The Doctrine of the Rapture

To those who deny the Doctrine of the Rapture

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

Paul, in the same chapter, explains a mystery given to him by Jesus Christ Himself.

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. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

You see, Jesus didn’t come and die for our sins, to make bad people good; He came to give dead people life.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

You and I were dead in our sins before we became new creations through salvation.

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Colossians 2:13

According to the Apostle Paul, who was taught by Christ Himself (Galatians 1:11-12), Paul is the first to publicly expound on this in his very first letter...

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 4:16-18

Speaking of the Day of the Lord, the Apostle Peter confirms what Paul taught:

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 2 Peter 3:14-16

So Paul, who was given this new doctrine by Christ Himself, has to clarify his first letter teaching the Rapture, because untaught and unstable men attempted to pass off letters as if it were from Paul...

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2

But not just Paul, but James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, also confirms this;

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8

As does Jude, but this time, quoting Enoch, Jesus is coming WITH his saints, this is the 2nd Coming. So if Jesus is coming WITH his saints, by necessity should mean that the saints would first have to go up, if they are to come back down WITH Christ:

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Jude 1:14-15

Jesus, in His letters to the Seven Churches, has this to say about those who don’t care about His coming;

Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. Revelation 3:3

Reminds me of something Jesus once said to the Pharisee’s:

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed. Matthew 16:1-4

Many often love to quote this as a rebuttal to the study of the Rapture:

Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. Acts 1:6-7

Look at the question they posed to Jesus again. They were asking about Israel being restored by the promised Kingdom, not when He would return.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. Acts 1:10-11

Jesus said as much previously in the Upper Room:

“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. John 14:1-3

Some years after the Cross, Paul is used by Christ to expound upon this to the newly born Church that had begun, by first showing Paul:

It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 2 Corinthians 12:1-4

So Paul, humbled about being ‘caught up’, certainly, would be a subject matter expert on the event, which in the Greek, is harpazo. Many discount the doctrine of the Rapture, because the word “Rapture” is not in their English version of the Bible, but neither is the word “Trinity” or “Bible” in their Bible, but this is somehow let slip by. So what does ‘Harpazo’ mean? According to the Greek Lexicon, it is:

1. to seize, carry off by force

2. to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly

3. to snatch out or away

This was a promise to the Church, by Christ. Paul used this in numerous ways in his epistles.

looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Titus 2:13

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. Philippians 3:20-21

Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. Romans 8:23

so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hebrews 9:28

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Timothy 4:1

John expounds on Paul’s teaching as well:

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3

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 3:10

‘Keep you from’ in the Greek means: tēreō ek, which translated means

1) to attend to carefully, take care of (guard, to keep)

2) out of, from, by, away from

Then John is shown, much like Paul was, what the Rapture was to be like:

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. Revelation 4:1-2

After these things/after this: After what? The Churches are the only topic preceding Rev. 4:1-2. There is only one mention of the Church after, and that is in Chapter 19 when we are riding with Christ coming back to earth! Revelation 19:11-16

So, it’s not a difficult doctrine to embrace

1. Even while you were dead in your sins, God foreknew you (Romans 8:29)

2. God calls you (Romans 8:30)

3. Then He justified you, through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:31)

4. After this, you await Glorification, which takes place at the Rapture (Romans 8:32)

The Rapture transforms His bride into our eternal bodies that allows us to physically exist where God is, because flesh and blood cannot. Saying there is no Rapture, is like saying, there is no finish line at a race. It is the natural conclusion in our spiritual process.

We may disagree on when the Rapture takes place, but there will be one distinct from the 2^nd Coming. Even so, maranatha!

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