking about dead saints and live saints. He is
saying that before the live saints are caught up in the clouds, the dead
saints will first be raised. Nothing whatsoever is said about two
resurrections.
Jesus did speak of two resurrections, but not in reference to time.
He spoke of the condition of two groups. Some participate in "the
resurrection of life," while others experience "the resurrection of
condemnation." However, these two resurrections will take place at the
same time. "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; upper case emphasis supplied).
Revelation 20, on the other hand, does speak of "the first
resurrection." However, since no text speaks of a "second resurrection,"
care must be exercised in determining the identity of the "first."
(Space does not permit a full discussion of Revelation 20:1-7. Watch for
future article(s) on the millennium.) Suffice it now to point out the
following:
1) Revelation is highly figurative. Who takes literally the dragon, the key, the chain or the seal?
2) Futurists believe that the resurrection of Revelation 20 will
occur after "the tribulation." According to them, that is seven years
after the resurrection of "the rapture." Therefore, by their own
doctrine, this "first" resurrection is actually the second.
3) A better explanation seems to be found in New Testament first
principles. "Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were RAISED
with [Him] through faith in the working of God... If then you were
RAISED with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is"
(Colossians 2:12; 3:1; upper case emphasis supplied). "Raised"--past
tense. See also Romans 6. Just as conversion is "a new birth," so is it
also "a death, burial and resurrection." For the Christian, this is the
first resurrection.
"THE DAY OF THE LORD"
The rapture theory holds that "the day of the Lord" (or "day of
Christ") is neither the Second Coming nor the Third Coming. Rather, they
say, it is something in between the Second and Third. As in many other
matters, they lean heavily on Old Testament usage to uphold their claim.
In the New Testament, however, how did the apostle Peter use the term?
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the
heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt
with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be
burned up" (2 Peter 3:10). Clearly, "the day of the Lord" to Peter was
the end of the world.
Follow Peter's argument throughout chapter 3. He warns of "scoffers"
who will mock Jesus' return by saying: "Where is the promise of His
coming?" Peter replies by arguing that these men "willfully forget" all
about the flood in Noah's day. Then Peter affirms that the earth will
next be consumed by fire on "the day of judgment." Peter further says
that "The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise." What promise? In
the context (verse 4), it's "the promise of His coming."
Peter continues (verse 10): "But the day of the Lord will come as a
thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great
noise." Since this is so, we should be prepared for "the coming of the
day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on
fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat." You see, Peter
builds his argument about the "coming" of the Lord by discussing "the
day of the Lord," which is the end of the world.
"THE LAST DAY"
The expression "the last day" appears six times in Scripture, all in
the Gospel of John. Four times in the sixth chapter, Jesus says of the
believer, "I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40,44,54, and
with slight variation in verse 39). In 11:24, Martha affirms her belief
in this truth: "I know that he [Lazarus] will rise again in the
resurrection at the last day." The resurrection of the righteous clearly
will take place "at the last day."
According to the modern "rapture" doctrine, the resurrection of the
righteous is followed by the tribulation and the millennium. Only after
that, so the theory goes, will there be a resurrection and judgement of
the wicked.
However, the remaining "last day" verse in John denies such a
scenario. Again Jesus is speaking--this time, not of the righteous but
of the wicked. He says, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My
words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge
him in the last day" (John 12:48). Thus Jesus taught that both the
resurrection of the righteous and the judgment of the wicked would take
place in "the last day."
The parable of the tares in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, teaches the same
truth. Notice in verse 38 that the field is the world. This parable is
not a contradiction of Jesus' teaching on church discipline. It is a
parable about the entire world. It is a parable about good people and
bad people living together until the end: "the harvest is the end of the
age" (verse 39).
"Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest
I will say to the reapers, 'First gather together the tares and bind
them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn' "
(verse 30). Saint and sinner are in this world together until the end. I
do not understand it all; but did you notice who is taken out first?
The popular rapture theory says, "First gather the wheat." However,
Jesus said, "First gather together the tares."
We may not understand it all, nor may we be able to explain the exact
sequence and timing of all the events. Nevertheless, if the parable of
the tares teaches anything, it teaches that the righteous and the wicked
live together until the end of the world. At that time, the wicked are
cast into "the furnace of fire." Their judgement has come; they are
finished forever. It is truly "the last day."
THE BEGINNING OR THE END?
According to the modern rapture theory, Jesus' next coming will just
be the beginning. According to the theory, most of the book of
Revelation and large amounts of both Old and New Testament prophecies
cannot be fulfilled until after the rapture. They say the rapture is
just the beginning of at least 1007 years of world history.
A careful look at Scripture, however, presents a totally different
picture. Jesus' next coming (there is only one more coming) will be the
end of this world, the end of history, the end of time, the end of "life
as we know it," the end of the wicked living unpunished, the end of
tears and death, the end of the battle between God and Satan, the end of
the antichrist, the end of opportunity to get right with God.
On the other hand, His return will be the beginning--the beginning of
eternity. "Prepare to meet your God!" "Watch and pray!"
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