If you don't think the "Rapture" is mentioned in the Bible....?

Question

Even though the "Rapture" isn't called by that name in the Bible, it is mentioned. I asked a question recently and was told that the Bible never says anything about it. If you believe that to be true, explain to me Matthew 24:36-43.

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

I'm not trying to force anyone to believe anything. That's between you and God. But it is written in the Bible.

Answer 1

It is written, my friend, and even more clearly than what you mention.

1Co 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Dead saints go first, we follow close on their heels! Twinkling of an eye is instantaneous. There will be a rapture, and since the Bible says we're not the children of wrath, no tribulation for saints either!

Answer 2

John 6:40 speaks of those who will be raised up on the last day. Clearly, the scripture you use refers to the resurrection of the human race, as does John. Yet the is an inference that some shall be left behind. This has sparked a huge theology and dogma concerning the so called rapture.
No one can adequately explain something that is not expressly stated in the Bible. It doesn't work that way.
But, the "rapture theology" is accurate in that it infers that:
1) There is a last day
2) Jesus will return for his own
3) Some will just not "cut the mustard" so to speak and be left
4) The Bible is very clear about the judgment of the world, when ALL MEN will be gathered before the throne of God and bend the knee, strongly implied is the idea that everyone who ever lived will be there.

As to the day and the hour thing, this is also true. And yet there is much confusion on this.
What was it Second Thessalonians explicitly states that that hour will not happen until that son of perdition, the last great fake Messiah, will appear in the temple of God...which existed at the time Paul wrote those words, was destroyed to this day, but with that mighty sign, the return of a united state of Israel, this is soon to happen.

Answer 3

Yes, but read it more carefully.

"and did not know until the flood came and TOOK them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."

"Then two men will be in the field: one will be TAKEN and the other left."

" Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be TAKEN and the other left."

Refer back to the first quote above about Noah. Where were they "taken"? They were taken IN DEATH. Those who are "taken" are the ones who are killed, the unsaved. The ones who are "left" are the saved.

Another evidence against a "silent rapture" is in 1Thessalonians 4:16 - "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 - Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. "

As you can see, this will be a highly visible event, and very noisy. It is at this time that God's people will be "raptured" up to meet Him in the air, in the sight of everyone. The unsaved will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming. They will not continue to live on the Earth after Christ has returned. Ministries that teach that the unsaved will have a second chance after Christ returns are teaching a very dangerous doctrine.

Answer 4

Ah, but think about the actual analogy he used! Who was it that was taken away by the flood...was it the righteous...NO, it was the ones that did NOT believe in God that were taken away by the flood! The only people "left behind" by the flood were Noah and his family...the only people that were following God!

Personally, I think that people who choose to believe in the "rapture" as it is commonly taught, could be in for a HUGE shock if and when it happens. I'm not saying I don't think it could happen, but I'm not going to put my faith in the timing or the nature of it based on man's interpretations of the bible. Instead, I'll follow Jesus' instructions to be ready for whatever happens whenever it happens!

Answer 5

Good question but which verses in the Bible are talking about the Second Coming and the Rapture two different events not the same event that people think....this is where some get confused my friend....and the real questions really begin....

Answer 6

Thanks for writing. The "rapture" is a future event. The word is derived from the word used in the Latin translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for believers being "caught up" in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air when he returns on the Last Day. On the Last Day all believers, including those who have died prior to the Last Day, will be "raptured" (caught up) and brought into the Lord's glorious presence to live together forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is sufficient biblical support for this truth.

The many debates that take place concerning the rapture invariably stem from false ideas of millennialists and dispensationalists who separate the rapture from the Last Day and speak of the event as one that takes place at a different time. But no one who bases their theology on the Bible denies that there will be a "rapture."

For the most part, however, it may useful to focus on the following points when responding to the more popular and sensationalistic advocates of millennialism and rapture theology like Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey:

1. The false teachings on the rapture require more than one return of Christ, more than one bodily resurrection, and more than one judgment in the future (and an additional one in the case of pretribulationist thought). This is contrary to John 5:28-29, Matthew 25:31ff., and many other places where these events are identified as happening onetime, not multiple times.

2. The false rapture theories ultimately make the Last Day known, which is again a concept contrary to Scripture (Mt. 24:36ff.) Depending on the preferred placement of the rapture in relation to a seven-year period of great tribulation, the Last Day would follow 1,007, 1,003.5 or 1,000 after the rapture.

3. False rapture ideas, particularly of premillennialism, are usually inseparable from forms of dispensationalism that maintain wrong distinctions between "Israel" and "the Church" regarding how God desires to work among them for salvation purposes.

4. False rapture ideas require a secret or unrecognized coming or return of Christ, which is a concept contrary to Acts 1:11 and parallel verses that describe his return as visible and obvious to all mankind. Even 1 Thessalonians 4, from which (through the Vulgate) the term "rapture" is derived (1 Th. 4:17) says the event is accompanied by loud command, voice of archangel, and trumpet (v. 16).

5. Millennialism in general and false rapture ideas share the weakness of leading people to become preoccupied with literalistic (as opposed to literal) views of Bible texts. Too often people are led to a preoccupation with end times at the expense of gospel work at the present. The tendency is to try to scare people into God's kingdom with a law-oriented warning rather than to win them through the gospel

Answer 7

What is your question. If this is a Bible lesson ,very good. The word Rapture was given to this occurrence by man and nowhere in the Bible is this word mentioned. But this occurance is mentioned several times in different books of the KJV of the Bible. I perfer to call it the coming of christ, but you call it what you will.

Answer 8

This rapture has been concocted by the Christians as a bait like holy trinity doesn't exists anywhere in bible as word trinity where it was coined as Trinity verse !John5-7 has been taken away in RSV version of Bible. The Holy Quran has this term, ""They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three In a Trinity: for there is no God except one God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them." Holy Qur'an 5:76. "

Isn't very amazing those who believe in trinity don't have in their book HOLY bible, where as those who don't believe have it in their holy book AL Quran,

Answer 9

The world will not know but his children have been given signs to look for. We will know when the end is approaching..I know Jesus is coming for his children, but it is not going to be a secret first coming and catching away...every eye will see him when he returns,,,at the last trumpet.....see this verse:

When Jesus returns at the seventh trump the people alive on earth at that time will be changed into their spiritual bodies in the twinkling of an eye.

I Corinthians 15:52-53
V52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
V53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Answer 10

Matthew 24 is not talking about the rapture. There are plenty of proof texts that do, but this is not one of them. Jesus was talking to a Jewish audience about the end times. The Jews had no concept of a Church or Gentiles being part of the Church. Why would He tell them about things they no nothing about and is not relevant to them?