There is a popular belief among Christian circles that the rapture is a heresy that was invented in 1830 by a man named John Darby. This "secret rapture", as so many argue, is never once mentioned in the pages of Holy scripture. Or is it? Just to clarify, I am not trying to set dates as many have tried to do over the years, but you would be surprised that the Bible has a ton to say on the concept of the rapture.
I understand that the word "rapture" is not found in any Bible translation. To counter that argument, trinity, demon, and millennium aren't listed in the Bible either. However, for example, evil spirit is used in place of demon. 1,000 years is used instead of millennial reign. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are what we know as the trinity. You get the point. You will find that phrases such as "catching away" and "gathering together" represent the concept known as the rapture. Before we analyze scripture, we need to look at the Greek word, "Harpazo". This word is where we get the concept of the rapture. According to Bible dictionary, this word means to seize, carry by force; to snatch out or away. This snatching out is evident in Matthew 24:40-41. It states, "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left." Prior to these verses, Jesus describes the time before the tribulation and compares it to Noah's day. "For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away" (24:38-39). Basically, things would be business as usual. Even though Jesus lists end times signs in Matthew 24 or birth pangs such as earthquakes, famines, and war, life would still go on. Then, on a day unbeknownst to any man, the angels, or even Christ, God will take true believers to Heaven. Thus, we are expected to keep watch so Jesus won't come as a thief in the night. In Mark 13:36-37, Jesus warns, "If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!"
One of the most striking pieces of evidence for a pre-tribulation rapture occurs in 1 Thessalonians 4. Starting in verse 15, Paul states, "According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have falling asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 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." The next verse, verse 18, is the key. "Therefore, encourage each other with these words." This gathering together is supposed to be an encouraging doctrine, not a doctrine that causes such animosity among believers. If the rapture were sometime during or after the tribulation, there would be great anguish and horror. Many post-tribbers like to say that the church will be protected during the tribulation. The problem with that is that Revelation states that many believers or what we call, tribulation saints, will be beheaded during this period. Additionally, even if the church was protected, it still wouldn't be an encouraging time to live in because of the unimaginable terror that will be unleashed on the earth. In Luke 21:36, it says, "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." In addition, Revelation 3:10, in John's address to the Church in Philadelphia, states, "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on earth." If the church had to endure the great tribulation, why are there promises to believers that they wouldn't endure God's wrath. Like it says in I Thessalonians 5:9, Paul emphatically states, "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." Before we go further, we need to differentiate between natural trials/tribulations and the great tribulation.
The "Day of the Lord", also referred to as the tribulation period will occur during the last 7 years of human history, also called Daniel's 70th week. Just like the rapture, this period of time will come like a thief in the night. As it states in I Thessalonians 5:3, "While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." The next verse makes a clear distinction between two groups: the people calling for peace and safety, and believers in Jesus Christ. In verse 4, it states, "But you, brothers, are not in darkness, so that this day should surprise you like a thief." For the ungodly, God's wrath is already appointed and they will not escape. However, the godly who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will be delivered. Anyways, how does the Bible describe the "Day of the Lord"? In 2 Peter 3:10, it states, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." If everything in the earth will be destroyed by fire, why would believers have to endure that? I understand that there have been martyrs throughout history and believers have often been targets of vicious persecution. This is what I call Satan's wrath. Satan hates all human beings, but he especially has vitriol for God's people. This rage comes in many forms such as literally killing God's people through persecution and other means, temptation, disease, depression, etc. These are the types of things that exist because we live in a fallen world in which Satan and many of his demons are loosed. The great tribulation is perfectly described in Daniel 12:1. "There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then." This is a time designated by God to judge the world of sin, unrighteousness, and injustice. If you read the judgements of Revelation, you will understand why the church has to be absent from the world. There definitely will be multitudes of believers who come out of the tribulation, but they may have to suffer persecution from the antichrist and his world system. Overall, this period of tribulation will not only be designed to cleanse the world of sin and evil, but also to bring salvation to Israel.
