Rapture... Are you pre/mid/post or not agree at all with the rapture?

Question

From what I've read there doesn't seem to be any biblical truth to the rapture but the jury is still out on this one. Please back your position with scripture.

Answer 1

There has been a lot of talk lately about when the "rapture" will happen, or what part of the "rapture" are we in. Personally I really don't believe in the whole "rapture" thing - at least not in the way people like my sister do, so let us take a look at the rapture from a Catholic point of view.

In the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians, Sacred Scripture tells us about the rapture:

For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. (1 Thess 4:15-17, RSV)

The phrase “shall be caught up together,” in the Latin is “simul rapiemur.” The word 'rapture' comes from the Latin of this passage. The verb 'rapio' refers to carrying something away quickly. Since this passage is a part of Sacred Scripture, the idea of a rapture cannot be dismissed as being non-existent. However, the exact meaning of this passage and of “shall be caught up together ... to meet the Lord in the air” must be carefully considered.

There is a widespread idea among Protestants that the rapture is an event whereby God takes a select group of faithful Christians out of the world before the tribulation. This idea of the rapture is incorrect and contradicts Sacred Scripture. Saint Paul states that “the dead in Christ will rise first,” and that those “who are left ... shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.” Since the dead rise first, the rapture occurs at the time of the Resurrection. And since those who are left do not precede the dead who rise, the rapture cannot occur before the tribulation, nor anytime before the Resurrection.

Saint Paul clearly indicates that he is referring to the Return of Christ: “we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord....” Therefore, the rapture does not occur before the tribulation, nor anytime before the Return of Christ. Certainly and without any doubt, Christ will return twice: first at the end of the Antichrist's reign, and second, many centuries later, for the general Resurrection. Now, to a certain extent, this passage refers to both the first and second Return of Christ. Therefore, the rapture occurs twice: first, at the end of the Antichrist's reign, and second, many centuries later at the time of the general Resurrection.

Christ will return at the end of the Antichrist's reign of nearly seven years, which is the last week of years of Daniel's seventy weeks of years. This first Return of Christ soon ushers in a time of deep peace and profound holiness over all the earth, a time called the Millennium of Peace and Holiness. Concerning this time period, the Book of Revelation says:

Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. (Rev 20:4-6, RSV).

This passage refers to the dead who were killed during the reign of the Antichrist because of their faithfulness to Jesus and to Sacred Scripture (which will be outlawed at that time). But what about those who are still alive, who were persecuted but not killed? Such as these will receive the same benefits as those who died and who are given the gift of the first resurrection. These receive the same benefits of the first resurrection, without dying and rising. They will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. This is the first rapture. It is only for a select few who remain faithful to God during the Antichrist's reign and who survive.

After the first Return of Christ, He punishes the wicked, establishes His kingdom on earth, and then He ascends to Heaven (Second Ascension). Next He sends out the Holy Spirit in the Second Pentecost, which occurs worldwide. After this, there will be a long time of over a thousand years of true peace and holiness over the whole world. Christianity will be the only religion on earth. Those risen from the dead in the first resurrection will not die. Only holy and devout persons will be leaders of the Church and the world.

This passage (Rev 20:4-6) also refers to the time of the general Resurrection, which occurs many centuries after Christ's first Return, and at the end of a long period of peace and holiness on earth. At the general Resurrection, the souls from Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell each rise from the dead and receive resurrected bodies. The faithful from Heaven and Purgatory receive glorious bodies like the glorified bodies of Jesus and Mary. Whereas the wicked from Hell receive horrible bodies befitting the horrific sins from which they never repented. And, at that time, those faithful who are still alive on earth do not die and immediately rise. Instead they receive the benefits of the Resurrection without ever having died. They will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. This is the second rapture. It is for all those very many faithful Christians who will still be alive at the time of the general Resurrection. They, along with the resurrected faithful, will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

In summary, the rapture is not an event whereby the faithful are removed from the world before a time of suffering. As Christ suffered, so also must the Church suffer. Truly, there will be a rapture, for Sacred Scripture describes it. But the true meaning of the rapture is a sharing in the Resurrection (the first resurrection and, later, the general Resurrection) for those faithful who are still alive on earth in each of those times.

Answer 2

Many Christians who do not agree that there will be a pre-tribulation rapture of the Church point out that it is a relatively new doctrine, first popularized in the 1800s and elaborated on subsequently. There are whole denominations that reject it for this reason. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox do not accept it either, as such a thing as "rapture" was never taught by any of their bishops, from the beginning. Instead of "being taken up into Heaven", these churches follow the scriptures (such as Isaiah) clearly describing a physical Kingdom of Heaven that will be on a renewed Earth, following the Great Tribulation, the Resurrection of the Dead, and Judgment Day. For all practical purposes no Christians held to the pre-tribulation rapture theory before Darby in the 1820s.

