Why the "Rapture" Is an Incorrect Vision of the Future
Why the "Rapture" Is an Incorrect Vision of the Future
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)
Several passages of the New Testament speak of a coming day of evil, of temptation, of persecution, of unparalleled hardship:
For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. (Matthew 24:21)
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. (Luke 21:16,17)
Paul advises us to put on the full armor of God so we might stand in the day of evil. The problem with the "rapture teaching" is that it informs us there will be no day of evil for anyone who "accepts Christ." Therefore there is no need to prepare ourselves.
Thus the American Christians of our day live careless lives. They may be able to see the unprecedented rebellions against authority of our day, as the nations of the East strive for democratic government. They may notice the diminishing of the United States as a world power. They may understand that the New Testament speaks of the great trouble to come.
But their attitude is: "There is no need for me to worry about the future. I will not be here. I will be caught up to Heaven in a "rapture" while the Jewish Christians preach the Gospel of the Kingdom during the troubled times of the Antichrist government.
Such unscriptural foolishness! But the attitude of "we won't be here," plus the unscriptural "lawless grace" teaching, have resulted in a woeful spiritual weakness of numerous American Christians. Our government reflects this lack of character in its confusion over moral issues.
Let us examine some of the passages of the New Testament to explain that the teaching of the "rapture" is unscriptural.
Perhaps the most powerful antidote to the spiritually destructive teaching of the "rapture" is the twenty-fourth chapter of the Book of Matthew. This chapter is a true vision of the future.
If I am not mistaken, the prevailing opinion of the "rapturists" is that Matthew 24 is speaking of a coming of the Lord that takes place after the secret "rapture." Thus there would be two days of the Lord, two comings, for which there is no scriptural basis.
The fourth chapter of the book of First Thessalonians is considered, I believe, to be a flagship of the "rapture" doctrine, so to speak. Notice in this chapter the expression, "According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep." (I Thessalonians 4:15)
Now, think about the word "coming." The Greek term is parousian. The parousian of the Lord. Notice that Paul does not speak of two comings. This is the one coming of the Lord, the coming set forth in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Book of Matthew.
Now we go to Matthew:
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3)
What do you think the Greek term is for the word "coming" in the verse above?
It is parousias.
It appears, doesn't it, that Matthew and Paul may be speaking of the same coming, the parousia.
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:12,13)
Right here would be a good place for the Lord to say, "You have no need to fear because you won't be here. Instead He challenges us, as Paul did, to stand firm to the end of the Church Age.
By doing so we become eligible to be saved. By "saved" I believe the Lord means we will not have succumbed to the temptation to sin that surrounds us and will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant" when we appear before Christ in Heaven.
So when you see standing in the holy place "the abomination that causes desolation," spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:15,16)
Some may object that this is speaking only to Jewish Christians. Let me once and for all declare that there is no such thing as a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian. There only is the one new Man, the one Seed of Abraham. The first Christian church was composed of 5,000 Law-keeping Jews. We are one with them.
Whenever you hear someone referring to Jewish Christians, or Gentile Christians, you know he or she needs to go back to the Bible and look again at what Paul wrote.
We would not refer to German Christians, or English Christians, or American Christians, except during a population study or some special event.
We would not say, for example, that there were Irish Christians in Heaven while Swedish Christians were on the earth. No more should we speak of Gentile Christians in Heaven and Jewish Christians on the earth. We are one in the body and blood of Christ.
What we are in race applies only to our life prior to our entering the death and resurrection of Christ.
There only is the "one new Man," who is Christ and those who are part of Him.
When we see a statue of self-seeking man standing on the pinnacle of the Temple (the abomination that makes desolate), where Christ was tempted to act presumptuously, then we know the desolation that will be created by the self-will of man is at hand and we must look to God for a place of protection.
Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. (Matthew 24:17-21)
The Christians who are living in the land of Israel are to flee from Judea and seek the Lord for a place of safety. We Christians who are not living in Judea are to seek God for our own place of safety, not "going back to get our cloak," so to speak. Remember Lot's wife!
There is on the horizon a day of evil, and we are to begin to prepare ourselves today, because we will not be "raptured" out of it!
The following verse proves beyond doubt that God's elect will not escape by a "rapture" from the day of evil.
If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:22)
It certainly sounds as though God's elect will be on the earth during the rule of Antichrist, doesn't it?
And notice:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting 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. (II Thessalonians 2:1-3)
"Concerning the coming. What Greek term would you guess is translated "coming"?
Parousias.
Matthew 24 tells about "our being gathered to Christ. There certainly would not be a gathering to Christ prior to Matthew 24!
Notice the one "day of the Lord."
