The Rapture

December 17, 2023

A common notion in the church today is a pre-tribulation rapture that will save God’s people from the Great Tribulation. There will be a rapture, but will it happen in the manner most people believe?

Origins
The pre-tribulation rapture is the product of a relatively new theological framework called futurism. The initial eschatology framework was introduced by a Catholic Jesuit theologian named Francisco Ribera in the late 1500s. Futurism was promoted by the Catholic Church in response to the protestant reformers’ letters identifying the papacy as the antichrist mentioned in the books of Daniel and Revelation. The futurism deception was created to protect the integrity of the Catholic Church and their leadership.
The rapture idea didn’t come until later in the 1830s and is a very new idea. There is much debate as far as where the idea originated from, but most historical research suggests that it came from a dream by a girl named Margaret MacDonald. John Nelson Darby later applied it to his theological framework called dispensationalism. In more recent times, the rapture idea became more popular after the Scofield Reference Bible was published in 1909 (revised 1967). Even more recent, the Left Behind movie was released in 2000, which also depicted a secret rapture before the Great Tribulation.

When does it happen?
Matthew chapter 24 explains the series of events leading up to the second coming of Christ in chronological order. Nowhere is a rapture of the church mentioned before or during the Great Tribulation (between verses 9 to 21). Jesus mentions to His disciples (which includes His disciples today) that “they shall deliver you up to be afflicted” (Matthew 24:9). Throughout Bible history, God’s people have always been saved through tribulation, not from it. Noah and his family were saved through the judgment by water (Genesis 7:7). They were not raptured from the floodwaters on earth. God saved Israel through the last seven plagues poured on Egypt (1 Samuel 10:18). Israel was not raptured from the plagues. The rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and takes place during the second coming of Christ (Matthew 24:29-31). Jesus will come “in a shout” and with the “voice of an archangel” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). Neither of these descriptions align with a “secret” rapture that is widely taught today.

Remaining alert
Walking with God and doing His will was never a popular practice in this world, even amongst those who professed to be His people. During Jesus’ ministry on earth, the religious leaders' attitude proved this to be true. It is no different today.
In the days of Noah, only eight individuals were saved before the judgement by water. Before the destruction of Sodom and Ghammora, only three were saved. Jesus explained “narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life” (Matthew 7:13-14). Very few people are saved, and you are saved by doing God’s will (Matthew 7:21-23). The popular rapture idea essentially teaches that Revelation chapters six to eighteen are not applicable to Christians, and it sets up everyone to be unprepared and lacking knowledge for the troubling times that are to come in the near future. Being a Christian requires a lot of diligence, and those who are not prepared will be deceived and left astray when the final events are rapidly fulfilled (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).