The Question of the Rapture

It is an oversimplification to state every Christian's longing for Jesus Christ's return. A belief in the second coming of Jesus to execute judgment and set up His kingdom on earth is solely based on a literal interpretation of Scripture (cf. Psalm 2; Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:11-21; 20:4-6). Sound hermeneutics have also led students of the Bible to understand a coming of Christ entirely different than His coming to execute judgment and reign with His saints. This understanding of Scripture, based on grammatical, contextual study is referred as the "Rapture." It is true that the word Rapture is not found in the Bible; consequently, neither is the word Bible found in the Bible, yet this article is derived completely from the study of God's Holy Word--The Bible.

The term Rapture actually comes from the Greek word harpazo, which is translated "caught up," or as William D. Mounce renders it as to "take away by force, snatch away."1  Jerome, (from the fifth century) who translated the Bible into the Latin language, called the Vulgate, rendered harpazo as rapere meaning "caught away." Thus, the modern translation of the Greek harpazo as Rapture comes from Jerome. Although the timing of the Rapture is debated, the teaching of Christ coming to “snatch away” believers prior to His second coming is an event to be taken literally and not spiritualized in any manner.

An Imminent Coming

The imminence of the return of Christ means the Lord could come at anytime. It is a sudden coming. Perhaps today, maybe tomorrow, or even years from now, but one does not know when Christ will Rapture the church. Christians are to live everyday on earth as though Christ will take them away today. For the Christian who has the right relationship with Jesus Christ, they will keep one eye on this world as faithful stewards and witnesses, while the other keeps watch on the sky always “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Further proof of this immanency is revealed in the fact that the Rapture could have occurred in the apostle's day as seen in the use of the pronouns: "we," "you," and "us" (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 4:13-18; 5:1-11, 23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2; 1 Timothy 6:14; James 5:7-8; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 21, 24-25).

One clear and present danger regarding the Rapture is to mock this immanency of the Lord's gathering of the church. Scripture warns: "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation (2 Peter 3:3-4)."

Delivered From Wrath

There are several clear passages in scripture which plainly teach that the church will not go through the “Tribulation,” which is God's wrath (Revelation 6:16-17; 14:19; 16:1). Of course, the usual response is that the preaching of the Rapture before the Tribulation is "escapism" since the church has been told it will go through persecution. However, there is a vast difference between God's wrath poured out on an unrepentant earth and the persecution Christians have endured throughout the centuries for the name of Christ. The Rapture is not a reward but according to God's grace! Nevertheless, compare this teaching with Scripture first:

Much more then , being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him (Romans 5:9).

And to wait for His son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Removal of the Restrainer

Second Thessalonians 2:1-12 teaches the holding back of the “man of lawlessness” (NASB), until a later time. What is it or who is it that holds this “man of sin” (NASB), also called the “son of perdition,” from being revealed? Verses 6-7 give us the answer as follows:

And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way (NASB).

The apostle Paul is the most precise of the New Testament writers in his use of the proper grammar. Therefore the unusual grammar that resides between verses 6 and 7 is highly significant. In verse 6, “the restrainer,” is the neuter gender (to katechon), while verse 7 employs the masculine gender (ho katechon). Since this Restrainer has been withholding the antichrist from being revealed for almost 2,000 years obviously the Restrainer is eternal. Only God is eternal and powerful enough to restrain the “man of sin” whom Satan seeks to bring forth.

Now one knows from studying about the person of the Holy Spirit that He is the one who brings conviction upon sinners toward repentance. In Scripture, man is told that many will become believers in Christ during the Tribulation and will be martyred for His name's sake (Revelation 7:14; 13:7; 14:12-13; 17:6). Also, we learn that the 144,000 witnesses (Revelation 7), will be "sealed," which is another work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will also work to protect the great evangelistic ministry of the 144,000 and two witnesses (Revelation 11).

The Holy Spirit is present during the Tribulation, for He is God and omnipresent. It is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the church that will be removed before the start of the Tribulation, the time known as the Rapture. Prior to Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon saints and could be taken away. The in dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the church can only be removed by the taking (rapturing) the church out of the way.

