Lately,
I have been writing articles for the Preterism vs. Futurism series.
Truthfully, any article I write in support of Preterism (i.e., all of
them) can technically fall in this category, but this series is
designed to target select beliefs popular to Futurism. Thus, what
better topic to tackle than the rapture?
In
fact, I was recently sharing my thoughts with a friend of mine. She
was curious about a comment I made pertaining to the rapture and
asked for elaboration. Not too long after that, I was engaged in a
debate with someone in regards to the pre-tribulation rapture. So,
given the topic's current relevance in my life, why not go ahead and
write about it?
I
had considered giving you a history lesson on the origin of the
rapture, but as I try to keep these articles relatively short I
thought it best to leave such research up to you (just ask if you'd
like some sources and I will be more than happy to help). Instead, I
would like to focus on the doctrine itself, specifically the
pre-tribulation rapture since it is the most popular.
Pre-tribulation
Rapture Defined
According
to the Dispensational view, Daniel's 70th week (Daniel
9:24-27) is separated from the rest of the weeks by a gap of nearly
2,000 years and counting. This final week is the tribulation period,
they claim. This gap is not supported by any verse in any book of the
Bible, however. Personally, I believe Daniel 9:24-27 find completion
through Christ. Dispensationalists, however, turn this into a
prophecy about the Antichrist. If you'd like to read my refutation of
their gap theory, I encourage you to check out my article on the
abomination of desolation.
With
this 70th week supposedly yet future to us living today,
Dispensationalists
await the day in which the bodies of believers are teleported out of
here to literally meet Christ in the air. The fact that this
supposedly happens before
the tribulation means it's a pre-tribulation
rapture. Pretty simple, right? However, the doctrine isn't actually
in the Bible. And I don't mean the fact that the word “rapture”
isn't in the Bible; the concept itself isn't there, either.
Disarming
the Rapture
1
Thessalonians 4 is perhaps the most commonly used chapter for rapture
defense. By observing verses 13 through 17, we will be able to see if
the pre-tribulation rapture view fits with the text.
13But
I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also
which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto
the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For
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: 17Then 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. (1 Thessalonians
4:13-17)
Things
to observe from this passage: 1) This “hope” concerns them which
sleep; 2) Those who “sleep in Jesus” will be raised; 3) Those who
are alive will not precede the dead; 4) Christ will come with a
shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; 5) They
would be caught up in the clouds.
First,
we need to understand what Paul meant when he used the word “hope”
in verse 13. For this, we move to the book of Acts:
6But
when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other
Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a
Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the
dead I am called in question. (Acts 23:6)
15And
have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there
shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
(Acts 24:15)
Could
it be that this hope is the same hope of Israel, promised to their
fathers?
6And
now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God,
unto our fathers: 7Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly
serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king
Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. 8Why should it be thought a thing
incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? (Acts 26:6-8)
If
Paul is writing of the hope of Israel (Israel had a number of hopes,
I might add), and that hope is the resurrection of the dead, how can
one place this event before the time of tribulation? Revelation 20
places this resurrection at Christ's parousia, not seven years prior.
In fact, so does Paul (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This covers points one
through three in our list, for we know the resurrection to be when
the dead are raised, and if the dead are not raised until Christ's
coming in judgment, then truly there can be no pre-tribulation
rapture!
This
brings us to our fourth point, in which we noted that Christ will
“descend from heaven with a shout,
the voice
of the archangel,
and the trump
of God.
Rapture doctrine revolves around this idea of a “secret,” or
“silent” rapture, yet Christ's descent sounds awful noisy! This
idea of a “secret” rapture comes from some verses claiming Christ
will come like a “thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2
Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3). We will identify the details of 1
Thessalonians 4:16 in just a moment, but first it is important to
know if the so-called “rapture” is silent, or secret. Turning to
1 Thessalonians 5, we can accurately answer this question, starting
with the second verse:
2For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh a thief
in the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as a travail upon a woman with child;
and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3)
The
trick is to catch why
the day of the Lord will come upon them as a thief in the night.
Notice that these people have let their guard down, assuming there is
peace and safety. This
is when the day of the Lord strikes, and because they would be
unaware, it would be as though they were robbed while sleeping. This
is reinforced as we continue reading:
4But
ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you
as a thief. 5Ye are all the children of the light, and the children
of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. (1
Thessalonians 5:4-5).
Did
you catch it? Those at the church in Thessalonica are described as
not
in darkness, which means the day of the Lord would not
come as a thief in the night. Paul then tells them to remain sober
and watchful (1 Thessalonians 5:6). It would seem as though the day
of the Lord, when the resurrection would occur, would be a day that
could be watched for. If this day came as a thief to all, why would
Paul tell them to watch for it? He plainly tells them they are not in
darkness, the very same darkness that would cause many to be caught
off guard.
