The teachings of the Bible and the overwhelming testimony of the church of all ages, in accordance with the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds teach one, and only one return of Jesus/resurrection of the saints.
First, I do not claim or suggest that someone who believes in the rapture is not saved. If one trusts in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to atone for their sins and grant new life now and eternal life to follow, mistakes in understanding the Bible do not negate saving faith, which is of course, the redemptive work of God’s Word and His Holy Spirit. But sound doctrine is important to a balanced faith, life, and witness to the world. Believing and spreading errors do not improve any of these.
Those who disagree are welcome to send me verses and interpretations they think support the rapture of Christians, whether they think it will happen at the beginning of a 7-year tribulation, or the middle, or even the rarely held “popcorn” rapture when believers are taken into heaven out of the tribulation as they properly “believe.” But first, a word of caution. Be sure the verses you send me actually teach a rapture and are not made to say what they do not. Sound biblical interpretation depends upon careful, correlated exegesis. Exegesis is the art of reading out of Scripture only what the words say, and carefully coordinating them with other verses that clearly say the same things. However, a common practice heavily indulged in by various churches and bible readers is eisegesis. Eisegesis is the error of reading things into Bible verses that the verses do not say, nor do the contexts of those verses support what is imposed upon them. This and following posts will show that, when carefully examined, verses used to justify the rapture belief simply do not teach a rapture. The concept must be previously assumed and then read into, that is, forced upon the so-called “proof” verses. Other errors are common in this belief system. Further posts will expand on these matters.
Those few who hold to a rapture at the end of a 7 year tribulation do less violence to the Scripture and at least have some ancient church beliefs to claim as supportive, but the literal interpretation of a 1,000 (Millennial) reign of Jesus on earth from Jerusalem after the resurrection and prior to the end of the age has serious issues of its own (see separate post). Besides, it really doesn’t matter if this variation of end time prophecy is true or not. Either it will happen, or it won’t. Our faith and lives now are not affected either way.
The rapture belief is one part of a very intricate, interconnected body of beliefs that sound Biblical. However, careful study of relevant verses thoroughly refutes it . You may not know that, the entire Tribulation/Rapture belief system arose from highly dubious sources, rather lately in history, and its primary presupposition of dispensation-ages has been thoroughly falsified by the mere fact we have exceeded the predicted 6,000 years from creation to the proposed millennial kingdom that the system’s assumptions and predictions established. It also conflicts with many vital Biblical truths.
There will be hard times near the end of the age. Jesus will return in glory at the end and at the time of judgement, not twice in a rapture, not three times as some variants suggest, but only once.
I close with Jesus’ words in Revelation 1 which teach one return, visible and seen by all people, and at the very end of the age, in accordance with other similar statements in the New Testament. Might it be wise to interpret Revelation according to the definition and framework Jesus gives here?
Revelation 14:1-7 (ESV – emphasis added)
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
0 Comments