What is the "Rapture"?

Question

Due to some answers I've received from my last question,

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsDxJLpZg_Jz5XAj_Za5mVzsy6IX?qid=20060818152513AAXzN0U

I have realized that I must not know the meaning of "Rapture." I thought it simply meant being taken up into the air to be with Jesus. This seems to be supported by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Does "Rapture" mean something more than that?

I'll be taking a class on the theology of the end times starting tomorrow, but at this point, I know so little about this stuff, that I can't even decide who's answer is best here. I will put this to a vote! Thanks to all who answered.

Answer 1

“Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, ‘Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares?’ He said unto them, ‘An enemy hath done this.’ The servants said unto him, ‘Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.’’” (Matthew 13:24 – 29 KJV)

Now that is an interesting story, and it can be a little confusing; fortunately, because the disciples found this story a little confusing they also and asked Jesus to explain if further. Because our God is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), Jesus explained what this parable meant.

“Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, ‘Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.’ He answered and said unto them, ‘He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’” (Matthew 13:36 – 42 KJV)

A closer study of this parable would seem to completely disprove the theory of a secret rapture of the church. Let’s take a look at what Jesus had to say about the time of the end through this parable. There are two groups on the earth represented by the wheat (the good or the church) and the tares (the evil). The workers of the field (probably representing angels) are troubled by the tares that the evil one (the devil) has planted. They ask the farmer (Jesus) if they should gather the weeds now and purify the field (the world). The farmer (Jesus) said that it should not happen that way because some of the wheat may come up with the tares. He then declares, “Let both grow together until the harvest (the end of the world): and in the time of harvest (the end of the world) I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” I find it hard to be a proponent of a secret rapture for the church when Jesus said that both the good and the evil will grow together until the harvest (the end of the world). How can the church be raptured, leaving the evil on the earth, when Jesus said they will be together until the very end?

There is another issue raised by this parable. Many well intentioned Christians use the story in Matthew 24:40 & 41 and Luke 17:34 – 36 as key proof of a secret rapture for the church, but if we examine this story about the end times with the earlier story Jesus told about the end times in Matthew 13, we get a completely different picture from what most Christians interpret this story to mean. Let’s look at what Jesus said in these verses.

“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matthew 24:40 – 42 KJV)

“I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Luke 17:34 – 36 KJV)

Now I do not think that I am wrong in thinking that most Christians interpret these stories to mean that the man taken from the field, the woman that is taken while grinding, and the man taken in his sleep are the ones that belong to the group that is the church and are ruptured. This does not seem to be a plausible explanation however. Jesus gives an order for things to happen back in Matthew 13. “Gather ye together first the tares (the evil), and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat (the good or the church) into my barn.” Jesus clearly says that the evil will be gathered first. If we take this understanding and apply it to Matthew 24 and Luke 17, we get a very different understanding. The ones that are taken are not in the group we want to be in. The ones who are taken are the tares (the evil) that are being gathered to be burned, but the ones that are left are the wheat (the good) that are saved.

There is another metaphor that many well intentioned Christians use to support a secret rapture for the church; I feel that this too is an invalid interpretation of a story.

“But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:43 & 44 KJV)

“And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” (Luke 12:39 & 40 KJV)

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2 KJV)

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10 KJV)

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” (Revelation 16:15 KJV)

Here again, most Christians would attempt to say that this metaphor of a thief in the night is depicting a secret rapture for the church. I believe that most Christians have misinterpreted this too. First, Jesus explains what this metaphor means. He says that the meaning is not that the second coming is a secret but we do not know when it will occur. If we knew what day the Lord was to come, we would get ready the day before it, but since we do not know the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36), we must be ever ready! Just examine what Peter had to say of this metaphor in 2 Peter 3:10; he says that when the Lord comes as a thief,” the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therine shall be burned up.” Now I am not sure how all that could be kept a secret from anyone or how people would be able to live on the earth when it has passed away, burned up, and all the elements in it have melted.

Answer 2

End of the world, I believe...

According to this doctrine, when Christ returns, all of the elect who have died will be raised and transformed into a glorious state, along with the living elect, and then be caught up to be with Christ. The key text referring to the rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, which states, "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."

Virtually all Christians hold that the Second Coming will be preceded by a time of great trouble and persecution of God’s people (2 Thess. 2:1–4). This period is often called the tribulation. Until the nineteenth century, all Christians agreed that the rapture—though it was not called that at the time—would occur immediately before the Second Coming, at the close of the period of persecution. This position is today called the "post-tribulational" view because it says the rapture will come after the tribulation.

