Rapture Doctrine

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

—1 Thessalonians 4:15–18

The Word of God absolutely teaches that there will come a day that the Lord will descend from Heaven and catch up the dead in Christ together with the living to be with Him. This doctrine has been commonly known as “the rapture”.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, where in English the verse reads “shall be caught up together”, the Greek word in the text is ἁρπαγησόμεθα. It is from the root word ἁρπάζω, which is transliterated harpazō. This one Greek word is used in the Scripture to describe a taking by force as a rescuing or a kidnapping, a catching up or catching away, or plucking in the sense of stealing.

This word when used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is translated to rapiemur in the Latin translation of the Bible.  The Latin word is where we get the word rapture as a name for this glorious event.

The following list will attempt to give us a better understanding of how the Holy Spirit inspired the use of this word in the New Testament.  In each line of the numbered list, the verse is as it is written in the King James Version with the word translated from “harpazo” and its derivatives emphasized.

1. Matthew 11:12 — And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent TAKE it BY FORCE.
2. Matthew 13:19 — When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and CATCHETH AWAY that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
3. John 6:15 — When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and TAKE Him BY FORCE, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone.
4. John 10:12 — But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf CATCHETH them, and scattereth the sheep.
5. John 10:28 — And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man PLUCK them out of my hand.
6. John 10:29 — My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to PLUCK them out of my Father’s hand.
7. Acts 8:39 — And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord CAUGHT AWAY Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
8. Acts 23:10 — And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to TAKE him BY FORCE from among them, and to bring him into the castle.
9. 2 Corinthians 12:2 — I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one CAUGHT UP to the third heaven.
10. 2 Corinthians 12:4 — How that he was CAUGHT UP into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
11. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 — Then we which are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
12. Jude 1:23 — And others save with fear, PULLING them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
13. Revelation 12:5 — And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was CAUGHT UP unto God, and to His throne.

The list of verses above shows how this one Greek word (“harpazo”) and its derivatives are used in the Bible to learn its scriptural meaning.

Incidentally, an entity who captures is called a captor. An entity that raptures could be called a raptor.  A raptor in English usage is a bird of prey. A bird of prey such as an eagle or an owl comes from above quietly and without warning, and snatches unsuspecting prey, earning it the name “raptor”. That is a “rapture” that the mouse or fish does not want to be a part of. There is even a bird of prey known as a harpy eagle (see a connection to “harpazo”?) named after Greek mythic creatures called “harpies” that snatch their prey and disappear. That is the image of the word.

In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul wrote in detail about a “rapture” event that will suddenly occur when the dead in Christ, along with the remaining in Christ alive on the earth¹ will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air and forever be with Him. It should absolutely not be in question among Bible believing people as to whether there is a “rapture” in the Bible. It is right here in 1 Thessalonians 4.

The question among those that believe the Bible is a question of when. When will this happen?

Amillennial eschatology² sees no future for the earth past the present age. In their theology, there is a spiritual Kingdom of God in heaven, and there is only man’s kingdom here on earth. Often “the Church”, as a religious system, it the fulfillment of all of God’s work on earth³. They also teach that at the end of time, Christ will return and to take the saints to heaven and judge the earth. According to amillennialism, no kingdom of Christ will ever rule the earth. Hence the term “amillennial”, meaning “no millennium”, or no Kingdom of God’s Christ on earth. The prophetic scriptures speaking about this future reign of Christ are “spritualized”⁴ That is a simplified overview of anything that the amillennial might have to say concerning the rapture.

Premillennial eschatology sees the scriptures of the prophets to be as yet unfulfilled but rightly believes that they still must be fulfilled. There is to be a Kingdom on the earth as promised, and God is true to His Word. Thus, His Christ shall reign in this Kingdom on this earth as prophesied in Jeremiah 23:5. There are many signs to look for in anticipation of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule and reign on the earth. A period of time covering seven years known as “the great tribulation” will occur before Christ returns to take His Kingdom and to reign over it on the earth. A “rapture” event shall also occur, but premillennial theologians are divided on exactly when and how it will happen.