It
seems clear that rapture advocates misidentify the resurrection, and
in doing so neglect the manner in which it occurs. This can be
further understood by properly identifying the Lord's shout and trump
of God upon his coming. Why the voice of an Archangel? What about the
trump of God?
The
first verse that comes to my mind in regards to an archangel is
Daniel 12:1. In this verse, we read of Michael the archangel standing
up at the time of tribulation, when those written in the book of life
are delivered. This deliverance, and the reference to the archangel,
can both be found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. First, it is necessary
to read the verse in the book of Daniel:
1And
at that time Michael the great prince shall stand up, that stands
over the children of thy people: and there shall a time of
tribulation, such tribulation as has not been from the time that
there was a nation on the earth until that time: at that time, thy
people shall be delivered, even everyone that is written in the book.
(Daniel 12:1)
For
the Lord to come with the voice of the archangel may very well be
seen as representative of deliverance. It seems likely to me that
Paul was drawing from this imagery to make such a connection. As
such, the day of the Lord, the resurrection, while certainly a time
of judgment, is also a time of deliverance. To add to that, this
deliverance occurs at the last trump:
51Behold,
I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
If
there is a last
trump, then we can expect a first
trump. After all, if something is going to be labeled quantitatively,
we should expect there to be more than one. If there were just one
trumpet, it would be first and last, the only one. Yet, Paul
distinguishes this trump from others, labeling it as the last
trump. He also calls this a “mystery.” Of course, we know this
mystery to be the resurrection. Therefore, what is left is for us to
discern the number of trumps there actually are. To do so, we need to
dive into the book of Revelation.
2And
I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given
seven trumpets. (Revelation 8:2)
It
seems there are seven angels with seven trumpets, which means the
last
trump must be the seventh. Simple enough. In relation to this,
consider the following verse:
7But
in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to
sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to
his servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:7)
Both
Paul and John record the seventh trump to reveal the “mystery.” I
believe it is a mistake not to see this connection. Note what happens
when the seventh trump is sounded:
15And
the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven,
saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our
Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
(Revelation 11:15)
18And
the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the
dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward
unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear
thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy
the earth. (Revelation 11:18)
When
the seventh trump sounds, the dead are judged and the prophets and
saints are rewarded. Failure to make the connection between the
seventh trumpet and the seventh vial causes many of today's
interpretative problems. Note the events of the seventh vial:
17And
the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a
great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It
is done. 18And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and
there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the
earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19And the great city
was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and
great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the
cup of the win of the fierceness of his wrath. (Revelation 16:17-19)
Now,
compare this to the details of the seventh trumpet:
19And
the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his
temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and
voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
(Revelation 11:19)
The
details of the seventh trumpet are identical to the details of the
seventh vial. However, when we read of the seventh vial we are given
some more information, such as the destruction of Mystery Babylon.
Yet, while Revelation 11 lacks these specifics, the identical imagery
reveals that Revelation 11 is detailing the very same judgment. The
last trumpet and last vial are one in the same.
After
witnessing the certain details of the seventh vial, John is taken to
witness the destruction of Mystery Babylon in fuller detail
(Revelation 17-19). What occurs after Mystery Babylon's destruction
is the most noteworthy detail of all:
2For
true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great
whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath
avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. 3And again they said,
Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. 4And the four and
twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that
sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. 5And a voice came out of
the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that
fear him, both small and great. 6And I heard as it were the voice of
a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. 7Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself
ready. (Revelation 19:2-7)
When
the last trump sounds, Christ reigns. Likewise, when the last vial is
poured, Christ reigns. It is at this time, upon the marriage supper
of the Lamb, that the resurrection occurs. This puts the rapture
doctrine in the land of make-believe from which it came. The fact
that the seventh trumpet and the seventh vial occur at the same time
tells us that the visions in Revelation are not entirely consecutive.
There is a lot of overlapping. Knowing this, it should be easier to
see that there cannot be a pre-tribulation rapture, or resurrection,
rather. This resurrection occurs at the end of the tribulation period
at the coming of the Lord.
Rapture
Arguments
My
favorite rapture defense is the belief that the Bible contains actual
examples of people being raptured. The Futurists will say, “Enoch
was raptured, and so was Elijah! This is proof of a rapture!” Of
course, one would have to be certain that Enoch and Elijah were
actually raptured, which I argue they were not. Since the most
popular example is Enoch, I will begin with him.
