WHEN IS THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH? (Part 10) The Rapture!

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1 WHEN IS THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH? (Part 10) The Rapture! Introduction: In this study we ll evaluate whether an event called the RAPTURE exists in the Holy Scriptures; we ll examine the various theories regarding this momentous event whilst investigating the E.T.D. (Estimated Time of Departure); whether the rapture occurs Pre Partial Mid Pre-wrath Post or Pan Tribulation. Our RAPTURE observations will be identified from Biblical HISTORY, gleaned from PROPHECY and eyed with DESTINY! Are you RAPTURE READY? I) What is the RAPTURE? The word RAPTURE is not found in the Bible, however, the Latin translation gives us the word rapturo for the Greek word harpazo which is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 - 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. The rapturo / harpazo, that is caught up or snatching away of the church is the event in which God removes all born again believers, that is the bride of Christ from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period against a godless and Christ rejecting world; thus fulfilling the 70 th week of Daniel for the nation and people of Israel (Daniel 9:24-27); also known as the time of Jacob s trouble (Jer. 30:7). The rapture is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54; along with supplemental passages in John 14:1-3; Matthew chapters 24 and 25 (with some debate); as well as Revelation 3:7-13. Elsewhere it is used to describe how the Spirit caught up Philip near Gaza and brought him to Caesarea (Acts 8:39) and to describe Paul s experience of being caught up into the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2-4). Thus there can be no doubt that the word is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 to indicate the actual removal of people from earth to heaven. > DISTINCTION: ISRAEL & THE CHURCH (Jews and Gentiles saved in Christ - Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:1-12): It is important to make a distinction between the the bride of Christ and Israel in the Last Days. The church has not replaced Israel, as those who teach the error of replacement theology would want you to believe. Elmer Towns writes, Replacement theology teaches that the church is the replacement for Israel and that the many promises made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Christian church, not in Israel. So, the prophecies in Scripture concerning the blessing and restoration of Israel to the Promised Land are spiritualized or allegorized into promises of God's blessing for the church. Major problems exist with this view, such as the continuing existence of the Jewish people throughout the centuries and especially with the revival of the modern state of Israel. If Israel has been condemned by God, and there is no future for the Jewish nation, how do we explain the supernatural survival of the Jewish people over the past 2000 years despite the many attempts to destroy them? How do we explain why and how Israel reappeared as a nation in the 20th century after not existing for 1900 years?... After the tribulation the Lord will return and establish His kingdom (Millennial Kingdom 1000 year reign of Christ (Revelation 20)) with the nation of Israel, Christ will reign over the whole earth, and Israel will be the leader of the nations. The church will reign with Him for a literal thousand years. The church has not replaced Israel in God's plan. While God may be focusing His attention

2 primarily on the church in this dispensation of grace, God has not forgotten Israel and will one day restore Israel to His intended role as the nation He has chosen (Romans 11).) Merril F. Unger in his New Ungers Bible Dictionary writes, The church is alluded to (Revelation 21:9) as "the bride, the wife of the Lamb." The meaning is that as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so the Lord shall forever rejoice in His people and His people in Him. Christ Himself is also called "the bridegroom" in the same sense (John 3:29). The figure of marriage is used also in the OT to denote the relationship between Jehovah and the Jewish nation, however with this important contrast. Israel is portrayed as the wife of Jehovah (Hosea 2:2,16,23), now because of unbelief and apostasy disowned and dishonored, but yet to be restored (2:14-23). The church, on the other hand, is a pure virgin, espoused to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:1-2), which could never be true of an adulterous wife, although she is eventually to be restored in grace. In the mystery of the Divine-triunity it can be true that Israel is the adulterous wife of Jehovah (to be forgiven and reinstated), whereas