For years, many have questioned the validity of the event that most evangelicals refer to as the Rapture.
The purpose of this article is not to force an opinion on the reader,
but instead we will present the FACTS and let you (the reader) come to your own conclusion regarding the subject.
What is the Rapture?
- The Rapture is a popular belief among many Christians that involve the transportation of all Christians to heaven at the Second-Coming of Christ.
The word Rapture is derived from the Latin word “Rapare”,
which is translated to “Seize” or to “Snatch away”
Although the word “Rapture” is not found in the Bible,
there are several scriptures of text that verify its credibility,
with the most popular being 1Thessalonians 4:13-17…
(1Th 4:13) But 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.
(1Th 4:14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
(1Th 4:15) For 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.
(1Th 4:16) 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:
(1Th 4:17) 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.
We can clearly see that according to the Apostle Paul,
there will indeed be Christians who still remain at the second-coming of Jesus Christ.
The event mentioned in 1Th 4:17 is the event that Christians refer to as the Rapture
Latin-translation: (The seizing; The Snatching Away )
However,
This is not the main issue of debate among many evangelicals.
According to scripture, we can clearly see that there indeed will be a Snatching Away of God’s people
but the debate arises NOT regarding the event.
But rather, regarding the TIME of the event…
When will this “Snatching Away” occur?
There are 3 primary belief systems regarding the Rapture-Debate.
They are:
- PRE – Tribulation rapture
- MID– Tribulation Rapture
- POST-Tribulation rapture
But before we discuss these 2 concepts, we must first define the biblical Tribulation.
What is the Tribulation?
The biblical tribulation entails of future events and God’s final judgment on mankind and on the Earth.
The Tribulation will last a span of 7 years,
and during those years, GOD will pour out his judgments upon the unbelieving citizens of the earth by allowing Satan & his angels to wreak havoc on mankind and on the earth itself. ( Revelation 6 )
The tool that will be used by Satan to accomplish this task is referred to in the bible as the “Son of Perdition” A.K.A The “Anti-Christ” . ( 2 Thes 2:3 )
This Tribulation is broken up into 2 sub-categories, which will last a period of 3.5 years each.
- The Tribulation – ( first 3.5 years; times will be Bad )
- The GREAT Tribulation – ( last 3.5 years; times will be Horrific )
** Now that we have defined the Tribulation, lets return to the Rapture-discussion **
The 3 primary belief systems regarding the Rapture are…
- PRE – Tribulation rapture
( God will remove his people before he begins judging the earth. ) - MID– tribulation rapture
( God will remove his people in the middle of the 7 year Tribulation ( 3.5 years) ) - POST-Tribulation rapture
( God will remove his people at the very END )
NOTE: The 2 most popular beliefs are the Pre-tribulation rapture, and the Mid-Tribulation rapture.
But what did Jesus say about the Rapture?
(Mar 13:24) But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
(Mar 13:25) And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
(Mar 13:26) And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
(Mar 13:27) And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
(Mar 13:30) Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
(Mar 13:31) Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
(Mar 13:32) But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
(Mar 13:33) Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
So from (Mar 13:32), we see clearly that Jesus told his disciples that even HE did not know the day that the Father would send him to Rapture the Elect from the four corners of the earth.
So the OFFICIAL answer to the question…. When will the Rapture occur?
is…
(Mar 13:33) Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
We simply don’t know for sure!
Any theologian that tries to give you an EXACT answer on this subject is being presumptuous.
Jesus tells his disciples that even HE ( the son ) did not know the time of his return.
(Mar 13:32) But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
If Jesus does not know, How can any man claim to know?
Now that we have officially stated the fact that NO ONE knows except the father,
we can now put on our “Thinking Caps” and use Biblical History to Estimate God’s plans 🙂
** Let’s take a look at GOD’s Historic “track-record” **
1. The story of Noah
In the Book of Genesis 6,
God saw that all flesh had corrupted itself upon the face of the earth.
He also saw that its wickedness had gotten out of control, So he decided to flood the earth.
But did GOD just destroy Noah and his family along with everything else?
Answer: No
GOD saw that Noah was a man who “Walked with God”.
(Gen 6:8) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
(Gen 6:9) These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
So instead of allowing a Righteous man ( Noah ) to suffer with the wicked,
GOD Raptured (The seizing; The Snatching Away ) Noah and his family using the ARK!
