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Will There be a Rapture?


RETIREDFAN1

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Will There be a Rapture?

 

We have been studying the Second Coming of Christ for the past few weeks. Man has created in his own mind, without one bit of properly handled scripture, things that he thinks will happen on the last day. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, describes for us some things that will definitely happen when the Lord returns. 

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

 

As the turn of last century approached, we began to see an increased interest in the return of Jesus. A very popular series, called “Left Behind” by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins claimed to tell the events of Christ’s return in fictional form. The series claimed to be based on the book of Revelation, though it pulled concepts from the Gospels and other places. Since the key to this fanciful series is the idea of a rapture, we will put it to the test by using the Scriptures to judge its truthfulness.

I John 4:1

Let’s start by defining premillennialism. Points vary between different advocates, but basically it has the following events at the end of time:
 


 

The first event, they say, will be the Rapture.This is, according to them, the sudden and secret removal of the faithful from the world.

 

According to them, following the Rapture will be the Great Tribulation. Those left behind (hence the name of the series) will suffer seven years of tribulation.  A small portion of those left will turn to God, becoming the targets of the tribulation and the soldiers in the final years of war. Then somewhere in their minds they find an Anti-Christ taking over.They claim that this is a world ruler who will arise who will represent everything Christ is against.

Then, according to them, comes the Battle of Armageddon. They claim that this is the final battle between good and evil, where Satan’s forces are finally defeated.

Then they conjure up some Thousand Year Reign. Christ returns with the faithful to establish a utopian rule on earth for 1,000 years. At the end of the reign, the faithful enter heaven for eternity.

The order of these events are basically those in the Left Behind series, but there are many conflicting proposals in the denominational world. 

 

They can’t even get it right without contradicting themselves, much less all the contradictions their made up theory has with Scripture.

They tell us that the rapture is to signal the beginning of the end times. The rapture is to be a silent, sudden removal of the saints. This is based on a misapplication of Matthew 24:40-41 where it said that only some would be taken.

Matthew 24: 40 - 41

 

What this is actually talking about is how, when the Romans come to destroy Jerusalem, some will live and some will die. It has already been fulfilled.

It is also based on a misapplication of I Thessalonians 4:15-17 where Paul speaks of those being caught up in the air, or a sudden departure. 

I Thessalonians 4: 15 - 17

 

While this passage actually IS speaking of the Second Coming, it is telling what will happen to those who are in Christ and have died, and those who are in Christ and are still physically alive when that day comes.
 


 

Their teaching that the rapture will be followed by a period of tribulation comes from a misapplication of Matthew 24:21-22, where Jesus prophesies a great tribulation that will not last long.

Matthew 24: 21 - 22

 

A brief reading of Josephus shows that this happened in 70 AD when the Romans were destroying Israel. It has already been fulfilled. 

 
They get their false doctrine about the rise of the antiChrist from a misapplication of  Matthew 24:24 where Jesus teaches that false Christs and false prophets will arise preceding the destruction of Jerusalem. 

Matthew 24: 24

 

If we read Josephus some more, he shows that this happened in the days preceding the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome. It has already been fulfilled. 


Now let's take some time to further refute these falsehoods. Even though they claim  that their doctrine is based on Revelation, most of the points come from the Gospels.




 

We see then that their first problem is that their time frame is wrong.

Matthew 24:34

 

Jesus said these things would happen to the generation to whom he was speaking. The premillennialists claim the generation He was talking about started with those who saw the restoration of Israel in 1948. Hence, their strong interest because that generation is dying off.

The fault is that they are ignoring the people who Jesus was actually speaking to. This was not a conversation about distant events, but something that Jesus’s audience would experience in their lifetime.

Next, we see that their participants are wrong. Almost all premillennialists have the United States, the old Soviet Union, or some nation in the Middle East waging war. Jesus said the vultures would gather around the corpse.

Matthew 24:28

Luke 17:34-37

The corpse referred to was the spiritually dead Jewish nation. The vultures (or literally eagles in the text) is a reference to the Roman armies which used the eagle as its emblem. 

