What Is The Rapture?

This is a study on the doctrine of the Rapture. I've broken down the study into what I hope are manageable bites. There's a lot here, so take a topic from the list posted at the right and digest it before coming back for another topic. It's too much study for a one-time read. This is a study on the doctrine of the Rapture. I've broken down the study into what I hope are manageable bites. There's a lot here, so take a topic from the list posted at the right and digest it before coming back for another topic. It's too much study for a one-time read.

Some basics: 

What IS the Rapture? 
The Bible tells us that before the great Tribulation comes upon the earth, the Lord will remove his believers from the earth.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
Thessalonians 4:16-18

The source of the word "Rapture" 
In the Greek translation of the Bible, the words "caught up" are the word "harpazo," which means to sieze, catch away, pluck, pull, take by force.

When the Bible was translated into Latin in the 4th century, the Latin word used for "caught up" is raptere, "to seize, snatch, tear away." It's from "raptere" that we get the term "Rapture."

Whom Is He Coming For? 
An ominous warning here. Not everyone is taken, as is gleaned from the parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins. That's another study. The point here is this: he's coming for those who are eagerly watching for him. More often, conversation is about who the Antichrist might be. Jesus is coming for those who are eagerly waiting for HIM, not for the Antichrist.
"To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." Hebrews 9:28

As Christians we are not to look for the Tribulation, or for the Antichrist, but for "His Son from heaven who has delivered us from the wrath to come."
Ist Thessalonians 1:10

Jesus is the pattern 
As it happened to Jesus, so will it happen to us. Those who have been conformed to his death, will also be conformed to His resurrection. Jesus is the pattern. We were shown a picture of the Rapture at the Rapture of Jesus. Are you surprised to hear that Jesus was Raptured?
"And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.''' Acts 1:10-11

More: on the right side panel, at the top

The 70th Week of Daniel

What Does The Bible Mean By "Week?"

Daniel 9:24-27

"Seventy weeks are determined upon your people..."
In the Hebrew, a "shavua" (translated "week") is a period of seven in the sense that a decade in English is a period of ten.

Seventy periods of seven equals 490 years. All but the last seven have been fulfilled, and that last period of seven is what is referred to as "Daniel's 70th week." It's a period of seven years determined upon Israel that is yet to take place before the end of the age. The purpose of it is judgment of the world, while Israel is protected and brought through to redemption.

The 70th Week Is Appointed Upon Israel, NOT upon the church.
Daniel 9:24 indicates that all 70 weeks are specifically determined upon Israel.
"...are determined upon your people and your holy city…."

It's determined "upon THY people," which is the Jews.
It's determined "upon THY holy city," which is Jerusalem.

It is not two half-weeks that are "determined" upon Israel and Jerusalem, but one period of 7 years.

The events of the period revolve around Israel, The Temple, Jerusalem, the Two Witnesses, and the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel ...not Upon the Church.
The church was not present during the first 69 weeks, and is not present in the last week.

During the Tribulation period described in the Book of Revelation chapters 6 through 19, the church is not named once. This is all the more noticeable since the word is used repeatedly in the first three chapters, where Christ is seen walking among the churches, and then sending messages to seven specific churches.

The church age began suddenly and unexpectedly on Pentecost, and ends suddenly and unexpectedly, before the events of the 70th week begin.

Not Post-Trib
The post-tribulation view requires that the church be present during the 70th week of Daniel , even though it was absent from the first 69, which is conspicuously inconsistent.

Not Pre-Wrath
The pre-wrath view requires the church to be present during the first part of the 70th week, which indicates a misunderstanding of the purpose and continuity of the 70 weeks. It also suggests that the first half of the week will be relatively calm. No, as soon as "the Lamb" opens the seals (Revelation 6) it begins the wrath of God, and is anything but calm.

The text: Daniel, chapter 9:24-27
24: Seventy weeks are determined upon your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

25: Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.

26: And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; the end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.

27: Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering; and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.

The Church Conspicuously Missing

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.'' Revelation 4:1

The Church Conspicuously Missing After Revelation Chapter 3

The church is mentioned repeatedly in the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation, where Christ is seen walking among the churches, and sending messages to seven churches.

But from chapter 4:2 on, "after those things," the church is not named once throughout the entire account of the Tribulation period.

From the moment John is told to "Come up here," for the remainder of the vision he is in the presence of the Lord, looking down on the dreadful events of the Tribulation on the earth. He is seeing it from heaven.

It is significant in the fact that John is told to "Come up here."
The very same words are spoken to the two witnesses before they too are raptured:
And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here.'' And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. " (Revelation 11:12).

The Church age began suddenly and unexpectedly on Pentecost.
It will also end suddenly and unexpectedly.
The is the "mystery" Paul was speaking of, the church age, something not revealed in the Old Testament and something not present when Daniel's "70th week" begins again.

