How is the rapture viewed

[ryanoneil]

My source of confusion on the rapture is based on the Gospel verses (I don’t remember where it is) where Jesus talks about two men in the field, one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women at the grindstone, one will be taken one will be left. That certainly sounds like what many people call the rapture. So since we as Catholics do not believe in the rapture, can anyone explain what those verses mean?

As was mentioned earlier, the lesson from the flood is the Noah and his family survived the flood and the rest of his generation were destroyed in God’s judgment. The first sense of Jesus words is that the Old Covenant order would be terminated within his generation (Mt 24:34). Heaven and earth passing away was the Old Testament era giving way to the New Testatment age established by Christ. From a past historical perspective Jerusalem and the Temple were the architectural represtentation of heaven and earth. Christ’s judgment of the old order was coming and the disciples were to take heed of Christ’s words and evacuate the city before it’s demise. They would survive while those who were unaware would be swept away by the flood of the Roman seige.

So the old creation was awaiting renewal in Christ, but just as the OT era gave way to the NT age, the NT age will give way to eternal life at the end of history. This the future escatological aspect of the verse most people go straight to. Many people miss the historical context of Jesus words. Jesus initially fulfilled his word in the first century as a prefigurement and proof that he would be faithful to his word at his Second Coming in glory.

 

[Cachonga]

TimothyH, thank you for an excellent answer to my question. I had in mind something similar to the triumphal entry, where people gathered palm branches, etc… and welcomed Jesus as He rode in on the colt (I suppose that could be a prefigure of what Paul is talking about in 1 Thes).

To answer your question, if I find sufficient Scriptural evidence against the idea of the rapture, I am prepared to change my opinion on it (I have already changed from a pre-trib to a possible mid-trib rapture opinion, and perhaps the next time I read through Revelation, I could easily see myself dropping the idea of a rapture altogether).

 

[TimothyH]

First, please take a breath!

You are right. I do need to take a breath. More than one.

Rapture is one of my pet peeves. I live in the deep south and hear this stuff all the time from Evangelicals - that Catholic beliefs are unscriptural yet rapture theology is totally based on the Bible when it is in fact 100% reversed from what scripture says.

I do engage evangelicals all the time. Some of my best friends are former Catholic “Bible Christians” and the only thing they want to hear is “Where is it in scripture.” Then you point to it and they say, “I don’t believe it” like its some conspiracy from the Pope or something.

Like John Martignoni said, I want a bumper sticker that reads, “In case of rapture, I’m staying.”

-Tim-

 

[mbrislawn]

My view is this:

When Jesus returns to earth at the second coming, after the tribulation, He will do so visibly and accompanied by all the deceased Christian saints. The Christians on earth who are living at the time, will not wait on earth while He comes down, but will be taken up to meet Jesus in the air (“raptured,” if you will), and the living Christians and all the past Christians will accompany Jesus as He returns to earth. Christians will be vindicated visibly, as all those who persecuted them will see them in the air as triumphant.

Earth eventually becomes part of heaven, God will come to earth, and all Christians and the saved will be with God in their resurrected bodies.

 

[po18guy]

You are right. I do need to take a breath. More than one.

Rapture is one of my pet peeves. I live in the deep south and hear this stuff all the time from Evangelicals - that Catholic beliefs are unscriptural yet rapture theology is totally based on the Bible when it is in fact 100% reversed from what scripture says.

Since sola scripture is ego-driven, certain bible Christians apparently, perhaps unconsciously, insert their hopes and desires into the meaning of scripture.

I do engage evangelicals all the time. Some of my best friends are former Catholic “Bible Christians” and the only thing they want to hear is “Where is it in scripture.” Then you point to it and they say, “I don’t believe it” like its some conspiracy from the Pope or something.

Reason functions among reasonable egos. Only prayer can help many of them.

Like John Martignoni said, I want a bumper sticker that reads, “In case of rapture, I’m staying.”

How about “In case of rupture, this car will be at the ER”?

One of the most difficult things we will ever do is to abandon all to God’s providence. He is in charge of everything. If we are grieved, how much more so our Lord?

What so many are missing completely is that the end times arrive with our last breath. Peter wrote about this (2 Peter 3:3-10) and 2,000 years of Christians have found this out.

 

[ryanoneil]

And from the Catholic perspective the rapture is post-tribulational and happens after the 1,000 years (on the last day at the white throne).

 

[po18guy]

To answer your question, if I find sufficient Scriptural evidence against the idea of the rapture, I am prepared to change my opinion on it (I have already changed from a pre-trib to a possible mid-trib rapture opinion, and perhaps the next time I read through Revelation, I could easily see myself dropping the idea of a rapture altogether).

I would suggest only that you do not look for evidence against it, but rather evidence in favor of it. In contrast to our Lord’s words in Matthew 24:27: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”, any “secret return” is 100% anti-biblical. Anti-biblical is anti-Christ - the product of a spirit, but not the Holy Spirit. That alone gives much to think about.