A Pentecostal Christian recently questioned me on my views about the idea of The Rapture. Here is my rather long, but educational response destroying such a notion.While on Mt. Olivet, the Disciples remark on the magnificence of the Jewish temple. Jesus then responds to them with the sombre prediction that the temple will be destroyed. His disciples then ask him a two part question, which is, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the close of the age?"(Matthew 24:3)
Take note that the Disciples are asking a
two part question. First, about the destruction of the temple. Second, about the SECOND coming of Christ.(Not a Second and Third, simply a Second.)
History proves that the Temple was indeed destroyed, in A.D 70. Obviously, the so called Second coming of Christ has not yet happened.
Take note of that, the two events are widely separated in time, which is why part of his answer is related to the Temple being destroyed, and part of it to his supposed Second Coming.
His response is troubling, and he describes some of the Tribulations that will occur. The details found in Luke 21:20 are quite obviously connected to the first part of the question, which is referring to the Temple being destroyed, and the siege of Jerusalem. The city was in fact invaded by Romans, the temple was destroyed, and the city destroyed as well. This occurred during the lifetime of many of Jesus' followers. I will quote scripture here to show you clearly his response to the first part of the question.
"Great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people; they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." (Luke 21:23-24) After the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans, these prophecies came to pass.
Other prophecies in the Olivet discourse have found their fulfillment time and again throughout the two thousand years of Church history: persecutions, martyrdoms, betrayals, false prophets, apostasies(Such as yourself), wars, earthquakes, famines(Matthew 24:9-14). Christ then follows with a dire warning: "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect [that is, those God will save] those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:21-22)
The principal which Jesus states clearly, here and elsewhere, is obvious: Not the one who is snatched out of tribulation but the one "who endures to the end will be saved."(Matthew 24:13; also 10:22) The days of trial are not a time of escape, but of sifting, proving, purging, strengthening the faithful and sorting them from the unfaithful, the wheat from the chaff.
You people go on and on about this "secret" rapture in which you will get snatched up, clothes remaining, people in cars disappearing(Refer to the absurd novels:
Left Behind). But yet again, Scripture contradicts this utterly ridiculous position.
One of Jesus' main concerns in his warnings is that his followers would not be tricked into believing he has come when he hasn't. How will they know he has truly returned? Simple. He says, "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man"(Matthew 24:27) The event will be universally recognized, visible, and unmistakable.
Even more: "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, 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; 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 another." (Matthew 24:30-31)
What is the "sign of the Son of Man in heaven?" Jesus doesn't say. But it is obviously a public event that prompts worldwide attention and is directly linked to history's end, and end that is clearly visible and recognizable to all: "the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."(Verse 30) Add to this the angels and loud trumpets, and you have a reentry to Earth that is anything but secret.
Later, when Jesus was on trial, the Jewish elders asked him if he was, "the Christ, the Son of God"(Matthew 26:63). He replied: "Hereafter, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."(Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62). Keep in mind these two phrases: "the Son of Man... clouds of heaven."
Now you can refer to Daniel when he says, "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him. And to him was given all dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him"(Daniel 7:13-14)
The Jews understood completely what Jesus was referring to when he called himself, "The son of man... Coming on the clouds of heaven."
Whether it be from Daniel or from Christ, the prophecies state that the Judge comes on the "clouds of heaven", with loud trumpets, and angels who accompany his coming. This is by no means a SECRET COMING!
After the Gospels, the next reference to the second coming of Christ is found in Acts. After Jesus was "lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sights." Two angels appeared and offered one more reminded of what Jesus had told them before: "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven."(Acts 1:11) How would he return? ---- Coming with the clouds of heaven.
Take note that throughout Old Testament, the clouds of heaven were associated with the glory of god's presence. The term glory has several layers in scripture, a few examples are: brightness, splendor, praise, renown - the honor publicly given to someone of greatness. For further reference, look to Exodus 13:21, Exodus 40:34, 1 Kings 8:10-11, Ezekiel 10:3-4. In the new Testament, refer to Matthew 17:5.
Given the recurring form of "majestic glory", you should not be surprised when Jesus says he will return to earth "coming on the clouds of haven with power and great glory." He is describing an event of magnificent grandeur, such as could not be hidden, or secret, but one the entire world will see."
St. Paul, St. James, St. Peter, and St. John all speak of the second coming of Christ a number of times in their letters. Refer to: 1 John 2:28, James 5:8, 1 Peter 1:7, 1 Peter 4:7, and lastly,
Titus 2:13(Most Protestants do not accept the Book Of Titus.)
St. Peter says reminds the Church in his second letter that the seeming delay of Christ's return demonstrates God's mercy, because the "day of the Lord" will be terrifying(2 Peter 3:2-17)
When St. Paul attempted to settle a controversy in Thessalonica about the lord's coming, he reminded them of a point he had already during a homily: "Do you not remember, that when I was still with you I told you this?" (2 Thessalonians 2:5).
The Christians at Corinth seem to have had questions, and even doubts, about the resurrection of the dead(See 1 Corinthians chapter 15). In explaining the nature of the resurrected and glorified body, St. Paul described how it will take place: "Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep [that is, those who have died]. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom of god the father after destroying every rule and every authority and power" (1 Corinthians 15:20-24). The trio of closely connected events are simple: Christ's coming, the resurrection of the dead, and the judgement (His triumph over evil).