There are two peoples of God, Israel and the church.
Two covenants.
Two programs.
Two "times."

In the 70th week, God is dealing with Israel and judging the world.

What Is The Trump of God?

Shall the Bridegroom come for his Bride with a trump of JUDGMENT???
Of course not!

There is more than one kind of Trumpets.
The Trumps of the Tribulation are the trumps of angels delivering the JUDGMENTS of God's WRATH.

The Rapture takes place not with the trumpet of angels but with the "Trumpet of GOD."

Let us not confuse the "Trumpet of God" with the temple trumpets or the shofar. Remember that those trumpets continue during the Millennium, so none of them are "the last trump" anyway.

The silver trumpet
Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the assembly and for directing the movement of the camps.
Numbers 10:2

The shofar or ram's horn
Rosh HaShanah is the day of "the blowing of the trumpets."
According to the Mishnah, the trumpet used for this purpose is the ram's horn not the silver trumpets mentioned in Numbers 10.

There are two FUNCTIONS of Trumpets:
1. the Trumpet call to war
2. the Trumpet call to assembly

The seven trumps of the Book of Revelation are trumps of war, trumpets of judgment.
The trumpet of the seventh angel in Rev. 10:7 is straightforwardly presented as the last of seven trumpets of angels blown in a sequence as God releases His WRATH upon a Christ-rejecting world.

The trump of Corinthians is not a trump of judgment;
it is not a trump of angels;
it is the Trump of God;
a trump of assembly.

When Jesus comes with the Trump of God, it is the call to assembly.

Paul mentions the "Trumpet of God" in connection with the rapture.
It is interesting that this term appears only twice in the Bible:
at the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai at Pentecost;
and at the Rapture.

When Jesus comes, it's with the "Trump of God." He's coming to assemble the Church, not poor judgment on her.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the Trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53

Who Is The Restrainer?

Who is NOT "the restrainer?"

It is not the Holy Spirit.
We know that no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:3)
If the Holy Spirit were taken out of the way, no one would be saved from that point on.
We know there will be multitudes of people saved during the Tribulation, so the Holy Spirit is on the earth then.
The Holy Spirit is NOT the restrainer referred to in this passage.

Then who is taken out of the way?
Who is hindering the mystery of iniquity?

Who IS the restrainer?

The one restraining iniquity is the Body of Christ on earth.

The Body of Christ is the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
The Body of Christ is to occupy until Jesus comes.
The Body of Christ is hindering the working of iniquity.
If the Body of Christ weren't here, the whole world would be gay and killing babies, and all wickedness would have free reign without any restraint whatsoever.

It is the Church, the Body of Christ, who is testifying to the lost and inviting them to come to the Lord. And it is the Church who will be taken out of the way.

And THEN that lawless one will be revealed and will take over, when there isn't a single righteous person to restrain him. In fact, those who are left behind will welcome him.
"I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive." John 5:43

The text: 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-8
3. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4. who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
7. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

Resurrection Comes Before The Judgments - Isaiah 26

There is a reference to the Rapture in the Old Testament. This passage in Isaiah clearly shows that the Rapture will take place BEFORE the judgments begin:

First the resurrection:
"Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead."

Then a hiding away:
"Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past."

Then the judgments:
"For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain."

Isaiah 26:19-21

Are Pre-Trib Rapture Believers Escapists?

Believers who await a pre-trip Rapture are criticized for taking an "escapist" view. "Why," critics say, "should we get the easy way out when so many others are suffering all over the world?"

Why? Because Jesus TOLD us to ask for it!
"Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to ESCAPE all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.'' Luke 21:36

This is something he counsels us to do, it's not a suggestion.

Those who are taken in the Rapture are not taken on the basis of how much they have suffered. They are taken on the basis of the church age being closed. The Rapture takes place independently of what any believers have or have not suffered.

Believers down through the ages have encountered the full spectrum of human experience, from the terrible sufferings of those who died of torture, all the way to the opposite scenario such as the sheltered woman who never knew much of any suffering in this life and dies a peaceful death. At times, babies or children are taken without having gone through suffering.

Suffering is not the issue. We're not going to be kept here during the Tribulation because of others who suffered terribly before.

There is a time set, period. Before the last week of Daniel which is determined upon Israel, and when the church age ends, Jesus will come for his believers.

Jesus told believers to ASK for this "escape," to pray for it.

It bears repeating:
"Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.''
Luke 21:36

Enoch - A Type

"And Enoch walked with God: and was not; for God TOOK him."
Gen. 5:24

Enoch, a gentile, was a type of the Rapture.
He is said to have been born and raptured on the date Sivan 6.

In "The Legends of the Jews," H. L Ginzberg wrote that according to Israel's oral tradition, Enoch was raptured--taken to heaven --on the very day of Pentecost.

In Talmudic tradition, not only was Enoch raptured on Pentecost, he was also born on Pentecost.

The church was born on Pentecost.