The Rapture

The Great Hope or the Great Hoax?

The rapture has been a popular doctrine in Christianity ever since the publication of the Scofield Bible in 1909. The belief was further popularized by Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth (1970) and by seemingly endless releases of Left Behind fiction books (1995-2007) and B-grade movies (2000-2023). Naturally, these dubious successes have been spun off into countless other books and movies, as well as Bible studies and sermons. Money has flowed abundantly, not just into Christian bookstores, but also into church offering plates. The teaching has thoroughly infiltrated much of Protestantism.

I remember that as a "baby" Christian, back when I had no idea how many deceivers were elevated to ministry positions, the idea of being raptured to heaven gave me great hope. However, as I grew in the faith and sought to confirm this teaching in the Bible, I was only able to find one future return of Christ, not two.

John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) was the first person to divide Christ's second coming into two stages, including first the rapture to conveniently remove Christians before the Great Tribulation, and afterwards, a return with the saints to judge the world.¹ Darby was also the primary founder of Dispensationalism. Accordingly, I will henceforth refer to his modern-day followers as “Darbyites.” Dispensationalists might take that label as derogatory, but I don't know why they wouldn't take pride in someone who is clearly their apostle. If they don’t want to be called Darbyites, they can stop following his teachings; it’s that simple.

The purpose of this article is to explain how a simple reading of key passages in 1 and 2 Thessalonians easily disproves the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

The Thessalonian Christians in Paul's time were suffering persecution and affliction (2 Thess. 1:4). Understandably, they wanted to leave this world as quickly as possible and go to be with God in heaven. They mistakenly expected Jesus to return in the very near future to save them. Some thought he would return so soon that they even had stopped working.

How did Paul respond to the Christians in Thessalonica who were expecting Jesus to imminently return to rescue them from this evil world? This is his response:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thess. 2:1-4)

Judge for yourself, but this is how I summarize these verses:

1. Don't let anyone, no matter who they are, tell you that the day of the Lord has come. Such people are deceivers.

2. That day won't come until after there is first a rebellion (or "apostasy," "falling away"). (cf. 2:10-12). And...

3. It will be after the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist) is revealed. Moreover...

4. [This revelation will become clear when] the Antichrist will sit in a rebuilt temple and proclaim himself to be God.

Let's summarize the situation in Thessalonica and its relevance for us. The Christians there were suffering persecution and affliction, and wanted to exit this world. In our time, even though most of us aren't being persecuted for our faith, we tend to experience a lot of suffering in this world. Many, if not most of us, would gladly "beam up" to Heaven today if we could. Again, Paul told Christians who were feeling exactly the same way that they were going to have to go through a great apostasy and live under the reign of an Antichrist who, by the way, may have been the Roman Emperor Nero. Paul assured his readers that upon Jesus’ return, he would both punish the wicked and be glorified in his saints (1:9-10). Then, and only then, would God grant believers lasting relief from their afflictions (1:6-8).

Paul went on to command Christians who had been idly waiting for Jesus' return to get to work (3:6-12). He expressed confidence in the Thessalonian Christians' divine election and calling, and in their steadfastness and faithfulness to his teachings (2:13-17).

1 Thessalonians 4:17

For anyone who still thinks that perhaps Jesus' return will be split into two separate events, let's look at 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which Darbyites commonly cite to support their belief in the rapture:

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

When we consider the context, we find that the verses before this disprove the idea that the rapture will be a secretive event, wholly separate from Christ’s visible return in glory. In verse 16, Paul describes three loud sounds that will accompany Christ’s return:

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

This states that Jesus will shout a command, which will immediately be followed by the voice of an archangel and a trumpet sound. Do you think this describes the sounds of (a): a “thief” who is on a covert mission to remove Christians from the earth; or (b): a general who is leading his army into a great battle?

The truth that Jesus will return only one time on a dual mission, both to judge the wicked and to call his elect to himself, is further bolstered by Jesus' prophecy in the Olivet Discourse. As J. Sidlow Baxter expressed it, “Nothing can disguise to an honest eye the parallel between Matthew 24:30-31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, which surely settles it that the latter does not teach a supposedly secret coming.”² Readers can easily discern the similarities:

Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt. 24:30–31)

There will be no secret rapture. I believe Jesus was talking about events that were to occur in connection with the end of the Jewish age (Matt. 24:3) and the destruction of the second temple (Matt. 24:1-2, Luke 21:20). Jesus prophesied that his own contemporaries (“this generation”) would witness the fulfillment of his prophecies (Matt. 24:34). The Romans conquered Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and utterly destroyed the second temple at that time. God orchestrated these events, and Jesus returned in the Spirit to oversee the fulfillment of these prophecies.

Based on how current events are unfolding, I believe the prophecies in the passages we've looked at, as well as others, mainly in Daniel and Revelation, are being fulfilled in our own time. I hope to post in the near future an important article about the possible identity of the Antichrist. I feel it is not an understatement to say that your salvation may depend on knowing this information, much of which you can only find here. If you haven't already done so, please consider taking this opportunity to subscribe for updates.