The wickedness of Noah's and Lot's day (Genesis 6:5-8, 19-22), is a vivid portrayal of the deserved judgment upon wicked mankind that would not be brought forth until God removed His servants. The church, as well, is to be spared from wrath, which as already pointed out, is the Tribulation period.2

God's Relation to Israel

Rejection of the Rapture before the Tribulation is commonly due to a failure to distinguish the church and Israel. Daniel 9:24 emphasizes: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city.” The prophet Daniel had no knowledge of the church, since it was a mystery to the Old Testament saints (Ephesians 5:32). “Thy people” meant the Jews. “Thy holy city” is Jerusalem (Isaiah 52:1).

Sixty-nine weeks have already occurred exactly as God's Word prophesied. One week is remaining which Jeremiah called the “time of Jacob's trouble” (30:7) because it would center on Jerusalem and Palestine. Likewise, Luke 21:24 called this period the "times of the Gentiles," because judgment would fall upon the Gentile nations for their wickedness and anti-Semitism.

The prophets in the Old Testament knew nothing of the church. The only coming of Christ that the Old Testament prophets understood was His coming in power and glory to execute judgment upon the nations and to set up His kingdom in fulfillment of the covenants given to Israel as a nation.3

Of course, man knows that when Christ came to earth the first time it was not as the Jewish people understood the Messiah to come. They did not understand that Christ would first come as a “suffering servant” (Isaiah 49-57) and they crucified Him (Acts 2:23). Because of Israel's rejection of the Messiah, salvation came unto the Gentiles (Romans 11:11). Presently if Jew or Gentile believes in Jesus Christ they become a part of the body of Christ, the Church.

Misunderstanding lies in the belief that God has finished dealing with Israel as a nation because of their rejection of Christ.4 Yet just a brief study of scripture reveals the exact opposite.

Thus saith the Lord; if heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord (Jeremiah 31:37).

Unity of Daniel's 70th Week

As already stated, there is one week remaining of Daniel's 70 weeks. The 70th week is the seven year period referred to as the Tribulation. The Hebrew word for week is shabua which literally means a “seven.” Therefore the last “week” of Daniel's prophecy is seven years (based on context, weeks of years is the meaning of the Hebrew here; cf. Leviticus 25:8).

Daniel 9:27 emphasizes the unity of the seven year tribulation. There is a clear break in the middle of the seven years marked by the “abomination of desolation” (Matthew 24:15). Though this abomination divides the seven year Tribulation into three-and-one-half years before and after this occurrence, the unity, nevertheless, is not divided. The purpose and nature of the Tribulation is unified throughout the seven years. Thus, for those who believe the church will go through only a portion of the Tribulation, and are then raptured, this view obviously cannot be borne out of Scripture.

The “abomination of desolation”(Daniel 9:27) is the time that the antichrist sets himself up as God in the third temple (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Those in Judaea are then told to flee, and to “pray ye that your flight be not...on the sabbath day” (Matthew 24:15-16, 20). One sees no warning to the church because the church is already with the Lord having been raptured before the Tribulation. The Olivet Discourse is concerned with Israel during the Tribulation, thus the reference to the “Sabbath” and “Judaea.”

Kept From the Hour

Seven historical churches5 are given a message in the beginning chapters of the Book of Revelation; only one church is not given a word of rebuke. Christ promises this "faithful church" that "because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon the entire world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Revelation 3:10).

The phrase kept “from the hour of temptation” is significant for several reasons. Those who believe the church will go through the Tribulation use this phrase for their support. This camp would state that the preposition ek, meaning "out of" or "from," refers to the church's protection during the Tribulation. However, note the word “hour” (horas) designates deliverance not only from the “trial,” but also deliverance from the period of time in which the trial exists. Charles Ryrie notes:

In the Septuagint translation the ek indicates an external, not internal preservation. Ek also is used in the same way of external protection in Joshua 2:13 and in Psalm 33:19; 56:13.6

If the writer had intended to teach a preservation through (rather than from) the Tribulation the correct grammar to use would be en te hora ( in the hour). Significantly, John states ek tes haras (“from the hour”). The same Greek preposition is used in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 where Paul teaches: “even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

Any Moment

There are no specific events that must come to pass before the Rapture occurs, only the instruction for the believer to be ready. The church is not told to wait for the blessed hope of antichrist; it is the blessed hope of Jesus Christ that she seeks. Despite the critics and detractors who lose sight of our Lord's imminent return, the promise of Christ to “watch,” because He could come to take away His church at anytime is sure.

The doctrine of imminence in relation to the rapture teaches that other things may happen before Christ's “snatching away” of the church but nothing else must take place before His return. If something takes place before the Rapture that is the Christian's hope, because he then knows when Christ will come, and this destroys the concept of immanency.

