The Rapture

[SSTeacher]

I was recently told that, “the church in Rome developed belief in the Rapture shortly after the Reformation and although it was eventually condemned as heresy Protestants picked it up a few centuries later.”

I asked for details but none was forthcoming. I’ve never before heard anybody associate this belief with the Catholic Church. Is there any truth to this assertion? I always thought it was a “Bible–only” based belief that began in the United States and that it had absolutely no connection with Catholicism.

Anybody around who might be able to help?

Curiously,
Mick

 

[jediliz]

I am pretty sure the Rapture was developed by NON Catholics in the USA, maybe ~200 years ago? The Catholic Church has, as far as I know (and I had 12 years of Catholic school education) NEVER taught about the Rapture.

 

[Publisher]

As I understand the “rapture” has it’s beginnings among the Plymoth Brethren int he 19th century, a minister by the name of John Darby developed the belief after some visions by a young woman…Darby was a “dispensationalist”…Schofield…“Schofield Reference Bible” was very popular among evangelicals and is responsible for it’s spread among many groups.

 

[GaryTaylor]

I was recently told that, “the church in Rome developed belief in the Rapture shortly after the Reformation and although it was eventually condemned as heresy Protestants picked it up a few centuries later.”

I asked for details but none was forthcoming. I’ve never before heard anybody associate this belief with the Catholic Church. Is there any truth to this assertion? I always thought it was a “Bible–only” based belief that began in the United States and that it had absolutely no connection with Catholicism.

Anybody around who might be able to help?

Curiously,
Mick

Thats straight up Protestant teaching. Google it and any Catholic Sight New Advent etc will give you all the info you want to read on this Sola Scriptura teaching.

 

[Deo_Vindice]

I was recently told that, “the church in Rome developed belief in the Rapture shortly after the Reformation and although it was eventually condemned as heresy Protestants picked it up a few centuries later.”

I asked for details but none was forthcoming. I’ve never before heard anybody associate this belief with the Catholic Church. Is there any truth to this assertion? I always thought it was a “Bible–only” based belief that began in the United States and that it had absolutely no connection with Catholicism.

Anybody around who might be able to help?

Curiously,
Mick

I am not the most knowledgeable Catholic, but I am pretty sure that the rapture was something the American Puritans made up in the 17th century.

I think the view of the Catholic church is that the rapture is made up.

I find this topic interesting because this is a belief from the Sola Scriptura crowd, yet there really isn’t anything about it in the bible, maybe one or two lines, and yet there is this whole story about the anit-christ, and the tribulation, and a bunch of clearly made up stuff. its and odd move for bible literalists, but to each their own.

it is possible for Catholics to pick up on this rapture thing, as I even know Catholics who picked up ID and creationism from the protestants (even though I think the Church supports theistic evolution). I think you may be getting what some Catholics believe confused with what the Church in Rome teaches. it happens we are a very diverse crowd.

 

[Joe_5859]

I was recently told that, “the church in Rome developed belief in the Rapture shortly after the Reformation and although it was eventually condemned as heresy Protestants picked it up a few centuries later.”

I asked for details but none was forthcoming. I’ve never before heard anybody associate this belief with the Catholic Church. Is there any truth to this assertion? I always thought it was a “Bible–only” based belief that began in the United States and that it had absolutely no connection with Catholicism.

Anybody around who might be able to help?

Curiously,
Mick

I likewise have never heard that the rapture heresy has its origins in the Catholic Church. Unless the person arguing that point can produce actualy evidence rather than hearsay, there’s not really much that can be said.

 

[FidesSpesCarita]

Actually it is called Darbyism by those who do not ascribe to it after the first man to promote it, John Darby.

Before him, there was no understanding of a rapture as such and the Catholic Church, as far as I have researched, has never taught it.

 

[TimothyH]

Rapture theology teaches that there must necessarily be two returns of Christ, one at the rapture and one at the end of time. In rapture theology there must also be two ressurections of the dead, one of the faithful at the time of rapture who have died prior and another at the end of time for the rest of the dead; unfaithful who were not raised at the time of rapture and those who have died since.

Catholicism has always taught that Christ will return once. The parousia will take place at the end of time.

*And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day." (John 6:39:40)

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. (John 6:44)

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. (John 6:54)*

Christ says four times that he will raise us on the last day. This message is closely tied into Christs own teaching on the Eucharist. One ressurection of the dead at the end of time - on the last day - has always been the postion of the Catholic Church.

-Tim-

 

[ajcstr]

I was recently told that, “the church in Rome developed belief in the Rapture shortly after the Reformation and although it was eventually condemned as heresy Protestants picked it up a few centuries later.”

I asked for details but none was forthcoming. I’ve never before heard anybody associate this belief with the Catholic Church. Is there any truth to this assertion? I always thought it was a “Bible–only” based belief that began in the United States and that it had absolutely no connection with Catholicism.

Anybody around who might be able to help?

