Some Thoughts About the Rapture of the Church
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Some Thoughts About the Rapture of the Church
Some Thoughts About the Rapture of the Church
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By George Bannister, D.Min., Ph.D.
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.
17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
The truth of the Lord’s return appears in each chapter of 1 Thessalonians and in the first two chapters of the 2 Thessalonians. It is the unifying theme, the golden thread throughout the pattern.
We must always remember that prophecy is not designed to intrigue our intellect or challenge our curiosity. Its purpose is to exert a transforming influence on our lives.
For believers the hope of the imminent return of Christ has practical implications of vast significance.
1. It should have a purifying influence on our lives (; ).
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
2. It should burden us to pray and work for the salvation of the lost (; ; ).
14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, “Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking.
6 But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths.’
3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.
23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
3. It should encourage us to persevere in spite of persecution and trial (; ; ).
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.
17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
18 So encourage each other with these words.
4. It should inspire us to diligent service knowing that the night is coming when no one can work (; , ).
4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.
9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.
10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
5. It should keep us in the attitude of expectancy () and abiding in Him so we will not be ashamed before Him as His coming ().
36 as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.
28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.
6. It should make us bold to confess Christ (; ).
38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.
7. It should prove to be a comforting hope (, ; ; ; ).
1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am.
18 So encourage each other with these words.
7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels,
12 If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.
8. It should be an encouragement to moderation, gentleness, and sweet reasonableness ().
5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
9. It should be a motive for unity and love (, ).
12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.
13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.
10. It should encourage an other-worldly attitude ().
1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
11. It should be a reminder of coming review and reward (; ; ).
10 So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11 For the Scriptures say, “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance praise to God.’ ”
12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.
13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.
14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.
15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
12. It should be used as a powerful appeal in preaching the gospel (; ).
19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.
21 For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.
3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
For those who are not believers, the truth of Christ’s return should lead them to repent of their sins and make a full commitment of their lives to him as Lord and Savior. Only those who are in Christ will go to be with Him at the Rapture. The rest will be left behind for judgment.
Arguments for the Pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church
Arguments for the Pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church
1. The first argument is based on imminence.
There are many Scriptures that indicate that Christians should be looking for the Lord to come at any time. We should be watching and waiting, not knowing the time of His coming. If the church has to go through the Tribulation, then we cannot be looking for Him to come at any moment. In fact, He could not come for at least seven years, since we are not in the Tribulation now, and when it comes, it will last for seven years. The pretribulation view is the only one you can hold and still believe that Christ may come at any moment.
Here are some of the verses that indicate that we should be constantly looking for the Lord to come since we do not know the time of that event.
(; ; ; ; ; ;; ; ; ; ; ; ).
23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
37 “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.
26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.
8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!
7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.
23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.
7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.
21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.
3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.
7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”
12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.
20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
There are other texts which, while they might not refer directly to the Rapture, yet add to the general impression that the coming of Christ is imminent. Throughout its history, the believing church has held that the time of Christ’s coming is unknown and that therefore it could occur at any moment. (; ; ; ; ; ; ).
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.
44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
32 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!
34 “The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return.
35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak.
36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning.
37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”
36 as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.
7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18 Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.
3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”
2. The second argument is based on the promise that the church will be delivered from the wrath to come.
In , Paul says that “we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” describes the Lord Jesus as our Deliverer from the wrath to come. And in we learn that God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. The word “wrath” may refer to the wrath of the Tribulation Period, or it may refer to God’s eternal judgment on unbelievers. In the Thessalonian Epistles, the context favors the wrath of the Tribulation (see , ; ; ).
9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.
10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.
2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.
7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels,
8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.
10 When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.
10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.
11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.
12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
In , Christ promises to keep His people from (out of) the hour of trial, which shall come on all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
3. The structure of the book of Revelation bears out the teaching of the pre-tribulation Rapture. In chapters 2 and 3 the church is seen on earth, but after chapter 3 it is never mentioned again as being on earth. In chapters 4 and 5 the saints are seen in heaven, wearing victor’s crowns. Then follows the Tribulation on earth in chapters 6–19. The church saints are already in heaven.
4. The Tribulation Period will not begin until the man of sin has been revealed (). But the man of sin will not be revealed until first the restrainer is removed (, ).
3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.
7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
The Holy Spirit certainly answers to the name of restrainer; He hinders or restrains the full development of evil as long as the church is in the world. He will be removed as the Indweller of the church at the time of the Rapture.
In one sense the Holy Spirit always was in the world and always will be. But there was a special sense in which He came at Pentecost, i.e., as the permanent Indweller of believers and of the church. It is in that sense that He will be removed at the Rapture. This does not mean that the Spirit of God will not carry on a ministry during the Tribulation. He will still convict and convert sinners. But He will not permanently indwell them and He will not incorporate them into the church. His ministry will be somewhat comparable to what it was in the OT period.