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MY opinion:

People have been proclaiming that they are living through the "end times" for waaaaay too long. There's always some unhygenic street-corner evangelist crackpot sputtering about how the world is going to end and that all the heathens better get the Lord harrassed into their unsaved souls.

It hasn't happened yet. The sky isn't falling. The oceans aren't boiling. Pigs are most definitely NOT sprouting wings and making like the birdies.

It's a scare tactic, a convenient freak- the- everliving- crap- out- of- folks magic wand that can be waved about in dramatic fashion any time the religious collective feels the soul harvest is running dry.

Trust me... go about your life. Ok, I'm sure you will anyhow considering your non-religious persuasion, but to the rest of you gullible dorks: STAY CALM. DON'T PANIC. REMEMBER YOUR TOWEL.

*bows*

Answer 3

In Mark 13 Jesus is with His disciples, speaking about the end times. In verse 10 it states “And the gospel must be first preached to all nations”, is this referring to the time before Christ comes at the Rapture, or is it referring to the time when Christ comes at the end of the Tribulation? As I read Mark 13, verses 11 -37 seem to indicate this would be during the tribulation period.
We always been taught that all the signs do not have to be fulfilled before the Rapture. If there weren't one sign we can still go to be with Jesus because all the signs could be fulfilled during the seven years and during that period of time we have 144,000 flaming evangelists, mentioned in Revelation 7:4-8 and they are preaching Matthew 24:14 the Gospel of the Kingdom, Gospel means Good News and it’s the Gospel that the King is coming and these messengers are circulating every part of the globe. Every person on earth will hear it. It doesn't have to happen now. It could happen after we’re gone during
those seven years.

If a day equals 1000 years and 1000 years equals a day, then since Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, does this have significance for His Second Coming?
Let's see some things that really do seem to have significance, first of all from Ha'aretz "Small Quake Hits Dead Sea; Experts: Big One On The Way." And from Templemount.org "Israeli President asks Vatican to Reveal List of Temple Treasures, Vessels and Judacia they Hold."
I guess they had some things right there in the Vatican that they would like to know about and they would like to have. First of all, the Rabbis said that there would only be seven days in world history because a day was like 1,000 years, Psalm 90:4, and it was patterned after creation. He created the world in six days, Genesis 1:31 and rested on the 7th day, Genesis 2:2. And since each day represents 1,000 years, and we Christians also set that according to II Peter 3:8, we then have four days of Old Testament time and three days of New Testament time for the total of 7000 years, So let's just deal with the three days of New Testament time.
Here is proof that this is correct, Hosea 6, verse 2. The Jews didn't have their own land for a couple thousand years and they say after two days, 2,000 years, He'll revive us - that happened in 1948, almost after 2,000 years, then on the third day which just started in the last number of months, He will raise us up that we may live in his sight, the Jews are raised in Daniel 12, when the Messiah comes and sets his foot upon the earth. Now here are two exciting signs that , They're expecting the greatest earthquake ever and it's right there at the Dead Sea fault and when Jesus Christ returns His Feet hit the Mount of Olives and it splits down the center and they say, we are waiting for that big one and that could be the return of Christ. But the most exciting thing, beyond that, is that the Jews are asking for all of the things the Vatican has from the old temples. Why? Because they have built the replica of the exact temple 269,000 square feet by the dead sea! And they are putting everything in it and getting all the Cohen's. For they are the Levites, they're prepared to do sacrifice so that when the real one is built, the one in which antichrist sits, 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and says he's god, Daniel 11:36, it will be ready. It's that close. Then Christ comes and sits in it permanently. Ezekiel 40 to 44.

The Jews taught the six-day theory that the world would go on for 6,000 years and Christ would return on the 7th day, or the final 1,000 years of Revelation 20:4, and they based it on Psalm 90:4, and the Christians on 2 Peter 3:8 where it says that a day is like 1,000 years and 1,000 years is like a day. Since God created the world in 6 days, Genesis 1:31, 6,000 years and then rested on the 7th day, 1,000 years, so will it be.
This is interesting and the king is coming in John 1:49, the wedding is on the third day, chapter 2, verse 1, and Christ becomes our groom and that, of course, is Revelation 19:7. Then the Jews, listen to what they have to say. After two days, 2,000 years, God will revive us as a nation. That happened in 1948, almost after 2,000 years. Then they add, and after the third day, he shall raise us up. That's when Christ returns to set up his kingdom on earth. So the three-day theory is the New Testament that's total 7 day Theory is Old and New combined.