Answer 3

Integral in the doctrine of the rapture is the saved will be taken away and then a tribulation will occur with the ultimate victory of Jesus over Satan. At that time Jesus will return TO THE EARTH to reign for a thousand years. Scripture says that Jesus will return ONCE "in the air" and His followers both dead and alive "will rise to meet Him."

I think where many get this wrong is they do not understand that the tribulation and the battle of armageddon is being played out right now as we speak and has been since Jesus ascended to heaven after His ressurrection. Just turn on the tv and you can easily see the forces of good aligned against the forces of evil and doing battle daily all across the world.

When Jesus returns ONCE He will demonstrate His victory over satan and all His followers will rise to meet Him in the air. The earth and all its works will then be burned up and cease to exist. It's kinda tough to reign a thousand years on an earth that ain't gonna be there.

Answer 4

I could only hope for all the Christians to be "raptured" away. I personally feel the people who believe this have actually been tagged by aliens (the mark of the beast?) with a chip that influences them to think this way. Some day they will come and pick up the tagged people who are still living (maybe even the dead ones, too) and take them to the planet Crouton high in the heavens for experimentation or something equally fascinating and science fiction-like.

This silliness requires no scriptural support.

Answer 5

There are many scriptures that back up the pre-rapture...God made a promise that those who love and fear Him, He will spare....

Spare us from what? His wrath to come on this world which will happen during the Great Tribulation period (discussed in the book of Revelations)
Malachi 3:16-18

God will deliver His remnant (those who are really serving Him) from the His Wrath to come the same why He delivered Noah from the flood, the same way He delivered Enoch & Elijah(or Elisha - I can't remember). That's what He promised.

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Eph 5:6

and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thes 1:10

For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
Rev 6:17
1 Thes 4:13-18

Those that are truly serving God with fear(reverance),faithful to the kingdom of God, having a pure heart and are in the Will of God for their lives, sharing the Gospel of Christ (doing what they have been commisioned to do) dying to their ownselves, these are Remnant of belivers that will be going up in the Rapture(or the catching away of the sainst). Those Christians who never grow, or practice walking/living the Word of God, don't have a relationship with God and are not Faithful to Him and His Kingdom, those are the ones that will be left behind going into the Great Tribulation. And they will be tested to see if they're Faith in genuine by willing to Die for Him, b/c all who confess Him must die for Him, because the anti-christ will command it to happen.
It's already written....

So why not us Christian get it right the first time around?

Answer 6

What this rapture idea really is is nothing but escapism! People (Christians to be more specific) do not want to be responcibile for anything they do. This is why they like the idea of just repent to a God and poof any bad thing you did is wiped out! The olast thing any of these people want is to have to deal with the consequences of their actions! This relates to the rapture because everything that we experience in this world is the direct result of human actions!
There is not ONE case of a single event that occured in history that humans had no part in! We bring about everything that we experience! This is reality not religious fantasy!

As for where the bible says there is no rapture try 1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump WHAT DOES THE WORD LAST MEAN????? Does this mean any stupid moment????
Or 2 Thessalonians 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders WHAT DOES THE WORD AFTER MEAN?????
Does this mean any stupid moment????

Keep in mind all this bible crap is the fantasies of men!! It is not as if there is any evidance to support the idea that there even is a God!

Answer 7

Um, I would call you human. Jesus says that the soul is strong but the flesh is weak. everyone constantly screws up and sins everyday, i mean geezz, if only perfect ppl went to heaven i doubt we would even know the raptue had happened! you dont have to suffer the consequences because jesus did that for you! he already died so you dont have to. If Every fiber in your being loves jesus christ and you know God has forgiven you, I will see you in heaven =) seriously everyone goes through this period of questioning how where actions will send them And i really believe that its Gods way of keeping us in check. I would rather feel a littel uncertain when i sin, than just sin all the time and not give a crap you know? Don't worry, just run to God even more through this time, he's always there. =) Good luck and God bless

Answer 8

But I would not have you to be ignorant,brethren,concering them which are asleep,that you sorrow not,even as others which have no hope.For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,even so them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.For the Lord himself shall decend from heaven with a shout,with the voice of the archangel,andwith the trump of God;and the dead in Christ shall rise first;Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with the them in the clouds,to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.(1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)

Answer 9

There is no reference at all in the Bible. Good catch. The concept of a rapture is but a few centuries old. It was an excellent fund raising method.