What is the Rapture?

Before I talk about anything else, I should probably define what I mean by the rapture and why I want to talk about it now.

The Rapture refers to the event described in the Bible of Christ returning to earth and his followers being “caught up” to meet him in the air.

The major biblical controversy is twofold:

1. Do the biblical statements on the rapture event indicate a literal and physical departure from the surface of the earth?
2. When does the rapture event happen in relation to the rest of prophesied end-time events?

In the past hundred years or so, the most vocal portion of end-times theorists have proposed what is known as the doctrine of Pre-Tribulational Rapture. This position holds that the biblical depictions of the rapture condense two disparate events: the “catching up” of believers is one event, and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom is a second. The Pre-Trib perspective holds that in between these two events will be a time of “Tribulation” which will involve great spiritual persecution.

There are many other positions as well, but rather than examine all the possibilities, we will simply consider a few relevant biblical texts that cover the rapture event and see what the Bible says for itself. However, I’ll say one more word of introduction. Because the “rapture” has been identified differently from different scholars, I will limit the selection of verses here to those which directly address the moment when Jesus “catches up” his believers from the earth.

The Clear Teaching

John 14:3

• Jesus promises to come back to get us and take us to be with him.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

• [When Jesus returns] God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
• Jesus comes down from heaven with a loud command, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet call of God.
• The dead in Christ are raised to life.
• They and the living believers will be caught up into the air to meet Jesus in the air.
• Believers will be with the Lord from that moment on, forever.

1 Corinthians 15:20-28

• Resurrection comes through Jesus to all men.
• Jesus is the “firstfruits” of the resurrection; when he comes back, his followers will then be resurrected as well.
• Then, the end will come, but not until Jesus has destroyed all competing authority, including the final destruction of death.

1 Corinthians 15:50-55

• Some believers will be alive when Jesus returns.
• Our physical bodies cannot enter heaven without being transformed.
• Believers will be transformed and given imperishable bodies.
• This transformation all happens “at the last trumpet.”

Matthew 24

• Jesus is answering questions about “the sign of his coming” and of the “end of the age.”
• He predicts false Christs, wars, famines, and earthquakes. They are the beginning of birth pains.
• He predicts his followers will be “handed over” to be persecuted.
• Those who stand firm to the end will be saved.
• He predicts great distress, “unequaled from the beginning of the world until now–and never to be equaled again.”
• He predicts those days will be shortened for the sake of the elect.
• He predicts that the elect will also be protected from deception.
• He predicts that his coming will be loud and obvious everywhere.
• He predicts the darkening of the sun and moon.
• He predicts his visible return in glory, a trumpet call, and the gathering of his elect.
• He predicts that the gathering will be preceded by signs, but that the timing is unknown even to him.
• His coming will be a surprise, and some will “be taken” while others will be left.
• Additionally, Jesus uses temporal language to indicate a sequence of events: general distress, persecution, great distress, and cosmic events, ending with his arrival, the trumpet call and the gathering of his elect.

Revelation 19:11-20:6

• Jesus comes from heaven with army in tow.
• The beast and kings of the earth assemble and prepare for battle, but their loss is immediate.
• The beast, his prophet, and Satan himself are imprisoned in the Abyss.
• The “first resurrection” takes place raising up faithful followers of Christ to reign with him for 1000 years.
• The rest of the dead will be resurrected (for judgment) after the 1000 years are ended.

Less Clear Passages

Revelation 4:1

Some have postulated that this verse is a metaphorical indication of a “secret” rapture of the church preceding the Tribulation. John hears a voice “like a trumpet” and then hears “Come up here.” He is caught up into a vision of the heavenly throne room, and from that moment until the chapter 22, the church is “conspicuously” absent from the events on the earth. The conclusion is that when John is caught up to heaven, it is symbolic of the church being caught up in the rapture. Support for this view comes mainly from the end of Matthew 24 when Jesus talked about the surprising nature of his return. However, there is no way to reconcile that with the fact that in Matthew 24, the surprising return comes after a great deal of distress and in Revelation 4:1, the distress has not happened yet. Further complicating this position is John’s own statement that when the “Come up” call is heard, he immediately is “in the spirit.” John has an ecstatic visionary experience that in no way indicates he was physically transported anywhere.

