John Darby supposedly invented the rapture doctrine in 1830, but there is a problem with this assessment seemly how the scripture predicts this event. “For the Lord, Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1st Thessalonians 4:16–17). Either we can allow these verses to stand or we can explain them away.
In Matthew 25:1-10, Jesus give us, an account of the coming of the bridegroom to claim his bride, which is the church and this scenario, illustrates a type of rapture or being "caught up". It was not a call to the general populace; it was a call to a selected few. There were those that were ready and there were those who were not ready. "And while they went to buy, (or get ready) the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut." (Matthew 25:10) Now we need to remember that a marriage ceremony is a transforming event, "we become as one". Those that went in with him were transformed into Holy angels, given crown and ruled with him in Heaven for a thousand years.
Belief in the rapture tends to debunk the dying and going straight to heaven ideology that has become prevalent. Lack of belief allows us to shape the scripture. In today's society, our loved ones are usually in Heaven looking down on us long before the casket is in the ground. Even rock stars are called home early because they are needed to sing in the heavenly choir.
Matthew 25:31 begins with Christ returning with his Holy angels to establish his kingdom on earth. "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:" A detailed study of this event can be found in "The Five Judgments Part #4." Where is the throne of Glory? There are different thrones mention in the Holy Scripture. The Throne of Glory which is on Earth is the key to understanding this verse, it must not be confused with The Great White Throne which is in Heaven.
Some adherents believe this event is predicted and described in Paul's First Epistle to the Thessalonians in the Bible, where he uses the Greek "harpazo" (ἁρπάζω), meaning to snatch away or seize. Though it has been used differently in the past, the term is now used by certain believers to distinguish this particular event from the "Second Coming" of Jesus Christ to Earth mentioned in Second Thessalonians, Gospel of Matthew, First Corinthians, and Revelation. In the second coming of Christ, he returns with his Holy angels. The rapture is usually viewed as preceding the Second Coming and followed by a thousand year millennial kingdom. The error in this thesis occurs when we place the millennial kingdom here on earth before the tribulation.
Adherents of this perspective are sometimes referred to as premillennialist dispensationalists, but amongst them, there are differing viewpoints about the exact timing of the purported event. The reason for the lack of a Consensus is the desire to protect the church and its mission. If the church is still here on earth then 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17 has not been fulfilled, thus the event is still in the future. If this event is in the future then the fulfillment of the prophecies of Revelation also must be in the future. Thus the church, a divided body, all 30,000 different denominations is still a functioning entity.
The rapture of the church is the event in which God “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment or wrath to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period. The rapture is described primarily in 1st Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1st Corinthians 15:50–54. God will resurrect all believers who have died, give them glorified bodies, and take them from the earth, along with all living believers, who will also be given glorified bodies at that time. This will be the beginning of the tribulation. Salvation will still be available for those who live during the tribulation and wish to live forever and be ruled by Christ. Remember the huge number John saw that no man could number coming out of the tribulation.
The verse that set the timing of this and other controversial events is often overlooked because it places the modern day church with its grand edifices and rock-star preachers in an untenable position. In Revelation 1-3, after the church had digressed into a state of apostasy and suffered the indictment of Jesus, John vision, and the church ceased to exist on earth. "After this, I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne." (Revelation 4:1)
"And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." (Revelation 18:23)
"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." (Revelation 21:9)
The events outlined in Revelation 20 is not a new or continuation of the prophecy, it is a recap of all of the events that are set to take place at the end-time and in the order that they are to set to happen. Some believe this event took place before the church become polluted and divided, other believe the last days started sometime this century, most likely in 1947 AD when Israel became a nation and the Jews returned to their homeland, (Jeremiah 16, Jeremiah 23:7-8). Whether this is true or not the tribulation began with Satan being bound for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-2). During the tribulation, the church is safe in heaven ruling with Christ (Revelation 20:4). The binding of Satan is to give humanity a chance to mend its ways and turn to the one true God, but the antichrist spirit has infected the hearts of humanity and initiated a war against the Holy Spirit. The time of the Gentiles is upon us. "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison," (Revelation 20:7), and all of the forces of darkness will be unleashed for a short period, then there will be judgment.
The account of this judgment is in Revelation 20:11-15. It will take place at the close of the Millennium and before the "Great White Throne." The "Great White Throne" will not be on the earth, for the "Great White Throne Judgment" will take place during the renovation of the earth by fire. The "renovation" of this Earth is reserved or kept until the time of that judgment, which Peter calls "The Day of Judgment and Perdition of Ungodly Men" (2nd Peter 3:7), because the judgment of the "Great White Throne" is the judgment of the wicked dead.
All the Righteous dead will arise at the First Resurrection. If any Righteous die between the First Resurrection and the Resurrection of the "wicked" or Second Resurrection, they will rise with the wicked dead at that Resurrection and become a part of that great number seen by John. The words-- "Whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life" (vs. 15) imply that there will be "some," righteous at the second resurrection.
At the close of the Millennium and just before the renovation of the earth by fire, the living Righteous will be translated to a place of safety like in the days of Noah and the living Wicked or Ungodly will be destroyed in the flames that will consume the earth's atmosphere and an exterior surface.
This entire thesis has been leading up to a rhetorical question. Have you ever considered the possibility that the rapture has already taken place and we are enduring the tribulation? Numerous ancient societies or civilizations seem to have vanished, leaving behind only relics of their existence. Science attempt to explain these events is nothing but speculations and conjectures. The dark cloud that overshadowed the ancient cities of Africa, Egypt and even North America poses many unanswered questions. In America, names such as "Maya", "Aztec" and "Inca" immediately come to mind. In the Bible, it began with the Tower of Babel, a dispersal implemented by God that left behind the remains of a lost civilization. Is there something that connects these sites - a hidden key that will disclose the riddles of our past? Did God call his children home leaving those left behind to wander in darkness?
Continues in Part #5
The End Of Days
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