Those who try to set dates for Christ's return blindly ignore the fact that no time must transpire before the rapture. If time does transpire, then the event is not imminent. Some will argue for Christ's "soon" coming, yet neglect the fact that if an event is soon it must happen within a short period of time. The Rapture is imminent though no time must transpire before its occurring (but it surely can pass) and yet the event is still imminent.

The fact that Christ could come for His church at any moment is viewed throughout the New Testament (1 Corinthians 1:7; 16:22; Philippians 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-9; 1 Peter 1:13; Jude 21; Revelation 3:11; 22:7, 12, 17, 20) only a coming of Christ before the Tribulation can be consistently and literally taught from the whole of Scripture.

BE READY!

Since the Lord will come at any moment surely we will not want to be caught with an apathetic or passive attitude toward evangelism and godly living. Second Peter 3:9 reminds us:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God is waiting for that last person to respond to His call before removing His church from the earth. Of course there will come a time when enough is enough, and He will call His church home. Certainly, it will be a tragedy that many will be left behind because no one told them of God's great plan of salvation.

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed: and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they preach except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:14-15).

The imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ should motivate us toward godly living. Imagine the shame of some who will be caught away in sin. Peter exhorts Christians to “be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14).

The Rapture will certainly be an unforgettable event. Truly Christians will want to be able to say that they were ready and not caught away as an unchaste bride. Definitely, the church of God should live each day in light of eternity. Any moment the church could be face to face with her Creator. One moment Christians will be viewing this world, and the next they will be in God's presence. Wow! Any moment, any day, any hour, any second. Don't let Him catch you unaware. Be Ready!!

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20).

Maranatha: Our Lord Come!7

1 William D. Mounce, The Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993), 99.

2 Some commentators have identified “the restrainer” as the Roman empire. The state would justify use of the neuter, and the masculine would be applied to the emperor. However, if this were true the antichrist would have been revealed long ago since the Roman empire has exited the scene of world history. Yet another view relates the verses to Paul's message in Romans 13, that of Paul's message in Romans 13, that of subjecting ourselves to the powers that be at the present moment which God has ordained. The “lawless one” would be he who opposes God's elected rulers. However, Scripture teaches that the antichrist will not need to oppose God's ordained powers, they will be in complete agreement with him. It does not seem likely that a ruling order would be restraining the antichrist from being revealed. By mere elimination alone the Holy Spirit as He indwells the Church is the One who is the Restrainer.

3 The covenants God gave to Israel are:
    a. Abrahamic Covenant - Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:4;21; 17:1-8; 22:17:18.
    b. Land Covenant - Deuteronomy 30:1-9; Jeremiah 32:36-44; Ezekiel 11;16-21; 36:21-38.
    c. Davidic Covenant - 2 Samuel 7:10-16; Psalms 89; Jeremiah 33:20-21.
    d. New Covenant - Isaiah 59:20-21, Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 16:60; Hosea 2:14-23.

4 A popular teaching now among churches is called Replacement Theology, because of Israel's rejection of Jesus as Messiah, the church takes the place of Israel now. This theory is anti-Semitic to its diabolical core. Those who follow this system of belief are more than happy to let the nation of Israel receive all the curses in the Bible, but transfer all the blessings to the church. This theology has placed so much hate upon those poor Jewish people that it needs to be rejected as false doctrine and completely resisted any entrance into the church whatsoever.

5 On the messages given to the seven churches, Henry H. Halley writes:
        Each Letter consisted of the whole book with a brief special message to Each Church. We presume that seven copies of the book were made, and one sent to each city. Each Church could thus read the Lord's estimate, not only of itself, but also of the other Churches. Even today Churches may appraise themselves by these Letters. Henry H. Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965), 693

Prophecy many times has a double reference. Where these letters had an historical fulfillment, there is also a universal message to the churches of all ages. After giving the message, Christ exhorts all churches to pay attention and examine themselves if the message hits home with some (cf. Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 19; 3:6, 13, 22).

6 6 Charles C. Ryrie, Come Quickly, Lord Jesus (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1996), 133.

7 The apostle Paul wrote the word “Maranatha” (1 Corinthians 16:22) in the form of a petition. Truly, it was on the lips of all, not only as manner of greeting, but also the earnest plea of God's people to be with the Lord Jesus Christ.