 

What this is actually prophesying is the destruction of Israel by the Romans, which occurred in A.D. 70. However, since the United States also uses the eagle for its emblem, the modern-day prophets have reapplied the statements to the U.S.

Next we see that their event is wrong. They claim that the rapture will be a quiet event, yet read I Thessalonians 4:13-18 again. Verse 16 is anything but a secret departure.

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Second Coming of Christ will be announced with the sound of the last trumpet, not quietly and secretly. 

I Corinthians 15:52

Even the destruction of Jerusalem was not done quietly.

Matthew 24:27

Next, we see that the duration of their event is wrong.  When Christ returns, we will always be with the Lord.

I Thessalonians 4:17

Not for only seven years as these people claim, but always.

They also have two Second Comings.  The first to take the righteous. The second seven years later to destroy the wicked. 

 

However, the Bible only speaks of one return where the righteous are gathered and the wicked are slain.

Matthew 25: 31 - 33


Notice that Jesus will appear in glory. All of humanity will see this at his coming. All will be judged on this one, final day.  In reality these false teachers teach that there will be two, or possibly three, resurrections: a the beginning of the tribulation, at the end of the tribulation, and at the end of the 1,000 year reign. The Bible speaks of one resurrection of all.

John 5:28-29

The vast majority of the confusion is created by their mixing together events dealing with the destruction of Jerusalem and those dealing with the second coming. Further confusion is added by dividing single second coming events into multiple events.

As we can see, Premillennialism is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the kingdom of Christ. Readings of Old Testament prophecy is interpreted as being unfulfilled by them. We know that ALL Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled completely by 70 AD. Let’s look at a few of their errors.
 


 

Isaiah 2:2-4

They emphasize that it will happen in Jerusalem. And this prophecy was already fulfilled in Jerusalem. It is a prophecy of the FIRST coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the Church.

Isaiah 11:1-10

Emphasis on the wicked’s destruction and a reign of peace. Once again, this prophecy has already been fulfilled. It was a prophecy of the FIRST coming of the Messiah and the church He would establish.

Daniel 2:44

A kingdom which cannot be destroyed. They say his Kingdom was not established. God said that in the days of the Roman Empire (these kings) was when His eternal Kingdom would be established, and it was. This was fulfilled in Acts 2.

They will continue claim that these prophecies were never fulfilled, but we know without a doubt that every single one of them has already been fulfilled. How do we know? Because God told us they were fulfilled already. Even if we couldn’t clearly see the fulfillment, we would know.


 


John 18:36

Jesus said his kingdom was not of this world

Luke 17:20-21

When asked when the kingdom would come, Jesus said it was not seen in outward signs, but be found within themselves. It came on Pentecost in Acts 2, but these Premillennialists STILL don’t see it.

Mark 1:15

The time for the kingdom was close to the time of Christ.

Mark 9:1

It would be established within that generation. Either this prophecy was fulfilled or there are some very old people still walking the earth. Or if it wasn’t fulfilled, then Jesus lied. Those are the only options. Guess what? It was fulfilled in Acts 2 with the establishment of the Church of Christ.
 

After receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter announced that the Kingdom was established with Christ as King. 

Acts 2:33-36.
 


 

We are so used to the term Lord that we forget it means a ruler or king. God made Jesus King as well as Messiah.

Colossians 1:13

Speaking of the church, Paul said we were transferred into Christ’s Kingdom when we were rescued from our sins.

When Jesus comes again, he will step down from the throne.

I Corinthians 15:23-26

He is currently reigning until death is destroyed.  Death will be destroyed at the resurrection of all the dead.

I Corinthians 15:52-54

Premillennialism is a false system of doctrine designed to give people a false hope. Notice that even after the return of Jesus, they teach there is time to turn from sin.
 

The Bible says Jesus can come at any time. When he does come, we must be prepared.

II Peter 3:10-14
 

There won’t be a second chance. 

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