the church is the virgin wife of the Lamb (John 3:29; Revelation 19:6-8). To break down this distinction between Israel, God's elect nation with a unique future when restored (Romans 11:1-27), and the church, the Body (1 Corinthians 12:13-14) and bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27), formed by the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit during the period of Israel's national unbelief and setting aside, is to plunge biblical prophecy into confusion. > In agreement with Unger s definition of Israel as the adulterous wife to be restored in the 70 th week of Daniel into the Millennium and the church as the bride of Christ to be removed in the rapture; thus we can easily confirm the interpretation of Matthew 25:1-13, that is the Parable of the Ten Virgins, as the true and false church (five wise virgins, five foolish virgins); the wise are watching for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whereas, the foolish are religious, careless, and told to go to the world for their oil (Cp. Revelation 3:14-22 Lukewarm church, Laodicea). The doctrine of the imminent return of Christ is also affirmed in Matthew 25:13 - "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. > The HOLY SCRIPTURES evidentially determine an event commonly referred to as the RAPTURE, ostensibly defined as a catching, translating or snatching away of the Bride of Christ, which is the true born-again spirit filled (John 3:3-7), believing church. II) Biblical Historicity of the RAPTURE: > The Law of First Mention - PRECEDENCE Enoch (Genesis 5:24 - And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself, referring to Hebrews 11:5-6 - By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.) In the context of Genesis chapters 5 through 7 ENOCH is translated off the earth before God s judgment destroys a rebellious, vile, wicked, and apostate humanity with a global flood, saving Noah, his family and select animals; they are preserved and protected in the Ark designed by God. In observation Enoch is interpreted as a prophetic correlation to the rapture of the church before the Tribulation (God s judgment) of the Last Days. III) Various Views of the RAPTURE of the Church: > Pre-tribulation Rapture: Christ will come for his saints; afterward he will come with his saints. The first stage of Christ s coming is called the Rapture; the second is called the revelation. The older school emphasized the issue of imminency. However, in recent days the crux of this position centers more around the aspect of God s wrath and whether the church is called to experience any or all of it during the Tribulation. > Partial Rapture: This position states that only believers who are watching and waiting for the Lord will be raptured at various times before and during the seven-year Tribulation. Those who are raptured are spiritually mature saints, both dead and living (1Thess. 4:13-18). > Mid-tribulation Rapture: This position sees that the church, believers in Christ, are raptured in the middle of the tribulation period, prior to the Great Tribulation. This view offers the best of the pre-tribulation and posttribulation positions. It also has the mid-seventieth week Rapture. > Pre-wrath Tribulation Rapture: The pre-wrath rapture theory says that the rapture occurs before the great day of... wrath (Revelation 6:17). According to this view, believers go through the first part of the tribulation but not the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21). The church will endure Satan s fury and man s persecution, but will

3 be spared God s wrath. Before God pours out His judgment on the world, the church will be caught up to heaven. The pre-wrath rapture theory views the trumpet and the bowl judgments (Revelation 7 16) as the wrath of God, from which the church is exempted (1 Thessalonians 5:9). However, the first six seal judgments (Revelation 6) are not considered the wrath of God; rather, they are viewed as the wrath of Satan or the wrath of the antichrist. This is because there is no direct mention of God s wrath until after the sixth seal is broken (Revelation 6:17). According to the pre-wrath rapture theory, the church will be present to experience the first six seals. One of many flaws in the pre-wrath rapture theory is its teaching that the first seal judgments are not the wrath of God. Scripture shows that it is the Lamb who opens the seals (Revelation 5:5; 6:1). No other man is found worthy to open them (5:3-4). It would seem, then, these are not man s judgments, but God s. The tribulation begins when Jesus opens the first seal, and from that point on, the wrath of God is meted out on a sinful world. > Post-tribulation Rapture: This position asserts that the living believers are to be raptured at the second coming of Christ, which