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The Rapture of the church

THE RAPTURE

of the Church

THE RAPTURE:

The catching up of believers by Christ at the time of His return in the clouds prior to His return to earth (1st Thessalonians 4:17). The word came into use by way of the Latin "rapio" used to translate the Greek term of, "harpagesometha". Living believers are will be "caught up" to meet the Lord at His coming in the clouds.

Those of varying millennial views about end time events all hold firmly to the biblical truth of such rapture. However, it is within the premillennial (Thousand year reign with Christ (Revelation 20:6) view that the teaching of rapture finds major emphasis. This view sees a tribulation period immediately before the second coming of Christ.

Pre-tribulationists see the rapture occurring prior to the tribulation. 1st Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1st Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

This approach places the church in heaven during the time of tribulation on earth (1TH 4:17-18 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. Matthew 24:31 "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.) [These are the saints taken up at the time of the rapture to meet Jesus in the air]

Mid-tribulationists place the rapture at the mid-point of a seven-year tribulation period. The church remains on earth for the first half of the tribulation, but escapes the last half which is seen to be the time of intense or great tribulation. This view, along with the previous one, sees the second coming of Christ in two phases. The first phase will be a secret coming in clouds to rapture the church. The second will be His return with the church to reign on earth during the thousand year period (Revelation 20:6).

Post-tribulationists hold the church will remain on earth during the tribulation period. While that time will be one of wrath upon the world system, the church will be protected from divine wrath although experiencing tribulation. This view avoids dividing the return of Christ into two phases.

We have just looked at the three different interpretations of this event. In this study we will not consider only the three interpretations listed above but we will look at the Scripture to see what the Bible teaches regarding the rapture. Several erroneous propositions have been presented for consideration. See how the Scripture makes this doctrine clear and understandable.

The doctrine of the rapture of the church has so many different approaches that it will be to our advantage to study them one at a time. When we just read our Bible it is not difficult to become confused, especially when there are so many attempting to explain what Scripture is teaching about any given doctrine. Because of the mass confusion that surrounds this doctrine we will take our study one step at a time. We will "study the Bible" to discover what the Scripture teaches.

 

One of the most common misunderstandings of this doctrine is found in Matthew 24:36-42 and being confused with 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 2nd Thessalonians

2:1-18. This study should remove all misunderstanding.

 

Matthew 24:36-42.

~No One Knows That Day and Hour

Mathew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

  • of that day and hour no one knows.
  1. Anything taught outside of Scripture is pure conjecture on the part of the teacher.
  • not even the angels of heaven
  1. Not even those in the closest relationship to God know.
  • but My Father only.
  1. God and God alone knows the time of Jesus second coming to earth.

 

Matthew 24:37 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

 

Consider the days of Noah:

  • Geneses 6:5-7 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.

 

  • It is obvious that God has come to the end of His patience with His creation.

 

38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39 "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

 

  1. The total rejection of God and His standard for living resulted in the judgment of God.
  2. God had given previous notice of what was coming. They chose to ignore the warning and continued living in sin.(Genesis 6:3)

 

40 "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

  • Keep in mind that the context of this chapter is referring to the judgment of God and the second coming of Christ. (Matthew 24:3)
  1. At the time of Christ's return to earth things will going along pretty much as normal (Genesis 6:38)
  2. Eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage etc.
  3. Scripture compares the behavior of mankind at the time of Noah to the behavior of mankind in the tribulation period.

 

Daniel 9:27 Then he (the antichrist) (shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he (the antichrist) shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."

  1. A covenant between the antichrist and Daniels people (Dan 9:24) was obviously to allow Daniels people to rebuild the temple and resume worship by sacrifice and oblation.
  2. In the midst of the week he (the antichrist) shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.(Daniel 9:27) From this time forward the antichrist will completely dominate the method of worship in the temple until the return of Christ. (Daniel 9:27)

 

41 "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

  • When Christ returns at the end of the tribulation period it will not be to rescue the righteous from judgment as was the case of as Lot and his family in the day of judgment on Sodom and Gomorra. (Genesis 18:20-19:29) and Noah and the flood (Genesis 6:9-7:24).
  1. Christ is coming to bring judgment on the unrighteous rejecters of God.
  2. This will be an occasion of utter annihilation of Christ's enemies. (Rev. 19:18-2-17)
  3. During the tribulation period there will a multitude of lost souls come to Christ for Salvation. (Revelation 7:9-17)
  4. Those who are working side by side during the tribulation period are the saved and the unsaved. When Christ returns in judgment the unsaved will be taken in judgment and the saved will be left behind to rule with Christ for a thousand years.(Revelation 20:4)

 

42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. [This encouragement to watch is obviously to the saved. Jesus is not the lord of the unsaved.]

  • Watch therefore. The emphasis here is upon the coming of the Son of man. The encouragement is pertinent to all believers who come to Christ during the tribulation (Revelation 7:9-17), for the entire saved are to be watchful and waiting for Christ's coming judgment to be executed on the sinner when the saved will be ushered into the thousand year reign with Christ. This encouragement to watchfulness is repeated in (Revelation 24:44) and (Revelation 25:13).

 

NOTE:

  • In the day of Lot the sinners, were taken in judgment and the righteous (Lot and his family) were left. (Genesis 18:20-19:29)
  • In the day of Noah, the sinners were taken in judgment and the righteous were left to repopulate the earth. Genesis 6:9-7:24)
  • In the day of the rapture, the righteous will be taken to meet Christ in the clouds and the sinners will be left to enter into the seven year tribulation period. (1st Thessalonians 4:16-18)
  • In the day of Christ's second coming, sinners will be taken and the saved will be left to enter into the thousand year reign with Christ. (Revelation 20:4)

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The Coming of the Lord in the clouds at the rapture of the Church:

 

1st Thessalonians 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

15 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.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout [apparently the third heaven Where God resides, 2nd Corinthians 12:2-4], with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 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.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

 

2nd Thessalonians 2:1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,

2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.

3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

6 And now you know what is restraining [the Holy Spirit], that he may be revealed in his own time.

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains [the Holy Spirit] will do so until He is taken out of the way [is raptured with the Spirit filled Christians].

 

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,

12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

 

Christ returns to the earth:

 

~The Rider on a White Horse

Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

 

  • NOTE: Matthew 24:31 "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. [These are the saints taken up at the time of the rapture to meet Jesus in the air]

 

15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.