The Rapture

 

The Rapture

What do you believe about the rapture?

 

When I became a Christian in 1974 it was generally taught that the Christians would go through the Great Tribulation, there was a popular Christian movie made in 1972 called ‘A Thief In The Night’ all about the Great Tribulation and CHRIST’s return, the Christians were caught up to Heaven at CHRIST’s return at the end of the Great Tribulation.

 

Sometime in the 1980’s the current theory of the Rapture; that all Christians will be taken from the earth by JESUS at the beginning of the Great Tribulation started becoming prominent. I was still a young Christian in the mid 1980’s when I was going to Bible College and what was being discussed was the pre, mid and post tribulation theories; I was undecided but leaning toward post tribulation.

 

It was not until I started just reading The Bible daily that I began to see flaws in some of the theology I had been taught in Bible College and from the pulpit. This caused me to start studying The Bible to learn what it said rather than depending on others to tell me what it said. Though the years as I have studied The Bible and Christian doctrines I have strengthened my core beliefs in the Word of GOD and I am confident that I teach The Truth of The Scriptures, not because I am a Bible Scholar or that I’m really smart, not just because I use reference material, old and new; but because I read with an open heart to hear The SPIRIT of GOD, I allow myself to be wrong until I am positive. In other words I doubt my understanding until The SPIRIT and The Word prove to me that I understand what I believe and I can show it Scripturally.

 

All that is to say that I do not believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church as it is commonly taught in the Church today.

 

The main Scriptures that are used to prove this are 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, the highlight passage is 51-52, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” And 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, the highlight passage is 15-17, “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. For The LORD Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of GOD. And the dead in CHRIST will rise first. 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.”

They also use Matthew 24:22, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” This passage is used to claim that GOD will not leave the Believers here for the Great Tribulation; this is incorrect, read it in context (24:3-28) this is a description of what is going to happen during the Great Tribulation. Verse 15 is the three and one half year point in the seven years of the Great Tribulation, “Therefore, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy Place, (whoever reads, let him understand),” This is not the description of what happened to Israel under the Romans because no one stood and proclaimed himself god, they tore down the temple after desecrating it. During the Great Tribulation the anti-christ will stand in the third Temple and proclaim himself god. During the Roman time the people would have already fled except the ones trapped in Jerusalem by the Roman siege. During the days of the Great Tribulation many people will be living in and around Jerusalem, these are the ones CHRIST is telling prophetically to flee. Verse 22, “Unless those days were shortened,” this is a past tense statement, GOD determined the number of days of the Great Tribulation in the beginning so that humanity (especially the Believers) would survive until CHRIST’s return to rule over the nations.

 

The whole concept that GOD would deliver the Believers of the Great Tribulation is not Biblical: in the days of Noah, he and his family were not the only ones who loved and served GOD, Methuselah was not the last believer other than Noah and his family when he died; but only Noah and his family were saved.

Also the Word of The LORD to Abraham was that his descendents would be in captivity for 400 years but they were in captivity for 430 years.

When Israel was sent into seventy years of captivity Daniel (Belteshazzar), Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach) and Azariah (Abed-Nego), all went into the captivity; Jeremiah lived through it in captivity of the Jews; Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther were all born during the captivity, Mordecai may have been taken into captivity or born in captivity. And the captivity did not end in the seventieth year, the return of the people started in the seventieth year but it took many years before the majority returned to Israel and some stayed in the land of their captivity for personal reasons.

GOD did not deliver the Israelis from the Greek and Roman occupations.

During the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem by the Romans, many believing Jews and Christians were killed and taken as slaves or dispersed from their homelands.

The most telling verses that tell us that GOD does not deliver us from tribulation are 2 Chronicles 7:12-15, most Christians can quote part or all of verse 14, “If My People who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

But verses 12-13 are the key to verses 14-15, “Then The LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said, to him: ‘I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My People,…” GOD uses tribulation to judge us and the world, to call us and the world to repentance!

 

All of that said, now I will show by the Scriptures why I believe there is not a pre or mid tribulation rapture. In The revelation of JESUS CHRIST as given to John Zebedee on the island of Patmos, Greece; it is clear that the last trumpet Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 is the seventh trumpet as revealed to John in Revelation 14.

First understand that all the events in Revelation are not given chronologically (in the order of their timing). Revelation 1 is the introduction and description of John’s experience. Revelation 2-3 are CHRIST’s letters to the seven Churches of Asia. Revelation 4-5 are about John’s glimpse into Heaven. Revelation 6:1-8 are about the first four seals of the scroll that only The Lamb of GOD can open, these things have been going on since the days after the flood, but they may be heightened in the Great Tribulation. If there were to be a pre-tribulation rapture is would happen after Revelation 6:9. Revelation 6:9-11 is about the martyrs before the Great Tribulation, whose number is to be increased. Revelation 6:12-17, the sixth seal sounds like the Day of The LORD, 17, “For the Great Day of His Wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” The seventh seal does not happen until Revelation 8. Revelation 7 is about the 144,000 virgin men of Israel who are sealed (have His Father’s Name written on their foreheads) to the service of The LORD, who follow Him wherever He goes (Revelation 14:1-5) Revelation 7:9-17 is about the enumerable host of humans and angelic beings in Heaven who worship GOD; the host of humans are those who come out of the Great Tribulation, verses 13-14, “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, ad where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the Great Tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in The Blood of The Lamb.’”

Revelation 8 is about the seventh seal which starts the seven trumpet judgments, verses 7-13 are the first 4 trumpets, verses 12-13, the fourth trumpet is three woes, the fifth, sixth and seventh trumpets; this all sounds like the days of the Great Tribulation. Revelation 9 is about trumpets 5 and 6, this is more of the Great Tribulation. Revelation 10 is about the seven thunders whose words are not recorded and the little book that John eats so that he can continue to prophesy. Revelation 11:1-13 is about the two witnesses, some believe this is the middle of the Great Tribulation and if there is a mid-tribulation this would be the place for it. Revelation 11:14-19 is the seventh trumpet.

Revelation 12 is an overview of the history of the devil, Israel, CHRIST and The Church.

Revelation 13 is the story of the rise of the anti-christ, the false prophet and the image of the anti-christ, this should be the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Revelation 14:1-13 is about standing on Mount Zion with the 144,000 and the proclamation of three angels, one with the Everlasting Gospel to preach and to praise GOD and give Him Glory, one announcing the fall of Babylon and one announcing the judgment for those who worship the anti-christ.

 

Revelation 14:14 through Revelation 20:6 happen on one day, the day the seventh (last) trumpet sounds – The Day of The LORD when CHRIST returns to the earth and establishes His Reign over the nations of the earth that will last one thousand (1000) years.

The day begins when CHRIST appears in the Heavens and harvests the earth (the rapture as described in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4), Revelation 14:14-16. Next is the harvest of the fruit of the earth which is thrown into the winepress of GOD’s wrath (the seven bowl judgments. the judgment of Babylon the Great and the battle of Armageddon) Revelation 14:17-20. Revelation 15-16 are about the bowl judgments; Revelation 17-18 are about the judgment of Babylon the Great; Revelation 19 is about the battle of Armageddon; and Revelation 20 is about CHRIST establishing His thousand year reign over the nations.

There are some who believe that from Revelation 14:14 to Revelation 19:21 will take one (1) year, I do not believe this, I see no evidence in the Scripture to support this theory. That is like those who believe that the six days of creation was six thousand years rather than six 24 hour days.