Because so many Christians have cut off any ties to the Jewish people or the nation of Israel, the entire theology of the end times becomes confusing and inconsistent. The tribulation period is often referred to as "The time of Jacob's trouble". Jacob, also called Israel, was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. People who say that God eternally rejected Israel don't know scripture. As it states in Romans 11:25, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in." As it says in Zechariah 12, Israel will "mourn for the one they pierced." This will happen at the end of the tribulation period when God pours out His spirit on Israel. Israel is still hardened and wallowing in sin. Therefore, it stands to reason that they will need to go through the tribulation to be purged of their sin and unbelief. Thankfully, God will preserve a remnant during the tribulation in which the Jews will be commanded to flee to the mountains after the abomination of desolation occurs. My point is, why would true believers in Jesus Christ have to go through this period of judgement? Our sins were taken care of on Calvary. We don't need to prove anything. Post-tribbers often indirectly deny the completion of Christ's atoning sacrifice by saying we need to suffer for Him. All believers in Christ, whether they are martyred or not, are redeemed by His blood. We should always be prepared to suffer for our faith, but no amount of works can redeem ourselves.
As I have clearly alluded to, Christ's coming for His bride (the church) will most likely occur before the tribulation period. As I stated previously, Christ's coming in the clouds for the church is described as a thief in the night. During this event, people will be caught off guard and there will be no fanfare prior to this mysterious event. The fact that "no man knows the day or the hour" should give us an important clue. Since the abomination of desolation in which the antichrist will desecrate the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem will happen at the mid-point of Daniel's 70th week, we can count 3 and a half years from that day to determine the exact day Christ will physically return to earth to judge its inhabitants. This works for mid-trib people as well. If we count 3 and a half years from the start of the 7 year tribulation, we will know the exact date of the abomination of desolation. The pre-trib theory is the only scenario that can accurately come as a thief in the night. In addition, especially with the post-trib theory, if Christ came for His bride at the end of the tribulation, we would go up in the clouds for a moment and then we could descend back down with Christ. This is also referred to as the "U-turn" theory. I firmly believe that the church will be in Heaven for the entire 7 year period while the earth descends into utter chaos and destruction.
Since the rapture is such a mysterious and supernatural event, are there any pictures of the rapture throughout scripture? Actually, you don't have to look any further than Genesis to see this event in motion. In Genesis 5:24, one of the strangest verses in the entire Bible occurs. "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." Enoch, the seventh from Adam, lived 365 years before being taken by God. Enoch and Elijah are the only two people in the Bible to never experience death. Because of Enoch's righteousness, God decided not only to spare him from his wicked generation, but also to use him as a shadow of what is to come when the church is gathered in the clouds to meet Christ in the air. Enoch was also a prophet who predicted the end times. In Jude, we read, "Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: See, the Lord is coming with thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him" (14-15). This verse is actually taken from the Book of Enoch. Even though Enoch lived a few thousand years even before Christ's first coming, God used him to reach the last generation, which I believe is our generation. Interestingly enough, Enoch says that all of God's holy one's would be with the Lord when he comes to judge the world. At this point, believers will have their glorified bodies which is explained in I Corinthians 15:51. "Listen, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."
While Enoch is the principle type of the rapture in the Bible, there are others I wish to address. The ascension of Jesus Christ when He was taken up to Heaven after His mission was complete is an authentic picture of what is to come. An overlooked part of Christ's ascension takes place in Luke 24:52-53. After Christ is taken to Heaven, it states, "Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple praising God." Just as Christ's earthly followers praised Him and returned to Jerusalem, the bride of Christ will one day return with Him to Jerusalem and will praise Him for eternity. Another prophetic picture of the rapture unsurprisingly takes place in Revelation 4:1. "It states, "And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." The first three chapters of Revelation address the seven prominent churches in Asia Minor. In verse 4, John is taken to the throne room of Heaven, symbolizing the rapture. Also, a trumpet sound is heard, which ties back to I Thessalonians 4:16. Anyways, after John is caught up to God's throne, the church is not mentioned until Revelation 19 when we read that multitudes of people are in Heaven praising God for the destruction of end times Babylon. With this in mind, let's take a look at two Jewish traditions that pertain to this gathering together known as the rapture: the ancient Jewish wedding and Rosh Hashanah.