The amillennial sees no signs or prophetic fulfillment necessary only for the coming of the Lord at the end of this age to judge the earth. Some see this event as the end of all things concerning the earth and that it is equivalent to the Lord’s “Second Advent”. To them, this must mean that the Lord Jesus will return to take the saints to Heaven without any prophecies being fulfilled. The premillennial looks to all of the prophetic scriptures and sees that these things must take place before the Lord Jesus Christ returns, except when we see this in Paul’s epistles, we do see that this “rapture” is the end of all things for us relating to the earth. We also see that we are to be looking for the Lord (Titus 2:13), and not for antichrist, the tribulation, signs, wonders, “blood moons” or any such thing.

Both of these views are incorrect because neither is seeing the complete picture. While it is true that the prophecies concerning Christ’s return do not have to occur before the Lord comes to take His saints to forever be with Him, it is not true that they will never occur. That is where the amillennial view is in error. The “historic” premillennial view errs in that it fails to see the distinctiveness of Paul’s “revelation of the Mystery” (Romans 16:25), so that it is always looking for prophetic signs to occur in anticipation on Christ’s return, often conflating His return for His saints “in the air” with His return to the earth. While these things must occur before Christ returns to earth physically to establish His Theocratic Kingdom ruling in power and great glory on the earth physically, they do not have to occur before Christ comes to catch His saints up to meet Him in the air.

That is where the “dispensational-premillennial”, which is also the “pretribulation rapture” eschatological understanding corrects both views. Christ will indeed return and establish God’s rule on earth — a Theocracy — to rule and reign as King with a rod of iron for “a millennium” — a thousand years! The apostle John in Revelation chapter 20 writes of this “millennium” as either a thousand years or the thousand years SIX times in the first SEVEN verses of Revelation chapter 20. How could this be anything other than the literal thousand-year reign of our Lord Jesus Christ on this earth as the prophets of the Old Testament taught, as well as John the Baptist, followed by Christ Himself, and then by the Twelve Apostles?

All of the signs and judgments leading to this Theocratic Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth are also clearly literal, and just as literal as were the plagues on Egypt during the Exodus. During this time, Satan will unleash great wrath on the earth, especially against the believing of Israel (Revelation 12:12). In Revelation chapter 6, six of the Seven Seals are opened, and it is said that the GREAT DAY OF THE WRATH OF THE LAMB “is come” (Revelation 6:16–17). This is a time on earth when the war in heaven will come down to earth. Satan’s wrath against believing Israel and God’s wrath against Satan and the rebellious unbelieving nations of all the earth will simultaneously be occurring. This is the tribulation period, the final seven years of prophecy before Christ puts an end to all of the rebellion against God, establishing the Kingdom of God on earth for ONE THOUSAND YEARS. But note these verses from the pen of the Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 1:8–10 — “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”⁵

Notice the language used here, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, delivered us (past tense) from the wrath to come — in the future. Look at this regarding this time in the future from the Apostle Paul’s second epistle to the Thessalonians:

2 Thessalonians 1:3–10 — “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

Notice that the saints are told that they will be at rest (not hiding in a bunker) when the vengeance of the Lord Jesus Christ will come to earth. In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, the apostle says that the saints should put on the hope of salvation as a helmet, because, as he continues in verse 9:

1 Thessalonians 5:9–10 — “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”

In the previous chapter, the apostle reveals to the saints how that salvation would be obtained — “and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Yes, we obtain salvation by the death of Christ for our sins and life by His resurrection, but the context here is the salvation from that great day of the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 5:2–3), known as the great tribulation.

In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, after preaching concerning the wrath which will be coming on unbelievers in chapter 1, Paul follows by teaching on the rise of the man of sin and of God’s vengeance and victory against him and against the whole world that followed him. Paul then says this:

2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 — “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Again, the context is salvation from this coming judgment. The salvation is rest with the Lord and His saints. How does this happen? The rapture of 1 Thessalonians 4 is the best Biblical answer to this question. If the rapture answers this, then the rapture is indeed before the tribulation. The “pre-tribulation rapture” also shows why no prophetic events are said to be necessary, but that we are to be “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

This “pre-tribulation rapture doctrine” was not invented by John Nelson Darby. He merely came to understand the distinctiveness of Paul’s revelation of the mystery and the position of the Body of Christ in heaven. He believed Bible prophecy to be taken literally and believed that the position of the Church of God was not as a religious institution on earth but was a spiritual living body — an organism — already seated with Christ in heaven. From this he systematized his thoughts which became what would be known as “dispensationalism”. The pre-tribulation doctrine did not define the system but was a natural outcome of it. It is said that it was not eschatology that defined Darby’s teaching, but “ecclesiology” — his understanding of the nature of the church.