Revelation 11:12

The two witnesses hear a loud voice and are caught up physically into heaven. They could be a symbolic representation of the rapture of the church. However, no one takes the two witnesses to be symbolic of the church in general, so it seems unlikely to treat their ascension as symbolic of the rapture.

Revelation 12:5

When the woman gives birth to a male child, we are told that the child is “snatched up to God” for his protection. Perhaps this is a symbolic rapture of the church away from the distress of the Tribulation. Supporting this is the fact that three and a half years of distress are predicted after this child is snatched away. The association of the church with the male child in this case is quite attractive, except for two problems. First, it would be quite unlikely for God to use the metaphor of a “male child” to refer to the church. Though “son” is used in the Old Testament to refer to the nation of Israel, the New Testament reserves the concept of a single male offspring for Jesus himself. In fact, just a few chapters after this, the church will be referred to as a bride. Secondly, Revelation 12:17 indicates that the there are “those who obey God’s commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus” still living on the earth as a target for Satanic persecution. Therefore, the snatching away of the male child cannot refer to the rapture of the church.

Conclusion

Pulling together a few things:

• The account in Matthew 24 seems to line up pretty clearly with the account in Revelation 6-7 of seals 1-4 and 6 that earthly, cosmic, and spiritual distress come while believers are on earth and before the victorious return of Christ.
• The account of 1 Thessalonians 4 seems to line up clearly with both Matthew 24 and Revelation 19-20 that the return of Christ will be boisterous, undeniable, victorious, and final. (Note also that 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 is possibly a reference to the same ancient practice that manifested itself at Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. When the victorious king comes to the city, the faithful rush out of the city to meet him on the way, and then remain with him to escort him back into the city. That understanding of 1 Thessalonians would put it in perfect harmony with both Matthew 24 and Revelation 19-20.)
• Revelation 20:5 claims that the first resurrection occurs after Jesus defeats the kings of the earth and immediately before he establishes his millennial reign. However, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, the core rapture passage, is clearly a resurrection event. Therefore, the only way for Revelation 20:5 to be the “first resurrection” is if the two passages are speaking of the same event.
• The text of 1 Corinthians 15 seems to coincide well with Revelation 19-20 that Jesus will return, claim his followers, and then take some time (1000 years?) to finally eradicate all evil before handing the kingdom finally over to his Father.

Therefore, drawing from the different passages that most directly describe the gathering of believers from the earth, one picture has become abundantly clear to me.

• First, there will be distress on the earth greater than any before or after including political unrest, natural disasters, demonic activity, and the outpouring of God’s wrath.
• Secondly, Christ begins to return, and the powers of the earth, motivated by Satan himself, will assemble in opposition to him, but his victory will be swift, accomplished by his angelic army in advance of his arrival.
• When he arrives, his victory will be announced with trumpets, those dead in Christ will rise, those alive in Christ will be caught up to meet him in the air and escort him back to Earth as the rightful King where he will reign for 1000 years before one final battle.

Of course, there is room in this understanding for a secret rapture of the living saints to happen at any point in time God wishes. God raptured Enoch, Elijah, and Jesus himself, and he can do it again if he so chooses. Matthew 24:40 could be speaking of this kind of event. However, such an event would cause certain living Christians to precede those who have fallen asleep in Christ apparently contradicting Paul’s statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:15. As such, a secret rapture without a resurrection seems unlikely. Additionally, any resurrection happening before the imprisonment of Satan in Revelation 20:1-3 would also seem to contradict its identification as “the first resurrection.”

Based on all this, I am confident in saying that the Bible clearly teaches a rapture of the church which coincides with the victorious return of Christ and the establishment of his millennial kingdom, though a secret rapture of living saints at any point in time is still within God’s prerogative should he choose.

