Subject: Pre-Tribulation Rapture |
Bible Note: The rapture theory is contradicted by the following biblical facts: Christ’s return will not be invisible; rather, it will be universally manifest. For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen from phaino, to shine even unto the west; so houtos, in this manner shall be the coming parousia of the Son of Man Mt. 24:27. As those early disciples beheld theaomai, to see, look at Christ’s departure to heaven, so in like manner tropos, in the same way will he come again (Acts 1:11). The Lord’s coming will involve a revelation apokalupsis, to uncover of his being (2 Thes. 1:7), because at that time Christ will be “manifested” phaneroo .. a term which, when employed in the passive voice (as in 1 Jn. 2:28), means to show or reveal oneself, be revealed, appear to someone (Arndt Gingrich, Greek Lexicon, Chicago: University of Chicago, 1967, p. 860). Moreover, as Jesus was visible during his first “appearing” epiphaneia on earth (2 Tim. 1:10), so will he be visible when he appears at his second coming (1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Tit. 2:13). Finally, of his coming it is said that Jesus shall “appear” horao, “become visible” a second time (Heb. 9:28). If the advocates of the rapture theory are correct, the Lord will not appear until his third coming! Christ’s coming will not be inaudible; rather, scripture indicates that the Second Advent will be accompanied by considerable sound phenomena. The Lord will descend from heaven with a “a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God” (1 Thes. 4:16). This has been called the noisiest verse in the Bible. Too, when Jesus comes again, “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise” (2 Pet. 3:10). That hardly accords with the notion that the return of the Lord will be a silent, secret event. The truth of the matter is, the rapture theory is relatively recent. The idea appears to be traceable to a Pentecostal movement of the early 1800’s .. founded by Edward Irving (1792-1834). A recent writer says: “The idea of a two-stage coming of Christ first came to a Scottish lass, Miss Margaret Macdonald of Port Glasgow, Scotland, while she was in a prophetic’ trance” (Robert Brinsmead, Present Truth, September, 1974, p. 28). Brinsmead quotes from a book, published in 1861, by Dr. Robert Norton, a member of the Irvingite group. This volume, titled The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets: In the Catholic Apostolic Church (p. 15), as quoted by Brinsmead, reads as follows: Marvelous light was shed upon Scripture, and especially on the doctrine of the second Advent, by the revived spirit of prophecy. In the following account by Miss M.M..., of an evening during which the power of the Holy Ghost rested upon her for several successive hours, in mingled prophecy and vision, we have an instance; for here we first see the distinction between that final stage of the Lord’s coming, when every eye shall see Him, and His prior appearing in glory to them that look for Him. George Murray, in his excellent volume, Millennial Studies, has also quoted the renown Greek scholar, S.P. Tregelles, who, in 1864, wrote: “I am not aware that there was any definite teaching that there should be a Secret Rapture of the Church at a secret coming until this was given forth as an utterance in Mr. Irving’s church from what was then received as being the voice of the Spirit” (op. cit., p. 138). The rapture theory thus rests upon the same sort of bogus “revelations” as Shakerism (founder Ann Lee had visions and claimed to speak in seventy-two languages), Seventh-Day Adventistism (Ellen White thought she took a trip to heaven), and Christian Science (Mary Baker Eddy’s revelations told her there is no death). The dispensational dogma, with all its peculiar elements (including the notion of a secret rapture), is at variance with the teaching of the Bible, and careful students of Holy Writ will reject it. |