The Rapture

Written by Wayne Jackson, this article appeared in the April, 1978 edition of The Christian Courier which was published by the East Main Street Church of Christ in Stockton, California. Wayne Jackson was the editor.

"In case of the Rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned." "The Rapture: the only way to fly." The preceding slogans are but two of the many currently being circulated by way of bumper stickers. They herald the alleged event that Hal Lindsey, author of the multi-million best seller The Late Great Planet Earth calls, "the ultimate trip." Lindsey, and others who advocate the heresy of dispensationalism, contend that 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 the dispensational scheme, this will trigger a tribulation period which will be consummated by "the battle of Armageddon." Following this horrible conflict, it is claimed Christ will begin His reign of 1,000 years on David's throne in the city of Jerusalem.

Rapture Defined - The word "rapture" is derived from the Latin rapio, which means to seize or to snatch. Though this word is not used in the Bible, dispensationalists claim the idea is found in I Thessalonians 4:17. There Paul speaks of the second coming of Christ. He declares that those living saints who witness the Lord's return will be, "caught up" (harpagesometha) in the clouds to meet Him. To use I Thessalonians 4 though in an effort to prove a silent, secret return of Christ, is as Alexander Reese put it one of the sorriest attempts, "in the whole history of freak exegesis." (The Approaching Advent of Christ, p. 146)

The foregoing rapture theory is plainly contradicted by the following Biblical facts.
1. The return of Christ will not be invisible. Rather, it will be visible universally. (a) In Matthew 24:15-22 Jesus described the conditions to be associated with the destruction of Jerusalem. In connection therewith, He warns that should anyone claim, "Lo, here is the Christ" it was not to be believed. "For as the lightning comes forth from the east, and is seen (from phaino, "to shine") even unto the west; so (houtos, "in this manner") shall be the coming (parousia) of the Son of Man." (v.27) (b) As those early disciples "beheld" (theaomai, "see, look at") would Christ's departure (Acts 1:11), so in like manner (tropos, "in the same way") would He come again. (c) The coming of the Lord will involve a revelation (apokalupsis, "to uncover") of His being (II Thessalonians 1:7). (d) At His coming Christ will be manifested (phaneroo). When this term is used in the passive voice, as in I John 2:28, it means to, "show or reveal oneself, be revealed, appear to someone" (Arndt & Gingrich, p. 860). (e) As Jesus was visible during His first "appearing" (epiphaneia) on earth (II Timothy 1:10) so will He be visible when He appears at His second coming (I Timothy 6:14; II Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13). (f) Of His coming it is said that Christ "shall appear (horao, "become visible") a SECOND time" (Hebrews 9:28). If Lindsey and his dispensational kin are correct, Christ will not appear until His THIRD coming!

2. Further, the Scriptures indicated that the advent of Christ will be accompanied by considerable audible phenomena. The Lord will descend from Heaven, "with a SHOUT, with the VOICE of the archangel and with the TRUMPET of God" (I Thessalonians 4:16). Someone has called this the nosiest verse in the Bible. Too, when Jesus comes again, "the heavens shall pass away with a GREAT NOISE" (II Peter 3:10) and that hardly accords with the notion that the second advent will be a silent, secret event!

3. Finally, the idea that only the righteous dead will be resurrected at the time of the rapture is totally false. First of all, the New Testament teaches that there will be a single resurrection consisting of both just and unjust (Acts 24:15), who will come forth in the same hour (John 4:28-29). Secondly, this resurrection will occur at "the last day" (John 6:54), which does not leave time for a seven year tribulation period, much less a millennium! Clearly, both the good and bad are rewarded at the time of Christ's coming (Matthew 25:31ff; II Thessalonians 1:7f). Truly, the rapture theory is a ruptured theory!

History of the Doctrine - The rapture idea has its roots in history, not in Scripture. The idea appears to be traceable to the old Irvine (pentecostal) movement of the early 1800's. A recent writer says, "The idea of a two stage coming of Christ first came to a Scottish lass, Miss Margaret Macdonald of Port Glasgow, Scotland while she was in a 'prophetic' trance" (Robert Brinsmead, Present Truth, Sept., 1974, p. 28). The author quotes from a book written by one Dr. Robert Norton, a member of the Irvinite group, and published in 1861. It reads:

"Marvellous light was shed upon Scripture, and especially on the doctrine of the second Advent, by the revived spirit of prophecy. In the following account by Miss M. M., of an evening during which the power of the Holy Ghost rested upon her for several successive hours, in mingled prophecy and vision, we have an instance. For here we first see the distinction between that final stage of the Lord's coming, when every eye shall see Him and His prior appearing in glory to them that look for Him" (The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets: In the Catholic Apostolic Church, p. 15).

The rapture theory thus rests upon the same sort of basis as Shakerism (founder Ann Lee had visions and claimed to communicate with the dead in 72 languages!), Seventh Day Adventism (Ellen White thought she took a trip to Heaven) and Christian Science (Mary Baker Eddy's revelations told her there is no death!). The dispensational dogma, with all its peculiar elements, including the rapture notion, is clearly at variance with much Bible teaching and honest students of the holy Word will reject it.