5. In the Rapture is spoken of as a comforting prospect.
18 So encourage each other with these words.
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.
17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
18 So encourage each other with these words.
The Day of the Lord does not come as a comfort but as a thief in the night (). It is a time of sudden destruction () and wrath () from which there will be no escape (). In contrast, the Rapture is an ever-brightening hope, not an ever-frightening hope.
2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.
3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
7. There must be an interval of time between Christ’s coming for His saints and His coming with His saints.
When Christ comes for His saints, all believers will be taken out of the world and will receive their glorified bodies (). Yet when Christ comes back to reign, there will be saved people who are still in their natural bodies, as is seen by the fact that they will be raising children (; ). If the Rapture and the Revelation take place at the same time (the post-tribulation view), then where do these latter people come from?
There is a second reason why there must be an interval of time between the Rapture and the reign. The Judgment Seat of Christ must take place in heaven following the Rapture, when the Lord will judge the faithfulness of His saints and reward them accordingly (). The rewards given at this time will determine the extent of rule given to individual saints during the Millennium (, ). If the Rapture and the coming to reign occurred simultaneously, there would be no time for the Judgment Seat of Christ to take place.
8. It is the only way the Day of the Lord will overtake anyone is as a thief in the night ().
Yet Paul distinctly states that it will not overtake believers as a thief in the night (). Therefore it will not overtake believers at all. Why not? Two reasons are given: (1) Believers are not children of the night but of the day (, ). (2) God has not appointed believers to wrath ().
9. At the time of the Rapture, believers go to the Father’s house (), not straight back to the earth, as post-tribulationists affirm.
10. The Tribulation is distinctly Jewish in character.
It is called the time of Jacob’s trouble (). Note the Jewish references in : Judea (), the Sabbath (), the holy place (). These terms have nothing to do with the church.
7 In all history there has never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end they will be saved!
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings.
2 But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,
5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.
7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.
10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.
12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)
16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.
18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.
19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.
22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it!
27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. 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 the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.
33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.
38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.
39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.
44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.
48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’
49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?
50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected,
51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
16 “But all who devour you will be devoured, and all your enemies will be sent into exile. All who plunder you will be plundered, and all who attack you will be attacked.
20 Their children will prosper as they did long ago. I will establish them as a nation before me, and I will punish anyone who hurts them.
15 Why do you protest your punishment— this wound that has no cure? I have had to punish you because your sins are many and your guilt is great.
Enoch, a type of the church, was translated before the waters of God’s judgment fell, whereas Noah and his family, types of the believing Jewish remnant, were preserved through the flood. Lot was delivered from Sodom before the fires of judgment fell. Abraham’s offering of Isaac prefigures God offering His Son on Calvary. The first time Isaac is mentioned after that incident is when he went out to meet his bride and to take her back to his home. So Christ’s first appearance after His Ascension will be when He comes to take His bride home to heaven. Elijah was translated to heaven before judgment was meted out to the wicked Jezebel.
11. The first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel’s prophecy () extend from the decree of Artaxerxes in 445 B.C. to the crucifixion of Christ. They have nothing to do with the church. Why then should the church be found in the seventieth week, which is the Tribulation Period? (Actually the Church Age occurs in an unmentioned parenthetical period between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks.)
24 “A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
25 Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.
26 “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.
27 The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”
Arguments for the Rapture of Christ’s Church
Arguments for the Rapture of Christ’s Church
1. The New Testament teaches that believers will be gathered together in the air following a commanding shout and trumpet call from heaven.
The dead in Christ will be resurrected and the living Christians will be transformed in the process. Together we will be with Christ eternally. All believers will receive new bodies.(; ; ; ; ; ; ).
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.
17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!
52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.
53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.
21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
2. The gathering of Christians mentioned in is a sudden event, a “catching away,” to meet te Lord in the air.
17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
The term for “caught up” in verse 17 is the word harpazo (ἁρπάζω) which means, “to snatch or catch away,” This same term is also used describing the act of the Spirit of the Lord in regard to Philip in ; of Paul in being “caught” up to paradise, , ; of the rapture of the man child in the vision of . This verb conveys the idea of force suddenly exercised, as in , “take (it) by force”; 12:29, “spoil” (some mss. have diarpazo here), in 13:19, RV, “snatcheth”; for forceful seizure, see also ; , ; ; in , RV, “snatching.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.
2 I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows.
4 that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
5 She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne.
12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.
15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.
12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,
29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.
10 As the conflict grew more violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by force and take him back to the fortress.
23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
3. Jesus spoke of such an event in his warnings about the end-time and his admonitions to be prepared for his return (; ).
40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
1 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps,
4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.
5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’
7 “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.
8 Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’
9 “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.
11 Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’
12 “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’
13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.