I have been hearing about the impending Rapture from I was a child. Knowing nothing about the Bible then, I was lead to believe that this is what the Second Coming is about…until I became an adult and began to take more than passing interest in the Bible. Actually, it was an informal Bible study on Revelations 13 that drove me to dust my Bible off. Without studying the details of whether or not the Rapture teaching is valid I often wondered what it is about this doctrine that makes it so popular.
I believe that most Christians who hold this view are doing so sincerely and are truly looking forward to be caught up to heaven before the great tribulation occurs. As one Christian young lady said to me, “I am not so concerned about the coming mark-of-the-beast crisis because I won’t be here when it happens. And she is not the only person I heard with this kind of comment.
This situation illustrates the fact that we don’t rule our beliefs; our beliefs rule us. Whatever opinion we hold we are going to do what it takes to preserve its consistency. A belief is essentially an acceptance of other beliefs with which it is consistent. For instance, if you believe in an ever-burning hell, you will have to find a way to make it consistent by accepting the idea that man’s soul is immortal because that’s the only way that they are going to be able to experience eternal torment.
Therefore, it is no surprise that, by accepting the doctrine of the (secret) Rapture people are now saying they don’t need to know about the tribulation because they will not be here during that period.
In my personal Bible study on Revelations, in connection with other prophecies, I have identified five counts on which I believe the Rapture theory needs to be reexamined:
1. It is inconsistent with the Bible teaching concerning the redemption of the saints. The apostle Paul says that the saints will be redeemed when Christ descends from heaven with a shout (1Thess. 4:15-17); it will not be a matter of which the world will be unaware (Rev.1:7).
2. It conveys confused messages. I am unclear as to whether I am to prepare to meet Christ at His coming or for an event that precedes it. If the (secret) Rapture is to be taken as synonymous to the Second Coming then that would be contrary to the scriptures, which declares that Christ, at His coming, will be seen by all. And if they are not the same then one would have to decide whether to preach about the secret Rapture and forget about the Second Coming (duh!!!), or preach the Second Coming and expose his/her hearers to the risk of missing out on the Rapture!
3. It contradicts the Bible prediction concerning the persecution of the saints during the tribulation. The persecuted saints are the ones who were said to be victorious over the beast and his image; those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for their refusal to take the mark of the beast and worship his image (Rev. 15:2-4; 20:4). In order for the Bible to speak thus of them it must be because they went through the great tribulation!
4. It has the potential to keep people in state of unpreparedness for what is to come in the future. When you are told that the saints will be caught up in a secret rapture before the mark-of-the-beast crisis, you will have no reason to brace yourself for an impending firestorm. It’s like hearing a weather report that a hurricane is coming. But your pastor come and say, don’t worry, the Lord will divert this hurricane from us. You believe your pastor and make no preparation for the impending disaster. What do you think would happen if your pastor is mistaken? Now, consider what would happen if the Rapture teaching turns out to be wrong!
5. In my Bible study on Revelations I am not able to differentiate between the “tribulation saints” and the “raptured saints”. There is only one designation of the people of God in the book of Revelations; they are simply described as ‘the saints’ with no differentiation or dichotomy between them. Therefore, the descriptions such as ‘raptured’ and ‘tribulation’ saints are of human invention and have nothing to do with what is seen in the scriptures.
I have done advance research of this subject because I believe that this doctrine of the Rapture can potentially determine one’s eternal destiny. In your Bible study on Revelations 1, 15, 19, and 20, I trust that you will be better enlightened concerning the subject.
Bible Study on Revelations - 5 Reasons Why I Cannot Accept the Rapture Theory
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