will occur at the end of the Tribulation. Within this camp, there are four views as categorized by Walvoord: (a) classic, (b) semiclassic, (c) futurist, (d) dispensational. The spectrum is broad, encompassing a period of time from the early church fathers to the present century. > Pan-tribulation In hopes that everything will just pan-out. IV) Which RAPTURE View is RIGHT: > The PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE is the only view that maintains the doctrine of the IMMINENT RETURN OF CHRIST; this emphasizes a readiness for Christ s coming for His bride, the church, declaring at any moment coming. Be ready, be faithful and be wise (Matthew 24:36 25:13). The church was told to live in the light of the imminent coming of the Lord to translate them in His presence (John 14:2-3; 1 Cor. 1: 7; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 1:9-10; 4:16-17; 5:5-9; Titus 2:13; Jas. 5:8-9; Rev. 3:10; 22:17-22). Such passages as 1 Thess. 5:6; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:3 all warn the believer to be watching for the Lord Himself. The Pretribulation view of the rapture creates a moment by moment expectation for the Lord s coming for the true church. > Observe various Scriptures: - John 14:1-4 - "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." - 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 - so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Philippians 3: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. - Colossians 3:4 - then Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. - 1 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. - 1 Thessalonians 4: 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words. - 1 Thessalonians 5: You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 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. - 1 Timothy 6: that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, - Titus 2: Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, - James 5:8 - You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. - Revelation 3:10 - Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. - Revelation 22: And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify to everyone who hears

4 the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. > Early church writings defend the doctrine of the imminent return of Christ, whereas, the true church will be ready, faithful and watching. J. Dwight Pentecost in his book Things To Come quotes Clement, Ye see how in a little while the fruit of the trees come to maturity. Of a truth, soon and suddenly shall His will be accomplished, as the Scriptures also bear witness, saying Speedily will He come, and will not tarry ; and The Lord shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Holy One, for whom ye look. 1 Again, Clement writes: If therefore we shall do what is just in the sight of God, we shall enter into His kingdom, and shall receive the promises, which neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man. Wherefore, let us every hour expect the kingdom of God in love and righteousness, because we know not the day of the Lord s appearing. 2 In the Didache we read: Watch for your life s sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. 3 (The Didache, which was revised over time into varying forms at various places, seems to have been a sort of church manual for primitive Christians, probably in rural areas dependent mostly on itinerant ministers.) Cyprian says: It were a self-contradictory and incompatible thing for us, who pray that the kingdom of God may quickly come, to be looking for a long life here below J. Dwight Pentecost concludes, These give evidence that the exhortation to watchfulness addressed to the church became the hope of the early church and that they lived in the light of the expectation of the imminent return of Christ. The testimony of Scriptures and the evidence of the early church cannot be denied. V) What is the difference between the RAPTURE and the SECOND COMING? > The rapture is when Jesus Christ returns to remove the church (all believers in Christ) from the earth.. The second coming is when Jesus returns to defeat the Antichrist, destroy evil, and establish His millennial kingdom. The second coming is described in Revelation 19: > Observe 5 contrasts between the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ : Tim Lahaye writes: (1) At the rapture, believers meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, believers return with the Lord to the earth (Revelation 19:14); (2) The second coming occurs after the great tribulation (Revelation chapters 6 19). The rapture occurs before the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10); (3) The rapture is the removal of believers from the earth as an act of deliverance (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 5:9). The second coming includes the removal of unbelievers as an act of judgment (Matthew 24:40-41); (4) The rapture will be secret and instant (1 Corin. 