The image used on this post was obtained from a blog post at lavrai.com. I am in no way endorsing that blog or its contents, although it seems to take the same perspective as that taken here.

• you believe that God has “elected” or “chosen” those who would be saved from before the foundation of the world.
• you believe that those whom God has chosen have been predestined to respond to the gospel when God woos them.
• you believe that salvation comes entirely without regard to human works or merit.
• you believe that “elect” and “true followers of Jesus” are two ways of describing only one group.

If you are Pre-Trib:

• you believe that the rapture event will remove from earth all who are followers of Jesus.
• you believe that after the rapture event, the Tribulation will involve the salvation of some and their subsequent persecution.

The Contradiction

These two positions are in contradiction to each other because the Calvinist must believe that those saved before the rapture and those saved after the rapture are part of the same group God elected before the foundation of the world. The only difference between the two would be the timing of God’s effort at wooing them or the timing of their willing response to his call.

The former case would indicate that God had specifically not wooed some of his elect in time for them to join in the rapture of the rest of the saints (as if God were showing favoritism to one group of his followers)

The latter case indicates that participation in the rapture event, unlike salvation, depends upon the timing of a person’s response to the gospel which seems close to a works-based system.

To be both Calvinistic and Pre-Trib a person must believe that the rapture is an event for only some of the elect either by their own merit or by God’s favoritism among them. Both options are distasteful for the majority of Calvinists.

However, I’d like to hear what other people have to say on this. Your comments are welcome and encouraged!

Update (Aug 1, 2009)

I apologize for sending this post out before without the support of any specific biblical text. The contradiction as I see it from the Bible comes from the juxtaposition of these three biblical concepts:

1. John 6:44, Romans 8:29-30, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, and 2 Timothy 1:9 teach that salvation only occurs in response to God’s activity of election, that this election happens by his choice, before the beginning of time, and “predestines” people for salvation. Therefore, by these verses, the Calvinist would conclude that God presently knows every human who will be saved because he has claimed them as his own, and they are rightfully called “the elect.”

2. Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27 both indicate that when Christ returns, he will “gather his elect” from the whole earth. This seems to indicate that the gathering will include all who are “his elect.”

3. Revelation 20:4 clearly teaches there were people who had the opportunity to worship the beast and receive his mark but refused both and remained faithful to Christ. Matthew 24:24 refers to those who resist false prophets and remain faithful to Christ and calls them “the elect.”

Therefore, here is the exact logical argument:

• Whenever Christ’s “gathering” takes place, it appears to include all who are elect.
• If election is determined before the foundation of the world, the gathering event must leave behind only the non-elect.
• If election is necessary for salvation, the gathering event Jesus mentions would indicate that the door for salvation was now closed.
• However, there are clearly believers alive (and martyred!) during the Tribulation period.
• Therefore, the Matthew 24 event cannot happen before the Tribulation period—unless we are missing something.
• Therefore, we are left with only three possible options:
  1. God’s election is not eternally determined. Those who are already “elect” at the time of the rapture will be taken, but others will become “elect” afterwards.
  2. Matthew 24 is not speaking of the rapture of the church, and it is God’s prerogative to take in a secret rapture some of his elect leaving others behind.
  3. The rapture of God’s elect happens after the Tribulation.

His Nature

I believe in the preexistence of God the Son, coeternal with, coequal with, and of the same nature as the Father so that he is fully God (Jn 1:1, 8:58, 10:30; Co 2:9).

I believe that the Son in willful, humble obedience to the Father’s will for redemption took upon himself a fully human nature in addition to his own divine nature so that he is fully human as well (Jn 1:14; Php 2:5-11).

I believe that now even as the Trinity is one nature with three persons, God the Son continues to exist as one person with two natures. Neither the humanity nor the divinity overshadows the other such that Jesus is fully God and fully human (Heb 4:15-5:10).

