The Rapture NOT biblical? Is this article accurate?

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The writer is correct. The rapture is a creation of the 1800’s. Darby being a big promoter of this nonsense. Until the 1800’s nobody ever heard of the “Rapture”. It’s not Catholic, it’s not Early church Father’s,it’s not Medieval ,Christ never mentioned anything remotely like it. it isn’t part of the Reformational doctrines either.

In historical terms this theology is part of the Modern Era… It has nothing remotely to do with the truth.
 
The rapture is 100% opposite of what the Bible says.

Matthew 24 is often cited as proof of the rapture…

As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of an. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. (Matthew 24:37-41)

The idea is that the righteous will be “taken” up to heaven while the ungodly will be “left behind” on earth. The Biblical passage above are the words of Christ. Christ says that the end of time will be like the time of Noah. In the times of Noah the ungodly were swept away in the flood while the godly remained on earth. This is exactly opposite of what the rapture says. The rapture says that the godly will be taken away while the ungodly remain on earth. The rapture is exactly opposite of what the Bible says.

1 Thessalonians 4 is also cited as proof 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)

This passage is used together with Matthew 24 as further proof of the rapture. The idea here is that the godly will fly up into the air to meet Jesus and they will all go to heaven together (taken) and that the ungodly will remain on earth (left).

The phrase “go out to meet” was common in ancient times and is used in various forms throughout the Bible. It refers to the custom of leaving the walled city to meet an enemy in battle or leaving the city to escort a visiting dignitary back as an honored guest. It is like going out to meet the President of the United States at the airport and then escorting him back to the city with great pomp and honor.

Leah and Esau went out to meet Jacob. Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. The father went out to meet his prodigal son. Jerusalem went out to meet their King, Jesus Christ.

*When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and said, “You must come in to me; for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. (Genesis 30:16)

But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. (Genesis 33:4)

Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare, and went into the tent. (Exodus 18:7)

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)

The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:11-13)*

We will certainly meet the Lord when he comes, but we will not go with him to heaven but rather he will return with us as to earth an honored guest and as our King. We will run to meet him like Esau and Moses and the father of the prodigal son. We will wave palm branches and proclaim that he is our King. We will embrace him, kiss his neck, and he will be the husband to his bride, the Church. This is exactly what it says in the Book of Revelation…

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; (Revelation 21:2-3)

There will be no “catching up” into heaven as the rapture claims. Jesus will return at the end of time, we will welcome him as king, the dead will rise and Jesus will dwell with us. That is what the Bible says.

The rapture is completely, absolutely, 100% unscriptural. It is 180 degrees out of phase with what the Bible actually says.

-Tim-
 
“After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thess 4:17

Read in context, it’s clear that the act of being “caught up” (raptured) will occur after the resurrection of the dead and during Jesus’ 2nd coming.

It is the Protestant pre-trib & mid-trib ideas that are wrong. We do believe in the rapture, tho we don’t usually call it that, but not their versions.

And remember, not all Protestants believe in the rapture, just a small (but vocal!) sub-set. I learned the truth about the rapture (as I too took it as Gospel) from a Protestant on the radio. Can’t think of his name at the moment, but other than his blind spot about the Catholic Church, he was pretty good.
 
I recommend this book from a Catholic perspective:

''The Rapture Trap: A Catholic Response to ‘End Times’ Fever" by Paul Thigpen.
 
TimothyH said:
The article is absolute 100% correct.

-Tim-
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I was hesitant to read it, I had heard like the post above yours that the Rapture was an 1800 invention, but to see ppl here agree with that shocks me.
 
chero23 said:
I was hesitant to read it, I had heard like the post above yours that the Rapture was an 1800 invention, but to see ppl here agree with that shocks me.
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Shocked that people agree that it’s a new idea from the 1800s or that some people believe the Protestant rapture? :confused:
 
Bonnie said:
Shocked that people agree that it’s a new idea from the 1800s or that some people believe the Protestant rapture? :confused:
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I want to say both. I knew that it wasn’t biblical b/c I had heard Catholic Apologists say this was not preached by the Early Church. Second, to have people be fanatical about it (maybe fanatical is not the word, but almost lie their lives by it).
 
chero23 said:
I want to say both. I knew that it wasn’t biblical b/c I had heard Catholic Apologists say this was not preached by the Early Church. Second, to have people be fanatical about it (maybe fanatical is not the word, but almost lie their lives by it).
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They do sometimes do just that, to the detriment of the life being lived.

But beyond being unbiblical, the “Rapture” flies in the face of the known nature of human life. God never snatches anybody out of suffering.

ICXC NIKA
 
I second this read:
Simca said:
I recommend this book from a Catholic perspective:
''The Rapture Trap: A Catholic Response to ‘End Times’ Fever" by Paul Thigpen.
Click to expand...
The Church teaches Christ’s return - the Second Coming. It doesn’t teach a Third Return, which would be Christ’s Triumphant return at the End of All Things following his Second Return to secretly snatch up His faithful. I wouldn’t say the article is 100% accurate from the perspective of Church teaching but it gets the major points correct. By the way, the Church’s teaching is Amillenial - we won’t know the hour or the day, and we’re called to live in accordance with Teaching and do as much good as we can with the time and abilities given us, and that the Second Coming will be the most visible event in human history, ushering in a reign of peace and holiness.

I remember the Rapture being very influential in the small, rural midwestern town where I went to college (the first time). It was entwined with Millenial fervor, back when people thought that Y2K was a serious problem that would make planes fall out of the sky. In that town were two Baptist churches (among many others) next to each other. The pastor of one taught a premillenial pre-tribulation rapture, the pastor of the other a post-tribulation rapture. The two congregations wouldn’t speak to each other, each thinking the other rank heretics. This is the environment in which LaHaye & Jenkins, and others, thrived and probably fed the fervor to a considerable degree.

I don’t think that belief in a Rapture has necessarily subsided, but rather than many congregations who espouse the belief are focused elsewhere for now. When the Rapture seemed imminent (again, 1998, 1999ish), the focus was on getting as many souls saved as possible and cheap evanglization (“the Roman Road”, for example) was rampant on my campus. Now there seems to be more work to be done on Earth. This is an outsider’s perspective, though I have noticed that my friends who align with such theology have kind of stopped pressing me on it and are instead focused on gay marriage, immigration and health care, as well as on events in the Middle East (the rise of the self-proclaimed Caliphate by the terrorist group ISIS has set off some major alarms in some of those communities).
 
losh14 said:
I don’t think that belief in a Rapture has necessarily subsided, but rather than many congregations who espouse the belief are focused elsewhere for now.
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I think (tho someone who follows trends more closely please chime in!) that interest in the rapture comes & goes in waves. In the late 60s-early 70s it was big. The Late Great Planet Earth & other junk-theology really drove it. Like the Left Behind series later, and the hysteria over the new millennium - a year too early. 😉
 
Excellent information.

I guess I just took for granted that pop-culture’s idea of a rain of fireballs and great disasters etc. would be set upon us by God before Jesus would return to do whatever it is he’ll do.

I’m much more confortable with the idea that it can happen any second so to live every second in God’s love. I don’t like to think of it as live like it’s your last moment because that seems to lead to “you only live once” and more self-serving purpose vs. living to serve others.
 
chero23 said:
I was hesitant to read it, I had heard like the post above yours that the Rapture was an 1800 invention, but to see ppl here agree with that shocks me.
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Why? It’s not a Catholic idea at all.

Have you heard it put forward in Catholic circles?

Edwin
 
I think we as well as the Jews would do well to read this and think about it.

Prophecy Of Sophonias (Zephaniah)
 
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