Darby is maligned by many who have never read one word that he wrote but only believe what others say about him. In my opinion, the biggest problem with much of modern rapture teaching is that it does not have the dispensational structure necessary for it to be defended intelligently. If one understands the difference between things spoken by the prophets since the world began (Luke 1:70; Acts 3:21) and things that God kept secret since the world began (Romans 16:25), he can understand how the present dispensation of grace will conclude with Christ taking His saints from the earth before the day of His wrath begins and things prophesied since the world began will be fulfilled.

The reign of Jesus Christ on this earth is the fulfillment of prophecy.

Revelation 19:10 — “…for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

This is spoken in Revelation 19 immediately before the great prophecy of Christ’s return to earth in victory to smite the nations, defeat the beast and the false prophet, tread the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God, and bind Satan for a thousand years.

Believers of the present dispensation have a place distinct from all of this. Our conversation is in Heaven, where we look for the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior to come to the air to catch us up to meet Him in the air (Philippians 3:20). This is what “rapture doctrine” is based on. It is not simply a desire to escape from hard times and tribulations, or even the great tribulation. It is because God has said that Christ has already delivered us from the wrath to come. We have no appointment with that wrath, but an appointment to meet the Lord in the air.

Whatever tribulations may be part of this present life we have grace sufficient to deal with it. We know, however, that it is not the wrath of God, the great tribulation. It is not simply because we don’t want it to be, but because God has said what would precede the great day of His wrath.

Contrary to the narrative of those that oppose the “pre-tribulation rapture”, it is never a call to laziness. It is also not a lie from Satan so that a whole bunch of Christians will ignorantly take the mark of the beast and end up in hell as some teach. It is always interesting that those that believe the events of the book of Revelation involve Christians (true Christians, of course) of the present dispensation also come to believe in one way or other that a true believer who is regenerated (Titus 3:5), baptized into Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3, Galatians 3:27, 1 Corinthians 12:13), sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13–14), and a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones (Ephesians 5:30) can one day be lost. While they say, and I will charitably acknowledge that while they really do believe in salvation by grace through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, they teach fear that any Christian can fall away and ultimately be unsaved. This follows right in with the thought that a true Christian may be fooled into taking the mark of the beast and finally be damned.

A true Christian can never become lost because Christ cannot be lost, and a true Christian is in Christ.

The teaching of the rapture in the Bible is always a call to holiness and to righteousness. It is also a warning to those who are unbelieving and therefore unsaved and therefore still under condemnation: the great day of the wrath of God will come and it will be the most awful time that this world has ever known. The day of salvation and of God’s longsuffering could end at any time and then the day of judgment will commence. If you die without Christ your future is the Great White Throne of Revelation 20 where the dead are judged according to their works and those not in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire. If the rapture happens and you are without Christ you will have to endure the wrath of God on this earth, and most will not. If you do you somehow survive, you will have to stand before Him in judgment just the same and if you are in your sins you have no hope. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). God is giving us grace now to be reconciled to Him by the death of Christ. All we need to do is to obey the gospel. The gospel command is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and His death for our sins and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3–4, Acts 16:31).

What will you do with the grace that God has given you in this day of grace?

End Notes

1. Paul used the phrase “we which are alive and remain”, indicating that he also expected himself to be still living when this happened. ↩︎
2. Eschatology is the term used when studying theology to be the study of last things, or of things to come. ↩︎
3. The past 2000 years of failure should cause us to question how man’s religious institutions could be God’s Kingdom. ↩︎
4. I’m not sure why it would be considered “spiritual” to change the meaning of the Word of God. One should question what spirit is at work here. ↩︎
5. Have you ever heard “rapture theology” criticized for causing believers to “do nothing but sit around and wait for the rapture”? ↩︎