The ancient Jewish wedding is one of the most astounding pictures of the church's relationship with Jesus Christ. Before the actual wedding, the bridegroom would purchase a bride, symbolizing Christ's death on the cross and atonement for our sins. After this, the groom would enter into a covenant or betrothal with the bride. In terms of the church, this is established when we accept Christ as our savior. To symbolize this betrothal, the bride and the bridegroom would drink from the same cup, which represents communion. After the betrothal, the groom would return to his father's house to build an extension in preparation for the marriage. Keep in mind the verse in John 14:3 that states, "And if I go prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also be where I am." When the groom went to receive the bride, the bride didn't know the day or hour, but was still supposed to know the season. When the bridegroom shouted, the bride heard his voice and would run toward the bridegroom.This correlates to the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. The wise virgins represent the faithful believers who have a true relationship with the bridegroom or Christ. The foolish virgins, on the other hand, can either represent Israel or the lukewarm church who have not made a commitment to Christ. Anyways, after the bridegroom took the bride to the bridal chamber, the door was shut. An interesting prophecy in Isaiah 26 parallels this. It states, "Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by" (20). When the door was shut, the bride, bridegroom, and wedding guests would have a 7 day feast in the father's house. This symbolizes the 7 year tribulation, which is why I believe that the marriage supper of the lamb will last all 7 years of the tribulation. After the 7 days of feasting, the bridegroom would bring the bride with her veil removed out of his chamber. This represents Christ's physical return to earth.
So, how does Rosh Hashanah relate to the rapture? Rosh Hashanah, also called Yom Teruah or Feast of Trumpets is the first fall feast of Israel and the next puzzle piece on the prophetic calendar. As many know, the spring feasts all relate to Christ's first coming, which is astonishing because the Jews kept these feasts a couple thousands of years before Christ was even born. For example, Jesus died directly on Passover, He was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, He was raised on the Feast of First Fruits, and the Church was born on Pentecost. Since He fulfilled the spring feasts to the day of His first coming, I believe He will fulfill the fall feasts directly to the day of His second coming. Anyways, the Feast of Trumpets is known the the wedding of the Messiah and will be the fulfillment of the last trump spoken about in I Thessalonians. Additionally, the Feast of Trumpets is the only feast that takes place on a New Moon. That might not sound significant, but two verses shed light on this. In Colossians 2:16, it states, "Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come." If you unpack this small verse, we find a profound mystery. Could the part about judging people according to what they eat refer to the Passover lamb? Could the religious festivals refer to each feast day, with New Moon highlighted as Rosh Hashanah? Could the Sabbath refer to the Shemitah year? There is not a ton of context in this verse, but I believe there is enough to show the significance to holding these feast days since they are the Lord's feasts, not merely Israel's. Another interesting prophecy regarding New Moon is found in Ezekiel 46:1, which states, "This is what the sovereign Lord says. The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the day of the New Moon it is to be opened." Finally, people often take the verse that says that "no man will know the day or the hour" out of context. Since the Feast of Trumpets is a two day feast, no one will know the day or hour the Messiah or in the context of the Jewish wedding, the bridegroom, will come. So, when is Rosh Hashanah of September, 2015?
Rosh Hashanah will begin sunset on September 13, 2015 and end nightfall on September 15, 2015. Really, though, the feast will fully begin September 14. Interestingly enough, the Shemitah year will end right during the feast of trumpets. That could usher in a catastrophic economic collapse if it follows the same 7 year pattern of the previous several Shemitah years. There will even be a partial solar eclipse on September 13, which is significant to note considering the prophecy in Joel 2:31 that states, "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." This solar eclipse correlates with the final blood moon of the tetrad that will occur on September 28, which the Feast of Tabernacles. While blood moons and solar eclipses aren't extremely rare, when they are on feast days, we should be aware. I am not saying that the rapture has to happen this year on Rosh Hashanah, but we need to have dress rehearsals every year for the coming king. Just as Israel had their dress rehearsals every year before Christ's first coming, let's know the signs of the times so we won't miss the time of the Messiah like Israel unfortunately did. Its important to listen for the Shofar because Christ's return is imminent. Keep your lamps full so that you'll hear the voice of the Lord at the last trump.
Sources
1. http://www.waitingforjesus.com/jewishfeastsprophecy.html
2. http://raptureforums.com/Rapture/jewishwedding.cfm
3. http://www.seekfind.net/Bible_Dictionary__Define_harpazo__Definition_of_harpazo.html#.VeetiPT3j3V
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