In
the case of Enoch, he was a man pleasing to the Lord (Genesis
5:21,24). Little is known about him apart from a few verses in
Genesis 5 and Hebrews 11, but we know he begat sons and daughters
(Genesis 5:22), and lived to be three hundred sixty-five years old
(Genesis 5:23). At this time, Enoch was “translated” (Genesis
5:24). This use of “translated” is what fuels the use of Enoch in
rapture defense (cf. Hebrews 11:5).
According
to rapture advocates, this is the first instance of a rapture,
because Enoch apparently did not die. One claim is that Enoch was
raptured before the Flood, which, since the last days were to be as
the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-38), Enoch's “rapture” was a
shadow of the last days when all the believers are supposedly
raptured. This is ridiculous. According to pre-tribulation rapture
doctrine, believers are taken to heaven for the seven years of the
tribulation. Since Enoch was “translated,” or taken by God (“for
God took him” KJV), rapture advocates automatically assume he was
taken to heaven. There's a slight problem with this.
The
promise of heaven was not yet in reach of believers during the Old
Testament times (John 3:13; Hebrews 11:13). Thus, Enoch was not taken
to heaven, nor entered what is commonly called “paradise,”
without first seeing death. Note the King James Version's rendering
of the following texts:
24And
Enoch walked with God: and he was not: for God took him. (Genesis
5:24 KJV)
13And
they say, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in
the land of Canaan: and behold, the youngest is this day with our
father, and one is not. (Genesis 42:13 KJV)
Enoch
“was not,” just as one of the brothers “is not.” Let's assume
for a moment that “and one is not” simply means “and one is not
with our father.” The youngest brother was with the father, while
“one is not.” It might seem to make sense like this upon first
glance. Consider the following verses:
14And
Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye
are spies. 15Hereby ye shall be proved: by the life of Pharaoh ye
shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
16Send one of you to fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in
prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in
you: or else by the life of Pharaoh sure ye are spies. (Genesis
42:14-16 KJV)
The
key here is recognizing that Joseph only called for the youngest
brother to be found. Why not the one who “is not”? Could it
perhaps be that this brother was deceased? This is exactly the
reason! “Was not,” or “is not,” are ways of expressing one's
absence from this world. The New Testament affirms this:
18In
Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, a great
mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be
comforted, because they are not. (Matthew 2:18)
I
can assure you Rachel was not weeping because they were alive. She
was weeping because her children were dead, made clear to us when we
read “...because they are
not.”
This is the same phrasing as found in the Old Testament. In the New
Testament, its use expresses death. Why not in the Old Testament,
too? If we're to be consistent, our first action should be to
consider how this phrase is used in one place, then apply it to
similar passages. If Enoch was raptured, and did not die, we'd have
to apply this to the other passages we've observed. Was the brother
who “is not” raptured? Were Rachel's children raptured?
Similarly, if Rachel's children were deceased, was one of the twelve
brothers deceased? Could Enoch have been deceased? Seems to make a
lot more since than the idea of a rapture.
The
Greek word for “translated” is “metatithemi,” which means to
transfer, or to put in another place. Hebrews 11:5 says Enoch was
“translated,” just as the Septuagint does in Genesis 5:24. Enoch
lived to be three hundred sixty-five years old, died, and the Lord
took him. He simply died! Hebrews 11:5 seemingly contradicts my
argument I am often told. This analysis could not be complete without
analyzing this verse:
5By
faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death, and was not
found, because God had translated him: For before his translation he
had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)
If
Enoch “was not,” that is, died, then why was Enoch translated so
that “he should not see death”? Consider that no
verse declares Enoch to have been taken to heaven, or paradise, while
in his physical body. The text only says this when one's preconceived
ideas enter the text. In Genesis 5 and Hebrews 11 we read that Enoch
pleased God. Because of this relationship with God, Enoch was taken
and could not be found. If Hebrews 11:5 is referring to physical
death, perhaps it is in the sense that Enoch would not literally
“see” death, or would not be aware of death, in other words.
Another way to word it might be to say that Enoch was laid to rest as
not to suffer the typical human death caused by old age or sickness.
At this point, all views rest on speculation to a certain degree.
However, I believe the view in which Enoch had physically died is far
more consistent than the rapture view. This consistency is made
evident when we make our way a bit further into Hebrews 11, for the
next verse we read actually contradicts the belief that Enoch never
saw biological death:
13These
all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen
them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
(Hebrews 11:13)
Preceding
this verse, the Hebrews author makes note of Enoch's, Noah's,
Abraham's, and Sara's walks of faith (Hebrews 11:6-12). Then, he
writes, “These all
died
in faith...” If these all died, how could Enoch have not seen
physical death? We know Noah, Abraham, and Sara all physically died.
Again, while it is not wise to be dogmatic when speculating, it does
seem quite consistent to view Enoch as having tasted physical death.
