Maybe you have seen bumper stickers, or T-shirts saying something like: “In case of the Rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned” or “The Rapture: the only way to fly.” Even on Facebook and Twitter posts are frequently circulated by people who believe in the so-called rapture theory. What do they mean by that? What is the “rapture”? Does the Bible speak about a “rapture”?
The “rapture” is part of a false doctrine called dispensationalism. It teaches that “soon” (it’s always within the next few years), Christ will return to the earth in a silent and invisible way to “rapture” the living saints and to resurrect the righteous dead. According to that doctrine, this will also trigger a seven-year tribulation period that will be consummated by “the battle of Armageddon,” and followed by a physical, 1,000 year reign of Jesus sitting on David’s throne in the city of Jerusalem. Yet, the word “rapture” is found nowhere in the Bible, nor are the doctrine’s claims substantiated by Scripture!
Those who advocate the doctrine, also known as premillennialism, claim the idea is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” In the Greek language of the New Testament, the word for “caught up” is harpagesometha, which is not the word “rapture,” nor is that term found in any English version of the Bible. The word “rapture” is derived from rapio, from a Latin translation of the Bible. In both languages, it means “to seize, or to snatch.” However, to use this verse, or a Latin word to “prove” a silent, secret return of Christ is, as one scholar put it, “one of the sorriest attempts in the whole history of freak exegesis.” The truth is, the rapture theory is plainly contradicted by Bible facts:
CHRIST’S RETURN WILL BE VISIBLE TO ALL
When Jesus returns, it will be visible universally, not invisible or secretive, and known only by a few (Rev 1:7). In Matthew 24, Jesus described the conditions associated with the destruction of Jerusalem. In connection to that, He warns that if anyone claims, “Lo, here is the Christ,” it was not to be believed: “For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of Man“ (27). And, just as those early disciples “beheld” Christ’s departure (Acts 1:11), so in like manner would He come again. At His coming, Christ will be “manifested,” meaning He will be as visible as his first “appearing” on earth (2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1,8; Tit. 2:13). The Bible also plainly say that Jesus “shall appear a second time” (Heb. 9:28). If the dispensational teachers were correct, then Christ would not appear until his THIRD coming! Nowhere does the Bible say that!
CHRIST’S RETURN WILL BE HEARD BY ALL
The Scriptures indicate that the second coming of the Christ will be accompanied by a great, audible phenomena. The Lord will descend from heaven “with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God“. Some preachers like to call this the “noisiest” verse in the Bible! In addition, when Jesus comes again, “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise“ (2 Pet. 3:10). These verses contradict the notion that the second advent will be some silent, secret event! The Bible never teaches that!
CHRIST’S RETURN WILL AFFECT ALL
Lastly, the idea that only the righteous dead will be resurrected at the time of the rapture is totally false. The New Testament teaches that there will be a single resurrection consisting of both the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15), who will come forth in the same hour (John 5:28, 29). This resurrection will occur at “the last day” (John 6:54), which allows no time for a subsequent seven-year tribulation period, much less a millennium reign on earth! Clearly, both the good and bad are judged at the time of Christ’s coming (Matt. 25:31ff; 2 Thes. 1:7ff). There is no preceding secret and separate “snatching away” of only the saved.
We could also add that the rapture doctrine has its roots in history, not in Scripture. The idea appears to be traceable to an old Irvine Pentecostal movement from the early 1800s. It is also not found or discussed in any of the earlier, ancient authors. Therefore, the dispensational dogma, with all its peculiar elements, such as the notion of a “rapture,” is clearly not in concordance with what the Bible teaches. Thus, we can conclude, that the rapture theory is a ruptured theory because it is completely false!
*Wayne Jackson was the preacher at the East Main Church of Christ in Stockton, California, and Editor of the Christian Courier.
The full, original article is available at: https://christiancourier.com/articies/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-rapture
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