St. Paul then argues for the bodily resurrection. He describes the nature of the change, and then continues to describe the close of the age: "Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep [that is, die], but we shall 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 shall be changed" (1 Corinth 15:51-52)
We have already heard about the trumpet. Recall the words of Jesus: "They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send 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 24:30-31). The son appears in brilliant glory, on the clouds of heaven, he then sends his angels to do his bidding and to gather his people for resurrection and judgement.
The Christians at Thessalonica, like those in Corinth, had some questions about the resurrection of the dead as well. Would those believers who had already died have to wait longer to meet Christ than those who were still alive at his return (1 Thessalonians 4:15)? And what of the people who were saying that Judgement Day had already taken place (Thessalonians 2:1-2)?
With regard to the first question, he insisted that the saints -- those who had died in favor with God and whose souls were in heaven - would actually accompany Christ on his return to earth. Then, after a few exhortations to godliness and warnings about the judgement, he returns to the theme of the saints accompanying Christ:
"For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep... We who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who has fallen asleep. For the lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of god. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall 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" (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)
St. Paul gives enough details here to make it clear that he is not talking about a secret rapture, but about the same event we have already heard described by Jesus to his disciples and by the same apostle when he wrote to the Corinthians. Once again, we find Christ's descent from heaven, clouds, angels, the trumpet, and resurrection.
Three critical points should be noted: First, these descriptions of Christ's coming share enough common elements to indicate that they all refer to the same sequence of events. The sequence include Jesus' glorious second coming, the resurrection of the dead, and the judgement of the world. Second, the references to the trumpet, the blazing light, the glory of the saints, the judgement or conquest of evil, and the fact that people will "marvel," all show that his is no secret or hidden event.
Third, the text in 2 Thessalonians shows that this sequence takes place after the horrors of the Antichrist's deceptions and attacks on the Church. "For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, proclaiming himself to be God... The lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and destroy him by His appearing and His coming." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 8).
One detail included in St. Paul's comments may raise a question. When Jesus and the saints come down from heaven, he insists, the faithful Christians who are still alive on the earth "shall 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"(1 Thessalonians 4:17). What is the significance of this?
First, note that this statement parallels Jesus' words about sending out the angels to "gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven," so they can be with "the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory" (Mark 13:26-27, Matthew 24:31). In addition, St. Paul's remarks on the same subject in 2 Thessalonians are prefaced with a slightly different description of this meeting: "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet Him" -- a day when "the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire" (2 Thessalonians 2:1; 1:7).
Again, as we have seen, the context of this references the angel, the trumpet, the clouds. This shows that St. Paul is writing about the glorious PUBLIC return of Christ. So, the question remains, what is the purpose of the faithful on earth being "caught up" in the glory of their descending Lord to meet him as he arrives in triumph?
The answer is simple when you recognize the ancient custom common in St. Pauls culture. When a hero, or military leader, made grand public entrances to a city, what is called a parousia(The same Greek term St. Paul and other biblical writers often use to write about Christ's glorious arrival at the close of the age, see for example: 1 Corinthians 15:25, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, 2 Peter 3:4, 1 John 2:28), he was often met by the citizens who wanted to go out to welcome him and then accompany him back into the city. It was a way for people to honor such a person's arrival and to take part in the celebration of his coming. This, in fact, was the custom that led to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the day we call the Passion, or Palm Sunday.
When you find that the Greek word translated here as "meet" or "meeting" (Apantesis) is the same term that was used for the gathering of citizens to meet the approaching celebrity, the passage makes perfect sense. Those who are still alive on earth when Jesus returns, will have a great privilege: They will be caught up in the clouds of glory to meet the approaching "King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:15) and to join the saints whose souls have already experienced the rewards of living with him in heaven. They will then accompany him as he enters the world in triumph.
On that day, each faithful Christian will become "a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed" (1 Peter 5:1). Those who "suffer with him" (that is, for his sake) through the terrors of the last days will at that time "also be glorified with him." (Romans 8:17)
I will not point out that Christians, according to Scripture, will have to suffer through the great tribulation. That they will not be "plucked" out of the sky, but they themselves must suffer for Christ.
St. John has a vision of "the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne," who were "each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been" (Revelation 6:9-11). But there was more. In answer to the question, "Whence have they come?" the elder declared: "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:13-14)
What could be clearer? God did not pluck these faithful believers out of the horrors of persecution; in fact, he told them that others would be joining their ranks as martyrs.
Even Jesus' prayers for his followers at Gethesemane reflect this perfectly: "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one." (John 17:15)
Summary:Having showed what seem to be the most straight forward biblical passages about Christ's second coming, I can now summarize what we find there. First, Jesus' own instructions about the events to come are confirmed by the apostolic teachings of Sts. Peter, Paul, John, and James. In every scenario presented, the Second Coming is not a secret or invisible event. On the contrary, in various accounts as it's described, it is an unmistakably public, universally visible, glorious, full of splendor. The Lord returns on magnificent clouds of glory with brilliant angels and saints and a trumpet blast announcing their arrival; the faithful on earth are gathered to Him, while the rest of the world wails at the terrifying sight.
Second, Jesus and the Apostles warn that the Church will face severe tribulation before His second coming. The demonic forces that have resisted God from the beginning of history will launch ferocious attacks on his people. Christians will not be spared this adversity, but God will provide the grace to endure, and those who endure to the end through such cleansing and strengthening trials will be saved.
There it is folks. The idea of the rapture being rendered absolutely null and utterly void.