His Work

I believe that God the Son is the agent of the original Creation (Co 1:16).

I believe that in the Incarnation Jesus for a time laid aside all rights to using his divine nature and powers. I believe that the evidence of divinity seen in his life came through his total reliance upon the will of the Father and the presence of the Holy Spirit (Mt 12:28; Jn 5:30, 8:28f.; Ac 2:22; Php 2:6-7). Nevertheless, I believe that Jesus was fully aware of his divine nature, his pre-existence with the Father, his messianic role, and his future glorification (Mk 14:61f.; Jn 4:25f., 8:58).

I believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, by the Holy Spirit, and therefore unscarred by original sin (Mt 1:25; Lk 1:34f.; Heb 4:15; 1Jn 3:5). I believe that Jesus lived a perfectly sinless, perfectly faithful life: obedient to the Father and reliant on the Holy Spirit. He had the capacity to sin but the free will not to sin; he hypothetically could have sinned, but he never did and never would. Thus, he succeeded where Adam failed and is the agent of a new creation, the author, perfecter, and model of the Christian life (1Co 15:45-49; 2Co 5:17; Heb 4:15, 12:1,2; 1Pe 2:22).

I believe that Jesus was put to death by Roman crucifixion and was buried in a borrowed tomb. I believe that Jesus’ death pays the penalty for sin, provides atonement before God, and redeems believers from slavery to sin into the family of God. This atonement is sufficient for the sins of the whole world but applied only to those who believe (Jn 1:12; Ro 3:25; 10:9f.; 1Jn 2:2).

I believe that God raised Jesus back to life on the third day through the power of the Holy Spirit, vindicating his claims, initiating the new life believers may experience now, and promising the reality of future resurrection for all. In this way Christ is also the agent of a new creation (Ro 6:4; 1Co 6:14; 2Co 5:17; 1Pe 3:18).

I believe that Jesus ascended into heaven and remains in the presence of the Father where he ensures the salvation of the believer by making intercession as Mediator and Priest (Ro 8:34; 1Ti 2:5; Heb 7:25).

I believe that Jesus will return someday to judge the living and the resurrected dead, to take unto himself those who have believed, and to finally establish the Kingdom of God in all its fullness with the Father as King (Dan 2:44; Jn 14:3; 1Co 15:22ff.; 2Ti 4:1, Rev 21:6ff.).

I believe that God exists as a Triune being whose very nature is that of one essence sustaining three persons in perfect relationship—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. His essence admits of no separation among the three but remains always One. Nevertheless, the three persons remain eternally distinct both in person and in role (Dt 6:4; 1Ch 21:15; Isa 63:9f.; Mk 1:10f.; Mt 28:19)

I believe that within the Trinity, there is an eternal hierarchy of function. The Son is sent by the Father and is submissive to the Father’s will for redemption (Jn 8:28f.). The Spirit is sent from both the Son and the Father to continue the work (Jn16:7f.). The Spirit points people to the Son (Jn 15:26), and the Son is the way to the Father (Jn 14:6). I believe this in no way mitigates the full equality of the members of the Trinity (Jn 10:30; cf. 1Co 15:28).

THEOLOGY PROPER

God’s Essence

I believe that God is the only eternally self-existent, active, personal spirit (Ps 90:2; Isa 46:9; Jn 5:26; Rev 4:8).

I believe that God possesses His attributes as essential and not accidental to His being such that He is ultimately characterized by His own unity (Dt 6:4). Never will one attribute conflict with another, for they each reside fully and perfectly in God’s nature.

I believe that God is totally other than His creation. Holy and Transcendent, He exists independent of anything He created, yet He is omnipresent (Ps 139; Isa 57:15).

I believe God’s essence is His alone and incommunicable to any other (Isa 46:9).

God’s Character

I believe that intellectually, God is omniscient and wise. He fully knows past, present, future, and possible states of affairs so that He knows even what free human creatures will do (Ps 139; Jn 21:17). Further, He is perfectly wise regarding His knowledge so that His choices are always the best (Dan 2:20; Jer 29:11). I believe that ethically, God is perfectly righteous. There is to be found in Him no moral wrong. His perfect goodness is intrinsic to His character (1Jn 1:5, 3:5).