15:50-54). The second coming will be visible to all (Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:29-30); (5) The second coming of Christ will not occur until after certain other end-times events take place (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15-30; Revelation chapters 6 18). The rapture is imminent; it could take place at any moment (Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54). 1 Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, I, Cited by J.f. Silver, The Lord s Return, p Roberts and Donaldson, op. cit., VII, Cited by Silver, op cit., p. 67

5 H.A. IRONSIDE CHART: VI) The RAPTURE in SCRIPTURE! - John 14:1-4 - "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." - 1 Corinthians 15: Observe four secrets unveiled in this mystery (v51-54): (1) We shall not all sleep (die); (2) We shall be changed (to make different); (3) In a moment (Gk. - atomoo an atom of time); (4) This corruption (decayed, perishable) puts on incorruption (unending existence, genuinness), this mortal puts on immortality (deathlessness). This all happens in the twinkling of an eye, faster than a wink! Are you listening for the trumpet of God? - 1 Thessalonians 4: In verses we have hope for those who have died as believers that they are with Jesus in heaven, (Paul writes in 2 Cor 5:6-8 - So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.). Notice verse 17 we are caught up, the Greek word is harpazo, which means to to catch up or grasp hastily, to snatch up, to lift, to transport, or to rapture. In the Latin Vulgate we have the word rapturo, thus the term in English rapture. In verse 18 we are called to comfort one another with these words. Continue in chapter 5: This day will come like a thief in the night (v2). God has not appointed us to wrath (the great tribulation) but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (v9). - Revelation 3:13-17 Church of Philadelphia Are you ready for the rapture? (vv ) "Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly..." > John MacArthur writes, What is the hour of temptation that will try everyone on the earth? It is the Tribulation that is displayed in Revelation. Does the church go through the Tribulation? Christ says, "... I... will keep thee from the hour of temptation..." That is a tremendous promise! We won't go through the Tribulation. In 1 Thessalonians 1:10b Paul says, Jesus "delivered us from the wrath to come." We will be kept from that hour. We have no place in the Tribulation. The church wasn't a part of the sixty-nine weeks of Daniel, so why would it be in the seventieth (see Dan. 9:24-27)? The church is on earth in Revelation 2 and 3; in chapters 4 and 5 it appears in heaven; and in chapter 6 the Tribulation begins on earth. The church is in heaven, not

6 in the Tribulation. Christ says to the church, "Since you have been faithful, I will keep you from the hour of temptation." By using the word "hour" Christ is referring to a time period. The Tribulation will be a seven-year period. Christians won't go through it because it is intended to judge those who dwell on the earth. Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).In verse 11 Christ says, "Behold, I come quickly..." He will take Christians out of the world before the Tribulation comes. The word "quickly" means "SUDDENLY," not "soon." Christ is saying, "I will come suddenly." His coming is imminent. Once Christ ascended, the next event on His calendar is His return for the Rapture of the church. We don't know when that will be; we just know that it's the next prophetic event. And it is very near. > Dr. Thomas Ice writes the following in his article entitled Imminency and the Any-Moment Rapture - Those verses stating that Christ could return at any moment, without warning and those instructing believers to wait and look for the Lord's coming teach the doctrine of imminence. > Dr. Walvoord in his book The Rapture Question writes, "The exhortation to look for 'the glorious appearing' of Christ to His own (Titus 2:13) loses its significance if the Tribulation must intervene first. Believers in that case should look for signs." If the pre-tribulational view of imminence is not accepted, then it would make sense to look for signs related to events of the tribulation (i.e., the anti-christ, the two witnesses, etc.) and not for Christ Himself. But the New Testament, as demonstrated above, uniformly instructs the church to look for the coming of Christ, while tribulation saints are told to look for signs. The New Testament exhortation to be comforted by the Lord's coming (John 14:1; 1 Thess. 