I have felt led to write about the rapture of the Christian Church these last few months. The urge to write has finally gotten to the point where I'm like...ok ok, I'll tackle this massive topic that the Church says is so controversial. I must - the Spirit of the Lord is asking for me to do so. The rapture itself is recognized as being a concrete event by the majority of Christians, although the timing has been debated. So, I shall give my best shot at explaining it to you and warning you, my Christian friends, to get your heart ready because Jesus is coming. Do not put this off.
This is not going to be an exhaustive overview, just a brief one, so I encourage you to dig in and research on your own if you want to know more (I have provided a bunch of links at the bottom to start you off). The view I am going to be discussing today is pre-tribulation premillennialism; although (see image below) there are other views as well. I believe that Scripture provides more substantial support for the pre-tribulation view than any of the others, and I will explain why in a moment.
First, what is the rapture of the Church and where does the word come from if it isn’t in the original text? The word rapture comes from the Latin term raptura/rapio, which was the translation from the Greek word harpazō. The word harpazō appears 14 times in the new testament (NT) and translates as “to remove suddenly/snatch away”. The argument that the rapture does not exist because the word rapture is not in the original text is a poor one. Why? The words Trinity, Sunday, and the Lord’s Prayer also do not appear in the original text, yet are commonly employed among Christians today. It’s about the preferred term of translation in this case.
Ok, so now that we have the translation of the term down, where does it appear in the NT? 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, which says:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
There is additional text on this matter in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, which states:
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will 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 imperishable, and we will be changed.
The eschatology behind the rapture-disappearances that so popularly came to the forefront due to Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins’ Left Behind series is taken from the resurrection of Jesus. We read in Luke 24 and John 20 how Peter ran into the tomb to see for himself that Jesus’ body was not present, according to the testimony of the women. He noted that only the linen wrappings used in the burial process were present in the tomb – the body indeed had disappeared. We know that Jesus had received a resurrected body (very different from being brought back to life as has occurred with the dead, such as Lazarus). This body is eternal in nature, without the presence of original sin from Adam. Jesus still had his wounds from His crucifixion (although note that the marring from the beatings was no longer present). He was able to eat and drink with His disciples and had a physical form that could be touched.
So the concept behind believers in Christ disappearing and leaving behind their clothes during the rapture of the Church is Biblically sound. As stated above in 1 Cor 15, when the trumpet sounds, the body of the believer will be transformed (without the process of death being necessary) into the resurrected body. The process will be the same as what occurred to Jesus.
Now before we go into a discussion on the timing of the rapture and so forth, we need to talk about why it even happens in the first place. It is a key element in the new covenant, which is initiated by the giving of a ketubah, or a marriage contract. God entered into a covenant with Israel after they crossed the Red Sea to escape the slavery of the Egyptians (read about it in Exodus). This was the first marriage contract given to Israel and it follows the traditions of an Israeli wedding. However, because of Israel’s faithlessness to God and her idolatry with other gods and intermingling with heathen nations that practiced all sorts of lawlessness (i.e., child sacrifice, oppression of poor and minority groups, slavery, etc) God eventually said enough was enough. Israel had violated the contract one time too many and so God gave notice of divorce (Jeremiah 3).
According to the laws of a marriage contract, once divorce has occurred, the wife cannot remarry her first husband or she defiles him (Deuteronomy 24). The only way around this is the death of the husband - physiologically speaking, this means it is impossible for the wife to return to her husband in the flesh... but God is God, is He not? Therefore, God sent His only Son, Jesus, and Jesus died; however, because He is sinless, He did not stay dead but was resurrected. He is therefore qualified to renew the marriage covenant with Israel. He also fulfilled the requirements for the sacrificial system in the old testament, wherein a pure, unblemished lamb was required to be sacrificed to take upon the sins of the people and cleanse them before their holy God. In the context of the old covenant, this is why Jesus speaks of how He came for the lost sheep only (to be able to provide a new contract to Israel). This also means that if Jesus took the cross upon Him and died for humanity, then He is the same God that made the covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai, as written of in Exodus. Furthermore, just like with the old covenant, gentiles are also welcome to accept the terms and conditions of the ketubah.
According to traditional Jewish weddings, a betrothal period must take place before the wedding. This is initiated by the negotiation of the ketubah and the sharing of the fruit of the vine (wine or grape juice) and bread by the bride-to-be and the bridegroom. If the bride takes the cup and drinks, she is declaring that she will wait for the bridegroom until he comes to bring her to his place. She is also declaring that she accepts the terms of the covenant. Once the bride accepts the contract, then the groom leaves to go back to his father’s house to prepare a place for his bride. In a traditional Galilean wedding at the time of Jesus, this meant building on additional rooms to the father’s house for the bridegroom and bride, as well as the preparation of the feast.
