| Home | Our Hope | |
| Bible Study |
|
March 06, 2011 |
| Rapture | ||
This lesson will discuss some interpretations of the Bible verses relating to the future event called the Rapture. The goal here will not be to promote one over the other but to ensure that Christians understand there is more than one valid interpretation so they do not become too attached to a particular one.
The event commonly called the Rapture is not referred to by that name or any name in the Bible. But the event is described in many places. Here is the description from 1 Thessalonians 4.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 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. 17 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. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
There are three main variations of the futurist interpretation of this event. The differences are focused on the relation of the event to the period called the tribulation, the last 7 years before the Son of God sets up the millennial kingdom.
|
|
|
|||||||
Proponents of this view provide these scriptures to support their position.1 2
Matthew 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
The argument here is that the rapture is not mentioned and therefore must have come prior to the judgment mentioned above.
The problem with the reasoning is the assumption that this judgment occurs at the end of the 7 years of tribulation. The Revelation account is quite clear that the dead are not raised until after the Millennial period and then comes the judgment. Therefore the pre-trib, mid-trib, and post-trib views on the rapture would all meet the requirement of coming before this judgment.
Revelation 3:10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
The argument here is that Christians, the ones who endure patiently, will be raptured away before the tribulation, the hour of trial.
There are multiple problems with this argument. It is taken out of a context where the words are spoken to only one of seven churches, not all of them. There is no single widely accepted interpretation of Revelation's messages to the churches.
Other problems are that there is more than one way to "keep you from the hour of trial". Being raptured away is only one possibility. Also the "hour of trial" is not associated with the tribulation anywhere else in scripture and could be a reference to a smaller part of it. Also this church has endured something patiently that the other churches have not. This supports the idea that the church may be there for at least part of the tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The argument here is that this verse shows that Christians will not have to suffer the wrath of the tribulation.
The problem with this argument is that most of the tribulation, as horrible as it will be, is not the wrath of God. It is Satan's last stand. Only at the end, after the seals are opened and the trumpets have sounded, are the bowl judgments and their wrath poured out. All three rapture views agree that Christians will not be there for that event.
There are variations on the pre-trib view having to do with the state of the world after the rapture. Some believe that the Holy Spirit is removed and it is no longer possible to be a Christian as that salvation is no longer available.
Mar 13:1 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"
2 "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
Jesus leads some of his disciples into what will be the Olivet Discourse by his prophetic answer to their simple observations. History tells us that King Herod the Great rebuilt the temple area fabulously and at great expense. In Jesus time it was still being built and the disciples were no doubt marveling at the construction they saw going on.
But Jesus' reply shows no interest. He considers the buildings to be as temporary as everything else that man does. And he explains that a time is coming when not one of the stones will be left standing on another. History tells us that time came in AD 70. The Romans, so infuriated by the constant trouble and rebellion coming from the Jews, tore down everything. To this day no one is certain exactly where the temple stood on Temple Mount.
But Jesus' answer makes a few of his disciples curious. It was Jesus habit at that time to preach in the temple during the day and to spend the night on the Mount of Olives which was a short distance away.3 4
Mar 13:3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"
Each gospel records the question asked by the disciples with slight differences. Generally the disciples are interested in the future and they refer back to what Jesus had said earlier. It appears they believe that the destruction of the temple that Jesus mentioned must be an end-times event. The Matthew account presents the questions best. Mat 24:3 […] "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
As seen here they have three specific questions, "When will the temple be destroyed", "What sign or event will tell them that the advent is near", and "What sign or event will tell them that the end of the age is near". I've used the word "advent" here. In this context it means "the arrival of something important or awaited". Remember that at this time the disciples did not understand that Jesus would die, so they were not likely thinking of "the second coming" as we understand it but of the Messiah coming into power, as the Jews expected it.
Mar 13:5 Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many.
The word "watch" is the theme of this message and we will see it used again later. Here it is used to warn us that many deceivers will come claiming to be the Messiah. Even recently we have seen Jim Jones and his death cult in Guyana and David Koresh just up the road in Waco.5 Both claimed to be the Messiah.
Mar 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
The message here is that the listed things must happen and from our perspective in time they have happened, are happening, and will happen. But these are only the beginning. The text uses pregnancy as a model for us of what will happen. Just as birth pains come faintly and infrequently at first and later become strong and constant and are completed with birth, so will be the end-times.
In that sense we are in the end-times now and have been since Jesus' resurrection. This agrees with the other authors of the New Testament who claimed to be in the end-times.
Mar 13:9 "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
Again we see the idea of watchfulness presented, this time as being on guard. Christians must be prepared to be mistreated and expect to be called before authorities for their testimony.
Mar 13:11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
We see here a message for all Christians. The instructions for witnessing in courts and councils were for the apostles and were followed by them; but they are for us as well. While we in America have had little fear of being dragged into court for being a Christian, there are other countries where being or becoming a Christian is punishable by death.
But we should be aware of the changes happening in our own country. Christians are persecuted for their teachings on homosexuality. It may not be long until they are prosecuted for this. If we are now in the last part of the end-times there is no reason to expect it to get better, but only worse. The Matthew account makes it clearer by saying Mat 24:9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death."
Mar 13:12 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew adds Mat 24:10 "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other". This makes it clear that Mark's account is saying unbeliever brothers, fathers, and children will have their believer brothers, children, and parents put to death.