Notice that the one day of the Lord will not come until Antichrist is revealed. How could there possibly be a "rapture" prior to this? The "rapture" teaching of our day is a sophisticated error, the purpose of which is to leave the believers unprepared for the evil day, so they will fall into the clutches of Satan. It is the deception, of which Jesus warned us.
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. Our gathering to Christ will not occur until first there is the great rebellion against God, and Antichrist comes forth.
For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:27)
Notice that there is one coming (parousia) and everyone on earth will see it. I would say that the teaching of a special secret coming prior to this is reckless, going against the clear teaching of the Word of God. What is your opinion?
For wherever the carcase may be, there shall the eagles be gathered together. (Matthew 24:28–YLT)
The "eagles" are the saints who live by the body and blood of the slain Lamb. This reminds us of something not always taught in "rapture" teaching. Unless we are living by the Life of Christ we will not be part of the gathering to Him. Just "accepting Christ" and living our own life will not qualify us for the great gathering.
Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. (John 6:57)
Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' (Matthew 24:29)
These are the great signs that will herald our gathering to Christ. Notice that they will appear after the day of trouble.
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Matthew 24:31)
Compare:
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (I Thessalonians 4:16)
Does it really make sense to claim that there will be a secret appearing of Christ prior to Matthew's coming, giving the common use of parousia for "coming," and the trumpet call? I believe the people who are trusting in a "rapture" to deliver them from the day of evil are hoping in a tradition rather than in the Scripture.
What is of greatest importance in this present discussion is the idea of preparing for the gathering.
Remember our opening Scripture?
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17)
My point in this essay is to warn God's people that they have an incorrect vision of the future. Because of the teaching of a "rapture" that will do away with their need to prepare for the chaos that is approaching the United States, combined with the teaching that "grace" removes any critical need to grow in Christ, we have multitudes of spiritual babies in our country.
What are the unprepared believers going to do in the days of violent persecution; of the shortage of the necessities of life, including food and money? Are they going to panic and forget Christ?
They are not prepared with the belt of truth, they have believed a lie. They have no breastplate of righteousness, having been persuaded that God loves them so much He is going to bring them to Heaven even though they have not lived a victorious life in Christ.
Their feet are not fitted with the gospel of peace. They gossip and judge their fellow believers freely, causing division in their church.
They do not know how to hold up the shield of faith when trouble comes. The "flaming arrows" of insults and criticism enter their spirit until they are harboring bitterness in their heart.
They do not understand how to pray for help from the Virtue of the blood of the Lamb to quench the fire of unforgiveness.
They are hoping for a rapture that will put an end to their frustrations and install them in a mansion in Paradise. Thus their head, their thoughts, are not protected.
They do not obey Paul by placing their affections in Heaven where Christ sits on the right hand of God.
They are transformed by the information coming from the television and the Internet.
They are not "in Christ." They are in the world, and not eligible for the worldwide gathering of the saints to the Lord Jesus when He appears from Heaven in Glory.
They cannot use the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to fight off the oppressions and delicious temptations of the demons, because they do not know the Word. They do not meditate in the Bible each day. They are trusting in the pastors and evangelists to teach them the truth, and sometimes they are not being taught the truth.
They have plenty of time for the television but little time for the effort that is needed to pray through to victory.
The doctrine of the "rapture" plus "lawless grace" have accomplished Satan's will concerning the Christian churches in the United States. Our nation, once the envy of the world, is deteriorating rapidly as far as power and influence are concerned.
There are good people who are looking for political solutions. But there are no political solutions, because the problem is spiritual.
Ancient Israel serves as a helpful example to us.
How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave. (Lamentations 1:1)
At one time Israel was the greatest of the nations of the earth. The other nations came with gifts to seek her favor.
She left her Lord. She has not fully recovered to the present hour, still being surrounded by enemies who mock her and her God.
America at one time was highly favored. This was not because of democracy. Democracy is "Laodicea," the voice of the people. Christ says nothing good about Laodicea. America was the envy of the world because of the blessing of God, not because of democracy.
But one of the greatest of the biblical promises of God is addressed to these lukewarm people. It is that of sitting with Christ in the highest throne of all.
So it is true that we are citizens of a nation that has forsaken her Lord. Soon she shall be as Israel, a widow who was once great among the nations. The only force that could reverse this would be a wholesale return to Jesus Christ; and it does not appear that this is likely to take place.
But as was true of the blind Laodiceans. We as an individual can open the door of our heart to Christ; dine with Him on His body and blood as He dines on our obedience and worship; and take our place on that throne that is higher than any other.
Then we are safe in the Presence of Christ regardless of what happens to our country.
The choice is ours, and it must be made quickly!
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:18-21)
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. (Psalms 91:14-16–KJV)
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments. (Habakkuk 3:19)
These promises are for you and me regardless what takes place in the world, if we will seek the Lord Jesus with our whole heart!