4:18) would no longer have meaning if believers first had to pass through any part of the tribulation. As with all early Christians, Paul believed the event was near (cf. Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 6:14; 10:11; 16:22; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Tim. 6:14; Titus 2:13), but God s prophetic picture unveils Israel s dispersion amongst the nations in AD 70 (Matthew 23:37-39; Luke 21:24) and their re-gathering as a nation (Isaiah 11:11-12; Ezekiel 36:19-24), Israel became a nation on May 14 th, 1948, fulfilling Christ s parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-34), which is a sign of His soon return. VII) When will the RAPTURE happen? (Five key points) - Key #1 - The RAPTURE will happen when the gospel has gone out to the whole world (Matt. 24:14). - Key #2 - The RAPTURE will happen when Israel has become a nation once again (Matthew 24:32-35). - Key #3 - The RAPTURE will happen when there s a revived Roman Empire; today we have the European Union, which is the revived Roman Empire (Daniel ch. 7 & 9). - Key #4 - The RAPTURE will happen at the conclusion of the church age (Rev. ch. 2 &3); the last days church will become lukewarm (Rev. 3:14-22) and apostate (to fall away from the faith, which is the Word of God - 2Thessalonians ch. 2 (Food for thought: There is some debate amongst scholars in regards to apostasia (2:3) meaning the rapture or the falling away from the faith, either both will happen in the last days.)). - Key #5 - The RAPTURE will happen when the world is full of sin and corruption like the days of Noah (Matthew 24:36-39) After the RAPTURE comes the Tribulation / Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:15-28), also known as the day of Jacob s trouble (Jer. 30:7) (Jacob represents Israel). Daniel 12:1 reads And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. Chuck Smith writes, Why is this Great Tribulation coming? The Scripture says that its purpose is threefold: (1) to try men who dwell upon the earth (Rev. 3:10); (2) that God might vent His wrath upon the wicked (Rev. 15:7); (3) to destroy those who destroyed the earth (Rev. 11:18). Those who fall in one or all of these categories will be on the earth to experience the Tribulation period. VIII) The RAPTURE, are you READY? - His PROMISE John 14:1-3 - "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. - Our PREPARATION WATCH AND BE READY! - Matthew 24: :13 the word taken in verses is para lombanomi, this Greek word is also found in Matthew 1:24 when Joseph takes Mary as his bride; and in Matthew 17:1 when Jesus took Peter, James and John to the Mt. of Transfiguration and was glorified; Jesus has promised to take believers to heaven in John 14:3 I will come again and take you unto myself that where I am there you may be also. Notice, a bride is taken like the church to Christ; up to glory (the Mt.), the bride glorified in heaven; and we are forever with the Lord!

7 Those that are LEFT in verses Matthew 24:40-41 will go into the tribulation, the Greek word for LEFT is NT: aphiemi, apo, "from," and hiemi, "to send," has three chief meanings, (a) "to send forth, let go, forgive"; (b) "to let, suffer, permit"; (c) "to leave, leave alone, forsake, neglect." It is translated by the verb "to leave" (c), in Matthew 4:11,20,22, and parallel passages; 5:24; 8:15, and parallel passages; 8:22, RV, "leave (the dead)," KJV, "let," and the parallel passage; 13:36, RV, "left (the multitude)," KJV, "sent... away"; 18:12; 19:27, and parallel passages, RV, "we have left" (KJV, "we have forsaken"), so v. 29; 22:22,25; 23:23, RV, "have left undone" (KJV, "have omitted," in the 1st part, "leave undone" in the second); 23:38, and the parallel passage; Matthew 24:2,40,41, and parallel passages; 26:56, and Luke 17: (From Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.) > REJOICE IN THE RAPTURE! Philippians 3: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. In Conclusion: A final thought from Dr. Thomas Ice, The early church had a special greeting for one another, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 16:22, which was "Maranatha!" Maranatha consists of three Aramaic words: "Mar" ("Lord"), "ana" ("our"), and "tha" ("come"), meaning "our Lord, come." As with other New Testament passages, Maranatha only makes sense if an any-moment or imminent coming is understood. Such an understanding supports the pretribulationism. No wonder these ancient Christians coined such a unique greeting which reflects an eager expectation of the Blessed Hope as a very real presence in their everyday lives providing a motivation for godly living, evangelism, and worldwide evangelism. The life of the church today could only be improved if "Maranatha" were to return as a sincere greeting on the lips of an expectant people. MARANATHA!