I believe that God is an emotional being. He hates evil, may be saddened or grieved, feels compassion, anger, and jealousy, and deeply loves (Ge 6:6; Dt 6:15; Ps 103:13; Isa 61:8; Jn 3:16).

I believe that God is a relational being. God is loving, cares for all, desires relationship with all people, and dwells with some (Ex 34:6; Isa 57:15; 2Pe 3:9). Further, though God acts toward people like a Father and also like a Mother, God is not to be understood in categories of gender (Job 9:32; Ps 103:13; Isa 66:13).

I believe that God is utterly free and omnipotent to accomplish whatever He desires (Isa 46:10; Lk 1:37). However, God is limited to do only what comports with His character (2Ti 2:13). Also, in His complete freedom God chooses to be influenced by prayer (Ex 33:17).

I believe that God, in sovereign freedom, has chosen to create the universe, to redeem sinful people, to leave room for human agency, to permit evil in the present world, and to eventually judge all people (Ge 1:1; Jos 24:15; 2Co 5:18; Mt 19:8; Ac 17:31). Further, I believe that God the Father is to be understood as the source and initiator of both Creation and Redemption and that the other members of the Trinity are in eternal, willful, functional subordination to him (Jn 6:38-40, 15:26, 16:13).

I believe that God’s character may be communicated to humans in lesser degrees—freedom without omnipotence, intelligence without omniscience (Ge 1:26; 1Sa 16:7).

http://jeff.mikels.cc/wiki/doctrinal_statements

REVELATION

General Revelation

I believe that God has made Himself known to all people at all times and in all places. He has revealed Himself through the grandeur and the intricacies of the natural world (Ps 19:1-4), the moral awareness of the human conscience (Ro 2:15), and the faculties of human reason (Ps 14:1; Ro 1:21-22).

I believe that this general revelation communicates all that is necessary for people to be accountable before God. Since general revelation testifies to God’s existence, God’s moral requirements, and God’s supremacy, people are without excuse (Heb 11:6; Ro 1:20, 2:13-15). However, no one will come to proper relationship with God through general revelation alone. Humans universally repress what is made known through general revelation, reject God, and refuse to submit to Him (Ps 14:1-3; Ro 1:18-23).

Special Revelation

I believe that God has revealed Himself with more particularity to specific people at specific times for the purposes of reconciling them to Himself. In His great mercy, God has made Himself known through dreams, visions, saving acts, theophanies, and prophetic teaching (Ge 12:7, 15:1; Ex 6:6-7; Lev 22:32-33; Dt 5:5; 1Ki 3:5; Dan 2:28; Heb 1:1).

I believe that special revelation consists of both propositional truth about God and personal encounter with God. The simplest form of special revelation is God’s direct speech to prophets and to others through them (Ex 3:6ff; Jer 2:1; Ez 3:16ff.).

I believe that God, through the Holy Spirit, divinely inspired human agents to record special revelation in the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. This inspiration is such that the written words of Scripture are fully the words of God and fully the words of the human who penned them. Thus, they reflect the personalities and proclivities of the individual authors but are the completely inerrant communication of God to people. That is, the Scriptures as the authors originally intended them are entirely free from error in all matters to which they pertain. They are the final authority of faith and life (Ro 3:2, 16:25ff.; 2Ti 3:16f.; 2Pe 1:20f.).

I believe that Jesus himself is the ultimate revelation of God. In him is prophetic teaching, saving act, and theophany (Jn 14:9; Heb 1:2).

I believe that God continues to reveal Himself specially through the prophetic teaching of the Scriptures, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the other means already mentioned. However, all present day revelation stands under the Scriptures even as the Scriptures stand under the revelation found in Jesus (Jn 1:1ff.; Heb 1:1-3).