Seriously, I don't believe in rapture. This is the first post that I've put on here where the title wasn't pulled from a Bible verse, and the reason for that is simple: rapture is not in the Bible. Nada. Zip. Nowhere are you going to find rapture in the Bible. It's a false teaching - plain and simple - and it's very easy to demonstrate if one is willing to listen to what the Bible says, and not to how man has muddied up the waters of Scripture.
I started out writing this post, and it bordered on becoming a novella - yes that's how much scripture there is that discusses what will happen in the end days, and that's how much there is that is against rapture theory. However, I scratched that so that each of those places may be tackled in more bite-sized portions in days to come. For now, I will just make three points that basically turn the most quoted rapture sources on their ear. You may be asking yourself, "Why come out against it? What's the harm in the teaching? Why stir up an argument over something that doesn't matter whether you believe it or not?" Well, it does matter - it matters very much - and that's the take-home from this by the time we get to the end of it.
Let's start with the infamous rapture verses, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
It's true. Every word of the passage is true; however, there is no "rapture" in these verses. This event - the returning of Jesus Christ - signifies "the end of the world", or rather the end of this age before the next age begins. How do I know? There are numerous numerous passages that explain what Paul is describing here, but the key point here is "the trump of God". If you read Revelation there are seven trumps that are described, and Jesus comes back at the seventh trump - that's the last one - and not before. The seventh trump happens after the infamous "tribulation" - not before. So where is the comfort in these words then? Knowing that God will protect you during that time is the greatest comfort that you can have. Jesus says that God will protect you in Luke 21:18. God protected those in Goshen during the first passover in the Book of Exodus (Goshen means "drawing near" and is a euphemism for those who draw near to God) just like He will protect those who draw near to Him during the tribulation.
If you read the verses that follow the passage cited above, Paul explains that he didn't feel that he had to go any further with the teaching. He had already told them and taught them what was to take place in person. Well... that's what he felt at the time he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians. However, once he knew how that curiosity had arose about this statement of "being taken up in the air", he wrote a follow up letter that basically only deals with this one issue. You can read 2 Thessalonians in a short amount of time, it is only 3 chapters long. In it, he refers to the first letter, saying:
"... be not soon shaken in mind, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first [the word in Greek for falling away is "apostacy"], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in this time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:2-10)." (emphasis mine)
What is Paul saying? He's saying the tribulation will come, just as the prophets foretold, and Jesus absolutely will not return until after this takes place. Not before. Not midway. After, and only after, this takes place. (How is he sure? There's not a prophet nor a parable that says otherwise - in fact, they quite confirm the order of events. And if someone tells you that there is something otherwise, they are pulling wool over your eyes.) Why is rapture theory so popular then? That's how good of a deceiver Satan is. He's already got much of the Christian world convinced that the person described above, that shows signs and wonders, is Christ... but that's not what Jesus said, and it's not what the Bible says.
In fact, in Matthew 24:26, Jesus says very plainly, "Wherefore if they shall say unto you, 'Behold, He is in the desert;' go not forth: 'behold, He is in the secret chambers;' believe it not." (emphasis mine) The quote above talks about who should be saved, and Jesus also very plainly states this in Matthew 24:13, saying, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
The 24th chapter of Matthew is the second most popular place that is quoted for rapture theory (at least, a piece of it is quoted). It's the part about "the one taken and the one left behind." Most times I've heard this, it's explained that the one taken is the righteous soul who is taken away in the rapture. But let's examine that passage in more detail, and not cut out the part that explains what "being taken" really means in this passage:
Jesus says in his speech, "For as in the days of Noah were, so also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and [they] knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matthew 24:38-42)."
The reason they didn't know when the Lord was coming, is because they weren't paying attention to what was being said and didn't believe that they had to wait until the very end... he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. It's pretty straight forward. But the flood "took them all away." Noah was kept on earth - safe and sound - not a hair harmed on his head, because he listened carefully to what God had said and was properly prepared for the tribulation that was to come.
The rest were unprepared; their pastors had not prepared them; their churches had not prepared them. And this makes God very angry, which is stated over and over again in the prophets. God says in Ezekiel 13:20, "I am against your kerchiefs [a safety blanket that you have covered my protecting hands with], wherewith ye hunt the souls to make them fly." The safety blanket is rapture theory. He calls it a kerchief over the eyes to blind people from the truth.
It's important to take a stand on this issue because not preparing people to know that an imposter will come, calling himself God, and having the ability to show great signs and wonders also leaves those people open to worship that person as God... which is the number one no-no in the Bible. Churches that do not prepare their members for what is to come - churches that teach that it is no consequence whether someone believes in rapture or not - are what I believe Jesus to be refering to when he tells the church of Laodicea, "because you are neither hot or cold, I will spew you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:16)". And that is a sad state to be in.
So take comfort, know that God will protect his People. He will protect those that love the truth. As for me, I'm not looking to fly away before the end of the end. That's how I read it. God bless.