2. The story of LOT
In the book of Genesis 18,
(Gen 18:20) And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
(Gen 18:21) I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
GOD saw that the cities “Sodom and Gomorrah” were exceedingly evil and filled with violence.
So GOD decided to go and see for himself whether the evil accusations against the city were indeed true.
But first,
he and his 2 angels stopped by to see Abram (later renamed Abraham).
When Abraham discovered what The Lord was about to do, he asked….
Abraham:
“Are you really going to destroy the innocent with the guilty?
(Gen 18:24) If there are 50 innocent people in the city, will you destroy the whole city?
Won’t you spare it in order to save the 50?
(Gen 18:25)
Surely you won’t kill the innocent with the guilty.
That’s impossible!
You wouldn’t do that.If you did, the innocent would be punished along with the guilty.
That is impossible. The judge of all the earth is indeed a God of JUSTICE.”
The Lord:
(Gen 18:26) “If I find 50 innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.”
Abraham:
(Gen 18:27) “Please forgive my boldness in continuing to speak to you, Lord. I am only a man and have no right to say anything.
(Gen 18:28) But suppose there is only 45 innocent people instead of fifty.
Will you destroy the whole city because they are 5 short?
The Lord:
“If I find 45 innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake.”
Abraham:
“Perhaps there be only 40“
The Lord:
“Then I will spare it for the 40“
Abraham:
“Please don’t be angry with me Lord, but I must ask… what if there are only 30“
The Lord:
“Then I will spare it for the sake of the 30“
Abraham:
“Please forgive my boldness, but what if there are only 20 righteous found in the city”
The Lord:
“Then for the sake of the 20, I will not destroy the city.”
Abraham:
“Please don’t be angry Lord, but allow me to speak once more… what If there be only 10 righteous in the city”
The Lord:
“… If I find 10 that are righteous, then for their sakes, I will spare the city.”
(Gen 18:33) After he had finished speaking with Abraham, the LORD went away, and Abraham returned home.
Unfortunately, there was only ONE righteous man in either city. LOT
But did the Lord destroy the cities with LOT and his family still inside?
Answer: No
But he sent his Angels to Rapture ( to seize; to snatch away ) them out of the city before he destroyed it
(Gen 19:1) When the two angels came to Sodom that evening, Lot was sitting at the city gate. As soon as he saw them, he got up and went to meet them. He bowed down before them
(Gen 19:12) The two men said to Lot, “If you have anyone else here—sons, daughters, sons-in-law, or any other relatives living in the city—get them out of here,
(Gen 19:13) because we are going to destroy this place. The LORD has heard the terrible accusations against these people and has sent us to destroy Sodom.
3.The Israelites in Egypt
When the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians for 400 years in the Book of Exodus,
Did God leave them in Captivity?
Or did he Rapture them out of the land of Egypt using signs and miracles?
He Raptured them by parting the RED SEA!
4.The Story of Daniel
When Daniel was seen praying to the Lord, even AFTER King of Babylon issued a decree that anyone caught praying to any other god would be fed to the Lions…
Did the Lord leave Daniel at the mercy of the Lion?
Answer: No
but he raptured Daniel from the Lions den by sending his ANGEL to
“Shut up the Mouth of the Lion” ( Daniel 6:22 )
5.The Story of Shadrach, Meshac, & Abednego
When the 3 Hebrew boys ( shadrach, Meshac, & abednego ) refused to bow to the King’s image and were tossed into the Fiery furnace,
Did the Lord leave them at the mercy of the King and the Furnace?
Answer: No
but he raptured them from the wrath of the king and from the fire of the furnace!
A consistent attribute of GOD is not HOW he raptures ( ARK, angels, Miracles)
But rather, THAT he raptures!
The great thing about GOD is that… He NEVER changes!
He is consistent in everything he does!
(Heb 13:8) Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
If we look at GOD in the past,
We can clearly see that he ALWAYS raptures his people,
the methods of rapturing usually are different… but the act of rapturing never is.
Do you have problems going on in your Life?
Just remember, God is much bigger than anything we could ever face 🙂
To The Reader:
- What are your beliefs about the rapture?
- Do you think GOD is consistent in everything he does?
- Aren’t we Lucky to have such an AWESOME God 🙂
*** Comment Below! ***