1 Thessalonians 5:2

Darbyites also like to quote 1 Thessalonians 5:2 to support their belief that Jesus will return in secret to rapture Christians:

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

This raises a legitimate question of how to reconcile the prophecies about the loud sounds occurring at Christ's return with this one. After all, we know that thieves don't shout and blow a trumpet when they break into a home. Let's look at 5:3 for further context:

While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

I read the context as describing people who feel completely comfortable and safe in their home. They sleep well at night, not anticipating that a thief will break in. Paul gives another example here, of a pregnant woman suddenly going into labor pains. This one is equally as valid as the "thief in the night" example, but Darbyites pay no attention to it because it doesn't line up with their theology. What both examples have in common is that the timing of each event is completely unpredictable. So, this is not about Jesus “stealing” Christians from the earth like thief, but rather is about him returning at a time when he is not expected.

I wonder, how can Jesus be thought of as a “thief” when he returns to call us, his family, back to himself? “Thief” is what Jesus called Satan when he said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10). Could it be that, in calling Jesus a thief, Darbyites are unknowingly denying that they belong to him?… that they instead belong to this world? I’m not suggesting that they’re not Christian, but it’s spiritually precarious to succumb to this level of deception by disregarding the plain meaning of the Scriptures. I have not felt the slightest need to research any Greek words for this Bible study because the English translations by themselves leave no question about Paul’s intended meaning.

Peter also speaks of Jesus returning as a “thief.” Anyone who wants to insist that Paul implied that Jesus will come as a thief to remove Christians from the planet must give equal weight to this verse, 2 Peter 3:10. What Peter describes is not a "rapture," but the end of this age:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

When the Lord comes by surprise, like a thief in the night, it will be the end of time as we know it, both for believers and unbelievers. For me, this verse appears to describe the physical heavens, not necessarily as being materially vanquished, but as being dimmed and outshone by the glory of the spiritual heavens when Christ returns with his angels. This verse does not state that the earth will pass away, but only that people’s works will be exposed. Good thoughts and deeds will be revealed, which will result in glory and honor for God's faithful saints. At the same time, Jesus will expose all evil, leading to shame and condemnation for the wicked. This is also when Christians “will be caught up… in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:17).

Will Christians Fly and Wreak Havoc?

This is an odd question, but you've got to admit it's been on each of our minds at some point. First, did the Darbyites get the "Christians flying up into the sky" part right?...

I can only offer an educated guess about this, but I don't think we're going to physically soar into the clouds. Let's be practical here… God didn’t design our bodies in such a way as to be able to survive in the upper atmosphere. Admittedly, he could transform our bodies so that we can comfortably do so. He could even give us wings and the knowledge of how to use them. That being said, I think it’s more sensible to assume that when we hear Jesus shout, only our souls will rise to meet him.

As for the havoc, could Darbyites be correct about crashing cars and planes causing mass casualties when our Lord returns and calls us to himself? Again, I don't think so. First, as I have explained, when Jesus returns, he will not only reward his saints but will also judge the wicked. I assume this means that nobody will be in a proper mental state to operate moving vehicles or other machinery. Again, the earth will not be destroyed. We also know that, according to 1 Corinthians 15, Christians will not be harmed but will instead be transformed into the image of Christ (cf. 1 Jn. 3:2):

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. (1 Cor. 15:51-53)

This passage does open up the possibility that our bodies will be transformed in such a way that we will be able to physically accompany Jesus as he descends from Heaven. If not, I believe our guardian angels will assume control of any vehicles or other machinery that might otherwise do us harm.

The idea that God would extract Christians from our planet while allowing unbelievers to suffer the physical and spiritual consequences brings to mind the extent to which the Darbyite rapture doctrine falls short of Jesus' standards of love and mercy. By having grossly misinterpreted multiple scriptures due to their desire to escape this earth in advance of severe trials and persecutions, they've depicted God as removing Christians from the earth just when our witness is most urgently needed. Adding insult to injury, God presumably will allow driverless cars, trucks, planes, and trains to crash, resulting in mass injuries and deaths. According to many but not all Darbyite teachers, God will even remove the Holy Spirit, without whom no one can be saved, from the earth. It almost seems as if these Darbyites inwardly harbor some hostility toward unbelievers.

Conclusion

In summary, the Bible teaches that, unless we die first, God calls us to endure all of our assigned trials and tribulations until the end, which will come after the great falling away (already happening) and the revealing of the Antichrist. When Jesus returns, we'll see his face and will become like him (1 Jn. 3:2). God will bless us with a new heaven and a new earth, and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain (Rev. 21:1, 4).

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1. Daniel G. Reid et al., Dictionary of Christianity in America (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990).

2. J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book: A Survey and Study of Each Book from Genesis Through Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1966), pp. 219-220.