The Rapture

 

A prevalent eschatological belief that many have is in The Rapture. An event when The Lord will call up the saints into the sky and rescue them from the Tribulation to come when The Antichrist rises to power. Scripture does mention a catching up and being gatherer by angels when Christ returns, however, the notion we will escape tribulation and get pulled out before the dark times is refuted by the canon of Scripture. 

Let us begin with the verse Rapturists use as evidence of a departure, 

“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). It says we will be caught up to meet Jesus ij the air, which cross references to,  “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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. [31] And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31). That clearly states that we shall not be caught up and gathered by angels till after The Great Tribulation which is the wrath of the antichrist, “And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people (the Saints) and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation,” (Revelation 13:7), and “This means that God’s holy people (The Saints) must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12). Notice it says the saints will be conquered by the Beast, and that we must keep the testimony of Jesus unto the very end (Matthew 24:13). 

So how did the fallacy of being raptured pre-tribulation get traction? The answer is people want to hear they will escape pain and suffering, when Jesus told us we are suppose to pick up our crosses, “Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me,” (Luke 9:23), and that we would be hated by all, “And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22). We are not promised escape from troubles, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). 

People want to ignore these verses that prove we shall go through tribulation and The Great Tribulation. They choose to set aside sound doctrine as The Apostle predicted to listen to what they want to hear, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3). The consequence is that when these end times tribulations  play out the Pre-Trib Rapture crowd will not be ready to endure persecution. They will be caught in the wake of the Beast’s Wrath (Revelation 13:7).

It was John Nelson Darby, the false teacher of Dispensationalism   [see my post https://sirjeffreypendragonblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/dispensationalism.html?m=1 ] who came up with The Pre-Trib Rapture in 1827. Darby is the false teacher who claims Jews will be saved by observing The Law & Old Covenant while Gentiles will be saved by faith in Jesus & The New Covenant, which is refuted by Scripture proving Jesus id s The Only Salvation for Jew and Gentile, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6), “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son,” (John 3:18), “Yet we know that a person is put right with God only through faith in Jesus Christ, never by doing what the Law requires. We, too, have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be put right with God through our faith in Christ, and not by doing what the Law requires. For no one is put right with God by doing what the Law requires,” (Galatians 2:16), “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:10-12),

 “For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes,” (Romans 10:4), “to be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—” (Philippians 3:9), “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose,” (Galatians 2:21). Darby is wrong about there being any salvation outside Jesus Christ, so why would anyone listen to his views on Pre-Trib rapture? He already is wrong on soteriology, why would you listen to him on eschatology? 

There is no rapture. We saints only get caught up and gathered by the angels when Jesus appears in the sky after The Tribulation. Stick to Scripture for your end times understanding and avoid the deceivers like Darby. Amen.