But there is an important message at the end of verse 13, "the one who stands firm to the end will be saved". Luke adds Luk 21:18 "But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life." This is not saying that everyone who stands firm will live to see the second coming and never die. The disciples that Jesus is speaking to here stood firm and yet were put to death. And the previous verses have already said that many Christians will be put to death. Instead it means that those who stand firm and do not turn from the faith are under God's care6 and, despite persecution and death, will be saved for eternal life.
Mar 13:14-19, Mat 24:15-21, Luk 21:20-24 "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. And, when you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' spoken of through the prophet Daniel standing where it does not belong – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again."
The section of verses above is a composite of the accounts from Mark, Matthew and Luke. They are so similar that it is possible to do this.
There has been a lot of analysis of these verses, some of it foolishness and some of it the work of Satan. But as a whole we can see some important messages.
We get even more insight into these verses by mixing in information from Daniel. Dan 9:27 "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." Dan 11:31 "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him." Dan 12:11 "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days."
From this it becomes apparent that there is a temple in Jerusalem at that time and even a temple fortress and that sacrifices and offerings are performed there. He (little horn / big mouth / beast) will bring something into that temple that causes the temple to become desolate. The sacrifices and offerings will be stopped.
Mar 13:20 "If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.
That's how bad it will be at that time. If it continued, no one would survive. But God has determined not to let it continue, but to end it.
Note something else; the ones that God has chosen, believers, are suffering through this time.
Mar 13:21 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
This is the focus of the message, be on guard against these false Messiahs. The false Messiahs we have seen so far have deceived only a few. But some are coming who will deceive many because of the powerful wonders they can perform. Revelation says it this way Rev 13:13 "And [the second beast] will perform great signs so as to make fire descend from heaven on the earth before the people. 14 And it will seduce those living on the earth by the signs that were given to it to perform before the Beast […]."
Mark refers to what the second coming will be like later on but Matthew's account is clearest. The false Messiahs and false prophets will appear in the wilderness or in the inner rooms, but not so the second coming. Mat 24:27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Mar 13:24 "But in those days, following that distress, "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
This time Luke elaborates on the text above. Luk 21:25 "[…] On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
We are at a loss to understand all of what this means because we have never seen the world like this. The sun will be darkened, so obviously the moon will not shine, after all its light is a reflection of the sun's light. Scientists tell us that our sun is a very stable star compared to those they see in the heavens. Most of them change their brightness frequently. So it's certainly possible that ours could do the same.
But we have no way to understand stars falling from the sky. We do know that the word "star" at that time meant any shining body in space. So it could mean comets, asteroids, man-made satellites, or something we've never seen before. Some people think a non-physical interpretation of this is correct, though the context appears to be physical events. They think it could be a reference to stars in the sense of cultural stars, movie stars, etc. and others think the stars are demons cast to earth.
It is only in recent times that the word "Tsunami" has entered the English vocabulary. It's certain that the gospel writers didn't have a concept where huge waves could rise out of the sea, much less the words to express it. But given that other places in the scripture talk about great earthquakes, that is likely what is meant here.
Again with "heavenly bodies will be shaken" we cannot imagine what this means. Some people think this means the stars and planets will be moved out of their places in the night sky. This could be the result of shifting on the earth.
We have no historical reference for things like this happening so speculation abounds. We need to remember that God's word is true and everything else is human guesswork.
Mar 13:26 "At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
We see this event described in many other books of the New Testament in greater detail. Every chapter of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians has at least a reference to it.
Note that these last sets of verses appear to be forming a chronology of events. That is, this happens, then this, then this. In this case it starts with "there will be great distress". Then it says "following that distress the sun will be darkened", etc. Then it says "at that time" there will be the second coming.
Mar 13:28 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Heaven and earth will pass away. We are told this in Revelation. This generation will also pass away, but not before all the things described here have happened. By saying "my words will never pass away" Jesus is saying that his words are not like physical things like planets and the universe, they are timeless and true.
There has been much speculation about the meaning of "this generation". Some think it means that the generation that sees these signs will be the generation that sees the second coming. Events will happen that quickly. But "this generation" is used elsewhere to mean all of humanity. So the meaning may merely be that "my words are true; all of this will happen before the end of humanity."
Mar 13:32 "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
Mar 13:35 "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"
The Olivet Discourse completes with the theme word – watch. But Jesus also makes it clear that every servant is assigned a task while the master of the house is away. Do not let the master return unexpectedly and find you sleeping.
1. What are we to watch for?
False Messiahs and false prophets.
Persecution
In summary, thieves
2. How will we know false Messiahs and false prophets when we see them?
Their appearance will be on the earth
Statements or lives lived contrary to the Bible. Know the Bible and stay firm in the faith!!!
3. Some people think they will watch for the signs described here and then convert to Christianity. Is this a good plan?
4. What will happen to believers who do not know the Bible?
They will be deceived and fall away from the faith.
1 http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/End%20of%20the%20World/pretrib_proof.htm
2 http://www.raptureready.com/rr-pre-trib-rapture.html
3 http://www.lifeintheholyland.com/temple_mount1.htm
4 Luke 21:37
5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_claimed_to_be_Jesus
6 Possibly a reference to Matthew 10:30 "And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid"