Some say the word “rapture”
is not in the Bible, so therefore there is no rapture of the
Church. Neither is
the word “trinity” in the Bible, but God is triune; God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is one in three persons.
“Rapture” comes from the
Latin word “rapturo.” It is the equivalent of the Greek “harpazo,” which is
found in 2 Corinthians 12:2 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for “caught up.”
Harpazo and rapture both
mean: (a) to seize, carry off by force, (b) to seize on, claim for one’s self
eagerly, and (c) to snatch out or away.
The Rapture (rapturo, Latin;
harpazo, Greek) of Christ’s Church will happen on God’s time schedule. Some
believe it will happen before Daniel’s 70th week (commonly called
the seven year Tribulation), some in the middle and some at the end. It is
clear to me that it is impossible for it to occur at any other time than prior
to Daniel’s 70th week (the seven year Tribulation).
The next event on God’s
calendar is the Rapture of the Church. After that will follow Daniel’s 70th
week, then Christ will return with His Church at the end of Daniel’s 70th
week and set up His millennial kingdom, which is called the 1,000 year
Millennium.
It does not upset me if
others do not believe as I do regarding these events, but some folks really get
uptight about these matters. For example, a few have tried to “straighten me
out.” Others simply say I’m a false prophet and going to hell. Some question my
salvation in very colorful ways, while others are just plain ticked off that I
would believe in a Rapture at all.
Where does all this venomous
hatred come from? The answer is obvious. Satan hates God’s Truth and will
continue to fight against God and His chosen ones until his last breath.
Again, I strongly and without
question believe in a Rapture of the true Church prior to the start of Daniel’s
70th week (the Tribulation). I would like to present the following
for consideration. This is not original of course. Many others have presented
these same arguments and I will use these same verses that others have pointed
to.
At the Rapture, Jesus comes FOR
His Church. Luke 21:36; John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:14-17, 5:9;
Revelation 3:10
At His 2nd Coming,
Jesus comes WITH His Church. Zechariah 14:5; Colossians 3:4; Revelation 19:7-8,
14; 21: 9-10; Matthew 24:29-31; Jude 1:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 3:13
At the Rapture, Jesus appears
to only the Church: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 5:8; John 11:40 Hebrews
9:28
At His 2nd Coming,
He appears to everyone: Zechariah 14:4; Revelation 19:11-21; Revelation 1:7;
Zechariah 12:10; Matthew 24:30; Luke 3:6; John 19:37
At the Rapture, only true Christians
(the Church) are taken (those who are alive at that time and those who have
died prior). Unbelievers (those not of the true Church) are left behind.
Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 3:8-10; 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
At His 2nd Coming,
the wicked are taken. The righteous (Tribulation saints) are left behind.
Matthew 13:28-30
There are many other stark
differences between Christ coming for His bride (the Rapture) and His 2nd
Coming (at the end of the Tribulation). The more these are considered, the
clearer it becomes that the Rapture will occur, and it will occur before
Daniel’s 70th week (the 7-year Tribulation).
To believe or not believe in
the Rapture will not save anyone. Only absolute trust in the Lord Jesus Christ
will save any of us. It is His blood sacrificed for us that makes those who
believe on Him a child of God. His works save those who believe on Him.
Some say the Rapture is an
“escape hatch” we Christians have devised. It is an “escape hatch,” but it is
not something we devised. This promise comes directly from God’s Word. It is an
“escape hatch” because God is going to pour out His wrath upon the earth during
those seven years of Tribulation, but not upon His own bride. Therefore, He
snatches us out beforehand.
One other time God poured out
His wrath upon the entire earth, and that was during Noah’s day with a
world-wide flood. With the flood, God removed
Noah and his family from harm’s way via an ark. This time, He will remove His
own entirely from the earth and allow Satan a free hand, for a while, then
bring down His own judgment upon Satan and all his followers.
Do I want an “escape hatch”
from this horrible time of wrath to come upon all the earth? You betcha! It’s
going to get really nasty, and I want no part of it. Thank God that our Savior
and Lord will not leave His bride here on earth to undergo His own wrath. And
that’s another point. What groom who loves his bride would do that?
You don’t believe in the
Rapture? That’s fine. Are you a Christian? If you are, you’re going to be
pleasantly surprised if it occurs in our lifetime, and there is a strong chance
it will.
Should fear of the seven
years of Tribulation be used to hopefully bring people to a saving knowledge of
Christ? Absolutely! That is one reason among others that Satan hates for us to
be knowledgeable of God’s end-time prophesies. He wants to lull as many as
possible into thinking they’ll be okay, or it won’t be that bad, and the Church
won’t be removed anyway. He wants us to believe that we’ll just get saved
during the Tribulation. Many will be saved, and many will die a horrible death.
Is that what you want?
You believe I’m a fool for
believing in the Rapture, but listen to this. My faith isn’t in the Rapture. It
is in Jesus Christ, and I know Jesus did not lie when he said,
“Let not your heart be
troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” (John 14:1-4)
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