Curiously,
Mick

I have heard something similar (I think it was on an EWTN Journey Home discussion with Paul Thigpen - author of The Rapture Trap.) I have to go back through my material but I THINK it was a Jesuit priest (always the Jesuits, right). They said his theory was that those who went to daily mass and communion would be the ones to be raptured. I will have to go back and find this. Of course it has never been taught by the Church.

I just googled rapture and jesuit and several links came up. This one is by a Catholic:

deacongerry.blogspot.com/2011/05/jesuit-invented-rapture-theory.html

 

[ajcstr]

Here is an article by Thigpen

paulthigpen.com/apologetics/rapturefever.html

 

[hn160]

I thought that I would add my :twocents: on this subject. Any this is the Lutheran view of the End Times which I think is the Catholic view also. Click on the attachment to enlarge it.

 

[HisGrace1967]

Actually I learned that it was started by a Spanish Jesuit monk named Francisco Ribera. Here is the link…jimzartman.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/origin-of-belief-the-rapture/

 

[Harpazo]

Actually I learned that it was started by a Spanish Jesuit monk named Francisco Ribera. Here is the link…jimzartman.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/origin-of-belief-the-rapture/

Yes, I had heard similarly.

In Christ,
Andrew

 

[Gabriel_of_12]

The Catholic church has always taught and believed in the second coming of Jesus Christ. But the CC did not use this teaching to place fear on the flock of Jesus in order to repent, the CC reveales the second coming as our joy for hope to embrace His second coming not fear it.

This great joy is combined with those who are left behind (vs.17 below), as the scripture states, whereby some evangelical rapture teachings conflict with the scriptures to believe the ones left behind are going to suffer persecution which conflicts with scripture revealing those left behind will be caught up together with Him in the clouds in the “parousia” revelation.

Although one can translate those left behind are raptured up = caught up with Jesus not persecuted and tortured by the evil one as evangelical circles teach. Another error that evangelicals invent is that those who are taken before this “caught up in the clouds” occurr are the ones to be saved, when all of scripture reveals that the ones taken are the ones who are condemned to suffer the wrath of God, such as Noah and the flood, “all were taken” except 8 persons were left behind and saved by water which prefigured “baptism which saves you now”= 1Peter 3:21.

Although the term rapture was introduced by a Catholic deacon in his writings long before the reformation period, but was quickly rejected by the Church, and the reformers took flight to this rejected notion of a rapture and introduced multiple interpretations of this event which contradict the scriptures.

1 Thes. 4:15
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, 3 will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16
For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17
**Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together 4 with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. **18
Therefore, console one another with these words.

1Corinthians 15:51
25 Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed,
52
in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53
For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality.
54
26 And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about: “Death is swallowed up in victory.
55
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

 

[jpaul1953]

I was recently told that, “the church in Rome developed belief in the Rapture shortly after the Reformation and although it was eventually condemned as heresy Protestants picked it up a few centuries later.”

I asked for details but none was forthcoming. I’ve never before heard anybody associate this belief with the Catholic Church. Is there any truth to this assertion? I always thought it was a “Bible–only” based belief that began in the United States and that it had absolutely no connection with Catholicism.

Anybody around who might be able to help?

Curiously,
Mick

Dear SS Teacher,

In the early 1800’s in England, John (?) Darby heard a story about a little girl’s dream that Jesus came back to pick her up before the final tribulation, so she would be spared the horror of the final days.

He developed a whole time-line propheciing the rapture. The people in England didn’t buy into it. He moved thru Canada and the U.S. and his message stuck.

John Martignoni, an apologist from Alabama, states that Rapture Theology says Just as in the times of Noah and Lot, one is taken and one is left behind. John remarks that in Rapture Theology, the ones taken are the believers and the ones left behind are the non-believers, but in the times of Noah and Lot, the ones taken are the bad guys and the ones left behind are the good guys.

Quite a good point I would say.

May God bless you

Jpaul1953

 

[Anna_Scott]

I was recently told that, “the church in Rome developed belief in the Rapture shortly after the Reformation and although it was eventually condemned as heresy Protestants picked it up a few centuries later.”

I asked for details but none was forthcoming. I’ve never before heard anybody associate this belief with the Catholic Church. Is there any truth to this assertion? I always thought it was a “Bible–only” based belief that began in the United States and that it had absolutely no connection with Catholicism.

Anybody around who might be able to help?

Curiously,
Mick

SSTeacher,

There is an article on the Rapture under the Faith Tab here on CAF: link: catholic.com/library/Rapture.asp

The article traces the “pre-tribulational rapture” view to the 1800’s and a Fundamentalist leader, John Nelson Darby–whose movement became known as Dispensationalism.

C.I. Scofield taught this view in the footnotes of his Scofield Reference Bible. Many Protestants accepted the footnotes and adopted the pre-tribulational view.

The article says, no Christian had heard of this in the previous 1800 years of Church history.

Peace,
Anna

Edited to add P.S. There is an article on Wikipedia with some earlier references to views on the Rapture, such as 17th-century American Puritan father and son Increase and Cotton Mather, etc.

Link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture