The rapture is not written of in the Bible at all. There is no verse in the Bible that even mentions it. Neither do the prophets, Jesus or the apostles ever mention it. They only talk about the one and only second coming of Christ.
Most Christians who believe in the rapture think its the truth that they will dismiss this without actually checking out for themselves whether its true or not from the Word of God.
I have a few questions:
- Do you believe EVERYTHING your Pastors tell you?
- Should you believe everything your Pastor tells you without question, without checking what the Word of God says to prove that what they are telling you is the truth of God like the Bereans did in the book of Acts?
It is regrettable that most Christians are content to get their knowledge of God's Word second hand. They don't study the Bible for themselves to know the truth of God themselves.
Christians who believe in the rapture use certain passages to prove their doctrine. Lets look at some of those passages and what they really mean.
1. 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."
These verses most definitely refer to the return of the Lord Jesus for his people, but there is no indication whatsoever that this coming will take place seven years before his visible return.
2. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 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."
Certainly these verses speak to us of a rapture of the Church, but once again there is no suggestion at all that this rapture will take place at any other time than the Lord Jesus’ visible return. Actually
verse 16 reads,
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.” Those words sound very much like the words of
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. Those words sound very much like the words of
Matthew 24:31 which read,
“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” This latter quotation is clearly referring to our Lord’s visible and glorious second coming which takes place at the end of this age,not seven years before the end of the age.
3. 2 Thessalonians.1:7-9, "and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."
Again these verses are clearly referring to the Lord Jesus visible return, for verse 7 uses the words,
“when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.”
4. Jude 1:14-15, "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.”
These verses again refer to Christ’s visible return, not to some secret coming.
5. 1 Corinthians 15:14-15, "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."
Again, as with
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 &
Matthew 24:31, the last trumpet sounds and the dead saints rise are caught up in the air with the Lord along with the living saints, I see no evidence in these verses to suggest that this great event takes place at any other time than the glorious, visible return of Christ the second time.
6. Zechariah 14:1-5 these verses that talk about the Day of the Lord are referring to the third coming of Christ with the saints after the millennium. Christ comes with the saints the third time and His feet touch the earth , the second time He comes with all the angels of heaven and His feet do not touch the earth. The saints meet Him in the air. There is no mention of a rapture at all in these verses.
Sometimes
Matthew 24:36-42 &
Luke 17:26-29 are quoted in support the secret rapture doctrine, however a careful reading of these passages soon reveal that no secret rapture is being spoken about here at all.
7. Matthew 24:37-42, "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."
These words, coming from the mouth of Jesus, tell us it is only when Jesus returns, that some will be
"taken", while others will be left. It is only then, at the return of Jesus, that the righteous will be
"taken." This next passage confirms this:
"Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (
Matthew 24:30-31).
8. Luke 17:26-29, "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all."
Most people in the world were not prepared for the flood because they rejected Noah's message given to him by God. Like wise in the day of Lot people just continued in their sinful lives and even made plans for the future then sudden destruction. Only true Christians who are the minority (just as in Noah's days) will be prepared for Jesus' second coming. The whole world at that time saw the flood happening. There were no people being snatched up to heaven one day.
Revelation 1:7, "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him." Everyone on earth (the saved and unsaved) will know when Jesus returns the second time in glory.
The simple fact of the matter is that the Bible does not clearly teach the doctrine of the rapture at all, but dispensationalists have invented this teaching to support their own erroneous beliefs.