End Times

[PunnyProtestant]

2 questions:
I know Catholics don’t believe in the rapture but:
Where did the Protestant get idea of the rapture come from? (show me a verse)

And what is tribulation, and is it mentioned in the bible?

 

[CatholicZ09]

One verse where Protestants get the idea of the rapture:

“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 Thessalonians 4:16-17

The tribulation is the period of persecution of Christians signaling the end times.

There’s a tract from catholic.com that goes into detail about the rapture and tribulation. You can read it here: catholic.com/library/Rapture.asp

 

[po18guy]

2 questions:
I know Catholics don’t believe in the rapture but:
Where did the Protestant get idea of the rapture come from? (show me a verse)

There isn’t one. There is, however, a name, date and place. Here is a link to an article of unknown reliability regarding the origin of the rapture teaching: angelfire.com/mi/Malkaynu/rapture.html

As to the “secret rapture”, it is 100% non-biblical, and an invention of man. Our Lord’s own words in Matthew 24:26-27 explain how His return will be visible to all. Jesus’ return will be exactly as was His ascension, visible to the entire earth, and not secret. The two men in white said this to the Apostles at Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:10-11).

And what is tribulation, and is it mentioned in the bible?

The King James Bible, the more-or-less default protestant bible, uses the term “tribulation” 25 times. It is used to varying degrees in other translations. It is a time of great testing and suffering.

 

[fermat]

I would recommend a talk by John Martignoni called, ‘The Ratpture and the Bible’. You can get a free download here.

It directly answers these questions.

 

[bauerice]

The Rapture Trap by Paul Thigpen is actually the book that sealed my decision to become RC. It is well written a does an excellent job of explaning the second coming.

 

[scottm]

2 questions:
I know Catholics don’t believe in the rapture but:
Where did the Protestant get idea of the rapture come from? (show me a verse)

And what is tribulation, and is it mentioned in the bible?

The clearest verse on the rapture is that 1 Thes verse ZO9 quoted, and yes Catholics would accept it but not necessarily in the same context that Protestants would accept it. Different Protestant groups take different interpretations of when and under what conditions that rapture will occur.

The “tribulation” is a specific period of seven years during which the Devil runs the world through his Anti-Christ (a specific individual) and the Anti-Christ’s henchman, the Beast. This is not a Catholic idea, nor it is held by all Protestant denominations. That the tribulation is seven years in duration, and that one man will be in charge, comes from the last few verses of Daniel chapter 9. That he has a right-hand man working for him comes from Revelation 13.

Daniel 9, Matt 24 (and its parallel account in Mark), the Seven Seals of Revelation, numerous OT prophet verses about “the Day of the Lord,” and some more that I’m forgetting by citation, are all deemed to be speaking about the same global upheaval that is termed the “tribulation.” To get there one must apply a hermeneutic different from that which Catholics and Orthodox have always used, and different even than what Martin Luther used.

 

[Ron_Conte]

2 questions:
I know Catholics don’t believe in the rapture but:
Where did the Protestant get idea of the rapture come from? (show me a verse)

And what is tribulation, and is it mentioned in the bible?

The term ‘rapture’ is derived from a Latin verb in the Bible, in 1 Thess (rapiemur)

{4:15} Hoc enim vobis dicimus in Verbo Domini, quia nos, qui vivimus, qui residui sumus in adventum Domini, non præveniemus eos, qui dormierunt.
{4:15} For we say this to you, in the Word of the Lord: that we who are alive, who remain until the return of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

{4:16} Quoniam ipse Dominus in iussu, et in voce Archangeli, et in tuba Dei descendet de cælo: et mortui, qui in Christo sunt, resurgent primi.
{4:16} For the Lord himself, with a command and with the voice of an Archangel and with a trumpet of God, shall descend from heaven. And the dead, who are in Christ, shall rise up first.

{4:17} Deinde nos, qui vivimus, qui relinquimur, simul **rapiemur **cum illis in nubibus obviam Christo in aera, et sic semper cum Domino erimus.
{4:17} Next, we who are alive, who are remaining, shall be taken up quickly together with them into the clouds to meet Christ in the air. And in this way, we shall be with the Lord always.

But this passage clearly refers to the Return of the Lord, and the event termed the rapture occurs after “the dead, who are in Christ, shall rise up first.” So the interpretation that the rapture is an event prior to the tribulation is untenable.

 

[Church_Militant]

2 questions:
I know Catholics don’t believe in the rapture but:
Where did the Protestant get idea of the rapture come from? (show me a verse)

And what is tribulation, and is it mentioned in the bible?

This might help some. I wrote it for my blog.
The Rapture?

The tribulation? The Catechism states.

2642

The *Revelation *of “what must soon take place,” the Apocalypse, is borne along by the songs of the heavenly liturgy127 but also by the intercession of the “witnesses” (martyrs).128 The prophets and the saints, all those who were slain on earth for their witness to Jesus, the vast throng of those who, having come through the great tribulation, have gone before us into the Kingdom, all sing the praise and glory of him who sits on the throne, and of the Lamb.129 In communion with them, the Church on earth also sings these songs with faith in the midst of trial. By means of petition and intercession, faith hopes against all hope and gives thanks to the “Father of lights,” from whom “every perfect gift” comes down.130 Thus faith is pure praise. Thus we remember and prepare for it in every Mass.