A doctrine promoted by most Christian religions stating that one day Jesus will come to earth and rapture (seize or snatch) His church away and take it to heaven with Him. There’s more, some argue that this event will take place before the great tribulation expounded by Christ Himself in Matt. Ch. 24; some contend that it will take place about half-way into the seven-year tribulation period; yet another school of thought concludes it will be at the end of the tribulation; and all three schools found enough scripture to support their arguments. The post tribulationists in particular, make 1Thes. 4:17 their foundational platform by redefining the biblical phrase “caught up“ to mean a rapture of the church (a snatching away from the world population).
But what really is this ‘caught up event’? Is it not the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to His saints to protect them from God’s impending wrath and to gather them to Himself one day, 1Thes.1:10, 5:9. Listen to Him in Jn.14:2-3 ‘I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again to receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also’.
Apart from God, only Satan would have any interest in this prophecy, for the purpose of deception, and false doctrine. The bible warns us that he traverse the earth as an angel of light deceiving people with half-truths. He can quote scripture perfectly, even to Jesus in the wilderness temptation, but not without a twist, Matt. 4:1-11. Satan inspires false prophets who preach and teach new doctrines like the rapture to lead people astray. Let’s not forget though, that with all his tricks and half-truths he has to operate within the limit set by God, and is unable to thwart His plans or stop the fulfillment of His prophecies.
My understanding of the rapture, outside of the bible, is that it will be secret, local, baffling and astonishing to the ordinary man. Those left behind can only tell the story in part, while they enjoy a second chance of being saved; and it is separate from Christ’s second coming. Most importantly, those raptured or seized are gone to heaven to be with the Lord. Yet, the post Tribulationists hold that after meeting Jesus in the air, the church will join Him back to earth to setup His 1000-year government with them as helpers. Confusion and contradiction? Yes! Because Paul’s ‘caught up’ statement directly refers to Christ’s second coming and not the happenings of a secret rapture. Furthermore, the bible nowhere mention that saints would help Jesus setup a kingdom on earth prior to the millennium. Again, it is clear from scripture, that Christ, coming the first time to save humanity from the penalty of Adam’s sin, was our second chance, Jn.3:16, Rm.5:12-15. We are not only indebted to Him but He remains our savior in hope of a heavenly home.
Consider Paul’s statement in 1Thes.4:17 ‘Then we which are alive and remain’ clearly implying that all human life have expired except this group. Doesn’t this correlate with other texts that show a complete destruction of the ungodly first, before the gathering of the saints, when Jesus returns, Matt.13:24-30, 24:30-32, Rev.6:14-17, Rev.20:5? This being the facts, why would Jesus be setting up a government on a now totally polluted earth covered with human carcasses, Rev.19:17-18? Nor should we ignore the context under which Paul was preaching to the Thessalonians. Was it about the rapture of the church or Christ’s second coming, noting that the doctrine of the rapture is absent from scripture? Paul’s sermon was centered on the living and the dead-in-Christ when Christ returns to gather His saints; ‘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’ , verse 16. Notice too, that this will be public, not secret, confirming Jesus’ own words in Matt.24:30-31 and 2Pet.3:9.
The doctrines of the rapture appear to focus on the living saints whom, they believe, will be snatched, taken or seized in a secret appearance of Christ, separate and preceding His second coming. This clearly suggests a third appearance of Christ on earth. Yet the bible speaks of only His second coming. They manipulate the scriptures to satisfy their particular view-point.
The Post-tribulationists doctrine coincides with the scriptural timing of Christ’s second coming, which He described in Matt.24.29-30 ‘Immediately after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darken, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven….’ This is the event Paul was referring to in 1Thes.4:12-18; when, under inspiration, he used the phrase ‘caught up’ which is being used to define and explain the rapture doctrine, according to the Post-tribulationists.
But the bible appears to be void of any reference to these raptorial events mentioned above; So, what about Paul’s twice mentioned being ‘caught up’ to the third heaven, 2Cor.12:2-4; John, in a vision, saw Christ, as a babe being ‘caught up’ to God’s throne, Rev.12:5; and Philip was ‘caught away’ from the Ethiopian Enoch, Acts.8:39? These inspired phrases are peculiar to God’s usage through His Holy Spirit, Job.32:8; and if He chose to use these phrases in the execution of His plan; what right has any creature of His to change, use or apply his or her own phrase or meaning when such application clearly alters God’s expressed usage? Isa.14:27, Dan.4:35, and Rom..9:19-20. Herein lies true honor, respect, trust and true faith in Him; not forgetting that the entire bible is claimed by God as His words, 2Tim.3:15-17, 2Pet.1:20-21, and any personal statement therein is sanctioned by Him and is not subject to change; compare Gen.2:23-24 with Matt.19:4-5.
The bible contains ALL that mankind needs to know about God and His kingdom in order to have a living relationship with Him, 2Tim.3:15-17, Rom1:20. That being the truth, anything that is not bible-based cannot lead us to God or His kingdom. ‘There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death’, says Prov.14:12. Based on Isa.14:27, Dan.4:35 and Rom.9:19-29, should we consider the churches attempt to redefine God’s usage of the phrase ‘caught up’ a small thing, when It’s absolutely clear from scripture that there will be no rapture (snatching or seizing) as this English word implies? True, the Greek word “Harpazo”; from which the inspired phrase ‘caught up’ was translated, means to seize, catch away up, pluck, pull, take by force (Strong’s concordance), no mention of the word ‘rapture’, a secular word injected by modern-day theology. So, do the churches possess the authority to alter what God purposed through His messenger, Paul? You be the judge!