In the mean-time, the bride was to prepare for the wedding. This included a ceremonial washing (the mikveh; a purification ritual). She was also to prepare her wedding dress and stay watchful for when the bridegroom returned to bring her to the wedding feast. It was a complete mystery to her as to when the bridegroom would come to bring her to his home, so she had to be ready at a moment’s notice to get up and go with him.
One unique aspect of a traditional Galilean wedding during Jesus’ time was the surprise of the ceremony itself. Not even the bridegroom knew when the wedding ceremony would be initiated. Only the bridegroom’s father knew – no one else. The bridegroom would prepare the house and the feast, and then he would wait for his father to tell him when it was time. Once his father announced he could retrieve his bride, he would go with his groomsmen to the bride’s house; typically this event occurred in the middle of night, so only those who were awake or ready for the wedding would be able to join the procession. During this procession, the Shofar was blown. The bride then came out of her house and a chair was brought forward for her to sit in – she was then lifted by the groomsmen and carried away back to the bridegroom’s house. Once the guests had all entered, the door was closed and no one else was allowed inside.
The bride, bridegroom, and wedding guests would hear the ketubah read aloud – they would reaffirm their vows under the chuppah (a canopy, symbolising their house) and receive blessings. Then, the feast would begin; this typically lasted for 7 days and was a time of great joy and celebration.
So how does all of this tie in with what I have said about the rapture? Let me break it down. As Christians, this is where we stand currently:
· We have accepted the ketubah given by Jesus – classically referred to as His gift of salvation. We recognize His lordship in our life and commit ourselves to Him.
· We have taken the cup and the bread ceremonially to declare we wait for Jesus’ return (this is referred to as communion in the Church).
· Jesus ascending to heaven, as recorded by His disciples – He promised that He would return after He had gone to prepare a place for us (John 14:2) – but the hour of His return is known to no one except His Father (Mat 24:36; Mark 13:32).
· We make a declaration of our faith in Jesus by water baptism (i.e., the mikveh), which symbolizes our death to our sins and our new life in Jesus – aka, purification.
· We receive the seal of His Holy Spirit, which proves we have entered into this covenant with God.
· We are told to remain ready and waiting for Jesus’ return – always watchful of the times and seasons we are in to know when the hour of His coming may occur. This is signified by the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and the increase in lawlessness, paving the way for the son of lawlessness, who is the final Antichrist.
· Finally, we will hear the Shofar sound that the bridegroom approaches and in the twinkling of an eye, we will be carried away to meet Jesus, who will take us to heaven for the wedding feast.
· A traditional wedding feast lasts 7 days – we known that the Church will not be present for the outpouring of the wrath of God on the earth. We are told that the Great Tribulation is initiated by the signing of a 7 year peace treaty with Israel. Therefore, it is clear the Church will be celebrating the wedding with Jesus during this time – not present for the suffering to be poured out for the lawlessness and injustice committed by sinful people who have not accepted the protective ketubah covenant offered by Christ.
When exactly, then, does the rapture occur? My studies have led me to believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church, which I will explain here. First, the Church is not mentioned at all in Revelation 6-18, which outlines the judgements making up the outpouring of the wrath of God on the earth. John, the writer of Revelation, uses the term Church (or ekklesia) in chapters 1-3 of Revelation, but the term does not again appear until Revelation 22:16. Furthermore, nowhere in Daniel’s end-time prophecy is there any mention of the Church. It is certainly something important to note if John shifts from speaking strictly to believers in Jesus to suddenly not mentioning whatsoever while outlining God’s judgement.
Additionally, there are no warnings given for Christians in the epistles concerning a future tribulation. Certainly Paul, Peter, and the rest would have thought it necessary to provide instruction and warning for Christians if they were to expect to live through the horrors outlined in Revelation. Yet this isn’t the case. We are warned of persecution, trial, false teachers, and the increasingly serious birth pangs of the earth that occur before the revelation of the Antichrist, yet nowhere are we told how to prepare ourselves for the tribulation itself. This is indirect support for a pre-tribulation rapture. Finally, both Matthew 24 and Revelation 19, which clearly detail the second coming of Christ, have no mention whatsoever of the rapture of the Church (as depicted in 1 Thessalonians 4).