Answer 4

That's pretty much it.

the bigger question should be asked, does 1 Thessalonians 4:17 refer to a "secret" rapture or a very loud and very visible rapture? You would need to read the preceding verses to get the complete picture. I would recommend some simple study guides that will explain in greater detail the Second Coming.

http://www.amazingfacts.org/items/study_guides.asp

Click on "The Ultimate Deliverance"

Answer 5

"Most of the current teachings regarding the secret rapture are based on what is called the “Gap Theory”, where 7 years of one of the time prophecies of the Old Testament is split off and placed at the end of time. I believe that splitting off the 7 years from the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel and placing it at the end of time is untenable. Never in Scripture does a specific number of time units (days, weeks, months, years) comprising a stretch of time mean anything but continuous or consecutive time units. The burden of proof is on those who claim that any part of any time prophecy should be detached and counted later.



The 70 week prophecy of Daniel was specifically pertaining to the Jews. To understand it correctly we must first realize that a day in prophetic time equals a year of real time. Actually, some of the clearest texts for the day-year principle are found in the New Testament. There is Luke 13:32: “And Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’” Also Luke 12:33 – “Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following’; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.” Jesus did not preach three more days after the death of John, but three more years, so this shows clearly the day-year principle. Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 are the texts from the Old Testament that illustrate this same point.



In Daniel 9:25-27, Gabriel trisected the 70 “week” prophecy into three unequal segments consisting of 7 weeks (49 years) 62 weeks (434 years) and 1 week (7 years). He subdivided the final week further into halves (3 ½ years each). Taking the beginning date as the autumn of 457 BC, the year of Artaxerxes decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, you add the 49 years to the 434 years which takes you to AD 27 which would have been the time for the baptism of Jesus. The text is saying that it would be after that date that Messiah would be cut off. He was crucified in the midst of the final week—in AD 31, and the last half of the week takes you down to the very end of the 70 weeks of years determined for the Jews which is the stoning of Stephen in AD 34. It was then that Stephen made an appeal to the Sanhedrin regarding the wrong they had committed in crucifying the Messiah, and they responded by stoning him to death, which cemented the Jewish rebellion against God. The rejection of Christ which was epitomized in the stoning of Stephen led directly to the proclamation of the gospel in the non-Jewish world. So, at this point the "70 weeks" time prophecy is ended, and from this point on the gospel began to be proclaimed widely to the Gentiles.



I hope this makes things a little clearer for you. You might also find it helpful to read our booklets about this in our free online library at our website at www.amazingfacts.org Click on http://www.amazingfacts.org/items/Read_Media.asp?ID=665 to read a booklet called "Secret Rapture" and on http://www.amazingfacts.org/items/Read_Media.asp?ID=617 to read "Anything but Secret".



God bless!



In His love,

Cyndee Holm

Bible Instructor



www.amazingfacts.org"

Answer 6

The rapture is when Jesus comes back to take all the faithful to heaven with him. While there is speculation as to how this happens, there is a Semi-fictional book series called the left behind series that explains it quite well.

Answer 7

Ever considering i became little and til at present i have continually talked about as my mum "Mummy" and my dad "Daddy". only because they by no ability spoke back to "mum"/"dad". and it truly is continually stuck, i assume. similar with my siblings, too. I swear each and every time my mom calls me at artwork, and that i answer asserting "hi, mummy", i'm getting the most strangest looks from my artwork colleagues. They continually locate that hilarious and oftentimes take the mic. and that i'll surely see why it truly is humorous lol yet, it truly is by no ability replaced, and that i doubt it truly is going to. moms and dads will continually be Mummy and Daddy. And extraordinarily because they received't respond to at least something else from their babies! : )

Answer 8

At the command of God the Father, the angels will be dispatched to earth to evacuate true and dedicated believers in Jesus. The angels will swoop down, and beam us up into their spaceships, then take us up to "heaven". or space, to either a great mother ship, or some pre-arranged holding facilities on some other planet.

Answer 9

All the saved people will be taken up before the apocolypse. I don't know where it is in the Book, but I have read where two men will be plowing a field, one will be taken the other left, two men shall be sleeping, one will be taken, and two left. I don't know if this helps you understand or not, but I pray that it does.

Answer 10

"The Rapture" is a New York based dance band.
http://www.myspace.com/therapture

Glad to be of service!!!