To Rapture Or Not To Rapture
An amazing thing has taken place in the church; the body of Christ (a large percentage) has failed to read the Bible and has come to understand end time doctrine by reading books other than the Word of God! I had on my website for sometime, a poll that overwhelmingly showed that most of the church believes in the ‘sneaky, anytime coming’ rapture doctrine. That is disturbing to me and along with the ‘rapture’ theory, is the 7 year tribulation period doctrine that also comes from the likes of Hal Lindsey and other self proclaimed end time experts. What a shame that we as the body of Christ have discarded the eternal Word for bad doctrine that has been circulated in mass over the last 30 years through books that are not based on the Bible but on some hand me down doctrine(s) that really don’t exist in the Bible.
Let me expound. For the most part, the doctrine that Jesus will return to earth twice has only recently (in comparison with the history of the church) come about. Only one place in the Bible can you possibly base anything to do with the rapture of the church at anytime and a 7 year tribulation period where the ‘Anti-Christ’ is in full control of the world. That’s in Dan 9:24-27; it’s a sad state of affairs in the church when a serious, deceiving doctrine such as this is formulated from only one portion of Scripture.
Let’s look at some thoughts to consider
1 Cor 15:52 says ‘at the last trump’ the dead in Christ shall rise first then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up
1 Thess 4:16-17 says that Christ Himself shall descend with the trumpet of God (referring to the last trump) and the dead in Christ shall rise then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up with Him in the air
Where is the last trump referred to? In the book of the Revelation at the very last part of history! No where does the Bible say that Jesus is coming back twice; once to do a sneaky rapture thing and once to destroy all His enemies.
All references to the tribulation period and the Anti-Christ’s rule are;
42 months
1260 days
3 ½ years
A time, times and half a time
Daniel 9:27 does not refer only to the Anti-Christ and his reign upon the earth but to the Messiah being cut off after 3 ½ years which leaves 3 ½ years of the seven spoken of in which the Anti-Christ will come to power and kill all who name the name of Christ. That brings up a question. If there are no more Christians left on the earth because they have all become martyrs, who is it that the Bible refers to as “we who are alive and remain”? It can only be the Bride of Christ who was taken into the wilderness (Rev 12) to be preserved from the wrath of the Anti-Christ against those who were not qualified to be in the ‘Bride’ and left to either die as a martyr for their faith or to denounce Christ and follow after the Anti-Christ and die anyway and suffer eternal punishment. See the teaching on the Bride of Christ within this website for understanding that there will be a separation of the Church.
The ‘Left Behind’ series of books are a good story line but are not based on true Scripture. As with all the books out there in Christian book stores that promote the idea of a sneaky rapture and a seven year rule of the Anti-Christ and the ‘tribulation period’, the Word of God has been set aside for writings that tickle the ears and make us feel good. Stop being deceived and look at God’s Word for end time doctrine.