I believe all the points made so far suggest just that.
For
the rapture advocates, the prophet Elijah is another example of
rapture evidence. Honestly, it's no surprise such a conclusion is
drawn, either. The points I am about to present are often missed.
Though, when understood, these points provide an irrefutable rebuttal
against Elijah's “rapture.” For this, we first refer to the
fourth book of Kings (hereby referred to 2 Kings as in the KJV and
all modern translations):
11And
it came to pass as they were going, they went on talking; and, behold
a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and it separated between them
both; and Eliu was taken up in a whirlwind as it were into heaven.
12And Elisaie saw, and cried, Father, father, the chariot of Israel,
and the horseman thereof! And he saw him no more: and he took hold of
his garments, and rent them into two pieces. (2 Kings 2:1)
Elijah
(Eliu) was “taken up in a whirlwind as it were into heaven.”
Elisha (Elisaie) recognized this chariot as God. In essence, God had
translated Elijah, literally moving him from his current position.
Rapture advocates argue that Elijah was taken into heaven, the throne
room of God. However, “heaven” (Heb. shamayim)
is most commonly understood as the sky, while it can also mean the
abode of the stars, or the throne of God. In the following verses, we
find Elisha returning to the “sons of the prophets who were in
Jericho" (2 Kings 2:15). These men were concerned with where Elijah
was taken, worried that the Spirit of the Lord had dropped him into the Jordan, or on a mountain (2 Kings 2:16). Thus, they urged Elisha to
send men to find him. Finally, Elisha agreed to the search (2 Kings
2:17). However, after searching for three days, the men could not
find Elijah. One must wonder how they knew it was the Spirit of the
Lord that took Elijah, yet had concerned themselves with Elijah's
drop-off point. They clearly knew Elijah was to remain on Earth.
There
remains further proof against Elijah having been taken into space or
the throne of God, however. In fact, the very next chapter of 2 Kings
helps begin the foundation of this next point:
1And
Joram the son of Achaab began to reign in Israel in the eighteenth
year of Josaphat king of Juda, and he reigned twelve years. (2 Kings
3:1)
So,
sometime after Elijah's “rapture”, Joram, the son of Achaab,
takes the throne in Israel. Josaphat, the king of Judah, was
currently in his eighteenth year of reign. Josaphat also happened to
have a son named Joram, who took over when Josaphat died, reigning as
co-regent before Josaphat's death (2 Kings 8:16). Joram took full
control of Judah upon his father's passing:
1And
Josaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David:
and Joran his son reigned in his stead. (2 Chronicles 21:1)
Joran,
or Joram (the spelling of names often changes slightly in older
translations like the Septuagint and 1611 KJV), took the throne of
Judah during the time Joram of Israel was reigning. Joram of Judah
was “walking in the way of the kings of Israel” (2 Chronicles
21:6), just like the house of Achaab from which his wife came, doing
deeds that were evil in the sight of the Lord for a number of years.
Because of Joram's evil, he receives a message from a familiar
character:
12And
there came to him a message in writing from Eliu the prophet, saying,
Thus saith the Lord God of thy father David, Because thou hast not
walked in the way of thy father Josaphat, nor in the ways of Asa king
of Juda, 13but has walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and
hast caused Juda and the dwellers of Jerusalem to go a-whoring, as
the house of Achaab caused Israel to go a-whoring, and thou hast
slain thy brethren, the sons of thy father, who were better than
thyself; 14behold, the Lord shall smite thee with a great plague
among thy people, and thy sons, and thy wives, and all thy store:
15and thou shalt be afflicted with a grievous disease, with a disease
of the bowels, until thy bowels shall fall out day by day with the
sickness. (2 Chronicles 21:12-15)
Amazing!
Years after Elijah's “rapture” we find that Elijah had written to
Joram of Judah for his wickedness. If Elijah were taken to the throne
of God via the rapture, how was it Elijah could still write to Joram?
He wouldn't have been able to lest he were on Earth! Thus, no such
“rapture” into the throne of God occurred. Elijah remained
on the Earth, very much aware of Joram's wickedness.
In
the end, do Futurists have any reasonable arguments for their rapture
doctrines? I wouldn't suggest so. I believe the Futurists' failure to
recognize what passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1
Corinthians 15:51-53 are actually regarding is causing them to place
hope in an idea that was never promised, and will never occur. What
effects this may have on one's faith in the end is anyone's guess. My
only prayer is that people are willing to consider the only logical
explanation: the resurrection of the dead.
I
hope this brief analysis was beneficial. It is difficult to be
persuaded of views that contradict something we hold dear. If you
have questions, please ask.
In
the Lord's service,
Jason
Watt
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