So where does that put us on the timeline right now, in June 2020? We need to look at Biblical prophecy to see what has been fulfilled and what has yet to be fulfilled. I plan to go into this in more detail in a later post. For now, I will attempt to summarize some of the key points. However, note that none of these prophecies need to take place before the rapture of the Church can occur. The rapture can occur at any point in time; the only prophecy that must occur before the tribulation begins is the restoration of Israel as a nation (which we see has already happened).
First, Israel is a nation again, after being scattered abroad twice and carried off as slaves each time. Additionally, we have just seen Jerusalem recognized as the capital of Israel by President Donald Trump, further solidified by his decision to move the American embassy to the city. This prophecy was initially given by Moses with additions by Jeremiah and Jesus: Deuteronomy 29; Isaiah 11:11-13; Jeremiah 25:11; Hosea 3:4-5 and Luke 21:23-24
We have yet to see the battle between Gog and Magog, highlighted in Ezekiel 38. Many believe Russia will have some role to play in this, alongside modern day Turkey and/or Iran. The key point here is that Ezekiel speaks of weapons of mass destruction and technology that certainly did not exist in his day. Those killed during this battle must be removed by professionals and clear instructions are given not to touch the bodies and that they must be buried away from the city, downwind. The language clearly indicates this battle is likely nuclear in nature and leads to contamination of those killed as well as the area they are found in.
We also have yet to see the complete destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17). This is an event that could happen any day. Damascus is the capital of Syria and has already undergone substantial destruction due to war over the last decade. I’ve been keeping my eye on the Middle East situation since 2013-ish when things really began to heat up.
There has been an increase in lawlessness over the last century; Timothy warns us of this in 2 Tim 3:1-5.
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
This isn’t to say that humanity has not been prone to behaviour of this sort even in Jesus’ time – certainly they have. Yet it is even more prominent in this last generation. The amount of disrespect for the family unit, self-centered actions, and openly blatant disregard for what has been taught in Scripture is unreal.
Jesus spoke of the birth pangs that would lead up to the tribulation (Matthew 24:3-8):
And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
These events occurred in Jesus’ days – but the frequency at which they occur is becoming closer and closer together with greater intensity and destruction. This year itself we have seen multiple horrifying events including:
· Australian bushfires
· Coronavirus pandemic
· Ukrainian Boeing 737 plane crash in Iran
· Death of Kobe Bryant
· Thailand mall shooting
· Nova Scotia shooting
· Death of George Floyd and subsequent riots across the USA and Canada
· Puerto Rico earthquake
· Jakarta flooding
This is not to also mention that every single month Israel has been bombarded by rocket attacks from Hammas and other terror groups. In addition to tense relationships in the Middle East, China’s relationship with North America also is borderline hostile.
In other words, there is a lot going on – things do not appear to be improving, but rather are deteriorating, as to be expected.
I have felt an increased sense of seriousness towards sharing the Gospel over the last 4 months. I have also been feeling a sense of urgency to prepare for the rapture of the Church. Jesus could come at any moment – we don’t know when, but the signs of the times indicated by the fulfillment of prophecy and increase in trials around us suggest that it could occur very soon. It is important to be prepared. Christians need to wake up and start taking their faith seriously. They need to clean up their lives and start living as though they have made a holy covenant with God Himself (because if you profess faith in Jesus, then you have made that covenant by accepting His gift of salvation).
Turn away from the things of the world – the sin that binds you to your flesh. Take your eyes off demonic pleasures that gratify yourself now and start acting like the Bride of Christ! You have made a commitment to Jesus – stop lounging around and start preparing yourself for what is to come. Get up, raise your voice, and arouse the sleeping Christians around you. Tell them to open their eyes and recognize that the time is now. They must draw near to Jesus – get into the Word of God, share the Gospel of Christ with fervour and passion.
I don’t know about you, but I am determined to be ready to head out when the Shofar sounds the beginning of the wedding ceremony. I have all my intentions set on being at that wedding feast to celebrate my covenant with Jesus that I made years ago. I will not be lazy – I want to take as many with me to this celebration as I possibly can. Perhaps I look foolish now for speaking out, but I am excited and I am passionate. Have you not been to a wedding before? Do you not realize that the hosts of heaven will do it a thousand times better than any wedding celebration you have ever been to on earth?! I cannot wait. And so in my excitement, I share this glorious hope that we have, because you – fellow Christians – you need to ready yourself and wake up.
Jesus is coming soon. Do not delay in preparing yourself for His return.
