The Rapture is an event awaited by many Christians where the entire Christian Church is taken up to heaven at the end of the Church Age or Age of Grace. This is described in Matthew chapter 24 verses 37 through to 42 “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left...”
The reason for the Rapture is to remove the Gentile Church of our era and allow the Christian Israelite's, converted at the beginning of the Tribulation, know as the one hundred and forty four thousand sealed of God and led by the Two Witnesses to take the gospel to the World during the Tribulation of the Last Days. So the gospel goes to the nations after the first advent of Christ Jesus and then the Church Age ends with the Rapture, to Heaven, of those living Christians in the Gentile Church at the time.
Obviously this is a very contentious piece of theology. The straight forward approach is to interpret the scripture to say that we await the visible Second Coming of Christ returning in glory. The dead in Christ will be raised to eternal life first and then the living will be lifted into the clouds to meet that Saviour. That would be the most simple interpretation and the least contentious view and reconcile with First Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 17.
The idea of the Rapture comes in response to some scriptural anomalies in the text. They come as a result of theologians like J.N. Darby and C.I. Scofield focusing on dispensations or covenants between God and man. Secondly looking at the End Times in the light of God’s promises to Abraham and the nation of Israel as described by the prophets and in particular Daniel and his prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of Years.
What Darby and others came to believe was that event in Matthew 24 where one person would be taken and another left wasn’t the same event as the Second Coming of Christ. The book of Revelation speaks of one hundred and forty four thousand of the Twelve Tribes of Israel taking the gospel to the World in the Tribulation time. Now if the Gentile Church was still available why would Israel be called on to perform this mission? I would just mention here that some say that Revelation is all symbolism but this event is described literally and appears to be the actual sequence of events.
So the question is “Where is the Gentile Christian Church at this time?” One possible explanation is that the Church has endured such persecution that there is no longer a Gentile Church in existence. Another explanation is that the Gentile Church still exists but is compromised by paganism and is now Religious Babylon.
The former explanation is not really consistent with scripture and the later is quite possible looking at the scripture describing Babylon the Great Harlot in Revelation chapter 17 verse 6 “… I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement…” So it may be entirely possible that the Gentile Church has succumbed to the infiltration of pagan doctrine and become anti-Christian by the time of the Tribulation.
However, the reasoning of Darby is that there will be a Rapture for the Gentile Church which will see the Church completely removed from the Earth at the time of the Tribulation. I believe that he came to this conclusion partly because of the verses in Matthew chapter 24 where Jesus speaks about two people who are walking in the field one is taken and the other left. This indicates one is saved and the other is left behind.
So, if this applied to the Second Coming at the end of the Great Tribulation (Second Half of the Seven Years). Then there could not be two persons walking together in the field because the Christians would all be slain as to believe in Christ Jesus during the Tribulation means a death sentence.
The only people left on the Earth at the end would be the followers of the Antichrist. However, if this describes the Rapture of the Church prior to the start of the Tribulation then the Christians and Non Christians would be still able to walk in the field together because the Tribulation hasn’t happened yet. Thus it seems to indicate two different events are plausible.
As is so often the case Satan excites controversy amongst believers and there is a lot misinformation added to the debate.. Controversy about the Rapture is no exception. The idea of the Rapture has been held throughout the Church Age but was popularised in the nineteenth century, through to the current era, by J.N. Darby and C.I .Scofield as well as Louis Sperry Chaffer and C.C. Ryrie.
The Rapture is a central part of Dispensational Theology and over the years different versions of Dispensational Theology have arisen. There is Amillenialism which holds that the millennial kingdom of Christ Jesus is here already or happened during the Church Age. There are versions that shift the timing of the Rapture and the Second Advent of Christ. There are versions which apply the events in the book of Revelation to the Church Age so that much of Revelation has happened already. There are versions which say the Seventieth Week of Daniel occurred at the time of the First Advent of Jesus Christ. There has been a lot of enmity generated between the Dispensational groups and of course the proponents of Covenant Theology.
However, as is so often the case the idea of a Rapture of the Church rather elegantly fits the descriptions given by Christ Jesus and the apostle Paul. Jesus mentioned that no one knows when the Son of Man will return. Not even Jesus himself only the Father knows the time. Whereas with the Second Coming we know it will most likely occur at the end of the Great Tribulation when only the Antichrist and his followers are left on the Earth. So what is this event that only the Father knows when it will happen? The Rapture.
Christ Jesus also spoke of the seven wise virgins and those unwise virgins who went to get oil and were away when the bridegroom came and so missed their chance. So when is the Savior coming for his bride secretly. As I have already mentioned we have a good idea of when the Second Coming or Second Advent of Christ will occur and that is most likely at the end of the Tribulation as He deals with the Anti-Christ and his followers and establishes His Eternal Kingdom. The Rapture happens to be somewhat of an elegant solution in terms of fitting the more subtle facts of Christ’s return for the Church.
So to recap the Rapture is necessary to fit the bibles description of Christ’s Second Coming which seems to be slightly different from the scriptures that describe the gathering of the Church before the Tribulation. The Gentile Church does not appear in the book of Revelation unless it is entirely subsumed by Babylon the Great Harlot of Revelation chapter seventeen. Israel is commissioned to spread the gospel in the Tribulation Time as described in Revelation chapter seven. The return of Christ at the end of the Tribulation will be seen by all and the saints who perished in the Tribulation will be raised then and gathered to him.
The scriptures are definite about these facts. However, there are scriptures that speak of a coming of Christ which is not expected. The parable of The Wise Virgins hints toward a mysterious arrival of the Bridegroom. Matthew chapter twenty four speaks of one being taken and one left but that would not fit the facts at the end of the Tribulation as those for Christ were all dead. Those left alive were all anti-Christ or so it would seem. In any case these are humble thoughts of one Christian. I hope they help you to make some sense of the subject as you consider the Rapture of the Saints.
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