Why do people keep acting like the idea of the rapture was invented in the 19th century?

Question

Perhaps the WORD Rapture was not used until then to refer to the phenomenon, but the idea seems clearly there in the Bible, in I Thessalonians 4:16-17:

"For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever."

Answer 1

I don't know. You quoted the right verse and if that isn't obvious, I don't know what is. It's actually just ignorance. The word raptous was in the Vulgate (not sure if I spelled it correctly), that is where we got the word "rapture". It was translated into the Greek "harpazo", meaning a catching up.

I don't understand why so many people are afraid of it being true.

Answer 2

Because there are other ways to interpret the above verses besides a straight literal interpretation that are possible as well. For example when His Holiness the Christ said:

"And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven."
King James Bible, John 3:13

When did Christ come down from heaven - He was born here on earth? How could Christ, talking to those around Him, be in heaven as He was speaking? This verse suggest that when "heaven" is mentioned that it does not necessarily mean the sky above us but could mean a spiritual place that we can not perceive while on this earth.

In short, 1 Thessalonians leads to the conclusion of a Rapture only if one decides to interpret the verse that way - based on other Biblical verses there are many other ways of looking at the same verse as well.

Answer 3

The note "Rapture" isn't discovered in the Bible. there is also no unmarried note used through the biblical authors to describe the prophetic elements which contain the doctrine. Its formula has ensue through technique of induction. particular biblical passages on the concern of the 2d coming (and the region that Christians will play in that journey) were inductively mixed at the same time to be certain the training. the well-known expression "Rapture" develop into then invented to describe the finest training and the time period matches the concern properly. the standard tenets of the doctrine are uninvolved. in simple terms positioned, it purports that Christ will come again to this earth in 2 stages. he will first go back invisibly to rapture His church faraway from this international so that they could get away (or in part get away the prophetical tribulation to ensue close to the right of the age, then later Christ will go back in a visual creation to dispense His wrath on the international's international locations. that is the overall training.

Answer 4

Remember Jesus said unless you are born again you are not going to understand spiritual things,that is why our lord Jesus Christ also said my sheep know my voice and no other voice will they answer,and so that is why people keep saying that the rapture was invented,because even though Jesus is speaking right now through his holy word saying that the rapture is true and that it is going to happen,they do not recognize his voice of truth,because they are not his sheep.

Answer 5

You are apparently a millenialist - a person who believes the end of the world as we know it is near. There have been millenialists since Jesus walked on earth. His disciples were millenialists. because they thought Jesus was coming back during their lifetime. Millenialists have cropped up through the ages, and not just in the 19th ce as you mention regarding the rapture. Please try to remember that Jesus said we would not know the hour, and it would come like a thief in the night. To presume to know when the rapture will come is pure hubris.

Answer 6

The main opposition to the rapture is that it contradicts what is in the Bible.

“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 7

For some weird reason,people say "Oh,your just looking for an easy way out,aren't you?"
To which I say"Uhhh,yeah, if that's what the Lord provides ,I'll pass on the decapitation thank you very much."
Not only is your passage correct,but the Bible says "We are (Christians)not appointed unto wrath"....This is a fundamental belief not some nonsense.Peter said "Look up for your salvation is near"

Answer 8

Sounds like reading what you want into it to me. Nobody read "rapture" into the Bible until the 19th century.

It seems simple enough.

Answer 9

the 'RAPTURE THEORY' is about 130 years old


actually harpazo 'catching up' was translated into vulgate raptuos and hence the word rapture

Answer 10

Because I've studied the concept and it was clearly invented for a puritanical movement. Jesus would save all souls, not just those who loved him.